Filmmaker Blog - Mario J. Novoa

Latinos born in the United States come up against a unique set of challenges compared to directors working in Latin America who often have access to government funding for their projects. This is evidenced by the vast disparity between the amount of Latin American movies circling the globe at Class-A festivals, compared to Latino ones. If you glance over the lineup for Cannes, Berlin, or Venice you’d be hard-pressed to find even one Latino filmmaker on the list. Meanwhile Mexican, Chilean, Brazilian, and Argentine productions are racking up awards at these same fests. Sundance, with its ever-growing content categories and a concerted effort at showcasing diverse voices, offers only slightly better odds for U.S. Latinos. Acceptance into a prestigious film festival like Sundance is a badge of honor for directors. It’s fiercely competitive with only a small fraction of the projects submitted granted acceptance. Once you do make it, it’s a Pandora’s box of managing interview reque...

Attend the "Create and Produce Filmmakers Workshop" and learn how to pitch and create your project, and network with filmmakers. Panel includes Stephen H. Snyder, Mario J. Novoa, Joseph Joseph Armillas. RSVP today  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/create-and-produce-filmmakers-workshop-tickets-33099203609?aff=es2 DESCRIPTION Rather you are an aspiring writer, producer or freelance film maker this The Create and Produce Workshop offers a unique approach to taking your story from Idea to Screen. Attendees from all walks of production are invited to attend as there is a networking event where filmmakers can connect and crew up.  11:00 - 12:00 Pitch to Production Everyone has a great idea or story to share, but how do you share it effectively to your audience? Even with the best verbal pitch; your audience needs to visually see it or its just a concept. Learn strategies to communicate your idea on paper and participate in an interactive session where attendees will ...

Moonlight  took its trio of Oscar wins including Best Picture to the bank, expanding to well over fifteen hundred theaters over the weekend, more than the past two Best Picture winners,  Spotlight  and  Birdman , by a few hundred.  Moonlight  grossed $2.5M in a total of 1,564 theaters, averaging $1,618. The gross brought  Moonlight ’s total to over $25.3M. Post Oscar Best Picture win last year, Open Road’s  Spotlight  grossed over $1.76M in 1,227 theaters the weekend after the Academy Awards, averaging $1,439. The film went on to cume over $45M. Searchlight’s  Birdman  capitalized on its win in 1,213 theaters, grossing over $1.9M ($1,586 average). It went on to cume $42.3M, so  Moonlight  has a ways to go before meeting its brethren. http://deadline.com/2017/03/moonlight-table-19-love-taxes-specialty-box-office-1202037156/

Practice thinking in opposite terms when conceptualizing your ideas. Check out this inspired tip from Douglas Kearney ( # CalArts professor, author # Coursera # SharpenedVisions instructor). Add this method to your # CreateDaily practice and flip your idea to discover new possibilities. Co-Created, Produced, Edited by Mario J. Novoa

# HappyNewYear On January 1, 2017 we launched # CreateDaily , where we share suggested daily creative practices. Our first #CreateDaily post features Douglas Kearney, author, poet, and # CalArts faculty in the School of Critical Studies, and # Coursera instructor of # SharpenedVisions . In this video, Douglas shares advice about asking specific questions that lead to creating and developing. Share your daily creative practices and photos, and use the hashtag #CreateDaily. Co-Created, Produced, Edited by Mario J. Novoa