SESSION 2. THE INDIE FILMMAKER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING AUDIENCES ONLINE

Learn from one of the world’s leading experts on DIY distribution and social entertainment. Lance will share his knowledge about the best, no-cost, online tools and resources available to spread the word about your projects and engage your audience.

LANCE WEILER, Award-winning Filmmaker & Digital Pioneer

Lance Weiler is a critically acclaimed award-winning writer / director. He is recognised as a pioneer because of the way he makes and distributes his work. Millimeter magazine called Lance a “tech iconoclast” and Wired magazine named him “one of twenty-five people helping to re-invent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood.”

His work has been featured in Time and Forbes and on television programmes such as Entertainment Tonight and CNN. His first feature, The Last Broadcast, is currently distributed in over 20 countries. It has the honour of being the first all digital release of a motion picture to cinemas across the US and has enjoyed runs on HBO and IFC. To date, The Last Broadcast, a self-distributed effort, has grossed over $4 million worldwide.

Lance’s newest feature, Head Trauma, had its world premiere at the LA Film Festival. Lance put together his own 17 city theatrical release which rolled into a national DVD release and VOD release by Warner Brothers. Always interested in experimenting with new ways to tell stories and reach audiences, Lance developed a cinema ARG (alternate realty game) around Head Trauma. The cinematic ARG is a mashup of movies, music, theatrics and gaming. Over 2.5 million people experienced elements of the game across cinemas, mobile drive-ins, mobile phones and online.

In addition to making feature films, Lance also directs commercials and music videos. He often lectures at universities and film societies about the changing landscape of content creation and distribution. He has spoken at the Cannes, Berlin and Sundance Film Festivals and has consulted for large ad agencies, entertainment companies and corporations.

Lance also splits his time as a partner in a social media company called Seize the Media. STM was created to address the gap between burgeoning technologies and entertainment. STM’s clients have included Microsoft, eBay, Earthlink, Ubisoft, and Creative Artists Agency among others.

Lance is also the founder of the Workbook Project, a “social open source” project for filmmakers. The Workbook Project’s goal is to help filmmakers understand the changing landscape of funding, production, promotion, and distribution in a digital age.

Currently, Lance is writing a book entitled Putting the Mass Back in Media which will be released in 2008. He is also developing a number of television, film and cross-media projects.

Lance sits on the board of the IFP, an American filmmaker organisation, and is the co-founder of From Here to Awesome, a discovery and distribution fest that puts filmmakers directly in touch with global audiences.

Prior to the release of The Last Broadcast, Lance spent seven years working as a camera assistant and operator, on large commercial shoots all over the world. During that time he had the honour of working with a number of amazing cinematographers such as Darius Khondji, Harris Savides, and the late Conrad Hall.