IDA Seminar Series - Doc U: How to Get the Best Score for Your Doc (on Any Budget)

How to Get the Best Score for Your Doc (On Any Budget)

Part of the 2009 Doc U Seminar series.

Join us for a special evening with Composer, Miriam Cutler; and Director, Lisa Leeman who are currently at work on the score for the upcoming feature documentary, One Lucky Elephant, the epic story of one man's determined quest to find a permanent home for Flora, the 26 year-old African elephant he adopted after she was orphaned in a culling.

Don’t miss this opportunity to glimpse into the creative process in action as this accomplished team shares practical guidance from their combined years of experience.  Get all your questions answered about creating the best score for your documentary on any budget:  How do I speak the language of film scoring? When should I bring in a composer and what should I look for when choosing the best composer for my project? We will discuss licensing issues; budgeting for your score; making the most out of temp music; what to do when it’s “not working”; the role of the composer during post; creating a productive collaboration on your team and much more!

Miriam Cutler has an extensive background in scoring for independent film & TV projects, as well as two circuses.  Her passion for documentary film has led to a focus in non-fiction with credits including festival favorites and HBO and PBS docs like Ghosts of Abu Ghraib, Thin, Chris and Don: A Love Story, China Blue, Absolute Wilson, Lost In La Mancha, Shouting Fire: Stories form the Edge of Free Speech, Heart of the Sea, Scout’s Honor, Pandemic: Facing AIDS, Licensed to Killand many more.  Additionally, Cutler has served as a lab advisor for the Sundance Institute Documentary Composers Lab, as well as on documentary juries for the Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, International Documentary Association Awards, and American Film Institute's Film Festival Awards.  She is currently co-producing a documentary called One Lucky Elephant, which she will also score.

Lisa Leeman writes, produces, directs and edits documentary films. She has served as a judge at the Sundance Film Festival, the president of the International Documentary Association, and on the boards of the IDA and the National Coalition of Independent Public Broadcasting Producers. Her first doc, Metamorphosis: Man Into Woman, won the Filmmakers Trophy at Sundance, and was broadcast on POV. Other credits include co-directing Who Needs Sleep with renowned cinematographer & director Haskell Wexler (Sundance Film Festival), and directing the recent feature doc Out Of Faith (PBS). Lisa is just wrapping directing the feature doc One Lucky Elephant, and is co-producing Crazy Wisdom: The Life & Times Of Chogyam Trunga, which profiles the influential and provocative Tibetan Buddhist teacher and his deep impact on the West. Lisa writes articles about the international documentary scene, and on the ethics of documentary filmmaking. She is on the faculty of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and has taught documentary filmmaking in Beijing, China & Amman, Jordan. She spent a decade editing social-issue documentaries, including the acclaimed Made in LA.

*** Space is VERY limited, so take advantage of this special “IDA Members Only” preview purchase window.  For the next 7 days tickets for “How to Get the Best Score for Your Doc on Any Budget,” are available for purchase to IDA Members only!  So act now and reserve your seats! Ticketing will open to the general public on Tuesday, July 14.

IDA members: $35 advance purchase; $45 at the door
Non-members: $45 advance purchase; $55 at the door
Students: $15 advance purchase; $20 at the door

Join IDA now! For discounted ticket prices and more!

(Purchase Admissions above.)

What:

Doc U: How to Get the Best Score for Your Doc (On Any Budget)

When:

Thursday, July 23, 2009
Doors open 6:00 p.m.
Seminar 7:00-9:30 p.m. (with brief intermission)
**Light Refreshment**

Where:

Kodak Screening Room
The Eastman Kodak Company
6700 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90038

Parking:

Parking and light refreshments courtesy of The Eastman Kodak Company
(Entrance is 2 blocks east of Highland Ave. on Las Palmas)

Doc U is IDA's annual branded seminar series produced to enlighten and enliven our documentary community. Mark your calendar for the second Thursday of every month (August 13, September 10, October 8, November 12) Details about upcoming seminars with master filmmakers and documentary professionals to be announced.

We are grateful for the generous support of these sponsors: