Dance Camera West announces its 11th Annual Festival with Dance Media: An Active Spectrum.  The event will bring together artists, innovators, educators, and others in the entertainment industry to discuss the increasingly active spectrum of dance media on screen.

Dance Camera West is now accepting submissions for its festival to be held in Los Angeles at the end of June.  Entries must be on DVD. Festival screening formats will vary depending on venue and will be communicated via email upon acceptance to the festival.  To be considered for the festival, the following are required:

• DVD submissions and entry fees must be postmarked by January 30th, 2012.
• Entries must never have screened or broadcast in Los Angeles. University or showcase showings allowed; local cable broadcast allowed.
• Upon acceptance into the festival, your film cannot be withdrawn.

Entry Fee:
$50 fee; $40 Members before December 15, 2011
$60 fee; $50 Members after December 15, 2011
$25 fee, Students

Early Deadline: December 15, 2011
Final Deadline: January 31, 2012 (postmarked)

For more information,visit dancecamerawest.org
Contact festival@dancecamerawest.org with additional questions.

photo: Laura Murphy

Join us for an evening of Dance for Camera curated by Zach Morris of Third Rail Projects and The Dance Film Lab.  Films to be screened include Dirty Ho (Lan tou He); (Dir. Lau Kar-Leung, Contrecoup (Dir. Pascal Magnin), Rest in Peace (Chor. Hans Hof Ensemble; Dir. Annick Vroom), as well as footage from Casino Royale (Dir. Martin Campbell), Touch of Evil (Dir. Orson Wells) and Singing in the Rain (Dirs: Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen).
$7 online / $10 at door
Reservations

Visit www.movementonscreen.org.uk for more information

Deadline November 28, 2010

There’s just a few weeks left to enter your videos into the first-ever Vimeo Festival and Awards. If your video premiered online within the past two years, you should head over to www.vimeoawards.com and submit.

Judges include David Lynch, Morgan Spurlock, DJ Spooky, Lucy Walker and several others. If you win your category, you’ll be in the running for best overall Film or Video, and the grand prize includes a $25,000 grant toward future production.

Submission categories include:
Narrative, Documentary, Music Video, Remix, Original Series, Animation, Motion GFX, Experimental, and Captured. See www.vimeo.com for more information.

Go get it!

How Can We Find You in 2010?

DANCE MEDIA PROFILE WORKSHOP

NEW YORK CITY

TUESDAYS 1-4pm

MAY 4 – JUNE 8th, 2010

Today’s audiences rely on media to discover and connect with artists. The more you can capture the interest of fans through compelling media, the more likely it is that you will gain real supporters who will attend your live shows and make contributions.

In addition, Producers, Talent agents, Managers, Event Coordinators, Scouts, Presenters, News programs, Talk shows, and other artists from across the globe use media to learn more about you.

Creating a Dance Media Profile will help you reach these varied groups of people, and help you to reflect your work and brand as an artist.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pentacle’s Movement Media is offering a 6-week intensive Dance Media Workshop to help you build a strategic and creative media profile that will win over your audience.

At the end of 6 weeks you’ll be able to:

• Optimize your work on social networks and search engines, create electronic press releases, and improve your promotional content through a variety of distribution channels.
• Be as creative with your Branding, Marketing, and Media Profile as you are with your art.
• Join a community of Artists working on unique projects, receive constructive feedback on your ideas, and collaborate on creative solutions to market your work effectively.

We will help you RECREATE/REVITALIZE/REVAMP your Dance Media Profile. We will review your current materials, and help you create a strategic marketing plan that makes use of a multitude of distribution channels.

REGISTRATION

 Application deadline

Early Bird Special!!

LOCATION

Make 2010 the year YOUR audience finds you!

We are interested in learning about the Media Marketing needs of dancers and their interests in creating Dance for Camera.

By participating in this survey, you can help us improve services to artists, and help us share your  specific ambitions, requests, concerns, and support needs to the dance community at large.

This survey is designed for artists of all levels of experience.  Even if you have not done much pertaining to Media Marketing, Film, or Video, we ask that you participate in this survey, so we can learn more about you.

Results of this survey will be posted on our blog, Move the Frame, in January 2010 to provide artists an opportunity to ask questions, share comments, and continue a dialogue pertaining to Media Marketing and Dance for Camera.

This Survey will Help us Learn More About the Following Areas:

• Media Marketing: What do dancers need to improve self promotion through media to increase audience numbers for live performances?  We want to learn who needs assistance with improving websites, search engine marketing, online press releases, and social networking.

• Dance for Camera Production: Which artists want to produce dance for camera (films and videodances)?  Who needs education on the basics of film making to produce work?  What kind of film would you like to create?  How can we help you get started?

• Promotional Video Production: Which artists need assistance with moving through all of the stages of video production for promotional videos or for instructional dance videos?  Who needs help with planning, strategizing, editing, and distribution to guarantee that these videos are seen by large audiences?

CLICK HERE to Take Artist Survey

We thank you for your participation!

What do dancers need?

Many dancers want to post their own dance videos online for self-promotion and need help finding equipment for filming.  For example, if a dancer doesn’t have a video recorder yet, they may want one, or other equipment to help them get creative.

Here are 5 different gift suggestions (with links and and reviews on equipment) from seasoned Cameraman, Ron Kienhuis.

1.  Video Digital Recorders

Digital Recorder by Zoom.  Most camcorders (especially cheap ones) have horrible sound recording features, or are AGC (non manually adjustable).  If audio is important to you, here’s a Digital Recorder by Zoom (known for the H2 and H4n) that does video!  It’s very affordable at $249.00.  http://www.discmakers.com/duplicators/peripherals/zoomq3.asp

Other multi-purpose recording devices are Digital Still Cameras with video capabilities.  Here the choices are endless.  Almost every manufacturer makes them in all price ranges.  The most useful would be a camera with a Wide Angle lens and low light capabilities.
Canon’s Power Shot S90 for $429.99.  http://tinyurl.com/yfyxxe5
Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-LX3 for $469.00.  http://tinyurl.com/6zyxpo

At the same time nearly all Video Cameras can take stills, some at the same time as recording video.  One of the last tape based cameras is the Canon HV-40. It has the capabilities to shoot 24P the infamous “Cinema” look.
Canon VIXIA HV-40 for $699.00.  http://tinyurl.com/yarxynk

Flip Video Camera.  Easy to use, and affordable.  It costs $159.00.  http://tinyurl.com/yej764v

Video Enabled Cell Phone or Music Player.  Try Apple’s iPhone or iPod Nano.  A simple way to record video is with a 3G iPhone or the new Apple Nano iPod.

iphone 3GS 32GB starting at $299.00. http://tinyurl.com/rbwkab.

ipod Nano 8GB at $149.00 and ipod Nano 16GB at $179.00. http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

2. Creative Filming Options

Here are some fun cameras to try some different types of shots.

Waterproof Camera.  Want to shoot near the water, or in it?!! Then you’ll need a waterproof camera.  Check out the Sanyo XACHI VPC-E2 Digital Camcorder and Digital Camera beginning at 169.99  http://tinyurl.com/ycsyyfo

A Pet’s Eye View camera for only $49.99.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras-photography/afbc/

3. Tripods and Camera Applications

GorillaCam Camera Application. Prefer to have a video recorded that affords you steady and level shots?  Gorillacam is an iphone app that works with your camera to improve your camera capabilities.  It includes a self-timer for self-portraits and group shots, and time-lapse photography, and other features for  FREE.  Read more here.  http://joby.com/gorillacam/

GorillaMobile Flexible Tripods.  When cell phones and some video recorders do not have ways to attach a tripod you need to rely on a friend to operate it unless you buy a tripod that can do the job.  A GorillaMobile is a flexible tripod with a custom-designed iphone case for $39.95.   You can also purchase GorillaPod for regular cameras for a cost of $21.95.  http://joby.com/gorillapod

4. Micro Projectors

(Brief review of the first 3 products made)

Optoma Pico Projector.  A video projector so small, you can carry it in your pocket. Then, when it’s time for a little entertainment, you can whip it out, connect it to your iPod or iPhone, and project your videos onto a nearby wall, ceiling or airplane seat back–a far more satisfying experience than watching the movie on a little two-inch screen.

The Optoma projector is aimed almost exclusively at iPods, iPhones and other smartphones that can play video, along with video sources that have RCA cables–the red/white/yellow cable set–like camcorders, DVD players, game consoles, digital cameras and other sources.  But you can’t connect it to a laptop (for spur-of-the-boardroom PowerPoint presentations, for example).  The Optoma projects iPhone videos effortlessly–but not photos.  It is sold in most retail stores ranging from $229-$400.  As these mini projectors are new to the market, the costs vary considerably depending on where one purchases the product.   http://tinyurl.com/c7q28k

3M’s Micro Professional Projector, the MPro110.  The 3M Micro Professional Projector MPro110 costs about $359.00.  It’s about the same size as Optoma (2 x .9 x 4.5 inches), but it’s not quite as bright; it tops out at about six feet from your “screen,” casting an image about 40 inches diagonally. And whereas the Optoma projector has a tiny, feeble built-in speaker, the 3M has none at all.  If you plan to use it for movies, you’ll also have to plan to connect headphones or speakers.

The 3M projector, on the other hand, is the only micro projector so far that accepts a standard laptop video signal (it has a VGA connector). On one hand, it may seem a little silly to use a micro projector for a laptop; in the end, the projected image isn’t all THAT much larger than the laptop’s own screen. Still, it can make the difference between showing your slides to three people and showing them to eight people.  The 3M also accepts input from RCA cables, just like the Optoma.  http://www.3m.com/mpro/news.html

Aiptek’s PocketCinema V10.  The Aiptek PocketCinema V10 takes yet a third approach.  Whereas the Optoma seems made in heaven for iPods and iPhones (and comes with the proper cable), and the 3M is a better bet for laptops, the Aiptek has a slot for a memory card, and, more intriguingly, 1 gigabyte of built-in storage.

In other words, you can carry this thing around without any other equipment at all, preloaded, ready to make your elevator pitch at any time, without having to connect or set up anything. (You do have to convert your pictures and movies to the projector’s preferred formats, which can be a pain.)

Connecting a laptop is pretty much hopeless unless it has either RCA or S-Video connectors, both of which are rare on laptops these days, or a VGA-to-RCA adapter. (Once again, any video source with RCA cables will work.)

The PocketCinema ($249.00-$300) is bigger than the other projectors (4.9 x 2.1 x 0.9), but it’s the only one with a decent speaker, a remote and a tripod. (Maximum image and distance: 42-inch image, 5 feet away.) http://tinyurl.com/y9rfggu

5. Speakers

For rehearsals how about a set of portable speakers for your iPhone?  These portable speakers cost $49.99.
http://www.dlo.com/products/view/portspeakers_universal

Or turn your iPod into a boombox.  Prices range from $14.00 to $100.
http://www.nextag.com/ipod-portable-speakers/stores-html

Good luck with your holiday shopping.  We hope these gift suggestions were helpful!  Happy Winter Solstice everyone and Merry Christmas!

Do you think you have what it takes to create a ‘video response’ to a popular dance video?

We challenge dance artists to try their hand at going viral on YouTube!

In case you’re not aware of the phenomenon of viral videos, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more.

Often, people who create ‘video responses’ attract THOUSANDS of viewers, and Movement Media wants to see how many ‘hits’ you can get with your video by participating in this contest!

We have chosen a dance video that has already gone viral, so you can make your own version of the video, to put up “side-by-side” online with the original version.  This means that you also have the chance to be viewed by hundreds or thousands of viewers…..possibly making your video as popular as the original video!!!

The winner of the contest will be announced and have his or her video screened at the “I Tube, You Tube, We all Tube for YouTube” Kinetic Cinema screening in NYC on December 9th.  Following the screening, Movement Media will also post the winner’s video on our blog, Move the Frame to help give your video even more exposure to viewing audiences.

The video we have chosen for Contest participants to create a video response to is:

Click here to view the embedded video.

YouTube Viral Video:  ‘Decale Gwada Blondinette (Vitesse Normale)‘

How to participate in the Contest:

• Make a 30 sec video response to this YouTube Viral Dance video.
• Upload your video response to YouTube, send the link and your contact information to:  movementmedia@pentacle.org by December 8th 2009.
• Whom ever gets the most hits with their video response between Thanksgiving (November 26th) and Dec 8th wins the contest!
• The sooner you upload your video response to YouTube, the easier it will be to increase the number of viewers or ‘hits’.

The winner is welcome to attend the Kinetic Cinema screening on December 9th, to discuss the results of this ‘YouTube experiment’.

The winner will also get free admission to our next Kinetic Cinema screening, and a handy book: “YouTube: An Insider’s Guide to Climbing the Charts” by Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean. 

When we post the winner’s video on our blog, Move the Frame, we will share what the winner did to help make his or her video go viral on YouTube.

Up Next at Kinetic Cinema:

I Tube, You Tube, We all Tube for YouTube

Curated by Jody Oberfelder

Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 7:30pm

Tickets: $10

Bring your friends and family to Kinetic Cinema!  Enjoy the Contest winner’s video and learn from dance film maker, Jody Oberfelder, about how videos become extremely popular and “Go Viral” online.

I figured for my first entry I should tackle the biggest question looming over the art form of dance for the camera today, and that is: what should it be called? 

There are so many names being batted around: screendance, dance film, cinedance, kinodance, videodance, media dance. I’m sure there are more I don’t even know. Each one has its merits and problems. Each one is has its staunch following of supporters and naysayers.

But what is important about having a name? Everyone is always complaining about being pigeon-holed, mislabeled, stuck in a category. Isn’t one of the great things about this art form that it’s still emerging and being defined? Practitioners in the field now are like pioneers on the new frontier. As my friend Matt Cook, a Milwaukee-based poet says: “It was easy to write the Great American Novel when there were only 5 American Novels.” How exciting to be on the vanguard of a wave that hasn’t crested yet!

However there are huge downsides to not having a recognizable
name for what you do. As any marketer will tell you, it’s all about
branding. How can your movement grow if it’s lost in obscurity? People
need a sound bite, a hook that they recognize and can grab hold of. As
artists, we need an audience! And to attract a following we need a name
for our craft. Successive generations may groan and complain about it
forever, but without the name they wouldn’t have a job in the first
place.

So what should it be? Obviously this question will not be
answered in this entry. I have my preference for the term “videodance,”
but I know that eventually I will have to concede to the popular
winner. The winner will not be decided by any one person, but by the
audience and market forces. Some day soon someone is going to figure
out how to market this genre, and whichever name they can sell, will be
the one we have to use.

So, let the games begin! Post your
nominations here for the best name for this genre. Give us your
surefire pitch, and in a few months, once this blog has blown-up, we’ll
have a vote. So start campaigning now!

(PS: for an interesting discussion of this topic check out Karen Pearlman’s 2006 essay “A Dance of Definitions” http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue74/8164)