Former Sundance Programmer Reveals Short Film Secrets

Secrets From a Sundance Programmer

by Roberta Marie Munroe

(For Jan. 21, 2009 book launch, see details below)

Los Angeles, Ca., Jan. 2009: While there are already a few "how to" make a short film books on the market, Roberta Marie Munroe chose instead to write a book that not only will help you make a great film but also show you "How NOT to Make a Rotten, Unwatchable, Unprogrammable Short Film".

She should know. After five years as the short film programmer at the Sundance Film Festival, 15 years of watching 15,000 short films and making her own award-winning short films, Munroe has a keen insider's take on the production and business of short filmmaking.

Published by Hyperion and hitting bookstores on January 20, 2009, How NOT To Make a Short Film dispels the mystery of making short films and guides you through the madness of low budget production in an engaging, highly informative and often provocative manner. With chapter headings like "How Not to Kick Your Producer in the Throat", "Production, Or What Happens If Your Location is Adjacent To A Crack Addict" and "Post (Remember: Homicide Is Illegal)" Ms. Munroe shares her personal experiences in an irreverent and humorous style, giving filmmakers everything they need to know to make a great short film worthy of being seen at festivals, online and distributed.

In addition to a foreword by Tom Quinn of Magnolia Pictures (distributor of the Oscar® Nominated shorts) the book features in their own words the first-hand experiences and advice of over twenty award-winning short filmmakers and industry professionals.

Among those interviewed are: John Cooper - Sundance Film Festival Director of Festival Programming and Director of Creative Development for the Sundance Institute; Diane Weyermann - Executive VP of Documentary Production at Participant Media, former Director of the Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program, executive producer of An Inconvenient Truth, Darfur Now, and Jimmy Carter, Man from Plains; and Effie T. Brown (Duly Noted Inc.) - Producer on awarding-winning features from HBO Films Stranger Inside and Real Women Have Curves, executive producer of In the Cut (2003, directed by Jane Campion) and winner of the Motorola Producer Award at the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards.

Plus the book is chock full of filmmaker resources and just plain practical advice. While this how-to is important to the film business and extremely useful to both independent short and feature filmmakers, it will also be appealing and entertaining for any art lover who likes to read about filmmaking.

In a media world that is increasingly oriented towards the short film format, including online and mobile content, How NOT to Make a Short Film is soon to become a must-have resource for all short form media makers.

Praise for How NOT To Make a Short Film:

"While no expert can ever know anything truly...Roberta is the only writer who's ever addressed what not to do creatively, what to do practically, and how to execute it. So read the book and go make a short that just might find its way into the Sundance catalog."

From the foreword, Tom Quinn, Magnolia Pictures

"Roberta Munroe's advice and insights on our project "The Tribe" were invaluable to its success from its premiere at Sundance Film Festival and beyond. It is exciting to think that all filmmakers will have access to her incredible mind and experience through this book."
Tiffany Shlain, Award-winning Director/Producer/Writer

The Tribe, the #1 downloaded short film on iTunes
Founder of The Webby Awards.

"She is that rare person in the film world who can not only recognize an inspired, great film, but actually help you make one."
Mark Duplass, Sundance and SXSW award-winning filmmaker.

A book signing with Roberta Munroe will be held on Wednesday, January 21 during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah at Dolly's Book Store. (See details below).