Workshop: movie-making 101: drone videography

In recent years, drone filming has moved from trend to a required skill used in everyday cinematography. With so many technological innovations, aerial video footage is now accessible at a fraction of the cost – we no longer need to rent a helicopter to shoot the world from above! Skilfully piloted drones can capture stunning images from a bird’s eye perspective, while saving time and money. 

In this 90-minute workshop, participants will be introduced to the wonders of drone cinematography through both theoretical and practical learning. Key topics to be explored include choosing the right drone for your project, techniques to enhance your viewer’s visual experience, and how to become a certified drone operator.

Logistics

date: Sunday 25 September, 2022
time: 2.30pm–4.00pm 
location: TBC
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$150. Tickets are available here.
facilitator: Michaelangelo Masangkay
Presented with the support of Shell

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.

Workshop: strategies for succeeding on the festival circuit

FILMCO is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2022 Strategies for Succeeding on the Festival Circuit Workshop. We will be selecting six filmmakers to take part in a one on one session during the trinidad+tobago film festival. Filmmakers with an interest in joining the festival circuit are invited to apply here!

In recent years, film festivals have become the first go-to exhibition stop for independent filmmakers, many of whom would struggle to find distribution and audiences otherwise. But, with so many film festivals all over the world, and with clear hierarchies in the festival circuit, choosing which ones you should send your film to, and in what order, needs to be considered as part of an overarching strategy that can guide your decision-making as you seek to release your film. Under the guidance of industry professionals – European Film Market head of diversity and inclusion, Themba Bhebhe; film industry publicist, Marcin J. Sobczak; festival programmer, Jim Kolmar; and filmmaker, Michaelangelo Masangkay , you will receive individual advice on how you should approach getting  your work onto the festival circuit.

Once chosen your project will be assigned to one or more film festival experts with whom you’ll have the opportunity to sit with one on one and strategise plans for the festival release of your film during the scheduled workshop on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm at NALIS (Seminar Room 2).

Application prerequisites

  • All genres will be accepted
  • Film must be set in the Caribbean
  • Applicants must have a financed film in production or post-production. The application deadline is 12 pm AST, September 19 2022.
  • You must be able to attend the workshop in person on Friday 23 September, 2022 @ 10:30am – 12:00pm

logistics

date: Friday 23 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (Seminar Room 2)
application: please apply here
tickets: TT$150. Tickets are available here.
facilitators: Themba Bhebhe, Jim Kolmar, Michaelangelo Masangkay + Marcin J. Sobczak

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Themba Bhebhe

After working for a decade in international film sales, Themba has been in charge of Diversity & Inclusion at the European Film Market (Berlinale) since the autumn of 2017. His work comprises curating a series of events on inclusion, equity and accessibility at the EFM’s Industry Sessions, and liaising with community-based film organisations and advocacy groups whose policies also strive towards greater inclusivity in the film sector. Founded with Dok Leipzig’s Nadja Tennstedt, Themba also co-manages the EFM’s Doc and Fiction Toolbox Programmes for marginalised and Global South film producers as well as the EFM (Online) Market Badge Inclusion Initiative. Within the framework of this role, he also works in close collaboration with imagineNATIVE and a host of other Indigenous-led film organisations regarding, in particular, the Native Indigenous Cinema Stand and the Native Fellows Programme at the EFM.

Themba is also one of the founding members of the Programmers of Colour Collective (POC2) that aims at working towards a more diverse and inclusive programming pool at international film festivals through research, awareness events, networking, profile raising, mentoring and shadowing. Alongside Chloë Walters-Wallace, Themba co-founded the Caribbean Film Academy, an initiative of Third Horizon that, through workshops, community-building, seminars and industry meetings, aims at introducing filmmakers from across the Caribbean region and its diaspora to burgeoning new resources in order to further their access to the film landscape. Themba is a mentor for Durban FilmMart’s Pitching and Financing Forum, where he has advised long-feature fiction projects from across the African continent. Also born from his connection with DFM, alongside Mitchell Harper and Tiny Mungwe, Themba is the co-founder of Engage, a series of curated think tank conversations and panels on the pertinent, challenging and multi-faceted questions facing the African film industry.

about Jim Kolmar

Jim Kolmar is an independent programmer who curated films for South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) from 2009-2020, where he continues to consult on international and feature films. He is also currently programming for trinidad+tobago film festival, and was a founding committee member at Festival Internacional de Cine Tulum (FICTU). Jim was also a guest curator for Portland International Film Festival 2021. Jim is a contributing writer for Ambulante Film Festival in Mexico, and has served on juries, panels and committees for organisations including Austin Film Society, BAFICI, Berlinale, Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM), CONNeXT, CPH:DOX, IDFA, IFFPanama, IN-EDIT Barcelona, San Sebastián, and Ventana Sur.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.

about Marcin J. Sobczak

Marcin J. Sobczak, owner of This Way Publicity, has worked in the film industry for over 13 years, supporting sales and production and every step of film development, working on more than 50 films, running international campaigns, and recently handling international Academy Awards campaigns. Some of the titles he has worked on include ‘Coda’, ‘Summer of soul’, ‘Cargo’ (by Kareem Mortimer), and ‘The enforcer’.

Masterclass: The Role of the Sales Agent

You’re thinking of making a film which you’re sure can become a huge hit! But you realise you have no idea how to get your film in front of audiences (who aren’t made up of your family and friends)! Enter the sales agent – the person who will work with you to promote and build the visibility of your film to get your film sold to distributors. In this presentation, participants will learn about the key roles of the sales agent; why the film festival circuit is so important for independent films; as well as the essential promotional materials you should be thinking about to shore up your film’s chances of finding distribution.

logistics

date: Sun 25 September, 2022
time: 10.30am–12.00pm
location: NALIS (AV Room)
rsvp: pre-registration required. Sign up here!
tickets: TT$150. Tickets must be bought in advance and are available here.
facilitator: Michaelangelo Masangkay

Advance tickets are available at ttfilmfestival.com and can also be purchased via bank transfer or in person (cash, credit card or linx) at our FILMCO office, located at 22 Jerningham Ave. 

FILMCO members, filmmakers with a film in the Festival and students with a valid photo ID, can receive a 50% discount on workshops and masterclasses! Please email Nyola at festival@filmco.org for information on payment options and to receive your discount code.

about Michaelangelo Masangkay

Michaelangelo Masangkay is a respected filmmaker, producer, director (at the Toronto Film School), and gifted drone pilot, with 15 years in the independent film industry. His vast industry knowledge and extensive global network enables him to seize opportunities for clients across Canada, the US and beyond.