Video from Life After LIIFE Panel

Above is a report from Bryan Sansivero on the Life after LIIFE Panel Discussion from last April.  The panel featured past award winning filmmakers from the Long Island International Film Expo. You'll get to see a little bit of each filmmaker including myself, and some thoughts from the always awesome Debra Markowitz. This is really cool 'cause . . . frankly I had no idea anyone was videotaping this. It was an incredibly special day for me.

Life After LIIFE Panel April 14th @ Adelphi

This is my first post since blogger changed its "create post" style so forgive me if this winds up a mess... anyhow this morning was the Life After LIIFE panel at Adelphi University and this was, for me personally, the most enjoyable panel yet.

The panel was moderated by Jim Cook and featured myself, Alexander Etseyatse, Stevan Mena, Elias Plagianos, and Pierre Stefanos; all winners of the Long Island International Film Expo who have gone on to achieve some form of success with our respective projects.

We each presented the trailers to our films, giving me the opportunity to show the newest Purgatory Comics trailer to an audience for the first time ever.

After introductions, Jim asked some basic questions about how we got our ideas on paper, and how we landed distribution. There were a handful of audience questions as well.

This panel was my favorite for a few reasons. I love meeting new filmmakers and I got that chance today, but I also got to see some familiar faces again such as Stevan and Pierre. I really respect the energy they put into their projects and the very different paths they (and all filmmakers) travel to get their concepts to completion. I might as well be sitting in the audience because I learn so much doing these panels by listening to the other filmmakers.

From answering questions during the panel, and then mingling with the audience afterward, I really felt inspired to keep productive. I talked to one young man who really stood out to me because I could see the passion for writing in his eyes and it reminded me of myself at his age. I told him the tricks I do to better flesh out characters and plot my stories. I hope he gives it a try and gets some good stories on paper. It sure motivated me to do some writing again.

I want to thank my bestest friend Dana for being my photographer during the panel and shooting all the pics in this entry for me. And as always I want to send my sincere thanks to Debra Markowitz and the Long Island Film/TV Foundation. It never ceases to amaze me how supportive they are to the little guys like me, and being asked to do panels like this is one of the greatest honors. 

LIFE After LIIFE Panel April 14, 2012

If you're in the New York area, you can come see me on another film panel. This one is called "LIFE After LIIFE," and it features past winners of the Long Island International Film Expo. Back in 2010 Purgatory Comics had a very good year, and I'm really honored to have the Long Island Film/TV Foundation invite me to another panel.

This discussion will be April 14, 2012 at Adelphi University Alumni House from 11am-12:30pm. Admissions is FREE but seating is limited so RSVP here right away. Other guests include Steve Mena (writer/directer Bereavement) and Elias Plagianos. Check here for additional guests as they're announced.

Movies & Music Panel Sept 25th @ Dix Hills Performing Arts Center

Last Sunday I spoke briefly and then returned for a panel at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center at Five Towns College. It was the first Movies & Music Event, which was a way to introduce the public to local filmmakers and musical talents, and it also was a good networking resource.

Russ Camarda spoke first, introducing a trailer for his film Night For Day.

Then I spoke, and of course screened the trailer for Purgatory Comics. I think this was the first time the trailer was played on a big screen for an audience.

Next was Mitchell Kase, presenting a trailer for True to the Heart.

Kim Cummings showed a montage of footage from her still-in-production film In Montauk (can't wait to see it).

Alexander Etseyatse presented a teaser for his indie boxing film Mikel's Faith. Then T.J. Collins presented his film, Willets Point.

Fred Carpenter showed the trailer for one of his earlier films, The Blue Lizard. Interesting note: this film stars Fred's frequent collaborator Paul Regina, who sadly passed away in 2006. Years ago I got to hang around with Paul on a few occasions, and his passion for film definitely inspired me to keep going with it.

After a brief intermission, the music half of the event began. Stella Davie played a track called Fools Gold.

Then we were treated to a live performance of Marianna, from David Bailey.

Martha Trachtenberg played One Step Ahead of the Storm, with some backup from Tom Griffith. Then, Tom played 1,000 Shades of Grey with some help from Martha. I've GOT to see more shows from these two.

Steve Farella took to the stage and sang Mississippi Mudslide. Afterwards, Jerry Silverstein played a track called Then There's Love.

All of the filmmakers and panelists were invited back to the stage for a brief Q&A session. Debra Markowitz of the Long Island Film Foundation also fielded a question about next year's Long Island International Film Expo.

I took a question about how I found the music I used in my film. I mentioned how important the right song choices are when creating a scene; something many filmmakers don't realize until they're deep into editing.

Afterward I got to give away some DVDs, mingle, and swap contact info with some of the musicians and filmmakers. Hope you enjoyed the report!

New Event - An Afternoon of Movies & Music

Hey friends, come check me out Sunday September 25th 2011 at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center at Five Towns College. This time I'll be on a panel along with filmmakers Russ Camarda, TJ Collins, Alexander Etseyatse, Kim Cummings and Mitch Kase discussing the use of great music in our film projects. The event starts at 2pm. General admission is $15 and you can buy tickets online right here.

You'll see a segment of Purgatory Comics, followed by a brief discussion of how and why I picked the music I did. There will also be 7 musicians who will put together their own music that they think will match the films. Sounds creative, why not come check it out?

Filmmaker Panel July 17th @ Bellmore

We're going a little out of order but on July 17th, as part of the Long Island International Film Expo, a couple of filmmaking panels took place moderated by Mitchell Bard of Snapper Films. I spoke in the first panel, which was titled "The Good, The Bad and the Horror Stories: The Perils of Independent Filmmaking."

The panel was a neat array of filmmakers with an assortment of different perspectives of the craft. For example a topic of discussion was the use of SAG during the casting process. Some cited it as completely favorable, maybe even necessary. Others, including myself, told stories of how we casted completely non-union and enjoyed the end result.

The time flew. I did get to tell my story on how a bar we were supposed to shoot at bailed on us the day before, and also the various tricks we did to help Bob remember his lines (such as taping the script to Angela's chest). It's a fun story and I think the audience and panel got a kick out of it.

But I probably spent less time talking and more time listening. I love hearing "war stories" from other filmmakers. Next to me in that picture is Stevan Mena (Malevolence). Since he's one of the filmmakers whose movie got full on distribution and acclaim (check it out on Netflix), I was humbled to be on a panel with him. It was a great time and great experience.

Our panel was immediately followed by a panel called "Write Stuff." If you couldn't guess, it was about screenwriting. The lady above is Marilyn Horoitz, an author, writing coach and script consultant. Although the panel catered mostly to screenwriting basics, I did get some useful information out of it.

In fact between the two panels, I became very inspired to work on a short film. They make great "business cards," so I learned. And I'm sure it'll be a heckuva lot easier getting someone to watch a short than getting them to watch Purgatory Comics.

So I've been working on a short script called Double Blind. I'm about to go into my third draft. You heard it here first!

Come see me on the Filmmaker Panel July 17th at Bellmore

Today I was invited to speak with a panel of filmmakers in a panel titled “The Good, The Bad and the Horror Stories: The Perils of Independent Filmmaking.” The panel will be moderated by Mitchell Bard of Snapper Films. It will take place toward the end of the Long Island International Film Expo.

The panel is open to the general public on Saturday July 17th with breakfast being served at 10am and the panel going from 10:30am to noon. It's $10 for the general public.

Here's a complete list of panels and events.

In other news, today the expo got a mention in Newsday, and yesterday in the New York Times.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to read through the blog archives and try to remember the best stories...