1. Intro
2. Agent Blog
3. Film Contests
4. Review of panel: The Million Dollar Pitch - the San Diego Film Festival
5. My Creative Community
6. Giglist
7. Filmrunner
8. Independent Film Networking Database
9. Variety on the Town Blog
10. Old School Theater
11. Member Updates
12. Articles:
A. Minorities have legal ground to sue studios
B. Fest Touts Film Distribution Scheme
C. AFI Dallas to Launch New Fest With Nearly 200 Film Lineup
D. The Lowest of the Low-Budget Indies
E. World Cinema Web: Can Digital Downloads Offer Viable Avenues for
Int'l Films?
F. Perry paves way for crossover
G. Slamdance sticks to rowdy roots
H. Sundance deals aplenty
I. Internet brands leave music services to experts
J. YouTube to share revenue with users

________________________________________________________________________

Hello, hello, hello,

Yes, it's been a while – which is always a good sign – means I've been
busy. There was a contest for the Superbowl a while back for a spec
commercial. So I made this with Roopashree Jeevaji; Rob Gironda &
Carrie Weiland doing the music and Matt Stedman helped me shoot it.
It was an excellent exercise in just "jamming" with other filmmakers.
All too often filmmakers don't get a chance to hone their craft
because they're working on really big/expensive projects without a
chance to do some messing up beforehand. So try doing something like
this for zero budget called DORRYWOOD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtdy16iWFfw

Then I played a villian on a project which utilized the brand new 4K
Dalsa (dalsa.com) camera – just for reference, HD is 1K, so this is
four times HD in terms of resolution. I was training for that
everyday for about 1.5 months for 3-5 hours. The most amount of work
I've ever put into a film. I'll let you know when it's done.

Another film I acted in about 2 years ago for a USC grad student will
screen at SXSW Film Fest in Austin Tx March 12th & 16th. Check out
this link for more details:
http://2007.sxsw.com/film/screenings/film/F8605.html#top

I'm currently working on a feature as the lead and when I'm not
acting, I'm the second unit director and DP.

Check out the new Mike Judge (Office Space, Beevis & Butthead) that
Fox tried to bury called Idiocracy. This was the only trailer I could
find online (it has a leech of an ad attached to it):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBO1f6R2lIs

I'm also reading Jeremiah Comey's book on acting. It's been the best
one I've read – esp if you're left-brain oriented.

I found a site while browsing wikipedia.com's acting pages:
actingchat.com. It's pretty good, but came across a response to one
of my entries
(http://www.filmingchat.com/actingchat/viewtopic.php?p=591&highlight=#591).
So I responded:


2. AGENT BLOG

I'm not one to quibble over other people's insular responses, but I
figured that not doing so would be a disservice to the readers looking
for insight on this forum.

Let me start by illustrating my point with an anecdotal story. The
first is of a kid who went to a film school. In screenwriting class,
the professor was talking about a "brilliant" screenplay. When this
student asked about Terminator, the professor brushed him off stating
that you can't learn anything by something as lame as that. A short
while later for his assignment, the student turned in a screenplay.
The all-knowing professor gave him a grade of C for the assignment.
The kid rebutted something to the likes of, "This is an old Oscar
winning screenplay that I plagiarized. You don't know what you're
talking about!" He withdrew from school, got a refund of his tuition
and made his first short film. That kid is Paul Thomas Anderson who
went onto make Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and more.

So I'm not saying to not get an agent, but 1) try getting an agent
without headshots 2) try getting an agent without any experience on
your resume other than `I played a tree with no lines in my high
school play' 3) even if you get one, it doesn't guarantee anything.
I've got friends with agents who never get sent out on auditions.
Why? Because the agents are busy sending out their other clients who
have names and a huge resume with lots of acting experience and the
agent knows that they are professional and have honed their skills and
won't make the agent look bad in the eyes of a casting director. I
could run on and on like the sentence above, but stop and think about
it. Put yourself into an agent's shoes. Would you send someone out
on an audition who has NO experience? If the "#1 task is to get an
agent" and not take acting classes, or work on indie films or plays,
where's the selling-point for an agent in you?

Getting a commercial agent is easier than a theatrical agent (FYI:
"theatrical agent" is for film, not really for theatre/plays).
Commercials are more for getting a paycheck, not for acting. It's
based on looks and not just the Brad Pitt-look; just watch a
commercial. However, there's not a whole lot of acting commercials.
I'm shooting one for IBM tomorrow which I got through my agent. I'm
happy about the paycheck, but I definitly don't consider it anywhere
near my dream of being an actor. The indie feature that we're
currently shooting on a shoe-string budget IS giving me that acting high.

Furthermore, if you get the film jobs you have to ask yourself if
those are the type of jobs you want. I worked for a manager who's got
acting clients with names like Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Scorsese,
Kubrick on their resumes. However, you would not recognize a single
one of them. Why? They have dayplayer roles. I'm not discounting
these roles as they are something to be proud of. For me, I much
prefer my indie films and student films where I get to fully act in a
character that has an arc than being in a Scorsese film with one line:
"Here's your coffee, sergeant." I'll definitely take those day-player
roles in a heartbeat and even got my SAG eligibility through them, but
I'm not solely counting on them. I believe in making your own
opportunity as I stated above. So that's why I wrote a `stack of
stuff to do' because it's going to make more than what I wrote above
to get in. Even then, nothing's guaranteed.

The main tenet of acting is listening. Oldwannabe stated that he
didn't have any money and still the retired-professor Kencosp stated
that you have to get headshots. I didn't see much "listening" in that
reply. Headshots will run you a good $600 at the low end. Most
people I know with no money can't really toss that amount down.

Let me close with another anecdote: a studio full of know-it-all
"experts" was soooooooo sure of this idea for a movie that they
invested $100 million. It opened at $2million. It flopped
financially. The movie: Pluto Nash. Then a few Florida film students
made a film for $35K which went onto to make about $240M called `Blair
Witch Project'. The bottom line is that there is no one way of doing
things. Anyone who is so certain of something is usually not open to
other suggestions. Like a *good* director on set, take in all
suggestions and then use what works for you. Be cautious about
listening to one guy who says other people's suggestion won't work.

There are no rules.

Madness is not fueled by uncertainty, but rather certainty.
-Elie Weisel

Anup

________________________________________________________________________

3. FILM CONTESTS

FILMAKA

http://wwwfilmaka.com

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GCBMEDIA - SPEC COMMERCIAL CONTEST SITE

GCBmedia.com gives consumers a platform and the tools to speak
passionately about their favorite brands and for brands to reward and
recognize them for their efforts and creativity.

Working with brands and advertisers, gcbmedia.com creates projects for
consumers to participate in. These projects may involve creating
commercials, short skits, branded content, or just you talking into a
microphone.

The bottom line is: " Brands want to hear from you. They want to hear
your input, your advice and your opinions ".

Sometimes we may even ask you, the community, to help decide the
winner of these projects by voting. Winning submissions will be
rewarded, recognized and posted on the gcbmedia.com website.

We will continuously scour the media landscape for innovative ways and
venues for advertisers to help spread the messages you create, be it
on the internet, television, or even cellular phones.

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48 HOUR FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE

http://www.48.tv Beta Version Is Up and Running


We're excited to announce that www.48.tv is now live. We're currently
in Beta testing but have lots of films available for you to see.

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SCREENVISION CONTEST
Screenvision is looking to showcase creative short films by
independent filmmakers like you. All you need to do is send us your
original, 2 minute film (appropriate to run in front of all MPAA
ratings), for a chance to have it seen within a future screening of
Screenvision's High Definition Digital Preshow.

http://www.screenvision.com/s/contest/script/

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IT'S YOUR SHOW
We're here to help push the viral video world to the next level. You
guys are great at creating and have inspired us to step up our game…
What if we throw down challenges and give out cash for inspiration?
What if we give you guys music, video clips, sound effects and theme
songs? Well we're doing it! We know you like to mix it up so we're
giving out some ingredients. Now we're gonna sit back and watch the
madness.

www.itsyourshowtv.com
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4. REVIEW OF PANEL: THE MILLION DOLLAR PITCH - THE SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL
By
Chad Zuber
Actor, writer, photographer

The presenters:

Hartford (Harty) Brown - attorney for film

Scott Storm - filmmaker

Karl Kosak - co-founder of film festival, filmmaker (4 films)

Chris Gore - filmmaker

Probably the biggest reason that the independent filmmaker doesn't
even produce a film, and almost definitely not a second one, is not
the lack of talent nor the lack of motivation but rather the lack of
dollars. However, funding a film, short or feature, doesn't have to be
funded by you, the inspired filmmaker. The four presenters in this
panel at the San Diego Film Festival provide a rare insight to the
process of actually getting those dollars to produce your film. They
did it themselves and it really isn't as difficult as you may think.

First of all, forget about big, corporate investors. Look to private
investors. Your film isn't going to cost $135 million. Realtors,
doctors, dentists and small business owners often earn a very above
average income and have extra to spare. They may even need an
additional tax write-off at the end of the year and what would be a
more exciting investment than a movie? Sure, film is probably the
worst investment someone could make but it's really not about
investing. It's about being a part of the most exciting, glamorous
industry in the world. It's movie making! He or she gives you $50,000
and you make he or she "executive producer" of your film. Give them an
executive producer chair for when on set and a credit in the film and
they will be thrilled to write the check.

Send potential investors business cards with their name, the title of
the film and the title "executive producer" on it. Appeal to their
ego. If it's someone you already know, they usually do it for you, not
for the film.

You need to be a good marketer to get investor' dollars. If you're not
comfortable with marketing then get someone who is. Creative artwork,
log line and good visuals are essential. Create a website for your
film with a private area for investors. They will feel special. Most
of all, have fun and be enthusiastic. If the investor feels your
enthusiasm for your film he or she will feel more confident and
writing the check will be much easier.

It is also important to be able to show some credibility. If you have
never produced a film before then it would be a good idea to first to
a short. Start small.

Investors will naturally want to have a lot of questions answered
before signing the check. You should be able to answer all of the
following questions and more:

* Who's your target audience?
* Who do you see being the lead character?
* Who's in it?
* What genre is it?
* What is it about?
* What's the title?

All of the questions should be answered confidently and with
enthusiasm. Again, it's more about the vibes that they feel coming
from you that will close the deal.

So, it sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it's not quite that simple.
There are other aspects to consider. Assuming that you have the 3
elements for a great film - 1) great script 2) great actors and 3)
great locations - before you even approach investors it is a good idea
to consider the legal aspects. The basic rule of thumb is, "cover your
ass!". The $125 LLC is not a good idea. Do it right!

A good attorney that specializes in film can save you time and legal
problems down the road. You will need an operating agreement and
investor package. The average LLC costs $1500 to set up but will be
well worth it for peace of mind. The average investor package costs a
few thousand dollars. You super low-budget indie filmmakers may be
thinking that you could just bypass all of this and use that initial
start-up cost towards your film but doing this right will really
separate your film from the ghetto productions and investors will have
much more confidence in you as well.

There are a key details to close with investors during the deal making
process. First of all, the filmmaker, that's YOU, must control the
creative decision making regarding the film, not the investor. Some
investors will try to seize partial control of the director's job. No,
the investor is to provide the financial support only. Also, you will
have to decide what percentage of the movie that the investor owns.
Now there will likely be many investors and the ownership percentages
may vary depending upon the amounts invested. After distribution, the
investors will receive a percentage. It usually takes at least two
years for investors to see something of their investment start coming
back. Consider all sales venues including foreign sales, home dvd and
cable. Again, if you're not good at marketing, find someone to push
the distribution of your film.

When determining the budget for your film, never low-ball it. Hold
back points in case of going over budget and/or for actors' bonuses.
Set aside a good amount for marketing. Get great photographs of the
actors on set. Be creative. Great photos can set your movie apart from
others. The locations that you shoot also make a big impression.
Powerful visuals will make the difference. When searching for actors
you may run into agent roadblocks with up and coming "A" list actors.
Go around agents and managers. Agents just want money. Actors often
just want to work.


Additional resources used:
Imdb.com
Filmthreat.com
Sagindie.com

________________________________________________________________________

5. MY CREATIVE COMMUNITY

Think of myCreative Community as your professional filmmaking network,
where you can create your own free mini–website: publish your
screenplays and films, check out others' scripts and movies, and most
important, connect to like–minded creatives.

This remarkable platform will become an online network of
screenwriters, producers, directors, actors, agents, managers,
development executives and other creative professionals in the
entertainment industry. We're just launching, so check back regularly
for new members and all the new features we will be adding.

MyCreative Community combines the elements of social networking with
online publishing and e–commerce–all sheltered in a Digital Rights
Management system to protect your intellectual property from piracy.

http://www.mycreativecommunity.com

________________________________________________________________________

6. GIGLIST

Developed as a resource for producers by a multi arts producer.
Gigslist.org is a magazine, production directory, and professional
community, to assist people and businesses in the arts, media, and
entertainment industries.

Free account.

http://www.gigslist.org
________________________________________________________________________

7. FILMRUNNER

The new, but rapidly growing website dedicated to the filmmaking
community is giving free profiles to all actors, models, and recording
artists. We would love you to become part of our expanding community
of talent!

Share your talent, portfolio, and experience, with the online
filmmaking community at http://www.filmrunner.net
________________________________________________________________________

8. INDEPENDENT FILM NETWORKING DATABASE

Here you will find resources for anything and everything related to
Independent Film.

*** We are seeking out people who would like to contribute content to
this site. Please contact us if you are interested! ***

Please visit our http://www.IFNDB.COM link directory while you are
here. You can search or add your own site or other relevant sites you
don't see listed here yet. Best of all, it's FREE!

________________________________________________________________________

9. VARIETY ON THE TOWN is a blog dedicated to premieres, parties, people and
places. The place to go for all the events Hollywood has to offer.Email your
tips to Nicole LaPorte and Michael Speier at
onthetown@[no space]variety.com

________________________________________________________________________

10. OLD-SCHOOL THEATER

The Old Town Music Hall

...where classic silent films
have been regularly scheduled
in an authentic 1920s movie house
with the Mighty WurliTzer accompanying
since 1968

Theater rental available.

The Old Town Music Hall
140 Richmond St.
El Segundo, CA 90245
Home of the Mighty WurliTzer
(310)322-2592
http://otmh.org
________________________________________________________________________

11. MEMBER UPDATES

ADAM RUDDER

Hola amigos:

I finally have it up --the comedy sports blog!! :) Topics range from
football to baseball to NBA to rumors to video games to sports fans...


http://fromthebleachers.wordpress.com/

Please bookmark this url and check it often :)

I'd appreciate the support in getting the word out...so please feel
free to pass on the url!!

Thanks!
Adam

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ANITA BHAKTA

Save the date...March 24, 7:30pm...The evening will be memorable!

Another year and better than ever! This year's play will be my father
and his group's 14th production. It is entitled Ajeeb Daastan Hai Yeh
(A Strange Story). The story will grab you! The set, costumes, and
acting are coming together and are looking phenomenal!

Please email me ASAP if you are interested in getting tickets for the
play. They are already selling quickly. The sooner I hear from you,
the better seats I can reserve for you. Or you can contact my father
directly at daudanih@.../ 858-279-5677.

Tickets are only $7, 10, 15 and the venue is still the beautiful Poway
Center for Performing Arts.

Please see the attached flyer.

If you're interested in advertising in the program (10-12 page,
color), please do let me know ASAP.

Thanks! Hope to see you dressed up and ready for a fun night on March 24!

--
Anita

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APUL PATEL

Formed in Sept. 2005, The Jungle performs long-form improvised comedy
every week at Hollywood's legendary iO West. The troupe's members have
performed at some of the biggest comedy theatres in the country, and
in some of television's biggest hits. Check them out this Tuesday!

http://www.junglecomedy.com/

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

BEN LIOE

Check out Ben's hilarious short `Fultility'. It won the student
screening at UC Irvine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaIjk3yYP8w

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

BRIGHAM YEN

Doc on A&F models.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY-ekDYq9gc

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

CHAD ZUBER

Kelly and I shot this Survivor Audition Tape yesterday down in La
Jolla. It was lots of fun. Hopefully they will call me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4H7TZbOURA

Chad

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DAEG FAERCH

Daeg got cast as Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's "Halloween".

http://myspace.com/101946169

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DAN MARGULES

The short film "Happy The Dog" is on a roll.

Best Short - Anchorage International Film Festival
Official Selection - Delray Beach Film Festival
Official Selection - Trail Dance Film Festival
Official Selection - Solstice Film Festival

http://www.happy-the-dog.com/

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

DEBBIE BRITT-HAY

Hey everyone! Thought I'd share a video that we shot last year. It's a
music video for Latin singer, Jackie Ibarra, who just finished her
international tour for her hit single, Acercate A Mi. Both Taylor and
I were in the title video as Jackie's mom and sister. It turned out
pretty cool! Go to my website at

http://www.debbiebritthay.com

and click on the link in the news flash section of the home page and
LMK what you think!

Debbie

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GRETA VALENTI

OKAY this is pretty cool!

Conan O'Brian is doing this funny website: www.hornymanatee.com and
Fans can submit Manatee Artwork. I submitted mine last night (John
came up with the movie and I did the artwork) and it's featured on the
website!!

To see it go here:

http://www.hornymanatee.com/fan_art/13649.shtml

"Three Manatees and a Baby"


GRETA VALENTI, INC.
http://www.gretavalenti.com
greta@...
http://www.fujiminx.com << BAND WEBSITE

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JAIMYON PARKER

Hey everyone! A film I am in that is entered in the online competition
for Steven Spielberg's ON THE LOT needs your votes now! Please use the
link below to watch the film and give it a superior rating! Please
keep in mind that every vote counts and that we need all the 5 star
votes we can get! Please forward this to any and all people you know
who have internet access! Thank you everyone!

http://films.thelot.com/films/27454

~Jaimyon

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MADHUMITA

Hey people,

This article appeared in "THE HINDU" which is the national paper of
India. The biggest newspaper organization as well. So there..."Yours
Affectionately" ..On page 2 of THE HINDU..Damn...it feels good... It
came in a lot of other tamil newspapers too..but since the language
being a barrier, i am attaching only the one that appeared in HINDu

love to you all...
Let me know what all of you are upto

As for me, I just bagged a feature film. A tamil commercial feature
film. Will keep you guys updated.

Love
Mads,

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

MARK ELIAS

Check out Mark's demo reel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnwBF9SUi3I


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

MATT STEDMAN / TARA DONOVAN

HooRay! Our film is up online at:
http://films.thelot.com/films/18125

Please CREATE AN ACCOUNT to sign in and rate/comment on the film. Be
sure to spread the word and pass it onto your friends. Also, have
them join up
with http://myspace.com/thethinginthecornermovie to keep updated.

Thanks again for all your hard work!

Tara Donovan
Producer


ALSO: I am so pleased to announce that a film I co-star in, 'Last
Hand', was
selected for the Brilliant Light International Film Festival in Los
Angeles, CA.

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

NIKHIL KAMKOLKAR

"Indian Cowboy" recently had a theatrical run and coming soon to DVD.

Official Film Website: http://www.IndianCowboy.com
Theatrical Trailer (on youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwreSHVuiQ
Cast Interviews (on youtube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5-Uo1RyLMw

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

RAJEEV CHHIBBER

Dear Friends,

One of my international Armenian Debut film is being shown. I play a
Sikh. Please come & see if you can.

Rajeev Chhibber

The Kochar Cultural Foundation presents the film Arahet, a surreal
drama of freindship, love, and patriotism surrounding the issue of
emigration. An Armenian man living in the United States finds a path
near a huge high-speed freeway. A path which takes him straight to his
motherland.

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

RITA RANI

Hiya

I recently played a Swedish woman on two episodes of "Sleeper Cell"
for Showtime. Just kidding, I play a Muslim woman. Anyhow, if you
have Showtime, tune in Friday and Saturday night at 9pm. (Hopefully
the scenes we shot are still in tact. Who knows what happens once in
the dark room).

It's been hailed as one of the best show's since "24"...

:)
Rita

Rita Rani
http://www.ritarani.com

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SAMEER ASAD GARDEZI

Sameer started writing for "Mind of Mencia" 3rd season.

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

VIJI NATHAN

My dear friends,

Thank you for all your support since I moved to lalaland...I predict a
great future for all'o you. I should know. I'm the Psychic on 'The
O.C.' :-)) (Psst...I knew the end was near..

It's a guest-star role (yeah!)...and they were all such nice people....
Viji

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

ZACK WEST

Greetings.

I'm in the process of perfecting a process for paperless
collaborations using myspace, email, Google Docs for improvised and
scripted shorts. If you're an actor I 'recruited', you know I want to
do what Paul Thomas Anderson did that became the basis for Magnolia,
while we hammer-out rewrites of our vampire script: get a troupe of
actors who like to ACT, do improv and scripted shorts to stay sharp.
Eventually, I'd like to write for actors I know well.

WHY IT'S DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING YOU MAY HAVE DONE...BUT MAYBE NOT

If you're an actor looking for face time, you'll like this: it
prevents the paralysis of analysis, maximizes the ratio of creative
time to energy invested, and empowers ALL the collaborators in a small
project to be proactive; it is paperless, represents a top-down
management system with no redundancy, accountability (where everybody
knows what everybody else is expected to do). Leave it to a paralegal.

Will only work for simple, weekend projects (1 to 2) days, and, well,
maybe nobody will sign up for my 'weekenders'.

AND HERE IT IS:

This is how it will work: I will put out a call for volunteer
actors/crew for a shoot in advance using myspace bulletins and the
ZeroHour myspace page (and eventually an Outlook mailing list). I will
provide the url of a script (in .pdf) on Google docs.

Read the script. If you're interested in a role, send me your email,
and I will give you access to an editable, 'open' Cast/Crew
spreadsheet, and a release form in .pdf - also on Google Docs.

You put in the role you want to play, your availability that day,
telephone number, etc. This information would be up-to-the-minute and
only be viewable by other collaborators. This document tracks changes,
and is reversible, so sabatoge is not likely.

Voila - no phone calls (unless someone flakes). I may have
understudies for key roles, but I'll try to put up call sheets for
projects that are either ensemble, improvised, or otherwise not
totally dependent (at least in the beginning) on the good manners of
poor actors and crew I can't afford to pay what they're worth.

I have equipment to shoot these shorts; we do the shoot. I edit it,
credit the collaborators, and VIOLA - there's your movie. Everyone
gets a copy, maybe have a viewing party.

Let me know if you're interested in this process, or can think of a
better way to streamline or provide additional safeguards. Man, I need
a producer...

Anyway, Happy Holidays...you'll be hearing from me.

Zack West
Founder, ZeroHourFilm
http://www.myspace.com/zerohourfilm
________________________________________________________________________

12. ARTICLES

A. MINORITIES HAVE LEGAL GROUND TO SUE STUDIOS

UCLA professor announces new findings in casting policies

Minority actors face a bleak outlook in Hollywood and may have legal
grounds for challenging studio casting policies, a UCLA study shows.

"Casting directors take into account race and sex in a way that would
be blatantly illegal in any other industry," said study author
Russell Robinson, UCLA acting professor of law. "Many actors accept
this as normal, but depending on the facts of the case, lawsuits can
be filed."

Robinson announced the findings Wednesday, citing a 2006 survey of
casting announcements from Breakdown Services that found 69% of roles
reserved for white actors, 8.5% open to all races, 8.1% open to
African Americans, 5.2% for Latinos, 4.3% for Asian Americans, 2.9%
for multiracial, 1.7% open to Middle Eastern and 0.5% open to Native
Americans.

The study also found that men were almost three times as likely as
women to work in the first-billed lead role and that whites occupied
82% of those roles, based on a review of 171 films that grossed at
least $1 million last year.

Women filled 44% of second-billed roles and 40% of third-billed roles,
the study found.

Robinson also noted in the study that studios could use several
defenses against legal actions, such as asserting that race and gender
are "bona fide occupational qualifications"; contending that casting
is a form of free speech that may be protected under the U.S.
Constitution's First Amendment; and offering a market-based defense
that race/gender casting maximizes box office success.

Robinson said that showbiz would not have to use quotas to comply with
the federal government Title VII -- which prohibits employment
discrimination based on race or gender -- but move to increase the
consideration of actors of color and women in roles. He also
recommended banning the use of race/sex classification in casting
breakdowns except where casting an actor of a specific race or sex is
"truly integral."

He also cited the film "Sideways," ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and CBS'
"CSI" series as positive examples of casting practices.

Pamm Fair, deputy national exec director for the Screen Actors Guild,
Said the findings were not a surprise. "We know that performers of
color get fewer roles than their counterparts," she said. "We continue
to strive for more positive roles for our members who are not cast
often enough because of their race or gender."

Pamela Tom
Director of Diversity
Film Independent
Home of the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival
http://www.FilmIndependent.org

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B. "THE NAMESAKE" OPENS CINEQUEST; FEST TOUTS FILM DISTRIBUTION SCHEME

by Brian Brooks

Director Mira Nair's latest, "The Namesake" opens the 2007 Cinequest
Film Festival Wednesday night in San Jose, CA, launching the 11-day
event. …

In addition to the festival, Cinequest is touting its new distribution
label, which incorporates Intel's Viiv system, Jaman's online
community, as well as Netflix Inc.'s DVD audience, and Cinequest
Online's established base, into what it calls "a multifaceted fluid
system of distribution not previously available to filmmakers and film
fans."

"What makes us unique in the world is that we've wanted to give an
opportunity to independent filmmakers by bypassing the Hollywood
stystem and [find an audience]," said Cinequest's Jens Michael Hussey
in a conversation with indieWIRE about the distribution subsidiary,
which has offered pay-per-views since January and has offered DVD
sales via their website (www.cinquestonline.org) since November. "We
have a viable option for filmmakers to make money off their films and
to give a lot of flexibility."

According to Hussey, the new label is targeting "non-Hollywood" fare
that it considers to have been unable to effectively reach its market.
Via high quality downloads, filmmakers can bring their work to
audiences directly. Non-Cinequest titles are also eligible to
participate by contacting the organization directly.

"There's always going to be Hollywood, but Internet technologies make
it possible for the independents to make money back," commented Hussey.
View full article here:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20070228/117271203500.html

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C. AFI DALLAS TO LAUNCH NEW FEST WITH NEARLY 200 FILM LINEUP

by Eugene Hernandez

Nearly 200 films are on tap for the first AFI Dallas International
Film Festival, kicking off later this month in Texas. The event will
open on March 22nd with Steven Sawalich's "Music Within" and close on
April 1st with Sarah Polley's "Away From Her." Organizers noted that
the roster of 99 features and 92 short films tops initial expectations
of a 150 film lineup for the inaugural Dallas event, to be anchored in
the Victory Park area in Dallas. Planners indicated that for the first
year, the Victory Plaza site will feature film screenings from the AFI
100 Greatest Films list running nearly 24 hours a day throughout the
event. …

"From the outset, we decided we wanted the AFI Dallas International
Film Festival to be a festival that puts films and filmmakers on a
pedestal - not unlike the art world does with great art or a symphony
does with great music," said fest founder Liener Temerlin, in a
statement. "Throughout the festival we're sure we'll encounter some
glitches. However, we aspire to become a significant and very special
festival by helping to make Dallas a city of film festivals, by
supporting those festivals who came before and by recognizing the
heritage of film, film education through panels, guest speakers and by
celebrating the art of films past and present via gala evenings,
parties and receptions throughout the festival where filmmakers and
fans alike have the chance to meet and explore their love of film
together."
Full article:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20070304/117307760600.html

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D. THE LOWEST OF THE LOW-BUDGET INDIES

The Spirit Awards celebrate the best in low-budget filmmaking. But
within those honors, the John Cassavetes Award goes to the lowest of
the low-budget films: those made for under $500,000.

This year's five nominees talked to The Associated Press about how
they did it on the cheap. The winner will be announced at the awards
ceremony Feb.24.

___


"Chalk," a mock documentary set in a high school. Directed by Mike
Akel, written by Akel and actor Chris Mass.

Budget: About $200,000. Shot on video in 22 days in Austin, Texas.

Their secret: Write what you know.

Akel and Mass drew from their teaching experiences at Austin's Travis
High School. Akel taught TV/film; Mass, world geography.

"The first thing we had to do was cut out explosions," Mass joked.
People donated food, a lot of students pitched in and most of the
actors worked on deferred payments.

"My principal was great," Akel said. "(The movie) `Friday Night
Lights' had shot there, and Chris and I brought our kids as extras in it.

"We spent a full day doing that, watching them, how they did it. From
what I heard it cost $10,000 a day to rent the school we got a
location agreement because we didn't say it was Travis. We had to hide
the school (name), the mascot and all that stuff. Plus we worked
there, so we had another little deferred payment."

The hardest part? "Most people, a lot in Austin, had worked on a
(Richard) Linklater film or a Robert Rodriguez film. (The University
of Texas) has a big program," Akel said. "I think you get one shot at
that to get your friends to hop on because it's tough when you know
your friends are worth money. ... You want to be able to pay someone."

"You say, `We're a team!' but that wears off. Everything wears off,"
Mass said. "It's like, 'We're making a film! OK, we're still making
that film. And we're still making that film.'"

Their advice for aspiring filmmakers: "Do something that you love
don't think of what the audience wants and then try to meet that,"
Akel said. Or as Mass put it, "Really do what's in your means, what
you know and what you're passionate about."

___

"Four Eyed Monsters," about two artists falling in love. Directed by
Arin Crumley and Susan Buice.

Budget: About $5,000 for equipment but they accumulated $81,000 in
credit card debt because they had no jobs while they were working on
it. Shot on video over three years in New York City.

Their secret: Do-it-yourself.

Crumley and Buice directed, wrote, shot, edited and starred in the
movie, based on their real-life story of meeting on the Internet four
years ago.

"We own our own equipment, so we basically did everything ourselves
and we had friends help us along the way," said Buice.

"I'd been doing freelance video for a long time and I'd been slowly
accumulating video equipment, post-production stuff, speakers,
computers," Crumley added. "I'd been editing on software I stole from
a job I worked on. Anytime I got a job I tried to get a new piece of
equipment."

Eventually they decided to take all this technology and experience and
make a movie. They did much of it in their apartment, friends'
apartments and on the streets of New York (without a permit).

"We'd shoot stuff that would fit into one page, edit it immediately on
the computer then watch it and sort of analyze the need to introduce
elements for re-shoots. We realized, OK, we need a reflector because
the lighting is too crappy outside when it's overcast. So we'd go buy
single items as we learned we needed them. We bought a set of used
lights for $300," Crumley said. "We acted in it ourselves so there was
no paying any fees for actors."

"At a certain point we did start taking acting classes and we met
people who were talented and will work for nothing," Buice said. "We
tried to be as professional as possible whenever we could but the
reason we did the film so cheaply was because we were so unprofessional."

The hardest part? "There was a major psychological problem in trying
to wear all these hats," Crumley said. "Of course it saved us money.
But we're in a relationship making a movie about the relationship and
living together and using the space where we live as the set, so
basically we didn't have a place to live.

"In the scenes where we're bummed out or going crazy or losing our
minds, that's us losing our minds."

Their advice: "Use your own experience. Life is full of stories and
that can be your creative process," Crumley said. "I shoot things on
my cell phone and then post them on YouTube. You don't need a hugely
sophisticated system."

___

"Old Joy," about two longtime friends on a camping weekend. Directed
by Kelly Reichardt.

Budget: $30,000. Shot on Super 16 film over three weeks in Portland,
Ore., and the woods of Mount Hood.

Her secret: Less is more.

"We worked with a small crew: a six-person crew, two actors and a dog.
We were making a road trip movie and we were essentially on a road
trip together," Reichardt said. "We used all daylight so we didn't
have any gear beyond our camera. We used an A-Minima camera it only
takes a 200-foot load. It's like a very compact-sized camcorder, but
it's a film camera. On big films they use those cameras just to shoot
in cars. We used that for the whole production.

"The smallness of it is doable but it also really worked for the film
we were making just the scaled-downness," she continued. "It's a
minimalist film in terms of intimacy and just in terms of being able
to maneuver in these old-growth forests. You could put the camera in
your backpack and hike up the mountain. But we could only shoot for
five minutes at a time so you'd have to adjust around never having a
take that's longer than five minutes."

The hardest part? "We had a very short script, a 40-page script, so
the tricky part was telling the actors to expand on a scene and really
take their time but at the same time we're working with 200-foot loads
so those are sort of contrary ideas: Take your time, let it play out,
but hurry up because we only have five minutes."

It helped having an executive producer in Neil Kopp who knew the
mountain back roads and found places to stay.

"He ended up finding a church retreat up in the mountains that nobody
was at and we were able to live there," Reichardt said. "There was no
one around on a BlackBerry, no craft service, no trucks, no trailers,
no agents, no lawyers on this whole film. It was much more of an art
project with friends: Get together, go off and see what we come back
with. It was challenging. We had to plan, we had to be meticulous. But
it was also a really great experience, and at the end of the night we
all had dinner together around the campfire."

Her advice: "Get a day job I teach so you don't have the pressure of
trying to survive off your films."

___

"Quinceanera," about a girl who learns she's pregnant as she's
celebrating her 15th birthday. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash
Westmoreland.

Budget: $420,000, shot on digital video over 18 days in Los Angeles'
Echo Park section.

Their secret: The kindness of strangers.

"The movie really came from sort of, like, this crazy New Year's
resolution in 2005," Westmoreland said. "We sat actually at this table
having our breakfast and we were a bit hungover on New Year's Day and
we were like, `OK, we're going to make a film this year. We're going
to shoot it in our neighborhood, we're going to do it really low
budget, we're going to use nonprofessional actors.'"

"We had four locations on this block," Glatzer added. "I'd say, like,
70 percent of the movie was just shot within walking distance of this
place, and it was friends who just opened their doors to us and
neighbors and everything, and people were really nice about it. I
mean, we were bitching and moaning because we had to shoot some of the
scenes in the interior here, and when you're directing and you're up
until 2 in the morning shooting and then there's people here at 5 in
the morning or 6 in the morning painting, you're like, `Aaah!' But our
neighbors never complained."

Extras even cooked food and brought it in, which kept costs down. "It
was a battle for the tamales," Glatzer said.

The hardest part? "We were worried at first that we wouldn't be able
to get a really great cast because it was nonunion but what we found
was that there were tons of just really talented people who haven't
had the breaks yet," Westmoreland said. "Our cleaning lady's in it,
our cleaning lady's sister, our cleaning lady's sister's niece, our
cleaning lady's daughter and her grandson."

They used high-definition video thinking it would be cheaper and
easier and it was at first, Glatzer said, but transferring to film
cost them added time and money. There were mistakes with color
correction, plus they had to transfer twice: with and without subtitles.

Their advice: Make the most of what's around you.

"It was like a charm offensive," Westmoreland said. "Our locations
manager was so super smiley and charming and really kind of got people
into the idea of the movie that it was about this neighborhood and it
was about gentrification of this neighborhood. It's not just some
random crime drama. It's about your lives."

___

"Twelve and Holding," about preteens responding to a friend's death.
Directed by Michael Cuesta.

Budget: Just under $500,000, shot on Super 16 film over 23 days in New
Jersey and Long Island.

His secret: $100 a day. That's what everyone got paid, though some
crew members the production designer, cinematographer, Cuesta himself
were offered back-end points.

The hardest part? "Keeping everyone inspired."

"I find that part of my job on set, when you're working under those
constraints, is keeping everyone believing that what they're doing is
worth doing for the sake of making a good movie, for the sake of
creating a piece of art, hopefully something that has some sort of
validity, some sort of shelf life," said Cuesta, whose first film,
2001's "L.I.E.," cost about $700,000.

"I try to empower everyone to throw in the kitchen sink and allow me
to pull them back," he added. "I think that inspires people a little
bit they feel like they own their own thing."

Much of the credit goes to screenwriter Anthony Cipriano, he said. "It
all starts with a great script. If the script is great then everyone
comes on board and believes in it."

Right now Cuesta is developing a pilot for CBS, which he's finding is
completely different.

"There, I'm working with a giant corporation," he said. "You have to
collaborate a little bit more. You don't have that autonomy that you
have in a little movie."

His advice: "Make it and find a producing partner that believes in it
as much as you do and you have to believe that they believe in it as
much as you do. You need someone like that. It's so important to have
a strong support person. It's too big of a thing without that partner.

"I like making films this big," he added. "I don't care, as long as I
can make a living and have a day job, I'll keep making small films.
It's so liberating."

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20070216/117167418000.html

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

E. WORLD CINEMA WEB: CAN DIGITAL DOWNLOADS OFFER VIABLE AVENUES FOR INT'L
FILMS?
by Anthony Kaufman

The diversity of this year's Oscar nominees has sparked discussion
about an increasing globalization of the American film industry and
audience. With its six nominations, "Pan's Labyrinth" recently broke
the box-office record for a Spanish-language film in the U.S., while a
trio of foreign-tongued actresses (Penelope Cruz, Adriana Barraza,
Rinko Kikucki) crashed the Academy's vaunted acting categories.

But for all the heat generated by these few foreign-language titles,
thousands of quality international films are being left out in the
cold, either losing their way in U.S. theaters or never getting a
chance to breach North American shores. "Foreign cinema has been
greatly underserved in the U.S.," says Carlos Montalvo, SVP of
Operations for Jaman.com. "And if something doesn't happen soon, it
will become endangered."

Founded to make sure world cinema stays alive and well, Jaman plans to
build an online community around international and independent movies,
while offering digital downloads of more than a 1,000 feature films.
Banking on the ubiquity of film festivals, both as potential partners
and as a source of audiences hungry for non-mainstream cinema,
Montalvo says, "We're using the power of Web 2.0 to tap these markets."

Jaman's beta launch comes on the heels of major digital-distribution
announcements from two of the biggest retailers: Wal-Mart, which sells
roughly 40% of the country's DVDs, is now offering video downloads on
its website; Amazon's recently launched "Unbox" download service made
a pact with TiVo to allow users to watch movies on their TVs.

Last month, Netflix also announced a free video-streaming function on
its website, which will be fully operational for all subscribers to
watch movies on their computers by June.

While the heavy-hitters see a future in digital distribution, do
Internet platforms offer foreign and indie features a viable
alternative to a theatrical marketplace that is largely prohibitive?

Jaman is certaintly betting on it. While most consumers have not yet
jumped into the digital-download arena, Jaman believes that its focus
on "socialization" will cultivate more world-cinema enthusiasts. "By
and large, most other sites coming to online distribution are static
retail sites," argues Montalvo. "Just putting up the jpeg of a film is
not going to move these movies; it's really about looking at community
and how people naturally socialize on the Internet."

Like a social-networking site, Jaman features profiles for individual
users and specific discussion areas ("Bollywood 101," "Latino
Filmmakers Group," "Hong Kong - Kung Fu") around which fans of its
five core areas -- Asia, Latin America, Europe, South Asia and
U.S.-made fiction and documentaries -- can interact.

Each group is spearheaded by "executive producers," which market and
acquire material for the site, as well as consult with programming
agents in the specific territories. Jaman has already made an
impressive array of pacts, licensing material from distributors
specific to each of its regions -- for example, Celestial's Shaw
Brothers library for Hong Kong actioners, Venevision for Latin
American titles, Tip Top Entertainment for Bollywood films, and
Vanguard Cinema for American and international independents.

Jaman has also made strategic partnerships with film festivals,
including Cinequest, Los Angeles Latino, Miami International, San
Francisco Asian Film and the San Francisco International Film
Festival, which will unveil select films from its 50th anniversary
program online via Jaman. "We're working to extend the festival
experience year-round," says Montalvo. The company is also working
with independent filmmakers to distribute their work online: producers
receive 30% of the gross revenue of rental and sales. "Our primary
business model is straight revenue," says Montalvo. "We make money
when the filmmakers make money." While there's no question that Jaman
has undertaken a worthy mission. And their top ten most downloaded
films reflect an inspiring example of international inroads: five are
Indian, including the #1 blockbuster "Black," others are from Denmark,
Hong Kong, Cuba and the U.S. But are there enough Internet-savvy
xenophiles to sustain Jaman?

Netflix has shown a steady, but small increase in its world cinema
business, which could bode well for the evolution of the market. Last
year, foreign film rentals were around 5.8%, whereas today Netflix's
director of corporate communications Steve Swasey puts the figure at
6.5%. "We are a bastion of distribution for smaller, independent films
that wouldn't see the light of day, otherwise," he says.

But Swasey acknowledges the company's new "Watch Now" download-to-rent
function is not a "material event" for Netflix. "We're including it in
the service, and we rolled it out because the future is electronic
delivery," he says. But he adds the end-point for digital distribution
isn't the home computer; it's the TV. "This is just a first step for
Netflix," he says.

Of the 1,000 films available through Netflix's new streaming feature,
roughly 100 are foreign-language. More than 60%, however, are old
Bollywood films. The remaining 40 titles are a healthy mix of festival
favorites (Jean-Marc Vallee's "C.R.A.Z.Y."), classics (Werner Herzog's
"Aguirre, Wrath of God"), and recent foreign standouts ("The
Motorcycle Diaries," "Run Lola Run"). But a few dozen free foreign
films aren't exactly going to create new audiences.

Swasey also notes that users of the new web feature tend to be under
30-years-old. "The smaller format is okay for them," he says. The
mainstream audience still wants to watch the films on DVD, Swasey
contends, "which will be the preferred delivery method for at least
5-7 years."

With the audience for many non-genre foreign-language films over the
age of 30, this could present a stumbling block to Jaman.

Jaman is also bypassing DVDs altogether, distributing the films
through a video codec called h.264, whose resolution is excellent
("better-than-DVD," touts the company).

This may simplify Jaman's business, surpass the quality of some of its
rivals, and look to the future of exhibition platforms -- "we are
tapping into the trend that media is going to be device-independent,"
says Montalvo -- where users can watch h.264 media on intelligent
plasmas screen TVs or mobile phones. But it's difficult to say whether
the target audience for the 2001 Taiwanese Berlinale winner "Betelnut
Beauty" -- recently featured on Jaman -- will be among those early
technology adopters.

Jonathan Marlow, a VP of content at online video store GreenCine, says
the most popular films on its video-on-demand service -- which
currently includes 3,000 non-adult films, roughly 40% of which are
foreign -- are movies that "have some awareness," he says, citing
Caveh Zahedi's early work, the short films of Hal Hartley, and Hong
Kong martial-arts movies.

Marlow says the VOD business continues to grow every month, and that
international sales agents tend to be more open to licensing digital
rights as a way to tap the lucrative U.S. audience. "They realize that
any chance to get into this market is worthwhile," says Marlow. But he
adds that "the largest barrier" to such films is getting people "to
spend money on something that they've never heard of, because it's an
unknown commodity."

That's where GreenCine, like Jaman, believes in building a community
around the films. Because after all, who is going to watch such
GreenCine titles as the 2002 Polish feature "Angels in Cracow" or the
2005 Greek drama "Eyes of Night" without some discussion of what these
films are, and whether they're worth viewers' time and money?

"We've obviously focused on trying to provide context for this work,"
explains Marlow, citing the popular GreenCine Daily, which has become
an online hyperlink bible for cinephiles, as well as a revamped site,
which is in the process of including more interviews, interactivity
and even social-networking capabilities. "Without that," he adds,
echoing Jaman's ethos, "I don't know how you can build that audience."

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20070215/117160958500.html

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

F. PERRY PAVES WAY FOR CROSSOVER
Hyphenate leapt from plays to hit films

By NICOLE LAPORTE

The route from stage to screen isn't always an obvious one, but Tyler
Perry has proved that by nurturing and building a core theater
audience, the rest of the entertainment universe can be yours for the
taking.

At least that's how easy Perry has made it look since he made the leap
from producing, directing and starring in urban-themed plays to
landing atop the movie box office with his debut film, 2005's "Diary
of a Mad Black Woman." The $5 million pic grossed $33 million its
opening weekend and went on to mint $50 million.

Perry's follow-up film, "Madea's Family Reunion," grossed $65 million
in 2006, and expectations are high for "Daddy's Little Girls," which
Lionsgate (the franchise's distributor thus far) unspooled last week.

"Daddy's" is Perry's first feature based on an original script and not
adapted from one of his plays.

Though Perry has taken Hollywood by surprise, his success is hardly
news to the devout theater fans who have followed him since 1998, when
the multihyphenate became a tour de force among churchgoing
African-American communities through his plays. Or, rather, through
Madea -- the most ungrandmotherly of grandmothers -- whom an in-drag
Perry portrays in most of them.

Those fans helped put Perry on the map, but his Hollywood exposure has
helped grow his now-sprawling business, which today more closely
resembles an empire -- one that he controls and for the most part owns.

Lionsgate has sold more than 11 million DVDs of Perry's first two pics
and has a deal to release the following five. (Next month, Perry
starts shooting the feature version of his play "Why Did I Get
Married?" Next up is the period feature "Jazz Man's Blues.")

Perry also makes a pretty penny selling homevideo releases of his
plays on the Internet and in local stores.

His book "Don't Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea's
Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life" debuted at No. 1 on the New
York Times' bestseller list and spent 15 weeks in the top 10.

And in a nine-figure deal, the Turner Network has made a 100-episode
commitment to Perry's sitcom "House of Payne," which he writes,
directs and produces. Show already has a syndication deal set up with Fox.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117959696.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

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

G. SLAMDANCE STICKS TO ROWDY ROOTS
The other Park City fest
By STEVEN ZEITCHIK

Opening night pic 'Weirdsville' is an oddball road pic starring Scott
Speedman and Wes Bentley.
Opening night pic 'Weirdsville' is an oddball road pic starring Scott
Speedman and Wes Bentley.
Ever since fest opener "Mad Hot Ballroom" snagged a Par Classics
distribution deal and a subsequent $8 million in box office two years
ago, Slamdance has registered differently for many pic execs.

The festival is still far from an acquisitions hotbed, but by hewing
closely to its mission as a filmmaker-driven event, it has managed to
keep a focus on a small number of quality indies and hold the interest
of distribs.

"It's much more on our radar now than it ever was," says First
Independent Pictures topper Gary Rubin. "The odds aren't that high
that you're going to find another 'Mad Hot,' but we're definitely
paying more attention."

Headquartered at Park City's Treasure Mountain Inn at the top of Main
Street, Slamdance (running Jan. 18-27, almost parallel to Sundance),
was founded in 1995 and has earned its share of fame over the years.
In 1998, for instance, it jumped into the limelight when it nearly
snagged Nick Broomfield's Kurt Cobain docu "Kurt and Courtney" after
it was forced to pull out of Sundance. (In the end, the film showed at
a private screening in Park City.)

This year, organizers have made some tweaks. They've added two
documentary slots to the competition, which now touts an even 10 docs
and 10 narrative features. Slamdancers felt they wanted to emphasize
the form, even though docs are already a Sundance mainstay.

"This year's lineup really reflects that documentaries are equal to
narrative films," notes Sarah Diamond, Slamdance's programming director.

Among the notable docs screening this year: "Bad Boys of Summer," a
baseball drama set in San Quentin; "Children of God," an account of a
Christian cult; "King of Kong," a tale of obsession for vintage
videogames; and "Red Without Blue," a story of identical twins and
transgender politics.

In a shift that was a little less intentional, as many as six of the
29 features unspooling at Slamdance feature actors of some note,
including opening night pic "Weirdsville," an oddball road pic
starring Scott Speedman and Wes Bentley.

Among the other features that could draw buzz are "American Fork," a
comedy about a grocery store clerk, featuring Billy Baldwin, Kathleen
Quinlan and Mary Lynn Rajskub; "Crime Fiction," about a struggling
writer who gets involved in a murder; and Spanish-language drama
"Tijuana Makes Me Happy."

Overall, this year's fest drew 1,200 feature and 2,100 short
submissions -- both record numbers.

Slamdance organizers have come to realize that fest branding and
marketing of its filmmakers are important goals, even as the festival
continues to emphasize its rowdy indie roots.

"Slamdance is about a bunch of filmmakers who got together out of
rejection," says Slamdance Media Group co-prexy/ CEO Peter Baxter.
"We've tried to keep a hold on that all these years, but we also
recognize that the indie film business is very different from 1995,
let alone 1985."

But don't expect Slamdance to start growing to Sundance or Toronto
fest proportions anytime soon. Organizers still want to keep it small,
in part because of space limitations -- Treasure Mountain Inn can't
exactly accommodate hundreds of films -- but also out of its sense of
mission.

Competition films still must have budgets of less than $1 million,
ensuring that newer artists get exposure. And all fest selections are
agreed upon a by a committee of filmmakers.

"Slamdance will always be an alternative festival," notes one Gotham
indie film exec. "But for us the end of January is less about Sundance
or Slamdance. It's about Park City."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117957603.html?categoryid=2472&cs=1&query=slam\
dance

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

H. SUNDANCE DEALS APLENTY
'California' the latest to sell
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK, STEVEN ZEITCHIK

Corrections were made to this article on Jan. 25, 2007.

PARK CITY -- The unexpected buying frenzy that dominated the 10-day
Sundance Film Festival has begun to wind down, although another
bidding war could ensue over Jake Paltrow's debut feature "A Good
Night," which didn't preem until Thursday night.

All told, well over $40 million has been spent on a diverse group of
films: comedies, dramas, a docu about the Apollo astronauts,
thrillers, and coming-of-age titles, including one about a girl who
has teeth in a very special place.

And the latest: On Thursday, First Look acquired Michael
Douglas-starrer "King of California" for $3 million.

"The level of commitment that buyers are making exceeds any festival
in recent memory in terms of the breadth and scope of their
investment," Sundance Film Fest director Geoff Gilmore told Daily Variety.

"Companies aren't just purchasing one film, they are going onto the
next deal," Gilmore said. "It is terrific for the independent film
community."

Heading into the fest, many buyers complained that the lineup was too
serious. Gilmore has learned to let people speculate all they want, so
kept mum. On the eve of the fest, many in the media pronounced it
would be the year of docus; and while documentaries have done well,
features did even better.

Some of the titles nabbing the most pre-fest buzz have failed to find
a buyer so far, including opening night docu "Chicago 10," from
filmmaker Brett Morgen, and the controversial Dakota Fanning starrer
"Hounddog."

Two years ago, and again last year, there were only one or two
acquisitions making headlines. Last year, it was for rights to "Little
Miss Sunshine," a breakout hit and Oscar nominee. In 2005, the big buy
was "Hustle & Flow."

This year, there were multiple deals falling in the $4 million to $7
million range for features. Docus also commanded impressive prices.

Sundance 2007 has witnessed the return of Harvey Weinstein in full
Sundance fashion after being distracted the past two years by the
split from Disney and the formation of the Weinstein Co.

The major buys, listed by distributor:

* The Weinstein Co. plunked down $4 million for distrib rights to
John Cusack starrer "Grace is Gone," repped by William Morris
Independent and Cinetic Media. From director-writer James C. Strouse,
storyline follows a father of two whose wife is killed in Iraq.

* TWC and First Look paid $4 million for Justin Theroux's romantic
drama "Dedication," starring Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. UTA and
Cinetic repped the film, which was produced by Celine Rattray, Daniela
Taplin Lundberg and Galt Niederhoffer. (Trio also produced "Grace is
Gone.")

* Partnering with Fox Searchlight, TWC picked up worldwide rights
to Patricia Riggin's illegal immigration drama "The Same Moon" (La
Misma Luna), repped by Cinetic. Riggin produced the film with Gerardo
Barrera.

* TWC and Lionsgate partnered to pick up rights to the
writer-director Mitchell Lichtenstien's outrageous coming-of-age pic
"Teeth," about a girl who has teeth in her vagina. Joyce Pierpoline
produced the pic, which was repped by CAA.

* Fox Searchlight paid nearly $4 for rights to director George
Ratliff's sophisticated psychological thriller "Joshua." UTA repped
the film, which was produced by Johnathan Dorfman.

* Searchlight also plunked down $4 million to $5 million for
writer-director Adrienne Shelly's drama "Waitress," produced by
Michael Roiff and repped by Cinetic. Film toplines Keri Russell.

* Paramount Vantage paid over $7 million for rights to British
coming-of-age film "Son of Rambow," from writer-director Garth
Jennings and produced by Joel Collins. Pic was repped by William
Morris Independent.

* Partnering with sister division MTV Films, Vantage also paid $3
million for rights to director Ian Iqbal Rashid's urban dance drama
"How She Move," produced by Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny and Brent
Barclay. Film was repped by UTA and Celluloid.

* Warner Independent Pictures paid $4 million for U.S., U.K. and
German rights to Cheri Nowlan's quirky romance "Clubland," penned by
Keith Thompson. Rosemary Blight produced the film, which was repped by WMI

* Magnolia Films paid $2 for rights to horror film "The Signal,"
from directing-writing team David Bruckner, Jacob Gentry and Dan Bush.
WMI repped the film. Gentry produced with Alexander Motlagh.

* ThinkFilm paid a hefty $2.5 million for film rights to David
Sington's docu "In the Shadow of the Moon," a fest favorite, and even
after TV rights were sold to Discovery Films. Docu was repped by CAA
and Submarine.

* Sony Pictures Classics plunked down $1 million for rights to
Amir Bar-Lev's docu "My Kid Could Paint That," about a four-year-old
child prodigy. Reps were CAA and Submarine.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=features2007&content=jump&jump=story&dep\
t=sundance&nav=Nsundance&articleid=VR1117958121

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I. INTERNET BRANDS LEAVE MUSIC SERVICES TO EXPERTS

By Antony Bruno

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - So far, 2007 has not started off well for
music subscription services.

The demise of AOL Music Now and Virgin Digital illustrates just how
difficult selling music by subscription is, even for companies with
deep financial resources and widely recognized brands.

That both unloaded their services onto
Napster has some analysts questioning whether the business is better
left to smaller companies specializing solely on running a
subscription service, rather than large Internet portals or consumer
brands with many other irons in the fire.

"We wouldn't be surprised to see more players take this approach over
the coming 12 months, as the initial rush of hype around digital music
dies down, and those faced with the reality of a hugely difficult
market look to hand the reins over to specialist players," Ovum
analyst Jonathan Arber wrotes in a recent report.

Veterans of the subscription service field say a successful music
subscription business needs at least 1 million subscribers in order to
reach critical mass and become self-sustaining, although one can be
profitable with lower numbers. To date, the only company to achieve
that milestone is RealNetworks' Rhapsody. Assuming it can retain most
of the subscribers it acquired from AOL and Virgin, Napster will not
be far behind, at around 900,000 subscribers.

Meanwhile, household names like Yahoo and MTV are not even close.
Neither company has disclosed subscriber figures, but analysts
estimate they lag far behind. AOL Music Now had just 350,000
subscribers when it handed the service over to Napster -- 100,000 less
than when it acquired Music Now in November 2005.

To be fair, the AOL service was profitable, according to Music Now
head Gary Cohen. The decision to shutter it was more a result of AOL's
desire to focus on advertising revenue over subscription revenue.

"That's why the goal was to sell off Music Now and get an advertising
and promotions deal out of it," Cohen said. Which is exactly what
happened. Napster paid AOL $15 million for both the subscriber base
and to advertise the Napster service through the AOL community.

Yet the sale plainly illustrates how music subscription services have
failed to live up to the expectations AOL and others had when they
entered the digital music gold rush during the last two years.

Lured by a relatively easy market entry thanks to generic service
providers like MusicNet and readily available compatible devices, AOL,
MTV, Virgin and Yahoo all launched music subscription services
thinking their marketing prowess, strong brands and existing customer
base would revolutionize the industry.

What they found was a complex market that to this day is defined by
technology, device and supply problems far out of their control.

The technology governing the transfer of subscription tracks to
portable devices still has problems. None of the services work with
the popular iPod; the few devices that are compatible are unoriginal
clones that have not sold well; and the monthly music licensing fees
are a constant drain on already thin resources.

And to cap it all off, most consumers are just not ready to accept the
concept of music as a service rather than as a product. Convincing
consumers otherwise will take an expensive marketing effort that the
surviving services from MTV and Yahoo have promised, but not yet
delivered.

While they certainly have the money to do more to promote their
services, it's hard to justify the expense when compared to the
relatively low returns and overall difficulty of running the service.

What's more, record labels and publishers seem content to remain on
the sidelines.

"There's no industry desire to see subscription services succeed," a
former music subscription service executive said. "(Labels) love the
idea of reoccurring revenue but they know it's replacement revenue.
They recognize that unlimited access to content wherever you are
whenever you want equals no CD sales." Collectively, these factors
resulted in a rude awakening to the newcomers, but may ultimately play
right into the hands of Napster and Rhapsody, which have been around
for much longer. Both built their business largely around music
subscription and would be in a good position to take over the services
of rivals MTV and Yahoo should either decide it is no longer worth the
headache.

Additionally, the ongoing publishing dispute over compulsory music
licensing is keeping potential new players like Amazon and Target from
entering the market. They could easily decide to outsource a
subscription service as well, such as how MSN abandoned its
subscription plans and partnered with Rhapsody instead.

But it may take some time before that point is reached. A January 2007
Jupiter Research report found that spending on music subscription
services grew 14% in the United States last year, to $185 million, and
is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 32% during the next
five years.

That may be incentive enough for both existing and potential
subscription services to tough it out while the market slowly reveals
itself.

Reuters/Billboard

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070127/media_nm/internet_dc;_ylt=AhFqRXWtMUeNzDzD7x\
gUilZxFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-

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J. YOUTUBE TO SHARE REVENUE WITH USERS

DAVOS, Switzerland - Chad Hurley, co-founder of YouTube, said Saturday
that the wildly successful site will start sharing revenue with its
millions of users.

Hurley, who along with the site's co-founders sold YouTube to Google
for $1.65 billion in November, said one of the major innovations the
site is working on is a way to allow users to be paid for content.

"We are getting an audience large enough where we have an opportunity
to support creativity, to foster creativity through sharing revenue
with our users," Hurley said at the
World Economic Forum. "So in the coming months, we are going to be
opening that up."

Hurley gave no details of how much users would be paid, or what
mechanism would be used.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_hi_te/world_forum_youtube_2