Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

Independent  &  Avant-Garde
Filmmakers

page four - festivals & books

back on page one:
top of page • links
people, A to L

Samuel Fuller Page
Robert Greenwald Page

back on page two:
people, M to Z

Michael Moore Page
Godfrey Reggio

back on page three:
selected films
collections on DVD
individual films

          independent filmmaker John Waters posed reading a novelization           here on page four:

festivals & contests
of independent films

reference books

how-to books & videos

software


"Being rich is not about how much money you have or how many homes you own. It's the freedom to buy any book
[that] you want without looking at the price and wondering if you can afford it."
— independent filmmaker John Waters


Festivals  &  Contests  of  Independent  Films

The New York International Independent Film & Video Festival [est. 1993]
in NYC, L.A., Las Vegas & Miami

Moviemaker Magazine 25 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee Spring 2011  HaydenFilms Online Film Festival for Student & Independent Filmmakers [5.0 deadline Fall 2012]

Freedom Cinema Festival [Jan 2005 = #2] in Park City, UT
Key West [FL] Indie Fest [Easter Weekend]
Dances With Films {festival of independent films} in Santa Monica [April 2005 = #8]
California Independent Film Festival [April 2010 = #12] in Orinda, CA
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival [April 2010 = #13] in Durham, NC
Coachella Independent Film Festival in Indio, CA [May 2004 = #5]
I.F.P. Los Angeles FilmFest [June]
The Indie Gathering [Aug 2013 = #17] in Hudson, Ohio
Intl. Documentary Assn. [est. 1982] DocuWeek Festival [Aug 2007 = #11] in L.A.
Telluride [CO] Indie Fest [Sept]
Channel Islands Indie F/F & Oxnard Independent F/F in Oxnard, CA [Sept = defunct 2008?]
Bluegrass Independent Film Festival in Louisville, KY [Sept]
SoCal Independent Film Festival in Huntington Beach, CA [Sept 2005]

The West Coast Documentary & Reality Conference & PitchFest – aka WestDoc [Sept 2012 = #3?] in Culver City, California            Santa Fe [NM] Independent Film Festival [Oct 2012 = #4]

IndieMemphis [TN in Oct]
Gotham Independent Film Awards [Nov 2012 = #22]

Magic Lantern's 'Film Festivals Around The World' Page

Official Rejection documentary poster  "Official Rejection" [indep; festival circuit & DVD release 2009]
107-minute color documentary following a group of filmmakers who take their independent feature Ten 'til Noon [2006] along the film festival circuit – showing the politics, pitfalls, triumphs & comic tragedies they encounter & endure along the way, a report on the indie world and what happens when the shooting is over. (The two-disk version contains 2 hours of bonus features.) • Co-produced, written & directed by and co-starring Paul Osborne; co-produced by and co-starring Scott Storm & Paul J. Alessi; co-starring Brian Osborne
Shut Up & Shoot Pictures widescreen color DVD [11/2009] 2 disks for $18.99
Shut Up & Shoot Pictures widescreen color DVD [11/2009] for $13.99
full credits at IMDb • official movie site

Contests

American Clean Skies Foundation's Energy Visions Prize {entry free, deadline in December}


Mahnattan Short's Feature Film Project [est. 2012] film competition
The Manhattan Short Film Festival [est. 1998] announced in July 2012 the creation of a commercial film competition called The Feature Film Project. The structure has the entry deadline at 31 December 2012, for feature films not more than two years old nor less than 80 minutes in length. The winning film will screen at 100 U.S. theaters in March 2013; at each screening, the audience will vote whether to rebook for a full week; box office results will determine how long each booking continues. Partners so far include MovieMaker Magazine, special event distributor Specticast and the Cobb Theatres chain.
official website


YouTube's Your Film Festival [est. 1/2012] free film & video competition
YouTube announced in January 2012 the creation of a free video & film competition called 'Your Film Festival', in partnership with Emirates. Filmmakers around the world are invited to submit a 15-minute, story-driven video of any format, style or genre between February 2 and March 31. Fifty semi-finalists will be chosen by Scott Free; those 50 will then compete for the YouTube audience vote, which will determine 10 finalists; the ten finalists will attend and screen their work at the Venice Film Festival; the top winner will also get a $500,000 YouTube original grant for their next production (with Ridley Scott's Scott Free company).
Your Film Festival official website • watch promo video [1:12] on YouTube


City of Ventura in California Water Take 1 Short Film Contest [est. 4/2012, deadline September]
The Water: Take 1 Online Short Film Contest is an effort to raise awareness about water, efficiency, and recycling programs, co-sponsored by
The City of Ventura in California, Limoneira agricultural cooperative [est. 1893], Patagonia sports gear [est.1972], and online distributor iThentic.
Each submission should 'address the topic of water'; maximum length five minutes, any genre; 2012 deadline was September 4th.


Louisiana Film Prize [est. 2012] free film & video competition
The Louisiana Film Prize was announced in March 2012; ninety projects met the July deadline; contestants have to actually shoot the project in the Shreveport/Bossier, Louisiana area and use Louisiana crew people - the first contest brought close to a half million dollars to the area and put more than 600 crew members to work. Twenty finalists were shown at the inaugural L.F.P. Weekend in October in Shreveport; they also received a $500 cash prize. The Top 5 films also receive distribution; Founders Circle Award winners receive a $3,000 filmmaking grant; the Grand Prize winner also receives $50,000 in cash.


Reference  &  Reading  Material

Visionary Film / Sitney  "Visionary Film: The American Avant-Garde 1943-2000"
[orig 1974; rev 2002] by P. Adams Sitney

The standard text on American avant-garde film since the publication
of its first edition in 1974.

Oxford Univ Press pb [10/2002] for $22.00
Oxford Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [10/2002] out of print/used
Film As Subversive Art  "Film As A Subversive Art" [1974 bestseller]
by Amos Vogel

D.A.P. 9x6¼ pb [1/2006] out of print/many used
Littlehampton Book Services 10x7 hardcover [6/74] out of print/used
Documentary: A History  "Documentary: A History of The Non-Fiction Film"
[orig 1974, rev 1992] by Erik Barnouw

Oxford Univ Press 8x5.3 pb [1/93] for $15.44
Oxford Univ Press hardcover [8/92] out of print/used
Maverick Film-Makers in Recent American Cinema book by Geoff Andrew  "Stranger Than Paradise: Maverick Film-Makers In Recent American Cinema" [1998]
by Geoff Andrew

covers Joel & Ethan Coen, Hal Hartley, Todd Haynes, Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, David Lynch, John Sayles, Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Wayne Wang, and others
Limelight Editions 9½x6½ hardcover [8/2004] for $38.00
Prion Books Ltd. 9x6½ hardcover [4/98] for $19.61
Documentary Film Movement  "The Documentary Film Movement: An Anthology" [1998]
Edited by Ian Aitken

Edinburgh Univ Press 9¼x6 pb [9/98] for $18.00
Edinburgh Univ Press 9¾x6¼ hardcover [9/98] for $84.00
History of Experimental Film & Video book by A.L. Rees  "A History of Experimental Film & Video" [1999]
by A.L. Rees

British Film Institute 9x6¼ pb [5/99] for $20.02
British Film Institute 9½x6.4 hardcover [5/99] for $55.00
Celluloid Mavericks  "Celluloid Mavericks: A History of American Independent Film" [1999]
by Greg Merritt

Thunder's Mouth Press 9x5¾ pb [10/99] out of print/used
American Independent Cinema  "American Independent Cinema: A Sight and Sound Reader" [2001]
Edited by Jim Hillier

British Film Institute 9x6 pb [3/2001] for $23.95
British Film Institute 9½x6¼ hardcover [3/2001] out of print/rare
Introduction to Documentary  "Introduction To Documentary" [2001]
by film scholar Bill Nichols

IN Univ Press 9x6½ pb [10/2001] for $19.95
IN Univ Press 9x6¼ hardcover [10/2001] for $42.95
Off-Hollywood Film Guide book by Tom Wiener  "The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide To Independent and Foreign Films On Video & DVD" [2002] by Tom Wiener
over 650 films (in alphabetical order) reviewed by longtime freelance U.S. film critic
Kindle Edition from Random House [2002 edition] for $9.32
Random House Trade 9x6 pb [8/2002] out of print/used
Age of Gold  "The Age of Gold: Surrealist Cinema" [2003]
by Robert Short

Creation Books 8¼x8¼ pb [4/2003] out of print/used
Down & Dirty Pictures book by Peter Biskind  "Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance & The Rise of Independent Film" [2004] by Peter Biskind
S&S 9½x6.4 hardcover [1/2004] for $18.33

see also Magic Lantern's The Sundance Companies Page
see also Magic Lantern's Minor Studios Page / Miramax Film Section

Documentary Film Primer by Carl Rollyson  "Documentary Film: A Primer" [2004]
by Carl Rollyson

iUniverse 9x6 pb [12/2004] for $11.95
Most Typical Avant-Garde Cinema book by David E. James  "The Most Typical Avant-Garde: History & Geography of Minor Cinemas In Los Angeles" [2005] by David E. James
Univ CA Press 10x7 pb [5/2005] for $34.95
Univ CA Press 9¾x7 hardcover [5/2005] for $65.00
American Independent Cinema  "American Independent Cinema" [2005]
by Geoff King

Indiana Univ Press 9x6 pb [8/2005] for $21.24
Indiana Univ Press 9½x6 hardcover [8/2005] for $75.00
Making History in Avant-Garde Film  "Shadows, Specters, Shards: Making History In Avant-Garde Film" [2005]
by Jeffrey Skoller

Univ MN Press 10x7 pb [8/2005] for $25.00
Univ MN Press 10x7 hardcover [8/2005] for $75.00
New History of Documentary Film  "A New History of Documentary Film" [2005]
by Jack C. Ellis & Betsy A. Mclane

Continuum Intl. 8¾x5¾ pb [8/2005] for $24.95
Continuum Intl. 9x6¼ hardcover [8/2005] for $60.20
Encyclopedia of Documentary Film  "Encyclopedia of The Documentary Film" 3-volume set [2005]
Edited by Ian Aitken

Routledge 11¼x9 (11½ pounds!) hardcover [10/2005] for $625.00
Rough Guide to American Independent Film  "The Rough Guide To American Independent Film" [2006]
by Jessica Winter

Rough Guides 7x6¾ pb [10/2006] for $8.54
Declarations of Independence / American Cinema book by John Berra  "Declarations of Independence: American Cinema and The Partiality of Independent Production" [2008] by John Berra
This book 'questions the autonomy of independent film, asking if it is possible for a unique filmic vision to thrive in an industry of mass production'
Intellect Ltd. 9x6¾ pb [3/2008] for $40.00
New Chinese Documentary Film Movement book edited by Chris Berry, Lu Xinyu & Lisa Rofel  "The New Chinese Documentary Film Movement: For The Public Record" [2010]
Edited by Chris Berry, Lu Xinyu & Lisa Rofel

Hong Kong Univ Press 9x6 pb [12/2010] for $25.00
Hong Kong Univ Press 9¼x6½ hardcover [12/2010] for $50.00


How-To  Books  &  Videos

Total Film-Maker  "The Total Film-Maker" [1971]
by Jerry Lewis [1926-2017]

Warner mass pb [3/73] out of print/rare
Random House hardcover [8/71] out of print/used
Independent Feature Film Production  "Independent Feature Film Production: A Complete Guide From Concept Through Distribution" [1982] by Gregory Goodell
recommended by John Carpenter, David Lynch, Ridley Scott & others
St. Martin's Griffin 8¼x5½ pb [5/98] for $12.21
St. Martin 8¾x6¼ pb [12/82] for $18.95
St. Martin hardcover [1/82] out of print/used
Rebel Without a Crew  "Rebel Without A Crew: Or How A 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became A Hollywood Player" [1995] by Robert Rodriguez
Plume 8x5½ pb [9/96] for $10.20
Dutton 9¼x6 hardcover [7/95] out of print/used
author's credits at IMDb
Documentary for the Small Screen by Paul Kriwaczek  "Documentary For The Small Screen" [1997]
by Paul Kriwaczek

Focal Press 9½x7¼ pb [10/97] for $67.95 (many used)
Girl Director / How-To Guide by Andrea Richards  "Girl Director: A How-To Guide For The First-Time Flat-Broke Film & Video Maker" [2000] by Andrea Richards
Ten Speed Press 9¼x9¼ pb [4/2005] for $14.00
Indie Producer's Handbook by Myrl A. Schreibman  "Indie Producer's Handbook: Creative Producing From A to Z" [2001]
by Myrl A. Schreibman, Foreword by Gilbert Cates

MovieMaker Magazine named this "the number-one book on producing"
Kindle Edition from Lone Eagle Publng [2001 edition] for $11.94
Lone Eagle Publng pb [8/2001] for $14.93
Make Your Own Damn Movie! book by Lloyd Kaufman  "Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of A Renegade Director" [2003]
by Lloyd Kaufman, with Adam Jahnke & Trent Haaga

L.A. Weekly Books 8½x5½ pb [4/2003] for $10.17
Independent Movie Marketing Handbook  "The Complete Independent Movie Marketing Handbook: Promote, Distribute & Sell Your Film or Video" [2003] by Mark Steven Bosko
Michael Wiese Prodns 9x6 pb [5/2003] for $26.37
Filmmaking For Dummies by Bryan Michael Stoller  "Filmmaking For Dummies" [2003]
by Bryan Michael Stoller, Foreword by Jerry Lewis [1926-2017]

Wiley & Sons 9¼x7½ pb [7/2003] for $12.99
Reel To Deal / Successful Independent Film  "From Reel To Deal: Everything You Need To Create A Successful Independent Film" [2003] by Dov S-S Simens
Warner 9x6 pb [7/2003] for $12.21
Independent Filmmaker's Manual from I.F.P./Los Angeles  "Independent Filmmaker's Manual, Second Edition" [2004]
from I.F.P./Los Angeles, by Eden H. Wurmfeld & Nicole Shay Laloggia

Focal Press 10¾x8½ pb {book & CD-ROM} [1/2004] for $29.67
Focal Press 1st edition pb {book & CD-ROM} [7/99] for $44.95
Make Your Own Damn Movie! box set  "Make Your Own Damn Movie!" DVD box set [2005]
from Troma Entertainment

Troma color DVD [5/2005] 5 disks for $44.99
Troma color DVD [5/2005] 5 disks & book for $62.99
official movie site
Cinematic Storytelling book by Jennifer Van Sijll  "Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know" [2005] by Jennifer Van Sijll
Michael Wiese Prodns 7¾x10¾ wide-format pb [8/2005] for $15.54
Declaration of Independent Filmmaking by Mark & Michael Polish & Jonathan Sheldon  "The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking: An Insider's Guide To Making Movies Outside of Hollywood" [2005] by Mark & Michael Polish & Jonathan Sheldon
Harvest 8x7 pb [10/2005] for $10.65
Planning The Low-Budget Film  "Planning The Low-Budget Film" [2006] by Robert Latham Brown
"should be cumpulsory reading for every film student"
Chalk Hill Books pb [3/2006] for $29.95
Independent Film Distribution End Run book by Phil Hall  "Independent Film Distribution: How To Make A Successful End Run Around The Big Guys" [2006] by Phil Hall
Michael Wiese Prodns 2nd edition 9x6½ pb [1/2011] for $16.47
Michael Wiese Prodns 8¾x6 pb [11/2006] out of print/used
Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers book by Thomas A. Crowell  "The Pocket Lawyer For Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit For Independent Producers"
[2007] by Thomas A. Crowell

Focal Press 8¾x6 pb [3/2007] for $21.05
publisher's bookpage
Insider's Guide to Independent Film Distribution book by Stacey Parks  "The Insider's Guide To Independent Film Distribution" [2007 bestseller]
by Stacey Parks

Focal Press 6x9 pb [5/2007] for $16.47
publisher's bookpage
Filmmaker's Handbook / Digital Age book by Steven Ascher & Edward Pincus  "The Filmmaker's Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide For The Digital Age"
[orig 1984, rev 2007] by Steven Ascher & Edward Pincus

Plume 8¾x6 pb [9/2007] for $16.50
Making Short Films, Complete Guide book by Clifford Thurlow   "Making Short Films: The Complete Guide From Script To Screen"
[orig 2005, rev 2008] by Clifford Thurlow

Berg Publrs 2nd Edition 9½x6¾ pb [4/2008] for $13.57
Berg Publrs 2nd Edition 9½x6¾ hardcover [4/2008] for $94.95
The Reel Truth book by Reed Martin  "The Reel Truth: Everything You Didn't Know You Need To Know About Making An Independent Film" [2009] by Reed Martin
Faber & Faber 8x5½ pb [4/2009] for $16.50

author's credits at IMDb

Think Outside the Box Office book by Jon Reiss  "Think Outside The Box Office: The Ultimate Guide To Film Distribution and Marketing For The Digital Era" [2009] by Jon Reiss
Kindle Edition from Hybrid Cinema [8/2011] for $9.99
Hybrid Cinema 9x6 pb [12/2009] for $16.47
official book site • author's faculty page at CalArts
Rebel Without A Deal book by Vincent Rocca & Kevin Smith  "Rebel Without A Crew Deal: or, How A 30-Year-Old Filmmaker With $11,000 Almost Became A Hollywood Player" [2010]
by Vincent Rocca, with Commentary by Kevin Smith

CreateSpace 9½x6¾ pb [11/2010] for $13.45
official book site
"Kisses & Caroms" [Warner/Polychrome Aug 2006]
Co-produced, co-written & directed by Vincent Rocca; starring Drew Wicks, Nikki Stanzione, Nicole Rayburn & Ryan Parks
Warner Home Video DVD [8/2006] for $6.44
full credits at IMDb • official movie site

Digital Filmmaking For Kids book by Nick Willoughby  "Digital Filmmaking For Kids: 23 Fun Video Projects" [ages 7-16; 2015]
by Nick Willoughby - filmmaker, teacher, and film geek

Kindle Edition from For Dummies [4/2015] for $18.00
For Dummies 9x7½ pb [5/2015] for $22.49
Digital Filmmaking Handbook by Sonja Schenk & Ben Long  The Digital Filmmaking Handbook, 6th Edition: Revised with New Preface, Updated Technology, New Topics Including Filming with Drones & V.R. [orig 2000; rev 2017]
by Sonja Schenk & Ben Long

Kindle Edition from Foreing Films Publng [8/2017] for $31.66
Foreing Films Publng 9¼x7½ pb [6/2017] for $31.66


Software  For  Filmmakers

"Check out Pixorial, it’s one of the best personal video creation and editing tools out there."
Pixorial.com: FREE video editing & sharing platform

Pocket Call Sheet® mobile app [new 2010] from Snake Byte Studio

Announced 4/2013: YouTube has updated their FREE Capture 1.2 app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPad Mini that allows users
to quickly shoot, edit, and upload a video to YouTube, as well as share it across Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.

logo for Gorilla film production software from Jungle Software [est. 2002]    
logo for The Writers Store [est. 1984] based in West Los Angeles, California    
Gorilla 5.0 Film Production Software
This Amazon link provides links on the third-party vendor Writers Store [est. 1984] website.
Gorilla 5.0 [6/2012] Download Edition for $259.35
Gorilla 5.0 [6/2012] Boxed Edition for $259.35 + s/h
Gorilla 5.0 [6/2012] Academic Edition (download) for $189.00



here on Magic Lantern's Independent & Avant-Garde Filmmakers Pages

top of page 1 • links • people, A to L • top of page 2 • people, M to Z

top of page 3 • selected films: collections on DVD • individual films

top of page 4 • film festivals • reference books • how-to books & videos • software

documentary filmmaker Robert Greenwald Page
documentary filmmaker Michael Moore Page

v                       v

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