I’m part of a Shooting People team teaching a workshop on how filmmakers can best use the web at the Frontline Club in London on Saturday, July 4th. The workshop will include case studies on films that have harnessed the power of the web, tips on using social media, and online strategy and resources for filmmakers. If you’re looking for help distributing and marketing your film online then Digital Bootcamp is for you! I’m working on some lovely slides for it right now.

This is currently up on Shooting People:

Under the Freedom of Information Act, NASA released details of all the films held on the International Space Station. At Shooting People, we feel that Bachelor Party, Cheaper by the Dozen and Forest Gump don’t provide sufficient brain nourishment for the astronauts.

Your mission Shooters is to provide us with your suggestions. Which films do you think belong amongst the stars? Would you like to see Man on Wire replace Man on Fire? Earth’s survival rests in your hands.

So what do I go and choose? The Goonies! It’s a good thing earth’s survival doesn’t rest in MY hands.

We (Shooting People and DCTV) had a totally sold out screening of Miranda July short films at DCTV on Friday, people were sitting and standing EVERYWHERE. We’ve been experimenting with programming different kinds of events and this one was a definite success. Sweet Tooth of the Tiger provided delicious baked goodies and we completed assignment #63 from Learning to Love You More (Make an Encouraging Banner).

I tell you there isn’t much I like more in life than watching films, eating cupcakes and making things!

Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger, Poultrygeist, Tromeo and Juliet – to name just a few films from his prolific output) came to DCTV last night for a Shooting People/DCTV event to talk about his career, and his latest book Direct Your Own Damn Movie!. He talked about his experience working outside the system for many decades. Troma Entertainment is one of the longest running truly independent studios (founded in 1974), an incredible achievement. I wish I had written down some of the things Kaufman said because that man has a way with words, especially words like “assholes” and “devil-worshipping corporate assholes”! But behind the satire and the humor is a very clever man with a very clever strategy for survival. You see, Kaufman said again and again how Troma has survived because of a faithful audience. This audience has supported Troma from film to film and has also prompted innovations for the company. Troma had one of the first websites in the early 90s because their fans demanded it.  Filmmakers are starting to think more strategically about their audience as technology and distribution changes (see Scott Kirsner’s latest book Fans, Friends and Followers: Building an Audience and a Creative Career in the Digital Age) – but this is something that Kaufman has always known is important.

It was a great event, Kaufman is a funny and generous man, and I am now the proud owner of an Official Troma Diploma for supporting truly independent art. Best diploma I have ever received (and probably more useful than my Critical Theory Masters!).

Dara Messinger (DCTV), me and the man himself, Lloyd Kaufman

We’re entering the fourth month of our monthly competition to celebrate the very best of the films uploaded to Shooting People by our members. I’m endlessly impressed by the talent among our ranks and Film of the Month is a really great way to showcase just how awesome Shooters are!

Have a look at this beautiful finalist from March: Cinematic Orchestra: To Build a Home by Andrew Griffin.

Check out the Cinematic Orchestra website here!

This week we were thrilled to announce the launch of Film of the Month on Shooting People, which recognizes the best films made and uploaded to Shooting People by our members on both sides of the Atlantic.

Shooting People Patron director Mike Figgis selected the animated short Zoo by 24 year old Robin Bushell as January’s Film of the Month. The other shortlisted films for January were the documentary Hanging With Frank by David Graham Scott, and the performance piece Jump by Lab Ky Mo. Upload your films now to be considered for the February competition – which will be judged by the most excellent Morgan Spurlock, another of our lovely patrons.

Here’s Zoo for your viewing pleasure.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to celebrate the festive season with Shooting People and the Manhattan Edit Workshop last night. You can’t go wrong with beer, skee ball and cupcakes it seems. I was too distracted to take any pics but the intrepid Jesse Epstein was on the case (when she wasn’t playing Buckhunter!).

On November 22nd, Shooting People turns 10. Whoo hoo! Filmmakers Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search set up Shooting People in 1998 after making their first short film and it has grown from 60 members to 37,000 over the past 10 years. I am hugely proud to work for an organization that fights so hard to create a vibrant independent filmmaking community that is all about collaboration and innovation. As Mike Figgis says:

“Congratulations to Shooting People! Shooting People continue to be at the forefront of filmmaking and technology. I believe their next ten years will be even more transformational and I want to be along for the ride. Viva independent film!”

Here are 10 things you may not know about us:

1.    The Shooting People official anagram is Pigeonhole Post.

2.    It took filmmakers Cath Le Couteur and Jess Search all day to think of the name Shooting People in a messy bedroom in 1998 when they launched the network with 60 filmmaker friends signed up to help each other make films.

3.    Shooting People shares its birthday with 349 of its Members on 22 November. That makes Shooting People Sagittarius. Sagittarians are sometimes distracted, but this is only because they are so forward thinking that they forget about the present.

4.    Director Shane Meadows (‘Room for Romeo Brass’, ‘This Is England’) was the first guest to speak at a Shooting People event – in 1999. He had to sit on the bar with a microphone because there was no stage. Cheers, Shane.

5.    Someone once posted in asking for a flea-training expert. They got one.

6.    1.3m people have watched Shooting People’s Watch Film facility since its launch last December.

7.    Shooting People has crewed up over 50,000 films in the last 10 years– fiction, animation, documentary, music video every week.

8.    As far as we know NO ONE has ever got married because of Shooting People. Sorry.

9.    Shooting People sends out 7,500,000 packed email bulletins to Members a year. That’s a lot of envelopes to lick.

10.    Shooting People is celebrating its tenth birthday this year, just like Google. Shooting People thinks Google is a slightly bigger brand and wishes them all the best.

Just a heads up that I am also blogging over on the Shooting People TOOLS blog about the new(ish) digital, webbified world of production and distribution. Check it out for a link to download the Shooting People/BAFTA Short Sighted book of contacts for filmmakers making shorts (including some tips for filmmaking in a Web2.0 world written by moi), plus lots of other good stuff: most recently links to the Peter Broderick indieWIRE articles on new distribution strategies and The Film Panel Notetaker’s coverage of Independent Film Week. I’m always keen to hear about good blogs/websites/conferences etc. covering the intersection of film and the web so please leave a comment if you have any suggestions/tips.

Shooting People recently launched a new section on our website called WATCH FILM where members can upload their shorts, reels and trailers and anybody can watch them. This is filmmaker-generated content and we’re really proud of it. It’s in Beta right now but it’s already rocking. Check it out, upload your films and let us know what you think.