Cinematic Storytelling – Directing Film & Television

Week of December 17, 2022

Anatomy of Making an Independent Feature Film
How do movies get made? Between the upswing in streaming, the downturn in theatrical, Covid, and the deluge of Marvel movies, how do independent dramas survive? Filmmaker Rachel Feldman will take you through the 14-year journey she traveled to launch LILLY, a feature film starring Patricia Clarkson she just wrapped this November in Atlanta and is currently in editing.

DIRECTING FILM & TELEVISION
How is directing a feature film different from directing television?  What does a director actually do? How does one create a career as a director? Talk with director Rachel Feldman about her 30-year career working with the highest level of cast and crew on over 75 hours of network, broadcast, cable and streaming tv: from Doogie Howser, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds and many more.

MEMOIR
Do you have a life story or know of one that you think would make a great book, movie or television series. Whether it’s your own or your grandmother’s, filmmaker Rachel Feldman will help you break it down, put your own unique perspective on it, and figure out how to develop it.  How does one deal with the artifice of embellishment when dealing with true stories? Bring your ideas or listen and support others as we unpack how true stories can transform into great entertainment. Feldman just wrote and directed LILLY, a feature film based on the life of Fair Pay activist Lilly Ledbetter.

ADAPTATION
Is there a book, comic book or magazine article you believe would make a great film or series? How does one go about adapting source material and developing it into another form. How beholden to facts does one need to be?  As a storyteller, what are your responsibilities to the original work? What are some good and some not so good examples of adapted works made into cinema? Bring your ideas and let’s figure out how to approach the story and put your own unique spin on it. Feldman just wrote and directed LILLY, a feature film adapted from the memoir “Grace and Grit” written by Lilly Ledbetter and Lanier Scott Isom, as well as from personal interviews.

 

Rachel Feldman is a Hollywood based filmmaker who just wrapped LILLY, a feature film she wrote and directed starring Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson and Tony winners John Benjamin Hickey and Thomas Sadoski. Feldman has directed more than 75 hours of movies and television, working with many of our greatest actors, producers, and technical artists. As screenwriter she’s written features and pilots for producers, actors, and networks. Feldman has taught both directing and screenwriting in the USC Cinematic Arts MFA program. You can see Feldman interviewed in the Geena Davis produced documentary about gender equity in Hollywood, “This Changes Everything.” You can find out more at www.rachelfeldman.com and follow her on Twitter @WomenCallAction