Biography of Doug Liman

The most recent phenomenon to emerge from the ever-expanding world of independent film, Doug Liman took Hollywood by storm with the hit movie Swingers, his cocktail culture salute to male bonding. A traditionally trained filmmaker, Liman cut out the frills of studio productions, including artificial lighting and even conventional movie cameras, to transform a $250,000 budget into a critically acclaimed and popularly adored success.

Also cinematographer of the film, Liman utilized "guerilla" tactics to capture the real feel of spotlight-hungry Los Angeles. Crashing in on locations open to the public including dance clubs, a Las Vegas casino, and an actual party thrown by a friend, Liman allowed the glitzy pomp and eternal actors of Hollywood to parody themselves. This unique approach to filmmaking imbued the film with an infectious energy and sense of spontaneity, but also put the cast and crew in some sticky predicaments. On one shoot in a Las Vegas casino, police shut down production demanding permits, but Liman, who claims to do his best work "on the edge," kept the cameras rolling the whole time.

Liman now brings this same energy and sense of adventure to the lecture stage. He delivers a wealth of first-hand information about alternative routes to movie-making and the fundamentals of the creative process. Liman also discusses the growing independent film movement, which is producing the next generation of cinema icons, and its ability to show the traditional studio system that low budget can definitely be "money."