90.5 WESA | By Zoe Fuller
Published March 16, 2023 at 5:30 AM EDT

IMG_5601.jpeg
Student participants in Pitch-Burgh pose at Point Park University.

On a recent February Friday, in the warm GRW Theater of Point Park’s University Center, sit a couple dozen undergraduate filmmakers. One by one, they pitch their project to the room, scouting for crew, talent and funding.

This is Pitch-Burgh, a networking event for film students in the Pittsburgh area where attendees pitch film projects and seek collaboration from peers.

Aditi Sridhar is an undergraduate film student at the University of Pittsburgh, and preparing to pitch her own upcoming short film “Aloo Poori.” It’s her senior thesis project, a film she will have to write, fundraise for, direct, edit, and submit by the end of the semester.

Sridhar said she hopes Pitch-Burgh might be where she casts the remaining roles in her films, and where she can start some buzz about her project.

“I’m just worried about, you know, keeping people engaged and keeping under the time limit and also not really being able to bring people into the world of the script to engage them,” said Sridhar.

Pitch-Burgh is attended by 11 local universities, from the larger state-related schools like Pitt and Community College of Allegheny County, to smaller private colleges like Chatham University and recent addition Westminster College. The event was put on by the Pittsburgh Film Office, and is the brainchild of director Dawn Keezer.

“It was probably three or four years ago [when] I met with some of the heads of the film departments at various universities and had found that they all didn’t know each other,” Keezer said. “There was no way for them to all be able to collaborate and communicate effectively.”

Events like this, Keezer hopes, can help to build the local film industry and accommodate those entering into the workforce. Pittsburgh has become an increasingly popular location for filmmakers, especially with recent productions including “A Man Called Otto” and “American Rust: Season Two.”

Online magazine MovieMaker ranked Pittsburgh in the top 10 cities to live and work in as a filmmaker for 2023, competing against institutions like Chicago, Il. and Montreal, Quebec. Pennsylvania’s 25% tax credit on projects primarily shot in the state is drawing productions nationwide, and Keezer hopes to see the incentives grow so the state can stay competitive.

“Gov. [Josh] Shapiro has already signaled that he’s going to support this industry. He’s planning on dramatically increasing the film tax credit program,” Keezer said. ”We’re currently at $100 million. Any increase is welcome because the program is always oversubscribed and under-funded at this moment in time, because we always have more work than we have credits.”

As production increases in Pittsburgh, education in film and media is finding itself in high-demand. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the number of Bachelor’s degrees awarded in visual and performing arts have risen 50% since 2010. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a Bachelor’s degree as the typically entry-level education for producers and directors.

In 2018, media arts center Pittsburgh Filmmakers closed their filmmaking classes that helped to supplement local colleges like Pitt and La Roche University in McCandless. Since then, these universities have been developing their own programs to meet the growing film industry. La Roche has expanded their program by adding a filmmaker-in-residence position and internship positions for students at local production studios.

Carnegie Mellon University began offering a bachelor’s degree in film and visual media in 2019. Programs are even beginning at the high school level, with WQED Film Academy and Point Park’s Camp Hollywood teaching teenagers filmmaking basics.

Teachers like Associate Professor Helena Vanhala of Robert Morris University are seeing the changes both in and out of the school halls, and how the film climate might be opening up new doors.

“I think Pittsburgh is a film city. Filmmakers come here because there are so many commercial films coming to town,” Vanhala said. “So there’s a big industry here, both for those who are commercially interested, but those who are also independent filmmakers. So this is a film city.”

Now more than ever, film students like Sridhar say they feel like they have a reason to live and work in Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh in general as a city is just such a small town energy with kind and caring people who want to help and not receive anything in return, which I think is rare to find when you enter the entertainment industry in bigger cities like Los Angeles or New York. So I do like that’s what excites me about possibly being in a place like Pittsburgh post-graduation, is that that community is a given.”

Come this April, the projects Sridhar and her peers pitched will be completed and submitted before graduation. Come next fall, Pitch-Burgh and the Pittsburgh Film Office will screen a selection of these works where interested audiences can see what kind of stories the next generation of filmmakers are telling.

On behalf of Women in Film and Media Pittsburgh

Presented by Jennifer Carriere, Local 161 Script Supervisor and Women in Film & TV-Atlanta member. In the last few weeks, Jennifer has done live online interactive workshops for New York Women in Film & TV, Women in Film & TV-Atlanta, Women in Film & Video-DC, and Women in Film & TV-Louisiana, on the topic: “How to Become a Script Supervisor and Get Jobs in 2023”. This free, online, live interactive workshop provides an enormous amount of education, covers the Script Supervisor’s responsibilities & Daily Steps A-Z, includes a live Continuity Breakdown workshop with a short script (everyone’s favorite), plus plenty of discussion and Q&A.
 

This is a free learning opportunity. There is no cost to you for this high-value 90 minute presentation on what it takes to be a successful Script Supervisor. 

In 90 minutes, we cover:

-What does a script supervisor do?

-Why should you consider becoming one?

-Script Supervisor Daily Steps A-Z

-(and everyone’s favorite part) We do a Continuity Breakdown TOGETHER using a short script – tons of fun and really helps people see they can handle this job!

-Ask Me Anything Q&A + Discussion

As of now, we have presentations scheduled for Tuesday, March 14th @ 7:00pm ET and Thursday, March 16th @ 7:00pm ET that we would love for you to attend.


Tuesday March 14 @ 7:00 PM -CLICK THIS LINK:  
https://www.scriptsupervisorceo.com/live-webinar/become-script-supervisor-get-film-tv-jobs/register

Thursday March 16 @ 7:00 PM – CLICK THIS LINK:
https://www.scriptsupervisorceo.com/live-webinar/become-a-script-supervisor/register

*  This program is not being conducted by Women In Film Pittsburgh.  There is no expectation of a job offering and the group conducting this workshop is not directly affiliated with Women In Film Pittsburgh – we are providing a resource which the user should conduct their own due diligence prior to making any financial commitment.

ANATOMY OF A MOVIE
What was the screenwriter thinking? ~ a unique way to learn a unique craft

“Gags” & Aha! Moments
Most of the screenwriting process takes place away from a keyboard and desk. The story, the situations, character introductions, subplots, story points, setups & payoffs, “gags,” transitions, edits, “slug lines”, etc. are all thought about long before the writer downloads screenwriting software onto their computer. Many times—if not most—the ending is known before the beginning is.
There are numerous things a writer of a screenplay must think about when building their story. “Gags” and Aha! Moments are just two of them.
We will be using technology to show you a video with clips from well known—and some not-so-well known—movies to give examples of Gags and Aha! Moments. (A gag doesn’t need to be humorous—but adds greatly to our “friendship” with a character.)
This is the second Anatomy of a Movie presentation using Zoom. It’s not the future—it’s the “now.”
There is nothing harder to write than a motion picture screenplay. The writer can’t use the First Person or the Third Person to explain what is going on. There is a limited range for the length. It is a format unique to itself.
But if you can “train your brain” to think the way a screenwriter (actually any writer) must, there will be ancillary benefits to your professional and personal lives, and you may be able to write books, articles, business plans, love letters, etc.

No charge. Discounts given to “Fade In” screenwriting software and the “Write Your Script” class.

DATE: SUNDAY JUNE 7TH
TIME: 12 NOON UNTIL 1PM SHARP
VENUE: YOUR LIVING ROOM, DEN, BASEMENT, KITCHEN, PATIO…

(“Ctrl & Click the link below to register. Registration is required.)
REGISTER HERE!!

Submitted by: Ken Kaszak

ANATOMY OF A MOVIE
“What was the screenwriter thinking?” a unique way to learn a unique craft
SPECIAL EDITION!!
SETUPS & PAYOFFS

Most of the screenwriting process takes place away from a keyboard and desk. The story, the situations, character introductions, subplots, story points, setups & payoffs, “gags,” transitions, edits, “slug lines”, etc. are all thought about long before the writer downloads screenwriting software onto their computer. Many times—if not most—the ending is known before the beginning is.

There are numerous things a writer of a screenplay must think about when building their story. Setups and Payoffs are one of the most important (think of an out-of-shape Rocky struggling up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the Setup) and then flying up those steps later in fighting shape (the Payoff) .

We will be using technology to show you a video with clips from well known—and some not-so-well known—movies to give examples of Setups and Payoffs.

This is the first Anatomy of a Movie presentation using Zoom. It’s not the future—it’s the “now.”

There is nothing harder to write than a motion picture screenplay. The writer can’t use the First Person or the Third Person to explain what is going on. There is a limited range for the length. It is a format unique to itself.

But if you can “train your brain” to think the way a screenwriter (actually any writer) must, there will be ancillary benefits to your professional and personal lives, and you may be able to write books, articles, business plans, love letters, etc.

No charge. Discounts given to “Fade In” screenwriting software and the “Write Your Script” class.

DATE: SUNDAY MAY 3RD
TIME: HIGH NOON (also the title of a great movie)
VENUE: YOUR LIVING ROOM, DEN, BASEMENT, KITCHEN, PORCH…
(“Ctrl & Click the link below to register. Registration is limited)

https://us04web.zoom.us/meeting/register/upAvcu6uqTIvHNQYARLjV3MQ5T44U0T7sfMM

(shared by Ken Kaszak)

eLearning Academy 

Production Accountant 101 Certification Courses

Get in-depth courses focusing on industry tools and techniques related to film and television production back office functions, beginning with the Production Accountant series.

The first 2-series course began Thursday, April 2, but it’s not too late to join and catch-up online! Currently available courses include:

  • Production Accounting 101 (a $649 value)
  • SmartAccounting 101 (a $199 value)

Courses are FREE for freelancers and available through Friday, May 15, 2020. Register at my.ep.com.

School is back in session! The Motion Picture Association invites you to join the first virtual Film School Friday

Heroes, Villains, and Everything In-Between: Behind the Scenes of Hit Film and TV Shows, will feature creative industry leaders who have worked on shows including Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Watchmen etc.

 

Please see the below details for more information. We hope you’ll be able to tune in!

Friday, April 24, 2020

2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT)

To RSVP: Visit the Motion Picture Association’s Facebook Event Page

Join the Conversation: #FilmSchoolFriday | @MotionPictures on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Make the most of this unprecedented break from production by investing in you.  Entertainment Partners wants to help production professionals – whether you’re new to production or a veteran – with a series of free career enhancing workshops.

These live daily webinars are organized in two tracks:

  • The Business of Production covering crucial laws, regulations, and tax issues facing the production world, with a specific focus on understanding how COVID-19 is impacting our industry. Learn more.
  • And, Production Technology. A series of live workshops on how to use our industry-leading production technology tools. Hosted by EP experts with decades of hands-on production experience, these courses are the perfect way to learn new skills or take your existing skills to the next level. Learn more.

Sessions begin Wednesday, April 1st. View the course list and sign up today!

https://theproductioncommunity.force.com/s/master-series

 

eLearning Academy 

Free Production Accountant 101 Certified Courses

Get in-depth courses focusing on industry tools and techniques related to film and television production back office functions, beginning with Production Accountant series.

The first 2-series course begins Thursday, April 2:

  • Production Accounting 101 (a $649 value) – Begins Thursday, April 2
  • SmartAccounting 101 (a $199 value) – Begins Wednesday, April 15

Courses are FREE for freelancers and available through Friday, May 15, 2020. Just visit my.ep.com, and click “register now”.

 

“What was the screenwriter thinking?”
a unique way to learn a unique craft

Most of the screenwriting process takes place away from a keyboard and desk. The story, the situations, character
introductions, subplots, story points, set-ups, “gags”, transitions, edits, scene descriptions, etc. are all thought
about long before the writer downloads screenwriting software onto their computer. Many times—if not most—the
ending is known before the beginning.

In this presentation, we are going to show one of the “great movies you’ve never heard of,” and dissect it during a
showing to determine (the best way we can) what the screenwriter was thinking during the story structure and
the outline process.

THE MOVIE: “Once” (2007)
Cool award-winning Irish movie with
unique love story, great music (and
one of the best scenes ever!)

DATE: SUNDAY FEBRUARY 2, 2020
TIME: 12:30p to 2:00p
SITE: Carnegie Library
South Side Branch
2205 E. Carson Street
COST: FREE! (attendees entitled to 20% discount on “Fade In” screenwriting
software and the “Write Your Script” class)

THE PRESENTER
Ken Kaszak is the developer of the “Write
Your Script” class. This class features the
“Thinking Like a Screenwriter” method,
which enables students to write a script
while maintaining work and family
commitments and to take advantage of
the “ancillary” benefits of writing.

Information on Ken and the class is
available via email at:
[email protected]

MoonDocs® 2019 – The 3rd Annual Documentary Filmmakers’ Open House

Robert Morris University, 6001 University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA 15108

Friday, November 1, 2019 12:00 pm – 6:00

Saturday, November 2, 2019 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

 

2019 Keynote Filmmaker: Fall 2019 Visiting Documentary Filmmaker at RMU – Eva Weber, award-winning London-based German filmmaker

 

Registration:  $40 in advance, $50 on site

Students with valid ID (checked on site): $10 in advance, $15 on site

Register at:

http://intranet.rmu.edu/center-for-documentary-production-and-study/events/moondocs-2019-program-and-housing

 

MoonDocs® 2019 Program

Friday, November 1, 2019 12:00 pm-6:00 pm

  • Production Sound Workshop: Capturing Quality Production Sound on Shoots
  • Inside Indie Filmmaking
  • Exploring Financial Options for Film Projects
  • Lighting and Camera Workshop: Setting Up a Documentary Interview
  • The Three Rivers Film Festival: Exhibiting Cultural Diversity and Cinematic Innovation in Southwestern PA – Exhibitions Director at PCA&M Joe Morrison and 3RFF Guest Curator Benjamin Ogrodnik

 

Saturday, November 2, 2019 9:30 am-4:00 pm

  • A Masterclass with RMU Fall 2019 Visiting Documentary Filmmaker Eva Weber:

“Building Your Career as a Filmmaker and How to Use Festivals to Make Your Name”

  • 4×4 Film Challenge: Show 4 minutes of your project and pitch the next production steps for 4 minutes. Submit projects to Documentary Film Strategist Nadine Patterson at [email protected]
  • Current and Future Trends: From Streaming to Virtual Reality (VR)
  • Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Workshop
  • Plans for MoonDocs 2020

 

Event location:

Robert Morris University (http://rmu.edu/ ), Wheatley Center

6001 University Boulevard, Moon Township, PA 15108

Driving directions: http://publicsafety.rmu.edu/university-map-and-directions

 

MoonDocs® is an open networking and learning event for experienced and aspiring filmmakers, artists, educators, students, cultural workers, and others interested in filmmaking, production, socially conscious arts, diversity, and learning about how to get one’s work to audiences. MoonDocs® is organized by the Center for Documentary Production & Study and Media Arts Department at Robert Morris University.

RMU Media Art Department is a community partner of Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival.