Tag Archives: elliot grove

Submissions open for Britain’s first Web Fest

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raindanceRaindance London Web Fest
Raindance hosts Britain’s first Web Fest in London
September 28/29, 2013

What do The Guild, Anyone But Me and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries have in common?

They were all started by independent writers who rejected the traditional broadcast commissioning process to create their own shows their own way… and were rewarded with loyal fans worldwide and millions of views of their web series.

And they are making money.

Britain’s first Web Fest has been created to celebrate the best independent online content from around the world in a 2 day feast of screenings, panels and special events that takes place during the 21st Annual Raindance Film Festival in the heart of London’s West End.

“It was only natural for Raindance to create a showcase for web series. Online content is becoming the place for filmmakers and creators to be discovered. Web series creators are the perfect example of independent filmmakers who have plugged into the social media landscape.” said Raindance founder Elliot Grove.

Raindance WebFest is currently open for submissions until July 15th.

For details: http://www.raindance.org/festival-2013/raindance-london-web-fest/

Raindance and Staffordshire University Announce an Autumn 2012 Intake

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– Postgraduate Training Programme with Distance Learning Option –
Raindance – a leading UK film industry network and training organisation – is pleased to announce that
applications for its September/October 2012 intake are now open.

The Postgraduate Film Degree Masters Programme, available in both MA and MSc versions, was launched
in 2011 and designed to meet the needs of emerging filmmakers. It is based on a proven formula that
includes Raindance courses, industry networking (including one-on-one tutorials) and self-directed study.

From October 2012, both MA and MSc are available as a distance learning option, making the course
available to anyone with internet access wherever they are based in the world.

Raindance’s groundbreaking postgraduate degree enables students to set their own individual career and
project objectives. This is made possible by an unrivalled collaboration between Raindance, the
Independent Film Trust as a charity established to advance the cause of independent filmmaking, and
innovative academics at Staffordshire University who introduced the UK’s first single honours degree in
Film, Television and Radio Studies in 1990. Graduates of the Raindance programme are awarded an M.A.
or M.Sc. degree that is academically validated by Staffordshire University.

Students manage their own schedule and modules which are developed in regular discussions with their
tutors in one-on-one tutorials. Depending on the student’s needs and interests, the investigations could lead to an M.A. in Directing Independent Films, an M.Sc. in Digital Cinematography, or highly specialised issues like Producing Films with Crowd Funding or Writing Fantasy Screenplays, that traditional institutions would not be able to offer.

Raindance founder, Elliot Grove, said: “I am delighted to be working with one of Britain’s most forward-looking universities to deliver a programme designed to respond to the changing filmmaking climate, and the constantly changing influences of digital filmmaking and distribution techniques.”

Veteran producer Carl Schoenfeld who has overseen Raindance’s educational strategy said: “Students are
empowered by skills that enable them to take responsibility for their own learning throughout the course and beyond. This is a great opportunity for filmmakers anywhere in the world keen on developing
themselves in an inspirational higher education environment. This course allows them to explore their own individual voice and trajectory into the film industry and culture around them.”

James Fair of Staffordshire University says: “We have always pursued a combination of relevance and
excellence at Staffordshire. We feel that the partnership with Raindance demonstrates our ability to provide flexible learning opportunities that correspond to the demands of the workplace. This will be where theory and practice meet, mirroring the complex realities of filmmaking.”

Since 1992 Raindance has developed and delivered pioneering industry-relevant filmmaking courses which
combine practical and theoretical training. Raindance trained filmmakers include such legends as Edgar
Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Oscar® winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park,
Downton Abbey), Guy Ritchie (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels; Sherlock Holmes), Matthew Vaughn
(Layer Cake, Kick-ass), and Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight, Inception).

Applicants starting the programme on 9 September (London) and 15 October (Distance Learning)

Hollywood Storyteller hosts Raindance Masterclass

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Raindance is a Frost favourite. I have taken their 99 minute film school, and a couple of their other courses. We also cover their amazing film festival. Now they have one of Hollywood’s top story consultant doing a masterclass.

Raindance has announced that Christopher Vogler – one of Hollywood’s most celebrated story consultants – will host a weekend masterclass in London on 27-28 April.

Renowned as a leading expert in storytelling, Vogler is the guiding hand behind such films as The Wrestler, Black Swan, The Lion King, Fight Club and The Thin Red Line. Having worked for Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount and Fox, Vogler is in a unique position to share his insights into how powerful stories are made.

“We’re thrilled Christopher Vogler will be hosting this special Raindance masterclass in a rare appearance here in London,” says Elliot Grove, Director of Raindance. “He really is the stuff of screenwriting legend so this is a must for writers, directors, actors and producers interested in the entire story process from idea to script to screen,” he added.

Vogler’s best-seller, The Writer’s Journey, has been read by over 250,000 screenwriting students, establishing itself as one of the cornerstones of modern screenwriting theory and influencing a new generation of storytellers. Based on a memo he wrote while working at the Disney studios, the book has been translated into eight languages and its ideas were promptly put to use by a whole generation of screenwriters and novelists. Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky cites it as “the first book that everyone’s got to read”, while the LA Times describes the original memo as “the stuff of Hollywood legend… (Vogler’s) idea of a ‘mythic structure’ has been quickly accepted by Hollywood, and Vogler’s book graces the bookshelves of many studio heads”.

Raindance Award Winners Announced

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There was a 62% Rise in Attendance for the 19th Raindance Film Festival

Some of the winners this yeat included British Indie Stranger Things (Best UK Feature), Croatian/Serbian/Slovenian co-production Just Between Us (Best International Feature), Bulgaria’s Tilt (Best Debut Feature) and Italian
short Reset (Film of the Festival) Raindance Film Festival Awards. The prestigious jury, which included actor Dexter Fletcher, director Gillies Mackinnon, and TV/radio presenter Alex Zane, selected winners in the eight awards
categories.

“There were some outstanding films across the whole line-up so selecting winners was especially
difficult this year,” said Elliot Grove, Festival Director. “This has been a really successful festival – from the heart of London’s West End we’ve screened over 200 features and shorts at the state-of-the art

Apollo Cinema, Piccadilly. Attendance was up by a staggering 62% on last year proving that the
appetite for independent film is thriving.”

The winners were announced on Saturday night (8th October) at the festival venue, the Apollo Cinema,

Piccadilly Circus. The 19th Raindance Film Festival, which started on 28th September and wrapped on 9th October, brought 94 UK feature film premieres and 137 shorts to London, cementing Raindance’s position as Europe’s leading independent film festival.

The other winners were How To Start A Revolution (Best Documentary), the UK’s Monk3ys (Best
Microbudget Feature), Denmark’s Words (Best International Short), and Love At First Sight (Best UK Short). The winning team behind Reset (Film of the Festival) will be offered the chance to film next year’s Raindance Film Festival trailer, with the support of the Independent Film Trust.

Festival Jury
The jury comprised Sally Bibawy of photography company Lomography, actor Dexter Fletcher (Lock,
Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Director Gillies MacKinnon (Hideous Kinky), Julian Richards,
filmmaker and co-founder of Jinga Films, Oli Harbottle from Dogwoof, CŽline Masset, co-founder and artistic Director of the Brussels Short Film Festival, actress Helen McCrory (The Queen, Harry Potter films), Wendy Mitchell, Head of News at Screen International, and radio/TV presenter and film critic Alex Zane.

Festival Awards – nominated films with winners indicated

Best International Feature

Just Between Us / Rajko Grlic – Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia WINNER
No Return / Miguel Cohan – Spain / Argentina
After Fall, Winter/ Eric Schaeffer – USA
Youth H2 “Come As You Are” / Kota Yoshida – Japan
War Games / Cosimo Alemˆ – Italy

Best UK Feature
Stranger Things / Eleanor Burke/Ron Eyal – UK WINNER
Acts Of Godfrey / Johnny Daukes – UK
A Thousand Kisses Deep / Dana Lustig – UK
Flutter / Giles Borg – UK
Hollow/ Michael Axelgaard – UK
Seamonsters / Julian Kerridge – UK

Best Debut
Tilt / Viktor Chouchkov Jr. – Bulgaria WINNER
Synchronicity / Joe Tanaka – Japan
Exteriors / Marie Kristiansen – Norway
On The Way Home / Emiliano Corapi – Italy
Restive/ Jeremiah Jones – USA

Best Microbudget Feature

MONK3YS / Drew Cullingham – UK WINNER
Julius Caesar / Adam Lee Hamilton & John Montegrande – UK
Uspomene 677 / Mirko Pincelli – Bosnia Herzegovina / UK
Meso Cafe / Ja’far ‘Abd al-Hamid – UK
Black Pond / Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe – UK

Best Documentary

How to Start A Revolution / Ruaridh Arrow – UK WINNER
White Button / Igor Stoimenov – Serbia
The Echo Of Astro Boy’s Footsteps / Masanori Tominaga – Japan
Where My Heart Beats / Khazar Fatemi – Sweden
Heaven + Earth + Joe Davis / Peter Sasowsky – USA

Best International Short

Words / Sven Vinge – Denmark WINNER
The Lady Paranorma / Vincent Marcone – Canada
Martyr Friday / Abu Bakr Shawky – Egypt
Zoltan- The Hungarian Gangster of Love / Justin Reardon – USA
Hemingway’s Pen / Renzo Carbonera – Italy

Best UK Short
Love At First Sight / Michael Davies – UK WINNER
This Side of the Afterlife / Adam Horton – England
God View / Billy Lumby – UK
The Girl Is Mime / Tim Bunn – UK
Rough Skin / Cathy Brady – UK

Film of the Festival (Short)

The winner is offered the chance to film next year’s Raindance Film Festival trailer, with the support of the Independent Film Trust:

Reset / Nicolangelo Gelormini – Italy

The Raindance Film Festival runs from 28 Sept – 9 Oct at the Apollo Cinema in London’s Piccadilly Circus, with the Opening Night premiere of Another Earth at Cineworld Haymarket on 28 Sept.

Now in its 19th year, Raindance Film Festival is Europe’s leading Independent Film Festival showcasing feature films, shorts and docs from around the world and specialising in independent films and directorial debuts.

The festival has a strong legacy of showing alternative, edgy films. Since 1993 Raindance Film Festival has uncovered the hottest new filmmakers to hit the cinematic scene. Raindance-premiered hits include Pulp Fiction, Memento,
the Blair Witch Project, Ghost World and Love Exposure.

www.raindance.co.uk

Interview with Raindance founder Elliot Grove {The Film Set}

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I took a course with Elliot years ago. His knowledge of film, and film-making is vast and impressive. Every actor, writer and director should take a course or go to the awards. Here is the excellent article.

Frost Mag: When did you start Raindance and what was the premise behind it?

Elliot Grove: I started Raindance in 1992 as way to make contacts in the film industry. I started bringing over well known tutors from America. the response was astounding, and within a few months, British filmmakers started making films again. So I thought I’d start a film festival in the heart of London in the week before the now-defunct MIFED market, because I noticed a lot of acquisition execs hanging out at the Meridian Hotel on their way to MIFED in Milan.

I then learned a very painful lesson about British culture. Britains, unlike my native Canadians are very snobbish – and as they couldn’t see a government logo or brand on my poster assumed I was just another tourist. I was pretty much wished bad luck by everyone in the industry.

Fortunately the filmmakers in other countries saw Raindance as a way to launch into Europe and into London. The Festival has grown to the point were we outgrew various venues and are now housed in the largest independent cinema in the West End – the Apollo to be precise.

In 1998 I started the British Independent film Awards for a similar reason: to promote British films and filmmakers. This event has grown to become a keynote in the UK’s film industry calendar.

Of course, none of this wouldn’t have been possible without a few generous benefactors and team of colleagues and collaborators unequaled in passion or ability in London.

Raindance still proudly independent, and without any government support.

Frost Mag: Is this the worst time for Filmmaker’s?

Elliot Grove: This is far from the worst time for filmmakers. In fact, I think it is the very best time for filmmakers. IPTV and online distribution have kicked the old boys distribution model to pieces enabling anyone with good visual storytelling ability and simple and inexpensive camera gear to make a movie and get many many people to see it.

Frost Mag: It seems that every filmmaker comes into Raindance at some point. How does it feel to be the founder of such a creative hub?

Elliot Grove: I can’t take any credit for the hundreds of successful filmmakers I have been fortunate enough to meet at Raindance. Except to say that I, and my hard working colleagues are rewarded daily by meeting or speaking to the most talented people one could ever hope to meet. And that is reward enough for us!

Frost Mag: How important is the internet and how can filmmaker’s make the most of it?

Elliot Grove: There are two types of filmmakers: Those who lo the and fear the internet and social media, and those who embrace it. Any filmmaker or film festival without an online strategy is doomed in my opinion.

Frost Mag: Advice for filmmakers?

Elliot Grove: To make it as a filmmaker, you need to be:
– a great story teller
– be able to get your hands on a bit of money
– develop excellent interpersonal and communication skills
– be firm and be strong enough to draw the line when someone makes unrealistic demands of you
– understand and develop a strong social media presence
– have boundless energy and be able to work 100 hour weeks
– talent helps too, but is the least essential of anything on this list

Frost Mag: Who should we watch out for?

Elliot Grove: I am always asked who to watch out for. I really don’t single out individual filmmakers. we do, however, premiere about 75 features and 150 shorts each year by the most talented filmmakers we have found during the past 12 months.

I returned from Brussels at the end of June and I met some extremely interesting “Roger Corman” type producers there and this was most unusual and most welcome.

Several Belgian films will be playing at the Festival this year.

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