Feel Good Film Festival!

If you are in Los Angeles this weekend (Aug. 13-15) we encourage you to check out the FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL which is true to its name and showcases documentaries, shorts and features that tell good stories with happy endings!

Writing a Good Short Film

The debate over short films is never ending - if you have a feature is it a good idea to make a short "inspired" by the feature? No one makes money off of producing shorts, so why make them?

There are few reasons; build up your reel, gain experience, build up a following at film festivals and potentially - raise interest in your short, exactly the way District 9 managed to do. With so many options of DIY distribution, filmmakers potentially have all the marketing tools they need essentially for free or low cost to raise the visibility of their project. With a built in audience, you have the potential to build a community of people who may be interested in supporting the feature project in a financial or in-kind manner. Lots of filmmakers and artists are having success partnering with companies like Kickstarter.

As Rising Nile Productions, Inc. embarks on this journey, we thought we would share with you some interesting articles, tips and encouragements for those of you interested in producing, writing or directing a short piece. Enjoy!

How to Write a Good Short Film
John August on writing a short
Wired to Produce Short Films for iPad

INCEPTION

We are so excited to see this film - a tent pole project with an indie, artistic vision...!

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2: Is it....or isn't it....??

Reality Check for "Minority" Filmmakers....

(CNN) -- When director Ivan Dixon and writer Sam Greenlee were trying to get the politically charged African-American film "The Spook Who Sat by the Door" made in the early 1970s, they faced major challenges in securing funding.

Not much has changed since then, says Christine Acham, a University of California-Davis professor who is working on a documentary about the making of the film.

Acham said that though conditions have improved in the last 40 years, black filmmakers still struggle to get their films made.

"It is always challenging for African-American filmmakers to get funding," Acham said. "It's clearly helped by the Oprahs and Tyler Perrys of the world, who have their own studios and the ability to greenlight projects, but outside of that, if you are an independent or a black filmmaker, it is difficult to get black stories told." Click here to read entire article!

Producing a film, frame by frame...

Afia Serena Nathaniel is in production on her first feature film NEITHER THE VEIL NOR THE FOUR WALLS - as a first time feature director. And it is not an easy sell; not a rom com, thriller or horror film, but a political story based in Pakistan and focusing on a young mother and her eight year old daughter.

Oh boy....

However, where there is a will there is a way. Afia Serena Nathaniel is dedicated to producing her film for a number of reasons which she outlines in this guest blog for Women & Hollywood.

She and her producers have come up with an innovative way to do fund raising for the film - the film can be sponsored by potential audience members. Check out the method, and her website here and let us know what you think!

TWELVE - Release date 7/30/2010

Wealthy Upper East Side teens who have everything and still aren't happy. We will keep our opinions to ourselves...But would love to hear what you think about this film? You can view the trailer here - then come back and let us know!

Raising Money for Your Film

We found this interesting article about being honest with investors when you are producing a NO BUDGET film...! Take a look and let us know your thoughts?

The Right Way to Raise Money for a No-Budget Film

by Jerry Kolber | Published April 2, 2003

Over the last 10 years, I’ve worked as a consultant on independent films and as a production accountant for Universal, Disney and HBO. I’ve also produced a “no-budget” film called The Eden Myth, for which I raised over $150,000. I’d like to share with you what I know about how to raise money for a no-budget film, which I consider to be any film made for between $1 and $200,000. Read entire article here!