WESTDOC: The West Coast Reality and Documentary Conference (September 13-15, 2010)
3000 Olympic Boulevard • Santa Monica, CA 90404 • Tel: 310.616.5084 • www.TheWESTDOC.com
2nd Annual WESTDOC conference adds preview screening
of reality thriller “Catfish” and cash prizes to its PitchFest winners.
Program schedule includes 30 panels and master classes.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(August 2, 2010, Los Angeles, Calif.) Adding to an information rich schedule of panels, case studies, exclusive networking events and master classes, WESTDOC founders Chuck Braverman and Richard Propper announce a special preview screening of Sundance Film Festival standout, “Catfish,” Sunday night September 12th. From filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, “Catfish” is a reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue. Scheduled for theatrical release Sept. 17 via Rogue/Universal Pictures. www.iamrogue.com/catfish
WESTDOC participants will see it first.
A new incentive has been added to the popular PitchFest: cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of
WESDOC’s daylong event that presents work-in-progress to funders and acquisition executives.
WESTDOC is pleased to announce that The Gilbert Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch is sponsoring PitchFest with $7,500 in cash prizes.
WESTDOC’s panels, seminars and networking events educate and inform reality and documentary producers on the state-of-the business from financing to distribution. Divided into two distinct programs, The Reality Village and The Documentary Village, with several Hybrid (Reality/Documentary) panels, topics range from hot button issues such as morality in reality TV to digital distribution to creating an effective online campaign via social media. The WESTDOC 2010 conference is now online (http://www.thewestdoc.com/schedule.html).
Additionally, WESTDOC 2010 offers hands-on seminars in production, marketing and distribution on the weekend prior to the conference (Saturday September 11/Sunday September 12, 2010). Presented by renowned experts, the master classes are open to all registered WESTDOC 2010 participants.
HDSLR Master Class: Learn, shoot, edit and show with DP Philip Bloom. Direct from London, DP Philip
Bloom (http://philipbloom.net/) will teach a full two-day Master Class on the sensational new HDSLR cameras that provide stunning picture quality for a relatively modest price. The first day will outline the hardware, software and tools required to shoot with HDSLRs. The second day will include post-production techniques and editing. Course will include shooting and editing opportunities for all attendees.
Small Production Master Class with Jem Schofield. A series of six sessions taught over two days by production technology expert Jem Schofield (http://theC47.com/), the workshop is designed for independent producers, filmmakers and editors interested in camera, lighting, audio, post-production and distribution using emerging technologies.
Network License Fees and the Pitch Perfected. Peter Hamilton, creator of the website
DocumentaryTelevision.com, will be making his West Coast debut as he presents his timely, relevant research and extensive insight into the business of non-fiction/reality. The second half of the day will be a hands-on workshop with Fernanda Rossi a/k/a The Documentary Doctor who will help show registrants how to tune up their work, 3000 Olympic Boulevard • Santa Monica, CA 90404 • Tel: 310.616.5084 •
www.TheWESTDOC.com making their project ready for presentation to broadcasters and funders. Further information on the Master Classes is at: http://www.thewestdoc.com/master-classes.html
WESTDOC: The West Coast Reality and Documentary Conference (September 13-15, 2010) gathers producers and directors of non-fiction/documentary and reality TV programming with executives who create such programs. More than 100 industry speakers are expected to participate in the three-day conference. Acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger will be featured at the WESTDOC Conference’s Non-Fiction, Keynote Conversation on September 14th, 2010. The award-winning filmmaker’s most recent documentary Crude is now the focus of an important First Amendment rights case and appeal.
For the second year, WESTDOC will be held at the Doubletree Guest Suites Santa Monica. Among the companies now slated to participate are: Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Spike TV, National Geographic Channel, ITVS, TV Land, SyFy, History Channel, WE, OWN, RDF, BBC, Lonely Planet, Oxygen, The Style Network, E! Entertainment Television, ABC Entertainment, The Game Show Network, Fox21, and The Doc Channel with more networks to be announced shortly. The conference’s climatic event is an all day PitchFest where new projects are pitched directly to network and development executives in front of a live audience for potential acquisition or coproduction funding.
Open to all documentary and reality TV professionals, more than 400 people attended the inaugural WESTDOC in 2009. Registration information as well as an updated list of panels, speakers, master classes and instructions on how to participate in PitchFest can be found at: www.theWESTDOC.com. Conference fees cover all aspects of the day including breakfast and lunch sessions. Discount rates are now available. Updates will also be posted on WESTDOC’s Facebook.com page and via twitter.com/theWESTDOC (#WESTDOC2010). Press and media inquiries: press@theWESTDOC.com
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