Press Room

So You Want to be a Filmmaker?

Green Street Arts Center Announces Project Green Street: An Emerging Filmmakers Symposium

--

A Weekend of Workshops, Screenings and Discussion Featuring Sundance Success Miguel Arteta & Wesleyan Professor of Film Jeanine Basinger

Middletown, Conn., March, 6, 2007-Calling all emerging filmmakers! The Green Street Arts Center announces Project Green Street: An Emerging Filmmakers Symposium on Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31. This two-day event was designed in collaboration with Wesleyan University's Center for Film Studies to serve as a resource for emerging filmmakers to exchange ideas, develop their craft and learn about the film industry. For further information about all Project Green Street activities, call 860-685-7871 or visit www.greenstreetartscenter.org

Schedule of Events:
Every Day is a Beautiful Day: Screening and Discussion with Miguel Arteta and Jeanine Basinger
Friday, March 30, 5:30-7pm
Goldsmith Family Cinema, Center for Film Studies, Wesleyan's Center for Film Studies, 301 Washington Terrace, Middletown.
Free Admission
A Latino filmmaker with a gift for portraying off-kilter behavior in all shapes and ethnicities, Miguel Arteta emerged as one of the Sundance Film Festival's success stories in the late '90s. Arteta's musical short, Every Day is a Beautiful Day, was filmed on the streets of Middletown while he was a student at Wesleyan, and helped launch his career. At this special screening, Arteta discusses his work and how he got started in the film industry with Jeanine Basinger, Film Studies Department Chair and Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and American Studies

A Beginners Guide to Documentary Filmmaking with Jacob Bricca and Lisa Molomot
Saturday, March 31, 10am-1pm
Green Street Arts Center, 51 Green St., Middletown.
$60 general; $50 Green Street members, students, seniors and Wesleyan fac/staff
This 3-hour workshop on documentary filmmaking will cover everything from proposals and production to editing and distribution. Some of the topics covered will be:  advice on what equipment to use; how to find your story in the editing process; and how to get your film into festivals and on television.  Jacob Bricca and Lisa Molomot teach film and video production in the Film Studies department at Wesleyan University, and their work as editors, producers and directors has been exhibited on PBS, Discovery Channel, A&E Network, and at film festivals worldwide.  Whether you have an idea for a documentary or would just like to learn about the process, we hope you will join us! Participants are invited to bring a 3 three to five-minute clip of their work-in-progress for feedback. Advance registration for workshops is required. All registrations must be paid in full by Monday, March 26 at 5pm.

Writing the Short with Janis Astor del Valle
Saturday, March 31, 2pm-5pm
Green Street Arts Center, 51 Green St., Middletown.
$60 general; $50 Green Street members, students, seniors and Wesleyan fac/staff
Award-winning screenwriter Janis Astor del Valle gives you the nuts and bolts of writing the short screenplay, from concept to character development to story structure to outline and screenplay. This is an intensive three-hour workshop covering all of the basics and resulting in an outline or draft of a short script, depending on how much muscle you bring to the workshop! Participants will also receive information on distribution and festival opportunities. Janis holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University, where she won the Zaki Gordon Award for Screenwriting. Her short, A South Bronx Tale, is distributed by Iron Rod Motion Pictures, and has screened at festivals around the country, including the New York International Latino Film Festival and Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival.

Hands-On Production Workshop with Dan Nocera
Saturday, March 31, 2pm-5pm
Green Street Arts Center, 51 Green St., Middletown.
$60 general; $50 Green Street members, students, seniors and Wesleyan fac/staff
Put your skills to the test or gain tips and tricks in this hands-on workshop with Dan Nocera! Following a brief introduction to camera and sound equipment, Students will divide into groups and film short scenes. Afterward, Nocera will show you how to get your footage from the camera to the computer, and give a brief overview of editing programs such as iMovie and Final Cut Pro. This workshop is suitable for absolute beginners or those who want to test their abilities on a new project.

A limited number of need-based  scholarships will be available for all workshops. For more information, call 860-685-7791.

BIOS

Miguel Arteta was born 1965 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is an American director of film and television, best known for his independent film Chuck & Buck (2000). He attended Harvard University's documentary program, but wanted to do more than just documentaries, so he left for Wesleyan University, where he met future collaborators Matthew Greenfield and Mike White. After graduating in 1989, his student film Every Day is a Beautiful Day won a Student Academy Award. His first feature film Star Maps, which he wrote and directed, came in 1997, making its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a critical hit, receiving five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay. He then turned to directing television shows, helming episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, Freaks and Geeks, and Six Feet Under. Arteta then on to win an 2001 Independent Spirit Award for Best Feature Under $500,000 for Chuck & Buck. The trio worked together once more on 2002's The Good Girl, starring Jennifer Aniston.

Jeanine Basinger is the Chair of Film Studies Dept., Wesleyan University, Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies and American Studies, and Founder/Curator of the Wesleyan Cinema Archives. Basinger is the author of nine books, including Silent Stars (1999). Her areas of specialization include the history of American cinema, the film industry, auteurs, and genres.