(by Philip Lelyveld)

The Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, Geffen Contemporary is hosting a Levi-sponsored series of Filmmaking Workshops.  Some focus on 3D.  These are good, free learning and networking opportunities.  See the catalog here: http://workshops.levi.com/

Also, the 3D Video Task Force’s John Christopher compiles and emails a weekly list of networking and learning events (below – I have bolded the 3D events). You can sign up for the email here:

John Robert Christopher
3D Video Task Force
(818) 863-9315
jrchristopher2007@yahoo.com

**** 3D Force Industry Events Calendar – July 5, 2011 ****
(All free to the public, unless otherwise noted)

Wednesday – July 6th – 10am-Noon
Movie Magic Budgeting & Scheduling Intro Seminar
With Otter Huntley
First-Wednesdays, monthly
Showbiz Software Café, 500 S. Sepulveda Blvd, West L.A. CA
Free and open to the public; free parking located in building
Info & RSVP: www.showbizsoftware.com

****

Wednesday – July 6th – 7pm-9:30pm
Independent Filmmakers of the Inland Empire meetup
Final Cut Pro X demos & discussion
With Philip Hodgetts and Adam Bedford
Pitzer College, McConnell Center, 1050 North Mills Ave, Claremont CA
Admission: $5
Info & RSVP: http://bit.ly/mMzlo0

****

Wednesday – July 6th – 7:30pm-?
Writers Guild Foundation Writers On Genre series
Action Adventure/Thriller Blockbusters panel
Top screenwriters on major screenwriting genres
* Ehren Kruger (Transformers 3D)
* Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz (Thor)
* Jeff Nathan son (Men In Black 3D)
* Paul Wernick & Rhett Reese (Zombieland)
Moderator: Jack Epps 
WGF/WGA Offices, 7000 W 3rd St, Los Angeles CA
Admission: $15-$25 (Discounts for students, WGA, advance purchase, series tickets)
Free underground parking included
Info & tickets: www.wgfoundation.org/special.aspx

****

Thursday – July 7th – 7:30pm-?
New Playwrights Foundation script-reading & critique
Script: CRIMES AGAINST THE PEOPLE, a dramatic screenplay by Jon Mercedes
Bi-weekly workshop of scripts-in-progress at alternating locations
Ocean Towers, Terrace Room 201 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Free to participate; annual membership available
(Membership required for script submission)
Contact Terry Hagerty for meeting location & script details
Info & RSVP: (310) 393-3682 or tbhagerty@earthlink.net

****

Friday – July 8th – 8am-10am
Women In Film Malibu Networking Breakfast
Guest: Academy Ward-nominee producer/director, Mary Ann Braubach
Malibu Chart House Restaurant, 18412 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu CA
WIF Members, $15 (non-members, $20)
Info: www.wif.org
RSVP: Candace Bowen at (310) 457-8664 or candace@malibuonline.com

****

Saturday – July 9th – 10am-12:30pm
Alameda Writers’ Group general meeting
Industry Q&A: Writing For Alternative Media panel (authors TBA)
Glendale Central Library auditorium, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale, CA
(one block east of the Galleria and the Americana)
Free and open to the public; free street parking one block east
Info & annual membership: www.alamedawritersgroup.org

****

Saturday – July 9th – 10am-5pm
Paradise FX Open House
3D camera equipment & workflow demos
Network with RED, Abel Cine, Irridas, JL Fisher, Camadeus & more
Tours of newly-relocated Paradise FX facilities
Paradise FX, 6711 Valjean Ave, Van Nuys CA
Free and open to the public
Info & RSVP: karli@paradisefx.com or (818) 785-3100

****

Saturday – July 9th – 4:30pm-6:30pm
Greater Los Angeles Writers Society Screenwriting Workshop
Read & critique original screenplays-in-progress
Moderated by Dan Watanabe & Frank Zanca
L.A. Valley College, Monarch Hall, #104, 5800 Fulton Ave., Valley Glen CA
Free and open to the public, annual membership available
GLAWS membership required for script submission
Contact Dan Watanabe for meeting confirmation and advance script e-files
Info & RSVP: email watanabedan-glaws@yahoo.com

****

Sunday – July 10th – 10am-12:30pm
Women In Film Writers Group
Reading scripts-in-progress
Actors always welcome, no RSVP required
Feinstein Studio, 13273 Ventura Blvd, Ste 212, Studio City CA
(Located on the NE Corner of Fulton and Ventura)
Free for WIF Members
Info: www.wif.com
RSVP: email Laura Grant at lauraggrant@aol.com

****

Sunday – July 10th – 1pm-?
LA3D Club monthly Movie Night
Panel discussions & DIY Open Screen
Details TBA
General Admission: $10; parking fees also charged
(Discounts for SCSC/LA3D members & USC students)
Free admission for anyone sharing new 3D videos
Downtown Independent Theater, 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA
Info & RSVP: www.la3dclub.com

****

Sunday – July 10th – 2pm-?
George Clayton Johnson birthday celebration & signing
With Twilight Zone/Star Trek author & friends
Mystery and Imagination Bookstore, 238 N. Brand Blvd, Glendale CA
Free admission (Books, CDs, DVDs available for purchase)
Mail-order purchases available
Info: christinebell@mindspring.com or (818) 545-0206

****

Sunday – July 10th – 3pm-6pm
3D Video Task Force meeting
Networking, project updates & Think Tank sessions
Video Symphony, 266 E. Magnolia Blvd, Burbank, CA
(across from the Town Center & AMC theatres)
Free and open to the public
Unrestricted free parking at 239 E. Palm St. & adjacent structures
Info: jrchristopher2007@yahoo.com

****

Sunday – July 10th – 6pm & 8:15pm
Carolyne Barry’s Comedy Workshop showcase night
Directed by Donovan Scott, workshop instructor
Acme Theatre, 135 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles CA
Free & open to the public
Info: www.carolynebarry.com/calendars/july11.html

****

Monday – July 11th – 9am–11:30am
American Society of Cinematographers Breakfast Club
Guest: Dean Cundey, ASC (Apollo 13, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Light breakfast & formal presentation, followed by a Q&A session
9am-11:30am, $35
ASC Clubhouse, 1782 North Orange Drive, Hollywood CA
Admission: $40 (advance tickets, $35; Friends of ASC, $20)
Info & tickets: http://www.ascmag.com/store/product.php?productid=16521&cat=359&page=1

****

Tuesday – July 12th – 10am–1pm
Escape Studios’ Open Day (UK)
“Making It Big In VFX”
Guest: The Mill’s 3D Creative Director, Jordi Bares
Escape Studios, Shepherds West Rockley Road, London W14 0DA, United Kingdom
Free and open to the public
Info & RSVP: info@escapestudios.com

****

Tuesday & Wednesday – July 12th & 13th – 9am-6pm
3D Competence Center’s 5th International S3D Today Conference & S3D Expo
Produced by 3D Competence Center
Exhibitions, panels, presentations, 3D screenings & demos
Am Technologiepark 12, 82229 Seefeld, Germany
Free (with advance registration)
Info & registration: http://www.3dcc.eu/S3D-T_2011.html

****

Tuesday thru Monday – July 12th thru 18th – TBA
37th Annual National Stereoscopic Association Convention
3D exhibitions, presentations, photographers & videos
“Dark Country” Screening/Q&A with Thomas Jane & Ray Zone
Embassy Suite Hotel & Conference Center, Clydesdale Pkwy, Loveland CO
Registration fees vary
Info & tickets: www.stereoworld.org/2011

****

Tuesday – July 12th – 10am-11:30am PDT
Webinar: Controlling 3D Environments with Lights & Cameras Inside After Effects CS5.5
Demo of art & technology in 3D conversion for feature films
With VFX artist, Ben Brownlee
www.filmmakingwebinars.com
Live webinar: free (Archive & bonus material, $25)
Info & registration: http://www.filmmakingwebinars.com/webinars/controlling-3d-environments-with-lights-cameras-inside-after-effects-cs5/

****

Tuesday – July 12th – 6:30 pm–9:00 pm
Film Independent monthly Member Night
Networking & filmmaker info exchange
*6:30-7:30 – Non-member orientation
Film Independent Office, 9911 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
Free and open to the public
Info: http://www.filmindependent.org/events/

****

Tuesday – July 12th – 7pm-9pm
Women In Film PSA Production Program meeting
Produces/distributes pro-bono PSA’s on issues impacting women & children
WIF Office, 6100 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 710, Los Angeles, 90048
Free & open to non-WIF.
Info: wif.org

[Press Release]

DGA and Editors Guild Join the International Cinematographers Guild and Sony in Effort to Spread the Creation of High-Quality 3D

Sony 3D Technology Center today announced that it is expanding its 3D Master Class, which offers professional training in the tools and techniques for making 3D content, in collaboration with the Directors Guild of America and the Motion Pictures Editors Guild. The two guilds join the International Cinematographers Guild in offering member training opportunities at the Sony Pictures Studios facility, which is run by Sony Corporation of America.

The new courses run in two tracks: one designed for directors of feature films and editors of feature films and television shows and one with a continuing focus on cinematographers, camera operators, stereographers and convergence assistants. Courses are taught by noted 3D professionals Grant Anderson and Matthew Blute (stereographic supervisors) and Buzz Hays (3D producer) and feature in-classroom and “hands on” training elements for both tracks. Working guild members who match program parameters are invited to take the course.

“We appreciate Sony’s efforts to provide special training for DGA members who are working in 3D,” said Jay D. Roth, National Executive Director of the Directors Guild of America. “The course being offered by the Sony 3D Technology Center has been specifically tailored to the needs of directors – providing a firm background in all the technical details of working in 3D while still orienting the course to meet the creative needs of directors.”

“Sony’s 3D class has been a gift for us as we learn the language of stereo pictures. We’re looking forward to working side-by-side with our fellow guild members in the new session,” said Steven Poster, ASC, National President, International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600. “The cameras are evolving, the rigs are evolving, and what I’m seeing now is a move away from the idea of relying on 3D, for 3D’s sake, and on the use of 3D to tell a story, which is very exciting.”

“We are extremely pleased to offer this opportunity to train our members who will be working in 3D as this exciting format takes hold in our industry,” said Daniel T. Cahn, A.C.E., President of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. “Editors play an integral role in fulfilling the vision of any production, and it is imperative that they remain at the forefront of state-of-the-art post-production technology, including stereographic filmmaking.”

“It is our privilege to work with this industry’s respected guilds to offer this comprehensive professional 3D training program,” said Chris Cookson, President of Technologies, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Chief Officer, Sony 3D Technology Center. “Despite the skeptics, we have seen incredible stories told in 3D and firmly believe there are endless more yet to come. We are honored to see the artists and craftsmen in our classes embrace this new medium with passion, dignity and creative force more and more each day.”

Sony Pictures has been at the forefront of the modern 3D revolution and continues to lead in 3D content development and delivery across its business. Sony Pictures’ visual effects and digital productions group, Imageworks, has worked in modern 3D longer than anyone else in Hollywood. Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation and Screen Gems have all produced films in 3D release by Sony Pictures Releasing International. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the first Blu-ray 3D™ available at retail.

See the original story here: http://www.shootonline.com/go/index.php?name=Release&op=view&id=rs-web3-1047543-1309372796-2