It’s that time of year again. SXSW panel voting is upon us and Internet land is buzzing with nerds campaigning for a spot in the web’s most fun event of the year. There are a lot of brilliant ideas and it’s difficult not to pick everything listed on the panel picker. But voting ends this Friday, and so with that, here are 22 SXSW web video and film panels to “thumbs up.”
1. The Global Online Community: Improving Cross-Cultural Relations
Andrew Kneale, British Council
I’m starting off selfishly and for personal gain. I’m not even going to attempt to hide it. I was invited to be on this panel. Truthfully, there is a lack of panels that focus on building an International community on the web. This is the Internet, after all! This panel talks about why it’s important, how to communicate our stories across cultures, and what you can do to build a truly global community. Extremely valuable for a show creator.
2. Can P2P Save Filmmaking?
Jamie King, VODO and BitTorrent Inc.
According to Ted Hope, producer of 21 Grams and Adventureland, just four percent of the independent films made in the U.S. annually get traditional distribution. …At a time when the Internet has essentially driven media distribution costs to zero, distributed networks like BitTorrent provide an effective and flexible way for filmmakers to distribute their content.
3. Fundraising in a Box: Crowdsourcing Microgrants
Dianne Debicella, Fractured Atlas
Crowdfunding, combined with fiscal sponsorship, is a powerful and effective way to use online social networks to cultivate new donors. The panel will focus on how to successfully use crowdfunding in conjunction with fiscal sponsorship.
4. The Woman’s Story: marketing, distribution and production.
Lauren Kesner O´Brien, telegraph21
This panel brings together female producers, directors and distributors to share their perspectives and insights into the role of women in the new media landscape. We will also explore the challenges of being women in a male-dominated industry, how we are different, what we are looking for in new platforms, and what we are looking for as viewers.
5. Short Form Content to Inspire Action
TBD, Participant Media
Films like The Cove and Food, Inc have inspired a nationwide movement. But can short form content be equally effective in a video saturated online market? This panel will discuss how PSAs, funny videos, and short films online work today for causes, how to produce this type of content and how this will change in the future.
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