INTRODUCTION

Welcome to The Greenhouse at Film Garden.

The Greenhouse at Film Garden is a program that provides short documentaries at no cost to non-profits by utilizing the talents of aspiring filmmakers. The participating filmmakers get hands-on experience and an opportunity to showcase their work, while non-profits receive quality documentaries to use for fundraising and community outreach.

HOW IT WORKS

The Greenhouse selects aspiring filmmakers based on their passion for and commitment to documentary production. Each filmmaker is paired with a non-profit that will be the subject of their short documentary, and an industry veteran who will serve as a mentor to provide guidance throughout the process. The filmmakers attend a series of intensive workshops that are designed to provide an immersion in the process, technology and art of documentary production, covering each stage from concept to completion, including pre-production, videography, writing and editing.

Following completion of the workshops, each filmmaker has three months to complete their documentary. The Creative Director and Project Administrator at The Greenhouse work with each participant to ensure that project milestones are met and every collaboration between filmmaker and non-profit results in a professional quality documentary.

Film Garden provides all necessary equipment for completion of the projects, including DV cameras, lighting kits, tape stock, editing systems, office space and computers. Participating non-profit organizations are selected through a collaborative process by the Executive Director of the Greenhouse and the Executive Director of the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation.

The Greenhouse will hold an annual awards ceremony open to participating non-profit organizations, filmmakers, instructors, mentors, friends and family, where participants will be honored for achievements in such categories as videography, editing and best short documentary. In addition, noteworthy documentaries created in The Greenhouse will be sent out to the appropriate media organizations for recognition.

WORKSHOPS

Each stage of the documentary process (pre-production, production and post-production) is covered in intensive weekend workshop sessions instructed by industry professionals. The fundamentals covered include:

- organizing, researching and outlining a project
- creating shot lists and production schedules
- shooting, lighting and audio techniques
- interviewing techniques
- using narration
- creating a paper edit
- editing techniques and aesthetics
- using music and graphics
- technical finishing techniques (on-line and post audio)

Following completion of the workshops, each participant has a 3-month window in which to produce their documentary projects. Participants in each workshop are also invited to participate in discussion groups and group screenings of projects.

WHO WE ARE

Executive Director, Nancy Jacobs Miller

Managing Director, Michelle Van Kempen

CONTACT

For more information, please email
info@filmgarden.net

PRESS RELEASES

March 3, 2005

LINKS

About the Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation
The Frieda C. Fox Family Foundation partners with over 40 non-profit organizations assisting various needs of children and youth in Los Angeles and Santa Clara Counties in California. The foundation's grantmaking began in 2004 and supports highly effective, results-oriented programs that maximize the potential of children and youth. For more information, visit http://www.fcfox.org.