Panels
Sunday, Oct. 7th 2018
Time: 9:30am - 1:50pm
Schedule: Please scroll down or visit our full festival schedule to view the details for each panel.
Location: AMC Theater Times Square
234 W42nd St. New York NY 10036
View our full festival schedule.
Learn from industry insiders and professionals. Feel free to ask the hard hitting questions! All Panels will be on Sunday, October 7th at the AMC Theater in Times Square. Please take note of the time your desired Panel will be taking place and it's designated theater. Some information is still being announced, check back later for updates!
Artistic Storytelling
Time: 9:30 am to 10:50 am
Place: AMC Times Square, Theater 25
Host: Jostens
Presenter: Margaret Sorrows
"A yearbook tells the story of a school through design, words and photos. Every school deserves to have that story told by the yearbook staff to the best of its ability. That is what makes yearbook so captivating — the storytelling. I love to see a yearbook staff tell amazing stories of its school for a particular year. It is a beautiful artistry."
With a passion for yearbook and photography, Yearbook Ambassador Margaret Sorrows, CJE, retired in May 2015 after 36 years of advising yearbooks and newspapers, most recently for 24 years at Bryant High School in Arkansas for the Hornet yearbook. She was the 2014 JEA H.L. Hall National Yearbook Adviser of the Year. Her yearbooks won numerous CSPA Gold and Silver Crowns, NSPA Pacemakers and All Arkansas Awards from the Arkansas Scholastic Press Association. She recently received the Walter J. Lemke Award from ASPA in 2014 and the CSPA Gold Key in 2012. As an ambassador for Jostens, she continues her love of teaching as an educational and creative consultant.
Panel Title: #RepresentationMatters
Time: 11:00 am to 12:20 pm
Place: AMC Times Square, Theater 25
Host: Photog Fest X Jostens
Presenter: Sophie Elgort
Across our society, talent is equally distributed — but opportunity is not. This panel discussion will focus on diversity and inclusivity in front of the camera and behind the scenes; why and how the industry has faced these problems over so many years and what you as young content creators can do to help create change.
Sophie Elgort is a fashion and portrait photographer born and raised in New York City. She began snapping photos from a young age, inspired by her father, photographer Arthur Elgort.
Her work has been featured internationally in magazines including VOGUE Thailand, Elle, Glamour, Paper Magazine, Teen Vogue and The Financial Times. Sophie has also created images for brands like ADIDAS, Alice + Olivia, Bloomingdales, Buccellati, Clinique, Cushnie et Ochs, IBM, J.Crew, Mercedes Benz, Olay, Ralph Lauren and Topshop. Her portraits include Cuba Gooding Jr., Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Ansel Elgort, Tavi Gevinson, Ron Perlman, Becky G., Rachel Zoe, Sara Foster, Azzedine Alaia, Jenna Lyons and many others.
Sophie was named Forbes 30 under 30 in the Art and Style category in 2016. Alongside her photography, she also contributes to a variety of media outlets as a photography and fashion expert both on-air and online. She has been a guest speaker at the Rubin Museum of Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Pratt Institute among others and a judge at The All American High School Film Festival, The Collective x Designow Fashion Show and the 2017 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards. She has contributed to outlets including AOL Style, etalk, and The Financial Times, whose style column, Suits and the City, she co-created in 2011.
Sophie is also the co-founder of Through Our Lens, a non-profit that provides life-changing access and significant mentorship to teen girls through photography with the goal of more inclusion and diversity in the fashion industry - behind the lens and in front of the camera.
Reinventing Cinematic Storytelling: How Technology Influences Story
Time: 12:30 pm to 1:50 pm
Place: AMC Times Square, Theater 25
Hosts: Savannah College of Art and Design, George Mason University, School of Visual Arts & Studio School
Presenters: Giovanna Chesler, Kamil Dobrowolski, D.W. Moffett and more TBA
It's an exciting time to be a filmmaker. Due to advancements in technology, film is in a constant state of reinvention. This panel discussion will focus on how technology influences the evolution of storytelling and what young filmmakers can do to harness new tools, tell new stories and take the medium to new heights.
Giovanna Chesler is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Film and Video Studies Program at George Mason University. As a working Director, Producer and Screenwriter for more than 20 years, Giovanna has worked across 16mm, Super 8, digital video, and interactive platforms. Her films have been exhibited at film festivals worldwide, on national television (PBS and Logo) and in many museums and gallery spaces including Anthology Film Archives, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, La Jolla Contemporary Art Museum, New Orleans International Film Festival, Outfest, Frameline, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, and more. She works freelance as a cinematographer and videographer, shooting for non-profits and documentary filmmakers.
Kamil Dobrowolski:
"Editing a film is like solving a puzzle. You are handed random pieces of footage and given the task to make them fit together. Sometimes there is a clear vision of what the final look should be, but often it is discovered and altered during the editing process. Often an individual piece of the puzzle is useless until you find the perfect match for it. The puzzle might contain a handful of pieces or thousands to solve. I’ve always been fascinated by how the sum of all these tiny pieces can make a beautiful final image and a compelling story.
As a professional editor, I have worked on feature-length documentaries, narratives and in advertising. Projects I have worked on have screened at festivals that include Berlin, Tribeca, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Krakow, IDFA, IDA and Full Frame. I have also worked as a colorist, sound designer, postproduction supervisor, digital consultant and cinematographer. I strongly believe that my editing experience has opened doors to other areas of postproduction and beyond. As an instructor, I take my knowledge from the field and try to channel it into the classroom. Editing tools continue to advance at an exponential pace. As artists we have to constantly evolve our skill set and not become complacent and static. I aim to push my students to become amazing artists who combine their creativity with technical knowhow to become invaluable professionals in their field."
D.W. Moffett:
D.W. Moffett has amassed an impressive list of stage and screen credits. A native of the Chicago suburb of Wilmette, Illinois, Moffett never gave a thought to acting until after he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in International Relations. After he went to work at Chicago’s Continental Bank, he enrolled in an acting class on a dare...and that was the end of his banking career. Moving along his new career path, Moffett became a founding member of Chicago’s Remains Theatre Ensemble, where he starred in, directed and/or produced over 40 productions.
He first came to national attention starring in Larry Kramer’s landmark AIDS drama “The Normal Heart” at The Public Theater in New York, opposite Brad Davis. Subsequently, he appeared on Broadway in “The Boys of Winter”, “The Real Thing” and "Contact". Since making the move to Hollywood, Moffett has divided his time between Film and Television. Favorite Movie roles include appearances in “Stealing Beauty”, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, “Thirteen”, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, “Twisted”, directed by Phillip Kaufman, and Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic”, for which he won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award.Moffett’s television credits include the ground-breaking TV movie, “An Early Frost” as well as series regular roles in “The Oldest Rookie”, “Hidden Palms”, “Skin”, “For Your Love” (where he also directed 6 episodes), “Chicago Sons” and “Life is Wild” . Recently, Moffett appeared as the memorable and reviled Joe McCoy on the iconic NBC series "Friday Night Lights" as well as Fran Drescher’s ne’er-do-well boyfriend on “Happily Divorced”. D.W. recently concluded production on the Peabody Award-Winning ABC Family (Freeform) show, “Switched at Birth”, in which he appeared as series-regular John Kennish for all 5 Seasons. Presently, D.W. recurs on “How to Get Away with Murder” as well as “Chicago Med”. D.W. also recently returned to the director’s chair, helming an episode of the above-referenced Fran Drescher show as well as 3 episodes of Switched at Birth. Additionally, D.W. has begun directing children’s programming, having directed the penultimate episode of the popular Disney Channel show “Austin and Ally”.
In October, 2015, D.W. was invited to take part in a Director’s Lab at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and was asked to speak with Performing Arts students. In February, 2016, D.W. hosted 15 SCAD students and faculty at the L.A. set of his television show, Switched at Birth, returning to SCAD in May of that year to conduct an Acting Master Class. And the hook was set! D.W. returned in the Fall of 2016 to teach four classes at SCAD in Performing Arts as well as Film and Television, during which time he fell in love with his new life as a professor, mentor and professional guide to his students. It was also during this time that D.W. identified some opportunities and potential areas of growth in the Film and Television Department. He presented these ideas to SCAD Leadership in October of 2016 and was soon thereafter offered the Chair of the Film and Television Department in Savannah...a department with over 650 students and 15 full-time faculty. The results of D.W.’s leadership have been immediate and wide-ranging....mostly echoed in the positive student comments and a reenergized faculty. SCAD was honored with the Emmy for Best Television Show at the recent Student Emmy Awards...and the department is looking forward to a period of sustained dynamic growth and increased engagement with the professional Film/TV community.
Finally, D.W. served on both the Local and National Boards of AFTRA as well as SAG....prior to merger...and after merger continued to serve on the National Board of SAG-AFTRA for 2 years. He currently serves as a Trustee on the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan and the AFTRA Retirement Fund.
Mark Millhone:
Mark directs curriculum development for all academic programs, provides leadership and training for all faculty and guides all Student Services and Mentorship initiatives. Prior to becoming Dean of Academic Affairs, Mark was the founding Chair of Studio School’s Film + Digital Content Program. Mark’s current areas of research and teaching practice include: creativity, collaboration, experiential learning, innovation and arts entrepreneurship. In his creative practice, Mark is a published book author and award-winning film director including an Academy Award for his Columbia University MFA film, Christmas in New York.