SUNY Niagara Film & Animation Festival
Festival Workshops
Greg Lamberson How to Write and Produce an Indie Feature
Greg Lamberson gives a crash course on how to make an independent feature film. Greg is a member of the Producers Guild of America and International Thriller Writers. He’s the Founding Director of Amazing Fantasy Fest, spotlighting genre films, and the Executive Director of Cinema Arts Collaborative, Inc., a new nonprofit he created to help grow the Western New York film community. This year marks his 40th as an independent filmmaker. He’s worked on different features as a screenwriter, producer, director, assistant director, production manager, script supervisor, publicist, and key production assistant. He’s also authored fifteen professionally-published books, including twelve novels and the filmmaking guide, CHEAP SCARES! Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. Greg currently teaches Screenwriting at University at Buffalo. Fangoria called him “the busiest man in horror.” His website is www.GregoryLambersonFilm.com.
11:00 am – 12:00 pm Room E-142 Admission: FreeBob Bozek “Star Wars Improv”
| It’s Star Wars Day! May the 4th be with you! Through the lens of Star Wars and Star Wars characters we will discuss how to use improv as a tool to enhance film auditions and scenes. Learn about the improv techniques “game of the scene,” “connections,” “callbacks” and “the rule of threes.” We will talk about the different types of improvisation performed such as “short form,” “long form” and “narrative.” Learn to use emotion and physicality to create characters and enhance comedic performances. Bob Bozek has appeared in more than 80 films including Marshall, in a scene with Josh Gad; in Cold Brook in a scene with William Fichtner, Kim Coates, and Brad William Henke; and played the Corrupt Scorekeeper in Odd Man Rush, which can be seen on Hulu. Bob also stars as Bobby in Friends to the End on the Puppet Nerd YouTube Channel. He was nominated for Best Actor at the 2010 Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival for his performance in Davis, was nominated for best actor in the 2021 Buffalo 48-Hour Film Project for his performance in Boczski, and was nominated for best acting in the 2023 Buffalo 48-Hour Film Project for his role in Scout’s Honor. He performs in Christmas Carol at the Alleyway Theatre as Marley, Mr. Topper, and Old Joe. |
Maria Friend Dark Fantasy, Gore, & More
Ever wonder how zombies, monsters, aliens, and other diabolical creatures are brought to life on the screen? Then this special FX makeup workshop is for you. For nearly a decade now, Maria Friend has worked with every medium from face paint and airbrush to latex and silicone molds to create stunning special effects for movies large and small.
Maria will demonstrate liquid latex application; shading, texture, and color techniques; blood application; cuts, bruising, and wounds. Maria will also cover safety precautions with different techniques and products used by professionals in the industry.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Room E-107
Admission: Free
Horror film legend Debbie Rochon offers up acting tips and tricks of the trade at this must-attend workshop. Rochon is a veteran of more than 200 independent films, mostly in the cult and horror genres as an actor. She’s an award-winning columnist, having written for magazines published out of the US, Germany, and the UK. Debbie has hosted and produced a weekly horror-based film talk radio show on Sirius with Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider from 2006 – 2010, and is currently hosting the narrative podcast Obscurities, nominated for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award 2022. Debbie made her directorial debut with the extreme body horror film Model Hunger released in 2016. In 2018 ETonline.com hailed Debbie Rochon as one of the ”40 Top Scream Queens of the Past 40 years.” She is a Canadian-born street survivor who lived in NYC for 30 years.
11:30am-12:30pm | Saturday May 7, 2022
SUNY Niagara | Room E-107
Admission: Free
Attendance is limited to the first 20 to sign up!
Jay Vinitsky Inside Film Post-Production
Have you ever wondered about any of the following things, “Can I really have a career working in film?” “What happens to a movie when filming is over?” “What do all those people whose names appear at the end of a film do?” If so, then, this special workshop is for you.
For more than twenty years, Jay Vinitsky worked in Hollywood helping directors navigate their films through the treacherous waters of post-production. Over that period, he worked on a consistent basis for three different companies: Chanticleer Films, New Line Cinema, and Paramount Pictures. A few of his credits include Daddy’s Home, Elf, Final Destination, Hairspray and Wedding Crashers.
In this workshop, Jay will identify and explain each step in the post-production process. He will also briefly relate his journey from his childhood in a small Midwest town to attending movie premieres around the world. Jay will conclude the workshop with a few tips on how you can have a lengthy and fulfilling career working in film.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Room E-106
Admission: Free