Filmmaker Blog - Mario J. Novoa

Arturo "Art" Jackson: his musicianship, artistry, passion and love of music was so essential to Art Jackson's core...an element of his personality that caught my attention as we casually spoke one evening in his home. I urged him to stop telling me about his new album and history, because I wanted him to tell me about his music while my camera was rolling. I wanted to capture his personality and passion, and didn't want to miss an opportunity with him. I am thankful for the opportunity...indulging my sensibility to capture Art's persona, since of humor, and essence.  I'm so happy that Art Jackson, Ceci Ovando Jackson and Patricia Ovando were part of creating this video featuring Art's collaborators, music and history.  Thank you for the music Art!

Spike Lee’s ‘Birth of a Nation’ Short Almost Got Him Kicked Out of NYU | IndieWire “The Birth of a Nation” It’s no coincidence that  Nate Parker ’s upcoming “ The Birth of a Nation ” takes its name from D.W. Griffith’s 1915 film of the same name, of course, but it does seem to be a coincidence that Parker’s allusive title is preceded by  Spike Lee ’s. While attending NYU in the early ’80s, Lee wrote, directed and produced “The Answer,” which concerns a black filmmaker who gets hired to remake “The Birth of a Nation.” READ MORE: Nate Parker’s ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Follow-Up About ‘Creating a World’ Acquired by Legendary Lee describes “The Answer” in  a discussion with Pharell Williams , calling Griffith’s movie “one of the most racist films ever” — it’s credited with leading to the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in America; this and other negative reactions prompted Griffith to make “Intolerance” in response — and describing how it...

read  How to Create Compelling Film and Video Treatments | Pond5 In the world of music videos, commercials, fashion films, and other short-form media, there is rarely, if ever, a script — no written document that the entire cast and crew must read before production begins in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page. This is when having a good treatment is most important. Thanks to programs like Adobe InDesign and online tools such as Pond5 and Pinterest, written treatments have given birth to an entire new subset of pre-visualization documents. These tools have made it easier to browse, search, and repurpose material to convey aspects of your project. To explore this progression, I sat down with some fellow filmmakers here in New York City — artists who have had a lot of success in pitching their ideas and getting them funded and produced. I wanted to know about their processes for creating treatments. They had a lot to share. read more at...

"On the Waterfront . It was as if somebody had taken a camera and moved into my neighborhood or my apartment where I was living with my parents. In the film they’re Irish American, but it doesn’t really matter. The faces are real. The faces look like people in my family. And, suddenly, I saw ourselves up there on the screen." - Martin Scorsese, Film Director The Art of Martin Scorsese | Humanities After Martin Scorsese  delivered the 42nd  Jefferson Lecture in April, he sat down with parting NEH Chairman Jim Leach for an interview. They talked about Scorsese’s upbringing, his films, and the culture of film he passionately works to preserve. JIM LEACH:  I want to ask you about place, which, of course, is important to setting your movies. But do you personally think place is important? MARTIN SCORSESE:  To me, place is not just important, it’s a necessity. I spent the first few years of my life in a place that, in my child’s mind, was like a paradise, but ac...

http://indiefilmhustle.podbean.com Read the full article and listen to the podcast at:  https://www.indiefilmhustle.com/broke-filmmakers/ Why Filmmakers are Always So Damn Broke I hope I got your attention with that title. I’m truly  PISSED OFF  guys and am tired of seeing my fellow indie filmmakers and artist struggle to make a living doing what they love. I decided to put together a list of steps that every indie filmmaker needs to do in order to thrive in the film business. Since this website is call  INDIE FILM HUSTLE  the terminology I’ll be using will be aimed at filmmaking or screenwriting but all of these concepts can be applied to any art form. Steps to Make a Living as an Artist and a Filmmaker Step #1 – Have a Plan Step #2 – Learn as Much about Every Aspect of Making a Film as You Can Step #3 – Show Up Everyday Step #4 – Learn Branding, Audience Building and Marketing Step #5 – Become a Entrepreneur Step #6 – Don’t...

Wilson Cruz Challenges Filmmakers in the aftermath or Orlando Pulse Tragedy | Outfest Film Festival 2016 [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzlHC9bhxAU] It’s easy to feel disposable, undervalued today. But I want you to remember that you are [valued]. I don’t want you to retreat. I don’t want you to dim your light. I want you to shine it brighter. I need you to get louder. On the morning of June 12, I woke up like many of you, ready for the parade. I made my coffee. And then I checked my phone. And there it was: the horrific news of a massacre in Orlando. The details began to emerge: a nightclub, a gay nightclub, Pulse, Latin night. And with each new piece of information, my heart sank deeper into despair. Imagining the victims and the horror they faced, I stared in disbelief at the TV screen. And then my phone rang. "Brenda was at the club," my mother said. She’d been shot. And I wondered, how could this happen? We’d seen so many advances recently in our ...

I happened to be shooting this amusing interaction between guests and a drone at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers Summit last month. While I was already enjoying the luncheon and hearing Rita Moreno and cast and producers of One Day At A Time, I was surprised by the use of drone. It was pretty cool and I enjoyed hearing Rita's improvised remarks. NALIP asked if they could share my footage in an edited piece. http://www.nalipmediasummit.com/