Filmmaking

Perna Content, a production and marketing company based in Portland, Maine, has announced the release of a new documentary film, Welcome to Lee Maine, directed by Bill Perna.

In 2008, 18 high school girls from Gloucester made headlines for an alleged pregnancy pact that shocked the nation. When the news media left town, local filmmakers John Michael Williams and Kristen Grieco stayed behind to explore the many shades of gray in their story. Their documentary, The Glocuester 18, is available online via Prescreen through November.

How do you juggle day jobs and dream projects? Big movie dreams and bills to pay? We're talking to real filmmakers around New England who are balancing jobs in the industry with their personal side projects, and trying to make it in the real world. Interested in being interviewed for the series? E-mail editor@newenglandfilm.com.

On most independent features, a small budget is a source of constant worry. It can stifle a director’s creativity and lead to concession after concession. But director Jesse Barack isn’t letting money worries stop him from pushing his upcoming film, Polypore, to the limit.

Filmmakers Bess and Jay O'Brien truly believe that they live in "the Kingdom," and have worked hard to make films that explore stories of northeast Vermont since 1991. Their most recent documentary, Ask Us Who We Are, is currently making the rounds, showing audiences about the people behind Vermont's foster care system.

Cameras are rolling this month as a feature and a web series begin production, and there are plenty of finished films to take in via festivals across New England. Read on for opportunities, industry buzz and happenings in the local industry. To submit news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

This month, the Screenplay Doctor delves into the tricky subject of getting swindled. E-mail screenwriter@newenglandfilm.com to have your question answered in an upcoming issue.

With 2011 fully underway, a new Executive Director, and an upcoming conference, The Filmmakers Collaborative is helping filmmakers in Re-Defining Collaboration in a Fractured Media World without losing sight of the traditional and conservative values of storytelling.

Local writer and editor turned filmmaker Michelle Cove debunks the myths of single women in her new documentary Seeking Happily Ever After: One Generation’s Struggle to Redefine the Fairytale.

Ring in springtime this month by checking out the world's largest student film festival at Brown University or by shooting off a submission to the Kahbang Film Festival on being "MaineStream." Read on for opportunities, industry buzz and happenings in the local industry. To submit news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

Steer your way to steadier shots with the Halo Rig HD camera stabilizer.

We get the scoop on five films from New England talent that will screen at the Independent Film Festival Boston, which starts April 27th.

Conor Timmis directs a Korean War documentary that challenges assumptions not only about the war, but also about the entire genre.

This month New England has something for everybody in a wide range of festivals, from women's to Jewish to documentary to experimental. Read on for opportunities, industry buzz and happenings in the local industry. To submit news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

Filmmaking duo Dan Black and Ryan Convery took a crazy idea and $7,000 and turned it into Joy and the Apocalypse, an independent movie that’s now hit both television and the big screen.

Sometimes if it ain’t broke, you still might want to PHYX it. This new color tool selectively controls colors and saturation for your video.

Ring in the New Year by heading to the Arts Advocacy Summit or to the Boston Society of Film Critics Annual Awards and Screening, as reported in the January 2011 industry news. To report news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

Hollywood Camera Work’s new instructional DVD "Hot Moves: The Science of Awesome" shows you how to recreate Hollywood’s big-time shots in your own filmmaking.

The Connecticut Film Center, founded by two college buddies looking for a new outlet to express their creativity and zeal for the entertainment industry, is helping to turn the northeast into a land opportunity and prosperity.

Enjoy the holiday season with free film screenings, holiday gatherings, and ski-themed festivals, as reported in the December 2010 industry news. To report news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

California-based Quixote Studios has come to Boston, where they hope to provide a creative atmosphere in a convenient place. How do Massachusetts studios measure up to their New York neighbors?

Filmmaker and Connecticut native Mark Kotlinski talks about his documentary A Connecticut Hot Dog Tour, an epicurean odyssey filled with floating hot dog stands, celebrity cameos and fiercely guarded recipes handed down through generations.

This October, the Boston Palestine Film Festival showed how Palestinians could be both activists and filmmakers.

From new studios to new fellowships to new films appearing in festivals galore, the New England Film Industry is hopping this November 2010. To report news, email news@newenglandfilm.com.

Filmmaker Robin Hessman's documentary "My Perestroika," featured in this year's Boston Jewish Film Festival, captures a confused moment in history.

Writer-director Steven Subotnick shares his thoughts on his animated film Jelly Fishers, which tells the story of a family of hungry mole-creatures and their encounter with a jellyfish and screens as part of the 2010 Online New England Film Festival.

Writer-Director Craig Saddlemire talks about his experimental film Cat Window, the story of two indoor cats and the world outside their 'cat window.'

Award-winning local filmmaker Theodore Collatos shows that hard work, perseverance, and an easy-going attitude are what it takes to get the job done.

Halloween happenings, phantasmagorical film festivals, and several spooky opportunities for you this month.