Capital Film Arts Alliance (CFAA)

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DISCOUNTED MEMBERSHIP

Annual membership is $45
NOW Get TWO Years for only $65!!
Membership info at www.capitalfilmarts.org/membership
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Need PAs?
Trained For Hire
on your next shoot!
CLICK HERE
Trained, Certified Production Assistants

Support local filmmaking
Through the CFAA. 100% of
all donated proceeds go back
into the organization's
programs and events.
Fees are tax deductible.

CFAA PROGRAMS:
(unless otherwise stated)

2nd Tuesdays @ 7pm

Actors Workshop -

3rd Tuesdays @ 7pm

Filmmaker Forum -

4th Tuesdays @ 7pm Screenwriters Lab

ALL EVENTS HELD AT
Imported Studios
1767 Tribute Rd, Suite #J, Sacramento

CFAA TESTIMONIALS: 

Laurie, you are so much the glue that holds our media community together, with opportunities and information - and we’re so lucky! Thanks for continuing with the newsletter’s publication!
- Beverly Lewis,
Placer County Film Commissioner

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The most important thing I've learned about being a filmmaker in Sacramento is that the CFAA has your back. I'm just getting started with my journey, but at every turn, CFAA has been there with information, connections, and most importantly, encouragement.
I highly recommend you join so you don't get left behind. Thanks, CFAA!
~ Kat Kinglsley
Filmmaker

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The CFAA is a great way to
meet, reconnect and communicate
with Sacramento's top film
and media makers.
You should check it out!
-Rick Kuebler,
My Hero Productions

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I can’t tell you how much
the CFAA means to me!
They have been there and helped
me thru the years make by making me a better filmmaker and by giving a place to create business and personal relationships with professional folks in industry of entertainment!
-Cliff Allen,
Screams 4 Reel

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To submit your CFAA testimonial - please contact us by email:
[email protected]

We Appreciate Our Sponsors

FOR Filmmakers,

BY Filmmakers.

The CFAA is here for YOU.

The CFAA is a non-profit arts service organization dedicated to connecting filmmakers, writers, actors and crew
who live and work in the Sacramento Capital region and it's surrounding NorCal counties.

Expand Your Creative Skills and
Increase Film Industry Connections
with the Capital Film Arts Alliance

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

CFAA Meetings
3x per month
now taking place at

Imported Studios:
1767 Tribute Rd, Suite J
Sacramento 95815

Check out our Programs - Tuesday Nights @ 7pm

Every 2nd Tuesday @ 7pm

Monthly

CFAA ACTORS WORKSHOP

with Jason Bortz

Tues., May 13th, 2025
@ 7pm-9pm

at Imported Studios
1767 Tribute Rd., Suite J,
Sacramento

This is an all level class exploring the range of skills well-rounded actors must consider when taking on the craft of acting. From script breakdown, vocal and physical work, improvisation, monologue and scene study, film analysis and character work, this is a condensed 2- hour sampler designed to broaden the mind and strengthen the skill-sets from beginners to professionals. It's time to work your acting muscles with instructor Jason Bortz! (Round II) who brings his energetic vibe to our gathering, sharing his experience and acting tips, as well as his background as a filmmaker. It's time to stretch your acting muscles and embrace the acting craft through fun, knowledge and movement. You will love this program!

Admission is FREE to CFAA members, and only $6 for non-members.
Membership info at www.capitalfilmarts.org/membership

Kierre Stowes, Donna Girot, Nathan Schemel, William

Join us at

at Imported Studios
1767 Tribute Rd.,
Suite #J, Sacramento

Every 3rd Tuesday @ 7pm

Monthly Filmmakers Forum

A CFAA Education Forum

with Aaron Leong & Friends

Lighting:

with Mark Herzig

Tuesday, May 20th, 2025
7pm-9pm

at Imported Studios
1767 Tribute Rd., Suite J,
Sacramento

The single source in cinematography: beyond formulae....

Lighting for motion pictures can be challenging, and the literature aimed at initial instruction in this craft, historically, has relied on formulae like “three-point lighting”, an approach that merely renames the functions of lights, and sheds very little…. light….on the subject. The frustrated student of cinematography can be forgiven if there is a tremendous gap between these “systems” and the images in the films we see that we wish to emulate. All modern approaches to cinematography are based on “source lighting”; that is, the conceit that the main source of illumination originates from a believable single source that exists in reality. This approach depends on both an elementary mastery of very simple tools, and a concentrated focus on observation. And, of course, a rejection of outmoded formulae. Mark Herzig will demonstrate these principles, terms, and techniques.

Mark Herzig worked as a 1st camera assistant through the 1980s, forming relationships with some of the biggest commercial directors and DPs in the world. Since 1994, he has been the cinematographer or director/DP on hundreds of commercials, music clips, documentaries, and corporate image films, also lensing six independent features, including the 2000 cult classic “North Beach”. In 1999, his first short film as a director, “Scherzo”, was invited to a select showcase in Paris, “Une nouvelle veine du cineastes” (The New Filmmakers), mixing ten filmmakers from the US and ten from Europe. The next year, his short film “et cetera” won Best Cinematography at the New York International Independent Film Festival, and the same film was honored that same year at the Den Haag (NL) Film Festival, festival director Robert Ovetz proclaiming it “ . . better than “Requiem for a Dream”. In 2004, his short film “Lunch” was an official selection at Clermont-Ferrand, and the French daily La Montagne praised it as a “Lynchian urban nightmare.” He has also taught cinematography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the PCFE Film School in Prague, Czech Republic, and California State University at Sacramento. He is currently finishing his feature documentary on underground radio, “Free-form, Baby!”. www.markherzig.com

Meet us at Imported Studios 1767 Tribute Rd., #J

SPEAKER BIO: AARON LEONG
Aaron Leong went to SF State University’s Theatre Dept for a double emphasis in Performance and Directing. After working for several years as an actor for Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs, he started a production company.
During that time, he started to do more commercial filmmaking and went back to school for film at The Art Institute in Sacramento, focusing more on Directing and Cinematography. He continued his cinematography training at the Global Cinematography Institute in Los Angeles where he was taught by renowned ASC members such as Vilmos Zsigmond, Dean Cundey and Russell Carpenter among others. After 20 years in various areas in the industry, Aaron has directed features, shorts and commercials and has DP’d for features, shorts, documentaries, reality TV, commercials, and corporate work just to name a few. Aaron also has 18+ years of experience flying Steadicams and is an M2 Volt owner/operator.
He also rents out a lot of gear to productions.
You can check it out at www.4thwallfilmworks.com.

Admission is FREE to CFAA members, and only $6 for non-members.

Membership info at www.capitalfilmarts.org/membership

Todd Bull Dawn Spinella

Every 4th Tuesday @ 7pm

Monthly

CFAA Screenwriters Lab

featuring:

Writers Educational Forum & Script Table Reads/Reviews

co-hosted by
- Todd Bull
- Dawn Spinella

* Tues., May 27th, 2025
@ 7pm-9pm

at Imported Studios
1767 Tribute Rd., Suite J,
Sacramento

The new CFAA Screenwriting Lab leadership team is shifting the focus toward teaching the craft of screenwriting, reinforcing screenwriting skills, and modeling practical applications. While the Lab is limiting its focus, peer review will remain an important ingredient.

Heading up the new team is CFAA Board Member Todd Bull, who dons the role of CFAA Screenwriting Lab Director. Todd is an award-winning screenwriter with twenty years of experience in the field. Todd spent 26 years as an actor, director, and stage manager in regional theater productions throughout the West Coast.

Joining the team is Dawn Spinella, who will anchor screenwriting instruction in her role as CFAA Screenwriting Lab Education Director. Dawn’s skills are as varied as they are impressive. She justifiably calls herself the Swiss army knife of screenwriting and filmmaking. She writes, directs, produces, teaches and brews a mean espresso.

Update from Dawn: The CFAA Screenwriter's Lab is taking an exciting leap forward, expanding beyond traditional screenwriting exercises to offer an unprecedented opportunity for filmmakers of all kinds. While screenwriters have long benefited from our live session reads, organized table reads with actors, and in-depth screenwriting education, we're now adding an entirely new dimension: turning scripts into films. Over the next several months, our writers will have the chance to test ideas, collaborate on rewrites, and, ultimately, bring those stories to life on screen. This initiative isn’t just about writing—it's an immersive education in the entire filmmaking process. Participants will gain hands-on experience in film production, learning the ins and outs of collaboration, production, and even post-production (yes- we're covering editing). It's an opportunity to take scripts off the page and transform them into real, tangible works of art—an invaluable exercise for anyone wanting to understand the interplay between the written word and visual storytelling. We’re inviting all members with an interest in filmmaking, writing, crewing, and acting to join us on this thrilling journey. Whether you're a seasoned writer or exploring your storytelling passion, the CFAA Screenwriter's Lab is creating an environment where you can hone your craft, experiment boldly, and learn alongside peers who share your dreams. Come be a part of the most dope, most collaborative, most innovative multi-hyphenate writer-filmmaker group in town, and help bring stories to life in a way no other writing-filmmaker group can match.

FULL BIOS

Seeking New Scripts!
Do you have a script that you would like to hear read out loud by actors, and 'see' it come alive for the first time? Note: CFAA membership is required to submit scripts for group review or table readings.

Membership info at www.capitalfilmarts.org/membership. If you wish to attend readings or be added to the Screenwriters list, receive Zoom links meeting notifications, and to and have scripts sent to you for review in advance of meetings, email: [email protected]

HOW MUCH?
FREE for CFAA members. $6 for Non-members.
Annual membership donation is $45 and this yearly fee provides entry to ALL CFAA meetings and workshops. Info at www.capitalfilmarts.org/membership

FEES: (for public events)
Admission is free to CFAA members and only $6 per meeting for non-members and guests.
All skills and experiences are welcome!

MEMBERSHIP:
Only $45 per year.
Click HERE to sign up today with Paypal