Filmonik Melbourne Kabaret 2023 survival kit
Copy provided by Filmonik
Last update: March 26. Event details subject to change.
Screening Monday May 15.
Kindred Studios Bandroom at 7pm (Doors: 6:30pm)
The Filmonik Melbourne Kino-Kabaret is a May 12-15 2023 72h session of creative, spontaneous, collaborative film-making in a fun, shared production environment called the Kinolab, at Kindred Studios in Yarraville, bringing together filmmakers, actors, musicians, writers, technicians and film aficionados. In this Kinolab you will be called upon to make or participate in the making of one, or more, 5 minute or less, short films in one 72-hour session with all the other participants. The Filmonik Kabaret filmmaking session will immediately culminate with a public screening of the produced short films. Exceptionally this year the Kabaret is part of the 10th Setting Sun Film Festival, offering a full range of short film screenings from May 11-21 at the Kindred Bandroom and at Yarra Sun Theatre. The Filmonik Kabaret will run in parallel May 12-15 to truly solidify Yarraville into filmmaker central and premiere the freshest batch of films the festival will have ever seen.
2022 Kabaret recap video www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHGlT075OVA
2021 Kabaret recap video www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqzCXTKAq4U
Do well with nothing, do better with little and do it now!
| Tickets: Eventbrite: Filmonik Kino-Kabaret $75 Directors or $50 Cast & Crew and All other participants + Eventbrite fees |
Event listings for general updates: Facebook: Filmonik Kabaret 2023Meetup: Main filmmaking event |
| Facebook group for participants’ requests and offers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2036175089855571 |
Form for participants for the cast and crew wall in the Kinolab: |
Key dates
| Thursday May 11 | Friday May 12 | Saturday May 13 | Sunday May 14 | Monday May 15 |
| Optional Bar meetup (7pm-10pm) |
Kinolab (6pm-11pm) Production Meeting (7:30pm presentation) |
Kinolab (9am-11pm) Film Studio (1pm-11pm) |
Kinolab (10am-10pm)
Film Studio |
Kinolab for post-production (9am-6pm)Screening (6:30pm Doors. 7:15pm Screening) |
Friday May 12: Production Meeting at Kindred Studios, 3 Harris St, Yarraville VIC 3013
Presentation at 7:30pm but the Kinolab will be open from 6pm to 11pm.
Saturday May 13 to Sunday May 14: Film pre-production in the Kinolab and film production in the Film Studio at Kindred Studios, 3 Harris St, Yarraville and anywhere else that the production of your film requires. If you’re planning to make your film in only 48 hours, Saturday morning you should finish writing, prepping, casting and crewing for filming on the same day and Sunday you should be editing for delivery of the exported film on that evening. The Kinolab will always be available to write and edit in relative peace.
Monday May 15: Post production in the Kinolab at Kindred Studios. The Kinolab stays open until 5pm for post-production and delivery of films. Films are screened at 7:15pm in the Kindred Studios Bandroom 3 Harris St, Yarraville VIC 3013. Doors open to the public at 6:30pm.
Your Filmonik Kabaret 2023 goals.
The Kino-Kabaret philosophy worldwide since 2001 is to be creative, be spontaneous, be nimble, collaborate and have fun, in and around the Kinolab. There are no official or set teams in a Kabaret – it’s all about collaboration with anyone and sharing time and effort for everyone to produce the best possible films whatever the scale of the film. Different film artisans will have different personal objectives beyond these basic principles but these are some suggestions:
– Writers: Show up at the Kabaret production meeting with a script and pair with a director to direct or co-direct your vision, or show up empty-handed and jump into any chat to brainstorm with people who don’t have a project yet. Get credited with “Original idea” by spreading your ideas around and see what gets traction. Get involved in even more projects as a script doctor.
– Directors: Jump without a safety net and improvise using actors, crew, props and locations that suddenly become available to you and create around it. Or you can show up with a nearly completed script and heaps of ready-to-use ideas. It is okay to use the Kabaret to get a cast and crew together for a pre-written project but be sure to stay nimble and don’t forget to help on other films too. If it is your first short film it will help if you arrive with some ideas of the story that you want to tell and everyone will assist so you make it to the end with a finished film. It’s also best to keep it simple to be able to make it to the finish line by refining your concepts.
– Actors/actresses: Some will participate by playing in as many films as possible, their aim being to get a ShowReel together quickly – others will try to find one or two projects that really connect with them. If you are trying acting for the first time, team up with a director who hasn’t a long rigid script.
– Musicians: Compose an entire score in a renowned music rehearsal studio. Use your back catalog to save some time on production and socialise instead. Run around the Kinolab to create unique sound effects. Chill out in the Kinolab playing music and get cast in an improvised project for your music talent. Get someone to film you. Connect with filmmakers for video clips and other collaborations in the future.
– D.O.P.s and Post-production artisans: Chances are you will shoot, edit, do special effects or any other post-production job for your portfolio & reel and with full credit in mind. Have fun, make contacts for future projects.
– Other participants: Get your special skill or talent out there; costumes, dance, production management, props, access to special locations. Get to see how people work on set by helping around. Get inspired to make short films yourself by learning about the process by being around as a background actor. Take pictures of sets so that the crew can share that moment with others. Just hang around and have a few beers.
Roles don’t have to be set in stone and you could get dragged into anything. The key guideline here is to always keep space for improvisation, and creating and collaborating as you go. We’ve seen one director recording sound for another director – an editor acting in a film – an actor/actress deciding to make a first film – everyone being an extra at some point. Anything goes in a Kabaret.
Calendar strategies around your day job or travels.
– The best work leave to take is Monday May 15 so you can get the full 72-hour of filmmaking madness.
– If you’re flying to Melbourne but are going to miss the Friday evening Production Meeting we can present your profile and put up your wishlist so that when you arrive later we can bring you up to speed. In the past editions we’ve had participants arrive on Saturday for under 36 hours of participation. Still worth it.
The Production Meeting.
We meet at Kindred Studios, 3 Harris St, Yarraville, Friday May 12 to chat and at around 7pm present ourselves in 2 minutes in front of the other participants. This presentation should be about yourself, what you can bring to a film and what you are looking for in your own film if you’re making one. There will be plenty of time after to specifically approach people who you think would help on a production. The casting wall will also have a section for specific requests. It is not mandatory that every participant be able to attend but it’s great to get your ideas rolling early.
Welcome to the Kinolab at Kindred Studios.
Kindred is a 10 minute walk from Seddon Station. Kindred was featured in Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Workspaces in The World 2016 and you can see some of the spaces in this video: Kindred Studios Yarraville – Your Space to Create – YouTube. The Kinolab will specifically be in the Deluxe Meeting Room with possibility to spill in the wider Atrium space when needed.
You will need to be a registered participant to access the Kinolab. It will be a space to:
– host meetings, whether with the wider group or smaller team meetings.
– mingle with other filmmakers, your new muse may be just sitting across the room.
– write; an inspiring hotspot to bounce ideas off each other.
– edit on your laptop, with constant access to advice from peers and the well experienced.
– rehearse and shoot, the perfect location for a particular shot might be the Kinolab itself.
It will be raw, it will be fun, it will be creative. Upon entering the space you will be briefed about our room and common areas you can access, the other areas that are off limits and the possibility of accessing specific rooms at specific periods for shooting. Please be considerate of the community groups using the building by not overwhelming the common areas and not block corridors and other communal areas. Filming in the common areas will be possible but unfortunately no control can be exerted on background noise and people’s movement. Make it quick and subtle.
One or more Filmonik co-organisers will be present at all times to assist with any request you may have. The best Kinolab experience will be if you bring your laptop for post-production because it happens at the Kinolab. Think LAN party/Game jam/Hackathon, etc. but for post-production and editing. It is not uncommon to spend the evening and night before post production editing in groups and makes for a crazy filmmaking experience.
Brainstorming.Some directors will already have an idea and will jump straight to casting and finding a crew. If you are making a film, but don’t know where to start, ask yourself what you would like to see on the screen that you haven’t seen before while taking into consideration the assets available to you. Then find other people in the same open-minded state as you and brainstorm. Don’t hesitate to let ideas be borrowed by other people. Keeping your favourite idea or project to yourself is always a good idea, but by opening the floodgates and sharing all the rest is the best for everyone to get the maximum mileage with the simplest ideas and concepts.
5 minute limit and resources management.
If you start a film, use resources, cast and crew, then you must finish it (or at the very least screen a temporary version). Keep your film under 5 minutes to make sure everyone has a spot at the screening and keep the workload manageable. With each page of script roughly amounting to 1 minute running time, you will have to trim the fat of your script if you get to more than 4 or 5 pages. The shorter and clearer your project is the more chances you can get it close to your original vision. Megalomaniac projects take more Kabaret resources from the other participants and have a greater chance of not being completed in time. After the Kabaret, nothing prevents you from retouching the film and screening a final version at an upcoming regular Filmonik screening, or a longer version at a film festival. Any overly long film will be pushed to the end of the screening and will screen if time permits.
17 second films?
Directors get a 5 minute slot at their nominated screening but every participant (actors, crew, post-production) can create and screen 17 sec films with an added 3 second to show one or two screens of credits for a total duration of 20 seconds. It is a great way to use your down time and fool around or even try making a first film. 20 seconds is not a huge commitment. The suggested format is the Video Haiku with exactly three shots of 5 sec, 7 sec and 5 sec for a total of 17 sec to which you add 3 sec with all your credits. Your Videos Haikus don’t need to include poetry like traditional haikus. You can think of it as a 3 strip comic in video form too. These shorts will be screened as a rapid fire compilation of insanity.
Sharing equipment.
Filmonik will try to provide some equipment depending on sponsors, however the Kabaret will rely mostly on equipment provided by participants. Please be open to sharing your equipment when not in use. Any sound recording equipment will be extremely popular as well as lights and tripods. If you are keen on sharing your equipment make sure all your gear is labeled to minimise awkward mistakes. We’re going to have extra labels to make sure.Location ideas:
Yarraville Gardens is just across the street and could fit the bill for any scene in a park. Around the corner you can film with a view on the Maribyrnong River or the docks (off-limits but could be inspiring or on-theme when seen from far away). 2km south you’ll find Stony Creek with views under the West Gate bridge. Film Victoria has a good site for film shoots. https://www.film.vic.gov.au/choose-victoria/locations/
While most buildings will require permits and special access there are many locations that are public and the pictures will lead you to more inspiration.
Filming permits in the city?
In general, in Melbourne you don’t require a filming permit, provided:
– Your total crew including actors is under 7 people.
– Your infrastructure is equal to or less than one camera, one tripod and handheld sound recording equipment.
– You leave at least 2.5 meters of space for people to walk around you.
All the Kabaret short films are considered non-commercial and we assume most, if not all, short films will fit these criterias. Happy filming! PS this is not legal advice. We’re not lawyers and you are responsible for your own actions.
Music / Sound.Musicians are advised to bring samples of their work and style on USB drives. Additionally, musicians should be prepared to quickly record their own performance or compose digitally. Another good way is to include music from people you know personally and who give you written permission. The third legal possibility to obtain music is to download material that is public domain or has a Creative Commons license for free non-commercial use and broadcast. archive.org • freesound.org • soundclick.com • jamendo.com • incompetech • musopen.org • ourmusicbox.com. A USB drive with additional legal and/or Creative Commons options will be available in the Kinolab.
Filmonik logo and final slate.
The Filmonik Kino Kabaret logo animation can be downloaded here and can be optionally placed at the beginning or end of your movie but the final slate with your name and event partners has to be present on your exported film. If you have more sponsors to add to that slate please use the .PSD or JPG file on the Kinolab USB key. Don’t forget to add your name.
Exporting for the screening.
Deliver your final films on a hard drive at the Kinolab at 6pm before the screening. If you are not working at the Kinolab right before the screening and can’t make it there make sure you send your files to [email protected] via wetransfer or any other file transfer service before 3pm the day of the screening.
Files should be at 1080p resolution (1920px per 1080px progressive scan). 4K files won’t be played at a 4K resolution anyway. 720p is also acceptable if you’ve got nothing else.
The most convenient delivery file format is MP4 at a bitrate of 30Mbps. Minimum 15,000Kbps or 15Mbps.
Screening Monday May 15.
Kindred Studios Bandroom at 7pm (Doors: 6:30pm)
Broadcast and distribution.
You keep control and ownership of your film but by participating in the Filmonik Kabaret you agree that:
– Filmonik, and its partners, may use clips and screenshots of your film in trailers, recap videos and other promo materials.
– Filmonik may want to re-screen your film at a Filmonik monthly screening, send your film at an international Filmonik or Kino screening or include it in a compilation. Nothing is done without your permission and you would be notified at every step.
– To avoid keeping outdated versions you should send us an updated copy of your film if additional work goes into it after the Filmonik Kabaret.
– We like when films enjoy a longer life after Kabaret, so if you have a film festival submission strategy and want to temporarily withhold any publishing or screening of the short film we will definitely support you in that.
A few common sense rules.
Breaking these rules can eject you from the event at the discretion of the organisers.
About Filmonik Melbourne.
Filmonik Melbourne is a filmmaking group in Melbourne established in 2013. Filmonik is a non-competitive, open platform for both experienced filmmakers and those just finding their feet as storytellers. The name Filmonik is made from “Film” and an inverted “Kino” as “oniK” for being part of the Kino Movement that started in Montreal, Canada in 1999 and is now active in more than 60 cities in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Filmonik Melbourne has organised more than 90 screenings and 7 Kino-Kabaret events.
Filmonik Kabaret organisers. Lawrence Makoona, Glyn Francis, Saara Lamberg, Olivier Bonenfant, Bernard Peasley, Andrew Cullimore.
