Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Austin Film Organizations Panel Recap

Last week's Austin Film Organizations Panel was full of great information about getting involved in the Austin film community, both by taking advantage of the many programs for emerging filmmakers and through internships at one of the many organizations dedicated to supporting filmmakers in Austin.

The panelists, who included Kimberly LeBlanc – Location Scout for the Texas Film Commission, Maya Perez - Conference Director of Austin Film Festival, Agnes Varnum - Director of Marketing of the Austin Film Society, Michelle Voss - Executive Director of Femme Film Texas, and H. Cherdon Bedford – Executive Director of the Austin Film Meet,
spoke about the advantages of making films in Austin. Michelle noted the committed, DIY ethic of filmmakers here. Kim talked about the many different types of settings and terrain that are within a few hours drive of Austin.

Agnes gave us details about Austin Film Society's programs for emerging filmmakers, including TFPF, Member Mixers, and their Narratives In Progress program. Kim told us about the Texas Film Commission's cast and crew hotline and location scouting services. Michelle mentioned her organization's after school and summer film camps, and the organization's ability to serve as a fiscal sponsor. Maya from the Austin Film Festival talked about the festival's film and screenplay competitions, and H. Cherdon offered details about her group's meetings and script swap opportunities. Thanks to these women and the organizations they represent, there's certainly no shortage of development and networking opportunities for Austin filmmakers.

In addition to these programs, all of the organizations that participated in Thursday's panel offer internships or volunteer opportunities to qualified applicants. Most are looking for summer interns now! More details about both programs and internships can be found on the organizations' websites.