Join us at the Post 5 Theater on Saturday, March 5th for our FiLMLaB Directors Panel. Free to Willamette Writers members ($10 non-member paid at the door) this event features all of our FiLMLaB directors from the past four years and a chance to have your questions answered!

Join these three directors:

Christopher Alley of Ampersand Productions (2012 and 2013), Martin Vavra of Galaxy Sailor Productions (2014) and Michael Parisien of Going Street Films (2015).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Directors Panel Answers Filmmaking Questions

Moderated by executive producer and screenwriter Randall Jahnson, this is a unique opportunity for writers and screenwriters to query these talented directors and filmmakers about filmmaking. They will discuss the FiLMLaB Contest, collaborative experience, and will answer other cinematic questions, from script to screen. Alley, Vavra, and Parisien are multitalented individuals who wear many different hats on many different sets. We are excited to have such a wealth of knowledge on the stage. Get your questions ready!

Don’t Forget to View Their Films

But before you come, make sure you view their films (and compare to the original script) on our website before the event and join in what promises to be a lively discussion!

Alis Volat Propriis, written by Portlander, Haley Isleib, was our 2012 winner. Our first contest was tied to our 2012 conference theme New Frontiers (in writing). Haley used the theme to explore the nature of reality between a writer and his muse (or is he her muse?). Directed by Christopher Alley, this film won Best Comedic Short at the 2013 Oregon Independent Film Festival.

Inspiration, written by Barbara Thomas (renamed Coffee.Table.Book. in post), utilized our 2013 conference theme Fresh Brewed to take home our second FiLMLaB prize. Christopher Alley directed this charming silent film over a two day shoot in the Kenton Park neighborhood. Beautifully shot in black and white the story follows an OCD writer struggling with writers block and the waitress who helps him see his way through the other side.

Unwelcome Guests, written by Canby resident, Jon Dragt (2014) and directed by Martin Vavra. We changed things up in 2014 and instead of linking the contest to the conference theme, we introduced a location prompt: we had to be able to shoot the story at the Willamette Writers House in West Linn. By a stroke luck, one of our members volunteered their beautiful, much roomier home for the shoot, significantly upping our production value and allowing us to shoot this fun little caper in one day.

The Return of Bug Eyed Bill, written by Mark Scarbrough (2015), directed by Michael Parisien. Things got a little crazy in 2015. We introduced three prompts (!) into the contest: a prop, a line of dialogue and a character–Bug Eyed Bill.  We got a lot of very interesting Bug Eyed Bills, but Mark’s story (originally entitled The Robbery) won the prize.The film was shot at the landmark Paulsen’s Pharmacy in Portland’s Hollywood District and tells the story of young Billy who, through his alter ego, finds the strength necessary to help his self-destructive mother.

We hope you can make it!

Whether you are a screenwriter or novelist, poet or memoirist, learning how other creatives approach story is always enlightening. Join FiLMLaB at the Post 5 Theater on March 5th for our directors panel and join the conversion.

Saturday, March 5th
Post 5 Theater
1666 SE Lambert Street
Portland, OR 97202
10:00 – 11:30 am