16-18 JUNE

How to make it as a filmmaker beyond your first feature.

Following the “wicked, supreme and utterly mind blowing” MTG 2013 (cheers Jon Fairbairn)* we’re back this year with a bigger and better line up! Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

Your panelists were fantastic. I learned so much and really enjoyed the community it created amongst the filmmakers in the festival.– Sophia, MTG 2013

What is Mind the Gap?

Three days of carefully curated talks, workshops and events designed to offer every insight, top tip and wise word to anyone hoping to make a career in feature films. Whether you’re crossing over from shorts to features, television to film, debut to slate, or particularly in that transition between first to second feature, Mind The Gap is here to Help. EEFF’s panels, interviews, workshops and networking events will provide the roadmap that every filmmaker needs to avoid the pitfalls on the route to success.

Too many first time feature filmmakers never make a second film – lets change that!

I absorbed a mammoth amount of useful information at the Industry Programme last week, and do feel as a result that I know what I’m doing, which isn’t always the case. My focus is honed – thank you! – Isobel, MTG 2013

Passes and Tickets for 2015 TBC

1 day pass* = TBC

3 day pass* TBC

Special discounted event tickets with your pass to:
– Emerge
– Entry to Doc Heads Party at Open City Docs Festival

Plus:
– 1 month free subscription International NY Times digital edition
– Discount to Women in Film/TV membership [TBC]
– a copy of Final Draft for $50/£30 – and many more discounted goodies and freebies

Names to look out for include:Damian Jones (producer, The Iron Lady, The History Boys), Paul Ridd (Marketing and Acquisitions Manager, Picturehouse Cinemas), Sandra Hebron, Graham Hartstone (sound consultant Berberian Sound Studio, Eyes Wide Shut, Aliens), Kerrie Hayes (actress Nowhere Boy, Brighton Rock), Eva Yates (Senior Development Editor, Channel 4), Tristan Anderson (BAFTA Winner and Founder Doc Heads), David Pope (Advance Films), Charlie Lyne (director, Beyond Clueless).Enjoy workshops with: Creative Skillset, Crossover Labs, BECTU, Pulse, School for Creative Start-ups, Channel 4, Warp Films, London Film Academy, Picturehouse Cinemas, Harbottle & Lewis, Women in Film and TV, Casting Networks, LOCO London Comedy Film Festival, Festival Formula,
… and many more to followAlthough you can come down for one day at a time, we highly recommend that you attend all three days to get the benefit of the full programme.Having pretty much the entire known UK film industry introduced to us, and us to them, hearing what they had to say, talking to them and all the rest, really it was like lifting a white blanket off a mysterious and un-nervingly large obstacle in the road up ahead. From the point of view of someone who is just finishing their first feature film, I feel compelled to use the word profound! – Jon, MTG 2013

Who is this course for?

Our central aim is to collectively unpick the reasons why it can be so difficult for first time feature filmmakers (narrative or documentary) to move into their second project. We’ve teamed up with industry icons and leading organisations to share their knowledge and offer their support and services. It’s also a great opportunity to share your successes and frustrations with a like-minded peer group.

Participants will enjoy panels, Q&As, workshops, interviews, networking, speed mentoring and even a studio tour!

Who can attend?

Anyone at any stage of their career – the sessions are designed to give you insight to the internal workings of the film industry and allow pause for thought, planning, re-evaluating, expert and peer feedback and more.

All workshops will take place at:

3 Mills Studios,
Sugar House Lane,
London E15 2QS
(just 5 minutes from Bromley-by-Bow station on the District Line)

You can also email us at
[email protected]
[email protected]

STOP EVALUATE AND LISTEN

This first day of the programme is designed to encourage filmmakers to stop, breathe and look at how far they’ve come – something we don’t take time to do often enough. These sessions will enable you to look at where you’ve been, what you’ve learned and will help to prepare you for the next steps in your career.

WHY THE GAP?

10:15 – 11:30
Key experts across varying strands of the film industry debate ‘the gap’. What can we, as an industry do to support filmmakers heading for a career transition? What do filmmakers really need to know, even before they pick up a camera, to avoid falling off the edge?

Speakers: Sandra Hebron, Simon Ward (ICO) Eva Yates (Film4) Joanna Von Fischer (BIFA)

Second Album Syndrome

11:40 – 12:40
Whether you’re a musician, a filmmaker or an artist; putting a business head on to creative shoulders isn’t easy. From the difficulties in letting go of the freedom and creative control you enjoy, or in dealing with the multiple ‘interested parties’ who move in with your success, creative careers are challenging.

Speakers: Kerrie Hayes (Actress,The Mill, Brighton Rock, Nowhere Boy) Charlie Lyne (Director, Beyond Clueless) Marcella Puppini (Founder The Puppini Sisters)

Huge thanks for today, what a lovely audience and such a smoothly run event, hats off to you and the team for making it such a great festival.
– Fiona Nielson,
Producer ’24 Hour Party People’

---

OFFERED / WANTED FILMCYCLE

15:30 – 16:30
Got something to give? Missing something or someone? Looking for that special editor / production manager / after-effects whizz to spice up your life and make things complete? Visit our matchmakers corner and find your one true special FX supervisor.

PROTECT YOUR IDEAS
With Harbottle & Lewis

17:30 – 18:15
Experts from Harbottle & Lewis will offer strategic input from up-to-the-minute advice on legal, regulatory and commercial issues, including securing and protecting your project to the exploitation of digital media and convergence.

YOUR PLACE ON THE HORIZON

Leading on from Day 1, our programme shifts into future thinking. We know where you’ve been, but where are you going? How do you get there and who on earth is going to pay for it? We’ll take you through some key steps on the journey…

THE ART OF DEVELOPMENT

10:00 – 11:00
Our panel will look at how to develop a long term career in filmmaking. We’ll look practically at how one project can feed in to the next, what it’s like to work with a mentor and what film funders really look for when investing long term.

Speakers: Sarah Sheerman – Chase (WFTV) Debbie Howard (Big Buddah Films) Kevin Dolan (Film London) Jaqueline Wright (MTG graduate)

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL STRATEGY

11:10 – 12:10
Film festivals are often the first opportunities for your early films to find their audience, their champions and potentially distribution. Katie McCullough from Festival Formula talks about best festival practice and how to play the circuit to your advantage. Gavin Humphries shares his own successes and hints and tips on getting the best results.

Speakers: Katie McCullough (Festival Formula) Gavin Humphries (Quark Films)

CREATING A SLATE
With LOCO London Comedy Film Festival

14:30 – 15:30
Successful filmmaking is often about identifying your area of expertise and building a career incrementally over a number of projects. The LOCO London Comedy Film Festival team are joined by expert guests to discuss the best ways to build a long-term filmmaking career.

Speakers: Destiny Ekaragha (Director Gone Too Far) Jon Rennie (Producer Benny & Jolene) Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer Black Pond and the upcoming Animals and Weird)

WRITING TO SCALE
With Story Campus

18:00 – 19:00
The Story Campus panel will look at micro budget feature filmmaking from the entry point of story development. Facilitated by David Pope and David Keating from Story Campus featuring guest micro budget feature practitioners.

Speakers: Atif Ghani (Producer Ill Manors) Ben Blaine (Director Nina Forever) third panelist TBC

SALON WITH STORY CAMPUS

19:00 – 20:00
Sharing facilitated conversations about projects with peers and guests in a supportive environment.
@3Mills Studios

SHORT TERM ACTIONS FOR LONG TERM SUCCESS

Whether you’re a director, producer, editor, make-up artist, lighting technician etc. life can still get in the way of art! These sessions will articulate best practices for creative practitioners and freelancers when it comes to business planning, cash flow management, social media, networking and so on.

GET PAID TO MAKE FILMS

10:20 – 11:20
As the book publishing industry rises to the challenge of digitisation and convergence with film, app development and gaming, there has never been a greater time to offer creative services to publishing houses on a freelance, contract or salaried level. The question is: how do you go about this in a way that ensures you can do what you do best – make films – and still be able to pay your rent at the end of the month?

Speakers: Ryan Deluchi (MoFilm) Fiona Scott (Crane TV) Kathryn Fergusson (Director) Tristan Anderson (Founder DocHeads)

AGENTS SHOWREELS AND NETWORKING
With Pulse Films

13:30 – 14:30
In this session, Pulse will talk participants through the steps involved in getting an agent, how to work with them to create a dynamic and engaging showreel, and some good old-fashioned networking tips.

THE LEGAL LOOP
With BECTU

14:40 – 15:40
As confusing and overwhelming as legal procedures can seem in the film biz, there are some which we simply cannot avoid. In this session, BECTU will take us through the core elements of the legalities you ignore at your peril.

CASTING WORKSHOP
With London Film Academy and Casting Networks

15:50 – 17:20
This session will cover the casting process, with a focus on: working and communicating with actors, typical casting mistakes, solutions for common problems during film or TV casting, directing actors, a personal approach to actors in work environment, casting research, working with casting directors, practical exercises and examples of casting scenarios. The session will encourage open discussion and close with a Q&A.

Speakers: Kahleen Crawford (Casting Director) Mariel Witmond (Director of Casting Networks, Europe) and Anna MacDonald (Principal LFA)

WHO’S GOT THE MONEY AND HOW TO GET IT

17:30 – 18:30
Nowadays it seems that although there is ‘less money around’, there are more ways to access it. But what’s best for you at this stage of your career: crowd-funding, EIS schemes, public money, branded content, or something else? Funders, producers and directors discuss what approaches work where, and how to secure finance for your film.

Speakers: Damian Jones (Producer, Iron Lady) Agnieszka Moody (MEDIA Desk UK) Tessa inkelaar & Deborah Sathe (Film London) Tom Harberd (Bankside Films)