BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Montclair Film Festival and The Film Institute at Montclair State announced the annual Behind the Screen program, a day of free filmmaking workshops and seminars taking place Sunday, Dec. 6, at University Hall, on the campus of Montclair State University.
The BTS program is designed for students and adults from all backgrounds to come and learn from leading industry professionals about building a career in film and television. From the mastery of creative roles to the collaborative leadership of development and producing, each speaker at BTS brings years of experience at the highest levels of film and television production.
The 2015 Behind the Screen program is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
To register, visit www.montclairfilmfest.org/. For more information about the Film Institute at Montclair State, visit www.montclair.edu/arts/the-film-institute-at-montclair-state/. Some of the programs are as follows.
• Development: The Walking Dead — From Comic Book to TV Megahit. Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and Sundance TV, discusses how the comic book, “The Walking Dead” became the No. 1 show on television.
Having overseen the process from its inception, Stillerman will talk about adapting a niche comic book about survival in the zombie apocalypse to the worldwide television franchise that it is today.
• The Director: Building a Visual Vocabulary. Michael Slovis, the acclaimed cinematographer and director on such shows as “Breaking Bad,” “Game of Thrones,” and “The Affair,” breaks down the visual vocabulary and the different choices and decisions that go into shooting and recording a scene. From budget and scheduling considerations to the collective and creative collaboration among craftspeople, Slovis discusses the meaning and emotional impact that every decision can have in a scripted show.
• The Producer: Getting it on the Air, Online, or in Theaters. Kahane Cooperman, executive producer and showrunner for Amazon’s new series, “The New Yorker Presents,” and formerly the longtime producer of the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” as well as a documentary filmmaker, takes us behind the scenes of what it means to be a producer and filmmaker.
Cooperman will dissect the role of the producer and discuss what goes into getting a show on the air.
• The Editor: Transforming Dailies into Oscar Nominated Films. Tim Squyers offers a unique perspective on how the editor pulls together a film to ultimately illuminate the director’s vision.
• Film Festivals: Building Strategies to Get Your Film or Pilot Seen. Tom Hall, executive director of the Montclair Film Festival, will lead a discussion with leading film festival programmers about best practices and strategies for emerging filmmakers to get their films onto the festival circuit and in front of the industry, audiences and beyond.
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