OSCAR NOM "LITTLE TERRORIST" SCREENS W/ Q&A - SATURDAY - LA

I saw this powerful yet entertaining short back in August at the Palm Springs
Shorts Fest and am pleased to see it move on to this status.
-Anup


SAAFA-LA is honored to host a special screening of OSCAR NOMINATED
film "Little Terrorist" followed by a Q & A session over snacks with Indian film
maker and Oscar Nominee ASHVIN KUMAR - this Saturday, the 19th of
February.

Ashvin Kumar's 15-minute short film 'Little Terrorist' has been nominated in
the Best Short Film (live action) category for the 77th Academy Awards in
Hollywood.

Little Terrorist is about crossing boundaries and is based on the true story
of a Pakistani boy who crosses the LoC (Line of Control) after his cricket ball
lands on a minefield in Indian territory. The boy is given shelter by an elderly
orthodox Hindu Brahmin. The film is about the relationship between them.

Made on a shoe-string budget, Ashvin garnered his European and Indian
crew in innovative style. "I posted my script on the Net and asked people to
come forward. Those who worked with me were genuinely interested in being
part of the project", said Ashvin Kumar, son of India's first lady of fashion,
Ritu
Kumar.

ASHVIN KUMAR began working as an actor and director in theatre. He
undertook a degree in Media and Communications at Goldsmith's College,
University of London, in 1996, after which he began working in films as an
editor. For more info on Ashvin or the movie :
http://www.alipur.com/little-terrorist/

Details of the event :

Date: Saturday, 19th Feb
Time : 1:30 PM
Fee : $15 (non members)
$12 (SAAFA and NET-IP members)
Venue :
Café Bliss
1745 North Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, 90027
North of Hollywood Blvd./Prospect Ave. (see map below)
Parking : Bank of America Parking lot ($3)
Electric Lotus Valet Parking (Intersection of Franklin &
Vermont)

Details :
Screening of "Little Terrorist" followed by Q & A session with Ashvin Kumar.
Snacks will be served after the screening. One drink is included.
Discount offer on a special three hour DVD called "Adventures In Shorts"
which, according to the director Ashvin Kumar, is equivalent to film school.


>>>>>>>>>>>
The discount code with Customflix.com for Ashvin's title "Adventures In
Shorts" has been set up - it is PYKFCBM9 which will give you the DVD for $22
(a $3 discount on the cost price of the DVD)
>>>>>>>>>>>

RSVP: (email/phone calls)
Neeta Mittal
neeta@...
310-643-0399

_________________________________________________________

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE WORKING

There are so many talented people on this list whom I want to expose to the
other talented people on this same list. Please send me a breif description of
the work
you do (actor, writer, director, accountant, still photo, etc), your area, and
preferrably a
website (but not required). Even if you're a greenhorn (have no experience)
but would like to work on projects as a PA (production assistant - you can
never have too many PAs on a set) or in any capacity, just reply to this email.

-Anup

------------------------------------

COMPOSER

Hello Anup,

I am a film score composer in the North County coastal area of San Diego. I
am looking for any and all work, really. Of course, paid work will get
priority! But at times I have gaps in my schedule, and if a project comes
along that looks interesting, I will work for deferred or even (gasp) no
dough. I have a demo with a wide variety of musical samples that I can send
out on demand to show the various styles I can produce.

The website you visited is for our full-length CD of original pieces, which
we (my girlfriend & I) are very proud of, and I am in the process of adding
a page devoted to our film score achievements. While I am mentioning it - if
you get a chance please visit:

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sd/fan_forum/
rock_padres_vote.jsp

We wrote a song for the "Rock the Padres" contest and can use all the votes
we can get.

Thanks and any more info you need or anything else I can do to help - please
let me know!

Sincerely,
Rob Gironda

more info: http://www.carrieweiland.com

------------------------------------

MAKEUP ARTIST

I'm a Journeyman makeup artist & hair stylist specializing in all aspect of
makeup.  I am available for film, print, weddings, portfolio and Special Effects
work.  I am based in Atlanta, GA and available for travel.  Have experience
with numerous film, video and print projects.

I'm seeking both pay and deferred pay projects. Definately would like to do
more film projects. Some of my work can be seen on:
http://www.musecube.com/pmdzine

~ Priya
priyam18@ [no space] hotmail.com

------------------------------------

SOUND

Sound Production Recordist/ Boom Operator for Film and Video Shoots from
NJ that will travel anywhere to do production work.
ochoasound@ [no space] yahoo.com

------------------------------------

STAND UP

Sid Veda performs at the Improv!

Sunday, Feb 20 @ 10pm; seating opens up at 9:30p
The Improv
the Main Room
8162 Melrose Ave.
Holywood, CA  90046
 
Unfortunately, there is a $12 cover and a 2 drink-minimum, but I'll hopefully
make you laugh that off like so much wasted money.  I mean, wasted brain
cells.

Oh, and as most of you know, I don't have that many friends in this time zone
for various reasons: haven't lived here very long, am very obnoxious, don't
seem to care this year, etc... but I would sincerely appreciate it if you could
invite everyone you've ever known.
 
* Your Managers, Casting Directors and Agents are also more than welcome.
 
more info: http://www.SidVeda.com


------------------------------------

ARTIST

Tilcia Studios Grand Opening Reception will be held over two nights, the 25th
and 26th of February, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm in San Diego.

Along with the anticipated release of Tillack's latest series - Serenity &
Simplicity.

more info: http://www.tilciastudios.com

_________________________________________________________

TO SCHOOL OR NOT TO SCHOOL?

I am going down the school of hardknocks for acting/filmmaking instead of
attending school or taking classes. So I asked Cheryl Kanekar, a SDSU film
student who has screened her doc at the Palm Springs International Film
Festival, the
following two questions after attending her school's showcase.

1. Why did you decide to go to film school when you could have put that
money towards making a feature film?

2. Do you think you can learn stuff in film school that you can't learn from
reading books or working on other indie projects? If so, then what?

-Anup


Her Insightful Reply:

To answer your questions, I'll go with no. 2 first. I
definitely don't think one can learn how to make films
by reading books, the only way to learn is by actually
doing it and making mistakes. That can be done both in
film school and by working on projects. The advantage
of the latter is the real-life experience it gives
you. However you do not have very much control over
the kind of work you get on projects. Especially
directing generally can only be done by a newcomer if
you are funding the project yourself, which is
difficult if you don't have money.

The process of learning consists of making lots of
crappy stuff and figuring out what not to do next
time. Film school gives one the chance to do this
without spending a huge amount. It also lets you try
out all the different roles in the filmmaking process
to understand it as a whole (at least, the best
schools do, some schools segregate you right away,
which I think is a mistake). So, film school gives you
an opportunity to play around, experiment, learn the
rules and break them, at very low costs -- like any
other opportunity, some people squander it and some
peoople make the most of it. You saw some of that in
the SDSU festival.

I think most of the films you saw in the festival fall
in the category of very first fooling around with a
camera, films that should be learned from and maybe
not screened. My gripe with them was the lack of
originality in idea -- technical skills can be
learned, but who gives a damn about a movie with
nothing new to say, even if the maker learns to be
slick? I don't.

As for question 1, first, film school does not have to
cost as much as a feature film -- SDSU definitely does
not. But more importantly, what's the point of sinking
several grand into a feature without having the skills
to make one? I've seen way too many people with money
do that, as if money in the only thing you need. Film
school can't teach you how to be original (that's the
most important thing), but it can help you develop the
technical skills needed. Basically, to do what you
suggest would be to sink a lot of money into a film
that would mainly be a first learning experience, and
is likely to be not good enough to be screened.

That's why I got into film school, and I think it did
me a lot of good. I'd be interested in hearing more of
your opinion on this matter.

Cheryl


_________________________________________________________

ARTICLES

I noticed while looking through some of the archives of this newsletter, that
the
articles I posted previously with just a link are no longer available on their
server. So, now I will paste some of the relevant text instead of just the
link. It
will make this email longer, but more beneficial in the long-run.

-Anup

-------------------------

DIGI-CINEMA

With Investment from Participant, Emerging Pictures Announces 12 City
Digital Cinema Rollout for '05

complete article:
http://movies.yahoo.com/news/iw/20050208/110789004000.html

" As part of the partnership, Emerging will roll-out its Digital Cinema Network
in 12 cities this year, offering an array of programming, including independent
films and international films and other content, ranging from film festival
programming, dramatic performances, and concerts. ...

Emerging Pictures is building its network by creating digital projection
enabled sites at museums, performing arts centers, science & technology
institutions and restored movie palaces. ...

focusing on smaller cities that are "underserved by current art house
exhibitors." He added that by partnering with existing arts organizations, they
would target existing mailing lists and constituencies. ...

Participant Productions was founded last year by eBay pioneer and
philanthropist Jeff Skoll. The company focuses on "socially relevant,
commercially viable feature films and documentaries." As part of the pact,
Participant and Emerging have formed a distribution deal..."

_________________________________________________________

OSCAR MOTIVATED BY $$$?

Best-Picture Race Lands Outside Mainstream

complete article:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/oscars/news/apo/20050216/110859492000.html

excerpts:
"For the first time since the 1997 "Titanic" juggernaut, no blockbuster is in
the
mix, and it's the first time in 15 years without at least one $100 million hit
among the best-picture contenders going into the Oscars...

This year's five nominees have sold about 51 million tickets, down 50 percent
or more from each of the previous five years, when admissions for the best-
picture field ranged from 100 million to 118 million.

Audiences for the five top Oscar picks have not been this small since the 1984
awards, when "Amadeus" won best picture. "Amadeus" and its rivals "Places
in the Heart," "The Killing Fields," "A Passage to India" and "A Soldier's
Story"
had been seen by about 41 million people. ...

This is not just an exercise in pointless arithmetic. Executives at the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know from experience that a hugely
popular film leading the best-picture race helps attract viewers for the Oscar
telecast, whose ratings have been in a funk over the last five years.

"We don't have a `Titanic' or a `Lord of the Rings' out there. I think it's fair
to
say it does concern us a bit," said Bruce Davis, the academy's executive
director.

"I have never equated the Academy Awards with how much money a movie
takes in," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released
"Ray." "That's the People's Choice Awards. This is not about the public. This is
about the industry bestowing its awards on what they think are the best films
of the year."

In years when commercial hits dominate, Oscar voters are accused of
pandering to popular taste, Davis said. When smaller films prevail, the
academy is criticized for being out of step with the mainstream, he said."

_________________________________________________________

ACTING RATIO

When talking with other actors the most curious topic seems to the ratios of
submissions to auditions to bookings. So I thought I'd expose my ratio here.

SUBMISSIONS:
Since Jan 16, 2005, I've submitted to approx 150 projects.

AUDITIONS:
Received 12 auditions (I knew 2 of the people who were auditioning the
projects; I skipped one b/c it was too far; I received 2 auditions without
submitting b/c they saw my headshot on a site).
Locations: 3 in SD; 8 in LA; 1 in Ventura

BOOKED:
From those, I've booked 6 thus far (I didn't audition for one since I worked
with
the director before; shot one; other four are coming up, but could always fall
through).

I'm an information junkie if you haven't noticed. I love those 10million
tickers
tapes and other pieces of info on the tv. So, likewise, that's why I'm putting
out
this info for you guys in case you're like me.

Keep your chin up!

Anup