Monday, February 29, 2016 Focus Day

LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION

Everyone loves a good story, especially when the story is told with pictures. Thus, the development of silent films, the “talkies,” movies, television, video, and YouTube. Today we meet five filmmakers: a writer-director, two producers, and a pair who develop event-based films for television.

9:30 – 10:30

Committee Films of Eden Prairie

Speakers: Maria Awes, Senior Vice President and Head of Development, Committee Films

Andy Awes, President and Executive Producer, Committee Films

It was August 1, 2007. Downtown Minneapolis was swarming with traffic as men and women headed home during rush hour. Suddenly, the eight-lane bridge over the Mississippi River gave way. It is stories of events like this that Committee Films developed for the ABC television network in its series, In an Instant. Awes described it as the perfect blend of reenactments with journalism.

10:45 – 11:45

Patrick’s Awesome Indie Adventure

Speaker: Patrick Coyle, Writer, Director, Filmmaker

Patrick Coyle’s journey from mild-mannered actor/ playwright to embattled independent filmmaker with three distributed films under his belt has been fraught with highs, lows, and a serious deprivation of sleep. Detective Fiction, Into Temptation, and The Public Domain were made on the aglet of a shoestring budget, against the advice of nearly everyone, and surpassed expectations for recoupment and critical response. This is his story.

11:45 – Noon ANNOUNCEMENTS
12:00 – 1:15 – LUNCHEON

1:15 – 2:15

Producers’ Stories: 
From WWII to Norwegian Bachelor Farmers

Speakers: Bill Semans and Jeff Hohman, Documentary and Feature Film Producers

We will spend time behind the scenes with two filmmakers who will entertain you with the realities of filming and producing movies on the local scene. Included will be clips from Herman USA that will make you laugh and historical documentaries that will move you.