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Film Independent Mon 12.23.2024

Year In Review: Our Favorite Posts of 2024 Pt.1

Well, we did it. We survived till 25 (almost). What 2025 will bring is still up for debate, but we really did have a year in 2024. Film Independent celebrated its 40th year this year, and introduced new programs like the Documentary Producing Labs. The Spirit Awards were another huge success with Aidy Briant hosting the best of indie film for the first time. We also brought back Fast Track in person for the first time since the pandemic. The Forum was a huge hit with it’s global focused panels, and Film Independent Presents has had one of its busiest years with screenings almost every day this fall, as well as all the Live Read and Festival Vision fun.

Here on the blog, we featured some great interviews and shared some hopefully helpful pieces of film wisdom. As we wind things down, we want to look back at some of our favorite posts that you might have missed this year. We have interviews with film greats like Todd Haynes and practical tips on things like green sets and microbudget filmmaking.

Here are some of the highlights from the year that was 2024.

JANUARY:

How to Get Into Sundance Next Year, According to the Programmers

Yes, January is Sundance Season. Programing’s Jenn Wilson spoke with Sundance programmers Ash Hoyle and Sudeep Sharma about what they look for to when accepting films for the festival. This was a writeup of one of our Filmmaker Tuesday online discussions, that you can be a part of as member.

FEBRUARY:

Filmmaker Todd Haynes on the Mirror-Image Madness of ‘May December’

We spoke with director and Spirit Award winner Todd Hayens about his latest, the Persona inspired May December, and how May December is about “the stories we tell ourselves” in order to “survive our lives.” 

MARCH:

Act Accordingly: Inside the Mind of a Casting Director

We took a deeper dive into one of the underappreciated roles in making a successful film: casting. We collected some of our favorite advice from previous Film Independent “Meet the Casting Director” sessions, held in-person as part of our regular Filmmaker Tuesday events at Fi’s offices in Los Angeles.

APRIL:

Video: Using Subjective Sound Design to Create Emotion and Interiority

We put together a video dissecting a key sequence in The Host and going through the many ways director Bong Joon-ho uses the cinematic medium to create a dynamic experience that plays with both subjectivity and objectivity.

MAY:

What it Takes to Go Green on Set (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not That Hard)

Film Independent Education presented its latest “Green Set” session—a virtual panel of experts in sustainable film and television production. Attendees were treated to the insightful perspectives of these working professionals on what it means to have a “green set” and, of course, a crash course on how to build an eco-friendly set. We wrote up some key takeaways from the event.

JUNE:

My First Movie: Debut Feature Film Composer Randall Taylor Cuts Through the Red Tape

Musician Randall Taylor writes about creating his first feature-length film score, for horror film Delicate Arch. His process included recording various musical (and non musical) clips to tape loops, then making them unrecognizable to the original source.

 

And that’s just some of the great work you can find in the blog archives. Look for part 2 later this month.

For over 40 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision.

Film Independent Members watch nominees and vote for the winners of the Spirit Awards. To become a Member of Film Independent and make your vote count for next year’s 40th Annual Spirit Awards, click here. To support our mission with a donation, click here.

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