1. Intro
2. United Talent Agency (UTA) Agent Training Program
3. United Talent Agency (UTA) Scouting Talent via veoh.com
4. Crackle.com – Sony Scouting
5. Virtual Channel Network
6. Youtube project connect – journalism contest
7. Tubemogul
8. Google Video Adsense revenue
9. Personal Finance Primer
10. Creative Screenwriting Weekly Newsletter & quote
11. Fox Movie Channel television series "Life After Film School",
12. Women in Film
13. Girls Reeling It Together
14. Directors Guild (DGA)- Producer Training Plan - LA
15. San Diego Film Showcase on TV - So You Made A Movie - SD
16. Catch a flick with your favorite celeb for $25 - LA
17. AFI Director Series
18. Festival of Sacred Music - LA
19. Documentary Contest For Beck - SD
20. Los Angeles Final Cut Pro Users Group - LA
21. Digital Media Artists User Group – LA
22. Red Rock Micro
23. CastingTube is here to help you make videos
24. iReport Film Festival
25. Pangea Day
26. DesiYouth Magazine Models and Contributors Wanted
27. SDAFF Film Review Competition - SD
28. Diversity Jobs and Casting resources
29. DVDs For Troops
30. Hollywood Desperado – Social Film Networking
31. Filmixer.com – Social Film Networking
32. Inner-City Filmmakers
33. New independent film distributors
34. Videographers, editors, etc Needed to Save LA Public
Transportation – LA
35. HD Camera Shooter or Rental Wanted – LA / OC
36. Screenplay Readers Wanted to Write Coverage - LA
37. Show Your Films Free - LA
38. Job Board - Studio Daily
39. Member Updates
40. Articles

A. New Video Digital Aiming 1,600 New Films at iTunes, Other Platforms
B. Users can access pics' previews on phone
C. Rare and Unseen Short Films Find a Home on the McSweeney's Wholphin
DVD Label
D. Women in Film Foundation seeks film
E. First Person: IFC's Jonathan Sehring on Dramatic Change in the
Specialty Film Business
F. The $2,000 Film Festival Winner
G. Anime Gets Innovative on Youtube
H. New cameras have actors reloading
I. The Wonderful World of Marketing
J. Critics' Poll '07 "Secret Sunshine" Glows as Best Undistributed
Film; Critics Pick 250+ Un-Acquired Faves
+The Ten Best Undistributed Films of 2007
K. Short Film Superstars of 2007
L. Brief films are popular again, especially when the Oscar-nominated
ones screen together
M. YouTube teams with indie filmmakers
N. State of the Fest | Part one: Do festivals matter?
O. State of the Fest | Part two: Things gotta change
P. The internet could be a boon for Hollywood—but only if it can
conquer its fears
Q. Summit addresses film festival issues
R. Excellent Indie Articles & Excerpts
S. Promo tactics for the new indie world
T. Execs and talent weigh in on state of indie biz

_________________________________________________________________________

1. INTRO

Hello, Aloha, Hola, Ahola!

It's been a while again which is a good sign.  I've been super busy
with film stuff and also ventured off to try and fix my finances
(which is the number one reason people get knocked out of the arts).
  Check out the Personal Finance Primer section below (#9).

I've been wanting to write about this topic for quite some time now.
All too often, people are scared to do something because they don't
feel like they have enough training or experience.  I've noticed this
especially when it comes to acting, camerawork, directing and writing.
  Consider this situation, my brother while in residency, was running
down the hospital corridor with his hands inside a patient who just
had a heart-attack and was manually pumping his heart.  Not doing
chest compressions, mind you, but the patient's torso was surgically
open and my brother's hands were inside pumping the actual heart.
Now, guess how many times he practiced that on a dummy.  All the while
he was running.

Basically, what I'm saying is to not worry about the lack of training
and just do it.  You'll learn so much more than sitting around
comtemplating it.  I'm not negating the benefits of training, but do
it in conjunction with it.  For a very inspiring movie about this,
check out Johnny Depp as the lead/title character in ED WOOD, directed
by Tim Burton.

So with that said, you can check out some of my recent projects:

HOT GUYS WHO COOK - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beNMMODc-PU
The reality "cooking" show I did for E Channel's subsidiary The Style
Network.


WESLIM – starring Roopashree Jeevaji. Matt Stedman & Pardeep Singh
helped out on set and written, directed,  edited and
motion-graphics'ed by yours truly is a Fox News spoof.
http://tinyurl.com/weslim


THE SPANISH GUITAR HOUR - is an improv sketch comedy where Hash Patel
plays Banderas and I am playing Antonio.
http://www.TheSpanishGuitarHour.com


THE TRIDENT - the 4K Dalsa film with David Carradine in which I acted
and Harish Rao produced will screen at The San Diego Asian Film
Festival sometime between Oct 9-16, 2008. http://www.sdaff.org

http://www.funwithwarcrimes.com - a webisode I helped out with on the
marketing.



If you need marketing material (ACTOR DEMO REELS, WEBSITES, POSTCARDS,
BIZ CARDS, MOVIE TRAILERS, etc) please check out my site (still
updating it) to see if you'd like my services:
http://www.DesignAnu.com

Also, I have a home-built camera-stabilizer (steadicam) which I am
looking to rent out – either as an operator or by itself.


Tips of the week: Harddrives are like cars you don't want them to sit
on a shelf for months on end because the fluids will dry up.

Happy filmmaking!
Anup

www.Anup.net
_________________________________________________________________________

2. UNITED TALENT AGENCY (UTA) AGENT TRAINING PROGRAM

http://www.unitedtalent.com/training/index.html

_________________________________________________________________________

3. UNITED TALENT AGENCY SCOUTING TALENT

Via veoh.com – http://www.utaonline.net
_________________________________________________________________________

4. CRACKLE.com

This is the online scouting grounds for Sony Entertainment.

http://www.crackle.com
______________________________________

5. VIRTUAL CHANNEL NETWORK

The Virtual Channel Network is the network for the Entertainment
Industry created by the Entertainment Industry.

Presented by Breakdown Services in cooperation with the Hollywood
Reporter, our goal is to provide programming of interest to actors,
casting, talent representatives, directors, producers, and studio and
network executives.

Contact A'da Woolfolk at the Virtual Channel Network c/o Breakdown
Services at (310) 276-9166
"Real deal" – review of your acting reel or short film by Casting
Director & Agent

http://www.virtualchannelnetwork.com

_________________________________________________________________________

6. YOUTUBE PROJECT CONNECT – JOURNALISM CONTEST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQn8pcZ64MI

_________________________________________________________________________

7. TUBEMOGUL

TubeMogul is a free service that provides a single point for deploying
uploads to the top video sharing sites, and powerful analytics on who,
what, and how videos are being viewed.

[Tubemogul is a great concept, but not quite there in execution.
Check out the difference between the same uncompressed 30MB file
uploaded to Veoh.com via tubemogul:

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v156284263R3NmXGT?rank=10&

and the same file uploaded directly to veoh.com

http://www.veoh.com/videos/v15631653hyYMPJd8?rank=8&

-Anup]

http://www.tubemogul.com/

_________________________________________________________________________

8. GOOGLE VIDEO ADSENSE REVENUE

Making some revenue from your videos:

http://adsense.blogspot.com/2007/10/introducing-video-units.html

_________________________________________________________________________

9. PERSONAL FINANCE PRIMER

FICO SCORE

http://www.Myfico.com - this is probably the most important thing you
gotta focus on – your FICO score.  It determines whether or not you
will get killed by credit card interest rates etc.   All factors that
can knock you out of the entertainment industry.

It ranges from 300 – 850.  300 is basically an `F' while 770 and above
is an `A'
The following determine your score:

Payment history - 35% (any late payments?)
Amounts owed - 30% (includes balance to available credit ratio)
Length of credit history - 15% (don't cancel your oldest cards, unless
it has annual fees)
New credit - 10% (every time you open up a card, your score goes down)
Types of credit used - 10% (credit card, auto loan, mortgage)


http://www.Mymoneyblog.com
Great tips on how to save and even make money.

Stock trading site for people starting out.  Always consult with a
financial planner before starting. I am not one.

http://www.Sharebuilder.com
http://www.Zecco.com

http://finance.yahoo.com - excellent site with tons of learning tools
about finance (glossary, etc).  Don't be overwhelmed by it.

http://www.fool.com - great personal finance advice.

_________________________________________________________________________

10. CREATIVE SCREENWRITING WEEKLY NEWSLETTER


"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for
writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous."
– Robert Benchley

You can subscribe to the newsletter here:
csdaily@ creativescreenwriting.com
_________________________________________________________________________

11. FOX MOVIE CHANNEL TELEVISION SERIES "LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL",

where film students interview filmmakers. Please enter your
information in the following fields to be considered for an audition.

Show Format: Each episode three film students (from schools such as
USC, UCLA and AFI) interview a director, producer, writer or actor
from an upcoming Fox feature film release or Fox/ FX television show.
The interview is a mentoring session where the guests current Fox
project is used as a reference point for the conversation.

For more information and to see clips from the show, please visit:
http://www.foxmoviechannel.com/FMC-LAFS.html.

Requirements: You must be a current undergraduate or graduate level
film student, or have very recently graduated. You must live in the
Los Angeles area. You must be authorized to work in the United States.
Students receive a fee per episode.

http://www.foxmoviechannel.com/auditions/
_________________________________________________________________________

12. WOMEN IN FILM

Women In Film's purpose is to EMPOWER, promote and mentor women in the
entertainment and media industries.

http://www.wif.org/

_________________________________________________________________________

13. GIRLS REELING IT TOGETHER

known as G. R. I. T., is a director-driven organization of
professional female filmmakers committed to cultivating the diverse
female perspective in cinema, expanding the presence of female
directors, and building an audience for our work. Through ongoing
support, mentorship, structured critiques, and screenings, we provide
a forum for female directors to articulate their voices with excellence.

http://www.gritfilm.org/
_________________________________________________________________________


14. DIRECTORS GUILD (DGA)- PRODUCER TRAINING PLAN

Assistant Directors Training Program

The Assistant Directors Training Program was established in 1965 by
the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers.
The purpose of this non-profit training program is to provide equal
access to men and women of diverse backgrounds to participate in an
industry sponsored training program that provides on-the-job training.
After the successful completion of training, graduates are eligible to
join the Directors Guild of America as a Second Assistant Director.

The application period for the 2009 program is officially underway.
Applications are currently available for download from our website and
must be postmarked no later than November 21, 2008.


For more information, please visit our website or call:
http://www.trainingplan.org 818.386.2545
_________________________________________________________________________

15. SAN DIEGO FILM SHOWCASE ON TV - SO YOU MADE A MOVIE

A showcase of short films and videos made by San Diegans from all
walks of life. Hosted by Charles Hand, this 30 minute show highlights
the passion and enthusiasm of the local filmmaking community and
creates a venue to share their work. Along with short films, SO YOU
MADE A MOVIE will occasionally mix in local film trivia, highlight the
local film festival scene and go on location visiting sets of films
currently in production.

SUBMIT YOUR FILMS! Are you a San Diego filmmaker? Send us your films,
videos, animations, flash animations and documentaries. Here's your
opportunity to have your work telecast in HD to over 300,000 homes in
San Diego. We prefer films that are 2 to 8 minutes in length but we
accept longer films, too. Go to


http://www.SoYouMadeAMovie.com to submission information.
http://www.myspace.com/soyoumadeamovie
_________________________________________________________________________

16. CATCH A FLICK WITH YOUR FAVORITE CELEB FOR $25

Sit beside Steve Martin for a screening of "The Jerk," share a theater
with Mike Myers for a showing of "Austin Powers: International Man of
Mystery" or squirm in your seat alongside Jodie Foster during "The
Silence of the Lambs"

These stars along with Dustin Hoffman, Cameron Diaz, Denzel
Washington, Annette Bening, Jim Carrey, Shirley MacLaine, Rita Moreno
and Keanu Reeves will share some of their most famous films with their
fans next month at "Target Presents AFI Night at the Movies."

The one-night-only event is set to take over the ArcLight theater in
Hollywood on Oct. 1, the American Film Institute announced Wednesday.
The idea is to bring filmmakers and fans together to celebrate
American movies, said AFI chief Bob Gazzale.

"It is a fireworks show of American film," he said, "and AFI's honor
to celebrate the artists and their contributions to the rich cultural
legacy of our nation."

Tickets are $25 and will be available beginning Sept. 17.

The complete list of stars and films:

_ Connery, "The Man Who Would Be King.
_ Bening, "American Beauty."
_ Carrey, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
_ Diaz, "There's Something About Mary."
_ Foster, "The Silence of the Lambs."
_ Hoffman, "Tootsie."
_ MacLaine, "The Apartment."
_ Martin, "The Jerk."
_ Moreno, "West Side Story."
_ Myers, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery."
_ Reeves, "The Matrix."
_ Washington, "Glory."

http://www.AFI.com

_________________________________________________________________________

17. AFI DIRECTOR SERIES

Also Check out the AFI director's series:
https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/SpecialProgramming.jsp;jsessionid\
=492AC2391CBE08967643B8BB4F43F642.node5?eventCode=AFI&pageInfo=Home-Page

or

http://tinyurl.com/3pbjy6

_________________________________________________________________________

18. FESTIVAL OF SACRED MUSIC

Sept 13 –28, 2008

1000 Artists, 41 Events, 16 Days

A largely volunteer effort, based on the intention to utilize the arts
festival model to build genuine community cooperation and
understanding, the World Festival of Sacred Music is presented by
Foundation for World Arts and UCLA Center for Intercultural
Performance and EarthWays Foundation.

Subscribe: info@...

The World Festival of Sacred Music (Sept 13-28, 2008) invites you to
participate as an Artist / Group, Venue or Producer in what New York
Times has called "one of the planet's biggest and most intriguing
world music Festivals".
  Join us if you are:
·         An Artist/group and wish to present your music or dance in
new ways to new audiences.
·         A Venue and wish to open your doors to people from all over
the city. You can present individual artist/groups or a shared program
or create unique programs that present two or more music traditions.
We welcome the inclusion of  sacred spaces , natural sites , arts
spaces , cultural centers  or professional theaters

   ·       An Organization and wish to partner with other faith based,
civic or community organizations to create a special event that speaks
to interfaith, intercultural message of the festival.

·         A Producer or presenter with visions of how an event can be
curated, organized and produced.
·         A Director of a Youth ensemble who wishes to present your
choir or dance group in the Festival's Emerging Voices Youth project.

·         A Volunteer who is looking for a project that is unique and
that can use your personal talents.

We are excited about the possibility of working with you on this our
fourth Festival. Our efforts  will generate enormous public attention
and have a positive impact on our city. Please forward this letter to
others who may be interested in joining us in this conversation.

Judy Mitoma
Director, World Festival of Sacred Music- Los Angeles
www.festivalofsacredmusic.org

Director, UCLA Center for Intercultural Performance
Professor, Dept of World Arts & Cultures
http://www.wac.ucla.edu/cip

http://www.festivalofsacredmusic.org
_________________________________________________________________________

19. DOCUMENTARY CONTEST FOR BECK


You know Street Scene is next weekend and we need some help. One of
our favorite Street Scene artists, Beck, has given us permission to
video an hour-long documentary of him at Street Scene. It's a chance
for us to show our audience how involved a major festival like Street
Scene is. Frankly, we don't have time to record this documentary.
We're going to be busy as we broadcast live, interview artists and
bring you the Street Scene experience.

So, with that said, we want an Insider to be in charge of this
documentary. We'll give you a Flip Mino Video Camcorder plus some
backstage access at Street Scene. You'll be able to shoot Beck's stage
set-up, maybe talk to his crew, film Beck's takeover of FM 94/9 and
even a few songs of his performance all on your Flip Mino. In essence,
you'll create a "Beck-Umentary" for us.

Being our "Beck-Umentarist" should be a lot of fun, so we want to make
sure someone who's a big Beck fan and will appreciate the experience
is given this opportunity. If you're interested, click the link below
and answer some Beck-related trivia questions. We'll select one winner
from everyone who answers all of the questions correctly. Send us your
answers by midnight Monday, September 15, 2008.

Sincerely,

Owen - FM 94/9 Promotions
http://www.fm949sd.com/winstuff/WINsiders-BeckUmentary.cfm

_________________________________________________________________________

20. LOS ANGELES FINAL CUT PRO USERS GROUP

Excellent free resource – meets once a month in Hollywood.

Join mailing list and get more info:

http://lafcpug.org/

_________________________________________________________________________

21. DIGITAL MEDIA ARTISTS USER GROUP

Los Angeles (DMA/LA) is an association for professionals creating
imagery for video, film, and other media using desktop tools.

***Next Meeting***
Tuesday, September 16 (two weeks from today)

Gallery Theater at Barnsdall Art Park
------- 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. -------
------Cover charge: FREE

Every quarter (more or less), we reserve time for you to show of your
most recent projects and reels. Time to show us your stuff! Please
limit the length to about 3 minutes or under. Best formats are DVD,
VHS, and SVHS; we can also play back miniDV, DVCAM, and accommodate a
computer connection or play back your QuickTime movie. Be prepared to
talk about what you show, and bring a card or slip of paper with your
contact information so we can include it in the meeting summary. Hand
your reels to Warren Heaton or another one of our hosts before the
meeting or during the break to get into the queue.

More info:
http://www.dmala.org/
_________________________________________________________________________

22. RED ROCK MICRO

Get 35mm-like shallow depth of field on your camcorder for about $2K.

Its competitors are Brevis, Letus, P+S Technics and a few more.

http://www.redrockmicro.com
_________________________________________________________________________

23. CASTINGTUBE IS HERE TO HELP YOU MAKE VIDEOS

One of the best ways to gain subscribers and been scene on sites like
youtube is to create Collab videos with other online creators.

But when you're starting out finding people to send you video clips
can be hard. So CastingTube is here to help you!

It real simple you send us a video casting call (and/or text blurb)
with the details of the video you want to cast.

We will put that video up on a dozen+ popular video hosting sites and
more (including youtube, Myspace, Live Video and a lot more).

Then you get your clips and it's all FREE!

all we ask is that you add our animation loop to the end of your final
video collab to help spread the word.

http://www.youtube.com/castingtube

by youtuber extraordinaire

http://www.samproof.tv - has nearly 3 million youtube views for his
videos.
_________________________________________________________________________

24. IREPORT FILM FESTIVAL

US residents: Enter the iReport Film Festival for a chance to win a
new videocamera and a trip to the 2009 inauguration. iReport's online
festival of short films is looking for shorts from the US campaign
trail -- so make a film about an issue or a candidate;  a local
campaign or a grassroots political organization; or any related topic
that moves you. Deadline is October 12. See the iReport Film Festival
blog for full details and entry form, and to watch hundreds of other
short films.

http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=42599

_________________________________________________________________________

25. PANGEA DAY
taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while
uniting millions of people to build a better future.

In a world where people are often divided by borders, difference, and
conflict, it's easy to lose sight of what we all have in common.
Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in
others — through the power of film.


http://www.pangeaday.org/

_________________________________________________________________________

26. DESIYOUTH MAGAZINE MODELS AND CONTRIBUTORS WANTED

Calling South Asian Male and Female Models, 16 to 25 yrs, for our next
photoshoot taking place on Aug 16th & 17th. All those interested
please send us your contact information along with a couple of
pictures of yourself to community@...

"Do you love writing? Perhaps, taking pictures? Or maybe, even
modelling? How about gossips on film and glamour, Umm...fashion and
beauty? Sports? Community events?

Okay, give up....YOU tell us!

DYM is looking for contributors - please write to
contributions@..."

http://desiyouthmag.com/models.html

_________________________________________________________________________

27. SDAFF FILM REVIEW COMPETITION - SD

Love Watching Movies? Students, Enter Our Film Review Competition
If you love watching movies and can give your opinion about them, this
competition is for you! We are seeking college and high school
candidates for our annual Student Film Review Competition, in
partnership with The San Diego Union-Tribune and the Asian American
Journalists Association of San Diego.

The winning review will be published in The San Diego Union-Tribune
during the week of the 9th Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival,
October 9-16, 2008. The winning student receives a $500 scholarship,
an All-Festival Pass to the festival, and two complimentary seats at
the SDAFF Gala Awards Dinner, Saturday, October 11.

http://sdaff2008.blogspot.com/

_________________________________________________________________________

28. DIVERSITY JOBS AND CASTING RESOURCES

A listing of internships, mentorships, scholarships and placement agencies
By ANDREW BARKER


INTERNSHIPS AND MENTORSHIPS

NBC
Details: Writers initiative funds one minority staff writer position
for each NBC primetime scripted series. NBC's talent program promotes
on-camera diversity with pilot-season casting internships.
Contact: http://www.nbcjobs.com

CBS
Details: Directing and writing initiatives pair aspirants with studio
mentors, who provide feedback on participants' work.
Contact: http://www.cbscorporation.com/diversity

FOX
Details: Coordinates programs with local high schools and offers
company-wide internships for college students.
Contact: http://www.fox.com/diversity

ABC/Walt Disney Studios
Details: Writing fellowship offers yearlong, full-time salaried posts.
Up to 15 fellows are selected per year to work in the feature film and
television areas of ABC Entertainment and Walt Disney Studios. Similar
programs for directors and producers also available.
Contact: http://abctalentdevelopment.com

DGA
Details: Assignment program seeks to engage at least 10 seasoned
female and minority directors. Selected helmers are assigned at least
one episode of an ABC series, with no restriction on future employment.
Contact: Regina Render (310) 289-2036

PGA
Details: Workshop pairs producers with pro mentors to create an
original project (TV comedy, one-hour dramatic program or motion
picture) and realize it through seminars on pitching, development,
marketing and packaging.
Contact: Joe Chambers (310) 358-9020

WGA
Details: In conjunction with Columbia U., org hosts intensive 10-week
program for screenwriters from Harlem community. Participants attend
workshops, mentoring sessions and master classes taught by renowned
writers.
Contact: http://www.wgae.org/diversity

SCHOLARSHIPS

Emma Bowen Foundation
Details: Sponsors five-year scholarship program, beginning junior year
of high school and extending until college graduation. Participants
work with industry mentors during summer breaks, developing skills and
making contacts. Provides an hourly wage, plus tuition assistance and
other compensation.
Contact: emmabowenfoundation.com

PLACEMENT AGENCIES

Workplace Hollywood
Details: Nonprofit org works with studios and corporate sponsors to
find paid internships and jobs spanning nearly all fields of the industry.
Contact: http://www.workplacehollywood.org

Inroads
Details: Corporate-focused agency places high-performing minority
students (college freshmen and sophomores) in two- to four-year
internships.
Contact: http://www.inroads.org

Hollywood Cinema Production Resources
Details: Offers free below-the-line vocational training for ages 15-25.
Contact: http://www.hollywoodcpr.org

Y.E.S. to Jobs
Details: Finds paid studio internships for college and high school
students.
Contact: http://www.yestojobs.org

Film Independent (FIND)
Details: Project:Involve offers mentorship, training, workshops and
job placement through one-on-one contact with industry professionals.
Contact: http://www.filmindependent.org/ index.php/talent_development

Streetlights Production Assistant Program
Details: Provides six weeks of classroom and location production
assistant training for low-income students. Ongoing mentorship and
career counseling continues after the program.
Contact: http://www.streetlights.org

This listing is partial and does not represent all orgs advocating
diversity.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=features2006&content=jump&jump=story&dep\
t=jobs&nav=Fjobs&articleid=VR1117941218
or

http://tinyurl.com/36lcud


_________________________________________________________________________

29. DVDS FOR TROOPS

My Friend & I are sending old or unwanted DVD's to the US troops and
I'm hoping those of that can will help.
we appreciate any and all except NO PORN. Thanks for letting me
blanket all of you and if you can help great
if not maybe you know someone who can. Thanks very much.
mark berry

Update.

As of Wed. July 18, there have been 81 movies sent/given to me.
81, DVD Movies !!
I'm sending you all this email in the hopes that we, you keep this going.
Please, if you have not already sent any, if you can, what ever you
can, if you have sent me one or two or 50,
Thank You.
Please forward this to all your friends and ask them to forward it
again to all of there's.
These movies will be passed out to any soldier, no matter what branch
or rank.
With each shipment I will be letting my friend know who sent these,
your first name will be included and any message you would like.
Again,
Thanks,

send to...
Spike
1011 N. Coronado St.
Los Angeles, CA.
90026

or

Mark Berry
2800 West Victory Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505

[Mark Berry is the lead in the film I'm directing – great guy; not
some strangers who's gonna take your dvds and sell `em back to you on
ebay. :)
-Anup]
_________________________________________________________________________

30. HOLLYWOODDESPERADOTV.COM – SOCIAL NETWORKING

An interactive career-networking site made up of a diverse group of
Indie Artists from the worlds of Film, Television, Music and
Entertainment.

HollywoodDesperadoTV.com combines the professional networking of
"Myspace," the job-listings found on "Craigslist" and the
video-sharing of "Youtube" into one site! This revolutionary site is
specifically designed for Hollywood's creative community. It utilizes
interactive media to expand EVERYONE's opportunities to promote their
talents in the Entertainment industry. Now, you can connect with other
industry professionals, as well as create new work opportunities
through HollywoodDesperadoTV.com

Are you an actor, singer, comedian, writer, director or producer?
This is your network to tell all of Hollywood who you are, what you do
and that you are ready to be on set!

http://www.HollywoodDesperadoTV.com
_________________________________________________________________________

31. FILMIXER.com – Social Networking

Welcome to the Internet's newest and slickest social network for film
and media makers in motion picture, television, gaming and new media.

http://www.filmixer.com

Courtesy of Raj Suri - http://www.myspace.com/rajsuri

_________________________________________________________________________

INNER-CITY FILMMAKERS
needs volunteers to provide inspiration, education, training and
mentoring for capable inner-city youth who are dedicated to reaching
their potential.

http://www.innercityfilmmakers.com/volunteering/guests.html

_________________________________________________________________________

33. NEW INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTORS

Companies recently join domestic release biz
By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

'The Pink Conspiracy'
'The Pink Conspiracy'
More Articles:
How to keep indie film budgets in check
Digital distribution's impact hard to pin down
Execs and talent weigh in on state of indie biz
CINEMA EPOCH
HQ: Los Angeles
Topper: Gregory Hatanaka
Backstory: Production and distrib company created by Hatanaka in the
vein of '70s label New World, Cinema Epoch finds a home for a slew of
imports and Asian indie fare ("Asian Stories," starring James Kyson
Lee of NBC's "Heroes").
Upcoming: "The Pink Conspiracy" (Sept. 19), "The Palimpsest" (Nov.)

MITROPOULOS
HQ: Beverly Hills
Topper: M.J. Peckos
Backstory: A 25-year marketing and distrib vet, Peckos, who formerly
headed distrib Tartan USA, is handling a mix of mainly foreign pics
that span all demos, from Argentina's senior romance "Elsa and Fred"
(grossed $159,000) to horror maestro Dario Argento's "Mother of Tears"
($60,000).
Upcoming: "Ballast" (Oct. 1), "La Zona" (Q4), "Desert Within"(2009)

NEOCLASSIC
HQ: Vancouver, with regional offices in London and Culver City
Topper: Irwin Olian, CEO and chairman
Backstory: Few boutique U.S. indie distribs have overseas offices,
making Neoclassic unique. Its first crop of English-language releases
are from Canada, Australia and the U.K.
Upcoming: "Surviving Crooked Lake," "The Black Balloon," "St. Trinian's"

OSCILLOSCOPE PICTURES
HQ: New York
Toppers: Adam Yauch, David Fenkel, Dan Berger
Backstory: Beastie Boys member Yauch spun an indie film company out of
his Oscilloscope recording studio with the help of former ThinkFilm
execs Fenkel and Berger. With a focus on unique niche fare, label made
its first pickup at Cannes with water crisis docu "Flow." Distrib's
first release, Yauch's docu "Gunnin' for That No. 1 Spot," about 24
high school basketball prodigies, bowed in June, grossing $51,000.
Upcoming: "Flow: For Love of Water" (Sept. 12), "Frontrunners" (Oct.
15), "Wendy and Lucy" (Dec. 10)

PEACE ARCH
HQ: Toronto, N.Y., L.A.
Toppers: Gerry Noble, CEO; John Flock, prexy/ COO; Mara Di Pasquale, CFO
Backstory: Over the last year, this Canadian media company, which has
home entertainment and TV (Showtime hit "The Tudors") units, launched
a theatrical distribution side. It released "Chapter 27" via
Vitagraph, but handled another Sundance title "Delirious" solo. To
date, distrib has cumed some $200,000 domestically.
Upcoming: "JCVD," "Winged Creatures"

VIVENDI
HQ: Universal City
Toppers: Tom O'Malley, prexy; Mike Doban, evp, distribution
Backstory: A unit of Universal Music Group and previously focused on
homevid for four years, Vivendi announced its intentions to get into
the theatrical biz in March. It made key hires to ramp up, and is
sending acquisitions exec Yolanda Macias to shop titles in Toronto.
Upcoming: "An American Carol" (Oct. 3), "New York, I Love You" (Q1)


http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991753.html?categoryid=3235&cs=1
_________________________________________________________________________

34. VIDEOGRAPHERS, SOUNDPERSONS, EDITORS TO SAVE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION

Hey there,

We are looking for VIDEOGRAPHERS, SOUNDPERSONS, EDITORS -  needed by
September 30th.
" TO SAVE LOS ANGELES PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION"
We are looking for 5 small crews (camera and sound person or all self
contained) to shoot for one day to report the needs of the 5 LA
communities for such transportation.  The city council members have
each said that if each doesn't get benefits for its own community
first, then they will vote against any measure to improve LA's public
transportation and the half a cent sales tax and we will all lose.  We
want to get the message out for them to work together.  You need to
have access to your own equipment (DVcams) and Final Cut Pro.  And we
need to shoot before September 30.  THIS IS A NON-PAY JOB for a TRULY
IMPORTANT CAUSE.  Contact Professor Jeremy Kagan - ainsof18@ gmail.com
Thanks for thinking of this and passing the word on.

Best,
Jeremy Kagan
ainsof18@ gmail.com
_________________________________________________________________________

35. HD CAMERA SHOOTER OR RENTAL WANTED

Hello... checking to see if anyone knows good camera people w/ own or
rentable HD cameras who
could shoot in Orange County for 1 day, Sept. 27.
If you can refer 1 or 2 people to me, that would be great.
They would be video taping the speakers at a trade show and then 1
camera person would stay to  video a host interviewing the vendors who
are running the numerous booths.
Someone w/online access to their reels and preferably with some
industrial experience.
Most likely the footage would be edited somewhere else, like Dallas, TX.
Thanks for any referrals you might have.

[reply to this message if you are interested in this project.
-Anup]
_________________________________________________________________________

36. SCREENPLAY READERS WANTED TO WRITE COVERAGE

In cooperation with a Hollywood agent, ScreenPlayLab is nurturing intern
screenplay readers. If you're a writer, this is an opportunity to see
what other writers are submitting to agents, to learn what type of
material is attractive to agents and why.

[They also need actors for staged-readings, I did one for them and had
a good time.
-Anup]

http://www.screenplaylab.com
_________________________________________________________________________

37. SHOW YOUR FILMS FREE!

Monday's, we offer the opportunity to screen
Your work at no charge and Expose your film that
You produced, directed, wrote or acted.

Half price well drinks and discounted
Martinis, Mojitos, wine and beer.

The Bungalow Club
323.964.9494
7174 Melrose Ave
http://www.thebungalowclub.com
_________________________________________________________________________

38. JOB BOARD - STUDIO DAILY

Post production jobs.

http://jobs.studiodaily.com
_________________________________________________________________________


39. MEMBER UPDATES

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

ADAM RUDDER

my company's new website is now live.  Please take a quick look :)
http://www.sdhdmediagroup.com/

We specialize in high definition  video work (commercials, viral
videos, PSA's, webisodes, marketing/training videos, music videos
etc).  Please take a gander at the site and check out some of our
demos and other services we provide.

And if you happen to know of any individuals, companies or
organizations who would be interested in working with us (especially
any business or organization looking to streamline their marketing
with an affordable on-line commercial) please let me know.  Would be
greatly appreciative of any leads  :)

Thanks all,

Adam
adam@ sdhdmediagroup.com

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

DAEG FAERCH

Daeg is on a roll from the lead role in Rob Zombie's Halloween to Will
Smith's Hancock.
http://www.myspace.com/daegfaerch

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

DORIT GENAZZANI – L.A.-based make up artist

I do make up for movies as well.
You can view my updated website, the link is below.
Best regards,
DORIT
310-871 8477

http://www.MAKEUPBYDORIT.com

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

GAURAV

Greetings everyone! Many of you have already heard but for those who
have not, I am now pleased to announce the release of two of my
original songs for sale:

*Kab Se*

*Saari Dishayen /featuring Abhilash Patel on Guitar/*

Both of these tracks can be purchased on a number of sites including
Amazon MP3, iTunes (starting in August 2008), Rhapsody, Napster, and
eMusic. If you like what you hear then please spread the word!

Thanks to all my family and friends that have supported and believed
in me so far. Special thanks to Ganga Hettiarachchi for designing
amazing album art for these releases.

Get your copies today at
Rhapsody <http://www.rhapsody.com/gauravvenkateswar>
| Amazon
<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_dmusic?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field\
-keywords=venkateswar&x=0&y=0>
| iTunes (coming soon)

Visit my web site at http://www.gvtunes.com

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

GRETA VALENTI

Greta is the lead in the new BUCKCHERRY music video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qplBVqPhbBY

New video for her band Fuji Minx
http://www.myspace.com/fujiminx

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

HAMID DAUDANI

Congratulations to hamid Daudani.  He has been producing plays in
Hindi/Urdu in San Diego for 15 years.

More info: daudanih@ yahoo.com
------------------------------

HARI KUMAR – SOUND DESIGNER

Hi

Sharing some good news

My film(I did the Sound Design) Mohua Memoirs- by Vinod
Raja(Director/DOP) of Grassroots Media won the Best Film Award in the
Cinema of Resistance section at the Signs 2007 International Video
film festival in Trivandum,India

                                      News of the Festival


http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/27/stories/2007102763330300.htm

                                         MOHUA MEMOIRS

The Film is documenting and showcasing the saga of resistance and
silent struggle of the tribal people, who inhabit the interiors
eastern parts of the India, whose land has been wrongfully grabbed by
the MNC s(with the help of administration) in the name of mining and
development leading to the gradual loss of the life and lifestyle and
an entire civilization

The film has been shot over 2 years by the team in difficult terrain
and living with the people and being a part of their movement

This film has been shot on the DV format with Panasonic camera
regards

Hari

Production sound mixer/Sound designer

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

LAK RANA

Desi OC is still rocking and rolling!  Here's episode 7 fresh out of
the cutting room.  I've also posted episode 6 because I forgot if I
sent an email out for that or not.  And as always, you can always find
the episodes on Youtube yourself if you missed one.  Thanks again for
all your support...if you weren't watching this stuff, we'd shoot
ourselves...no seriously we would........still not kidding.

Lak Rana also guest starred on NBC's "Medium" recently.

Episode 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3mbGZtPsl4

Episode 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRtBIdcYZo&feature=related

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

MELINDA AUGUSTINA
Actress, Author, Producer
MTA Management:  Jason Byer 310-922-6821

"...especially hilarious..." Backstage West
RESUME & Reels: http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/MelindaAugustina
BLOG:  http://threefifty.wordpress.com
2008 Festivals: Santa Barbara Film Festival / Dam Short Film Festival/
Beloitt Int'l Film Fest
2007 Awards:  Audience Award-Dances With Films / People's Choice-Taos
Shortz Film Fest / Best Picture-West Virginia Filmmakers

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

NAUSHEEN DADABHOY

Cinematographer
American Film Institute '08
http://www.DadabhoyFilms.com


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

NAVEEN SINGH

The short film 27,000 DAYS won at the following festivals in addition
to be accepted to nearly 3 dozen festivals including Rotterdam and
Rhode Island.

South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
Canada International Film Festival
USA Film Festival
Firstlook Film Festival
New Orleans Film Festival
Next Frame Touring Film Festival

More info:
http://27000daysfilm.com/

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

RAHUL CHATTERJEE

Directed http://www.TheSpanishGuitarHour.com as well as The Adventures
of Supercool Suresh (also starring Hash Patel):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmSMlQ3z0as


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

SHARAT RAJU

We are excited to announce that the Divided We Fall Campaign begins
this week! 70 cities across the United States will hold screenings of
the film Divided We Fall this month in a national grassroots movement
to create deep community dialogue about race, religion, and renewal
during the seven-year anniversary of September 11, 2001.

Watch the film.  Join the dialogue.  Spread the word.  Find the
screening nearest you: http://dwf-film.com/tour

Valarie Kaur and Sharat Raju
Filmmakers
Divided We Fall
http://www.dwf-film.com

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

TARA DONOVAN

Check out 2 videos from a series of PSA's I wrote on FunnyorDie. com
about the California hands-free cell phone law

http://www. funnyordie. com/videos/63bc11d46d
http://www. funnyordie. com/videos/f5803bd085

And Tell your friends!!!

She was also in a production of MACBETH at the Next Stage in Hollywood
recently.

http://www.TaraDonovan.com

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

TREVOR GRACIANO

Trevor's Money Tree is a winner at the EMMY'S for Best Advanced
Media-Student Production.

He is also available for any of the following productions needs:
actor/editor/videographer/motion graphics artist/filmmaker

http://www.myspace.com/trevorcloyes

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

ROOPASHREE JEEVAJI

Booked an National All-State Commercial.  Also, check her out in
"Weslim" & "TheIndiaStreet.com" at:

http://www.Roopa.net
http://www.myspace.com/jeevaji

_________________________________________________________________________

ARTICLES

A. New Video Digital Aiming 1,600 New Films at iTunes, Other Platforms
by Eric Kohn

Digital distribution keeps gaining momentum. While there are currently
about 700 movies available for download on iTunes, including a number
of independent movies and documentaries, that number will soon grow.
New Video Digital confirmed this week that it has secured a whopping
1,600 titles for Apple's online store and other outlets. The
independent video aggregator said that it has acquired the rights to
over 5,000 hours of independent film and television content, with
plans to double that number by the end of this year. The company will
push that content out to iTunes and other online platforms in the
coming months on a non-exclusive basis.

The films currently available on iTunes via New Video include a
mixture of narratives and documentaries, with relatively popular
releases, such as "Super Size Me" and "Jim Henson's Labyrinth and The
Dark Crystal,"

Read full article here:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20080815/121883859200.html

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

B. USERS CAN ACCESS PICS' PREVIEWS ON PHONE
Shochiku, Dogado Dial Up Deal
By Mark Schillling

TOKYO – Shochiku and cellp hone contents provider Dogado have linked
to offer previews of Shochiku DVDs to cell phone users.

By reading the two-dimensional bar code on the DVD package with their
cell phones, users will be able to access the pic's story and preview.

The aim is to boost DVD rentals and sales, particularly of foreign
pics that have not been theatrically released in Japan, by giving
customers a better idea of what they are getting.

The first Shochiku pic to offer this service is helming-scribe duo
Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopena's "Fermat's Room," a Spanish
mystery/thriller that will be released on DVD on Sept. 29.

Launched in April 2006, Dogado is jointly owned by Shochiku and the
Mitsui trading house. Shochiku has a 51% stake. The company offers
toon, pic, comic and other contents to cell phone and PC users

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990583.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1

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

C. Rare and Unseen Short Films Find a Home on the McSweeney's Wholphin
DVD Label
by Kim Adelman

Spike Jonze's portrait of 1999-era Al Gore, Alexander Payne's student
film, and a four-minute piece directed by Steven Soderbergh simply
titled "Building No. 7," these are just a few of the shorts to be
found on Wholphin, a DVD series created by Brent Hoff and Dave Eggers
of McSweeney's. With the fifth issue scheduled to be released in
January 2008, Wholphin programmers are holding the first ever Los
Angeles live screening on November 27, 2007. In addition to reviving
Chris Waitt's "Heavy Metal Jr." from Issue No. 4 and previewing shorts
off the upcoming Issue No. 5, the event promises to be a grand
celebration of the McSweeney's imprint named after the offspring of a
whale and a dolphin.

Editor Brent Hoff laughs with delight when asked about the confounding
Wholphin moniker. "Yeah, I know. Can't pronounce it, can't spell it,
and no one knows what it means." When pressed if the namesake
whale-dolphin hybrid actually exists, Hoff deadpans, "I never joke
about sc ience."

To Hoff and co-founder Dave Eggers, the name makes perfect sense.
"Dave and I are putting out cinematic wholphins," declares Hoff. Or as
the website officially states, "Wholphin is a new quarterly DVD
magazine from McSweeney's, lovingly encoded with unique and ponderable
films designed to make you feel the way we felt when we learned that
dolphins and whales sometimes, you know, do it."

Launched in Winter 2006, the first Wholphin DVD was bundled with
McSweeney's and The Believer. Within a lineup of thirteen short
pieces, highlights included Spike Jonze's never publicly screened "Al
Gore Documentary" and a four-minute piece written by Miranda July and
directed by Miguel Arteta entitled "Are You the Favorite Person of
Anybody?"

Issue No. 2 followed in Spring 2006. In addition to showcasing an
unaired TV pilot featuring Zach Galifianakis directed by Bob Odenkirk
("The Pity Card") and Oscar winner Jessica Yu's five-minute cult
classic "Sour Death Balls," the DVD also featured what has become a
signature element for Wholphin - a foreign sitcom translated by comedy
writers. "It all started with a Turkish version of 'The Jeffersons'
arriving in the mail," recalls editor Hoff. A taste of this foreign
delight resulted in Wholphin putting the Japanese "Bewitched"
reimagined by the Daily Show writers on Issue No. 2 and the Russian
"Married...with Children" rescripted with Putin propaganda on No. 4.
"We're trying to get the Brazilian 'Mork & Mindy' for a future issue,"
enthuses Hoff.

There are no themes uniting the soon-to-be-five Wholphin DVDs. "We
dislike themes," sneers Hoff. "Themes are about the theme-makers
proving they are smart and creative." A scene from Taika Waititi's
"Two Cars, One Night." Image courtesy of Wholphin.

Instead, editor Hoff selects material with the overall mandate of
establishing a trust with viewers, who are encouraged to subscribe to
the DVD series ($50 for four issues.) "We carefully curate based only
on what we think is amazing," clarifies Hoff. "Trust that there will
be something in each issue that will befuddle you, interest you, and
make you mad at the same time."

Hoff delineates a few other topics that regularly show up on the
Wholphin rosters. "We always try to find a film that investigates
something scientific in an artistic way. You'll also find on each DVD
a weighty documentary about a compelling issue. Our last issue had an
excerpt from Lynn Hershman Leeson's 'Strange Culture.'" Leeson's
documentary-essay details the government's case against artist Steve
Kurtz, whose artwork led to FBI charges of bioterrorism.

As with all products produced by McSweeney's, each Wholphin DVD is
beautifully designed. Each issue contains a forty-page booklet
featuring an introduction from editor Brent Hoff, extensive liner
notes, Q & A's with the filmmakers, and full color photos. The DVDs
can be purchased wherever McSweeney's or The Believer are sold, or via
the website.

The Wholphin website also contains information for filmmakers
interested in submitting their work for future issues. "We're always
looking for new films," encourages Hoff. "We love seeing all sort of
things."

The Los Angeles sneak peek of Issue No. 5 will take place Tuesday,
November 27, 2007, at 8PM at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax
Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

Among the films to be previewed: "Piece by Piece," a fifteen minute
doc about the Rubik's Cube resurgence that previously played SXSW in
2007, and a Wholphin original entitled "Drunk Bees." Additionally, two
films from Issue No. 4 will screen: the 2005 Academy Award-nominated
"Two Cars, One Night" by New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi and
"Heavy Metal Jr.," Chris Waitt's delightful documentary also about a
Scottish pre-teen metal band struggling to rebel against their
overly-supportive parents.

Tickets are still available.

[Kim Adelman is the author of "The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short
Films."]
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20071120/119559236600.html

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

D. Women in Film Foundation seeks films
Org accepting submissions for fund
By ANNE THOMPSON

The Women in Film Foundation will accept submissions for its Film
Finishing Fund between Dec. 1 and Feb. 8.

Now in its 23rd year, the Finishing Fund seeks innovative and advanced
narrative, documentary, educational, animated and experimental films.

"Freeheld," which recently made the Oscar shortlist of 15 documentary
features, is an example of the sort of film that might not have been
made without Finishing Fund backing.

Other pics supported by the fund include 2007 Tribeca fest award
winner "A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory,"
2006 Sundance special jury prize winner "American Blackout," 2004 Emmy
winner "Be Good, Smile Pretty," 1998 Oscar winner "Regret to Inform,"
1994 Emmy winner "Animated Woman" and 1994 Oscar winner "Maya Lin: A
Strong, Clear Vision."

Since the inception of the fund in 1985, the foundation has awarded
more than $1.6 million in cash and in-kind services to 170 films.
Unrestricted cash awards range from $1,500 to $5,000, with the number
of grants to indie filmmakers and nonprofits ranging from five to 10
each year. Eligibility is limited to projects for which principal
photography and a rough cut have been completed at the time of
application.

Anyone can apply from anywhere in the world, but foreign-language
projects must be subtitled and student projects are not eligible.

Filmmakers must send three NTSC Region 1 DVD copies of their rough cut
with their supporting materials. Applications and guidelines are
available at Wif.org.

In-kind grants for post-production services such as online editing,
sound mixing, color correction and closed captioning are available in
several cities, including Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.

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

E. FIRST PERSON: IFC'S JONATHAN SEHRING ON DRAMATIC CHANGE IN THE
SPECIALTY FILM BUSINESS
by Jonathan Sehring

EDITORS NOTE: Struck by IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring's
remarks while accepting his award at IFP's Gotham Awards in New York
last week, indieWIRE invited Sehring to share his written remarks with
our readers as a First Person piece. At one point for emphasis, while
praising the pictures coming from the studio's specialty divisions,
Sehring singled out Miramax president Daniel Battsek, nothing that
however good the films coming from companies like Miramax are, they
not independent films. He also encouraged the industry to embrace
changes in film distribution, such as IFC's First Take day-and-date
initiation. After the speech, an informal poll showed that attendees
were supportive of Sehring's remarks, even as a few groused that the
comments were merely to trumpet his own company.

Included below are Jonathan Sehrings remark's, as written, for 2007
the Gotham Awards:

"The specialized film business, the true specialized film business,
not the studio specialty business, is undergoing a dramatic change.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with studios making high
end specialty films -- many are great -- but it has in turn made
traditional theatrical distribution for movies without stars, movies
shot digitally, movies in a foreign language, documentaries and too
many other movies going without the means to reach an audience.

Many of my colleagues in the film community complain that there are
too many movies -- the music business doesn't complain that there are
too many songs, the publishing business doesn't complain that there
are too many books, the television business doesn't complain that
there are too many shows, artists don't complain that there are too
many paintings -- yet our business complains that there are too many
movies. I can assure everyone that independent filmmakers are not
going to stop making movies -- they all have stories to tell -- it is
up to the distribution community to be creative and help filmmakers
find a way to reach their audiences. The model for film distribution
hasn't changed dramatically since the business launched almost a
century ago, seemingly everything else in the movie business has.

When IFC launched its Day and Date distribution strategy we did so
because we saw so many great movies going without distribution. World
class filmmakers were not reaching an audience in this country. When
works from masters like Wim Wenders, Hou Hsiao hsien, Ken Loach, Alain
Resnais, Lars von Trier and Gus van Sant are going without
distribution and great new works from current and emerging filmmakers
like Larry Fessenden, Julia Loktev and Christian Mungiu, just to name
a few, are available through our Day and Date model, it becomes
readily apparent that what was the staple of the independent film
business 2-3 years ago is no longer the independent film business today.

I don't think this is a bad thing. In fact it is a good thing. Through
our Day and Date theatrical/VOD initiative these filmmakers are
reaching a wider audience in a much more economic fashion. Ultimately,
their movies will be seen by more people and [their film's] make more
money than ever before. Isn't that what everyone wants?

Additionally, film lovers around the country are now being given the
opportunity to see specialized movies the same day as audiences in New
York and Los Angeles, and contrary to the fears of some it hasn't hurt
the box office for these films. Rather it has helped. Our partners in
the cable industry heavily cross promote the fact that these movies
are in theatrical release, both creating awareness for the films as
well as reaching new audiences. Ken Loach and Shane Meadows have both
enjoyed their most successful theatrical releases through our Day and
Date program. Traditional theatrical distribution isn't dead, but film
distributors large and small are competing with more and more
entertainment options on a daily basis. The digital revolution is now.
More efficient economic models for distribution are working. The true
independent film business should embrace these changes and figure out
how to improve upon them. Sticking to old models and traditional
theatrical distri bution is like using a Sony Walkman instead of an iPod –

I don't think it is coincidence that Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner were
honored here last year touting their Day and Date strategy, or that
IFC Entertainment is being honored this year. Our business is changing
and it is changing for the better. The New York independent film
[community] has always been ahead of the curve, not just in innovative
filmmaking but also innovation in exhibition and distribution. I
assure you, everyone at IFC is still focused on the mission we set out
when we launched our network a decade ago, growing and expanding the
audience for independent film. I would like to thank the IFP again for
this recognition and I am proud and lucky to be part of this
community. Thank you.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20071202/119664944400.html

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


F. THE $2,000 FILM FESTIVAL WINNER

A movie about two siblings facing a nightmare daily commute bags yet
another unlikely filmmaking prize.

By FilmStew Staff, FilmStew.com

It was made in 2005 with novice actors for the paltry sum of $2,000
and begun touring Filipino schools last fall. But it is what The Road
to Kalimugtong ( a.k.a. Ang Daan Patungong Kalimugtong ) has done on
the film festival circuit in 2007 that ranks as truly remarkable.

Following victories on the home front at the Golden Screen Awards in
March (Best Motion Picture, Independent-Digital) and the Gawad Urian
Awards in September (Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best
Production Design), Kalimugtong has picked up a Best Director prize at
the 2007 San Sebastian Film Festival and a Best Feature award at
Venezuela's just completed Festival of Cinema of Towns of the South.

Thanks to that last bit of attention, the film now has its first
foreign distribution deal. Director Ramon Mez de Guzman tells Filipino
site Inquirer.net that Venezuela's Amazonia Distributor Films has
acquired TV and video rights for Latin America.

Part of the reason for the film's success is that it is narrated – and
shot from the point of view of – the sister and brother lead
characters (played by Analyn Bangsi-il and Rhenuel Ordono), who must
make an arduous daily trek through the mountains to reach the
classroom. The pair's more innocent views of things like a
schoolteacher who has repeatedly failed her Board exams and the
thievery of an older brother bathe the showcased northern region of
Benguet in a poetic context at odds with the harsh realities of daily
life.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/fs/20071128/119629485100.html

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


G. ANIME GETS INNOVATIVE ON YOUTUBE

Japanese co. launches new channel to raise money
By MARK SCHILLING
TOKYO -- Toon house Anime Innovation Tokyo launched what it is calling
the Anime Innovation Channel on YouTube on Monday.

It is uploading clips of toons to raise investment coin. The first AIT
projects to get exposure on the channel are surreal youth drama
"Cencoroll," the animal adventure "Love Rollercoaster," the sci-fi
fantasy "Coluboccoro" and the kiddie fantasy "Pooky's." Among the
second group of toons skedded for webcast is the romantic fantasy
"Taropicana."

Pilots -- approximately half-hour toons -- have already been completed
for "Love Rollercoaster" and "Pooky's." Also, helmer Kenji Itoso is
prepping a full-length version of his pilot film of "Coluboccoro,"
which was finished in June.

With the aim of discovering talented new animators with commercial
potential, AIT calls for project submissions at regular intervals,
supports the making of pilot toons for selected projects, using
limited liability partnerships to finance production. AIT then
distribs the pilots in various media, including DVDs, mobile phone
services and, now, the Anime Innovation Channel.

Pilots that attract investment coin can then be made into TV toon
shows or feature-length pics, with the investors, including the
original creators, sharing the revenues. AIT is calling for
submissions for its seventh group of projects, with the deadline on
Dec. 21.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976955.html?categoryid=19&cs=1

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

H. NEW CAMERAS HAVE ACTORS RELOADING
High-def revolutionizes the craft of actors, director
By DAVID S. COHEN

'Grindhouse'
Marley Shelton found that shoot the 'Planet Terror' segment of
'Grindhouse' for helmer Robert Rodriguz meant 'As as actor, I had to
get over myself. I joked that it's cheaper than therapy, because you
have go to let go to be effective.'

'Flyboys'
Tony Bill and James Franco on the set of 'Flyboys'
It's not often that actors find their craft upended by movie technology.

After all, though styles have changed, actors have been a constant
since the beginning of movies.

True, the film camera itself revolutionized acting, forcing thesps to
shrink the big gestures (and at first, silence the big voices) of
19th-century legit. Then came sound, which brought voices back, but
now amplified and more intimate than ever.

The most recent revolution in acting was the Method, which made film
acting more naturalistic. That was more than 50 years ago, and it came
from the stage, not from any shift in filmmaking tools.

But as helmers, including actor-directors such as Mel Gibson and Tony
Bill, are switching to digital capture, the word is filtering back
that actors and directors may finally be getting another revolution.

"My conversion to the church of digital is due to the nontechnical
side of digital," says Bill, who used the Panavision Genesis to shoot
"Flyboys." "I think the way digital changes and can permanently change
the way actors act and directors direct is absolutely irreplaceable.

"For 100 years of acting on film, actors have had to cope with several
technical limitations. First of all, they had to rehearse the scene
before they shoot it. Then, once shooting begins, they have to act
between reloads.

"Third, they have to act when the camera is running, not when it's not
running. They're always aware there's film running through the camera,
which is a tremendous burden for an actor, whether they know it or not.

"Digital removes those constraints. There's no such thing as
rehearsal. You can shoot anything you want. You don't have to say
'cut.' You don't have to say 'action.'

"This is going to change the way films are made, the way directors
relate to actors, and the way actors relate to the camera. I think
this will change acting as much as the Method changed acting."

Gibson, who shot "Apocalypto" with a cast of inexperienced performers
-- some acting for the first time -- says that being able to shoot
nearly an hour at a time with the Panavision Genesis helped with the
performances.

Gibson could jump out from behind the camera, get in among his actors
and direct them with the camera rolling continuously. "You could rev
them up until they hit the level you wanted," he says.

"You have this continuity of energy. They're sort of driving on
through. It allows you to have a longer, harder crack at it."

He adds: "It just gives you a little more room to experiment, to
explore, to talk, and you're not burning this precious stock that's
very expensive and runs out. It would have been a tragedy to burn all
that film talking to them."

Sifting for diamonds

For actors, that additional experimentation means an entirely new way
of working, says thesp Marley Shelton.

Shelton appears in both parts of "Grindhouse": Robert Rodriguez's
"Planet Terror" was shot digitally, while Quentin Tarantino's "Death
Proof" was shot on film.

With film, says Shelton, "there's a beginning, middle and an end
between 'action' and 'cut.' As an actor, one is trained to listen for
cues such as 'roll sound' and slate, and you use that moment to
prepare and go on a journey as your character for a few minutes or
seconds. You use that time to suspend disbelief for yourself. In that
10 seconds, you're sort of going into a zone."

But, Shelton says, when shooting digital, the freedom to keep rolling
means "you're sort of sifting for diamonds. It's great in that you can
probe deeper in certain moments, but it's less conducive to riding the
impulses your character is having chronologically."

Rodriguez would gather the cast and crew around the monitor, show them
the playback and give notes.

Tarantino, by contrast, took a more old-school approach, watching with
the naked eye and not even using playback.

"At that point," Shelton says, "I was so used to Robert's style that
it was disconcerting to have (Tarantino) standing next to the
camera."Another difference, Shelton notes, is that digital "dailies"
include much more of what goes on on the set than do film dailies,
which only include what happens between "action" and "cut."

"Whoever is watching the dailies can see the entire process, the good,
the bad and the ugly," Shelton says. "You really have to be able to
let go of your ego in high-def."

Not all of Shelton's fellow thesps were comfortable with the
informality of digital, and Shelton predicts casting and the chemistry
between actor and director will become even more important.

"With some actors, directors are going to get a lot more by creating
this loose, low-pressure environment, while with other actors, they're
going to get more by having a formality and a kind of a method to the
madness.

"For myself, I don't know where I fall -- I guess I fall somewhere in
between.

"Maybe that's what I enjoyed, too: the sheer challenge of manipulating
yourself to thrive in both. Because why not? It's just a different
skill set."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962957.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1

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

I. THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF MARKETING

I love it when recent undergrads (or grads) tell me that they want a
career in marketing in the entertainment industry… with little thought
to what that means.  I usually shoot right back, "…well, what aspect
of marketing?"  Typically, I receive a blank stare….

Marketing has multiple faces, especially in larger companies like
studios.  Marketing has various sub-departments that specialize in
each aspect of the function:

·        Creative Advertising – graphics, copy, images.  The creative
group crafts the look and feel for the marketing campaign.

·        Marketing Research – data, statistics, ratings, focus groups.
  This is the analytical side; they provide target audience statistics
to the creative group, media buying group and promotions group in
order to aim at the advertising and marketing campaign best.

·        Media Relations – buyers of advertising, locally and
nationally, on TV, billboards, magazines, etc.

·        Publicity – spin, spin, spin, on a local and national level.
  These folks create buzz in whatever way, shape and form about the
movie or TV show – some may even call them "professional liars.'
Publicists also work with the media on press junkets (round-robin
interviews w. the talent, director, producer, etc.)  Lots of energy in
this world!

·        Promotions – third-party deals to promote a movie or TV show.
  Think toys, fast food, retail, etc.  A lot of these people come out
of the consumer products world.

·        Public Relations – sometimes another name for publicity and
sometimes really corporate communications – the group that responds to
the press, issues press releases, takes questions from the press, etc.
  Backgrounds in speech writing and journalism often required.

Companies often have a consumer products group with divisions such as
Home Entertainment or Licensing.  Marketing tends to have similar
background; however, the product is more tangible, easier to define.
It's often hard for consumer products marketers to make the switch
over to a creative group where you are marketing an image or look and
feel vs. a product.

I hope this was insightful to those of you that are future marketers –
be prepared to start in one of these niche areas and grow from there…
the overall strategy and direction typically happens at the very top
by people that started in one specialty once upon a time.

http://weblogs.variety.com/breaking_in/

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

J. CRITICS' POLL '07 | "Secret Sunshine" Glows as Best Undistributed
Film; Critics Pick 250+ Un-Acquired Faves

by Anthony Kaufman (December 19, 2007)

What is it about Korean auteurs that have critics salivating and
distributors running for the exits? Last year, Hong Sang-soo's "Woman
on the Beach" topped indieWIRE's best undistributed films list for
2007. This year, Hong compatriot Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine"
was far-and-way the winner of the honor. Thirty-four of the 106
critics surveyed in the 2007 indieWIRE Critics' Poll put the film on
their list as one of the best undistributed films of the year. But, of
course, it's an accolade that cuts both ways: Call it a back-handed
compliment, as Caveh Zahedi once did upon receiving his award for
"Best Film Not Playing at Theater Near You," or a paean for the sorry
state of art-house film distribution.

Or look on the brighter side: Think of it as a stopover on the way to
a limited 2008 release and a deal with a small DVD label. (At least
that's what happened to "Woman on the Beach"; the movie was acquired
by New Yorker Films and will be distributed, starting at New York
City's Film Forum on Jan. 9)

The complete list of more than 250 films that received at least one
vote in the indieWIRE Critics Poll will be published at indieWIRE.com
tomorrow (Thursday, December 19th), when the votes for all categories
are unveiled (including best film, director, first film, performance,
supporting performance, screenplay, documentary, and cinematography).

Ever since L.A. Weekly and Variety critic Scott Foundas caught "Secret
Sunshine" in advance of its 2007 Cannes Film Festival premiere,
calling it a "secular hymn to the small triumphs and cavernous
tragedies of the everyday" and singling out lead actress Jeon Do-yeon
as a "revelation," expectations were high for director Lee's
big-screen return after his brief stint as South Korea's culture
minister. At Cannes, the film didn't disappoint; indeed, Jeon went
onto capture the Best Actress prize.

Following his heralded three features, "Green Fish" (1997),
"Peppermint Candy" (2000) and "Oasis" (2002) - the latter of which is
the only to see U.S. theaters - "Secret Sunshine" marks the apotheosis
of Lee's brief, but forceful filmmaking career. As one of the most
sophisticated leading lights of Korea's New Wave, Lee has emerged as
an extraordinary director of actors and a master of the tragic,
without the sentimentality that undermines Korea's more commercial
product. Critic Michael Atkinson once called "Oasis" "a daring
heartbreaker," which could be said for all of his work.

If "Secret Sunshine" should be lucky enough to find theatrical
exhibition in 2008 (a complete Lee retrospective is already set for
the Los Angeles County Museum of Art), many of this year's
undistributed films will not be so fortunate.

While Jia Zhang-ke's Venice winner "Still Life" (which placed #2 in
last year's undistributed poll) will also be released in January 2008
by New Yorker Films, his follow-up "Useless" (#2 in this year's poll
with 20 votes) will have a tougher time: Jia's "Dong," the first in a
trilogy of films about artists that continues with "Useless," remains
without distribution. Though explicitly a documentary about China's
clothing industry, "Useless" is much more, as described by Chris
Wisniewski in Reverse Shot: "something beautiful, expansive, and
deeply philosophical."

It should be noted that an equal number of critics listed Mexican
maverick Carlos Reygadas' "Silent Light" on their ballots, but that
film has been acquired by Tartan Films, thereby disqualifying it from
our poll. But according to a Tartan spokesperson, the company has "not
set a release date" and is "not close to setting a date at this time,"
which doesn't augur well for the film's theatrical fate. Laura Dunn's
poetic documentary "The Unforeseen" also appeared on many ballots, but
the film was picked up by Cinema Guild and will be released in
February. Same for Guy Maddin's latest dreamy auto-portrait "My
Winnipeg," which was acquired by IFC Films -- one of the few bigger
companies to take on these much beloved, yet esoteric films.

Abel Ferrara's "Go Go Tales" (7 votes) on the other hand, doesn't have
an announced distribution deal, but rumors suggest that IFC will
acquire it. But for now, it's still technically available, as is Nick
Broomfield's Iraq docu-drama "Battle for Haditha" (6 votes).

As with last year's undistributed list, foreign-language festival
pictures dominate, with old-vet Eric Rohmer's fable "The Romance of
Astree and Celadon" and Spanish newcomer Jose Luis Guerin's "In the
City of Sylvia" tying for third place with 14 votes. Bela Tarr's "The
Man from London" (11 votes) and Roy Andersson's "You, the Living" (8
votes) scored high on the list.

Other films in the top ten are welcome surprises. Coming in strong
(also with 11 votes), Boston-based filmmaker John Gianvito's 58-minute
"Profit motive and the whispering wind" was one of the few American
films to rank well. Described by Michael Sicinski in Cinema Scope,
"Profit motive" is a "lean, poetic and rigorous" experimental
landscape documentary about the history of the American Left. The only
other U.S. pictures in the top 25 titles were Ferrera's "Go Go Tales"
(an Italian co-production), Ronald Bronstein's "Frownland" (each with
7 votes), which won this year's Gotham Award for "Best Film Not
Playing at a Theater Near You" and described by Amy Taubin as a
"mesmerizing piece of New York miserabilism," and Chris Smith's "The
Pool" (4 votes), the "American Movie" director's recent sojourn in
Indian neorealist filmmaking, which this writer called "immensely
resonant" and "well-crafted" after its Sundance Film Festival premiere
in January.

Playing largely under the radar in Cannes' Directors Fortnight
program, Serge Bozon's "La France" (9 votes) has garnered a number of
impassioned fans, though is largely unknown outside the festival
circuit. "A WWI musical (think Beach Boys, not Michel Legrand) with
more than a few surprises," wrote Andrea Picard, "'La France' is by
far one of the boldest films of late ... beguiling audiences around
the world."

And what about the other over 250 feature films on the list, from
highly touted Cannes premieres like Ulrich Seidl's "Import Export" (5
votes) and Wang Bing's "He Fengming: A Chinese Memoir" (4 votes) all
the way down to the obscure Japanese comedy "Tachigui: The Amazing
Lives of the Fast Food Grifters" (2 votes)? If they don't get the
chance to beguile the world in theaters, maybe, at the very least,
they'll find their way to audiences via digital download.

The Ten Best Undistributed Films of 2007

1. "Secret Sunshine," directed by Lee Chang-dong (34 votes)

2. "Useless," directed by Jia Zhang-ke (20 votes)

3. "The Romance of Astree and Celadon," directed by Eric Rohmer and
"In the City of Sylvia," directed by Jose Luis Guerin (14 votes)

"Profit motive and the whispering wind," directed by John Gianvito and
"The Man From London," directed by Bela Tarr (11 votes)

"La France," directed by Serge Bozon (9 votes)

"You, the Living," directed by Roy Andersson (8 votes)

"Frownland," directed by Ronald Bronstein and "Go Go Tales," directed
by Abel Ferrara (7 votes)

"Battle for Haditha," directed by Nick Broomfield (6 votes)

EDITORS NOTE: The complete results in the 2007 indieWIRE Critics Poll
will be published at indieWIRE.com tomorrow (Thursday, December 19th),
including results for best film, director, first film, performance,
supporting performance, screenplay, documentary, and cinematography.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20071219/119809167500.html

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

K. SHORT FILM SUPERSTARS OF 2007
by Kim Adelman

2007 has been a very good year for short film viewers. Not only did
the festival circuit deliver another amazing crop of winning films,
every exhibition format offered up something remarkable to watch. Two
hundred movie theaters nationwide unspooled Paris-themed shorts
directed by the Coen Brothers and other A-list directors. Network
television debuted a short filmmaking competition during prime time.
iTunes allowed almost half a million people to download a Wes Anderson
mini-movie for free. And 35 million viewers clicked on Funnyordie.com
to see Will Ferrell get upstaged by a two-year old. For those who may
have missed these shorts the first time around, here is a round up of
the superstars of the past twelve months.

On the Festival Circuit

"Everything Will Be Ok" - Animator Don Hertzfeldt is officially
working at the top of his game. His previous Academy Award nomination
for "Rejected" (2000) served notice that Hertzfeldt was a force to
reckon with. Then his latest 17-minute opus was given the grand jury
award for best short film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Those
who haven't had the privilege to see Hertzeldt's amazing animated saga
of one man's questionable health and welfare can order the DVD from
the filmmaker's website, www.bitterfilms.com.

"Freeheld" - The fact that Cynthia Wade's short is 38 minutes long and
yet still managed to get such festival play in 2007 is a testament to
how gripping a documentary about love, death, and a grassroots fight
for justice can be. This look at a plainspoken New Jersey policewoman
dying of cancer who wants her same-sex partner to receive her pension
benefits is captivating from first moment to last. Having racked up
prizes all along the festival circuit, the doc is currently on the
short list for Academy Award consideration. Let's hope we see Ms. Wade
in 2008 accepting a trophy on Oscar night.

"Tanghi Argentini" - This Belgium delight from director Guido Thys
continues to win praise from both juries and audiences at festivals
worldwide. Having first called attention to itself at Clermont-Ferrand
with a one-two punch of Audience Award and Best Comedy, the story of a
mild-mannered office worker who wants to learn how to dance dominated
shortfests all year long. Many will be shocked if "Tanghi Argentini"
isn't one of the names read when the Academy reveals its live action
short nominations next month.

In Commercial Theaters

"Paris, Je T'aime" - While all-star short films anthologies aren't a
new concept (remember 1989's "New York Stories," which marked Sofia
Coppola's screenwriting debut?), this feature released in 200 theaters
across America this past summer boasts so many big name helmers that
audiences flocked to see if the final result was worthy of their
talents. With each director tackling a specific location, this
valentine to the City of Love showcases the talent of Gurinder Chadha
("Quais de Seine"), the Coen Brothers ("Tuileries"), Wes Craven
("Pere-Lachaise"), Alfonso Cuaron ("Parc Monceau"), Christopher Doyle
("Porte de Choisy"), Alexander Payne ("14th arrondissement"), Tom
Tykwer ("Faubourg Saint-Denis"), and Gus Van Sant ("Le Marais").
Arguably, Payne's and Tykwer's pieces shine the brightest. "Paris, Je
T'aime" is now available on DVD.

On iTunes

"Hotel Chevalier" - A prequel to "The Darjeeling Limited," this 13
minute short staring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman debuted in
late September as a free download on iTunes. Over 400,000 fans took
advantage of the limited-time opportunity to own an original Wes
Anderson short. Fox Searchlight then added the buzz-generating short
to the feature during its domestic theatrical run.

On Television

"On the Lot" - What singing is to "American Idol," short filmmaking
was to "On the Lot." Executive produced by Mark Burnett and Steven
Spielberg, this competition reality series debuted in May on FOX.
12,000 people submitted films for consideration, but Will Bigham
walked away the winner, earning a million-dollar movie deal with
Dreamworks. While the mainstream press focused on the series' dismal
ratings, the fact that short filmmaking was given prime time exposure
is nothing short of a miracle.

On DVD

"Pixar Short Films Collection" - Released in November, this collection
of Pixar's greatest hits is a must-have. Containing 13 shorts
including popular and Academy favorites such as "Luxo Jr.," "Geri's
Game," "For the Birds," and "Lifted," the fact that this DVD is
labeled "Volume 1" raises high expectations for what "Volume 2" will
contain.

On the Internet

"The Landlord" - If you haven't heard of this Internet sensation, you
must be living under a rock. This confrontation between a crazy-haired
Will Ferrell and his 2 year-old "landlady" Pearl (daughter of Adam
McKay and niece of Jeremy Piven) has been featured in such mainstream
publications as People Magazine. Ferrell and McKay launched their
Funny or Die website in April, and its signature film remains
unstoppably popular to this day.

Looking Ahead to 2008

Who will the superstars of next year be? It's always a mistake to make
predictions too early in the game. But smart money's on "Welcome" to
make the list next year. The latest offering of Glamour Magazine's
highly successful Reel Moment short film program, this Kirsten
Dunst-directed short stars Winona Ryder and is scheduled to make its
festival debut at Sundance next month.

[Kim Adelman is the author of "The Ultimate Filmmakers Guide to Short
Films"]

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20071218/119803126500.html

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

L. BRIEF FILMS ARE POPULAR AGAIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE OSCAR-NOMINATED
ONES SCREEN TOGETHER

Short shrift no longer

By Sam Adams

THANKS to a new generation of viewers more conversant with YouTube
than with appointment television, the short subject seems to be making
a comeback. "Hotel Chevalier," Wes Anderson's 13-minute prequel to
"The Darjeeling Limited," was added to the feature's theatrical prints
after it racked up nearly 500,000 iTunes downloads. Cable channels
such as IFC and Sundance regularly feature shorts in their
programming. And the Cannes Film Festival has seen a mini-revival of
the omnibus film, with "Paris, Je t'aime" and "Chacun son Cinema"
allowing the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne and Gus Vant Sant to hone
their short-film chops.

But perhaps the most dramatic example of the medium's resurgent
popularity is the success of the Oscar Shorts program, which compiles
the nominated live-action and animated films into two feature-length
shows. Released via a partnership between the London-based Shorts
International and Magnolia Pictures, the program has grown
exponentially in the three years of its existence. In 2006, the Oscar
Shorts programs were released in five theaters nationwide. This year,
according to Tom Quinn, Magnolia's senior vice president of
acquisitions, they expect to open in upward of 70 theaters on Friday.


"We always joke that our odds are way better than any distributor out
there," Quinn says. "Two awards guaranteed. If you wanted to rig the
system, this is the way to do it."

For short films, any kind of theatrical exposure is critical, but the
value of a cinematic roll-out, coupled with the Oscar endorsement, is
off the charts.

"It actually makes a big difference," says Marcy Page, who has
produced four nominated shorts for the National Film Board of Canada,
including this year's "Madame Tutli-Putli." "It's surprising how much,
even in Canada, they defer to the academy to give the stamp of approval."

A week after the theatrical release -- the series opens in Los Angeles
Friday -- the Oscar-nominated shorts will be available individually on
iTunes at a cost of $1.99. Carter Pilcher of Shorts International says
comedies and animation sell reliably, as do the eventual winners. When
a film is both, like last year's winner, "West Bank Story," sales can
surpass 50,000.

Like everyone else, Quinn and Pilcher are in the dark as to the
program's content until the nominations are announced, which means
they have a little over three weeks to acquire the rights for all 10
films and procure the necessary materials. "You're buying 10 movies in
such a short amount of time that you have to be extraordinarily
flexible and creative," Quinn says.

Although this year's crop is devoid of American nominees, past years
have required Quinn and Pilcher to negotiate with such corporate
titans as Disney and Pixar, who licensed their films for theatrical
release but withheld them from the eventual DVD.

In addition to giving audiences an edge in their Oscar pools, the
shorts packages expose them to a wide range of styles and talents in a
brief span of time. This year, the live-action entries range from the
tart Belgian comedy of "Tanghi Argentini" to the tear-jerking drama of
"At Night," set in a Danish cancer ward. Animation viewers will be
treated to "Madame Tutli-Putli," an unnerving stop-motion nightmare
set on a moving train, and the supple whimsy of "I Met the Walrus,"
which sets squiggly line drawings to an audio interview of John Lennon
conducted by a 14-year-old Canadian boy.

John Canemaker, who won an Oscar in 2006 for his animated short "The
Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation," says that having an
outlet for short film is particularly important for animators. "I
always feel that the short form is one of the best forms, if not the
best form, for animation, because it's such a concentrated, potent
medium," he says. "I think short is best."

For live-action filmmakers as well as animators, short film offers an
opportunity to experiment as well as a potential stepping stone to
feature films. Before writing and directing "In Bruges," Martin
McDonagh won an Oscar for his live-action short "Six Shooter," and
Sean Ellis expanded his nominated short "Cashback" into a feature
(which, naturally, was distributed by Magnolia).

"It's easier to find funding for a short film if the script is good,"
says "Tanghi Argentini" director Guy Thys. "But if you get money from
the government, it's not enough to make the whole picture, so you need
to find more. And then that is more difficult when you make a short,
because no one is interested."

Given larger shifts in popular culture, though, that all might be
about to change. "If you're young, under 25, short films are much more
in your consciousness as a viable entertainment form," says Pilcher.
"If you're over 40, maybe you know somebody who made a short film
once, and you know that your parents watched short films before the
features. But for somebody under 20, they watch short films all the time."

http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-ca-shorts10feb10,0,5896920.story

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

M. YOUTUBE TEAMS WITH INDIE FILMMAKERS
Internet giant opens virtual screening room
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Google Inc.'s YouTube is setting up a virtual screening room to bring
the work of independent filmmakers to a global audience.

Struggling filmmakers already use YouTube to kick-start viral
marketing campaigns. The new feature, which debuts Wednesday, gives
them an easy-to-find home - and makes them partners in drawing new ad
revenue.

"Hopefully as they see thousands of people watching their films, it's
going to be a very eye-opening experience," said Sara Pollack,
YouTube's film and animation manager.

The screening room will highlight four new films a week, picked by a
YouTube editorial panel.

Submissions are welcomed. The panel also will scour film festivals and
work with partners such as the Sundance Channel to identify prospects.

Among the first eight titles to be showcased are "Love and War," a
stop-motion puppet movie by a Swedish director; the Oscar-nominated
short "I Met The Walrus," about an interview with John Lennon; and
"Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?" by performance artist
Miranda July.

Filmmakers can choose to have a "Buy Now" button attached to their
work for sales of DVDs or digital copies. They will also collect a
majority share of ad revenue generated from views of their work.

YouTube said people whose clips regularly attract a million viewers
can make several thousand dollars a month.

The bigger prize can be exposure.

When YouTube featured the nine-minute short "Spider" by Nash Edgerton
in February, it became the fifth-best selling short on iTunes, Pollack
said.

The creators of the full-length feature "Four Eyed Monsters," Susan
Buice and Arin Crumley, got their break when more than a million
YouTube views helped land them a TV and DVD distribution deal, she said.

"They ended up doing really, really well, ironically by putting their
film online for free," Pollack said.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987741.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

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

N. STATE OF THE FEST | PART ONE: DO FESTIVALS MATTER?

http://www.variety.com/blog/1390000339/post/1980031998.html

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

O. STATE OF THE FEST | PART TWO: THINGS GOTTA CHANGE

http://www.variety.com/blog/1390000339/post/50032005.html

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

P. THE INTERNET COULD BE A BOON FOR HOLLYWOOD—BUT ONLY IF IT CAN
CONQUER ITS FEARS

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10723360

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

R. SUMMIT ADDRESSES FILM FESTIVAL ISSUES
Event centers on the future of festivals
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117976987.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562

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

S. EXCELLENT INDIE ARTICLES & EXCERPTS

Bullet-point topics may change soon, so check out this link quickly:
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=hottopic&id=independents
Excepts taken from articles


• See the 50 top-grossing pics that played in fewer than 1,000 theaters.
• View the top theater averages for indies and specialty arms.
• Niche films' glut check
• 'Ballast' braves self-distribution

• Day-and-date's one-two punch

"Low-budget filmmaker Caveh Zahedi, for example, received no money
upfront for his feature "I Am a Sex Addict" but recently received a
mid-five-figure check. "The day-and-date thing made the difference
between the film being commercially viable and not," he says.

Even so, Zahedi and others admit that the current day-and-date deals
still aren't lucrative enough to pay back their film's investors.
Producer Jeffrey Levy-Hinte says Larry Fessenden's IFC release "The
Last Winter," which grossed a paltry $33,000 theatrically, will likely
net $200,000 from IFC's day-and-date deal. "The investors are still
going to lose 95% of their investment," Levy-Hinte says, though he
admits that he's "reasonably happy" with the way things turned out. By
comparison, he never saw overages from his traditionally released 2003
modest hits "Laurel Canyon" and "Thirteen."

"It's absolutely pathetic and unsustainable, the whole scenario of
making and selling movies," continues Levy-Hinte, who has vowed to
exit the business. "If you can make a movie for $200,000, then all of
these things are very interesting. But if you make a movie for $2
million, then I don't think any of them are interesting."

• New independent film distributors

• Digital distribution's impact hard to pin down
"In June, the dominant market player, Apple's iTunes store, said it
was delivering 50,000 movie downloads a day, but that's been about the
only hard data released indicating this emerging medium's reach.

None of the other established film portals -- Amazon's Unbox, Netflix,
Movielink, CinemaNow, Hulu, Juiced, Jaman, just to name a few -- will
release figures as to how many downloads they're delivering or how
much money any of their titles are making. It's likely that everyone
else is delivering just a tiny fraction of iTunes' volume.

Matt Dentler, who heads up Gotham sales shop Cinetic's new Digital
Rights Management unit, just finalized a deal to provide pics to
iTunes. "There are so many films from so many filmmakers," he says,
"they feel it's best to do business with a company like ours."

• Four online destinations for indie films
• Marketers get budget-conscious
A lack of money really teaches you to focus.

That often means going directly to the moviegoer.

Participant, which focuses on social-action-driven projects, has
learned over the years that reaching out to potential audiences
generates discussion, which can turn into positive word of mouth once
the film eventually rolls into theaters.

That's involved hosting screenings at colleges and churches or
reaching out to nonprofit organizations, with filmmakers on hand to
discuss the projects afterward. It's also recently included hitting up
potential fans at gatherings like Comic-Con in San Diego.

For Blowtorch Entertainment, it's solely targeting 18- to 24-year-olds
through college screenings, online and mobile content.

"In the specialty world, we need all the positive spin around a movie
we can get," says Peter Adee, prexy of worldwide theatrical marketing,
distribution and new media at Overture Films. "That's called word of
mouth. That means people love it and tell people, and more people show
up."

Building that positive word of mouth takes time, however, with
distribs often screening films as early as six months before their
release.

"Getting people to talk about it means screening it early," Adee adds.

Lakeshore Entertainment has used YouTube in the past, but in a
different way. It enlisted some of the producers of the most popular
videos on the site to create original shorts that could promote the
thriller "Pathology," starring Milo Ventimiglia.

The skits, using the film's stars, wound up generating 1.5 million hits.

"The whole idea for me is to embrace the celebrities within the social
networks," says Robert Burke, VP of worldwide marketing for Lakeshore
Entertainment. "We want to find out who's hot and popular and get them
organically involved with the film so it doesn't look like you're
advertising to people."

Participant, which helps distribbers market films by launching social
action campaigns around them, enlisted 25 groups like Amnesty Intl.,
Human Rights Watch, American Civil Liberties Union and American Bar
Assnto use the film's message about immigration policies as a
promotional tool for their organizations.

"These organizations are looking for a vehicle in which they can
express something important to them," Berk says. "The film becomes the
vehicle."

One area of growth will also be mobile devices, such as video-capable
cell phones like the iPhone.

• Promo tactics for the new indie world (see article below)
• Specialty consulting pays off
• Rethinking independent film financing
• How to keep indie film budgets in check

• Film sellers adapt strategies for tough climate
Voltage also is making content available in different formats. Dean
Devlin-produced crime thriller "Blank Slate," for example, comes as a
90-minute movie and as 20 five-minute webisodes as well as 20
two-minute interstitials, says Chartier, "so that buyers can sell the
same film on TV, video, Internet and phones."

• Equity players enter risky film sector
• Mezzanine financiers target indie films
• Indie org IFP gets ready to 'Howl'
• Change brings new energy to IFP
• IFP market: Timeline
• IFP: Looking Back


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

S. PROMO TACTICS FOR THE NEW INDIE WORLD
Marketers using new media to spread word

Courting bloggers with early visits to a film's set may have become de
rigueur these days, but it's just one of the myriad ways marketing
mavens are putting a new spin on old promo methods.

REACH OUT TO NONPROFITS

HOW: The leaders of nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations are
enlisted to make their members aware of a film that jibes with their
group's mission. It allows them to be affiliated with a movie that
furthers their cause while generating positive word of mouth for the film.

FILMS: Participant has an entire department dedicated to outreach, and
has engaged nonprofits on films such as "An Inconvenient Truth," "The
Kite Runner" and "The Visitor."

MAKE ONLINE FRIENDS

HOW: A distrib sets up a profile on sites like MySpace, Facebook or
Bebo and rewards "friends" who sign up with updates on the film's
release, information on the production, videos and other content.
Those friends then tell their other friends to go see the movie. At
least, that's the goal.

FILMS: Because it takes only a few clicks of a button, every distrib's
going the social networking route.

POST A SOUNDTRACK

HOW: A distributor digitally posts a film's soundtrack for download on
iTunes or other online music service, or has its filmmakers and talent
compile their favorite playlists.

FILMS: The quirky soundtrack for "Juno" became so popular on Apple's
iTunes that Fox Searchlight released a follow-up that was available on
the music service only. The tracks lured potential audiences to buy
movie tickets.

CREATE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL

HOW: A distrib can create a special channel for video content on
YouTube in the name of a film, showing trailers, extended clips, even
interviews with filmmakers and talent. But the channel still must be
tubthumped, or it could get lost among the millions of videos on the site.

FILMS: United Artists generated some heat around "Lions for Lambs"
with an online channel and offered a contest that encouraged people to
record and upload a 90-second video of themselves talking about the
social issue they care about.

ROPE IN PROMO PARTERS

HOW: A promotional pact is inked with a major retailer or consumer
brand that puts ads for the films in front of audiences a distrib
might not have been able to buy its way into. Extra marketing muscle
is added to the pic's ad dollars.

FILMS: Picturehouse's soccer drama "Gracie" was touted on Gatorade
packaging and in grocery stores, while "The Women" will be backed by a
major push by Unilever's Dove brand and "Kit Kittredge: An American
Girl" had a built-in partner. Starbucks promoted Paramount Vantage's
"Arctic Tale" in its venues, and Samsung pushed "Into the Wild" in a
range of ads.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991719.html?categoryid=3235&cs=1


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

T. EXECS AND TALENT WEIGH IN ON STATE OF INDIE BIZ


WHAT WENT WRONG IN THE PAST INDIE CYCLE?

"Studios came into this business and used the one-in-a-million film as
the basis of their business plan."

-- Bingham Ray, prexy, creative affairs, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

"Growth in the studios' specialized divisions created a major studio
approach to independent pictures, which does not work. People went to
film festivals, bought films and tried to blow them up into
blockbusters, which only happens once in a blue moon. A lot of the
independent pictures have not done that badly, but do not justify all
of the marketing and other unnecessary costs involved."

-- Sam Goldwyn Jr., chairman & CEO, Samuel Goldwyn Co.

"I think that this summer was very reflective of the industry as a
whole. Audiences want to see good movies: 'The Dark Knight,'
'Ironman,' 'Tropic Thunder' -- these are all great movies. The studios
are luring great independent directors and actors into studio movies.
Jon Favreau, Christopher Nolan, who got their start helming
independent pictures, and great indie actor Robert Downey Jr., all
were involved in this year's biggest blockbusters. The indie industry
has always had great talent, and it's good to see the studios tapping
into that."

-- Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman, the Weinstein Co.

"Money."

-- Mark and Michael Polish, filmmakers, "Twin Falls Idaho" (1999),
"Manure" (2009), "Stay Cool" (2009)

Where's the hope in the new indie universe?

"To paraphrase Dickens (who may even have been wiser than Mark Gill),
'It is the best of times, it is the worst of times ...' "

-- Mark Urman, prexy, ThinkFilm

"The business has become fractionalized. This has to do with the
constantly changing viewing habits of the audience; it has to do with
the influence of the Internet. But it's really an age where anything
can happen and there are many models of distribution for an
independent film."

-- Michael Barker, co-prexy, Sony Pictures Classics
More than one option

"With Blu-ray getting critical mass, I think you're going to see a
reinvigoration. No one has figured out a way to make money off the
Internet, but that's going to happen, and it'll keep us even."

-- Chris McGurk, CEO, Overture Films

"As the studios, hedge funds and deep-pocketed dabblers beat the
retreat from the indie film space, I am hopeful that new streams of
support will emerge that not only help grow the culture but rebuild
the unique supports that art film requires."

-- Ted Hope, producer, "Adventureland" (2009)

"Money."

-- Mark and Michael Polish, filmmakers, "Stay Cool" (2009)

What would it take to bring the indie biz back?

"If I knew the answer, I'd be acting on it. Or selling it. Maybe
what's needed here is a time machine."

-- helmer Kevin Smith, "Clerks" (1994), "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"
(2008)

"We would love to see, both as moviegoers and as people who work in
the sector, a new explosion of creativity and talent. That's what I
think the sector needs most."

-- Peter Rice, prexy, Fox Searchlight

"We need one sort of platform to start making money to replace the
losses that have been sustained by theatrical and DVD markets. Nobody
knows which it is going to be -- Internet, cable, VOD -- or when it
will happen. That's why the business is at an impasse right now.

-- Wouter Barendrecht, co-head, Fortissimo Films

"I don't think that the business ever went away. What we have to
remember is that for every 'hit' there are hundreds of other
incredible movies that are worth a second look, even if they don't
break through the weekend top 10 box office list. This year, I loved
'The Visitor,' and 'Mongol,' and would consider them huge successes.
When it comes to quality, this year is no different than any other:
The best films are the ones that make you feel and think. ... I think
both the studios and the independents have accomplished that this year."

-- Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman, the Weinstein Co.

"Money."

-- Mark and Michael Polish, filmmakers, "Stay Cool" (2009)

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991872.html?categoryid=3235&cs=1

Hello Hola Ahola,

http://thebiz.variety.com is the new the facebook/linkedin equivalent
for the entertainment industry.  With so many social groups, it's hard to keep
track of what will give you the most ROI (return on investment in this case the
time invested to build up your profile).  So far, myspace has given me the most
by hooking up with a festival which ended up showing about 10 of my short films
at the festival in my old hometown.

www.Linkedin.com is very business oriented and doesn't have very many
entertainment professionals on there.

www.myspace.com is still the best I believe for the creative types
mainly because of the it's ability to showcase your work via their music and
video players poised prominently, the ability to brand your look, the bulletin
posting feature and the simplest url.

www.Facebook.com is very popular and I'm on it, but it's the worst
url-friendly, nor does it have bulletin posting friendly.  But the groups are
more accessible than myspace's for promoting films, etc.

www.Youtube.com is great as that's the site where people are getting
signed based on sketch comedies.  Plus, the number of viewers on youtube kills
all the others combined.

www.FunnyOrDie.com is Will Ferral's company which is growing fast
because of his name attached to it.  Great url.

Let me know if there are other ones that you find helpful.  I've
pretty much stopped using anything else.


I'm just sending this short newsletter out to let you know that you
can send me your updates to include in the next full newsletter - coming "soon".


Happy Filmmaking!
Anup
http://thebiz.variety.com/people/anup

Hello Dear Group Members,

I have another newsletter in the works which will be out shortly.

I hope you are doing well.  I haven't caught up with some of you in
quite some time.  I want to invite you out to a screening of a feature
film in which I'm the lead.  This is my second feature so far as the
lead.  The movie is called LA TAKEDOWN and it's kind of a B
action/drama movie.  The director made it as a sort of homage to
Michael Mann (with a very limited budget).  It's violent and not at
all recommended for the kiddies.

As many of you are actors and filmmakers, the Screening Service is a
great organization to get to know as they screen movies for free and
charge no admission in one of the hottest areas in town - Beverly
Hills.  Normally, it would cost about $200/hour to rent out this
place.  The Weinsteins come there to shop for films, etc.  They also
screen short films.


WED, MAY 28 @ 9:30PM
FRI, MAY 30th @ 9PM - CAST & CREW Q&A

If you're interested, you must RSVP for one or both the shows here:
http://www.screenitfirst.com/ssg/events/list


All the best,
Anup
www.myspace.com/anups

1. Intro: Tension Relieving vs Goal-Oriented Activities
2. Fox / Myspace Storyteller Challenge
3. Public Relations – PR
4. Free Film Festival
5. Distribution
6. San Diego Teen Producer's Project
7. Member Updates

8. Articles
A. Clooney does Hollywood on the DIY plan
B. Call for American Muslim Stories
C. Film schools a maze of varied opportunities
D. Mentors Key For Film School Grads
E. What top TV writers watch on TV
F. Will Austin's 'creative village' work?
G. HarperCollins makes film deal
H. Afghan models reveal the beauty under the burqa
I. The $5,000 Anti-War Film
J. "Daily Show" gets own Web site
K. Filmmaker Fights To Spread THE PLAGUE

1. BLOG / INTRO

TENSION RELIEVING VS. GOAL-ORIENTED ACTIVITIES

A few years back, my brother and I were emailing each other to
motivate ourselves to make sure all our task items were completed at
the end of each day.  We were unbelievably productive.  However after
a week or so of doing this, I felt a void. I couldn't figure out what
was wrong.  Everything on my to-do list was disappearing, but still no
sense of achievement.  Looking at the list, I realized that I was
doing nothing for my film or music goals.  Those things which my
dreams are made of were marginalized and paying the utility bill was
higher priority. I recognized that was the problem.  Immediately I
added film/music tasks on there and made sure I did something
everyday. Then I read in one of my favorite books by John C. Maxwell
"Success", winners focus on goal oriented tasks,  losers focus on
tension-relieving tasks. This pretty much solidified my thinking to
put myself above SD&E and the taxman.

Then a year or so of submitting everyday to roles, watching tons of
movies that were classics, and even writing screenplays, I started to
feel that void again. This time I broke down the tasks and reversed
engineered it. a fancy term for looking at your end goal and working
backwards to figure out the steps required to achieve it.  I realized
that after 1000 submissions, it doesn't guarantee me a role at the end
of the day.  Same goes for watching movies, taking acting classes,
reading books.  So then I broke the goal-oriented activities (GOA) to
three categories:

GOA-1: Passive:
This would be stuff like watching movies, hanging out with friends
talking shop, going to museums, etc.  It's motivating and it's fun,
but it doesn't require a lot of effort.  In Chris Gore's Film Fest
Survival Guide (I highly recommend), he interviews Sundance Film
Fest's head programmer, Geoff Gilmore.  Gilmore says the biggest
problem he sees with filmmakers today is that they don't watch enough
movies.  So, basically he saying that they are doing stuff that's
already been done before and done better than what they're doing.

So don't let the term `passive' dissuade you from doing this as it's
very important.  I try and watch a film a day.  I was going through
the whole AFI "Top 100 films of all time" and have about 15 films left
to see.  (I canceled my blockbuster online account because they tried
to do a switch and bait by taking away the in-store exchanges, but
that's a whole other blog).

GOA – 2: Active, but no Guarantees

This would include stuff like taking acting classes, reading how to
books, submitting for roles, even auditioning.  Even writing if your
end goal is to be a director.  Again, going back to
reverse-engineering – I love that term – if at the end of the day you
don't have a product (film, song, painting, whatever), then you're not
fully working towards your dream.

GOA – 3 Active with Guarantees

This is the where writing, shooting, and editing are the holy grails.
  After writing 10 pages, you're that much closer to your dream.  If
you are a writer this is good, but if you are an actor or director,
then this would be in GOA-2.  So if you're not doing a GOA-3 everyday,
you're not being completely efficient. Remember, you are what you do
every day.

EFFICIENY – a quick sidenote
How to be efficient.  While studying for the medical college
admissions test (MCAT) in a previous life, we spent a lot of time
learning about how to learn.  According to some of what I read, you
only have about 4 hours of peak brain time and that's first thing in
the morning.  Also, taking 20-40 minute naps/meditation in the middle
of your day will energize you way more than Starbucks.

Here are a few things I've been up to lately.

THE TRIDENT (exec prod, Harish Rao) a marital arts film I trained for
2 months and acted in screens Nov 8th & 10th in NYC at the IAAC film
festival.  It was nominated for Best Action Sequence at the Action on
Film Festival.  It also was the cover article for P3 Magazine recently.

27,000 DAYS (written & directed by Naveen Singh) won it's seventh
award a couple of weeks back.  It too is screening at the IAAC film
festival Nov 8th.  I might attend this festival.  Yeah, I'm into last
minute planning.  Gotta love those free SWA tickets!

WEDDING
A short film I directed (first time directing someone else's script).
  It's still in post, but you can view the trailer here.  Roopashree
Jeevaji is one of the producers.
http:///www.myspace.com/WeddingFilm

GIPPY GREWAL & YUDHVIR MANAK – Indian recording artists on Speedrecords.
I shot and directed this music video for these bhangra (type of Indian
music) artists.  It supposedly went to number one in India.   The main
thing about it is that it was shot totally guerilla style on Hollywood
Blvd.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGE-JoFsSQw

THREE-FIFTY
Melinda Augustina's film, which I'm helping out with the marketing,
including the editing of the trailer, won it's second award.  It's a
hilarious short about a guy trying to weasel his way out of a video
rental late-fee.
http://myspace.com/ThreeFiftyTheMovie

SLEEPING – Don't Hold Back music video just came out.  I have a brief
role in this towards the end.
http://www.virb.com/victoryrecords/videos/20836

HOT GUYS WHO COOK
I'm having a hard time writing this with a straight face, but I'll be
on this new show for The Style Network.  My episode will air around
Thanksgiving.

I've got a few more projects in post.  I'll let you know about those soon.

Until next time…

Happy Filmmaking (Everyday)!
Anup

http://www.linkedin.com/in/AnupSugunan  - this is basically myspace
with no frills for professionals

P.S. If you like this group and feel you're getting something out of
it, please recommend it to your friends.  Also consider sending an
email to the Yahoo Groups Best Of: best_of_groups@yahoogroups.com to
nominate it.

________________________________________________________________________

2. FOX / MYSPACE STORYTELLER CHALLENGE

http://www.myspace.com/storytellerchallenge

________________________________________________________________________

3. PUBLIC RELATIONS – PR

Good info and worksheet here:
http://www.easoncom.com/freestuff.html

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

Submit Promos, trailers of coming Films/tv serials to generate  free
publicity

Any film maker or his/her representative may submit It's coming
film/tv.serial to generate free publicity and mass support at

http://www.gg2bollywood.com/filmreleaseservice.html

________________________________________________________________________

4. FREE FILM FEST

http://asuartmuseum.asu.edu/filmfest/guidelines.htm

________________________________________________________________________

5. DISTRIBUTION

List of sites like youtube that pay:
http://www.scottkirsner.com/gettingpaid.htm

CREATE SPACE
http://www.createspace.com/

SHORTS INTERNATIONAL – distributors with access to iTunes
http://www.shortsinternational.com/html/submission_frame_si.html
________________________________________________________________________

6. SAN DIEGO TEEN PRODUCER'S PROJECT - MAKE A DIFFERENCE THROUGH FILM

I volunteered through Ethan Van Thillo and Teen producers project.
This allowed me to teach foster kids about film production.  It was
very rewards to see a lot of these angst-ridden kids being able to
express themselves through the visual medium.
-Anup

http://www.mediaartscenter.org/site/c.dfLIJPOvHoE/b.1314295/k.9C4C/Opportunities\
.htm
________________________________________________________________________


7. MEMBER UPDATES


ADAM RUDDER – SKETCH COMEDY

Hello, I just wanted to let you know that my comedy improv troupe, the
Hinges have been nominated for best theatre group by Channel 10's A-list.

We're neck to neck in a VERY tight race for the lead (currently in
second place by 1%)

Can I ask a favor...if you haven't already can you please vote for us?
It's simple and easy and I would very, very much appreciate any help!

Here's the url to vote:
http://kgtv.cityvoter.com/details.aspx?business=55778

Thank you!!!

Adam

ps. Wouldalos love it if you could ask your friends and family to vote
for us too!!  :)

-----

Hey Adam hows it goin, just wondering if you can pass the following
along to everybody possible. Also, adam, is there any way you can
attach the pict. I sent in the emails to try to get people into it???
If you can, just forward the red stuff and the photo to your mailing
list, thanks buddy.


I need some help guys and gals, I really need actors, and alot of em.
I am making.a short 10 min. picture. We film the last two weekends of
November, 17th/18th--24th/25th. San Diego

I am also looking for a small crew, basically a gaffer for 2 short
days and some Associate Producers, and most definitely a make up
artist for all four days, hell, whatever days you can be there is
better then none!!!!!
The film is a short action film based on harry potter wand dualing,
needless to say there is a heap of VFX shots and such that are being
put into it.
I have an award winning cinematographer on board, Andy Agularia, as
well as some professional production staff. Needless to say, it is a
non paying gig, but everyone involved will receive a copy and credit.
Any help at all means more then ya'll know,

thanks

Cassidy

P.S. Here is a first round test of some fx stuff I hashed out a couple
weeks ago, The fx work is greatly improved since then and all the
wheels seem to be turning nicely. Also, here's the you tube link, the
quality suffers greatly, and as I mentioned, at this stage, the
effects are beyond the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc_Stl9gUcA


http://www.myspace.com/theruddler

FYI: Get on Adam's mailing list, he's always putting stuff like this
out and it will get to you faster than through my list.
-Anup

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

BEVERLY TRAINER – "SUMMER AT TIFFANY" BOOK EDITOR

The book recently made the LA times bestseller list & will soon be
coming out in paperback. (And I'm just listed in the acknowledgements
as an editor, etc. - Marj. Hart is the author.)  It's def. a chick
book, and makes a great gift for moms, grandmoms, aunties, etc.  And
-- even tho it's abt. the summer of '45, I've heard that young girls
like it, cuz it's sort of a coming of age story.

Hard to believe that all this is happening to Marjorie who is 83!
She's a lovely person, former prof. (USD) & cellist.  You can check
her & the book out on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcCL3MDz4ug

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

DAEG FAERCH'S HALLOWEEN

Congrats to Daeg.  He is the first member of this group to have a lead
in a number one box office movie Rob Zombie's Halloween.  Opened at
$31M.   I'm sure this will open more doors for him.
-Anup

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

GRETA VALENTI'S FUJI MINX CD RELEASED & HALLOWEEN SHOW TONIGHT

They released their first full length CD.  Fuji Minx is playing at the
Cat Club tonight.

http://myspace.com/fujiminx

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

HAMID DAUDANI  - ACTOR, PLAYRIGHT DIRECTOR

In 1991 he formed Hamid Daudani & Group with a goal of producing plays
for the San Diego community. This group has become a community
institution and his plays have become an annual tradition. His plays
receive wide coverage in newspapers and get high marks for excellence.
This is the only group in Southern California that consistently
produces plays year after year.

Check him out on nowcasting.com.

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

JAIMYON PARKER – ACTORS COMMUNITY

Hello everyone!

Actors Community, Inc.'s First Annual Back 2 School Drive culminated
on September 6th, 2007 at The Good Shepherd Center where we supplied
25 children with encouragement, smiles, and the tools they needed to
be successful this school year! Thanks to all the donations and
prayers we received, not one child went without a backpack and
supplies. We cannot thank everyone who helped with money, supplies, &
prayers! Use the link below to visit our Back 2 School Page to see the
video and pictures from the event! Thank you all again and God Bless!

http://www.actorscommunityinc.com/back2school.htm

P.S. I highly recommend a broadband connection for the video playback.
I will be uploading some lower quality ones soon, but if you do have
trouble with the video stopping a lot, pause it and wait a few
moments, then resume playback.

Jaimyon Parker
C.O.O.
Actors Community, Inc.
http://www.actorscommunityinc.com
jaimyon@...

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

KAPIL RAJ - RELEASED 1ST BOOK

http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id=1192661617&archive=&star\
t_from=&ucat=6&

http://www.RajFilms.com

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

KYLE VAN BAND

Singer-songwriter-guitarist's upcoming shows:
Nov 7 2007   8:00P Lestat's West  Normal Heights (San Diego), California
Nov 9 2007  8:00P Hot Monkey Love Cafe  San Diego, California
Nov 12 2007  9:15P Dublin Square  San Diego, California
Dec 23 2007  5:00P Magee Park  Carlsbad, California
Jan 9 2008  10:00P  Hollywood, California


http://www.myspace.com/kylevanband

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

LAK RANA NEEDS YOUR VOTE

Hello Friends,

I entered a 24 hour Apple film festival with some
friends last week (meaning we had 24 hours to shoot,
edit, and upload a film).  I'm sending you a link to
my short on the Apple website.

All I ask it that you please take a moment to watch
the film and give it a 4 star rating (it's only 3
minutes long and it goes by quickly because it's
hilarious).  Even though the voting lasts until Nov.
9th, please go and vote as soon as you can so the
video can build some steam.  The more votes it has the
more likely other people are to vote on it.

Thanks.  And remember, a vote for me...is a vote for
you.  I don't know what that means.

http://edcommunity.apple.com/insomnia_fall07/item.php?itemID=1938


Webisode #3: DESI OC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8heSiQz78c

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

MARK ELIAS – NEW DEMO REEL & MOVIE

THE JUGGLER has not been posted online yet since we're
still waiting to hear from festivals...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TSDF8dPi888
http://imdb.com/name/nm1731797/

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

MATT STEDMAN – HORROR DIRECTOR

Check out my first review from pretty-scary.net.  It's very positive!

"The Thing in the Corner" screened at Shriekfest film festival at
Raleigh Studios recently.

See the review here:
http://www.pretty-scary.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=994

http://www.myspace.com/freakinmayhem

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

MELINDA AUGUSTINA – THREE FIFTY

Definition of a proactive actor putting on the producer hat.

Three Fifty screenings:
Toas Shortz Film Festival
Saturday, November 17, 2007 at 9pm
Common Threads
124 E. Bent St.
Toas, NM 87571

Tickets: $10, Children FREE


BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ART
Short Films Program

WINNER: Audience Favorite – Dances With Films
WINNER: Best Picture – West Virginia Film Festival

http://www.myspace.com/threefiftythemovie

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

MONIQUE FLEMING

Here's my latest film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ENGxyIL08M

Thanks to Jakey and Jinge for their patience with my guerrilla
filmmaking. Enjoy!
~Monique

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

NAUSHEEN DADABHOY – NEW PROJECT IN THE WORKS

http://www.karimvskarachi.com/index.htm

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

NAVEEN SINGH - FESTIVAL WINNING STREAK

Writer/director of 27,000 Days is sweeping the festival with nearly a
50% winning ratio for festival screenings : awards!

http://www.27000Days.com

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

NIKHIL KAMKOLKAR – INDIAN COWBOY DVD ON NETFLIX

Indian-American filmmaker Nikhil Kamkolkar also stars in this
East-meets-West romance that marks his directorial debut, the story of
an idealistic young Hollywood writer who falls in love with a cynical
Indian beauty. While Nick (Kamkolkar) is convinced that true love can
be experienced exactly as it happens in the movies, Sapna (Sheetal
Sheth) is more jaded, viewing true love as a road that leads to
tragedy à la "Romeo and Juliet."

Starring: Sheetal Sheth, Nikhil Kamkolkar ...
Director: Nikhil Kamkolkar
Genre:  Comedy

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/70077850?trkid=73

http://indiancowboy.com/

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

RAJEEV CHHIBBER

Dear friends,
Check out these two commercials, You will love it or get your money back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avqLJ2DG0pA&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=002AY4cb5uw

Rajeev Chhibber
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1428286/

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

RICHARD COHEN

Played Johnny in the play"Frankie and Johnny" down here in my
community theatre and got picture picked to be in a core group that
hang out with Sandra Bullock in her new movie("All About Steve")
Worked 7days and am promised another 7(almost had a line).

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

ROOPASHREE JEEVAJI

Produced "Wedding" and has more projects in the pipeline.

http://www.myspace.com/jeevaji

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

SHARAT RAJU – DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A 9/11 TOPIC THAT'S OVERLOOKED

Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath

Produced and Directed by Sharat Raju (sharat@... )
Produced, Written and Created by Valarie Kaur ( valarie@...)

Website: http://www.dwf-film.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/dwf_film
Blog: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com

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

TARA DONOVAN – ACTOR / PRODUCER

Hello!

I will be starring in Ayn Rand's (Atlas Shrugged, The Fountain) play
'Night of January 16th' in December for the Royal Theatre (Queen
Mary).  Dates and Times TBA.

Filming has wrapped on 'Well Done' a short I acted in and should be
completed in January '08.

I am so happy to share that my short film 'The Thing in the Corner'
that I produced has been accepted to 3 more film festivals!

Shriekfest - Los Angeles
Times & Dates TBA (some time in September)
www.shriekfest.com

Icon Fantastic Film Festival in Israel
http://icon.org.il/promo07/eng/

Tel Aviv Cinematheque, 28 September - 4 October 2007

Harlem International Film Festival
http://www.harlemfilmfestival.com/default.shtml

Oct 4-8, 2007

This in addition to having already screened at the Back Alley Film
Festival in Tucson, AZ.  If you cannot make it to any of these
screenings, please check it the film out at:
http://films.thelot.com/films/18125

Hope this finds you all well!

Slainte,

Tara Donovan

http://www.TaraDonovan.com
http://www.myspace.com/TaraDonovan

________________________________________________________________________


8. ARTICLES


A. CLOONEY DOES HOLLYWOOD ON THE DIY PLAN

By DAVID GERMAIN

TORONTO - If there's a do-it-yourself movement in Hollywood, George
Clooney could be its leader.

After years of taking what was offered, including bad movies such as
"Batman & Robin," Clooney took charge of his career. The result has
left the former star of TV's "ER" an Academy Award-winning actor and
Oscar-nominated filmmaker who uses his stardom to do films he truly
cares about, including the new legal drama "Michael Clayton," opening
Friday.

Clooney, 46, now can look back on a post-Batman decade of wild success
on far-flung projects as an actor, writer, director and producer,
sometimes handling all four jobs at once.

He has traded on his commercial clout from such hits as "The Perfect
Storm" and the "Ocean's Eleven" flicks to make demanding dramas like
2005's "Syriana," which earned Clooney a supporting-actor Oscar, and
"Good Night, and Good Luck," a best-picture nominee that brought him
directing and screenwriting nominations the same year.

It's a major turnabout for a man who hated the publicity tour he had
to do for "Batman & Robin" in 1997.

"It was really hard, because I knew it wasn't a very good film, and it
makes you a liar, sort of, but you have to, because it's your job to
promote a film," Clooney said in an interview at the Toronto
International Film Festival, where "Michael Clayton" played. "I was
like, I don't want to tour again for a film that doesn't work on any
level."

Clooney turned to more story-driven productions with such filmmakers
as future producing partner Steven Soderbergh on "Out of Sight," David
O. Russell on "Three Kings" and Joel and Ethan Coen on "O Brother,
Where Art Thou?"

He and Soderbergh have collaborated on the "Ocean's" romps and many
other projects, while Clooney and the Coens reunited for the romance
"Intolerable Cruelty" and the upcoming comedy "Burn After Reading."

The box-office returns can be modest to nonexistent compared to huge
Hollywood franchises, but Clooney has felt good about going to work
and even better about the movies created.

"You start going, OK, well these are films I would go see. I'm proud
of them. I think they'll last longer than an opening weekend. I get it
now. I have to focus on the script first and foremost, then I have to
focus on directors. If that means working with Steven Soderbergh as
often as possible or Joel and Ethan as often as possible, I'll do it.
If it means directing them myself, I'll do it," Clooney said.

"Because at the very least, if I'm going to bomb, it's going to be my
call, and I'm OK with that. If it doesn't work, then you go, `Hey, it
was my decision.'"

Even his failures look noble. Soderbergh directed Clooney in two
ambitious duds, the science-fiction saga "Solaris" and last year's
film-noir throwback "The Good German." Yet both earned them admiration
for the effort when they simply could have made another formulaic
Hollywood yarn.

Clooney began directing with 2002's Chuck Barris fantasy memoir
"Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" and continues with this December's
football romance "Leatherheads," in which he co-stars with Renee
Zellweger and John Krasinski.

"Michael Clayton" stars Clooney in the title role, a former prosecutor
now on the verge of financial disaster and toiling as a fixer at a
huge Manhattan law firm, a man who makes unseemly problems go away for
high-rolling clients.

Clayton's dormant humanity is put to the test after a colleague (Tom
Wilkinson) undermines a lawsuit involving a huge corporate client,
prompting ruthless action by the company's in-house legal eagle (Tilda
Swinton).

The notion of a handsome, charming middle-aged man staring failure in
the face is not a huge stretch for Clooney, the nephew of singer
Rosemary Clooney and son of TV newsman Nick Clooney.

The actor moved to Hollywood in the early 1980s after failed bids at
baseball and journalism careers. Success did not come until he was in
his 30s, following a long apprenticeship that included such TV shows
as "The Facts of Life" and "Roseanne."

"It's not hard for George to envision if the road had turned the other
way," said "Michael Clayton" writer-director Tony Gilroy, who felt
that an actor who succeeded at an early age would be unable to get at
the character's core. "There's something infinitely more sad about
someone who you really feel has squandered everything. Here's a guy
who has skated on his looks and skated on his charms, and you realize
he's completely lost. He was perfect for that. ...

"We're putting the camera right up his nose in this movie, all the way
through. You can't front a performance like this, you can't front
successfully that kind of fear of failure and that kind of
self-loathing. He's really there in this role."

Co-star Swinton said Clooney is an easy screen counterpart, a
performer who has figured out "what works for him, this sort of
landscape within where he can be sincere and comfortable."

Clooney is working again with Swinton on the Coens' "Burn After
Reading," which also co-stars his "Ocean's Eleven" chum Brad Pitt.

There's a comfort factor in collaborating with trusted friends,
including other frequent co-stars such as Matt Damon and Don Cheadle,
also part of the "Ocean's" gang, Clooney said.

"There's a bunch of actors who can be really good in a film, but they
will make everyone suffer, or the director suffer, because it becomes
about them. Some of them thrive in this world where things have to be
going wrong, other people have to be unhappy, for you to get your
performance out. When you find people who aren't like that, you tend
to like to work with them.

"Also, there's a funny thing that people tiptoe around you when you
get famous, but we don't have to tiptoe around each other. So Matt
gives me a really hard time all the time. I give him a really hard
time. But that's because that's also fun."

Fun was the idea behind "Leatherheads," Clooney's latest directing
effort, a lighter affair than his previous two. A revival of old
screwball comedy, the film is built around a romantic triangle that
Clooney jokes he stole from "The Philadelphia Story."

Set in the 1920s, "Leatherheads" stars Clooney as a pro football
player who recruits a college star (Krasinski) for his team, the two
ending up contenders for the affection of a reporter (Zellweger) doing
a story on the sport's new golden boy.

Though once married and divorced, Clooney is considered one of
Hollywood's most-eligible bachelors. He said getting married again and
having a family are not conscious priorities, preferring to leave that
to fate.

"I don't actively pursue any of that stuff, because I think if it
turns around and finds you then it turns around and finds you,"
Clooney said.

His focus is on work, and a lot of it. Clooney knows from his own
family how fleeting fame can be, so he views his time now as a narrow
window of opportunity to make the sort of films he wants.

"My aunt Rosemary was the biggest star on Earth, and then she was a
flop because rock 'n' roll came in and pop music went out. She didn't
become less of a singer. In fact, she became a better singer, but it
didn't matter. Things change. So understanding that is a really
important element to what it is I do," Clooney said.

"I'm going to force people to make films they don't want to make.
Believe me, no one's encouraging us to make `Good Night, and Good
Luck' or `Syriana' or `The Good German' or `Solaris.' To me, the idea
is there's a period of time that I have where I'm able to force-feed
films down people's throats, and I don't know how long that lasts. So
I've been sort of on a mad rush to try and slam films down that I'd
like to see made."

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

B. CALL FOR AMERICAN MUSLIM STORIES

An online film contest with judges including Mariane Pearl is calling
for entries that tell of the American Muslim experience.

The "One Nation, Many Voices" competition started taking submissions
of films lasting five minutes or less on Tuesday.

The goal is to bring attention to experiences that show what all
Americans have in common, and to challenge stereotypes, said the
event's promoters.

"For all of us living in the U.S., there's certainly more that unites
us than separates us," said Kim Spencer, president of news and culture
channel Link TV, which announced the competition along with One
Nation, a collaborative that seeks to use the media to challenge
stereotypes of Muslims.

Categories include drama, comedy, documentary and animation/music.
There are also separate categories for films of one minute or less and
videos produced by youth. Entries must be submitted by Nov. 25.

Viewers will be able to vote online until Nov. 30 to select finalists,
which will then be evaluated by a panel of judges.

The winner will be awarded a $20,000 cash prize as well as a debut on
Link TV.

Pearl is the widow of journalist Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and
murdered by Islamic extremists while reporting for The Wall Street
Journal in Pakistan in 2002. "A Mighty Heart," the film about her
ordeal after the kidnapping, opened in June.

___

On the Net:

http://www.onenationfilmcontest.org

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20071003/119145744000.html

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

C. FILM SCHOOLS A MAZE OF VARIED OPPORTUNITIES

Tuition is soaring, but what are students getting for their buck?
By Noel Murray

It might be easier than ever for unskilled youngsters to pick up cheap
cameras, download some software and make movies, but even for those
amateur Spielbergs, the path to Hollywood success still tends to run
through film school, where they can learn the basic craft and gain
invaluable connections. But how to sort through hundreds of expensive
choices to find that one program that will suit a student's gifts and
point him or her toward a job in the business? The Hollywood Reporter
spotlights 12 institutions that represent good investments for
aspiring industry players of all types. (Note: Except where indicated,
tuition figures are rounded and cover two full semesters of
undergraduate education, minus living expenses and fees.)

American Film Institute Conservatory
Tuition: $32,000 (for one year of a two-year master's program)
Unique advantages: Industry-trained faculty; an intense first-year
"cycle project" that has students making three 20-minute films in
quick succession
Ideal for: Talented film school graduates looking for a coat of
polish. AFI yearly admits no more than 28 students each in its
directing, screenwriting, producing and cinematography programs, and
14 each in the editing and production design programs. But those
handfuls of students are the cream of the crop, and everyone gets a
chance to collaborate with budding specialists. Bob Mandel, the
conservatory's dean, says, "We don't think of editors as 'cutters,' or
cinematographers as 'people who light.' We think of all of our fellows
as filmmakers."
A word from an alumnus: Director Mark Waters (2005's "Just Like
Heaven") cites the cycle as the highlight of his stint at AFI, saying,
"You get ripped to shreds by your peers during the evaluations, but
you compete by doing good work. Once you get out into the real world,
you realize that this kind of scrutiny is nothing."

American University
School of Communication, Film & Media Arts Department
Tuition: $31,000
Unique advantages: Strong, socially active documentary studies; access
to network news organizations; "Summer in L.A." internship program
Ideal for: Politically active storytellers. Larry Kirkman, the dean
for the School of Communication, touts AU's blended curriculum, which
gives equal emphasis to filmmaking, journalism and public
communications. Kirkman also cites the school's embrace of
cutting-edge media like mobisodes, and ultimately, he says, "Hollywood
or Washington, you use the same tools."
A word from an alumna: Danielle Gelber, senior vp original programming
at Showtime, says, "I found it to be the most personalized, hands-on
program. You could go to school in the ivory tower in the morning and
then drive down the street that afternoon and be field-producing
stories for network news."

Boston University
College of Communication, Department of Film & Television
Tuition: $35,000
Unique advantages: The "BU in L.A." internship program; a curriculum
that treats television and online media as seriously as it does film
Ideal for: Movers-and-shakers-to-be. Although BU has "the strong
tradition of the kind of independent filmmaking one expects on the
East Coast," notes Charles Merzbacher, chair of the Department of Film
& Television, the school has become famous for turning out Hollywood
execs like Joe Roth and Lauren Shuler Donner.
A word from an alumnus: David Dinerstein, president of marketing and
distribution for Lakeshore Entertainment, jokes that he's constantly
surprised when he runs into fellow alums at lunch meetings and weekend
barbecues, but he's quick to emphasize that BU is "not a trade school"
and that he received "an incredibly well-balanced liberal arts
education in addition to an extraordinary filmic education."

California Institute of the Arts
School of Film/Video
Tuition: $31,000
Unique advantages: Low 7-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio;
state-of-the-art theaters for screening student work; acceptance based
on portfolio, not GPA or test scores
Ideal for: Iconoclasts and visionaries. Although the program has
become renowned for famous grads like writer-director Brad Bird and
Pixar's John Lasseter, its alumni roster also boasts the likes of Tim
Burton and Kirby Dick (2006's "This Film Is Not Yet Rated"). Steve
Anker, the School of Film/Video's dean, says that students are
"expected to deal creatively with every aspect of filmmaking and
encouraged to follow their own ideas." Because of this, CalArts has
seen its alums get featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
Whitney Biennial, Artforum and -- oh, yes -- at the top of the
boxoffice and on the winner's podium on Oscar night.
A word from an alumnus: Writer-actor Mark Polish (Warner Bros.'
February release "The Astronaut Farmer") says that what's great about
CalArts is that "they teach you that it's OK to be on the outside."

Columbia University
School of the Arts, Film Division
Tuition: $34,000
Unique advantages: Strong personal attention in the master's program;
crossover between the writing, directing and acting schools
Ideal for: Budding screenwriters, though Jamal Joseph, the chair of
the master's program, is quick to note that the days of Columbia as a
writers-only school are long past, what with grads like James Mangold
and Greg Mottola (Sony's current release "Superbad") making their mark
as directors. Still, whether they're studying writing, directing or
producing, students are trained in "the art of the story." Joseph also
says that the key to the program's success is its sense of community:
"Any student can talk to any faculty member inside or outside their
concentration."
A word from an alumnus: "I learned more about the craft of writing
screenplays and telling stories in the two years I spent at film
school than I have in the six or seven I've spent working on films,"
offers screenwriter Simon Kinberg (2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand"). "I
learned that you don't put that camera in your hand and don't call
'action' until you know the story you're telling and you know the
person in front of that camera."

Loyola Marymount University
School of Film and Television
Tuition: $31,000
Unique advantages: The Sony-sponsored "TAG: Transition After
Graduation" program; Hollywood-accessible location; small class size
Ideal for: Those with big hearts and big dreams. Teri Schwartz, the
dean of LMU's School of Film and Television, says that the goal of her
department is to create "a transformational educational experience"
that stresses "collaboration, not competition."
A word from an alumna: Producer Effie Brown (Picturehouse's current
release "Rocket Science") says she bypassed USC and UCLA and targeted
Loyola Marymount primarily because of a 10-to-1 student-to-faculty
ratio. "In my opinion, you can learn about the art of cinema, the
history, how to thread a camera, all that, but if you don't have
someone you can ask a question to, it's not helpful," she says.

New York University
Tisch School of the Arts, Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television
Tuition: $39,000
Unique advantages: Diverse, accomplished faculty; vibrant campus;
formidable tradition
Ideal for: Worldly folk with a taste for the finer things. Because NYU
has ruled the roost for decades as one of the top two or three film
programs in the U.S., it would be easy for the faculty and
administration to rest on their laurels, but Mary Schmidt Campbell,
dean of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, says that NYU's program
acknowledges the need to be in a "constant conversation with what's
going on in the world outside the academy in order for us to keep the
tools of filmmaking and distribution up to date." For the Kanbar
Institute, that means adapting to new filmmaking technologies, while
still emphasizing visual storytelling and challenging authority.
"Fundamental values don't change -- no matter what kind of technology
you're using," Campbell says.
A word from an alumnus: Director Chris Columbus says that what sets
NYU apart is the city itself: "You have New York City as your campus,
and because the students who attend are from all over the world,
there's a real world education about film."

Northwestern University
School of Communication, Department of Radio/Television/Film
Tuition: $35,000
Unique advantages: An "aesthetics first" approach to study; active
interest in interactive entertainment; a fiercely loyal alumni base
dubbed "the NU mafia"
Ideal for: Self-starters with a collaborative spirit. Associate
professor David Tolchinsky believes the strong ties that NU grads feel
to the school and each other is due in large part to the unique grant
system, which has students getting their media projects approved and
funded by other students. "It's a very healthy environment, with
students learning production within classes but also from one
another," Tolchinsky says.
A word from an alumnus: Screenwriter Eric Bernt (Rogue Pictures'
January release "The Hitcher") says that focus on design over
technical know-how leads to student work "very different from what you
see coming out of NYU or AFI or UCLA, which all look like they're
geared for Hollywood."

Rhode Island School of Design
Film/Animation/Video Program
Tuition: $33,000
Unique advantages: Low class size; immersive art-school environment
Ideal for: Aesthetes. The main point that RISD's Film/Animation/
Video department head Peter O'Neill makes to prospective students and
their parents when they visit the school is that "this is an art
school, as opposed to a college or a university." All students take a
common first year, emphasizing art and design. "That arguably serves
the animators a little more," O' Neill says. "But I think for the
live-action students, it can be interesting, too. Film is a visual
art. Nothing wrong with learning how to draw."
A word from an alumnus: Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert
Richardson (1991's "JFK," 2004's "The Aviator") says, "Rhode Island
School of Design -- and in particular Peter O'Neill -- was responsible
for bringing a light to that which rested within. What more might I add?"

UCLA
Department of Film, Television and Digital Media
Tuition: $19,000, nonresident; $7,000, resident
Unique advantages: World-renowned film and television archive; regular
lectures and workshops led by industry players
Ideal for: Confident go-getters. Students finance their own projects
at UCLA, which can leave some less-assured types feeling at sea. But
Nancy Richardson, head of the film school's postproduction department
and a working feature film editor in Hollywood, says that a low
student-to-faculty ratio means that each budding filmmaker receives a
great deal of mentoring and individual advice. "We try to nurture the
unique voice of each student, allowing them to tell their stories
their way," she says. "We teach the basics of filmmaking so that each
student has an overview of all aspects of filmmaking, with an emphasis
on formula-free storytelling."
A word from an alumnus: Producer-director Todd Holland ("Malcolm in
the Middle") loved the laissez-faire nature of the program, which
allowed him to practice his commercial filmmaking skills alongside his
more art-minded classmates -- and taught him how to treat people. "Our
crews weren't paid, and they didn't get class credit, so you had to
feed them well," he says. "And you had to crew for others to get them
to crew for you. I was a dolly grip, a camera assistant, a DP, a
caterer. I learned respect for each individual's job and what they
need to do their job."

USC
School of Cinematic Arts
Tuition: $35,000
Unique advantages: A network of more than 10,000 alumni working in the
industry; training with immediate, real-world applications; an
under-construction "cinematic arts complex" that promises to be
state-of-the-art
Ideal for: People who want a near-guaranteed job in show business.
According to dean Elizabeth Daley, USC suggests its film students take
a broad approach to learning the craft: "We require that each student,
regardless of the specific field in which they have chosen to
concentrate their talents, take courses from throughout the range of
our six divisions: animation and digital arts, critical studies,
interactive media, Peter Stark producing, production and writing. Our
women and men leave here with the skills, experience and sense of
teamwork that enable them to make meaningful contributions from the
minute they begin their careers."
A word from an alumnus: Director Peter Segal (2005's "The Longest
Yard") says that USC's real-world focus makes a difference. "With
people able to edit on their laptop computers, students are getting a
much more vocational experience in filmmaking at a much younger age,"
he explains. "That needs to get synthesized and filtered and applied
in the right areas so that when they leave school they have a better
understanding of those technical tools they've been playing with already."

University of Texas at Austin
College of Communication, Department of Radio-Television-Film
Tuition: $26,000, nonresident; $8,000, resident
Unique advantages: The "Semester in L.A." internship program;
nontraditional cultural environment
Ideal for: Freethinkers. Sharon Strover, chair of the Department of
Radio-Television-Film, says, "We find we are competing regularly for
M.F.A. students with NYU and USC, and many of them choose to come here
because we are different. We emphasize training across all the
component realms of production: writing, editing, audio, producing and
cinematography. Students are trained to be versatile and adaptive and
to understand filmmaking in narrative and documentary traditions."
A word from an alumnus: When asked what he got out of his time at
UT-Austin, writer-producer Patrick Sean Smith (ABC Family's "Greek")
says, "What I use every day is the ability to look at things not
necessarily from a pragmatic perspective but by figuring out what your
individual taste is, your voice, and how best to articulate that."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3ia5be1da221f\
f00873445c357fd06f10e

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

D. MENTORS KEY FOR FILM SCHOOL GRADS

By Noel Murray

Expensive film school classes are all well and good, but they don't
provide much value if students can't find a job after graduation.
That's why colleges and universities are increasingly making
internship and mentoring programs a major part of their overall
package -- because every happy, successful grad is a walking
advertisement for the school.

What do these programs actually entail? Below are the experiences of
three young people currently working in the industry, after taking
advantage of what their respective schools had to offer.

Arestia Rosenberg enrolled in Boston University's BU in L.A. program
in spring 2006 and worked simultaneous internships at Columbia
Pictures and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "The Tyra
Banks Show." She now works as an assistant at Adam Sandler's Happy
Madison Productions.

"I was planning on going abroad like a lot of my peers, but I decided
I could get a jump on my career by working in L.A. and making
connections," Rosenberg says. "It proved to be extremely valuable. Not
only was it a good way to transition into Los Angeles life, but also
to start meeting people and start learning about a business that we
all think we know, though we really have no idea."

Sal Cardoni participated in Loyola Marymount University's
Sony-sponsored TAG: Transition After Graduation upon graduating from
the school's screenwriting master's program in 2006. He was paired up
with mentor Joel Cohen, writer of 1995's "Toy Story," who says he
began mentoring when he realized how many film school grads had no
idea how to break into the business. Through Cohen, Cardoni was
assigned to rewrite the script for a Swedish animated TV movie.

"In the year after graduation, we'd have a monthly meeting and talk --
not so much about the art of being a writer but about the business,"
Cardoni says. "Two things Joel taught me: You are where you are
because you are who you are, so let your gut instincts guide you, and
'It's about the Freud,' which means that no matter what character
you're writing, they have personalities that can be dissected. Once
you figure out who they are, everything flows out of that."

Lindsay Webster took advantage of American University's Summer in L.A.
internship program and AU's mentorship program in consecutive years.
Through the former, she had the chance to work for "Bones" executive
producer Barry Josephson on the Fox lot. (Josephson says he enjoys
helping interns because he "knows what it's like to get a break" and
because "it's a reflection of yourself when you were young.") Through
the latter, she received guidance from Showtime's senior vp original
programming Danielle Gelber, who later got Webster a job on the
network's "The L Word," where she's currently an associate producer.

"Rarely do you have an experience that just sets your life track into
place, but those programs really did," Webster says. "Basically, the
internship was a hands-on experience of how to work in a production
office and handle that first job, that assistant desk job. I got to
fill in for Barry's real assistant, handle phones, roll calls, keep
phone sheets and expenses and pretty much get to understand the pace
of how everything happens. These are things you don't learn in school."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3ia5be1da221f\
f00879cf5949bf9dff7c1

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

E. WHAT TOP TV WRITERS WATCH ON TV

By Denise Martin

Anyone looking for a barometer of what the industry considers its
"best in show" need look no further than the nominees in Emmy's
writing categories. Sure, there are acting, directing and show prizes,
but the heart of any series lies in its writing. No matter how good
any of the other areas are, without solid scribes, a show will collapse.

Take Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica," which drew a surprise
writing recognition nom this go-around after three seasons of coming
up empty-handed in the major categories. Executive producer Ronald D.
Moore has reason to feel more confident about this particular
accolade: "I do know writers in town are fans of the show," he says.

Furthermore, just two other shows round out the drama writing category
-- though they come from the big boys on the block. Moore's
competitors are high-profile critics' faves Damon Lindelof and Carlton
Cuse for the season finale of ABC's "Lost;" and David Chase, Terence
Winter and Matthew Weiner for three separate entries of HBO's "The
Sopranos."

It's much the same story for the comedy noms: There are only three
shows represented -- Tina Fey and Robert Carlock for individual
episodes of NBC's "30 Rock," Greg Daniels and Michael Schur for their
respective episodes of NBC's "The Office," and writing team Ricky
Gervais and Stephen Merchant for HBO's "Extras."

Unlike those in the acting and top series categories, writers aren't
forced to view the top vote-getting entries en masse. Rather, they are
expected to screen eligible submissions on their own, and only writers
can vote for writers. But more than a few scribes admit to being too
busy to find the time to watch. "Sadly, I haven't even seen the other
two nominees," says one working comedy writer, who admitted to only
having watched "The Office."

That means a fair number of voters are choosing based on perception
and reputation, and as a result, the final selections tend to fall in
line with that of media tastemakers and critics. This year's
Television Critics Association Awards feted "The Sopranos," "The
Office" and "30 Rock" -- all multiple-episode nominees making up half
of this year's six series writing contenders.

Winter, executive producer of, and two-time writing Emmy winner for
"Sopranos," says judging the work of other writers can be a
frustrating experience. "That's the downside of what we do. We see
behind the curtain and how the wheels turn," he says. "I spend all of
my days constructing stories, so it's hard to watching something and
not automatically begin to deconstruct it. I know when I'm being set
up and what will happen the next 99 times out of 100."

Others who've been lucky enough to grab the prize say that this
category offers some stiff competition. "Those are all funny shows,"
says "My Name Is Earl" creator/executive producer Greg Garcia, whose
NBC show was shut out from the category this year. "There's not one
episode nominated in the comedy category that I didn't laugh all the
way through. I'm just going to have to try and remember when I laughed
the hardest."

What does work for Winter is genuine shock. "What I enjoy is to be
surprised, to walk away with the feeling that not in a million years
would I have predicted what just happened," he says. Perhaps, then,
he's likely to give a vote to the "Sopranos" series finale, which
shocked virtually anyone who watched it. Says Winter, "I thought
(Chase's ending) was brilliant."

Nancy Updike, a nominee for her "God's Close-up" episode of Showtime's
"This American Life" in the nonfiction category, echoes Winter's
thought: "I'm looking for the same thing in every category, which is
to be surprised and dazzled," she says. (Writing is all in the family
for Updike, who is distantly related to double Pulitzer Prize winner
John, but she's "forgotten where" he is in the family tree.) "I want
to see something new," she continues, "get a new idea or see a new
image through the writing."

"Entourage" creator/executive producer Doug Ellin, who, like Garcia,
was left out of the running this time after picking up a nom last
year, says he judges by that indescribable "wow factor." "It has to be
something that leaves me in awe, like 'The Wire,'" which despite near
universal raves from critics and TV industryites alike, has only been
nominated for a writing Emmy once.

A source of concern for some voters in years past has been weighing
series pilots against regular episodes, also an issue in the director
categories. This year, however, the issue is moot -- none of the
nominated episodes are pilots -- but the subject still rankles.
Sitcoms, in particular, which are generally written in a writers'
room, are often the most collaborative efforts, and that should be
honored, says Garcia, who won for the "Earl" pilot a year ago.

"Sometimes, you feel like it should be a staff award if it's not the
pilot," he explains. "A pilot creates the whole world and is really
the work of one person, so I personally lean that way."

"30 Rock" co-executive producer Carlock, however, says that on his
series the collaboration is much more limited. Because of the
single-camera nature of "Rock" -- each episode takes eight days to
shoot -- staff writers are expected to solve problems on their own,
leaving less time for groupthink. "Our process isn't designed around a
room. It's certainly harder on the writers, because we don't have much
time, but it's worked out nicely so far."

Good writing can also be judged at times by the acclaim a show garners
outside the writing category itself. Well before the contenders were
announced, "Entourage's" Ellin reportedly said that he specifically
wrote the episode "The Resurrection," in which Johnny Drama faces a
string of rejections before finding out his pilot is a ratings hit, to
score actor Kevin Dillon an Emmy nomination.

Mission accomplished. The writing itself may not be up for an Emmy,
but Ellin is happy it struck a chord. "We did something unexpected in
this episode -- there's nothing over-the-top happening. It's just a
hard dose of reality for Johnny. I got calls that people were
'uncomfortably moved,' so I was happy," he says.

"Battlestar's" Moore had thought the buzz wave had passed for the
show; last season, he thought, was when they'd peaked. Reviews were
glowing, the show won a prestigious Peabody Award, and the press
covered the series as vigorously as they do broadcast hits like
"Lost." But last year, despite an aggressive Emmy campaign, the show
couldn't land a nom in any of the major categories. This year, it's up
for both writing and directing.

His nominated episode, "Galactica's" two-hour Season 3 opener, bares
both of the series' hallmarks -- big action and politically charged
drama -- and Moore suspects that those elements may have had a part in
the unexpected recognition.

Comedy writers by and large also look for strong story and
character-driven elements in addition to laughs. "I look for a balance
among the characters where the writer gets the most out of them," says
Carlock.

"It's interesting to judge something for its writing -- I'd like to
think it was a two-way street when you have someone like Alec Baldwin
working for you," he adds. In his nominated "Jack-Tor" episode, Liz
Lemon (Tina Fey) realizes that her boss, Jack Donaghy (Baldwin), has
zero onscreen presence. Meanwhile, Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan)
pretends he's illiterate to avoid having to read from cue cards.

But for the most part, writers are simply discriminating fans of sharp
work. "I certainly love all the other nominated shows," says Carlock,
who adds with a laugh, "but I'll hate them soon enough."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3i0896d\
943d3461f17a4e2087a350a5c37

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

F. WILL AUSTIN'S 'CREATIVE VILLAGE' WORK?

By Todd Longwell

Villa Muse looks like a fantastic concept on paper: a $2.5 billion
mixed-use development 12 miles east of downtown Austin, anchored by a
$125 million, 200-acre studio with state-of-the-art production and
postproduction facilities for film, television, commercials, music and
video games, including eight soundstages (one measuring 65,000 square
feet), a water tank, scoring and mixing stages and a 70,000-seat
amphitheater.

But what makes it truly revolutionary is that the residential
community surrounding the studio will not only serve as a home for
locals and visiting crews and creatives alike, it also will be a
living backlot for filmmakers, with neighborhoods built in a variety
of styles and sizes suitable for portraying locations around the globe.

Texas Film Commission director Bob Hudgins believes that Villa Muse
will be the missing piece of the film-production puzzle for the state,
which has a surfeit of diverse locations and a strong crew base but
lacks big soundstages fully equipped to accommodate large studio
productions.

"It will provide all the potentials for production that we've had to
say no to in the past," Hudgins says.

As intriguing as this plan is, there are several major questions to be
answered, the most of important of which is: Will it actually get built?

In April, it was announced that groundbreaking on phase one of the
development -- which includes the studios and the main street -- would
take place this year. But it has since been pushed back to spring
2008, with a projected opening of summer 2009.

Project development partner Jim Carpenter, president of Carpenter &
Assoc., an Austin-based real estate and investment firm, says the
delay is due to the acquisition of additional land for the project,
which increased its size from 681 to 1,000 acres and added another $1
billion to the budget.

"We had to go in and basically redesign the entire land plan, because
everything was in the wrong location when we added another 500 acres
of real estate," Carpenter explains.

It's not the first roadblock or detour Villa Muse has encountered
since CEO and founder Jay Aaron Podolnick first hatched the idea for
the development 15 years ago.

"It's been a very uphill fight, because I had to survive the dot-com
era, when no one wanted to invest in brick and mortar," says
Podolnick, an Austin music industry vet. "Then, of course, 9/11
happened and crushed a lot of people's dreams, literally."

According to Villa Muse vp Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, they have secured
phase one funding and acquired all the land. They've also continued to
expand the Villa Muse team with a number of industry experts,
including two-time Oscar-nominated production designer Michael
Corenblith as a design consultant ("to enhance the cinematic
possibilities," says Corenblith).

But for investors the question still remains: If they do build it,
will they come? Competition is already in place 850 miles to the
northwest in New Mexico at the new $74 million Albuquerque Studios,
where six (of a planned eight) soundstages have opened and are already
booked thanks to the enticing 25% tax rebate that dwarfs Texas' newly
enacted 5% grant.

But the people behind Villa Muse believe that productions are only
flocking to New Mexico and equally incentive-rich Louisiana because of
the incentives, and that once they disappear (as they believe they
soon will), so will the film business.

Says Alvarado-Dykstra, "They don't have commercials, video games,
music, animation and all the other pieces of the puzzle that we have
here in Texas and in Austin that grew up here (organically) without
the need for throwing money at it with incentives."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/features/e3i862be56ec50\
3162a264a583c21494677

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

G. HARPERCOLLINS MAKES FILM DEAL

NEW YORK - Another publisher is getting into the moviemaking game.

HarperCollins announced Monday that it had formed a "strategic
partnership" with Sharp Independent, which has produced such films as
"Boys Don't Cry," "Evening" and "The Night Listener."

Under a multiyear agreement, Sharp Independent at HarperCollins will
be based at the publisher's Manhattan offices and will work with
authors and agents on developing film versions of HarperCollins books.

"We are always looking for ways to give our authors' works greater
visibility. Providing an avenue and competitive advantage in the film
world is another example of this," Michael Morrison, president and
group publisher of Harper/Morrow, which includes the HarperCollins and
William Morrow divisions.

Harper/Morrow's many authors include Michael Chabon, Ann Patchett and
Joyce Carol Oates.

Two years ago, Random House, Inc. and Focus Films formed Random House
Films, which this fall will release an adaptation of John Burnham
Schwartz's "Reservation Road," starring Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix
and Jennifer Connelly.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071001/ap_en_mo/harpercollins_film_deal_3

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

H. AFGHAN MODELS REVEAL THE BEAUTY UNDER THE BURQA

By Jon Hemming

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A model strutting the catwalk
is hardly revolutionary in most countries, but Afghan television's
answer to "America's Next Top Model" is breaking boundaries and
revealing the beauty under the burqa.

Nearly six years after the overthrow of the strict Islamist Taliban
government, almost all women in deeply conservative Afghanistan still
only appear in public wafting past in the burqa's pale blue, their
dark eyes only occasionally visible behind the bars of its grille.

But in the relatively liberal northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif,
a local television station has started to show a different image of
Afghan women with an extremely low-budget take on the hit "America's
Next Top Model," a reality TV show in which judges choose prospective
models from a group of contestants over several weeks.

"I was really enthusiastic to make this program because I wanted the
girls to present the clothes and themselves," said Sosan Soltani, the
18-year-old director of the program.

"Afghanistan is free and these girls are the future of this country,"
she said.

Four girls in brightly colored traditional costumes with baggy pants
and long loose-fitting shawls and headscarves strode down the
impromptu catwalk decked out in traditional Afghan rugs. Seemingly
less confident than their Western counterparts, they avoided the gaze
of the all-male film crew and press.

A quick change later, the same four appeared in camouflage combat
trousers, sneakers and embroidered smocks. Then came denim jeans,
open-toed sandals and colorful lightweight jackets.

None of this would be at all risque in the West, but in Afghanistan,
such attire can spark outrage, especially when broadcast on television.

"According to Sharia law, Islam is absolutely against this," said
Afghan Muslim cleric Abdul Raouf. "Not only is it banned by Islamic
Sharia law, but if we apply Sharia law and to take this issue to
justice, these girls should be punished."

"A STEP FORWARD"

More than 10 other models due to take part in the program failed to
turn up after hearing that members of the international press would be
present, fearing the wider broadcast of the show could lead to trouble
for them, their friends said.

Those who did brave the possible backlash were determined.

"It is a great idea I think for Afghan girls, to encourage them to go
a step forward," said 19-year-old model Katayoun Timour.

"We know that in Afghan society 90 percent of people think it is not
good, that it's absolutely wrong," she said of the program. "We had
objections from people, but I tell them it is not something bad, they
should see it in a positive way."

But on the streets of Mazar-i-Sharif, it was hard to find anyone who
objected to the program, especially among the young.

"It is a good program," said 28-year-old shopkeeper Ahmad Sear.
"People watch and like it, especially women are interested in this
program -- through this program and the clothes they wear, they might
be able to develop their country."

"Young people are interested in fashion and the program introduces new
clothes to them," said businessman Ahmad Nasir. "It also complies with
Afghan culture, so it's fine."

But asked if he looked more at the clothes or the girls, he replied
with a smile: "The girls of course." Then added, "the clothes are
important though."

Model Timour said she wanted the outside world to see a different
image of Afghan women.

"I have seen outside Afghanistan they have a different kind of idea
about women in Afghanistan -- they think they are always wearing the
burqa and sitting at home but it is not like that," she said. "Girls
in Afghanistan are beautiful."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071001/lf_nm/afghan_models_dc


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

I. THE $5,000 ANTI-WAR FILM

When your goal is to produce and premiere 12 feature films in 12
months, the budgets have to be portable.

By FilmStew Staff, FilmStew.com

The Drive, the seventh feature-length product of the Extra/Ordinary
Film Project, is set to premiere in Gallatin, Tennessee on October
18th. Submitted to the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for consideration,
it tells the story of grieving parents mixing revenge with a trip to
the Gateway Arch in St. Louis to scatter the ashes of their son, a
casualty of the ongoing Iraq war.

Completed in early September, The Drive will be followed by Wonderful,
the tale of the number one fan of the movie It's a Wonderful Life and
his own attempts on Christmas Eve to find meaning in his life.
Previous entries in the 12-month marathon moviemaking session have
been the waitress comedy Bernee, the hit-and-run drama Ought, the high
school teacher drama Budd, the coming of age drama Too, the homeless
father-daughter drama The $6 Man and the all-female ensemble, escaped
convict drama Summer's Morn.

Begun in February of this year and continuing on through January of
2008, the Extra/Ordinary Film Project is the brainchild of
wife-cinematographer-editor-co-director Tracy Nichole Cring,
husband-co-director Jonathan Russell Cring and the latter's father,
screenwriter-composer Jonathan Richard Cring. The Henderson, TN based
trio shoot from the first to the tenth of each month, working with
local actors and a budget of $5,000 or less, before quickly editing
down the final product using Final Cut Pro software.

Film fans can purchase a DVD of each film online for $12 or sign up
for all twelve entries for the package price of $99. Amazingly, much
of the money for these films comes from average folks around the
country who, by donating to one or more of the films, gain entrance to
a group of supporters dubbed Heroes of Creativity. It's truly
grassroots filmmaking on a whole new Internet level.

And as far as the four remaining films needed to complete the Crings'
12-by-12 series, our favorite logline is that of #11, Perchance to
Dream. It reads: 'A man suffering from narcolepsy is on a desperate
search to discover where reality meets the dream world and whether he
lives for now, for later or exists only in a former time.'

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/fs/20071010/119204888700.html

http://www.extraordinaryfilmproject.com/about.htm


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

J. "DAILY SHOW" GETS OWN WEB SITE

By Alex Woodson Thu Oct 18, 8:21 AM ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - After more than a decade on the air,
Comedy Central's "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" has its own online
home.

The new Web site, DailyShow.com (http://www.dailyshow.com), will go
live at noon EST Thursday, presenting nearly the entire video archive
of the show for the past nine years.

The site contains more than 16,000 video clips spanning headlines,
correspondent pieces and such regular segments as Lewis Black's "Back
in Black" or Stephen Colbert's "This Week in God." For now, the
archives start in early 1999, covering the Jon Stewart-era. The
earlier version of the program, which started in 1996 with host Craig
Kilborn, could be available by early 2008.

Uninterrupted episodes will not be available, though full shows can,
for the most part, be pieced together from the clips.

Before this site, most of the clips from past years had "vanished,"
said Erik Flannigan, executive vp digital media at MTV Networks, the
Viacom Inc. unit that houses Comedy Central. The show's Web site had
been housed in the larger Comedy Central site, and episodes also have
been available on Apple's iTunes for paid download.

Flannigan also pointed out that Google's YouTube hosted many
unlicensed clips, but that site only started in 2005 and is entangled
in a $1 billion lawsuit with Viacom for that exact type of copyright
infringement.

The new site will be the only place to see legal "Daily Show" clips
online, though a spokesman said that a few selected clips could become
available on sites through syndication deals. The show recently did
this with Yahoo for correspondent Rob Riggle's reports from Iraq.

Although Flannigan said YouTube helped whet the appetite for users
searching for smaller comedic videos, he also stressed that the
official site would have come together even if YouTube hadn't existed.
With the new site equipped with community features like message
boards, it also can help shape discussion.

"People should be reacting to 'The Daily Show' on its own site,"
Flannigan said. "God bless them doing it everywhere else, but this
should be the epicenter of it."

The site's home page will focus on the previous night's episode, from
which clips will be posted by 8 a.m. EST the next morning, eventually
being pushed up to 5 a.m. The destination also is equipped with a
timeline that can locate archived clips by date and search tools, like
other Viacom sites powered by Google.

Clips also will be tagged and broken into categories based on subject
matter, correspondent or a celebrity name involved in the segment. All
of these can be sorted separately as well.

Flannigan said that the site houses a "super majority" of all content
from the show in the Stewart era. He said that some guests on the
program didn't sign a release letting those segments onto the Web, but
he declined to mention names.

Comedy Central vp digital media Paul Beddoe-Stephens said that the
site has been a long-term goal ever since he started at the company in
1999. The group started to conceptualize the site in February and in
June the team started the exhaustive process of encoding videos and
building the vast destination.

"We're not sure any show has put their entire history online before,"
Flannigan said.

Flannigan said Stewart and several executive producers and writers on
the show saw the site last week and were "absolutely ecstatic." He
added that they were excited not just that they could see their work
again but also to use the site as a research tool.

"The Colbert Report" and Comedy Central's library of stand-up
performances also could get full-archived sites. Flannigan said those
could come together in first-half 2008.

The site for "The Sarah Silverman Program," launched this month, has a
similar structure, albeit for that show's much shorter archive of nine
episodes.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071018/tv_nm/dailyshow_dc

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

K. FILMMAKER FIGHTS TO SPREAD THE PLAGUE

Writer/Director Hal Masonberg is fighting to get his film seen; a film
he finished AFTER he was removed from the project. Now he's heading an
international campaign to get his film released. The film in question
is, THE PLAGUE, a thought-provoking, socially relevant horror movie
dealing with the subject of kids, violence and fear. THE PLAGUE was
taken away from both its writers and director during post production
after they'd spent a total of 8 years struggling to get it made. A
producers' cut version was released to DVD under the title CLIVE
BARKER'S THE PLAGUE even though it had been an original script and
concept by Masonberg/Minton and not based on any of Barker's work.

The good news is that there is a web site, growing quickly in
popularity, that is devoted to getting the Writers & Director's Cut of
this film released. On it one will find, not only a link to a petition
with an ever-growing number of signatures, but an hour-long
documentary titled SPREADING THE PLAGUE: INTERVIEWS ABOUT THE WRITERS
& DIRECTOR'S CUT which contains interviews with Masonberg and cast
members, including one of the film's stars, Dee Wallace (E.T., THE
HOWLING), as well as noted film authors/ journalists. All participants
openly voice their desire to see this cut of the film released. There
are also written interviews, radio interviews, links to forums and
articles all focusing on getting this film out to the public.

Screen Gems has stated that they would consider releasing the Writers
& Director's Cut if they felt there was an audience for the film.
Let's show them that there is.

Check out the web site, please sign our petition, and help us spread
the word.

SIGN THE PETITION: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/plague/

NOTE: After you sign the petition, iPetitions takes you to a page
asking if you'd like to make a donation. YOUR SIGNATURE HAS ALREADY
BEEN RECORDED. You do NOT need to donate money. Simply close out the
window and you're done!

WATCH THE TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UFFJOW2OF0

LEARN MORE: http://www.spreadingtheplague.com/

Thanks again,

Hal

1. Intro
2. Acting Buzz – Free Seminar
3. Hollywood Shorts Film Screening – Free at Cinespace
4. InfoList – Entertainment Jobs, etc
5. Everything Acting Podcast
6. Think Like An Entrepreneur
7. Variety Careers
8. Open Source – Free Software
9. Actors and Crew Networking Site
10. Talent Speaks
11. Casting Director Site
12. Film Sales Agent

13. Member Updates
14. Articles
A. Scouting at UCLA's Industry Showcase of Student Films
B. Hollywood minion wows hotshot with movie idea
C. New cameras have actors reloading - High-def revolutionizes the
craft of actors, director
D. 'Pre-viz' carves out niches on set - Digital pre-visualization a
major new tool
E. TV commercials can help promote developing bands
F. Hey! TV writers, are you listening?
G. Indie comedies rushed to theaters, DVD
H. Study: 1 in 5 adults watch Web videos
J. Web video sites mined by talent scouts

________________________________________________________________________

1. INTRO

Hello Hola Aloha!

It's been a busy couple of months since the last newsletter. I
directed my first drama short film.  We shot on the new Panasonic
HVX-200 HD camera.  It has some really cool features like the
in-camera slow-motion (only at 720 resolution, not at the 1080).  You
can connect with the AFI-grad DP here: http://www.DerekFullagar.com.

The experimental short in which I acted, "27,000 Days" (written and
directed by Naveen Singh) just won at the Nextframe Film Festival for
1st Place Experimental.  That brings the total wins for that film up
to four.  Check it out here: http://www.27000daysFilm.com - I designed
and built the website, so if you're looking to have one made, contact me.

27,000 Days will be screening at the Los Angeles Shorts Film Festival
on Wed, Sept 12 at 7:45pm.  Also screening at the same fest is another
movie I acted in called THE TRIDENT (written and directed by Anurag
Mehta and exec produced by Harish Rao).  It's screening Thu, Sept 6 at
3pm.

Keep me posted with your work.  Until next time, keep at it.
Remember, `you only fail when you quit.'

Happy Filmmaking,
Anup

________________________________________________________________________

2. ACTING BUZZ – FREE SEMINAR

Free Marketing & Business Class for Actors
Bee the Buzz of the Biz with The Acting Buzz

The industry is changing and The Acting Buzz wants to give you the
competitive edge required to navigate this new terrain.  We are a
business and marketing workshop which delivers the skills and know how
to take your career to the next level.

- discover your niche
- overcome personal performance obstacles
- master the art of goal setting and action orientation
- build power relationships through effective networking skills
- implement winning business strategies into your daily routine
- learn what casting directors really look for in the casting process
- design a marketing package agents and casting directors can't resist
- create specific, powerful preparation techniques for outstanding
auditions

FREE CLASS

In this FREE 60 MINUTE CLASS marketing professional and actress
Monique Marrier provides you with insider secrets of the casting
process and explores steps you can take right now to get in front of
the people who can make your dreams a reality.  You will leave
inspired and empowered to make a dynamic shift in your career.  What
have you got to lose?

FREE CLASS DATES
August 21, 2007 (6:00pm – 7:00pm)
August 28, 2007 (6:00pm – 7:00pm)

RSVP REQUIRED

Call or email to reserve your seat today:
866.928.BUZZ  info@...

Be sure to include:
Your Name
Phone Number
Email Address

The free class is one night only - please select the date that works
best for you.

CLASS LOCATION
Whitmore-Lindley Theater Center
11006 Magnolia Blvd
Cross Street: Vineland
North Hollywood, CA 91601

MORE INFORMATION
Visit http://www.theactingbuzz.com for curriculum details, additional
marketing services, student testimonials, and registration information.

THE ACTING BUZZ
866.928.BUZZ (2899)
www.theactingbuzz.com
info@...
________________________________________________________________________

3. HOLLYWOOD SHORTS FILM SCREENING

Sunday, August 19th
6 pm – 8 pm

CINESPACE
6356 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood 90028

FREE

We will be accepting submissions for the Winter 07 Screenings - go to
www.hollywoodshorts.com for entry forms.

You can also bring your headshots, resumes, and vendor brochures to
share with the filmmakers and crew that will be in attendance.
hollywoodshorts@...

________________________________________________________________________

4. INFOLIST – ENTERTAINMENT JOBS, ETC

http://www.InfoList.com
http://www.myspace.com/jeffgund
________________________________________________________________________

5. EVERYTHING ACTING PODCAST

http://www.everythingactingpodcast.com

________________________________________________________________________

6. THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR

This is one of my good friend, Matt Remuzzi's blog/article/site.  He's
the most successful entrepreneur I know and practices what he
preaches.  This site is great for jogging the mind and making you
think creatively.  Here's a sample blog that goes in line with this group.

-Anup

"Start Your Own TV Show, Get Paid $10K Per Commercial, and Launch for
Under $300? Yes!"

http://capforge.com/creating-your-own-television-show-for-profit/73/

________________________________________________________________________

7. VARIETY CAREERS

Get a job (at Variety.com).

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=variety_careers
________________________________________________________________________

8. OPEN SOURCE – FREE SOFTWARE

Photoshop is the industry standard software that the pros use to
manipulate pictures (e.g. headshots, etc).  However, it's quite
expensive.  Instead try the open-source version of it called Gimp for
free.
-Anup

http://www.osalt.com/photoshop

Ditto for After Effects the Motion Graphics Editor:
http://www.osalt.com/after-effects

http://www.openoffice.org - MS Word, Excel equivalents, etc.

________________________________________________________________________

9. ACTORS AND CREW

is a networking and employment service for entertainment
professionals. It is a central place for everyone in the entertainment
community to come together.

http://www.actorsandcrew.com

________________________________________________________________________

10. TALENT SPEAKS

Advancements in electronic networking and digital technologies create
opportunities that empower independent artists to achieve success
through self promotion. Creative people now have an unrestricted
ability to promote themselves to the global audience. New technology
and electronic distribution are quickly creating a New System that
allows artists (musicians, designers, photographers, writers, etc) to
deal directly with consumers, bypassing the traditional hurdles of the
outdated art and entertainment industry.

http://talentspeaks.com/
________________________________________________________________________

11. CASTING DIRECTOR SITE

Casting director Doron Ofir has his own database of actors to choose
from for his shows.  Free listing.

http://doronofir.com
________________________________________________________________________

12. FILM SALES AGENT

This is the company that sold Napoleon Dynamite, Supersize Me, etc.

Cinetic media - http://216.25.73.123/
________________________________________________________________________

13. MEMBER UPDATE

ADAM RUDDER

hey hi hello there mi amigos....

Do any of you guys/girls happen to know a solid DP or camera operator
with a 24p camera?

We have a super fun and unique 2 camera project this weekend (shooting
saturday)...and unfortunately, one of our dps had to suddenly pull
out.  The other one of has a dvx100 (24p)and we need another cam to
match it.

If you have any leads...PLEASE please please connect me...we're kinda
scrambling to find a good person.

thanks in advance everyone (info below),

Adam
adamitp@...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------
ps.  Im co-Producing and Co-Directing this project and we're really
excited about this!  :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------

Experienced filmmaking team seeking TALENTED Director of Photographer
for Aug. 17th and 18th.  Inspired by the 48hour Film Project, we have
put together a group of professionals who will write, shoot and edit a
quality short film... all in one weekend.  That's right -- a fun
collborative project where nobody knows what we are making until 7pm
friday night (at that point, the group picks a genre, line of dialogue
and other key elements out of a hat...and has 48 hrs to write, shoot,
edit  and complete a short film)

Crew members experience ranges from work on Full length Features, to
Stu Segall and MTV Productions. Including the Producers, Gaffer and
Editor [and others]. There is NO PAY for this work. None of us, even
the ones who making a living in this line of work are getting paid.

Unfortunately our DP had to back out recently, so if you're
interested, please send a link to reel/work and list of equipment to
48hourFaux@.... Commitment would include Pre-Production meeting
Friday night in San Diego at 7pm for a few hours, then all day Saturday.

A fun and talented team is almost complete. Drop us a line if you're
up for the challenge.

Thanks in Advance
Joe and Adam

e - 48hourfaux@...

Compensation: Copy/Credit/Meals


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

CHRIS FLETCHER

Hi,
My name is Chris Fletcher I am the ceo of howweconnect.com and
I would like to invite everyone to join our newly developed site. This

is a social
networking site similar to myspace but is available by invitation only.

You can upload photos and albums, fill out a personality profile, have

your own blog,
chat, send messages, leave comments and coming soon you will be able
to upload your reels
as well and much more.

Anyone interested should reply to this email and I will send out an
invitation so that
you may register on the site.

This would be another great resource for you to promote yourself in
the industry.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Chris Fletcher
How We Connect
ceo
http://www.howweconnect.com
chris@...

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

DAVID HELPLING

Treasure, the new album by David Helpling (composer, "Trade Offs") and
Jon Jenkins will be released world-wide on June 12th 2007

Deep Exile has just launched, a new website dedicated to the past,
present and future music of both artists.  There, Treasure can now be
pre-ordered at a reduced price and each copy can personally signed by
the artists upon request.  Any CD's ordered through deepexile.com
directly support the artists and encourage them to continue creating
and releasing music.  Much is happening around the release of this
record - stay tuned for news on Radio Interviews, Web Interviews,
Podcasts, exclusive content and more at http://www.deepexile.com.

TREASURE
The new album by David Helpling and Jon Jenkins
Discover it everywhere on June 12th, 2007
Pre-order it today at
http://www.deepexile.com

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

DAEG FARECH

This is the issue of Fangoria with the "Halloween" photos including Daeg.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=99704870&blogID=\
286146825&Mytoken=3CE922F4-E5DC-41FF-91B772F9E9AB661169262523
if that link doesn't work try this one from a cool site call
tinyurl.com that make ugly long urls short like this:
http://tinyurl.com/38ezjo


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

FREDDIE JOHNSON

Hey everyone I just wanted to drop a note about a contest I entered.
See, Heinz sent out a challenge to anyone and everyone to make a
ketchup commercial. Huh...the nerve of them! What would they need a
ketchup commercial for? Geez!

Who knows but I entered anyway.

Here's my entry...I hope you enjoy!  -
http://www.youtube.com/v/-eSvtBF0CcM

Thanks!

Freddie Johnson

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

GRETA VALENTI

Hello Minxies!

Well you've waited a long time... and the moment is finally here!
After a year and a half, FUJI MINX has completed their debut
full-length album, "Users Cheaters Theatres". "We are so excited to
finally be able to share these songs with or fans all around the
world. We're excited to start rehearsing and get ready to tour and
actually play again. It's been a long time." -GV

      The concept album features 20 tracks of Alternative Pop's Dark
Side for only $14.99. This album raises the bar for pop music in this
exciting & dynamic concept album about the tug-o-war of What you Are &
What you Want to be. Honest, sad, powerful & complicated, "UCT"
delivers the human soul on a delicious rock & roll platter. The album
is available for download now on MySpace & IAC Radio. You can
pre-order a hard copy of the album, which comes with a 16-page full
color booklet and codes to access secret FM sites w/ album extras.
Album in stores worldwide in September & on iTunes by October.

Fuji Minx is also working on a feature length documentary that is set
to film in Feb 2008. This project is really exciting & will work to
change perceptions about the way we view the world and other cultures
in it. View from the Moon needs to finish obtaining funding to make
this film a reality. If you know anyone who may be interested in
investing in a socially important and amazing film with Emmy Award
winning Director/Producer, please contact View from the Moon here or
reply to this email. Details to come.

                                          COMING SOON:
                                              •New FUJI MINX Website
                                              •FujiMinx on "IndiePads"
episode
                                              •Waisting Away Music Video
                                              •Video of "Miss Asia USA
" FM Live

Thanks everyone and we're glad to back!! Please check out our music on
IAC Radio (see link below). he more listens we get the better changes
we have of landing a record deal with a larger record label. YOU CAN
MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

http://fujiminx.com/

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

HIREN DAVE

Here is Visual Effects Director...
Youtube Link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uHHVEFOZ98
Hiren Dave
Mumbai
xhirendave@...

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

JAIMYON PARKER

Hello All!

Our non-profit corporation is in full swing with our upcoming
Back2School drive! All that's missing is YOU! Please visit our website
at: http://www.actorscommunityinc.com and use the contact form to let
us know how you can help. Whether volunteering, donating, or giving
much needed prayers and suggestions, your help is much appreciated and
very needed!

While you're on the website, you can sign up for the mailing list,
register in the forum and discuss what's on your mind, or even read
our thoughts in the journal entries.

Come and join the community, we could use your help!

Jaimyon Parker
C.O.O.
Actors Community, Inc.
http://www.actorscommunityinc.com
jaimyon@...

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

DR. KURTIS STRANGE

PARK GRUBBS took an "Honorable Mention" at the Indie Gathering film
festival in Cleavlend Ohio.

WOOT!  WOOT!

And here we thought there was very little "honor" here.

As I keep saying.......Baby steps, baby steps.

Love ya like a hamster

Dr Kurtis

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=522773\
21

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

MAURICE WHITE

This is a project i've been working on with my friends from Chicago
since 2002, please leave a quick comment after you view it and tell us
what you think.  Please feel free to foward it to anyone you think may
be a person of interest.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ePrmCVYcCzE

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

RAJEEV CHHIBBER

It`s official! Fresh off of winning "Best Writing" at the ITVF, Deal
With It has been selected as an official entry in the New York
Television Festival! We screen in midtown Manhattan at the New World
Stages on September 7th @ 10:30pm and September 9th @ 3:00pm,
admission for the screenings is FREE.

You can visit www.newyorktelevisionfestival.com to reserve seats for
the screenings (starting next week).

Rajeev Chhibber
http://imdb.com/name/nm1428286/
http://www.youtube.com/rajeevchhibber
http://resumes.actorsaccess.com/rajeevchhibber
http://www.wahindia.com/Rajeev

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

SAMEER ASAD GARDEZI

Is a staff writer on ALIENS IN AMERICA this season.  Look for it this
fall season on The CW.

http://cwtv.com/thecw/aliens-in-america

________________________________________________________________________

14. ARTICLES


A. SCOUTING AT UCLA'S INDUSTRY SHOWCASE OF STUDENT FILMS
by Kim Adelman

On June 12, 2007, Hollywood Industryites packed the Directors Guild of
America Theater, eager to view the seven winners of UCLA's School of
Theater, Film and Television's Directors Spotlight competition. With a
roster of past student winners including Alexander Payne ("Sideways"),
Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Shane Acker ("9"), and Gil
Kenan ("Monster House"), the annual screening has a reputation for
being a do-not-miss event for those interested in identifying student
filmmakers with big league potential. While there wasn't a clear
standout among this year's crop of Spotlight winners, all seven of '07
directors showed enough potential to make tracking them worthwhile.

This year's Directors Spotlight winners were selected by a
sixteen-person blue ribbon panel of judges, moderated by Sundance Film
Festival director Geoff Gilmore. With such diverse judges as Tony Bui
("Three Seasons") and Kirby Dick ("This Film Is Not Yet Rated")
vetting the films, a stute audience members correctly assumed they'd
be in for a compelling collection of shorts.

The first film unspooled was a 7-minute comedy entitled "Ruthless."
Director Julie Sagalowsky elicits solid performances from her leads in
this pre-teen "Mean Girls"-esque dark comedy.

Next up: Kahlil Hudson's "The Nemesis Bird," which clocked in at twice
the first film's running time. Shot on DVCProHD, this comedy about
obsessive bird watchers contains more laughs than expected and proved
to be an audience pleaser.

"House of the Olive Trees," which came to the screening with several
UCLA student awards under its belt including Best Directing Actors,
Best Script, and Best Narrative, was handicapped by a projection
mishap in which the projectionist switched to another short after the
first few minutes. When the 35mm MFA thesis film subsequently screened
in full, the Greek-language romance seduced viewers so thoroughly that
the 29 minutes and 45 seconds flew by. A Student Academy Awards
finalist, director Thouly Dosios' short features one of the evening's
most complex main characters, a prickly young woman determined to
remain a loner despite her boyfriend's best efforts to make them a couple.

Another 35mm MFA thesis film, Justin Lerner's 24-minute "The
Replacement Child," wore its Best Sound Design student award like a
badge of honor. Shot over 11 days in the filmmaker's hometown of
Wayland, MA, the religiously-themed film centers on a young man
returning home to find his bed-ridden best friend withering away
without any medical attention due to the family's spiritual beliefs.
Benefiting from high production value, "The Replacement Child" played
like a feature film on the immense DGA screen.

In contrast, Ted Chung's three-and-a-half minute black and white
comedy, "Mike's," looked and felt like a scrappy student film - a much
appreciated palate cleanser between the feature-like MFA offerings. In
this sad sack tale, our hero Mike sets up a hidden camera surveillance
system to prove his roommate or his roommate's girlfriend is stealing
his food. Clearly, the students in the audience could relate, as
"Mike's" earned hearty laughs.

The penultimate MFA thesis film, Thabo Wolfaardt's "Joburg," was shot
in Johannesburg, South Africa. Running 22 minutes long, this gripping
crime drama explores the limited options available to a desperate
young man forced to carjack a pissed-off pregnant woman with her own
problems.

The final film of the evening: another lengthy MFA thesis film, "Damn
The Past!" Luckily, the jazzy title sequence served fair warning to
the weary audience that this 29-minute film by Juli Kang was not going
to be another intensely serious drama, but would instead be serving up
an all-singing, all-dancing, happy-ending romance. With a dance-crazy
heroine recently released from the nut house and a grease monkey hero
who can only sing, "Damn The Past!" is a campy musical reminiscent of
John Waters "Cry-Baby." It's no surprise that Kang's film won student
awards for Most Original and Best Visual Design.

The evening began with a special Filmmakers of the Year presentation,
in which "Little Miss Sunshine" co-directors Jonathan Dayton and
Valerie Faris (Class of 1980) were honored. Dayton and Faris reminded
everyone in attendance that film school continues even after
graduation, as each new project undertaken is a learning experience.

The evening concluded with a catered reception, in which production
insiders gossiped about budgets (how "Joburg" benefited from a $20K
grant) and the actors in attendance worked the room. In other words, a
typical industry gathering.

Contact information for the filmmakers and trailers of most of the
shorts can be found on the UCLA Festival 2007 website.

Kim Adelman is the author of "The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short
Films."

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20070621/118241668200.html


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


B. HOLLYWOOD MINION WOWS HOTSHOT WITH MOVIE IDEA


An assistant at Creative Artists Agency has successfully pitched a
comedy idea to producer Brian Grazer, who plans to turn it into a movie.

The project, "Coma Boy," started with Ben Dey, who works in the talent
firm's mailroom, a traditional first stop for would-be Hollywood power
players.

Grazer allows CAA assistants to pitch him once a year, which is how
"Coma Boy" emerged as a potential film. The Oscar-winning producer of
"A Beautiful Mind" is now in talks with Kim Barker ("License to Wed")
to write the script for his Imagine Entertainment banner and Universal
Pictures. Plot details are being kept under wraps.

In addition to co-writing the July 3 Warner Bros. comedy "License to
Wed," starring Robin Williams, Mandy Moore and John Krasinski, Barker
also penned the Sandra Bullock starrer "All About Steve," which is in
preproduction at Fox 2000.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20070621/118243754700.html


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

C. NEW CAMERAS HAVE ACTORS RELOADING - HIGH-DEF REVOLUTIONIZES THE
CRAFT OF ACTORS, DIRECTOR
By DAVID S. COHEN

'Grindhouse'
Marley Shelton found that shoot the 'Planet Terror' segment of
'Grindhouse' for helmer Robert Rodriguz meant 'As as actor, I had to
get over myself. I joked that it's cheaper than therapy, because you
have go to let go to be effective.'

'Flyboys'
Tony Bill and James Franco on the set of 'Flyboys'
It's not often that actors find their craft upended by movie technology.

After all, though styles have changed, actors have been a constant
since the beginning of movies.

True, the film camera itself revolutionized acting, forcing thesps to
shrink the big gestures (and at first, silence the big voices) of
19th-century legit. Then came sound, which brought voices back, but
now amplified and more intimate than ever.

The most recent revolution in acting was the Method, which made film
acting more naturalistic. That was more than 50 years ago, and it came
from the stage, not from any shift in filmmaking tools.

But as helmers, including actor-directors such as Mel Gibson and Tony
Bill, are switching to digital capture, the word is filtering back
that actors and directors may finally be getting another revolution.

"My conversion to the church of digital is due to the nontechnical
side of digital," says Bill, who used the Panavision Genesis to shoot
"Flyboys." "I think the way digital changes and can permanently change
the way actors act and directors direct is absolutely irreplaceable.

"For 100 years of acting on film, actors have had to cope with several
technical limitations. First of all, they had to rehearse the scene
before they shoot it. Then, once shooting begins, they have to act
between reloads.

"Third, they have to act when the camera is running, not when it's not
running. They're always aware there's film running through the camera,
which is a tremendous burden for an actor, whether they know it or not.

"Digital removes those constraints. There's no such thing as
rehearsal. You can shoot anything you want. You don't have to say
'cut.' You don't have to say 'action.'

"This is going to change the way films are made, the way directors
relate to actors, and the way actors relate to the camera. I think
this will change acting as much as the Method changed acting."

Gibson, who shot "Apocalypto" with a cast of inexperienced performers
-- some acting for the first time -- says that being able to shoot
nearly an hour at a time with the Panavision Genesis helped with the
performances.

Gibson could jump out from behind the camera, get in among his actors
and direct them with the camera rolling continuously. "You could rev
them up until they hit the level you wanted," he says.

"You have this continuity of energy. They're sort of driving on
through. It allows you to have a longer, harder crack at it."

He adds: "It just gives you a little more room to experiment, to
explore, to talk, and you're not burning this precious stock that's
very expensive and runs out. It would have been a tragedy to burn all
that film talking to them."

Sifting for diamonds

For actors, that additional experimentation means an entirely new way
of working, says thesp Marley Shelton.

Shelton appears in both parts of "Grindhouse": Robert Rodriguez's
"Planet Terror" was shot digitally, while Quentin Tarantino's "Death
Proof" was shot on film.

With film, says Shelton, "there's a beginning, middle and an end
between 'action' and 'cut.' As an actor, one is trained to listen for
cues such as 'roll sound' and slate, and you use that moment to
prepare and go on a journey as your character for a few minutes or
seconds. You use that time to suspend disbelief for yourself. In that
10 seconds, you're sort of going into a zone."

But, Shelton says, when shooting digital, the freedom to keep rolling
means "you're sort of sifting for diamonds. It's great in that you can
probe deeper in certain moments, but it's less conducive to riding the
impulses your character is having chronologically."

Rodriguez would gather the cast and crew around the monitor, show them
the playback and give notes.

Tarantino, by contrast, took a more old-school approach, watching with
the naked eye and not even using playback.

"At that point," Shelton says, "I was so used to Robert's style that
it was disconcerting to have (Tarantino) standing next to the
camera."Another difference, Shelton notes, is that digital "dailies"
include much more of what goes on on the set than do film dailies,
which only include what happens between "action" and "cut."

"Whoever is watching the dailies can see the entire process, the good,
the bad and the ugly," Shelton says. "You really have to be able to
let go of your ego in high-def."

Not all of Shelton's fellow thesps were comfortable with the
informality of digital, and Shelton predicts casting and the chemistry
between actor and director will become even more important.

"With some actors, directors are going to get a lot more by creating
this loose, low-pressure environment, while with other actors, they're
going to get more by having a formality and a kind of a method to the
madness.

"For myself, I don't know where I fall -- I guess I fall somewhere in
between.

"Maybe that's what I enjoyed, too: the sheer challenge of manipulating
yourself to thrive in both. Because why not? It's just a different
skill set."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962957.html?categoryid=2222&cs=1

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

D. 'PRE-VIZ' CARVES OUT NICHES ON SET - DIGITAL PRE-VISUALIZATION A
MAJOR NEW TOOL
By DAVID M. JOHNSON
Where once directors had to be content with sketched storyboards,
digital pre-visualization (aka "pre-viz") has become a widely accepted
tool.

As the technology advances, pre-viz tools and the data they create are
increasingly being integrated into the digital pipeline, so much so
that pre-viz isn't just for pre-production anymore.

Pre-viz artists now work on the set, creating new visualizations
during shooting, earning the moniker "dur-viz."

Sean Cushing, executive producer at Pixel Liberation Front (PLF), a
leading pre-viz vendor, says dur-viz helps "when you're on the set and
you need to make a quick change. You have a pre-viz artist there
constantly trying to help the crew shoot."

Industrial Light & Magic has a proprietary visualization system that
integrates with motion-capture. Pre-viz images are shown on the mo-cap
monitors, but the mo-cap character is replaced, in real time, by the
actor's mo-cap performance. This lets the director see how the mo-cap
performance fits with the rest of the shot.

Filmmakers who use ILM can even take their pre-viz data to other
shops, says the company's director of research & development, Steve
Sullivan. "We can export those scenes into common vendor packages,
like Maya, and they'll have the full 3-D scene, with the animation,
camera, textures and images."

Preview in post

Visualization tools are even making their way into post-production.
Post-viz is used when filmmakers want a fast preview of a shot that
requires compositing -- for example, one with actors against
greenscreen, digital set extensions and a motion-capture character.

A visualization company like PLF can take the live-action plates and
place the actors in the pre-viz images, allowing editors and directors
to make their decisions before all the digital compositing is done.

Ironically, the director of the year's most digital-intensive hit,
"300," eschewed much computer visualization. Director Zack Snyder
worked with Company 3 on test footage for one of the fight scenes. Yet
as Stefan Sonnenfeld, president-colorist of Company 3, says "They did
not want the pre-viz to restrain the director's creativity. (Snyder)
never looked at the pre-viz."

At the low end, even low-budget and indie filmmakers can get the
benefits of pre-viz with stand-alone software like Antics. Unlike
high-end pre-viz, though, a visual-effects company or other vendor
might not be able to make use of the resulting animations.

Still, the very fact that there are off-the-shelf pre-viz solutions is
further evidence that visualization, whether pre-viz, dur-viz or
post-viz, is becoming a standard part of the production pipeline.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962960.html?categoryid=2222&cs=1


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

E. TV COMMERCIALS CAN HELP PROMOTE DEVELOPING BANDS

By Steven Van Zandt

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Somewhere in the earliest part of the 21st
century, it became obvious that a profound paradigm shift had taken
place in the relationship of rock'n'roll and music licensing. With the
end of the rock era (1965-1994), the rules began changing just as fast
as the technology.

During the height of the rock era, if one of your songs was used in a
TV commercial, your career was on the way out. And after the late
'60s, hit singles weren't even cool again until the '80s.

But now the opposite is almost true. If you don't have a song in a TV
commercial your career is over. I'm exaggerating slightly but you get
the point.

And a hit single that actually sounds like rock'n'roll? We should all
live long enough to see that again.

So in 2002, while I was meeting with various sponsors for my
"Underground Garage" radio show, I'd take the extra time with the ad
agencies to try and convince them to use more up-and-coming bands in
their TV spots.

My three simple reasons did convince a few. One, a big star is going
to overwhelm your brand. I remember Beyonce doing a commercial, but
who cares what the product was? Two, it's cheaper. For the tens of
millions spent on Beyonce, you get 30-60 new bands. Band, master,
song, all in. And third, it's a hip thing to do, and it's a good thing
to do. The fans of the band will appreciate it and never forget it. It
might help break a new artist and you get the credit, and much more
brand recognition for all the right reasons. "Did you see that cool
new band in the Coke commercial?" stuff.

Also helping the indie world these days, and always has, is movies.
"Spider-Man" just became super-important, using up-and-comers and
indie tracks for its soundtrack, a refreshing and unusual move for a
major flick.

I don't know who started it -- Allen Moyle's "Pump Up the Volume" with
Christian Slater comes to mind -- but it's good for the movies and
good for the music world, which, now more than ever, must rely on the
synergy of strangers.

(Actor and guitarist "Little" Steven Van Zandt is a founding member of
Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and host of the syndicated radio
show "Underground Garage")

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070623/music_nm/vanzandt_dc;_ylt=Ahe2_GzsvMh6_qcYfs\
xXtYVxFb8C

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

F. HEY! TV WRITERS, ARE YOU LISTENING?
'Everyone's a critic' takes on new meaning when Internet fan sites and
blogs enter the mix.
By Gloria Goodale | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

CHATSWORTH, CALIF. - For the folks who write TV shows, their favorite
projects become as cherished as babies. And while it certainly takes a
village to raise a child these days, in the TV world that means
letting your baby be adored, poked, celebrated, and rejected over and
over again in hopes it will become a prime-time network hit.

Whether the rounds of applause or boos are coming from studio
executives, critics, fans, or even Aunt Martha, TV writers quickly
learn to listen to feedback. Never mind that one of the industry's
favorite sayings is: "Nobody knows anything." For every staggering hit
– such as "Seinfeld," a show about nothing – there are just as many
star-driven bombs. (Think: Matt LeBlanc in "Joey," or Heather Locklear
in "LAX.") TV writers have been dealing with critics since the dawn of
the medium. But these days everybody's a critic – the explosion of
Internet blogs and fan websites has amplified viewers' reactions to
everything from a boring plotline to the death of a favorite
character. In this glut of feedback, the creative minds behind a
season's lineup are finding they must learn which voices to heed and
which to shut out.

"I desperately care what everyone thinks," says Marc Cherry, creator
of ABC's "Desperate Housewives, which took a ratings dive in its
second season (2005-06). Critics and fans were united in their
displeasure as the show became what they called stupid and silly.
Cherry read and learned from them all, he says. "It's not fun when you
read articles where people say, 'You've failed and you've made Sunday
nights a miserable place to be.' "

That harsh assessment led Cherry to some creative soul-searching – and
a return to the darker, more character-based plotlines that were key
to the show's original success. Laurie Metcalf's performance as a
hostage-taking betrayed wife was a high point of the current season
for many. "The writing is the classiest," says Cherry, "when it's just
observing the smallest incidents of suburban behavior."

Once a big success hits its stride, as is the case with FOX's "24,"
the creative team can write nearly an entire season with little, if
any, feedback from fans. "We've already written this season through
Episode 18," says executive producer Howard Gordon at the show's
Chatsworth Counter Terrorist Unit base. Behind him, glowing monitors
blink with important looking "data" as Gordon shrugs and smiles,
saying, "We really don't have much give-and-take with fans on our
story lines."

But in these high-stakes days, there's little patience for shows that
don't figure out quickly what the fans want. Despite their star power,
cancellations from this season alone include: "Smith" (Ray Liotta),
"Justice" (Victor Garber), "Kidnapped" (Timothy Hutton and Dana Delaney).

Occasionally a promising show such as Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the
Sunset Strip," is given time to find its niche even as ratings falter.
The behind-the-scenes series began as an earnest look at the politics
of popular culture. Some critics called it smug and unfunny. Recent
promos for the show have signaled a new, lighter direction, one that
focuses on romance rather than rhetoric. Mr. Sorkin is a tad testy
about the new direction, while acknowledging the criticism. "We'd
always seen the show as a romantic comedy," he says from the writer's
room of the show's Los Angeles set as he toys with a pile of script
pages casually strewn across the large table that dominates the room.
"But, yeah, we know that a lot of people thought we were arrogant and
not funny enough."

Many major adjustments to the creators' visions take place during the
pilot process. In the original debut of the ABC hit, "Lost," the
character who has become the driving force of the castaways' world,
the doctor, Jack, was supposed to be killed. Show creators, Damon
Lindelof and J.J. Abrams took the script to ABC Entertainment
president, Steve McPherson. "Steve did give us the best note the show
has ever received," says Lindelof. "He said, 'You can't kill Jack.' "
The two creators were initially offended, says Lindelof, "because
killing Jack was integral to everything that the show was." But the
studio chief explained that if they killed Jack, "the audience will
never trust us again." Jack lives on, as do the show's ratings.

While writers have always had to face professional critics, the
Internet now offers every fan a soapbox. This has been a boon for some
shows. The post-nuclear holocaust drama, CBS's "Jericho," has mined
its passionate online fan base for feedback and a bit of strategy. "We
do monitor those [online fans]," says executive producer Carol Barbee.
While she asserts that the writers know the story they want to tell,
she adds, "if 90 percent of the fans are shifting in a certain way, we
have to look at that." Even though "Jericho" is on hiatus at the
moment, its online community has continued its deep interest and
connection to the show's plot.

But this online connectedness has its dark side, says Cherry, who adds
that he used to read Web postings about his show, but no longer does.
"Some fans were taking apart [an episode of "Desperate Housewives"]
that I thought was brilliant," he says. "My feelings got hurt, so I
never read it again." Then he adds, "a little connection with the fans
can be good. Too much can be frightening and sad."

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0209/p11s01-altv.html

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

G. INDIE COMEDIES RUSHED TO THEATERS, DVD

By Gregg Goldstein

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Indie distributor Magnolia Pictures is
looking to make some quick cash on two indie comedies, releasing them
nearly simultaneously on cable and in theaters and DVD stores.

"Cashback," a surreal look at a supermarket clerk's insomnia-inspired
fantasies, will air on Magnolia's sister HDNet cable network on July
18, before hitting theaters two days later and DVD stores July 24.

"Closing Escrow," a broad satire of the fierce competition among three
real estate agents, will reach theaters two days after its August 22
HDNet premiere, with an September 4 DVD release to follow.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070703/media_nm/magnolia_dc_1

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

H. INDIE COMEDIES RUSHED TO THEATERS, DVD

Indie distributor Magnolia Pictures is looking to make some quick cash
on two indie comedies, releasing them nearly simultaneously on cable
and in theaters and DVD stores.

"Cashback," a surreal look at a supermarket clerk's insomnia-inspired
fantasies, will air on Magnolia's sister HDNet cable network on July
18, before hitting theaters two days later and DVD stores July 24.

"Closing Escrow," a broad satire of the fierce competition among three
real estate agents, will reach theaters two days after its August 22
HDNet premiere, with an September 4 DVD release to follow.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20070703/118345385800.html

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

I. STUDY: 1 IN 5 ADULTS WATCH WEB VIDEOS

By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer

NEW YORK - One in five online Americans view video over the Internet
on any given day, thanks to speedier Internet connections and a wider
selection of clips, a study finds.

Young adults watch in greater numbers and often turn to humorous
clips, while all other age groups use video predominantly for news,
according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

On a typical day, 19 percent of U.S. Internet adults watch some form
of video. News ranked first and comedy second overall.

Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew, said news outlets,
among the first to deliver online video, had an "early mover
advantage" and got people comfortable with the idea of using the
Internet for video.

But the rapid rise of the video-sharing site YouTube, which Google
Inc. bought in November, drew many younger viewers. Half of video
viewers ages 18-29 watch clips on YouTube, and about 15 percent cite
News Corp.'s MySpace. Only 7 percent turn to a cable or network TV site.

Young adults also are more likely to send video links to friends and
family and to watch online video in groups.

Those in the 18-29 age group are also more likely to have paid for
video access at some point — but that's still only 10 percent of
online video viewers in that group, slightly more than the 7 percent
across all age groups.

Pew said having high-speed Internet access helps: A quarter of those
with broadband at home watch video on a typical day, compared with 9
percent for dial-up users.

The telephone study of 1,492 Internet users 18 and older was conducted
Feb. 15 to March 7 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus
3 percentage points.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070726/ap_on_hi_te/techbit_online_video

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

J. WEB VIDEO SITES MINED BY TALENT SCOUTS

By BRIAN BERGSTEIN and GARY GENTILE

Voice-over work in Indiana wasn't too lucrative, so Daniel Geduld made
a classic actor's move: He headed for L.A. And like most Hollywood
dreamers, Geduld didn't get hired for much.

So Geduld combined his creative talents with his abundance of free
time. He took footage from the 1980s "He-Man and the Masters of the
Universe" cartoons, re-edited it and redubbed it to make the evil
Skeletor and his cronies into a bumbling gang of losers. Geduld added
incongruously peppy jazz by Django Reinhardt, called his farce "The
Skeletor Show" and posted episodes on Google Inc.'s YouTube.

Geduld added his e-mail address to the credits, along with this line:
"Please give me a job. I'm talented."

Actually, that was a joke. Geduld didn't think much could come of it.

But he was underestimating how much the Internet has broadened the
ways people get discovered today, often for jobs in the entertainment
industry that didn't exist until a few years ago.

Enough people liked "The Skeletor Show" that it got mentioned on some
popular blogs. Before long, several Web sites were paying Geduld to do
similar comedic "mash-ups" for them. Video portal Heavy.com hired
Geduld to be a voice for its new horror channel.

When he got the first e-mail inquiring about his services, Geduld, 30,
was shocked. "Oh my God, this actually worked!" he thought. The first
few gigs paid only around $500. But now he's making "enough to support
myself," and offers keep coming. A tech company asked if he'd do
promotional material. He got invited to a sci-fi convention.

"It just gets better and better," Geduld says. "I'm thinking of
getting an agent."

One of Hollywood's animating legends is the story of the ingenue who
got discovered by a studio honcho while she sipped a soda in a
drugstore. The myth spoke to the lightning-strike luck that making it
big generally took in a system controlled by a few big studios.

Now, the Web has blown things open. It is easier than ever to get
discovered. Web sites trying to develop into entertainment hubs are
hungry for people to write, shoot or star in new content, so its
representatives scan for talent in the piles of homemade videos on
MySpace, YouTube, Revver and personal blogs.

It's certainly no secret that the Web can launch new faces. The medium
already has its tales of regular Janes who made it big, like Lisa
Donovan, who leaped from YouTube to the cast of Fox's "MadTV," and
Brooke Brodack, a Net video character signed to a TV production deal
by Carson Daly. This is the vision that drove the creators of
YouTube's "Lonely Girl15" faux-reality videos.

But the lesser-known story is of non-stars like Geduld, riding the
Web's radical openness to find new kinds of online entertainment work.

Often these online jobs are with sites that may be a step above the
user-generated schlock of YouTube, but still are sorting out the
economics of attracting advertising. As a result, discovery sometimes
comes with modest trappings. And it often extends to people who
wouldn't have made it through Hollywood's old-school gatekeepers -- or
even tried.

Consider the experience of Jessica Hagy, a 29-year-old freelance
advertising copywriter in Ohio.

Last fall she started a blog that commented on the world through
clever diagrams. (You have to see it to get it -- check out
http://indexed.blogspot.com) After brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis
encountered the blog in L.A., they e-mailed Hagy and eventually asked
her to produce diagrams for content debuting this fall on their
growing comedy site, JibJab.com. There aren't big bucks involved,
maybe a few thousand, depending on how much advertising the segments
attract.

"It just seems to be the new modus operandi for creative people," says
Hagy, who has yet to meet the Spiridellis brothers in person. "There
are so many more people out there than you could find before. ... I
was just a random kid in Columbus, Ohio. How was I supposed to find
anybody under the old way?"

This is not to say everyone who airs dumb stunts or lip-synchs on
YouTube has a chance of landing real work. Representatives of
professionally produced content sites who pore through user-generated
videos see more rough than diamonds. When there are decent finds,
competition can be intense.

Jason Marks, a former MTV executive who oversees programming and
development for Heavy.com, swears this story is true, and that similar
things happen several times a month:

A while back he came across a YouTube video of some young guys "in
their dorm room, flicking boogers on their wall." Marks was only
mildly amused, but he sensed there might be something in these kids,
so he figured he'd scope them out. Marks says he left a message for
them -- and got his call returned by someone in a very prominent
talent agency.

"They refer us to their agent!" Marks says. "I'm not even kidding, man."

In many ways, today's talent search is a reprise of the height of the
dot-com boom. Then, sites such as AntEye, Icebox, Mediatrip and Z.com
cast themselves as "incubators" and served as scouts for film studios
and television networks, essentially producing low-cost pilots and
hoping for a hit.

That model has resurfaced. Last year, UTA, one of Hollywood's biggest
talent agencies, launched an online division to scout for people who
could be in videos for ad agencies, Web sites and traditional media
outlets. While most agencies refuse unsolicited work, UTA encourages
online submissions.

Grouper.com, a site owned by Sony Corp., recently decided to stop
trying to make money from user-generated videos and will focus
instead, under the name Crackle, on scouting online prodigies for Sony.

But Steven Starr, a former talent agent who heads the Web video site
Revver, says what he sees emerging is "a creator economy online"
whereby the Internet will carve out its own slice of the action,
rather than just serving as a development league for TV and film.

"That will start to make it possible for any creator to develop income
and careers online and not just be fodder for large media enterprises
that are looking to move them off onto other platforms," Starr says.

Even if untapped talent is not necessarily easy to find, the economics
of Web entertainment startups dictates that they try hard to do it.
Old-school casting calls -- and Hollywood's union contracts --
wouldn't work for digital media that comes together quickly and
relatively cheaply.

"Hollywood as it exists today was built to produce a relatively small
number of very large productions," says JibJab's Gregg Spiridellis.
"The new studios ... in digital are going to exist in a way where they
can produce a very large number of small productions. I need to
produce content at the price of the craft services table on a
television shoot."

Sometimes, online video can juice an entertainment career already in
progress.

Nick Stevens had a decent life as a comedian in New York, supporting
himself with acting and writing gigs on TV and radio. But things got
more interesting after he launched a zero-budget video blog in his
living room. Called TownieNews.com, it features rants by fictional
Boston sports nut Paul "Fitzy" Fitzgerald.

Fitzy developed such an online following that a Boston TV station,
believing he was real, called to set up an interview. (Stevens set the
reporters straight.) The blog also got noticed by the people at
Heavy.com, who hired Stevens to host their regular "SportsCenter"
takeoff known as "The Burly Sports Show." Stevens plays himself, more
or less, but Fitzy appears as a character.

Stevens, 33, says he lives pretty well on what he gets paid to do two
of the online episodes every week -- which sometimes amazes him.

"The guy who was buying his coffees with nickels and dimes in 2003 and
having beans on toast for lunch is very thankful," he says. "The Web
is great. The single greatest distraction from employment is also the
single greatest enabler of employment."

------

Bergstein reported from Boston. Gentile reported from Los Angeles.

------

On the Net:

Geduld's "Skeletor" episodes: http://tinyurl.com/2algzn

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/tech/D8QGFMU00.htm

1.  Intro
2.  Books For Actors
3.  IFC Media Lab
4.  NBC'S Comedy Short Cuts Diversity Showcase
5.  Our Stage – online video contest
6.  Live Mansion  - online video contest
7.  MyMovieNetwork.com
8.  Free Movies Cinema
9.  Comedy Central's Crash Course in Comedy
10. Writers of Color Who Write About Green
11. Crew Wanted
12. Desi Lit Magazine Looking for South Asian Submission – Pay

13. Member Updates

14. Articles
A. Independent films going online - Directors bypassing standard
distribution
B. Cannes opening Panel: Cinema: towards the audiences of tomorrow
C. Hollywood writers still mostly white men: study
D Three Things to Do Everyday in Hollywood
E. YouTube, Apple pact for catalog - Deal benefits content creators,
TV networks
F. 4K window to future at L.A.'s new Landmark
G. Female action pics need hero of own

_____________________________________________________________________


1. INTRO

Hello Hola Aloha!

Just an update about my move here to LA from San Diego.  Yes, I like
it as I have to drive 10 minutes or even walk for 10 minutes to get to
an audition instead of driving 2 hours on a good day for an audition
(4 hours once on a bad day).

However, as a director/producer it's tougher to get stuff done without
permits.  The cops are really savvy about filmmaking and will bust you
sooner and can take away your equipment – or so I've been told by
others.  But for acting – I highly recommend it.  But ironically, I've
been doing less acting and more filmmaking after the move up here.  Go
figure.

I also helped a friend Melinda Augustina with a hilarious short she
produced and acted in (talk about making your own opportunities!).
It's called "Three-Fifty" (written and directed by Maurice Chauvet –
yep the same Maurice who wrote `Owning Mahowny' starring Philip
Seymour Hoffman – and yep this is a name-dropping credit-hungry
industry).  I got offered to co-produce a $25M feature based solely
off of my IMDb credits, which is not much, but still it's starting to
add up.  Get to know the ropes of adding titles (the hardest part) and
adding yourself onto existing titles (much easier).  Learn about it
here: http://imdb.com/help/show_leaf?howdoisubmit

I also highly recommend the book Chris Gore's Ultimate Film Festival
Survival Guide.  I wish I read it when Trade Offs was making its
rounds three years ago.

Til next time…

Happy Filmmaking,
Anup

P.S. Oh, I turned down the co-producing offer as I can't stand
producing.  Just wanna act write and direct. :)

_____________________________________________________________________

2. BOOKS FOR ACTORS

http://www.booksforactors.com
_____________________________________________________________________

3. IFC MEDIA LAB

…and yet another community like myspace for films.  But here you add
films instead of people.

http://medialab.ifc.com/anup
_____________________________________________________________________

4. NBC'S COMEDY SHORT CUTS DIVERSITY SHOWCASE

Comedy Short Cuts showcase is much more than presenting movies, our
goal is to display and celebrate diversity in entertainment.

This is the ultimate showcase for filmmakers, comedians, actors and
musicians from all over the country. Any filmmakers' piece is welcome
provided it speaks to our theme of diversity and is comedic in nature.

Apart from Comedy Short Cuts simply being a showcase for short films,
it is also a competition. The winner will receive a pitch meeting at
NBC, the finalists will all have their films broadcast on NBC's new
broadband channels and more prizes will be announced in coming weeks.

http://www.comedyshortcuts.net/
_____________________________________________________________________

5. OUR STAGE – ONLINE VIDEO  CONTEST

http://www.ourstage.com/about/us

_____________________________________________________________________

6. LIVE MANSION  - ONLINE VIDEO CONTEST

http://www.livemansion.com/

_____________________________________________________________________

7. MY MOVIE NETWORK

Join the filmmaker community on www.MyMovieNetwork.com

MyMovieNetwork is announcing 3 new Film Contests:
Music Video Contest: The Rise from Music Videocrity.
Big-Hits April Film Contest.
Reel Of The Month - April.

This short video will show you how to upload your film .

Want to showcase your work? Go to MyMovieNetwork to register and
login. Upload your films, give credit to the cast and crew and get
feedback on your work.

http://www.MyMovieNetwork.com

_____________________________________________________________________

8. FREE MOVIES CINEMA

http://www.freemoviescinema.com/
_____________________________________________________________________

9. COMEDY CENTRAL'S CRASH COURSE IN COMEDY

Getting laughs is no joke -- learn the tricks of the stand-up trade
from trained professional comedian Ted Alexandro. Try out your
material on the Comedian Constructor, and enter to win a comedy-filled
trip to NYC.

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/crash_course/index.jhtml

_____________________________________________________________________

10. WRITERS OF COLORS WHO WRITE ABOUT GREEN

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I am compiling a list of writers of color who address ecological and
environmental issues. Whether the topic is global warming and its
impact on ice glaciers or lead poisoning in Englewood I want to know
about the author.
I want this list to address all forms of writing, so include poets,
sociologists, scientists, novelists, playwrights, journalists, etc. If
you simply give me their name I will do the rest of the research if I
am hearing of them for the first time.

Thanks, michael

--
Michael Warr
WarrConsulting
312-310-8868 Cell
773-764-1742 Home Office
eFAX 1-801-751-6447
warrzone@earthlink. net
_____________________________________________________________________

11. CREW WANTED

I am forwarding this info on to you from a filmmaker friend of mine
...she is super nice, very bright and a good person to know.  Her
email is below.  If you are interested (or someone you know), email me
and ill forward you her contact info

She needs contact information, what you do/speciality, any kind of
internet sample that she can view, rates and freelance status e.g. corp

Thanks,
Adam
adamitp@...


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


I am starting a new company and am interested in developing a
database of local talent.

Can you provide me with names for the following key positions for
future projects;

Shooters
Sound
Final Cut Editors with After Effects, Sound (Garage Band or
equivalent) Motion, iDVD Studio pro
Compression knowledge of WindowsMedia, RealPlayer and Quicktime
Webdesigners and Graphics

I'd like to have some range of ability and price in order to contact
folks for future projects.

Thanks,
Heidi

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

Peaceful Playgrounds is looking for an Editor & Graphics Designer &
Sound Designer


     So the deal is we have 3 Educational Dvd's we've been working on
for 2 years. We've had some major work flow issues due to some
inexperience...We have most of the project files in Final Cut Pro, and
the graphic titles in Adobe Premiere.

     The way I see the project being completed is a backwards process.
Starting with the DVD Authoring, because it will create less work in
the long run we think. A lot of the editing and graphics we have
already are really for DVD authoring part we discovered.

     Step 2 would be going back into the video and replacing the video
with original footage in some parts because there is two video tracks
with text, due to previously mentioned work flow issues...

     Step 3Then some graphics fixing. Capitalizations and spacing and
font size adjustments...not hard but definitely time consuming.

     Once we have video and graphics locked we can possibly take to a
sound guy we know....if the person takes on sound

     Step 4 Complete narration track....Sound Effects, Music and mixing.

     It's a fully paid job....

     We are looking for someone VERY experienced due to our previous
experiences with hiring people...we've paid people to create more work
for me, and that's been very frustrating. We'd appreciate someone who
would be very honest about their experience level.

     Feel free to pass this around to whomever!
     Thank you,

     Andrea Bossenmeyer
     Sales & Marketing
     Peaceful Playgrounds
     T:877.444.9888
     F:310.216.7700
     E:andrea@...
_____________________________________________________________________

12. DESI LIT MAGAZINE LOOKING FOR SOUTH ASIAN SUBMISSION - PAY

http://desilit. org/magazine/
_____________________________________________________________________

13. MEMBER UPDATES


ANNIE & ANGIE LEE

"Close Call" now on DVD.

http://www.closecallmovie.com

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

DEBBIE BRITT-HAY

Debbie was in a play in Escondido which received positive reviews.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/26/entertainment/theater/9_46_304_25_07.\
txt

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

GRETA VALENTI

Hey guys,

I need to put together a film investors proposal with a full budget
for a feature documentary ASAP. DO either of you have any resources
(forms or people) that could help me achieve this?

Any help would be great!! I need to have this done in the next 2
weeks! Yikes! J

-Greta

Also check Greta out on MTV's Human Giant as a Paris look-alike:
http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?type=1576&id=1559879&vid=149801

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

JOSEPH POWELL

I was recently filmed at an open mic in Venice and the footage was
sent to YouTube. Check it out and let me know what you think. Now I'm
going to go by the phone and wait for Russell Simmons to call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U75btpm7OzI

Peace,

Joseph

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

KAPIL RAJ

http://www.amazon.com/ZEON-MESSAGE-PASCAL-KAPIL-RAJ/dp/143031477X/ref=sr_1_3/103\
-9865206-6718233?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178304231&sr=8-3


http://www.bordersstores.com/search/title_detail.jsp?id=57003333&srchTerms=zeon+\
the+message+of+pascal&mediaType=1&srchType=Keyword


soon to come on Barnes & Nobles

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

MELINDA AUGUSTINA

Check out the trailer.

Synopsis:
A video store customer's "little white lie" to weasel out of his late
fees brings major consequences to his life. This film is a hilarious
look at late fees, privacy rights and how much information is
available at just the touch of a button.

http://www.myspace.com/threefiftythemovie - add 'em to your friends,
por favor.

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

RYAN SINGH

Producing a talent/pageant show in San Diego in August.  Looking for
talent and crew positions.

More info: singh.ryan@...

_____________________________________________________________________


14. ARTICLES

A. INDEPENDENT FILMS GOING ONLINE
Directors bypassing standard distribution

By ANNE THOMPSON

Somewhere over the rainbow is a place where indie filmmakers use the
Internet to sell their movies all over the world. They don't have to
spend a fortune on prints and theatrical distribution; they sell their
movies online directly to their target audience, and pocket a hefty
cut of the revenues.

That magic moment may not be far off, says producer Linda Nelson,
whose microbudget crime drama "Shifted" is available as a video
download, a DVD or rental at www.Unbox.com.

While the pic's sales to date are nowhere near that of a major studio
release, Nelson is on a mission to get filmmakers away from
established distribution -- to remove what she sees as greedy
intermediaries from the system. Nelson Madison Films has launched
Indie Co-op, a subsidiary, to help filmmakers self-distribute their
films on the Internet.

"This could break up the logjam and allow more content to flow out,"
she says. "A lot is falling into place right now."

Nelson co-wrote "Shifted," a bare-bones thriller about a homeless man,
with her business and life partner Michael Madison, who directed.

Filmed under a SAG indie contract with deferred actors' salaries,
"Shifted" cost about $100,000 to make. "It stinks," admits Nelson.
"(But) for what we had, it's amazing."

While the movie has tallied less than $1,000 in sales on Amazon Unbox,
Nelson says she's applying what she's learned to help other indie
filmmakers release their films without giving away the store to
distributors.

Since arriving in Los Angeles in 1980, the former overseas investment
banker and computer systems analyst has had an adversarial
relationship with the movie business. She ran up against at least one
shady business partner, and her ambitious plans to renovate eight
movie palaces for large-screen formats ran afoul of both Imax and the
'90s exhibition bust. She and Madison gave up on large formats after
they failed to close the DVD rights to their 2002 Iwerks concert doc,
"INSYNC: Bigger Than Live," which grossed $1.8 million in North America.

Unable to raise funding after two years for a slate of indie features,
she and Madison finally "got brave," she says. They picked themselves
up and shot "Shifted," a picture they couldself-finance and control.

The film's producer and director of photography, Nelson bought a light
Canon XL S1 camera and shot with Madison, who doubled as her director
and leading man. They filmed inside a self-storage facility they were
managing.

After many rejections from film festivals, "Shifted" was accepted by
L.A.'s Dances With Films in July 2006, where it scored positive
reviews from FilmThreat.com, SilverBulletComicbooks.com's Don't Call
Me Fanboy blog and CBS Radio.

"We knew we didn't have the quality to stand up to a theatrical
release," Nelson says. "But we got five offers from DVD distributors."
Nelson, however, was shocked by the deal terms, which were typical: No
advance without a star or a decent budget. No piece of the backend.
The distributor hangs on to its rights for seven to 10 years. And when
they sell the DVD on the Internet via Amazon or Netflix, the distrib
takes 25% of the gross and subtracts all expenses, including
replicating and supplying DVDs and marketing. (Netflix won't take any
films without a distributor.)

Nelson was amazed, too, by the distributors' lack of accountability.
"They send quarterly reports by country," she says, "But they don't
tell you how many units they sold. They don't keep track by film. They
don't have systems or bookkeeping capabilities. There's no such thing
as making money. What you get upfront is what you are going to see."

But this situation won't last much longer, Nelson predicts.
"Everything is changing," she says. Any neophyte filmmaker faces a
huge puzzle when it comes to selling theatrical, TV and video rights
around the world. But it's nothing the right software can't solve.

Nelson found a do-it-yourself-DVD distribution company called
http://www.CustomFlix.com, which was bought by Amazon in July 2005,
and started supporting Amazon's video download service in December
2006. "Shifted" was the first CustomFlix movie to be sold on Amazon Unbox.

Nelson sent CustomFlix her movie, uploaded her artwork, figured out
how much she wanted to charge, and posted her trailer, pictures and
posters. All she had to do was click a box, and "Shifted" was for sale
on Amazon Unbox.

Unlike other DVD distribs, Amazon Unbox and CustomFlix offers a 50/50
deal: Half of the revenue goes to the filmmaker. Even if the money has
yet to add up to $1,000, "I get a check every month," says Nelson.

On the Amazon Unbox "Shifted" Web page, the film is available to rent
for $2.99 for 30 days, for video download for $8.99, or for DVD sale
for $14.95. The "studio" is listed as CustomFlix.

Another Nelson discovery is http://www.inDplay.com, a
business-to-business application for buyers and sellers of film rights
and a digital marketplace. "It's fabulous software, a DRM management
system that is usable by anyone," Nelson says.

Via inDplay, filmmakers can create, edit and approve contract offers,
and list their film libraries. Nelson hopes that inDplay will soon
work with CustomFlix to stream movies for free for distributors, doing
away with mailing clunky DVD screeners.

At long last, as Nelson chases her vision of a nimble do-it-yourself
future for filmmakers, she seems to have found her niche.

To see Anne Thompson's blog, go to www.ThompsonOnHollywood.com

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963017.html?categoryid=2508&cs=1

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

B. CANNES OPENING PANEL: CINEMA: TOWARDS THE AUDIENCES OF TOMORROW

On the opening day of its 60th anniversary, Wednesday May 16 from
2:30pm to 5:30pm, the Festival de Cannes is offering a moment of
reflection on the opportunities and challenges of the next decade by
holding a conference focused on the evolution of audience practices
and on the ties between cinema creation, new promotional and broadcast
platforms.


Film industry representatives, new media players, journalists and
sociologists will share their experiences and views on how the fast
evolving digital economy is shaping new roles for directors, producers
and distributors while offering exciting opportunities to creators and
audiences. They will debate the following questions:
- From an audience perspective, how has the digital revolution changed
the way films are selected, viewed, watched, interpreted and
communicated? Will the film theatre continue to be the reference for
cinema viewing?
- What will the new medias for cinema and the audiences of tomorrow
be: Web 2.0, screenings on demand, DVD-HD, VoD, Social communities,
Blogs, Vlogs, Mobile Media, Virtual Worlds...?
- Will tomorrow's marketplace be split between different categories of
films: blockbusters, film-events, author films, niche films…? What new
promotional tools are being developed and what are the new business
models that are emerging? What could the role and the implication of
the duo creator-producer be and what will the impact on the role of
the distributor be? How can film festivals play a positive role in
accompanying creators in this new environment?

Guest Speakers:
Colin Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Screen International will moderate the
discussion between the following guest speakers:
Danah Boyd, Ethnographer and researcher of social media networks and
doctoral candidate in the School of Information at the University of
California-Berkeley (USA)
Emmanuel Ethis, Sociologist in cinema and cinema audience, University
of Avignon (France)
Michael Gubbins, Editor, Screen International (United Kingdom)
Thomas Hoegh, Founder and Chairman, Arts Alliance Media (United Kingdom)
Neeraj Roy, CEO, Hungama Mobile (India)
Adrian Sexton, EVP Digital, Participant Productions (USA)
François Yon, Founder and Partner, Films Distribution (France)

The conclusions of the Opening Forum will be reported by Philippe Dana
to the European Ministries of Culture on the occasion of the European
Day taking place on Saturday May 26.
http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs/filinf\
o&Cfg=news.cfg&news=festival&text_id=30539
----------------------

C. HOLLYWOOD WRITERS STILL MOSTLY WHITE MEN: STUDY

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - White men continue to dominate Hollywood
screenwriting despite efforts to open up the industry to women and
minorities, the union representing film and television writers said in
a report on Wednesday.

The Writers Guild of America, West, found that while more than 30
percent of the U.S. population is nonwhite, less than 10 percent of
television writers employed between 1999 and 2005 were nonwhite.

Lack of ethnic diversity among writers, directors and others in the
creative community has long been the subject of complaints from civil
rights groups such as the NAACP.

In 2000, U.S. television networks NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox unveiled plans
to boost minority hiring.

But the Writers Guild report predicts the situation will worsen before
it gets better, in part because of the recent merger of the UPN and WB
television networks into the new CW.

That move resulted in the cancellation of minority-themed sitcoms that
employed a disproportionate share of minority television writers.

In the film business, the share of minority writers was 6 percent in
2005, unchanged since 1999.

Women held 25 percent of the overall industry's writing jobs, the
report said. In TV, women were employed in 27 percent of the writing
positions. In film, the figure was 19 percent, up only 1 percent from
1999.

Reuters/Nielsen
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070510/film_nm/screenwriters_dc


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


D. THREE THINGS TO DO EVERY DAY IN HOLLYWOOD!

Making Lists:

As you all know, for years I have advocated making
lists of your creative assets, such as your talent,
your looks, your abilities, your tenacity, your work
ethic, your creative relationships, your support
structure, your past efforts, your experiences which make
you stronger and wiser, and just about any
asset that can keep you moving forward and staying
in the game.

And as you know, I have advocated that you list
your liabilities, which in this case is just about
any obstacle that needs to be overcome for your
career to move forward. Plus, in the case of a creative
individual, it may be those types of family relationships
where our family members want to sabotage your career
for their own purposes, many time claiming that
they just don't want you to be disappointed...

Now there is a LIST that I suggest to  you to make DAILY...

Whoever invented the post-it note was brilliant...and the
main reason I say that is that the notes were originally
designed to be 3 inches by 3 inches, which is the PERFECT
size to write a list of THREE things to put on your
refrigerator on a DAILY BASIS...

So, get yourself some post-it notes and here's what
you should list on it. THREE THINGS.

1. "Warm-ups and cold reading".  Every day, I encourage
you to do your daily warm ups and practice your cold
reading. Somewhere I read that Jackie Stiles, the basketball
player in the women's final four, would on a DAILY basis
shoot and MAKE 1000 jump shots per DAY... She started that
when she was 12 years old, and now she is the highest scoring
guard in the NCAA. Now, as you know, a jump shot is the easiest
and quickest shot in basketball. So if she could develop
such a high skill level by just shooting jump shots for
an hour or so per day, imagine how just practicing your
warm ups and cold reading for an hour per day would increase
your skill level. Need material, any book, any script, any
newspaper will do.

See the list below of how the ACTORSITE helps you achieve
the goal of STAYING IN SHAPE EVERY DAY by hosting member
workouts 10 times per week as a perk of membership (FREE FOR
PAID UP MEMBERS) Remember, if you don't practice every day
and stay sharp, your competition will and YOU KNOW WHAT THAT
MEABS...THEY are more likely to book!

2. "Collaborate"...Every day, you should plan to work with
another actor, or a writer, director, or any creative person
to help develop something bigger than the two of you. Or if
you can, get together a group to work on your skills together
or work on a creative project together. Remember, here in
LA, if you just go to the post office with a script in your
hand, someone will talk to you about it. So this is the place
where ANYTHING YOU DO CREATIVELY WILL OPEN NEW OPPORTUNITIES..
Get together with others and DO! Don't just sit and complain...
DO! Develop a film, a TV show, a stage play, a sketch show,
an improv show, or just get together and bounce ideas around.

At the Actorsite, we have an interactive forum where our members
constantly discuss creative projects and help each other
get them done! It's all a perk of membership in the Actorsite.
Remember, all creativity in Hollywood is COLLABORATIVE! Nobody
does EVERYTHING on a project, they always need creative help.
Become that help and others will help you to build something
that is bigger than your individual goals and career and will
enhance your individual goals and career!

3. "Build Relationships"...You have an opportunity to find
and build relationships with other creative individuals in
Los Angeles. This can mean casting directors, filmmakers, or
any individual who may later find a reason to help you
achieve your goals. Our networking workshops at Actorsite
are only one of MANY ways to do this...USE THEM ALL. Just
remember, this is a town where your success comes from
your ability to get out there and let others see you in a
creative light. Don't be needy and clingy and creepy by
asking those you meet for personal help with your career...
SHOW YOURSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL...listen and learn...when you
have a chance to work, KICK BUTT!...

As you already know, at the Actorsite we host Casting Director
workshops and because our members work at such a high level,
you are immediately put into a HIGHER CATEGORY of actor when
you attend workshops at the Actorsite. Of course everyone starts
somewhere, and when you get your cold reading skills sharp,
it's time to audition for the Actorsite so you work at a
much higher level than other workshop venues...

ALWAYS RAISE THE STAKES! It's always about the work!

NOW WHAT TO DO WITH THAT POST IT!

So take your post it and list those three things on it...
and under each heading...list one thing that you can do
TODAY and every day to move yourself forward under that category.

Now get busy!!!!

All the best,

Jack

http://actorsite.com/

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

E. YOUTUBE, APPLE PACT FOR CATALOG - DEAL BENEFITS CONTENT CREATORS,
TV NETWORKS

By MARC GRASER
All those videos of cats playing the piano and Mentos-powered Diet
Coke geysers will soon be available on your television.

YouTube has brokered a deal with Apple that will see the online video
service's entire catalog uploaded onto the Apple TV set-top box
beginning next month.

Apple TV owners will be able to browse YouTube's offerings and save
their favorites shorts using the device's built-in hard drive.

Thousands of YouTube videos will be made available starting in
mid-June, with thousands more added each week until the company's
entire catalog is uploaded by fall.

Deal should benefit content creators, as well as TV networks, which
are uploading their programming on YouTube, a service attracting some
20 million unique visitors per month. It would also give the major
studios and consumer brands another marketing tool with which to
promote their films or products.

Apple TV, which hit retailers in February at a cost of $300, uses
iTunes to wirelessly transfer video content, music, photos and
podcasts from a computer and the Internet to an HDTV screen.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117966022.html?categoryid=14&cs=1


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


F. 4K WINDOW TO FUTURE AT L.A.'S NEW LANDMARK

By Carolyn Giardina

May 31, 2007
The debut of Landmark Theatres' new flagship complex called the
Landmark, which opens Friday at Los Angeles' Westside Pavilion,
prompts a closer examination of 4K resolution digital cinema, which
represents four times the picture information found in today's
commonly used 2K digital cinema resolution.

The Landmark opens with three theaters equipped with Sony's SXRD 4K
digital cinema projectors. These -- and one at the Landmark-owned
NuArt -- represent the only screens in Los Angeles that offer 4K
projection for paying audiences.

Landmark already has ordered about 25 4K projectors from Sony, which
is the only manufacturer offering 4K digital cinema projectors to
theater owners. In addition to Los Angeles, there are installations in
Landmark theaters in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis,
New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington. Plans are
to also install 4K technology in Baltimore and Denver.

The 4K dialogue in the film community extends well beyond projection,
including production, post and mastering.

Landmark Theatres -- part of the Wagner/Cuban Cos. co-owned by Todd
Wagner and Mark Cuban that includes Magnolia Pictures, Magnolia Home
Entertainment, HDNet Films, 2929 Prods., HDNet and HDNet Movies -- is
looking at the bigger picture. Cuban said he selected 4K projection
technology "because cameras were being developed that did 4K and we
wanted to be ready for them.

"4K to 4K is the best quality available," he said.

Of course, this requires a steady flow of 4K content. Sony Pictures
and Warner Bros. Pictures have created select 4K deliverables, but
today's digital cinema content is typically available in 2K.

"(4K content) is being developed as we speak," Cuban said. "HDNet
plans on actively using 4K for productions and for distribution of
content beyond just 4K theatrical." He said that some of the upcoming
films he is producing would be mastering and distributed in 4K, though
he declined to reveal details.

Citing the aforementioned 4K content from Sony and Warners, Andrew
Stucker, director of Sony's digital cinema systems unit, said: "It's
still an expensive proposition. While 4K is coming, we expect the
majority of the content will be 2K."

Stucker predicted that this would be the case for at least another
year. "There needs to be a healthy number of 4K projectors out there.
We hope to take care of that over the next year," he said.

Pointing to the added cost of 4K rendering and digital intermediate
work, Stucker added: "There is a dollar difference. As those costs
come down in the next 12-18 months, we hope to see 4K Digital Cinema
Packages going out the door."

It appears that initially, Landmark theatergoers will get a look at 4K
imagery through select trailers as well as clips of 4K content that
will be supplied by Sony as preshow content. "The idea is to give
audiences the visual concept of what 4K will mean for them when it
finally does get going," Stucker said.

The Landmark opens with a total of 12 auditoriums, three with 4K
projection, three with Panasonic 2K digital cinema projectors and all
12 with film projectors. Dolby Digital EX Surround Sound and Klipsch
speakers will create the audio experiences. Digital cinema
deliverables would be received via hard drives on files, though Jason
Hudak, vp technology at Landmark Theatres, said the company is looking
into broadband delivery options.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ibdf0b7dd533b3de\
6716364f0439b6d2b


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


G. FEMALE ACTION PICS NEED HERO OF OWN

By Borys Kit

May 31, 2007
When Robert Rodriguez signed on last week to direct Universal's
"Barbarella," it marked a rare instance of a female-led action film
getting off the ground.

Rodriguez is dipping his laser gun into a subgenre where Hollywood has
been traditionally gun-shy. Recent history has left a graveyard of
tombstones reading such names as "Elektra," "Catwoman" and "Aeon
Flux," while mausoleums house "Tank Girl" and "Barb Wire." There are
exceptions, of course, such as the "Tomb Raider" and "Underworld"
movies, but their sequels failed to capitalize on any goodwill created
by the first movies.

One manager says it doesn't take X-ray vision to see studio sexism as
part of the trouble. Female-oriented action movies, he reasons, take a
hit when one fails, whereas a male-oriented action movie that misfires
bounces off a studio's back like a bullet off Superman.

"The studio translates those failures into, 'It doesn't matter if
those were bad movies, female-led superhero movies don't work," says
one manager, who has clients wanting to write those movies but says
"studios won't touch them with a 10-foot pole."

But television is another story.

On the small screen, female-starring genre stories become buzzworthy
cult hits, such as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Alias" and "Veronica
Mars." The fall season will see a new crop of heroes in the form of a
new "Bionic Woman" on NBC and Fox's "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," a
spinoff of the "Terminator" movie series.

"Going back to 'Police Woman' in 1974, it's been far more accepted for
a woman to carry a show than it was for a woman to carry a movie,"
says DC Comics senior vp Gregory Noveck, who is developing titles for
both the big and small screen.

Part of the problem is that most female actors dip one foot into the
action genre and then move on, especially after a flop, as Jennifer
Garner did post-"Elektra." But male actors keep coming back again and
again.

The other problem, according to many writers and executives, is that
there hasn't been that knockout feature script starring a female
action hero. If "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon is let go for not being
able to nail a "Wonder Woman" script, what hope do lesser mortals have?

The issue is the writing, says David Eick, a writer-executive producer
on "Battlestar Galactica" and also a showrunner on "Bionic Woman."
Feature film screenwriters tend to allow gender to cloud character and
plot development, he says, whereas TV avoids that trap.

"The best female action stories in my opinion are the ones in which
the role isn't written for a girl, it's written for a hero," says
Eick, adding that heroes shouldn't be written any different whether
male or female. "In the television medium, the best female action
characters are written as heroes first, and female second."

Noveck isn't ready to give up on what he sees as a genre still in its
infancy. To him, studios are willing to put up with such failures as
"Hulk" and "Remo Williams" to find such genre-defining hits as "Die
Hard" and "Superman," whereas female action film aren't given enough
chances.

Says Noveck, "When you only take four or five shots, you better take a
whole bunch more shots before you write off a whole genre."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/columns/e3i7d3077802389\
0879e5b8b5cf663f3a72

_____________________________________________________________________

This is just a test to see if video embedding works with yahoo group:

<a
href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20272\
60628">Three-Fifty
The Movie</a><br><embed
src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf"
flashvars="m=2027260628&type=video"
type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430"
height="346"></embed><br><a
href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&vide\
oid=2027260628&title=Three-Fifty
The Movie">Add to My Profile</a> | <a
href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home">  More
Videos</a>

Intro
Aspiring Fest Reporters & Bloggers Wanted
Variety Hollywood Reporter Production Charts
Free Seminars at Newport Beach Film Fest 4/22 & 4/23
Cannes Film Festival Shorts Deadline 4/15
Digital Cinema Section on Film Festival.com
Member Updates

Articles:
25 finalists for the second edition of "Content 360,"
Independent Film Screenings in Austin
Myspace launches MySpace Trailer Park
Withoutabox, Cannes mini-mart pact
With Creation of Dreamachine, Foreign-Language Films Face Sleepless
Nights Ahead
Jackie Chan Launches Chinese TV Show
________________________________________________________________________

Hello,

There are some informative news articles with contests and festival
info, so make sure you check those out.  The short film I worked on
with Anurag Aalok & Mehta ("American Chai") will have a two-minute
showing at NAB – National Assoc. Broadcasters in Vegas
(http://www.nab.org) and will be projected from a 4K projector.  Just
for reference HD is 1K.  A friend's film I was the "wes'side"
production coordinator for, Royal Kill, will have a 15-minute preview
screening at NYFA and Cinespace next month.  This was the last film in
which Pat Morita (aka the beloved Mr. Miyagi from "Karate Kid") acted in.

I just saw The Good Shepard the other night and really enjoyed it. I
was surprised that I didn't hear about it early and it didn't make an
Oscar splash considering De Niro is an actor-turned-director and that
usually helps get nominations a la Eastwood.  Last month I went to the
Virgin on Hollywood Blvd and checked out their foreign films sections
and all the films I saw in that section were amazing.  So I wondered
what I was missing out on.  So, I thought I'd try something like the
`recommendations' that IMDb, blockbuster, Netflix tries, but instead
do it via you – the people reading this.  I will list 5 movies that I
think were under-the-radar and if you liked any of those give me your
five.  Even if you didn't like those give me five somewhat obscure
films you loved.

City of God - Brazilian
Malena – Italian
Cinema Paradiso – Italian
Idiocracy - American
Sullivan's Travels – American (classic)

Looking forward to seeing your list.

I hope all is well with you.  Keep me posted on your filmic-ventures
and I'll post them here.

Anup
http://www.myspace.com/anups

________________________________________________________________________


ASPIRING FEST REPORTERS & BLOGGERS WANTED (San Francisco, Cannes...)

Share your Festival experiences with us: OPEN YOUR BLOG AND PUBLISH ON
OUR FREE PLATFORM.
Become a film festival reporter and ambassador and open your own blog
on http://www.fest21.com

________________________________________________________________________


VARIETY PRODUCTION CHARTS

Make sure you list your film at any stage (in preproduction,
production, post, released) in Variety & HR.
-Anup

Production chart updated in Daily Variety every Friday. Please send
production chart additions, corrections, changes or questions to Dave
Lewis (lewisda@...) by using this form:
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=chart_filmprodinput
Submit changes at least three days before print publication.

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

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER PRODUCTION LISTINGS

The production listings are edited by Brian Fuson. While the Reporter
makes every effort to make these listings complete and accurate, we
rely on information submitted by industry sources. Credits are not
contractual. The Hollywood Reporter reserves the right to refuse
listings. New listings and updates to existing listings must be
submitted on a "Film Production Form" or "TV Production Form." To
order the form, call (323) 525-2126, fax (323) 525-1453, e-mail
productioncharts@..., or write The Hollywood
Reporter, Attn: Film/TV Production Charts.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/tools_data/production_listings/index.jsp

________________________________________________________________________


FREE SEMINARS AT NEWPORT BEACH FILM FEST


http://newportbeach.bside.com/?country=All&_view=_films&category=Seminar+Series+\
and+Special+Presentations
or try this link if the above one gets chopped: http://tinyurl.com/yoxldp

________________________________________________________________________


CANNES FILM FESTIVAL SHORTS DEADLINE 4/15


Short Film Corner - Festival de Cannes
3 rue Amélie
75007 Paris - France
33 (0)1 53 59 61 36
33 (0)1 53 59 61 53
sfc2007@...

Management
Jérôme Paillard, Executive Director

Project Manager: Alice Kharoubi
akharoubi@...

Films Department: Sabine Cuinet
scuinet@...

Buyers Manager: Magali Dubié
mdubie@...


Websites:
www.shortfilmcorner.com

http://www.cinando.com
http://www.festival-cannes.com/

________________________________________________________________________


DIGITAL CINEMA SECTION ON FILM FESTIVAL.COM

http://www.filmfestivals.com/htm/dcinema_more.shtml

________________________________________________________________________


MEMBER UPDATES


DAEG FAERCH

Daeg plays Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween.  Check
out the trailer.

Halloween:
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809784517/trailer

http://www.myspace.com/daegfaerch

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

GARY CAIRNS II

I'm in Bulgaria doing a film with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ray Liotta..
its one of the lead roles in the film HERO WANTED.

http://imdb.com/name/nm1489037/

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

JAIMYON PARKER

I am doing a show celebrating Shakespeare's works. It is called:
Bard's Birthday Bash, a selection of some of Shakespeare's best scenes
to honor his 443rd birthday.  The details are as follows:


                       Bard's Birthday Bash
Friday April 27th 8 PM                   Friday May 3rd 8 PM
Saturday April 28th 8 PM               Saturday May 4th 8 PM
Sunday April 29th 2 PM                 Sunday May 5th 2 PM

The show is being performed at the Two Roads Theatre, which is 4348
Tujunga Ave, in Studio City. I have attached the flyer and as you can
see, there is a discount for actors!!!! Hope to see you there!

~Jaimyon

http://www.myspace.com/jaimyon

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

LAK RANA

A project I worked on a while back..thought you might like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwyAjunz13g

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

MARK ELIAS

The feature I starred in, that won 2 awards at the Milan Film
Festival, is now available in Blockbuster!!!

"Cutting Room"
http://imdb.com/title/tt0460760/

http://www.myspace.com/markelias

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

RITA RANI

Hello All,

"Bombay Skies" was at The 2007 Method Fest and I wanted to let you
know that:

1. Our lovely actor Rajat Kapoor ("Monsoon Wedding") has been
nominated for The Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Actor in a Short
Film

2. And the film was nominated for the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

Upcoming screenings:

FLORIDA PREMIERE
12th Annual Palm Beach Film Festival - Florida
April 21, 2007
Visit http:// www.pbifilmfest.org for more details

MASSACHUSETTES PREMIERE
The Boston International Film Festival
June 6th - 13th
Visit http://www.bifilmfestival.com for more details

Best,
Rita

http://www.RitaRani.com

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

SHARAT RAJU – `DIVIDED WE FALL' SCREENING 4/21

Hello my friends,

As most of you know, we've been on a national tour with Divided We
Fall since premiering in September. We've been to New York, San
Francisco, Chicago, Miami -- even Omaha, for crying out loud...

Which prompted many of you to ask me, "When the hell are you going to
show the film here in LA?"

Well, curse no more -- we will premiere DWF here in town, this month!

Since everyone on this list has had a hand in making the film, I hope
you can join us at the Arclight on Saturday April 21 at 4pm for our
first-ever screening in Los Angeles.

Here are the details:
SATURDAY APRIL 21, 2007 AT 4PM
INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL LOS ANGELES
ARCLIGHT CINEMAS
SUNSET AND VINE, HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
http://indianfilmfestival.org/

Now, I have secured some tickets. So if you are planning on joining
us, please let me know so I can keep a ticket aside for you. If you
want to invite people to the screening, additional tickets can be
bought through the Arclight website (link to it through the IFFLA site).

We're hoping to have a full, lively crowd for our first-ever in-town
screening. The Arclight is a great venue, too, so do try to join us.
And let me know soon, if you can be there. I will contact each of you
as we get closer to April 21, as well...

Thanks everyone!

Best,
Sharat Raju
http://www.dwf-film.com/
________________________________________________________________________


ARTICLES


25 FINALISTS FOR THE SECOND EDITION OF "CONTENT 360,"
April 11, 2007
MIPTV featuring MILIA, the world's audiovisual and digital content
market, today announces the 25 finalists for the second edition of
"Content 360," the international competition to commission innovative,
interactive content and applications for mobile and broadband.

For the second year, "Content 360" is organized in partnership with
the BBC, the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC), the National Film
Board of Canada (NFB) and for the first time WPP's OgilvyOne Worldwide
and Yahoo!

The call for entries launched on January 8, 2007 and received an
enthusiastic response from hundreds of international multimedia and
application developers. A total of 450 projects from 36 countries were
entered compared to 186 projects from 23 countries last year. 240
companies from countries as diverse as Mexico, Australia, Sweden,
South Africa, US, France, Canada, Italy, South Korea, UK, India,
Singapore… entered projects in this year's competition.

Divided into eight categories, the 25 finalists will attend MIPTV
featuring MILIA in April to promote their projects in the Content 360
Pavilion and during pitching sessions in the Conference Programme. The
projects will be judged by panels of key digital commissioners, brands
and industry experts.

The winners, revealed in Cannes on April 19, will share €100,000 in
development funds pledged by the competition partners.

Click here to discover the 25 "Content 360" finalists
http://www.miptv.com/images/100526/pdf/miptv2007_content360_nominees_list.pdf
http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs/filinf\
o&Cfg=news.cfg&news=general&text_id=30475

or http://tinyurl.com/yoor62

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

INDEPENDENT FILM SCREENINGS IN AUSTIN
April 6, 2007
In an exciting new development for film buffs and filmmakers in the
Austin area, the Austin Movie Show has joined forces with the Wolfpack
Film Group to bring independent filmmakers a place to showcase their work.

Nuno's on Sixth will be hosting the Wolfpack Film Screenings (WPFS) on
Wednesday nights starting May 2, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. The the Oaks in
Manor will be hosting screenings on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays
(Time TBA).

The Wolfpack Film Group is one of the fastest growing well equiped
filmmaker groups in Austin, comprised of professional and
semi-professionals. The Wolfpack is distinguishable from the other
independent groups because it includes above the line and below the
line crew members, artists of all types and several production
companies. This collaboration of all ages and levels of experience
banded together in order to raise production value on films in the
Austin area by pooling collective resources and talent.

The Wolfpack Film Screenings, which just kicked off this month at
Nuno's on Sixth Street, will be adding Jegar Erickson of the Austin
Movie Show as a host. Erickson, son of Austin's legendary Roky
Erickson and a popular movie critic, will bring his hip sense of humor
and easy presence to the screenings.

Each screening will feature great independent films that most of the
general public has never seen because they are not part of the
Hollywood/Movie Theater distribution system.

Two venues have joined the Wolfpack Film Group as sponsors and will
host the screenings: Nuno's Bar on Sixth Street and The Oaks in Manor,
Texas. Nuno's bar already has a screen and sound system in place. The
Oaks will be adding a screen to their current large live music stage,
utilizing the existing sound system. The Oaks will also be offering a
more intimate screening option on their covered deck as well.

The Wolfpack Film Group is also planning a large event on August 25th
and 26th called Wolfpack On The Prowl (WpoP), a Battle of the Bands to
be held at the Oaks in Manor, Texas. Fifty percent of the proceeds
will be given to major charities like Loaves and Fishes and A Safe Place.

Two contests will be held, one is the Battle of the Bands, the other
is a filmmakers challenge. The winner of the band battle will be given
a video shoot prize package, the winner of the filmmaker contest will
be given a two-day package including a grip truck, lighting and
cameras for use on a shoot.
http://amfmstudios.com/wolfpack/

http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs/filinf\
o&Cfg=news.cfg&news=general&text_id=30461

or http://tinyurl.com/2kmrmn

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

MYSPACE LAUNCHES MYSPACE TRAILER PARK

MySpace, the world's leading lifestyle portal, today announced the
launch of a dedicated video community to debut online theatrical
trailers for film releases. The new video community, MySpace Trailer
Park (http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark), opens in collaboration with
Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment
studio renowned for the Academy Award(R) winning CRASH, the hit SAW
franchise and the upcoming HOSTEL PART II. The first trailer premiere
is for the raucous comedy "Good Luck Chuck" starring Dane Cook and
Jessica Alba, in theaters nationwide on August 24.
"We expect millions of Americans will come to Trailer Park to check
out the industry's best movie trailers," said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of
MySpace. "The demand on MySpace for premium video content is off the
charts and we expect Trailer Park to speak to users who want to
discover and virally share these videos."

Trailer Park will further enable movie studios to connect with a
film's fanbase on MySpace prior to its theatrical release. Content
will premiere on Trailer Park 3-6 months prior to a film's theatrical
release and a few months prior to the movie's MySpace profile launch.
All trailers posted to Trailer Park will enable users to attach the
content to their own profiles to share with friends and fans. All
friends of the profile will receive bulletins alerting them that a new
trailer has been added to the community.

The launch of Trailer Park marks the first time MySpace has created a
dedicated content community for a specific genre of video. In addition
to Trailer Park's debut with the Lionsgate film "Good Luck Chuck," the
profile will also feature other trailers recently debuted on MySpace.
Trailers now playing on Trailer Park include "The Condemned"
(Lionsgate), "Kickin' It Old School" (Yari Film Group), "The Land of
Women" (Warner Bros. Independent), and "The Invisible" (Buena Vista
Pictures).

"MySpace is constantly coming up with new and fresh ways to help us
make positive impressions on their community. We're thrilled to be the
first to park our trailer (for 'Good Luck Chuck') in the Trailer Park
- because we're sure we'll get the best spot!" said Tim Palen,
Lionsgate Co-President of Theatrical Marketing.

"Good Luck Chuck" stars Dane Cook (Employee of the Month) as Charlie,
a successful dentist who becomes a wildly successful ladies man,
thanks to a bizarre childhood curse.

Directed by Mark Helfrich and written by Josh Stolberg, "Good Luck
Chuck" is scheduled for wide release on August 24th. The producers are
Michael Karz, Brian Volk-Weiss and Barry Katz. More information is
available at the film's website, http://lionsgate.com/goodluckchuck.

The launch of Trailer Park comes on the heels of the recent
partnership with Michael Eisner's new independent production studio
Vuguru to air Prom Queen, a scripted mystery series told in 80
episodes that premiered first on MySpace. Each episode airs on the
show's official profile (http://myspace.com/promqueentv) twelve hours
before being released on any other website and series characters will
incorporate video diaries and plot secrets into their individual
MySpace profiles.

As one of the most popular video platforms on the Web, MySpace Video
is a community-driven experience that blends premium, user generated,
and original content. The debut of Prom Queen and Trailer Park
continues the high volume of upcoming product and content developments
for MySpace Video.

http://www.filmfestivals.com/cgi-bin/shownews.pl?obj=ShowNews&CfgPath=ffs/filinf\
o&Cfg=news.cfg&news=general&text_id=30469

or http://tinyurl.com/yvos7p

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

WITHOUTABOX, CANNES MINI-MART PACT
Co. will manage film registration process

By DAVE MCNARY
Withoutabox has formed a partnership agreement with the Cannes fest's
Short Film Corner mini-mart, now in its fourth year.

Withoutabox will exclusively manage the event's film registration
process, including solicitation, management and promotion of films.

Agreement also includes online co-branding initiatives directed at
Withoutabox's membership of more than 110,000 filmmakers in 200 countries.

Mini-mart will be located in the Palais des Festivals and takes place
May 16-26.

Shorts included in the Official Competition, the Cinéfondation, the
Director's Fortnight and Critic's Week also will be screened in the
Short Film Corner.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117962763.html?categoryid=13&cs=1

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

WITH CREATION OF DREAMACHINE, FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILMS FACE SLEEPLESS
NIGHTS AHEAD

by Anthony Kaufman

Foreign-language cinema got another vote of no confidence yesterday,
with the announcement of Dreamachine, a new film company formed out of
the merger of international sales outfit Celluloid Dreams with
U.K.-based HanWay Films. While the fusion of the two entities creates
a formidable global financing, producing and sales outfit, lead by two
of the brightest cinephiles in the business (Celluloid Dream's
Hengameh Panahi and HanWay's Jeremy Thomas, producer of "The Last
Emperor" "Sexy Beast," and "Naked Lunch," among others), the union
also signals a move away from the foreign art cinema that defined
Celluloid, long a destination for both burgeoning and veteran auteurs,
from Francois Ozon and Jia Zhang-Ke to Takeshi Kitano and Abbas
Kiarostami.

Hanway's Tim Haslam (formerly of Intermedia), considered more of a
moneyman than an artfilm aficionado, will serve as CEO of the new
company. And while Dreamachine will continue to take on foreign
talents and maintain relations hips with its proven staple of auteurs,
the company will focus on fewer films overall, most of which will be
English-language movies -- Panahi estimates only 4 - 5 out of a total
of 15 titles will be foreign-language -- allowing the new company to
be more integrally involved in bigger projects.

"We can increase our involvement in every movie, help directors make
their bigger films, help producers better produce their films
internationally, and help distributors to better promote the movies
that we're bringing to them," said Panahi.

"But the only problem for me is I have to give up on my smaller films,
which is hard because I love them," Panahi continued. "At the same
time, I realize there is no economy for those movies anymore." By
taking on films with less commercial potential, she said, "We're
helping the market to become more crowded and we're helping the small
distributor to be more fragile."

For some time, the increasingly successful Celluloid has been moving
into the English-language market, with the opening of a Toronto office
three years ago and involvement in higher-budget, North American
movies, such as Todd Haynes' likely Cannes contender "I'm Not There"
(recently acquired by The Weinstein Company) and Michael Haneke's
"Funny Games" remake, starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth and picked up
by Warner Independent Pictures.

"We had already ramped up North American activity considerably,"
explained Charlotte Mickie, who headed up the Toronto-based North
American operations for Celluloid and will handle the same duties for
the new Dreamachine. "It had become more difficult to sell some of the
foreign language films, so we had wanted to take on more
English-language stuff for awhile."

But what will happen to the next generation of foreign auteurs without
a trusted company like Celluloid backing them? "We will continue to
acquire them, just maybe not as many, and not as many small ones,"
said Mickie. "There are always other sales companies, of course. And
there may be more opportunities on V.O.D." Dreamachine's Hengameh
Panahi with Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker last
year in Cannes. Photo by Eugene Hernandez/indieWIRE

Panahi says talks with HanWay originally started over a mutual
interest in building a video-on-demand service for both companies'
extensive catalogue of quality films. Like other companies that have
embraced new technology delivery methods for foreign cinema such as
Jaman and IFC First Take, Panahi said digital distribution is the best
response to a worldwide film market that has become glutted. "This is
the answer to the volume and an answer to the cinephilia that has
disappeared," she added.

"Everybody is drowning in volume," Panahi continued, partly blaming
herself and Celluloid's past slate of some 25 films annually for
flooding countries with art films that don't have an audience anymore.
"Today, the market is about survival. All my distributors are asking
me to bring them less movies and more solid movies. So when we come
and bring them beautiful movies that they'll lose more money with,
they're unhappy and unsatisfied."

"It is not a healthy market," she adds, noting a litany of challenges
facing global independents (TV is not buying, DVD is dropping, V.O.D.
is not there yet, studio and domestic product continues to take a
greater share of ticket sales). "We're in the complete center of a
maelstrom where there's lots of confusion and despair. At the same
time, it's a great moment, because you can reinvent anything," she
continued, "because nothing works."

While U.S. art-house distributors did not see the Celluloid/HanWay
pact coming, they agree that the merger makes sense in today's
marketplace.

"It's indicative of the times we're in right now," said IFC
Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring, whose company has worked
extensively with both outfits over the years. "I think studio
involvement in the specialized business has caused a global
consolidation and made it more difficult for more daring projects to
find audiences. I think it's out of necessity. But I think both
companies will be better set up for the future."

Zeitgeist Films' Nancy Gerstman, who recently bought U.S. rights to
Celluloid movies such as Jia Zhang-Ke's "The World" and the Quay
brothers' "The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes," agreed that the smaller
foreign language films that Celluloid handled in the past "are
becoming very difficult to release theatrically and I can understand
her wanting to sell fewer, bigger films," she said.

But Gerstman, like many U.S. buyers, still trusts that Panahi and
Thomas will continue to embrace cutting-edge movies. "I don't consider
'I'm Not There' exactly a 'mainstream' work -- and I find it hard to
believe that someone with Hengemeh's passion and taste won't take a
smaller film if she loves it."

Marie-Therese Guirgis, formerly the acquisitions head of Wellspring
Media, the defunct company that specialized in foreign and American
indie art cinema, acknowledged the worldwide challenges of releasing
auteur cinema. "All my foreign distributor friends tell me how
increasingly hard it is to release true 'art films' in their
territories," she said. "Celluloid has to think of their future and I
do believe they will continue to support artistic, director-driven
cinema. I know how much these kinds of films mean to Hengameh
personally. It was never just a business to her."

While Guirgis wondered, "What's going to happen to the Jias, the
Dardennes, the Sokurovs, the Panahis. Who will support and sell their
films?" she prefered to look on the brighter side of the deal. "It's
great for English-language cinema. Look at the directors that
Celluloid and HanWay have been supporting: Todd Haynes, Ira Sachs, Tom
Kalin, Todd Solondz, Terry Gilliam, Richard Linklater to name a few.
They've been a great production and funding resource for our best
directors," she concluded, "and it looks like they'll be an even
better one going forward."

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20070404/117572634500.html

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

JACKIE CHAN LAUNCHES CHINESE TV SHOW

Jackie Chan on Saturday launched a Chinese TV competition aimed at
scouting out new action movie talent, saying more than 100,000 people
have already signed up for a shot at kung fu stardom.

"A lot of actors are good at fighting but (their style) is not
beautiful," the Chinese star and stunt man, who turned 53 Saturday,
said in Beijing.

"If you can incorporate dance with an ability to perform kung fu, that
would be better," Chan told an audience that included a selected 20 of
the show's contestants and some Chinese celebrities.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20070407/117596298000.html

Bon Jour,

This will be a quick intro as I have to head out the door for a few
days.  The film "27,000 Days" I acted in and got into South by
Southwest (SXSW) ended up winning the Special Jury Award for the Best
Experimental Short Film.  Check out the article below.  I'm also
looking for a toy snail that looks real.  I can't seem to find one
anywhere.  If anyone know where to find one or has one, I need it for
an upcoming shoot.

Happy Filmmaking!
Anup

_________________________________________________________________________

1. PA Needed (SD)
2. Casting Call (SD)
3. Acceptable.tv
4. Distribution
5. Mtv Asian Needs Your Support
5. Member Updates
6. Articles
A. SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: "Billy The Kid" and "Itty Bitty Titty
Committee" Win Top Jury Prizes At SXSW
B. Universal Giving Free Tickets to Movie
C. 10 Tips for a Healthy Voice
D. A Filmmaker's Reason for Choosing Film Over a Prosumer Video Camera
+ more articles
_________________________________________________________________________

1. PRODUCTION ASSISTANT NEEDED (SD)

Hello,

Please forward this announcement on to anyone who may be interested  :)

We're looking for two Production Assistants who have a great attitude
and would like the opportunity to collaborate on a short film staring
PULP FICTION'S Angela Jones.

Fun, easy-going crew /  Fun, entertaining project

Previous experience is nice, but not necessarily a deciding factor –
enthusiasm, professionalism and commitment will play a BIG role in our
decision.

The film will be shot entirely in San Diego .

Meals, DVD copy and credit will be provided as compensation.

The shooting times may fluctuate slightly, but the following are the
days and times we would be needing you for:
April 14th (Sat): 6am - 9pm (longest day)
April 15th (Sun): 11am - 8pm
April 16th (Mon): 7pm - 4am

Please email Adam @ adamitp@... with "Production Assistant" in
the Subject of the email if you are interested…serious inquiries only!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Adam

_________________________________________________________________________

2. CASTING CALL (SD)

WHAT: This is an open casting call for a short digital film. WHEN: It
will take place from 9am to 1pm on Saturday, March 31, 2007. See below
for details.

WHERE: Small Conference Room at Evening Creek Apartments in San Diego
(see below for details). *These are unpaid positions*

SYNOPSIS: A chef and a waitress are in love, but neither has the
courage to tell the other, until today. The chef plans to use his
culinary skills to tell the waitress he loves her, but a difficult
customer threatens to ruin his plan. Romantic comedy. Approx. 20 minutes.

PRODUCTION COMPNAIES: Blue Gradient "Get out of the Boat"

ABOUT US: We are a group of people who love to make films. The digital
camera makes the equipment side of things economically feasible. But
good movies aren't made with technology - they still take a lot of
talented people working together. Our first short film, "Last Hand",
was fun to make, a good learning experience for everyone involved, and
it played at the Brilliant Light International Film Festival in
Hollywood, CA. You can check out our movie's website here (synopsis,
trailer, stills, production notes, and more): http://
www.bluegradient.org/lasthand

COMPENSATION: Meals, copy and credit.

PLANS FOR THIS FILM: Once completed, "Well Done" will be entered into
several US film festivals. This will be an excellent opportunity for
cast members to get some exposure to the national film community. ..

CONTACT: Kyle at uncle_kyle@...

ROLES: For each role, a description and age range are provided. Most
roles can be male or female, with a few exceptions. We don't care what
race you are. Each role also lists any wardrobe requirements. We'll
supply the rest.
========================================================Penelope LEAD
FEMALE. ANY RACE. Mid 20s to mid 30s. Waitress at restaurant for 5
years. Kind, hard-working, sense of humor. Very much at home in the
restaurant's serving area - it's her domain. Level-headed most of the
time. Lack of confidence in herself, especially when it comes to love.
Attractive and fit. WARDROBE: white button shirt, black slacks
========================================================Linus
SUPPORTING MALE (or FEMALE). ANY RACE. 20-30. Lackey to Jeff
Bainbridge (his difficult boss). Basically a very nice guy with grand
ambitions, but business is not his forte. In fact, Linus is much
better suited to the arts, he just hasn't found his artistic niche.
He's enjoying his cooking classes, but is not enjoying his real estate
job under Bainbridge. WARDROBE: Business formal (suit, tie, etc.)
========================================================Sous-chef
SUPPORTING FEMALE. ANY RACE. Late 20s to mid 30s. She is a dedicated
sous-chef, and will probably be head chef of some restaurant within 5
years. Intense. She speaks very little english, her communication
mostly being a stream of some exotic foreign language, but she and
Chef Nicholas seem to understand each other. Prone to muttering to
herself. She mostly figures things out from context. She is short with
herself for making mistakes, and finds Chef Nicholas's timidity
frustrating. She herself is a very serious person, who treats every
event, big or small, with full consideration. Non-English language
skills not required for this part, but desirable. Must be competent
with kitchen tools - especially knives, utensils, or at least look
convincing. WARDROBE: black slacks
========================================================Maitre D'
SUPPORTING FEMALE (or MALE). ANY RACE. 30s to 50s. Aloof, sometimes
comes off as severe. Has a style of dress all her own - appropriate to
the job, but there's just something a little ... unique ... about what
she wears or how she wears it. The restaurant is her turf. She's
always polite to customers, but firm about any rules (no smoking, no
cell phones, late reservations dealt with if there's room. Even the
rudest customer won't upset her. She's unflappable. WARDROBE: Eclectic
but semi-formal (appropriate for the semi-formal atmosphere of the
restaurant).
========================================================Busboy
SUPPORTING MALE. ANY RACE. 18-25. Loves his music. An ipod-head. Does
his job well, but isn't really "all here". Sometimes the jazz number
or the guitar solo requires a bit extra concentration, maybe with some
air- guitar/air-sax/air-drums. He has one line, but it's the physica
WARDROBE: kitchen casual, plus a full apron
========================================================Ron Montgomery
SUPPORTING MALE (or FEMALE). ANY RACE. 30s to 50s. Successful,
competitive. Owns a medium-sized real estate firm that does
international business. Doesn't speak so much as he barks out short
phrases. He believes in putting people into the "cage of life" and
letting them fight it out for themselves. Fair, but has no use for the
"weaklings". WARDROBE: Business formal (suit, tie, etc.)
========================================================David
SUPPORTING MALE. ANY RACE. Mid 20s. Class clown, a bit more grown up.
Would not appear on the cover of GQ magazine, and he's not rolling in
dough, but his clowning around and general goodness make up for it.
Architect, gifted, but just starting in the company. Very much in love
with Maria. When not focused on Maria, he's thinking about something
artistic or seeing the possibilities for humor in a conversation.
WARDROBE: Business casual (casual slacks, belt, button shirt, etc.).
========================================================Maria
SUPPORTING FEMALE. ANY RACE. Mid 20s. Fun-loving, adventurous, good
sense of humor, easy-going. Was an athlete in school. Very happy with
David, his goofiness appeals to her. She's smart, savvy, pretty, and
very much a catch for David. WARDROBE: Elegant dinner dress.

THE AUDTION I don't believe in cold reads, so sides will be available
at the audition site when you arrive. You can spend some time studying
the part before you audition, if you like. Also, feel free to email
Kyle (uncle_kyle@...) for a copy of the sides ahead of time.
At the audition, if you have a monologue (humorous or at least non-
tragic would probably be best), we'd love to see it. Otherwise, you'll
come in, read your part, and have fun with it! If we think you might
work for one or more roles that you're interested in, we'll ask you to
stay around for the afternoon. From 2pm to 6 pm, we will try out pairs
of actors for different roles.



The auditions will be held in the Conference Room of the rental office
of Evening Creek Apartments. You can park along the street (free
parking) right outside of the complex - Evening Creek Drive is pretty
long, so there should be plenty of room. There are 3 spots in front of
the office, but those are usually taken. Best bet is to park on the
street. Unfortunately, you cannot park anywhere else within the
complex, so please don't risk it! 10918 Evening Creek Dr. ESan Diego,
CA 92128 These apartments are located right where the 56 (Ted
Williams) crosses the 15. The basic directions coming from south of
here (from downtown San Diego) are as follows: FROM San Diego: Take 15
N. Exit at 56/Ted Williams Parkway. Exit 56 to the right (the off
ramp). Turn right at the light onto Sabre Springs Parkway. At the next
light, take a left onto Evening Creek Drive. Immediate left into the
complex and the rental office is on your right. If you are coming from
L.A., take 15 S. and exit at 56, crossing over the 15 before you take
the off ramp to Sabre Springs Parkway. Of course, maps.google.com or
www.mapquest.com wll give you very specific driving directions. Please
email me if you have any questions before the audition:
uncle_kyle@... We look forward to seeing each of you, and
thanks again for your interest in our production! Kyle, Amy and Mo


The IFP Market is a national program connecting projects with
financiers, producers & programmers before they're completed & on the
festival circuit.  More than 1,000 industry professionals attend the
IFP Market for pitch meetings, speed dating meetings, screenings, and
social events.  Each year approximately 200 projects are invited to
participate (50% docs; 50% narrative screenplays) and take one-on-one
meetings with potential financing partners or co-producers.  In 2006,
more than 1,800 pitch meetings were arranged with buyers on behalf of
filmmakers. The IFP Market will help you:


     * Connect with financiers & producers
     * Network with festival programmers
     * Meet distributors, broadcasters and sales agents
Deadline May 4 – http:www.ifp.org

________________________________________________________________________

3. ACCEPTABLE.TV

We're bringing the audience and the creatives together. We're letting
them watch and control each other. We're creating something new
together -- a new kind of TV: Acceptable.TV. See the TV we're all
making together, Friday Nights on VH1.

You can WATCH short, funny shows on TV and on the Web. You can VOTE
for the shows you'd like to see more of. You can CREATE new shows,
vote for them, and see them on TV.

Check out their tutorial featuring Jack Black.
http://acceptable.tv/tutorials


Sent by actor/http://www.goowymedia.com founder Sashi Bommakanty.
________________________________________________________________________

4. DISTRIBUTION

BRAVE NEW THEATERS

Ever dream about your movie premiering worldwide on 3000 screens
simultaneously? With Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, we did just
that... only it was 7000 screens. We organized it online with the same
technology we're now making available to everyone -- Brave New Theaters.

These tools help you tap into the millions of flat screen televisions
in living rooms across the globe, and the personal networks of
enthusiasts who love your film.

The ugly truth in Hollywood is that filmmakers don't make a penny from
theatrical screenings... assuming they're "lucky" enough to even get a
distributor. There are so many hands in the pot, there's just nothing
left.
http://bravenewtheaters.com/filmmakers

See the interview of a few filmmakers who have used this system:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NfK-dnvdN0

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

CELL PHONE CONTENT WANTED

Hey Guys,
Looking for companies or individuals who are interested in getting
their films on Cell Phones across all networks on cell phones, can be
shorts, features, documentaries, so if you have a library of them , do
let me know. friends company doing live streaming of audio and video
so they adding content to their library, can view all over the world
and will do rev share.
Contact Raj Vasudeva
rvasudeva@[no space]yahoo.com
________________________________________________________________________

MTV ASIA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT

  WE NEED YOUR HELP:
  If you are Asian American or care about Asian America please help.  We
  need YOUR support right now.  We need to stand united to make a
  difference.  Every person counts.  Please either:

  1) spend 30 seconds RIGHT NOW to sign the petition to Stop MTV from
  silencing Asian-Americans!
  GO TO: http://www.petitiononline.com/MTVWORLD/petition.html

  and/or

  2) read the rest of this email for all the information and easy ways that
  YOU can make a difference!

  WHAT'S GOING ON:
  We have ALL been affected by the recent "downsizing" at MTV Networks,
whether
  you like or dislike corporate America, enjoy pop culture, music, or
  even watch Asian American entertainment. If you are an Asian American
  or care about Asian American
  communities then you have been affected and silenced. Let us explain:

  The entire Asian division of MTV Networks, called MTV World (MTV
DESI--MTV
  CHI--and MTV K) was axed (2/13/07).  These small channels were the
  first place dedicated to creating positive, realistic, and relevant
  reflections of Asian Americans in mainstream media.  So, again, the
  issue here is bigger than any of our individual opinions regarding
  corporate America, pop culture, or MTV for that matter.

  By shutting down their Asian American division before it had a chance
  to succeed, MTV is sending the message that Asian American culture is
  not part of the fabric of America, that Asian Americans can be brushed
  away without notice, and that Asian Americans probably don't care
  enough for their collective identity to stand up for their voices.
  It's hard to imagine BET or MTV TRES shutting down because of the
  respect given to and demanded by those communitites.  We may be
  smaller, but we have a legitimate culture and we contribute to America
  in all realms.

  Asian Americans will continue to be caricatured, emasculated, ignored,
  and stereotyped in American media if we don't fight for our
  representation and acknowledgment...we are more than  Apu from the
  Simpsons and the token Chinese delivery boy!

  The bottom line: the existence of MTV World was making a difference
  and we need it to live on.


  THE PLIGHT OF OUR ARTISTS:
  MTV World brought so many independent artists to the forefront, many
  of them artists that other mainstream media may not have noticed on
  their own.

  To name a few:
  Juggy D, DJ Rekha, Kaila Yu, MIA, Jay Chow, Jin the Emcee, Far East
  Movement, Maggie Kim, Wong Leehome, Putnam Hall, Burning Tree Project,
  Lisa Ray, The Ides, FlowSik, Chee Malabar, Rain, SE7EN, Bamboo Shoots,
  Manjit, Adrienne Lau, Sona Family, Kal Penn, Amerie, King Khan and the
  BBQ Show, and so many more!

  These artists and their peers need a platform.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO? 5 WAYS YOU CAN TAKE ACTION


  1. SIGN THE PETITION!!!
  This is of utmost importance. It takes LESS than a minute. This
  petition will be sent to everyone at MTV and major media outlets.

  GO TO: http://www.petitiononline.com/MTVWORLD/petition.html
  Forward this to everyone you know!


  2. DRAFT A  PASSIONATE-POSITIVE LETTER TO STOP MTV FROM SHUTTING DOWN
  OUR VOICES!
  Please write a letter expressing your disappointment and desire for
  the re-emergence of the channels. We want to educate MTV on the voice
  of our community. Letters will make a BIG Difference!
  Address letters to:
  Attn: Judy McGrath, CEO, MTV Networks, 1515 Broadway, 28th floor, New
  York, NY 10036


  3. COVER THIS IN THE MEDIA!
  If you are a journalist-- write about this. This is a bigger story
  than simply MTV downsizing, this is about Asian Americans being
  silenced without a fair chance to succeed.
  PRESS CONTACT: SaveMTVWorld@....
  A team member will be in touch with you immediately.


  4. MAKE A VIDEO ABOUT THIS AND UPLOAD TO YOUTUBE/MYSPACE
  Let's get this message out in every way we can.
  (Beau Sia's post about Rosie O'Donnell 'ching-chong' comment received
  over 400,000 views--see link below)


  5. STUDENTS: MOBILIZE YOUR STUDENT GROUPS! WRITE LETTERS, PETITION,
  PROTEST, MAKE VIDEOS...Make it happen!

  CONCLUSION:

  Everything you do and take action on-- email us and let us know.
  Questions? Email us. Asian Americans and our allies must all come
  together and stand up for Asian American artists, Asian American
  voices, Asian American representation!
  We want our MTV World back!!

  CHECK OUT THE OFFICIAL MTV WEBSITES:
  This is their original programming and what you'll soon be missing!

  www.mtvdesi.com
  www.mtvchi.com
  www.mtvk.com


  PROOF OF MTV WORLD's SIGNIFICANCE:

  We came across a recent MTV CHI produced piece in response to Rosie
  O'Donnell's 'ching chong' comments that got almost HALF A MILLION
  views on YouTube. It prompted Rosie herself to apologize on her
  website.

  Beau Sia rant:
  http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJCkHu3trKc"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VJCkHu3trKc)

  Rosie's apology on her blog:
  http://www.rosie.com/blog/sections/home/


  HERE'S SOME PRESS WE FOUND ABOUT MTV WORLD WHEN IT WAS LAUNCHED:

 
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/arts/music/19sont.html?ex=1276833600&en=b225fe\
06d7ca1a5e&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
  New York Times: I Want My Hyphenated-Identity MTV

 
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2006/id20061106_691839_page_2.ht\
m
  How MTV Channels Innovation

  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/24/DDGA2HCOD818.DTL
  Forget the white-bread '80s MTV. Now MTV Chi and other outlets cater
  to Asian Americans.
  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1079504-2,00.html
  TIME magazine article "Chasing Desi Dollars"


  HERE'S SOME PRESS ABOUT IT BEING SHUT DOWN

 
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3id95484acf\
64d7d7e5e6f1b84436322c0

  http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117959525.html?categoryid=14&cs=1


  http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a42779/mtv-axes-mtv-world-channels.html

  http://www.cable360.net/video/22073.html

  http://mutiny.wordpress.com/2007/02/20/mtv-desi-shuts-shop/

 
http://www.contentsutra.com/entry/419-mtv-desi-to-be-shut-down-thoughts-on-deman\
d-for-desi-content

  http://www.worldscreen.com/print.php?filename=mtv021607.htm


Info courtesy of Annie Lee
________________________________________________________________________

MEMBER UPDATES


GRETA VALENTI

Okay so if you don't know about "Human Giant" check them out now! They
are a group of talented and funny guys that will now have their own
show on MTV later this Spring.
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=humangiant
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=541347\
98
(Watch "Shutterbugs" they are my fav so far!)

So I sent in my headshot to this show for some random part and I get
cast as the Paris Hilton Look-a-like! I'm like..."you know I have
short hair and I'm like short right?!" Hilarious! SO I went and filmed
today and the show seems to be coming along great. Funny funny stuff.
SO stay tuned and check it out this Spring! I'll be as Paris in 1
scene and then look more like myself in some Party scenes.
Peace out!
-G
http://www.myspace.com/gretav

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

KAPIL RAJ

Prolific filmmaker has a novel coming out soon.  Zeon: The Message of
pascal.
ISBN- 978-1-4303-1477-6

http://www.RajFilms.com

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

MELINDA AUGUSTINA

The short film "Three-Fifty" (fka $3.50) will be playing in two film
festivals in April. This is the film based on the stage play we did at
Apartment A in 2005.  I was executive
producer and re-created the same role I played on stage.  The guy who
tries to lie his way out of video late fees...he, he, he....

#1) Aspen Shorts Fest - This will be the World Premier - April 4 and
April 9 - yep, it's playing twice which is a great sign.
You can see the brief, but lovely write up here:
http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.cfm?S=1:2:2:2&FILM_groupID=6

#2) Nashville Film Festival - April 19 - 26 - We play on Friday 4/20
and Wednesday 4/25 Playing twice again....We are mentioned in the
paragraph
for that group of shorts...scroll down to Fun With Our Shorts On at
this link....
http://www.nashvillefilmfestival.org/main/2007FilmFestival/Films/tabid/117/D
efault.aspx

You can always check in at
http://audience.withoutabox.com/films/350themovie

for latest new, updates and/or to write a note of support and humour on
the space provided at the bottom. If you saw the stage play, let us
know.  If
you're a fan, let us know.

We're trusting one of the fall LA Film Festivals will provide us with
the Los Angeles Premiere and one in NY will cover the New York Premier
- and then we are out of premiers - that's just the way it goes.
We'll have
a private LA screening for everyone who worked on the film and close
friends as soon as Director Chauvet has a 100% happy finished version.

As always thanks for your interest and support and we look forward to
celebrating with you sometime soon.  Next live performances -
http://www.apartmenta.org - we open on March 30 with An Evening in
Defense of Delight - opening night includes champagne reception - we'd
love to
see you there!  Kindest regards and warmest blessings for your happiness.

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

RITA RANI & ROOPASHREE JEEVAJI

BOMBAY SKIES will screen at the Method Fest.
Shorts Program 5 - The Actor's Life
SUN, April 1, 2007 at 12 PM
Louis Mayer Theater

Director: Rita Rani
Writer: Rita Rani
Producer: Tina Nagpaul, Dmitri Vigneswaren, Rita Rani
Starring: Rajat Kapoor, Amit Salunke, Rita Rani, Pawan Singh

Synopsis:
American born Anjali runs off to India with dreams of becoming a movie
star in Bombay. Her father (Rajat Kappor of Monsooon Wedding) goes
after her vowing to bring her back, but when a little street boy takes
him on a journey through the streets of Bombay in search of his
daughter, he ends up reviving memories from the past.

DANCE PERFORMANCE
Before the screening (as well as tonight at the opening ceremony),
Rita Rani (http://www.ritarani.com) & Roopashree Jeevaji
(http://www.myspace.com/jeevaji) will perform a Bollywood/classical
fusion dance number.

More info at http://www.MethodFest.com
________________________________________________________________________

ARTICLES

SXSW '07 DAILY DISPATCH: "BILLY THE KID" AND "ITTY BITTY TITTY
COMMITTEE" WIN TOP JURY PRIZES AT SXSW

Tuesday March 13 11:53 PM ET

by Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks (March 13, 2007)

Films by women dominated the awards as the 2007 SXSW Film Festival hit
its wet and rainy mid-point here in Austin, TX. Jamie Babbit's
narrative feature "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" and Jennifer Venditti's
documentary film "Billy The Kid" won the top jury prizes at the
festival, while in the audience award voting Monty Miranada's "Skills
Like This" won the narrative audience award, and Marlo Poras' "Run
Granny Run" won the documentary audience prize.

A special prize was also presented at the festival's Tuesday night
awards ceremony at the Austin Convention Center. Joe Swanberg, indie
director of the popular new feature "Hannah Takes The Stairs," won the
inaugural Eagle Pennell Award at SXSW.

"Billy The Kid" marks the directing debut of Jennifer Vendetti, who
began her career in casting. it was while working on Carter Smith's
"Bugcrush" that she came across Billy Price, the subject for her first
feature. Produced by Bob Alexander and Barnet Liberman, the film had
its world premiere here at SXSW where it was met with positive buzz
from festival attendees.

Accepting her award on Tuesday night in Austin, director Jennifer
Vendetti laughed on stage, and pointing to a friend in the audience
joked, "you just won $50 worth of margaritas," referencing an apparent
bet. On a more serious note, Vendetti said, "This taught me so much
about myself and life."

"Itty Bitty Titty Committee," which had its North American premiere in
Austin this week, debuted last month in the Panorama section at the
Berlinale. Backed by POWER UP, the entertainment industry group for
lesbians, the film was produced by Stacy Codikow and Andrea Sperling
and written by Tina Mabry and Abigail Shafron. Babbit's third feature
stars Melonie Diaz ("Raising Victor Vargas") in the rock music-driven
story of an L.A. Latina who is lured into a radical group of feminists
fighting the objectification of women. "Itty Bitty Titty Committee"
star Nicole Vicius at SXSW, accepting the film's jury prize. Photo by
Brian Brooks/indieWIRE

"I really hope this film finds an audience because its empowering,"
said "Itty Bitty" star Nicole Vicius who accepted the award for Babbit
who had already departed Austin. "I hope this gets picked up becuase
there's something more than the surface of things to inspire."

Commercial and promo director Monty Miranada makes his feature debut
with audience award winner "Skills Like This," the story of a bad
playwright turned successful bank robber, which was produced by Donna
Dewey. Meanhwile, Marlo Poras's prize winner "Run Granny Run" looks at
90+ year old U.S. Senate candidate Doris "Granny D" Haddock. Finally,
audience award winner "The Price of Sugar" by Bill Haney, honored in
the Emerging Visions section, looks at life in Dominican Republic
sugar plantations.

JURY AWARDS

Narrative Feature: "Itty Bitty Titty Committee," Director: Jamie
Babbit Special Jury Award - "Orphans," Director: Ry Russo-Young
Special Jury Award - Frownland," Director: Ronald Bronstein

Documentary Feature: "Billy the Kid," Director: Jennifer Venditti
Special Jury Award - "Audience of One," Director: Michael Jacobs
Special Jury Award - "Cat Dancers," Director: Harris Fishman

Texas High School Competition: "Murder for 9 Points," Director:
Brandon Day Special Jury Award - Daily Routine, Director: Adela Escobar

Music Videos: Thom Yorke, 'Harrowdown Hill', Director: Chel White
Special Jury Award - Constantines, 'Working Full-TIme', Director: Drew
Lightfoot

Experimental Shorts: "27,000 Days," Director: Naveen Singh Special
Jury Award - "The Lonely Lights. The Color of Lemons," Director:
Benjamin M. Piety

Animated Shorts: "Tragic Story with a Happy Ending," Director: Regina
Pessoa Special Jury Award - "One Rat Short," Director: Alex Weil

REEL Shorts: "Pop Foul," Director: Moon Molson Special Jury Award -
"Clear Cut, Simple," Director: Vineet Dewan

AUDIENCE AWARDS

Narrative Feature: "Skills Like This," Director: Monty Miranda

Documentary Feature: "Run Granny Run," Director: Marlo Poras

Emerging Visions: "The Price of Sugar," Director: Bill Haney


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

UNIVERSAL GIVING FREE TICKETS TO MOVIE

Universal Pictures has come up with an unusual plan to try to fill
theaters when its film "Peaceful Warrior" opens later this month: The
company is giving away $15 million worth of free tickets.

Through a partnership with Best Buy, the film company will give
interested moviegoers as many as 10 free tickets to see "Peaceful
Warrior" during its opening weekend, March 30 to April 1, Universal's
president of marketing, Adam Fogelson, announced Tuesday.

The inspirational film, based on Dan Millman's best-selling novel,
"Way of the Peaceful Warrior," doesn't lend itself to traditional
promotional techniques, Fogelson said.

ADVERTISEMENT
"We wanted to allow consumers a chance to sample the film and opted to
redirect money from a traditional marketing campaign and instead
purchase and provide tickets to moviegoers directly," he said. "This
truly is an example of an offer with no strings attached."

The hope is that viewers' "word of mouth and enthusiasm might sustain
interest" in the film, he said.

The film came out last year in limited release.

Tickets will be available online beginning Sunday, with the giveaway
ending April 1.

___

Universal Pictures is owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of
General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal.

___

On the Net:

http://www.bestbuy.com/peacefulwarrior

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20070314/117388926000.html

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


10 TIPS FOR A HEALTHY VOICE
By LiveScience Staff


Some people spend hours at the gym or pounding the pavement to keep
their bodies in shape. But beyond singers and actors, who worries much
about their voices?

You should, say Norman Hogikyan and colleagues at the University of
Michigan Health System.

"Your voice is your ambassador to the outside world," Hogikyan
contends. "It portrays your personality and emotions. People make
assessments about you based on your voice, so it is very important
when you're speaking or singing to think about what people are really
hearing. Problems with your voice also can have a tremendous impact on
your life."

Some 7 million Americans have some type of voice disorder, according
to the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

Hogikyan and colleagues have put together the following 10 tips to
help keep your voice in shape:

1. Drink water to keep your body well hydrated, and avoid alcohol and
caffeine. Your vocal cords vibrate very fast, and having a proper
water balance helps keep them lubricated. Important note: Foods
containing large amounts of water are excellent hydration-conscious
snacks, including apples, pears, watermelon, peaches, melons, grapes,
plums, bell peppers and applesauce.

2. Allow yourself several "vocal naps" every day, especially during
periods of extended use. For instance, teachers should avoid speaking
during the breaks between classes and find quiet ways to spend the
lunch hour rather than talking in a noisy staff room with colleagues.

3. Don't smoke, or if you already do, quit. Smoking raises the risk of
throat cancer tremendously, and inhaling smoke (even secondhand smoke)
can irritate the vocal cords.

4. Don't abuse or misuse your voice. Avoid yelling or screaming, and
try not to talk loudly in noisy areas. If your throat feels dry or
tired, or your voice is getting hoarse, reduce your voice use. The
hoarseness is a warning sign that your vocal cords are irritated.

5. Keep your throat and neck muscles relaxed even when singing high
notes and low notes. Some singers tilt their heads up when singing
high notes and down when singing low notes. "The high notes are on the
ceiling and the low notes are on the floor," Rosenberg says. "Over
time, you'll pay for that"—not just with strained vocal muscles but
also by causing future limits on the vocal range.

6. Pay attention to how you speak every day. Even performers who have
good singing habits can cause damage when they speak. Many skilled
singers don't continue their healthy habits when they speak; indeed,
says Herseth, "many people—including singers—should have much more
breath flow when they speak."

7. Don't clear your throat too often. When you clear your throat, it's
like slamming your vocal cords together. Doing it too much can injure
them and make you hoarse. Try a sip of water or swallow to quench the
urge to clear. If you feel like you have to clear your throat a lot,
get checked by a doctor for such things as acid reflux disease, or
allergy and sinus conditions.

8. When you're sick, spare your voice. Don't talk when you're hoarse
due to a cold or infection. Listen to what your voice is telling you.

9. When you have to speak publicly, to large groups or outdoors, think
about using amplification to avoid straining your voice.

10. Humidify your home and work areas. Remember, moist is good for the
voice.

Further, warming up the voice is not just for singers, the researchers
say. Think of it like stretching and loosening up before exercise.
Easy, daily warm-ups for your voice:

1. Do lip or tongue trills in the morning (try it in the shower or on
your drive to work) to facilitate better use of airflow and breath.

2. Perform gentle humming and cooing to warm up your voice in the morning.

3. If you do more vocally complex warm-ups too, such as vocal scales,
do the simple warm-ups first.

4. Repeat these exercises throughout the day to reduce muscular
tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw.

5. At the end of the day, perform a cool-down of the voice with
similar vocal tasks.


http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/060417_voice_tips.html

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

A FILMMAKER'S REASON FOR CHOOSING FILM OVER A PROSUMER VIDEO CAMERA

With the release of the new semi-professional camcorders, I have
experienced a new level of video anxiety. I bought a consumer video
camera in 2005 because I wanted to at least own a video camera. It
feels strange saying that you are a filmmaker yet, you don't have any
video equipment. The video camera that I previously owned got broken
when I was in college. Although I needed a new camera, I kept
procrastinating on the purchasing one. It wasn't until I wanted to
finish a 25 minute short that I decided to buy a camera. Up until
then, I borrowed video cameras from others to produce videos.

I could not afford to buy a $4,000 semi-professional video camera.
Therefore, I spent a few hundred dollars on a regular Sony Hi-8
Handycam camcorder. It isn't the cream of the crop. However, could
hold me over until I was able to either maker enough money to buy a
more expensive one or won a better one from a film festival. I have
been interested in purchasing the Canon XL1, a $2,000 mini-dv
camcorder that produces a really good video image. When the Canon GL1
and XL1 camcorders were released a few years ago, they were very
popular among independent producers. In recent years, newer video
cameras have been released, including the Canon XL2 and the Sony VX2100.

While I have yet to purchase a new video camera, I have been
considering moving up to a more professional camcorder such as the
Sony VX2100. However, I still need to be able to afford the $3,000
camera. I have read so many articles and books that tell independent
filmmakers to make their movies using whatever they have. This
includes consumer grade videos cameras, super 8 film cameras and even
still cameras. I have adopted that mindset for some time. Now, I am
looking to increase the quality of my movies with the use of better
cameras. It has been said that a good independent film will overcome
its visual imperfections. That can be true. However, I have wanted my
short movies to look like an actual movie rather than the home video
of the Nintendo 64 kid on Youtube.

Surprisingly, I have recently come to a crossroads regarding what I
will use to shoot my movies. Numerous headaches have come out of
trying to decide which video camera to purchase. I have been worrisome
of what would happen if I bought the Canon XL2. The camera will become
ancient the moment that new cameras are put on the market. These
realities make it tough to decide on a camera like the Sony VX2100 or
another high quality video camera.

The introduction of new HD camcorders makes this decision even
tougher. Therefore, I have been considering shooting on film. New film
cameras are expensive to obtain. However, used film cameras that are
in good shape are pretty easy to find in numerous places. Shooting an
processing16mm film stock may not be cheap either, but I may be better
off shooting on film for numerous reasons. The selection of camcorders
such as the Panasonic AG-HVX200, the Sony VX2100 and the Canon XL2
make it difficult to choose the best camcorder to purchase. They are
all good video cameras and they are all expensive. These video cameras
are also part of a medium that constantly progresses in little time.

Before you know it, there will be another camera that is more popular
and has a higher quality than the Sony VX2100 that is purchased today.
What should be done when that happens? I have no interest in spending
thousands of dollars every 3 years or so, just to be able to maintain
the highest possible level of video quality. Shooting on 16mm film may
be the better choice in the long run. New film stock may be introduced
frequently, just like semi-professional video cameras. However, film
will always look like film. It will have the same quality for
lifetimes to come. Video on the other hand, changes so rapidly that
the latest high quality video image will look like a cheap home video
over time.

I would like to have good looking images for my independent films.
While video cameras can offer a less expensive way to make movies, the
difficulty of choosing the right camcorder makes the video medium less
attractive. After spending thousands of dollars on a camera, every
image that is captured should exhibit high quality above and beyond
the average episode of Cops or Court TV. Unfortunately, this is not
the case. Therefore, I may have to remove my headaches from deciding
on a video camera and replace them with thoughts on the best places to
buy film stock.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/109152/a_filmmakers_reason_for_choosing\
_film.html

Check out Nicole's other articles with these titles as you scroll down
on this page:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/31925/nicole.html
Learn How to Start Your Own Microcinema
Why Broadcast TV Networks Should License More Independent Films
Beware of Independent Film Distribution Scams
Film Festival Scams
"If the film commission staff in Arizona is unaware of a small town
"ABC Film Festival" just miles outside of Tucson, that is not a good
sign."
Inexpensive Wardrobe Ideas for Filmmakers
"There are numerous companies and small website owners who would
donate their merchandise in exchange for free publicity."
"Wardrobe can also be provided for independent films by hiring a
fashion expert. High-end fashion designers can be expensive.
Filmmakers who reside in a town with a fashion school or program can
seek assistance by contacting one of the fashion students. A
Hollywood-style wardrobe can be created for the mere cost of fabric,
tools and on-screen credit. In most cases, fashions students will
already have the proper tools to create a professional wardrobe."
Low-Cost Catering for Independent Filmmakers
Animation: Facts for Independent Filmmakers to Consider
A Filmmaker's Festival Screening Woes
Snack Ideas for Indie Film Productions
Pimp My Film! - a Helpful Glimpse into Whore Me! Bulletins for Filmmakers

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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/

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

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
________________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

DAEG FAERCH

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

http://myspace.com/101946169

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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-

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

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

1. Zero to One: An Infinite Change - Blog
2. Free Actors Profile Site
3. Filmaka – Film Contest by Heavy Hitters
4. Distribution – IMoovies
5. Member Updates
6. Articles
      The Million Dollar Pitch
      Runner-Up Takes on YouTube
      Reasons to be Thankful: Ten Dazzling Short Film DVDs
      Weinsteins Bet on Blockbuster
      15 Films Selected for Oscar Short List in Doc Feature Category

_________________________________________________________________________


1. ZERO TO ONE: AN INFINITE CHANGE

I was just speaking with my good friend who is thinking of going into
private practice.  He has no wife, kids, or mortgage so he can take
risks.  He was still worried, but I told him that he's going from zero
to one in terms of knowledge.  He has zero knowledge regarding private
practice and for him to go to "one" which is a low level of skill, but
the most crucial step is vital.  Mathematically, when you go from the
number zero to the number one, it is an infinite change. When you go
from one to two, it's only a hundred percent change.  Pause and think
about that for a second – do the 5th grade math in your head.  Then it
continually decreases as illustrated by the law of diminishing
returns. I'm only talking about going from zero to one.

I came upon this theory when I was teaching guitar.  I get a lot of
enjoyment from teaching people who have never picked up a guitar to
play a few basic chords and subsequently pretty much any pop song on
the radio.  Whereas my fellow guitar teacher friend whose students
were already very good players he progressed up to `excellent'
players. Not only did I feel that I open the door for them, but I
built a door and opened it.  That felt so much more gratifying to me.
  Not that one is greater than the other. There are merits for both,
actually business wise, we'd compliment each other very well.
As actors and filmmakers it is vital that we take this zero to one
approach.  I see so many Bollywood stars who fake playing the guitar
and it's so hideous to see such lack of skill and dedication to your
craft.  I'm not talking about brand new actors, but rather veterans
who've been in dozens and dozens of movies playing a guitar or some
similar instrument.  If he were to spend literally spend 20 minutes to
acquire the knowledge then a few hours of practice, to cement that
skill, it would be so much more convincing.

A really good example in terms of this is `Shine' with Geoffrey Rush
playing the piano.  It totally changed the shot-list for the director
because he didn't need a hand-double.  He could shot it wide and Rush
would be dead-on synced up.  He might've hit some bad notes, but those
won't show up in the perfectly prerecorded audio track. Another
excellent display of dedication is by the Karate Kid himself, Ralph
Macchio, in Crossroads (no, not the one with Brittney Spears). He had
to learn to mimic Steve Vai's actual playing – one of the most, if not
the most technically gifted rock guitarist ever. These are extreme
examples musical acting proficiency, probably at a level 10 of
`acting' musically. However, I'm talking about going to level one or a
couple of rungs above it.

An example of this would be Keanu Reeves and company in the Matrix.
He spent about six months learning martial arts. To the average viewer
it was convincing, however, to a trained martial artist it represented
a low skill level.

Filmmakers: As writers and directors an example of not knowing what
you're writing about is watching an early James Bond movie for a
horrendous display martial arts.  As a director you're letting these
thing pass and not redoing it. For cinematographers to shoot it at the
right angle. For producers to get the proper equipment/personnel:
stunt coordinator, pads, wires etc.

Learn as many different skills, music, drawing, dancing, martial arts,
acrobatics, learning language, accents, etc and it will put you in a
smaller pool of acting applicants and in higher demand. Furthermore
and more importantly, once you get the job it will be a more solid
piece of work.  Making an infinite change seems impossible
mathematically, but in the real world is only a few moments of your
time – an excellent return on investment.

Anup

Comment on this blog at:
http://anupfilm.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/anups

_________________________________________________________________________


FREE ACTORS PROFILE SITE

Actors Pages is open for registration. Check it our and tell all of
your friends and colleagues. It is the only 100% free service for
actors and models.

http://www.actorspages.org

_________________________________________________________________________


FILMAKA – FILM CONTEST BY HEAVY HITTERS

Yo Anup,

Here's the website for the competition I was telling you about:

http://www.filmaka.com

Just sent you a friend's request too. I thought you'd be interested
and probably have some friends that are interested. I've been doing
the marketing here for a little over a month - basically our company
has started this new competition for filmmakers where the winner gets
a deal to direct a feature film. People behind the whole thing are
Deepak Nayar (Bend it Like Beckham), Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man), Neil
LaBute (Nurse Betty), Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver), and others...

We have multiple contests all year, but the longer we're out there
will be more competition and then it'll be harder. Therefore you're
competing with more and more filmmakers that want the feature film deal.

So I'm telling people who I know are interested to do definitely do it
for our first contest where we're still growing...

The theme for the first contest is: 'stuck in traffic.' So that means
you have to make a short film based on this theme, something less than
3 minutes. Best part is, if you get picked in the top 15, you win
$500, and if you don't then you've got a short that you can still hang
onto for festivals.

Thanks Anup, this would be good to pass onto your listserv, I'm sure
you have tons of filmmakers there.

And from me to you...have a good Thanksgiving!
Sabina

_________________________________________________________________________


DISTRIBUTION

Check out IMOOVIES, LLC and www.imoovie.com. They want to be the
independent film distributor that works with you to turn your project
of passion into a financial success.

Visit them to see how they can be a partner in your film's success.


IMOOVIES, LLC
email: imoovie@...
web: http://www.imoovie.com


_________________________________________________________________________


5. MEMBER UPDATES

VIJI SESHADRI

When the spirit moves me, I create crazy characters...friends said
"you should put it up on youtube.."...finally succumbed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx4yQWjHnrg

Viji
P.S. - If you like it, great.
P.S.2: -  If you like it a lot, pass it on..to a friend or 2 or an
entire egroup...

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

PARK GRUBBS

Check out the site for Dr. Kurtis Strange's out of the box film, PARK
GRUBBS.
http://parkgrubbs.com/

_________________________________________________________________________

6. ARTICLES

THE MILLION DOLLAR PITCH
by Chad Zuber

Review of panel titled, "The Million Dollar Pitch" at the San Diego
Film Festival 2006.

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.

- Chad Zuber
Actor, writer, photographer

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


METACAFE VS. YOUTUBE

Hello All-  You know I am constantly searching for ways to make this
business pay!   So  here is an article about You Tubes competitors-
some of which pay for  your  films!  You can follow the link or read
below.
  Good Luck! and Happy  Filming!
Slainte,
Tara Donovan
www.TaraDonovan.com
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72022-0.html?tw=rss.index

RUNNER-UP TAKES ON YOUTUBE
By Michael Calore|

YouTube may be the king of online video, but if Arik Czerniak has his
  way,  the king won't stay on the throne for long.

Czerniak is the CEO and co-founder of Metacafe, one of the web's
leading  independent video-sharing sites. The company is launching a
new service  Monday called Producer Rewards which will offer cash
payouts to video  creators who upload the most interesting and
entertaining clips.

By offering incentives to users who upload premium content, Czerniak
hopes  to be able to deliver a richer experience to the casual viewer,
thus  giving  Metacafe the edge that it needs to maintain in order to
compete with  YouTube, MySpace Video and the other big names in
user-generated video  content distribution.

Metacafe utilizes 100,000 volunteer reviewers who sort through the
flood of  video submissions, promoting the best videos and rejecting
the clips  that  they find unappealing or boring.

"People who watch video on the web are hungry for good content, and
they are  ready to consume a lot of it," says Czerniak. "You could put
your video  on  YouTube and get a lot of views, but you have to
actively market  yourself in  order to be heard over all the noise.
Or, you could post it to Metacafe  where we have developed a process
that lets the best videos get played  immediately so they can start
earning you real money."

Metacafe users can submit videos to the Producer Rewards program if
they  meet the legal standards required for licensing: The clip must
be  suitable  for all ages and the producer must own all of the
content -- lip sync  videos  are out, and any people featured in the
video must sign a consent form.  Once  the video is accepted by the
reviewers, it's put on the site where it  can be  viewed by all
Metacafe users -- and where it can start earning cash for  the  creator.

The Producer Rewards videos on Metacafe are served along with short
post-roll or pre-roll advertisements which provide the revenue the
company  shares with the producer.  After a video reaches 20,000 views
on Metacafe, the video creator  starts  receiving payments of $5 per
1,000 views. Czerniak estimates that more  than  30 percent of the
videos on his site have surpassed the magic number of  20,000 views.

Metacafe, which has recently relocated from Tel Aviv, Israel, to Palo
  Alto,  California, claims that user feedback from a beta test during
the month  of  October has been positive. One participant earned
$23,000 after his  video  was viewed 4.5 million times.

While YouTube has yet to institute a model for paying users who submit
  the  most entertaining videos, other video-sharing sites have
recently begun  compensating their most creative uploaders. Video
startup Revver serves  short, static advertisements at the end of user
videos. If a viewer  clicks  on the ad, Revver splits the ad revenue
with the video creator, paying  out  50 percent of the profits.
Low-brow humor video site Break.com pays its  submitters $1,000 if
their original video is popular enough to get  promoted  to the site's
front door. Video producers whose submissions to the  Yahoo  Current
Network get picked for the site's front door or its companion  cable
television network can earn a one-time reward of up to $600.

Metacafe licenses the videos in the Producer Rewards program from the
  creators under a nonexclusive agreement, so users are able to share
the  videos and re-post them elsewhere. Producers also earn revenue
from  their  videos if they are shared on other sites using Metacafe's
embedded  video  player.  "Metacafe's model is a powerful way of
persuading users to publish on  one  site rather than the other," says
Joe Laszlo, a senior analyst at  JupiterResearch. "Since there are so
many producers of video content  right  now, competition is bound to
heat up."  "YouTube will continue to attract the most submissions as
long as it  has  size on its side," Laszlo continues. "YouTube can
say, 'Publish here,  we  have the biggest audience.' Smaller sites
will have to move towards  this  payment model in order to counter
against that size advantage YouTube  has."  Roughly 1 million users
visit Metacafe per day, and the site's users  watch  about 15 million
videos every day, a fraction of YouTube's estimated  100  million
daily video views.  Czerniak claims that YouTube's size works against
content creators by  making  it difficult to get noticed.  "Saying
YouTube is a good distribution model is like saying Blogger is  a
good distribution model," says Czerniak. "YouTube is a really great
product,  but there are tons of videos with zero views on the site.
Many of the  clips  that are actually good or interesting get lost
under this mess."


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


REASONS TO BE THANKFUL: TEN DAZZLING SHORT FILM DVDS
by Kim Adelman

As the holiday season fast approaches, short film aficionados should
be saying grace and giving thanks for the bounty laid out for mass
consumption. While everyone can enjoy the never-ending feast of
mini-movies available online, true connoisseurs will want to devour
the latest offerings on DVD. And what an amazing buffet there is: from
timely holiday fare from photographer/filmmaker William Wegman to
tasty treats from animator Don Hertzfeldt . If you're wondering what
to put on your holiday wish list, look no further than these ten
recent DVD releases.

1. "William Wegman's Fay's Twelve Days of Christmas" (Released by
Microcinema International DVD, Oct. 31, 2006) 2. "William Wegman's
Alphabet Soup" (Released by Microcinema International DVD, Oct. 31, 2006)

Originally produced in 1995, Wegman's half-hour Christmas classic gets
a stunning DVD reissue, showcasing the artist's famous Weimaraner Fay
Ray in all her glory as she undertakes Martha Stewart -ish
preparations to ring in the holidays. Make it a double-feature by also
indulging in "William Wegman's Alphabet Soup," a charming (and
educational!) canine comedy suitable for even the youngest viewers.

3. "A Collection of 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films"
(Released by Magnolia, July 25, 2006) 4. "75th Annual Academy Awards
Short Films" (Released by Questar, February 28, 2004)

Yes, the Award Season is around the corner, and you can whet your
appetite by indulging in some past years' winners. Magnolia has done a
fabulous job of collecting eight short films nominated for the 2005
Academy Awards (five live action, three animation, plus two bonus
animated shorts) to provide 162 minutes of fine viewing. The standout
is the 27-minute Irish dark comedy, "Six Shooter," which took home the
statue and launched playwright Martin McDonagh's film directing career.

The "75th" is an older collection of Oscar shorts given the Academy
nod in 2003. The films that make the strongest impression among the
100 minutes of viewing are the slick studio-produced animated shorts:
Sony Pictures Imageworks ' "The ChubbChubbs!" (dir. Eric Armstrong)
and Pixar's "Mike's New Car" (dirs. Pete Docter and Roger Gould).

5. "The Journal of Short Films, Vol. 5, Fall 2006" (Released by
www.theJSF.org, October 24, 2006)

For those unfamiliar with the Journal of Short Films, it's a quarterly
DVD series produced out of Columbus, Ohio, with a mandate to celebrate
diversity, experimentation, and independent work. The fifth volume,
which came out last month, marks the Journal's one-year anniversary.
Among the most arresting of the ten films are Jennifer Levonian's
two-minute experimental animation rumination, "You, Starbucks," and
Hope Tucker's war-footage piece, "Noel."

6. "Shorts! Volume 4" (Upcoming release by Film Festival Collection,
scheduled for January 16, 2007)

Put in your pre-order for this fourth installment of sixteen
award-winning short films culled from the world's best film festivals.
Overflowing with 220 minutes of films and six hours of filmmaker
commentaries, this DVD should satisfy even the most hardcore viewer.
One of the most accomplished films in the collection is John Mitchell
and Jeremy Kipp Walker's hospital room dramedy, "Goodnight Bill,"
which features a commentary track by the co-directors and a second one
by cinematographer Martin Matiasek. For those who can't wait for
Volume 4, check out the previous volume, which contains "Half Nelson"
director Ryan Fleck's 2004 short, "Gowanus, Brooklyn."

7. "American Short Films" (Released by Cinema 16, June 5, 2006) 8.
"European Short Films" (Released by Cinema 16, June 5, 2006) 9.
"British Short Films" (Released by Cinema 16, June 5, 2006)

This Cinema 16 series of DVD collections comes from Great Britain,
which means they've been issued in Region 2 PAL format. But it's well
worth the extra effort to view them because where else are you going
to see short films by Chris Nolan ("Doodlebug," 1997), Ridley Scott
("Boy & Bicycle," 1958), Lars von Trier ("Nocturne," 1980), and Tom
Tykwer ("Epilog," 2000). The American Collection is thankfully in NTSC
format and offers up 16 outstanding shorts (often accompanied by
director commentary) including little seen films by George Lucas
("Freiheit," 1966), Todd Solondz ("Feelings," 1984), and D.A.
Pennebaker ("Daybreak Express," 1953).

10. "Bitter Films Volume One: 1995-2005" (Released by Bitter Films, 2006)

Animator Don Hertzfeldt collected all of his beloved short films
("Lily and Jim," "Billy's Balloon," the Academy Award-nominated
"Rejected," and all the rest) and personally put together this amazing
elaborate DVD package, complete with an impressive 16-page
retrospective booklet. As the back of the DVD case proclaims, "At
last, all the landmark animated films collected together for the very
first time, lovingly remastered in high definition from their original
film negatives, providing alarming clarity and squiggly detail never
before seen outside of theaters!" How can you resist?

[Kim Adelman is the author of "The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short
Films."]

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20061120/116406286800.html

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

WEINSTEINS BET ON BLOCKBUSTER

Beginning in January, the video superstore chain will have the
exclusive rental rights for all Weinstein Co. movies. But there's a
catch.

By Dennis Michael, FilmStew.com

Bob and Harvey Weinstein are setting up a new deal with Blockbuster
Video. In an agreement announced this week, the filmmakers will give
Blockbuster exclusive rights to rent their films to the public for
three years, beginning January 1st. The studio and the video chain
will share the resulting revenue, a deal similar to the one Disney had
with Blockbuster in years past, when the Weinsteins ran the Disney
subsidiary Miramax. Bobby, School for Scoundrels, Shut Up and Sing ,
and The Nanny Diaries are among the early titles to be affected by the
deal.

How much of effect is still in question though. The Hollywood Reporter
notes that under the first-sale doctrine of U.S. Copyright law, any
video dealer can buy a copy of a Weinstein Co. DVD, and then turn
around and rent it, and sources close to Blockbuster's big rivals,
Movie Gallery and Netflix indicate that they will probably do just that.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/fs/20061121/116412975400.html


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

15 FILMS SELECTED FOR OSCAR SHORT LIST IN DOC FEATURE CATEGORY

by Eugene Hernandez

Fifteen documentary films have been selected for the "short list" of
titles competing for one of five nominations for the 79th Academy
Awards. Eighty-one eligible films were submitted for consideration for
the Best Documentary Feature category this year, according to the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The full list is:

"Blindsight," directed by Lucy Walker

"Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" directed by Frank Popper

"Deliver Us from Evil," directed by Amy Berg

"The Ground Truth: After the Killing Ends," directed by Patricia Foulkrod

"An Inconvenient Truth," directed by Davis Guggenheim

"Iraq in Fragments," directed by James Longley

"Jesus Camp," directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing

"Jonestown: The Life and Death of People's Temple," directed by
Stanley Nelson

"My Country, My Country," directed by Laura Poitras

"Shut Up & Sing," directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck

"Sisters in Law ," directed by Florence Ayisi and Kim Longinotto

"Storm of Emotions," directed by Yael Klopmann

"The Trials of Darryl Hunt," directed by Ricki Stern and Anne Sundberg

"An Unreasonable Man," directed by Henriette Mantel and Steve Skrovan

"The War Tapes," directed by Deborah Scranton

The Documentary Branch screening committee viewed the eligible
documentaries in a preliminary round of screenings, according to
AMPAS, and branch members will now select the five 2006 nominees from
among the 15 titles on this shortlist. Nominations will be announced
on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 and the Academy Awards for outstanding
film achievements of 2006 will be presented on Sunday, February 25, 2007.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20061115/116363601900.html

Aloha,

Lots of cool stuff with members this time.

I mentioned last time that I'd do a followup article breaking down the
dozen or so youtube type sites.  Well, I found out that there are over
200 of those video sites – probably more now that Google bought
youtube for $1.6B.  So, don't hold your breath for that.

If you're in Wichita Falls, TX (or have friends there) this weekend
come by the http://www.iffyntx.com Film Fest and check out a few of my
films.  I'll be at the fest from 10/27 – 10/31.

Then I'm off to NYC for the www.iaac.us Film Fest to go support
"Necessary Illusions" screening with Sundance Selection "Punching at
the Sun" at 6pm at the Anthology Archives on 2nd Ave at 2nd St.

I forgot to mention the serious kudos last time to ROB GIRONDA (.com -
composer & audio engineer) and CHAD ZUBER (cinematographer) who helped
me out with "Terrorist TV":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJbRQGtHndI

Til next time, keep the real world out.

Happy Filmmaking!
Anup


_________________________________________________________________________



NO INSURANCE? NO PROBLEMO!


Just found this interesting piece of advice from
http://www.myspace.com/filmmakersalliance

However, always watch out when you're giving away production credits,
because it means that they kinda own part of the film and it can get
very messy.  Check all the fine print.
-Anup



Tip of the month: SHORT TERM PRODUCTION INSURANCE

When making an independent low budget film, whether it's a short or a
feature one of the most difficult and costly things a production needs
is short-term production insurance. Often times the rates for the
insurance are more expensive than the budget of the film itself.

So how does one go about finding production insurance that is
necessary in order to rent equipment, secure locations and get permits
without breaking the bank?

Believe it or not there are actually places out there that understand
what low budget filmmaking is and are willing to help by giving you
the lowest possible rates. These are typically NOT insurance companies
or insurance brokers. They are production companies that will
"co-produce" your film and allow you to use their insurance package.
For this (and other services) they take a production fee. Although not
technically prohibited from doing this, but insurance companies hate
that they do it. Too bad. Filmmakers (especially small and short
films) can't always afford insurance carriers and brokers ridiculous
premiums.

We can't predict which company will give you the best deal, as that
will depend on the budget, scope and shooting schedule of your film.
Be sure to call all of them to ensure that you find something that
works for your particular project.

Wildcard Productions: 818-237-5630
Film Emporium: 323-464-5144
Filmmakers Resources: 323-822-2060

Good luck and worry not, low cost insurance is out there!

Best,
FA

_________________________________________________________________________

iTunes + Myspace = BURN LOUNGE

Are you a musician or band looking to sell your music online?

Are you looking to make more royalties than the 10% that most
retailers pay?

Are you looking to reach hundreds of thousands of people?

Well, Burnlounge is your answer!

Selling your music through BurnLounge is really simple.
Just follow the links below to download the .pdf that tells you all
the information you need in order to license your music through
Burnlounge (view links at site below):

An Instant Audience: Licensing and
Marketing Music Through BurnLounge

License Request Form

BurnLounge Licensing FAQ


This information is all you need to get your music on Burnlounge. Let
us know when you have submitted the licensing materials (request form,
CD, & artwork).

Once submitted, you will receive a licensing agreement with royalty
details, etc. Sign and return the agreement and within 2-3 weeks, your
music will be available through more than 40,000 BurnLounge Digital
Stores.

If you have any additional questions, or want more information on
promoting music through YOUR OWN Burnlounge, please let us know.

We look forward to working with you and promoting your music!

Burnlounge Entertainment Team

http://www.burnlounge.com/shopentertainment
http://www.myspace.com/burnlounge_entertainment
_________________________________________________________________________

CASTING CALL

  Project Name:
  The Indian Wants the Bronx

  Project Type:
  Theatre

  Union Status:
  Non-Union

  Union Contract:
  AEA - 99 Seat Plan

  Contract Status:
  Pending

  Submissions Due By:
  10/27/2006

  Note:
  SUBMIT ASAP

  Rehearsal Dates:
  TBD

  Preview Dates:
  TBD

   Run(Usage):
  Dec. 1,2 & 8,9

  Rate:
  Deferred

  Director:
  TBD

  Production Company:
  Groove Entertainment

  Audition Dates:
  TBD

  Audition Location:
  4735 Sepulveda Blvd.
  Sherman Oaks CA

  Shoot/Performance Dates:
  Dec. 1,2 & 8,9

  Shoot/Performance Location:
  The Complex Theatre

  Shoot/Performance Address:
  6476 Santa Monica Blvd
  Hollywood CA 90038

  Shoot/Performance Dates Note:
  Possibly extended to a 4-week run.

  Casting Company:
  Groove Entertainment

  Casting Directors:
  Nick Richey

  Casting Associates:
  Phoenix Vaughn

  Audition Note:
  Will contact actors individually for auditions.

  Mail Submissions To:
  4735 Sepulveda Blvd.
  Sherman Oaks CA 91403



  Synopsis An East Indian gets lost on his first day in New York as two
teenage punks find him waiting at a lonely bus stop. He cannot
understand English, and the boys have some fun with him...But little
by little, as the minutes go by and the bus doesn't come, the punks
get bored then annoyed and then vicious. It is the very pointlessness
of their brutality that makes the play so disturbing. It explores how
close beneath the surface of all men lurks the primitive impulse to
hurt and humiliate those whose very helplessness and inability to
communicate can only frustrate and enrage.


  Project Notes:  There will be a very strong industry presence for
exposure.



  Casting Note Will contact actors individually for auditions.

  GUPTA (EAST INDIAN) / Lead / Male / East Indian, Middle Eastern,
Multi-Ethnic / 30-60
  Gupta is anwhere from 30 to 60 years old. Although he is swarthy in
complexion, he is anything but sinister. He is, in fact, meek and
visibly frightened by the city. ACTOR MUST SPEAK HINDI DURING THE PLAY.
  Wardrobe: Traditional East Indian garb.
  Rate: Deferred

CONTACT:  GROOVEENTERTAINMENT@...
OR SCOTT DOUGLAS (818)605-5858

Casting notice courtesy of our very own funny-man Sid Veda(.com).

_________________________________________________________________________


SAN DIEGO FILM COMMISSION NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Dear Friends of the San Diego Film Commission:

The San Diego Film Commission has barely survived severe budget cuts
from the City of San Diego, making it difficult to operate day-to-day.
To stay afloat, we have set up a Foundation, which is a 501(c)3
charitable organization, to raise funds to pay for some of the
services the San Diego Film Commission performs but is not funded by
the City to do. The Foundation now pays for the student intern program
for film students, educational opportunities, workshops, displays,
exhibits, and the care and establishment of archival materials.

We appreciate donations big and small. Now every time you go grocery
shopping you can help us with no personal expense involved. By using
your Ralph's Club Card when you shop at Ralph's you are donating to
the San Diego Film Commission Foundation. This does not harm your
personal credits at the store for coupons, etc.

All you need to do is register your current Ralph's Club Card online
(or apply for one at any Ralph's customer service desk). Here's how:

1. Go to www.ralphs.com and click on "community contributions" then
click on "participants."
2. Be sure to have your Ralph's Club Card available and register your
card with the San Diego Film Commission Foundation by following the
easy online directions. The Foundation's NPO number is 83542.
3. If you use your phone number at the register, call 800-660-9003 to
get your club number to register.
4. You must swipe your registered Ralph's Club Card when shopping for
each purchase to count.

We would appreciate you passing this request to your friends to help
us. Thank you for helping us continue our educational outreach to the
San Diego region.

Cathy Anderson
Film Commissioner & CEO

_________________________________________________________________________

MEMBER UPDATES



GRETA & FUJI MINX

To all my friends, family, & associates:

HEY EVERYONE!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Please help us win You Tube's Unsigned Band Music Video Contest!!

If we win, there is a good chance we will get signed and we will
finally get the break we need. You can help us quit our dayjobs and be
artists full-time.

Make sure you click on the "Thumbs Up" icon (after logging in /signing up)
http://www.youtube.com/contest/youtubeunderground?goto=2123

Dreaming away.
Love, Greta & FUJI MINX.

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

ROOPASHREE JEEVAJI

"Independence Day" screening  (Sun 11/5 @ 12pm) at the www.iaac.us
Film Fest in NYC (2nd St @ 2nd Ave).  Roopa will be at the fest.

http://www.youtube.com/user/roopajeevaji

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

RITA RANI

It's an onslaught from this group at the www.iaac.us Film Fest.
Rita's film "Bombay Skies" will screen at Sat Nov 4th at 2:30pm.  She
will be at the fest.

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

ANNIE & ANGIE LEE

Hello loves! (Read below for parties…)

As you all know we've been waiting a LONG ass time for this moment!
CLOSE CALL is finally on DVD!  And I need your help spreading the word!!!

If you could be a super nice angel  & just take a minute to forward
this message or tell even 1 friend to buy it that would mean the world
to us & we'd love you forever!!!  Seriously!!!!!

Indies only succeed with the help of friends like you!  Word of mouth
is a small effort that makes a big impact for films like ours.  Thank
you for caring!!!

And don't forget to buy it for your collection!  I promise you you
won't regret it.  It's an awesome DVD that we worked really hard on.

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE:
-Cool BEHIND THE SCENES Footage!
-DELETED SCENES Never Before Seen!

THANK YOU!!!
Annie
www.CloseCallmovie.com

BUY IT HERE IF YOU CANà: www.walmart.com, then we can get it into the
stores!

Here are a few other links you can buy it from:
www.amazon.com
www.blockbuster.com
www.target.com
www.circuitcity.com
www.bestbuy.com

Also available @ HOLLYWOOD VIDEO & mom & pop video stores all over the US.

ADD ME ON MYSPACE!:
www.myspace.com/annielovelee

VIEW TRAILER & LINK IT ON YOUR SITE!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =7rg9ZYtggj0


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

KALETI WILLIAMS


Check out Kaleti Williams here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPjH8tKi1n0
and here:
http;//www.killerpadmovie.com
and of course in Interminal (screening at IFFYNTX.com this weekend):
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=725140355


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



DAEG FAERCH


Hi Anup.
That is great about Interminal. I added our names to the cast.
Daeg is working on his 4th film now and he has a Mac now to do his own
editing.
Thanks for your support and hope to work with you again sometime.
He just got a new agent as well. KSA in L.A.
He is in rehearsals for both Club Shuga and Grapes of Wrath as well as
a production of his newest script that someone else is directing.
He is directing someone elses work at the playwrites festival.
I am haveing a hard time keeping up!!
hugs and luck and again, hope to work with you again soon.
New!!*
Daeg is everywhere in this video....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7En9uIDdc50&mode=related&search=
MORE INFO:
www.nowcasting.com/daegfaerch
IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm1698761/
Frank: http://www.monster-effects.com/reel/
Outlier: http://outlierthemovie.com/
Life Ride: www.lancelance.com/film.html
Dance: www.fourthproject.com/letsdance.html
He writes and directs too:
Vampire:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPfp5xEac08
French:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oZCSnFq8B4


_________________________________________________________________________


ARTICLES


HOLMES & CRUISE CONFIRM ITALIAN WEDDING PLANS

Ha – just kiddin'.  Like I really care.


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


SONY PROJECTORS TO BE INSTALLED IN THEATERS

Sony said Tuesday that it's ready to begin installing its SXRD
high-definition digital projectors in theaters across the country. The
system boasts 8.8 million pixels, or four times the resolution of
systems already in place in U.S. theaters. The 4K systems have
recently been tested in 12 Landmark Theater screens. Now, Sony says,
it is ready to begin turning out 100 projectors a month beginning in
December. Sony said it had received commitments from four major
studios to release films on digital files in the 4K format.

http://imdb.com/news/sb/#film5


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


WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT

Fortune on CNNMoney.com
By Geoffrey Colvin


Research now shows that the lack of natural talent is irrelevant to
great success. The secret? Painful and demanding practice and hard work

What makes Tiger Woods great? What made Berkshire Hathaway (Charts)
Chairman Warren Buffett the world's premier investor? We think we
know: Each was a natural who came into the world with a gift for doing
exactly what he ended up doing. As Buffett told Fortune not long ago,
he was "wired at birth to allocate capital." It's a one-in-a-million
thing. You've got it - or you don't.

Well, folks, it's not so simple. For one thing, you do not possess a
natural gift for a certain job, because targeted natural gifts don't
exist. (Sorry, Warren.) You are not a born CEO or investor or chess
grandmaster. You will achieve greatness only through an enormous
amount of hard work over many years. And not just any hard work, but
work of a particular type that's demanding and painful.

Buffett, for instance, is famed for his discipline and the hours he
spends studying financial statements of potential investment targets.
The good news is that your lack of a natural gift is irrelevant -
talent has little or nothing to do with greatness. You can make
yourself into any number of things, and you can even make yourself great.

Scientific experts are producing remarkably consistent findings across
a wide array of fields. Understand that talent doesn't mean
intelligence, motivation or personality traits. It's an innate ability
to do some specific activity especially well. British-based
researchers Michael J. Howe, Jane W. Davidson and John A. Sluboda
conclude in an extensive study, "The evidence we have surveyed ...
does not support the [notion that] excelling is a consequence of
possessing innate gifts."

To see how the researchers could reach such a conclusion, consider the
problem they were trying to solve. In virtually every field of
endeavor, most people learn quickly at first, then more slowly and
then stop developing completely. Yet a few do improve for years and
even decades, and go on to greatness.

The irresistible question - the "fundamental challenge" for
researchers in this field, says the most prominent of them, professor
K. Anders Ericsson of Florida State University - is, Why? How are
certain people able to go on improving? The answers begin with
consistent observations about great performers in many fields.

Scientists worldwide have conducted scores of studies since the 1993
publication of a landmark paper by Ericsson and two colleagues, many
focusing on sports, music and chess, in which performance is
relatively easy to measure and plot over time. But plenty of
additional studies have also examined other fields, including business.

No substitute for hard work

The first major conclusion is that nobody is great without work. It's
nice to believe that if you find the field where you're naturally
gifted, you'll be great from day one, but it doesn't happen. There's
no evidence of high-level performance without experience or practice.

Reinforcing that no-free-lunch finding is vast evidence that even the
most accomplished people need around ten years of hard work before
becoming world-class, a pattern so well established researchers call
it the ten-year rule.

What about Bobby Fischer, who became a chess grandmaster at 16? Turns
out the rule holds: He'd had nine years of intensive study. And as
John Horn of the University of Southern California and Hiromi Masunaga
of California State University observe, "The ten-year rule represents
a very rough estimate, and most researchers regard it as a minimum,
not an average." In many fields (music, literature) elite performers
need 20 or 30 years' experience before hitting their zenith.

So greatness isn't handed to anyone; it requires a lot of hard work.
Yet that isn't enough, since many people work hard for decades without
approaching greatness or even getting significantly better. What's
missing?

Practice makes perfect

The best people in any field are those who devote the most hours to
what the researchers call "deliberate practice." It's activity that's
explicitly intended to improve performance, that reaches for
objectives just beyond one's level of competence, provides feedback on
results and involves high levels of repetition.

For example: Simply hitting a bucket of balls is not deliberate
practice, which is why most golfers don't get better. Hitting an
eight-iron 300 times with a goal of leaving the ball within 20 feet of
the pin 80 percent of the time, continually observing results and
making appropriate adjustments, and doing that for hours every day -
that's deliberate practice.

Consistency is crucial. As Ericsson notes, "Elite performers in many
diverse domains have been found to practice, on the average, roughly
the same amount every day, including weekends."

Evidence crosses a remarkable range of fields. In a study of
20-year-old violinists by Ericsson and colleagues, the best group
(judged by conservatory teachers) averaged 10,000 hours of deliberate
practice over their lives; the next-best averaged 7,500 hours; and the
next, 5,000. It's the same story in surgery, insurance sales, and
virtually every sport. More deliberate practice equals better
performance. Tons of it equals great performance. The skeptics

Not all researchers are totally onboard with the myth-of-talent
hypothesis, though their objections go to its edges rather than its
center. For one thing, there are the intangibles. Two athletes might
work equally hard, but what explains the ability of New England
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to perform at a higher level in the
last two minutes of a game?

Researchers also note, for example, child prodigies who could speak,
read or play music at an unusually early age. But on investigation
those cases generally include highly involved parents. And many
prodigies do not go on to greatness in their early field, while great
performers include many who showed no special early aptitude.

Certainly some important traits are partly inherited, such as physical
size and particular measures of intelligence, but those influence what
a person doesn't do more than what he does; a five-footer will never
be an NFL lineman, and a seven-footer will never be an Olympic
gymnast. Even those restrictions are less severe than you'd expect:
Ericsson notes, "Some international chess masters have IQs in the
90s." The more research that's done, the more solid the
deliberate-practice model becomes.

Real-world examples

All this scholarly research is simply evidence for what great
performers have been showing us for years. To take a handful of
examples: Winston Churchill, one of the 20th century's greatest
orators, practiced his speeches compulsively. Vladimir Horowitz
supposedly said, "If I don't practice for a day, I know it. If I don't
practice for two days, my wife knows it. If I don't practice for three
days, the world knows it." He was certainly a demon practicer, but the
same quote has been attributed to world-class musicians like Ignace
Paderewski and Luciano Pavarotti.

Many great athletes are legendary for the brutal discipline of their
practice routines. In basketball, Michael Jordan practiced intensely
beyond the already punishing team practices. (Had Jordan possessed
some mammoth natural gift specifically for basketball, it seems
unlikely he'd have been cut from his high school team.)

In football, all-time-great receiver Jerry Rice - passed up by 15
teams because they considered him too slow - practiced so hard that
other players would get sick trying to keep up.

Tiger Woods is a textbook example of what the research shows. Because
his father introduced him to golf at an extremely early age - 18
months - and encouraged him to practice intensively, Woods had racked
up at least 15 years of practice by the time he became the
youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, at age 18. Also
in line with the findings, he has never stopped trying to improve,
devoting many hours a day to conditioning and practice, even remaking
his swing twice because that's what it took to get even better.
The business side

The evidence, scientific as well as anecdotal, seems overwhelmingly in
favor of deliberate practice as the source of great performance. Just
one problem: How do you practice business? Many elements of business,
in fact, are directly practicable. Presenting, negotiating, delivering
evaluations, deciphering financial statements - you can practice them all.

Still, they aren't the essence of great managerial performance. That
requires making judgments and decisions with imperfect information in
an uncertain environment, interacting with people, seeking information
- can you practice those things too? You can, though not in the way
you would practice a Chopin etude.

Instead, it's all about how you do what you're already doing - you
create the practice in your work, which requires a few critical
changes. The first is going at any task with a new goal: Instead of
merely trying to get it done, you aim to get better at it.

Report writing involves finding information, analyzing it and
presenting it - each an improvable skill. Chairing a board meeting
requires understanding the company's strategy in the deepest way,
forming a coherent view of coming market changes and setting a tone
for the discussion. Anything that anyone does at work, from the most
basic task to the most exalted, is an improvable skill.

Adopting a new mindset

Armed with that mindset, people go at a job in a new way. Research
shows they process information more deeply and retain it longer. They
want more information on what they're doing and seek other
perspectives. They adopt a longer-term point of view. In the activity
itself, the mindset persists. You aren't just doing the job, you're
explicitly trying to get better at it in the larger sense.

Again, research shows that this difference in mental approach is
vital. For example, when amateur singers take a singing lesson, they
experience it as fun, a release of tension. But for professional
singers, it's the opposite: They increase their concentration and
focus on improving their performance during the lesson. Same activity,
different mindset.

Feedback is crucial, and getting it should be no problem in business.
Yet most people don't seek it; they just wait for it, half hoping it
won't come. Without it, as Goldman Sachs leadership-development chief
Steve Kerr says, "it's as if you're bowling through a curtain that
comes down to knee level. If you don't know how successful you are,
two things happen: One, you don't get any better, and two, you stop
caring." In some companies, like General Electric, frequent feedback
is part of the culture. If you aren't lucky enough to get that, seek
it out.

Be the ball

Through the whole process, one of your goals is to build what the
researchers call "mental models of your business" - pictures of how
the elements fit together and influence one another. The more you work
on it, the larger your mental models will become and the better your
performance will grow.

Andy Grove could keep a model of a whole world-changing technology
industry in his head and adapt Intel (Charts) as needed. Bill Gates,
Microsoft's (Charts) founder, had the same knack: He could see at the
dawn of the PC that his goal of a computer on every desk was realistic
and would create an unimaginably large market. John D. Rockefeller,
too, saw ahead when the world-changing new industry was oil. Napoleon
was perhaps the greatest ever. He could not only hold all the elements
of a vast battle in his mind but, more important, could also respond
quickly when they shifted in unexpected ways.

That's a lot to focus on for the benefits of deliberate practice - and
worthless without one more requirement: Do it regularly, not sporadically.

Why?

For most people, work is hard enough without pushing even harder.
Those extra steps are so difficult and painful they almost never get
done. That's the way it must be. If great performance were easy, it
wouldn't be rare. Which leads to possibly the deepest question about
greatness. While experts understand an enormous amount about the
behavior that produces great performance, they understand very little
about where that behavior comes from.

The authors of one study conclude, "We still do not know which factors
encourage individuals to engage in deliberate practice." Or as
University of Michigan business school professor Noel Tichy puts it
after 30 years of working with managers, "Some people are much more
motivated than others, and that's the existential question I cannot
answer - why."

The critical reality is that we are not hostage to some naturally
granted level of talent. We can make ourselves what we will.
Strangely, that idea is not popular. People hate abandoning the notion
that they would coast to fame and riches if they found their talent.
But that view is tragically constraining, because when they hit life's
inevitable bumps in the road, they conclude that they just aren't
gifted and give up.

Maybe we can't expect most people to achieve greatness. It's just too
demanding. But the striking, liberating news is that greatness isn't
reserved for a preordained few. It is available to you and to everyone.

http://biz.yahoo.com/weekend/great_1.html

MYSPACE + WITHOUTABOX = AUDIENCE

I've recommended withoutabox.com before for festival submissions, but
now they've added a myspace-networking dimension to it to push your
films even further.

"There's more you can do than fest submissions to support your film!
Check out AUDIENCE by Withoutabox, set to become the largest social
network and promotional tool dedicated to advancing independent film
in more than 200 countries around the world.

This platform allows you as filmmakers to collect your audiences and
to promote and even self-distribute your work. Withoutabox is bringing
together filmmakers, film festivals, film industry and audiences in a
way that nobody else has. Participate, help grow it, and make it yours."

Here's my user page.  Add me as a friend when you join up:
http://audience.withoutabox.com/users/anup

-Anup

___________________________________________________________________

SCREENPLAY WANTED FOR TALENTED DIRECTOR

I saw the student film these guys did and it had great content and
production value.  Now, they're looking for a feature script.
-Anup


Hello everybody,

I am sorry to bother you, but I wanted to announce that we are
currently looking for a screenplay (thriller or comedy) for our first
feature film. I know that some of you are writers, or know writers,
and therefore, I want to ask you to please have a look at our
EmotionP Screenplay Search at:

http://www.emotionp.com/screenplay/

I would truly appreciate if you could forward this email to anyone
who might have already written the kind of Screenplay we are looking
for, or would be capable of writing one. We are extremely excited
about the opportunity to work on a feature film, but of course
without a great screenplay there isn't much we can do. :-)

Please also feel free to post the website address anywhere on the
Internet. (and let me know where you posted it so I don't double post.)

I really appreciate your help with this and hope that we can all work
together soon again!

Philipp


___________________________________________________________________

GO TO A SHOW AND SUPPORT ARTWALLAH


Thanks to the tremendous response from donors, we are just over
halfway to our goal for the month with a total of $5250 pledged! It
means a lot to our organization's survival.

We still need to raise another $5k by the end of October, and $40k by
the end of the year to keep ArtWallah going, and here is a way you can
help!

Our friends at Rukus Avenue have generously offered their support to
keep ArtWallah alive. This Sunday at The Platform, all donations
collected at the door will be given directly to ArtWallah
(www.artwallah.org). Come out and show your support!

THE PLATFORM
featuring ArtWallah artists Ananda Sen and Chee Malabar

Sunday October 8
@The Gig, Hollywood
7302 Melrose Ave
Hollywood, CA 90046
Doors Open: 7:00pm
Concludes: 9:30pm
http://www.theplatform2006.com

The Platform is a creative and nurturing space for performers and
artists to build a sense of community among them and their collective
audiences. This Sunday, The Platform will present ArtWallah artists
Ananda Sen and Chee Malabar, with The Cavesluts, The Jupitersciples,
and resident DJ The Op+imis+

___________________________________________________________________

A COUPLE OF FESTS SCREENING MY FILMS


Independent Film Festival for Ya'll North Texas

Cool name for a fest.  They're also screening about a dozen films I've
worked on in some capacity (act/write/direct) Halloween weekend in
Wichita Falls, TX.  I grew up there 5th-9th grade  so it's kind of a
homecoming for me.  If you know anyone in that neck of the sticks let
them know.

http://www.iffyntx.com

Also, immediately afterwards "Necessary Illusions" (WINNER: Visionary
Award & Official Selection: Torino Film Fest) will screen at the IAAC
Film Fest in NYC Nov 2, 2006 at 6pm with Sundance Selection, "Punching
at the Sun."

Necessary Illusions Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0h7uRjO3ac

http://www.iaac.us

-Anup

Bon Jour,

I hope all is well.  I’ve got a project called TERRORIST TV, it’s on
youtube.  I’m going to use it as a case-study to see what can happen
for actors/filmmakers by using youtube and a dozen other similar
sites.  Please check it out, rate it, and pass it on to friends (and
enemies, too).  I’m really trying to get the viewing numbers up.

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

Here are all the sites similar to youtube which I’ve found so far.
Let me know if there are others:
http://www.youtube.com - the most popular
http://www.ifilm.com
http://www.motion.tv - will pay similar to the old mp3.com model from ads
http://www.video.yahoo.com - they also aggregate other video clips
from the net
http://www.video.google.com - able charge for viewing videos
http://www.liveclip.com - able charge for viewing videos, but I
haven’t read up on it completely.
http://www.atomfilms.com - read the fine print about them owning the
rights to your film before uploading. However, they own the following:
http://www.addictingclips.com
http://www.ebaumsworld.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.metacafe.com
http://www.veoh.com
http://www.current.tv - read the fine print about them owning the
rights to your film before uploading.  But the plus side is that they
have a tv channel on cable where uploaded vids get selected to air.

(possibly iTunes as well)

I would recommend putting all your synopsis and keywords in a master
file in MS Word and then just copy and paste instead of writing up for
each site.  I’m putting together a list of pros and cons for them as
well.  Stay tuned.

Anup


______________________________________________________________________

AMERICAN IDOL FOR FILMMAKERS

Mark Burnett (Exec Prod. Survivor, American Idol, Rockstar: Supernova) and
Steven Speilberg have teamed up to make a new reality contest show for
filmmakers.

Deadline approaching soon.

http://www.thelot.com

______________________________________________________________________


WAB’S BUILDING OF SELF- DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

BIG FAVOR. . .BIG REWARDS!
Thinking of self-distribution?  Withoutabox is thinking about you.

We're putting together the most comprehensive list of alternative and
traditional film spaces ever compiled in one place.  The mission is
clear: to provide a first-of-its-kind international guide of venues where
your film can be shown.  Self-booking and self-ticketing are the next
steps in greenlighting your own distribution, and only Withoutabox is
making it possible.

We don't want to miss a trick.  Please use the link to our boards below
to post a list of ANY film spaces you know of.  We want whatever info
you have, so if it's a just name and city, that's fine, but we'd also
love addresses, map URL's, and, if you can, email contacts for
independent movie houses, universities, museums with film programs, as
well as
independent/renegade film spaces in your neck of the woods.

We'll compile your information with our own and begin to systematize an
unprecedented alternative distribution platform.

To post a theater or venue, click the link below:
http://boards.withoutabox.com/viewtopic.php?pid=42688#p42688


______________________________________________________________________

IFC Submission Policy
http://www.ifc.com

______________________________________________________________________

http://channel101.com

______________________________________________________________________

ONE STOP SHOP FOR MUSICIANS

http://www.Dreammakersmp3.com

______________________________________________________________________

I FOUGHT THE LAW…

Finding Legal Representation (includes intellectual property ‘aka
entertainment lawyer’)
http://www.martindale.com

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Believe it or not, there are dozens of legal organizations which have
as their sole goal to provide free legal services to nonprofit arts
organizations, as well as to artists who can't afford legal services.
  These organizations are great resources.

Issues often handled include contract negotiations, mediation
services, nonprofit incorporation, copyright information and
infringement lawsuits, tax information, estate planning, and lease
review.  VLA organizations also provide education programs, including
seminars, publications, and the maintenance of art law libraries.

CALIFORNIA
Beverly Hills Bar Association Barristers Committee for the Arts
300 S. Beverly Dr., #201
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
310-553-6644
mmeadow@...

nominal fee �"
committee for the arts �" chair irena raskin 310-858-5580
referal 310-601-2440 (close at 1pm)

California Lawyers for the Arts (Santa Monica)
1641 18th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
310/998-5590
310/998-5594 Fax
UserCLA@...

San Diego Lawyers for the Arts
1205 Prospect St.
La Jolla, CA 92037
619/454-9696

GEORGIA (cause there are a few of you guys on here)
Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
BCA
675 Ponce de Leon Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30308
404/873-3911
gla@...

NEW YORK
Albany/Schenectady League of Arts Inc.
19 Clinton Ave.
Albany NY 12207
518/449-5380
artsleague@...

Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
1 E. 53rd St., 6th Floor
New York, NY 10022
212/319-2787;
vlany@...
vlany@...

more info:
http://www.starvingartistslaw.com/help/volunteer%20lawyers.htm

______________________________________________________________________

RAGA SKA MAN ME or rearranged MAKE ANAGRAMS

http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/

______________________________________________________________________

MEMBER UPDATES


Check out the trailer for (www.Roopa.net) Roopashree Jeevaji's short
which will be at the Indo-American Arts Council Film Fest in NYC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDI1YwU9u1Q


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


To all of my Film Production and Art Dept. friends and acquaintances,

I hope you are all doing well and keeping busy.
Some of you know me as a set-dresser, some as a graphic artist, and
many of you know me as both.
Recently, I have transitioned from the Art Dept. racket into doing
Graphic Design full-time.

I'm writing today to simply ask that you keep my name fresh in your
mind for any Graphic needs that you may have.  This includes Props,
Labels, Signage, Posters, Packaging, Promotional materials, Press
packets, ANYTHING!

Below I have attached my Address Book Card and my Business Card.

As well, please feel free to forward my contact info on to any of your
friends or film acquaintances that may be in need of a designer.

Thanks and I hope to be hearing from all of you very soon!

Jeff Verges
cell: (310) 699-5528
email: Jeff@... website: www.ElectricSoap.com


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


Hey all,

Yes, I am getting married.

No, not in real life but in my dinner theatre Italian
Wedding Comedy show thing I do. But yes, you're
invited!

I know you've all heard me talk about it but haven't
come to see it before as I get so easily embarrassed
acting in front of friends but this show coming up in
a couple weeks is pretty special as 1) my parents are
flying in, and 2) I'll be the groom instead of the
best man (the part I usually play), so that will be me
up there tying the knot. So, this is an invitation.

The bad news is it does cost money but it is about a 3
hour show with a full dinner and dancing and basic
wedding type stuff (bouquet catching, cake eating,
chicken dance-dancing) and plus you get to see me in a
white tuxedo doing my guido-schtick and, yes,
dancing like a fool too.

So, the show is in a couple of weeks on Saturday,
September 30th at 7:30pm at the Holiday Inn by the Bay
(across from the Star of India downtown).

Tickets are $39.90 (a discount I get down from $60 but
still expensive I know) and I will be ordering them so
if you want to go just let me know and I will have
your tickets at the door and then you can pay me
whenever.

It's a good time and honestly my acting is superb
after you've had a few drinks in you. It's fun and
ridiculous so you should come and then you can sit
with my parents and help them understand what their
son is doing on stage. Just let me know if interested.
Our website is www.comedywedding.com if you want to
check that out. Talk to you all soon!


Ciao,

Matty

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

Anup,

I’ve worked production before and I’m interested in doing some
production work again so keep me in mind if you are ever looking for
crew also! Specifically an AD , Producer, or Production Coordination
are my main interests to get more experience before I start directing
my own projects. I’m a team player and can send you a production
resume, but I’ve been a PA a lot, with some Tv shows and production
companies (BPS and more).
-Greta

http://www.gretavalenti.com
greta@...
P.   O. Box 4655
Orange ,CA 92867
ph#: (714) 235-3595


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


Hi Anup,

Thanks for taking me in this group...I'm new to this yahoo group
stuff, but it seems like it will be very beneficial.

And YES PLEASE =) ...list my e-mail address as a contact for Makeup.
I am based in San Diego for now, while I'm finishing up school.  I
would really appreciate it.  I look forward to the first newsletter!
Best,
Diana
DianaAlcausin@ [nospace] yahoo.com

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

www.Vinodfilms.com

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

Hey all!

Here's the trailer to a film I'm in. This film was shot entirely on
green screen which was a blast. It will hit film festivals later this
year. Enjoy!

http://www.postcardsfromthefuture.net/trailer/PC_Trailer_web.mov

Copy and Paste in your browser if link doesn't work.

Freddie J

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

I just  wanted to let everyone know that we are done filming THE JINN. it
was a great shoot. im sure this film will turn out great!! Amazing
Director
and DP!! and of course the actors were great too!! check out
http://www.newmotionpictures.com for info and production stills. it
will be updated
daily/weekly without notice so keep a look out for a trailer soon!!
hope all
is well with everyone!! G

Gary Cairns II
http://www.gc2online.com

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

Hi Guys! I am close to filming my internet comedy
show for Turner.com.
I am looking for office space to shoot some scenes
over
two days (either Sat and Sun the 7th & 8th of Oct or
Sun and Mon the 8th and 9th of Oct) - whichever works
better for the owners of the office.
     The office needs to contain those "divided by grey
subdividers into cubicles" rather than a single
manager
type office with a single desk.  Only need about two
or three of them.
     If any of you good people work in an office and
believe that you can persuade the proprietors to allow
me and my small crew to film there at those dates
above then please let me know. We are very
professional
and the project is hilarious.

Your help is the bomb.

Rasika
rasikamathur@...

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

I am an actor. I speak Spanish and Sign Language. I was an extra on
Jarhead. I travelled with a theatre group for 1 1/2 yrs. I have been
in many plays. I am now learning
special effects make-up.
chuckaslstudies@ [no space] yahoo.com


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

[this one is waaaaaaay overdue, sorry Cheryl
�" Anup]


Hi Anup,

Just saw the bit about me on your diegst. Thanks for
the effort. I think it would help to mention the PBS
national broadcast offer, otherwise it sounds like I
want funding to make my doc.

I would add:

A Bay Area PBS station wants to present "A Pyramid of
Women" for national broadcast on PBS. The station will
work with a distribution company to do a satellite
uplink of the film for PBS and market it to all the
PBS stations nationwide. Many PBS stations have
already said that they would like to air the film when
uplinked.
The goal is to raise underwriting money for the
airing.
The funder gets national TV advertising along with the
film.

Is that okay?

Thanks!

Cheryl


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


BIG NEWS: Escape In Time is now on sale for $9.95 at:

www.indieflix.com

Please pass on this to EVERYONE you know.
Support Your Local Film Makers.
River, Gulliver, and myself, on behalf of the entire incredible cast and
crew, want to encourage everyone to purchase this excellent movie.  I hope
this finds you well and in good spirits.


Please pass this along to the people in your e-mail.

  We have been shut out and need your help. If we can sell 1000 copies we
can get Escape In Time onto netflix. Escape In Time is only 9 bucks the
cost of two blockbuster rentals, Please help us to bring this wonderful
film to the world. If you know people who like indie film this is the
perfect way for them to be a direct supporter of independent film.


Thank you,
River O'Mahoney Hagg

This is just an amazing story you gotta check out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBYPaNc57Ik

Here's an excellent cutting-edge article courtesy of the lovely and
talented Tara Donovan (www.taradonovan.com).

One of the movies it talks about, "This Film is Not Yet Rated" which
opens this weekend has composer Michael S. Patterson who scored the
short I wrote and produced, "Interminal".  Check it out as well as his
site: http://absynthemusic.com

-Anup

_________________________________________________________________

Netflix Presents

By Erin Biba

The main attraction is still renting movies by mail, but now the
company is producing its own indie flicks. Look out, Bob and Harvey.

"Tell us we're brilliant," Mark Duplass says. He and his brother Jay
are standing in front of an audience that's just seen The Puffy Chair,
a movie the brothers wrote, directed, produced, and starred in. Their
euphoria is understandable: The indie film they made has finally been
released in theaters, and this is their publicity tour.

The post-screening Q&A session at Mezzanine, a San Francisco club,
gets under way, but the first question isn't about the movie's quirky
plot (a guy buys an overstuffed recliner on eBay and hauls it
cross-country to give to his dad as a surprise birthday gift). It
isn't about the shoestring production, either – the $15,000 budget,
the crew of one, the free catering by the lead actress's mom. What the
audience really wants to know is how these scruffy twentysomething
neophytes ever got a distribution deal.

"It was really painful," Mark tells the crowd. "Every studio came to
us after the screenings and said, 'We love this movie.' We thought we
were gonna be millionaires." The Puffy Chair toured festivals or more
than a year, drawing raves and racking up awards. But no studio
believed the audience would be big enough, so no theatrical deal.
Finally, in January, the brothers were approached by a film
distributor that loved the picture and knew exactly how to find an
audience for it. But it wasn't Fox or Universal. It was Netflix.

You know, Netflix. In the last seven years, the company has amassed 5
million subscribers and now mails 7 million DVD rentals each week.
Along the way, it drew Blockbuster and other chains into the online
rental market and eventually persuaded Wal-Mart to drop its rival
service and become a partner. But that's only one side of Netflix. The
company also has quietly become the exclusive distributor of more than
100 indie films, and it's even starting to produce original movies.
Netflix will make The Puffy Chair available to its subscribers, and it
helped the Duplass brothers get a nonexclusive DVD distribution deal
so the movie will be offered at Blockbuster and other rental chains,
too. The company even teamed with Roadside Attractions to fund a
theatrical release.

Netflix's move into distribution and production calls to mind early
Miramax. Back in the 1980s and '90s, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the
founders of the company, toured independent film festivals like
Sundance, signed innovative movies (early distribution deals included
sex, lies, and videotape and Reservoir Dogs), created savvy marketing
campaigns, and – eventually – produced their own box office gold.
Netflix is pursuing a similar model, and in just a few years it has
distributed as many exclusives as Miramax did in its first 15 years of
existence. "Last year we acquired four new titles from Sundance, and
this year we're working on about 12 deals," says Ted Sarandos, chief
content officer of Netflix. "Eventually we'll be coming to Sundance
and saying, 'We can buy everything.' There's a deal for every film."

Sarandos, 42, oversees all of the company's DVD purchases. He has an
annual budget north of $100 million and a mission to keep expanding
the company's library of more than 60,000 titles. It's a job he was
born to do.

As a youth, Sarandos fell in love with video stores because they
exposed him to indie cinema even though he lived in the "very
secondary movie market" of Phoenix. By 30, he was a regional sales
director for ETD, a company that buys videos for Blockbuster, and he
was observing firsthand the effects that big chain stores were having
on the video rental business. "It mirrored what was happening in
theaters," he says. "Eighty percent of the business was coming from
the 10 top-grossing movies each year."

In 1999, Sarandos bought his first DVD player. Inside the box was a
red flyer advertising a new rent-by-mail service. Netflix was a dream
come true for the cinephile. He wrangled a meeting with Netflix CEO
Reed Hastings and COO Bill Henderson to discuss opening a line of
retail stores. Hastings and Henderson didn't bite, but they found
Sarandos' enthusiasm infectious. Soon after, he was working for the
company. "He had a gleam in his eye," Hastings recalls. "He'd spent
his whole life in the business as a film fanatic."

At first, Sarandos spent all his time securing rights to rent out
films that were playing in theaters. But he was hoping to do more. He
floated what he now calls "a harebrained idea" to produce original
content to supplement the company's DVD library. But higher-ups gave
him only $100,000 for the project – "This way you won't feel so bad if
it doesn't work out," Hastings told him – so Sarandos started small.
He used the funds to sign obscure, overlooked films that had no
theatrical or video distribution.

The first deal – a simple revenue-sharing agreement – was for a
low-budget romantic comedy called Nice Guys Sleep Alone. He'd seen it
at the 2000 US Comedy Arts Festival, in Aspen, Colorado, and knew that
it had languished unsigned for two years. "It was very funny," he
says. "Nothing groundbreaking, but it deserved to be seen." Sarandos
told the film's director, Stu Pollard, "Send me 500 DVDs. Every time
it rents, we'll pay you something." Pollard was eager to comply – he
had thousands of copies of the film in his Louisville, Kentucky,
garage. Nice Guys Sleep Alone fared so well with subscribers that
Netflix doubled and then quadrupled the order. "An awful lot of people
started renting this no-name title with zero marketing budget,"
Pollard says. "As a result, it was picked up by HBO."

Since then, the division, called Red Envelope Entertainment after the
packaging the discs are delivered in, has boosted the careers of many
filmmakers. It struck a deal to distribute Born Into Brothels on DVD
six months before the movie won an Oscar for best documentary.
Sarandos also points to the success of Open Hearts, a picture by
Susanne Bier, whom he calls "the most popular romantic-comedy director
in Denmark." It bombed theatrically in the US but did so well on
Netflix that Sony is considering picking it up for wider DVD distribution.

Hastings says Red Envelope is something of a mission for Sarandos.
"For him, it's as much about giving back to the film community as it
is about growing the Netflix content base," he says. But, Sarandos
insists, "this isn't philanthropy. We're not 'supporting the arts.'
This is a market-based solution using technology."

The technology that makes Netflix profitable and Red Envelope viable
is the company's recommendation system, which Sarandos swears skirts
the annoyances of similar software used by a certain popular ecommerce
site. ("I went through a divorce," he says, "and I bought a book on
Amazon.com about coping with it. Now you would think I'm a divorce
psychologist – those are the only suggestions I get.") Netflix's
version is more effective, he says, because it has more data: During
the same period that an Amazon customer might select one or two
purchases, a Netflix user may select a dozen DVDs. And subscribers are
surprisingly eager to rate the films they view – they've already
submitted in excess of 1 billion ratings, an average of 200 per
person. With rich data like that, the company can develop
sophisticated profiles to anticipate preferences and tastes. "It can
tell that you liked The Godfather because you love family immigrant
pics, and I liked it because I enjoy gangster flicks," Sarandos says.
"So the next film suggested to you will be Avalon, and the next one
for me will be Scarface."

Knowing so much about your customers makes acquiring unknown film
properties a little less risky. It's also how Netflix determined that
a critical mass of subscribers across the country – particularly the
ones who loved Garden State and Sideways – would probably like The
Puffy Chair, and that a critical mass of subscribers in Boston, San
Francisco, and five other cities would actually trek to theaters to
see it.

Funding the production of new films is the next step. The company has
partnered with the Independent Film Channel to coproduce several
shows, and Netflix is executive producer of six original features,
including John Waters' This Filthy World and the documentary This Film
Is Not Yet Rated. IFC general manager Evan Shapiro says money from
Netflix has allowed him to triple the number of his original
productions, and he gushes about the reach of his business partner.
"They buy and move more independent film than anybody else on the
planet," he says. "They're the Google of DVD. They are FedEx."

So how long until Netflix becomes the new Miramax? Both companies
started out acquiring movies and ended up making them. Bahman Naraghi
saw this transition six years ago, when he was named executive VP of
finance and operations at Miramax. "It was a fascinating period.
Miramax shifted from being an independent distributor to producing
Shakespeare in Love." Now Naraghi may see it happen again: He's gone
from being "the guy Harvey and Bob would throw ashtrays at," he says,
to the new VP of original content at Netflix, where he'll work under
Sarandos.

Naraghi is cautious about original productions. Even if a filmmaker is
eager to strike a deal, Netflix will still have to wade through a
morass of details – clearing music rights, remastering the film,
creating menus and bonus features – for everything it signs. "There's
a limit to the appetite of the company," Naraghi says. Hastings is
much more enthusiastic. He maintains that original content will be an
increasing part of the company's strategy from now on. Netflix will
distribute finished movies, help filmmakers complete their pictures,
and even collaborate on projects that are still on the drawing board.
"We're agnostic about what stage of creation the film is in," Hastings
says. "That can mean some production, some finishing funds – a whole
continuum." He also outlines a scenario that outstrips Sarandos' lofty
vision of acquiring every picture that plays at Sundance. "About 3,000
films are submitted; only 100 or so get in," Hastings says.
Ultimately, Netflix wants to be able to pick and choose from the 3,000
submissions, he explains, and maybe even allow moviemakers to
circumvent the festivals altogether.

There's a link two clicks away from the Netflix.com homepage where
anyone can submit a movie for possible distribution. Netflix will not
only rent it out, but may get it into theaters and then help you shoot
your next flick. Soon the only barrier to success for filmmakers will
be lack of talent.

Erin Biba (erbiba@...) wrote about a superhero reality show in
issue 14.07.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.09/netflix.html?pg=1&topic=netflix&topic_s\
et=
_________________________________________________________________

MEMBER UPDATE


Check out Rasika's project below.  However, also check out this clip
of her from Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out http://www.badmash.tv called,
"Rasika's Booty Call".
-Anup


Come one come all to PROJECT DOGUMENTARY!

I wanted to let you know that I am having an awesome
show that doubles as a fundraiser next Tuesday
evening, Sept 5 at 8pm --
It's called Project Dogumentary (see the flyer), full
of sketch comedy, stand up, improv and songs and short
films, where we celebrate our love of DOGS!

We are raising as much money as we can for the HUMANE
SOCIETY OF LOUISIANA so that we can hand them a heck
of a donation check to help the misplaced pets in New
Orleans (some who are still homeless and separated
from their owners from Katrina). This is very near and
dear to my heart as you know my parents are living in
New Orleans.

So help me make a difference with $20 bucks and an
hour of your time :) and you get entertainment and a
shot and some pretty rockin' raffle prizes in
return!!! (like yoga classes or movie passes!)

Pass the word on to your rich, dog-lovin' friends so
we
can powerfully make a difference!!!!!!

Love,
Rasika
rasikamathur@...

========= Want to catch Rasika's mediocre brilliance
live on stage? =========== Email me about any of these
shows (all in the Los Angeles area)
-- aug 29 8p (improv) LAST SHOW! Reading Robin &
Rasika * www.westsideeclectic.com/reading.html LAST
SHOW!
-- sep 1 8p (music * comedy) The Cacophany Club * The
Haunted Studios, NOHO
-- sep 5 8p (all) Project Dogumentary * A Fundraiser
to Help the Pets in New Orleans RIGHT NOW!! IO West Theatre

========= Want to catch Rasika's mediocre brilliance live on stage?
=========== Email me about any
of these shows (all in the Los Angeles area)
-- aug 29 8p (improv) LAST SHOW! Reading Robin & Rasika *
www.westsideeclectic.com/reading.html
LAST SHOW!
-- sep 1 8p (music * comedy) The Cacophany Club * The Haunted Studios,
NOHO
-- sep 5 8p (all) Project Dogumentary * A Fundraiser to Help the Pets
in New Orleans RIGHT NOW!!
IO West Theatre

This is from my good friend, group member, and fellow filmmaker Adam.

Adam, I wish your mom, you and your family the best.

Anup

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


Dear friends,

As some of you may already know, my mom, Leni, was recently diagnosed
with cancer.  The news, as you might imagine, has been a major
life-changing shift for both her and our family.  She is a very strong
person and we remain confident she can beat this, but it is currently
at a very very critical stage…and we could really use your help!  (see
below)

With this in mind, we are proud to announce that the HINGES Comedy
Improv Troupe will be hosting their first-ever benefit shows on
Saturday, September 9th (10:30pm), 2006 and Sunday September 24th
(7pm).  Both shows will be at the 6th@Penn Theatre and it is our hope
that these events will serve to help alleviate some of her tremendous
financial burden (she is uninsured and her medical and recovery
expenses are ridiculously high).

The theatre has been donated, the performers and tech crew are all
providing their services for free so----EVERY CENT from these events
will be donated to my mom.

Please visit our website at: http://www.hingesimprov.com to purchase
tickets for this event (and for more info). Tickets will be on sale
for $15.  Again 100% of the proceeds will go towards my mom's recovery.

If you cannot attend the benefit, but would still like to contribute,
donations are also being accepted.

Please Make Checks Payable to:
Adam Rudder

And mail to:

Adam Rudder
Leni Gisselle Donation Fund
c/o Wells Fargo Bank
P.O. Box 2710
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

Any and every contribution is greatly appreciated (No amount is too
small—be it $10 or $2 kabillion)!!!!

Please continue to keep Leni in your thoughts and prayers -- Our Mom
is a survivor and it is her number one request that people send
positive thoughts and prayers in her direction for a fast enough and
complete recovery J

Please pass this on to anyone who may be interested in joining this
strong support group!

Thank you in advance for your love, positivity and support!  We are
sooo appreciative!

Adam, Danielle and Lindsey (her children)



ABOUT OUR MOM:
You may be asking: Who is this "mom" character? Well, she is the one
and only leader of The Rudder Clan (no offense to dad), which is
especially impressive considering she isn't even a Rudder anymore.
She is also the proud mother of Adam, Danielle and Lindsey, all of
whom (except for Danielle and Lindsey) are active members of The
Hinges Improv Troupe :) But most importantly, she is a magnificent
woman with a beautiful soul who touches the heart of each person she
meets.  As many of you probably have experienced (if you have ever
been out in public with her), strangers continually come up to her and
end up "spilling" their life stories.  It is her warmth, tenderness,
and all-around loving nature that continually draw people to her,
making them feel loved and understood.  She is a passionate and
creative person who gives in abundance – even when she might seemingly
have nothing to give. So now is the time for her to let others give to
her.

THE LONG AND BINDING ROAD
A Tale of Pushing Your Movie After It "Expires"

I started reading the ‘Power of Focus’ – another excellent book, but ironically
I can’t  focus because of the following topic on my mind.  I was hanging out
with a friend the  other day. He told me about a friend of his who is a
filmmaker and wanted us to  meet.  He had told her that I’m a filmmaker with a
movie called “Trade Offs” on  Netflix and Blockbuster—I corrected him and stated
that it was only on Netflix.  He  said he had walked into a Blockbuster and it
was sitting on the shelf.  I was blown  away!  I had really wanted to get it on
the shelf at Blockbuster as it’s the most  accessible form of distribution. 
Netflix only has a couple of million members in  comparision to BB. Then I
immediately thought about my intentions last year of  pushing the film – long
after it was made and even sold to the distributor.

I worked with publicist Irene Paigah (http://www.paigah.com) and let know her
that  my best move would be to have “Trade Offs” on Netflix and Blockbuster –
which  would also help the countless number of people who worked on the movie. 
Even  though it was my first film as an actor and my acting would probably win
me a  Raspberry Award, I want to be able to refer to it.  When you can tell a
Hollywood  executive or agent that you have a movie sitting on the shelf of a
rental house, you’re  way more likely to get calls returned.

Irene wrote and made follow-up calls to both of the rental companies as well as
the  distributor, since the movie was already sold to them.  But it seemed like
Irene and I  were getting a somewhat blasé response from both the rental
companies. I had been  emailing Netflix & BB periodically requesting it as well
from a customer service  direction. Then we exhausted the possibilities for the
time being so we left it.  A few  months later I was browsing Netflix and there
it was.  It was finally on there.  And  now it’s on Blockbuster online and some
brick and mortar stores. I’m not sure what  other forces were at work from other
people on the film, but for me it didn’t matter  that we started the production
of the movie was four years ago and hit the festival  circuit three years ago
and it came out on DVD two years ago at all the Indian grocery  stores.  Try
telling an exec that they can go pick up the movie at an Indian grocery  store. 
I just wanted to keep pushing it and pushing it.

I learned this lesson of pushing your old movies even when you’re working on
your  current ones from my friend Babar – who was privileged enough to work with
the late  Pat Morita just before he passed away.  As actors, we can rack up
quite a bit of  movies a year, but as writer/director/producers we usually get
one, if that, a year.  And if it’s a feature, it’s a few years for just one.

What I do when I submit short films to festivals is do a tiny edit and put the 
completion date current. I do this because most film festivals have a two year
limit on  the production date – that restriction is nothing more than a vanity
issue as they want  the most recent film regardless of quality.  I also started
taking dates off of the  festival acceptance wreaths and putting in the film
name in its place (see my film  page – www.anup.net).  A movie is not milk, it
doesn’t expire.

Happy Filmmaking,
Anup

Comment on this blog at:
http://www.myspace.com/anups or
http://anupfilm.blogspot.com

I thought I'd give this blog thing a try.  Well, it's not going to be much
different than
my post-filmic debriefing which I do from time to time. I'll just call it a blog
to jump
on the bandwagon.

I'm down in San Diego now clearing out the last of my stuff before making the
permanent move back up to LA – I was there for a long while.  So anyway, I just
wanted to share some insight I gain from a couple of books I recently read.  I'd
say
that majority of our obstacles in filmmaking do not come from filmmaking, but
rather
outside forces such as paying rent, having a day-job, moving which takes time
away
from writing and shoots – I've been having to postpone a shoot because of this
move
and have lost some key personnel.

So the first book that I read that deals with issue is call CLUTTER'S LAST
STAND; IT'S
TIME TO DE-JUNK YOUR LIFE! by Don Aslett.  When I first saw the cartoon cover, I
thought yeah, yeah, another decluttering book.  However, I started reading it
and it
was so gripping and eye opening about how clutter just gets in the way of
creativity
because you spend you time dusting or whatever to take care of junk you have
instead of writing or editing a film - the two most time consuming aspects of
filmmaking and where most people (read: me) lag. So based on that my goal was to
move up to LA with owning only what I can fit in my car.  Also, I was determined
that
if some item (read: clutter) is not helping me with my dreams, then it's outta
here
(save for stuff like photo albums and important documents).  I did this via eBay
and
craigslist.  I can't begin to tell you how much eBay has helped me. don't buy a
book
regarding eBay to learn how to do it. just sell something on there and you'll
learn by
doing not reading. And you'll get rid of clutter and move onto creating.

The second book is RICH DAD POOR DAD.  Yeah, this one is really popular and
everyone talks about to it so it's easy to shy away from it like shying away
from
Brittney Spears or Ricky Martin even though you like the music, but just don't
want to
be associated with all the people who listen to it.  The one of the main
concepts of
this book that is to `pay yourself first'.  I was doing this more with time than
with
money.  I would turn off my phones and write while my mind is at its peak –
right
when I wake up.

This book also talks about setting up passive income.  I've been on this quest
for a
long time.  Basically, passive income is money that's coming in when you're NOT
working for it.  It seems like it's only there for people with money, but if you
look
around carefully you'll find it too.  For example: background work.  I swore
after
working on the Oliver Stone movie that I would never do background again.  I
hated
being there and it was the total opposite of what I wanted to feel like on a
film set.
However, the other day, I worked background on some b-grade TV show down in SD.
But my goal going into it was to read a book in one day.  So I went in and
didn't say
hi to anyone or chit chat  - most people thought I was a jerk initially because
I kept to
myself. I just sat in the back and didn't raise my hand to go be in the scene. 
Then
about 10 hours into the shoot, I was about 80% done with the book. Then I talked
to a
few people as a break and by wrap-time. I finished a book.  How is this passive
income you ask?  Well, I would've spent the same amount of time sitting around
my
home reading the same book which took the same amount of time.  However, I got
paid to read on the set.  The book was DARE TO SUCCEED by Mark Burnett (exec.
Prod
`Survivor', `Rock Star: Supernova).  The one of the lessons I got out of this
book is
that intentions don't count, only results matter.  So it doesn't matter how long
you've
been writing or editing your movie, if you don't have a movie, you don't have a
movie.  Period.

Check out these books next time you're at a bookstore with an open mind.  Or do
what I do now to save money on books (no I don't go to the library because I
always
get hit with a late charge).  Buy it on eBay, amazon, or half.com for about $6
with
shipping.  Read it, take notes, and sell it back for about the same price or a
little
more for a profit and you're allocating that money towards headshots or film.

Which books have you read that shifted your personal paradigm?

Happy Filmmaking,
Anup

P.S. I'm also posting this on myspace.com/anups so you can make comments on it
there.

I've got a few projects I'm working on or is in the pipeline and need cast/crew.
I
shoot all my stuff Robert Rodriguez style, so I only look for people who are
hungry
and want to build their reel and gain exposure.  The compensation is
credit/copy/
exposure.  I continually push my films for a long time and won't let them just
sit on
my harddrive like a lot of annoying directors - well, the directors aren't
annoying, but
the act of having a lot of people work on a film and then not doing anything
with it is
very annoying.  Also I will give you a copy instead of just saying so.  Let's
make some
films!!!

30 Second Short Political Satire
When: next week (~ 6/23)
Where: San Diego – desert type area
Crew: DP with camera (ideally XL2 or AVX-100 or above)
Composer
3D Animator or After Effects Artist
Equipment: Wireless lav mic kit; Dolly & tracks (can be makeshift)
Time: shouldn't be more than a couple of hours total

Short Film – N.A.I.A.M.
When: end of this month or early July
Where: LA/OC area
Cast: Female East-Indian early 20's, petite – just a half day shoot

Animation – Flash style
When: TBD
Where: LA or SD or possibly anywhere if communication of ideas is possible via
the
net.
Crew: Animator
Cast: Voice talent with exceptional caricature voices (send mp3 samples to
asugunan@...)

Animation – 3D style – Pixar style/quality
When: TBD
Where: LA or SD or possibly anywhere if communication of ideas is possible via
the
net.
Crew: 3D Animator
Cast: Voice talent with exceptional caricature voices (send mp3 samples to
asugunan@...)

Best Regards,
Anup
www.Anup.net

Anup - can you see if any of your contacts are interested/willing to do a
great 35mm short film shoot (night shoot) this weekend.  There is no pay,
but they are great people, tons of food, and a great script.

Hours:  Saturday June 17 - 11pm to 9am Sunday
Sunday, June 18 - 11pm to 9am Monday morning.

If so, they shoud send an email to me at
melinda@...

Thanks.
Markham

I'm changing the format of this newsletter as the current format is not allowing
me to
put it out in a timely manner.  So, I will spilt it up into sections with no
particular
order which ones come when (Articles, Member Updates, etc).  A few of these are
old
as I compile them over time, but still relevent.

Anup

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

ARTICLES
Warner Bros. to Distribute Films on Web
Fame goes to film director Cuaron heart not head
Actors May Shun Studios' Art-house Units, Says Producer
Oscar-winning 'Crash' producer is flat broke
Hollywood sex scenes attract lawmakers' attention
Indian film to be made by Pakistani for first time
Reiner comedy sees both sides of DVD format


WARNER BROS. TO DISTRIBUTE FILMS ON WEB

Warner Bros. will become the first major studio to distribute its films and TV
shows
over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology developed by BitTorrent Inc.,
the
home of a popular tool for trading pirated copies of movies.

The companies did not specify a date but said the service will be offered
starting this
summer. Pricing is also undetermined, although individual TV shows could be
priced
as low as $1 and movies will be sold for about the price of buying a DVD,
BitTorrent
said.

Warner Bros., a division of Time Warner Inc., said it will use BitTorrent's
ability to
speed the downloading of large computer files to rent and sell its films the
same day
the movies become available on DVD.

The studio also will sell permanent copies of films and TV shows online that can
be
burned to a backup DVD, although the copy will only play on the computer used to
download the film and not on standard DVD players.

The deal is aimed at converting some of the file-sharing users who regularly
seek
illegal copies of films and TV shows by offering them a reliable experience at a
reasonable price on the same system used by online pirates.

"If we can convert 5, 10, 15 percent of the peer-to-peer users that have been
obtaining our product from illegitimate sources to becoming legitimate buyers of
our
product, that has the potential of a huge impact on our industry and our
economics,"
said Kevin Tsujihara, president of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.

BitTorrent uses a technique called "file swarming" to distribute large files.
Rather than
download a single large file from one central computer, BitTorrent assembles
files
from separate bits of data downloaded from other computer users across the
Internet.

Studios have been discussing such deals with BitTorrent since last November,
when
they reached a settlement with the company aimed at reducing illegal traffic in
online
films.

Last year, BitTorrent agreed to remove links to pirated versions of movies from
its
Web site and remove online links leading to illegal content owned by the seven
studios that are members of the Motion Picture Association of America.

Studios believe that offering reasonably priced legal alternatives will be
preferable to
downloading files that could contain viruses or poor quality copies of films.

"Those are the kinds of baby steps to offer users a good trade off, a good
alternative
to doing things the wrong way," said Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of
BitTorrent.

The speed of downloading a large movie file will depend on how many individual
computers in the network have the file. The more computers, the faster the
process.

Ideally, once a particular movie has been "seeded" on the system, Warner Bros.
estimates a download could take as little as 10 minutes. TV shows could take
even
less time to download because the files are much smaller.
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20060509/114719694000.html

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

DOCUMENTARY SHOT WITH CELL PHONE CAMERA

By MARTA FALCONI, Associated Press Writer Wed Jun 14,  3:44 PM ET

ROME - The theme may be familiar but the technique is new: A standard cell phone
camera to shoot an entire feature-length documentary on love and sex.

Italian filmmakers used a Nokia N90, a higher-end cell phone sold around the
world,
to produce the 93-minute "New Love Meetings," which they say is the first
feature
film to be entirely shot with such a tool.

The technique underscores what has become a fixture in today's world: The use of
amateur video and cell phone cameras to immortalize moments in people's lives.

"With the widespread availability of cell phones equipped with cameras, anybody
could do this," documentary co-director Marcello Mencarini said in a telephone
interview from Milan. "If you want to say something nowadays, thanks to the new
media, you can."

In news gathering, early footage is often shot with a cell phone, and, in the
case of
major events, authorities and news outlets have been known to call on amateurs
to
come through with video.

When it comes to movies, though, cell phone cameras present limits, such as the
difficulty to film in darkness or the lack of high-quality microphones.

As a result, the movie mostly features close-ups, and the image, while overall
clear
when seen on a computer, is slightly shaky. Mencarini said the movie could be
viewed
on big screens, though "it wouldn't be high-definition." The movie's directors
said no
post-production manipulation was made on the image.

Low costs and greater flexibility were among the reasons why Mencarini and co-
director Barbara Seghezzi decided to use a cell phone.

The filmmakers say the project cost only a few thousand dollars, including their
travel
and accommodation expenses and the production of several DVDs.

Although no professional lighting was needed, a pocket flashlight was used at
times,
said Seghezzi.

The approach offers the advantage of being intimate, leading people to open up a
little more easily, directors say. In a documentary about love and eroticism,
that
doesn't hurt.

For two months last year, the directors interviewed some 700 people across Italy
— at
bars, open markets and on the beach. About 100 of them ended up in the movie.

"To use a small instrument that belongs to people's daily routine allows you to
establish an intimate dialogue, instead of using a regular camera," she said.
"The
interview becomes more like a chat."

Mencarini said some people were intrigued that such a familiar item was being
used
to shoot a movie.

The phone had enough memory for about an hour of footage, and scenes were
transferred to a computer approximately every two days, Mencarini said.

Now, producers are looking at ways to distribute the film.

The directors' idea was to do a modern version of the 1965 documentary "Love
Meetings" by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the famed film director and writer found
beaten to
death 30 years ago.

In his documentary, Pasolini interviewed Italians to find out their views about
sex in
postwar Italy. Attitudes across the country showed people had taboos and self-
censorship was widespread.

"New Love Meetings" explores subjects ranging from first sexual experiences to
homosexuality and jealousy, in interviews that include transsexuals and a
priest. And
it found that not much has changed.

"When it comes to sexuality a certain malaise is still there, taboos and
problems
persist," Seghezzi said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060614/ap_en_ot/italy_cell_phone_film


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


FAME GOES TO FILM DIRECTOR CUARON'S HEART NOT HEAD

Fame has not gone to Mexican film director Alfonso Cuaron 's head but to his
heart.

Oscar nominee Cuaron, whose movies include critical hit "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and
box office smash " Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," is using his new
prestige to support younger filmmakers by acting as a producer of their movies.

He says its keeps him close to cutting-edge talent making fresh and relevant
movies,
and for the filmmakers, putting his name and his company, Esperanto Films, above
a
title gives it a world-class seal of approval which lures fans to theaters.

Cuaron's latest show of support is for fellow Mexican director Fernando
Eimbcke's
comedy "Duck Season," which opens on Friday in U.S. theaters. The film covers
one
afternoon in the lives of two Mexican teen-agers spending the day at home.

"I'm reaching an age," begins the 44-year-old Cuaron, "and I've been following
and
trying to emulate the old masters for all my life. And there's a moment in which
you
need to push the energy of a new generation, and the questioning of a new
generation and the times that a new generation is absorbing."

Cuaron is backing up-and-coming talents like Eimbcke, who has yet to make a name
for himself on the world stage as Cuaron did. "Duck Season" is 35-year-old
Eimbcke's
first feature-length film. It has won numerous awards including 11 Ariels,
Mexico's
top movie honors given by the Academia Mexicana de Artes y Ciencias
Cinematograficas. The movie is planned for release in some 30 countries
eventually.

Full article: http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060309/114193916700.html

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

ACTORS MAY SHUN STUDIOS' ART-HOUSE UNITS, SAYS PRODUCER

Independent producer Ira Deutchman, president of Emerging Pictures, has 
indicated
that the lawsuit filed last week by actor Randy Quaid in which he claimed that
he was
misled into accepting a small fee for appearing in Brokeback Mountain, could
have
dire consequences  for the art-house divisions of the major studios. In an
interview
with New York  Times, Deutchman suggested that actors are now becoming aware
that when they agree to appear in a  film for low pay and a piece of the net
profits,
there's generally not going to be any net  profits because of high marketing and
distribution costs. Deutchman told the Times that that  realization could lead
to
actors becoming reluctant to appear in art-house films for studio  specialty
units. "If,
in fact, the smaller movies don't pay off for talent even when they hit, the 
studio
arthouse divisions will stop being able to make the movies," he said. "They'll
fall into
the  same trap as the parent companies: if no one believes there's a back end,
then
actors will want  higher and higher salaries to be in those movies."


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


OSCAR-WINNING 'CRASH' PRODUCER IS FLAT BROKE

It's been a bumpy ride. Accepting the fifth best picture Oscar ever awarded to a
woman, independent producer Cathy Schulman landed on the stage of Hollywood's
Kodak Theater on Sunday along with writer-director Paul Haggis as one of the
credited producers of "Crash."

But while Schulman, 40, has a lot for which to be grateful, including a
supportive
husband of 12 years and a 5-year-old daughter, she can't entirely savor her win.
She
still faces a court fight against producer Bob Yari , who is furious that he was
deprived of the chance for his own moment onstage because of rulings by the
Producers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
And at what should be a career pinnacle, Schulman finds herself flat broke. "I
have the
interesting distinction of having made five movies in a row without ever being
paid,"
she says. "I can't pay my bills."

As a girl, she always was driven to succeed. After her adored father, who taught
laser
surgery at Yale, died in a car accident when she was 18, Schulman studied
playwriting
at Yale. But after she mounted several plays in New York, a friend suggested
that she
find a job in the movie business to pay the rent.

After two years assisting producers Earl Mack and Michael Taylor on such films
as
Kathryn Bigelow 's " Blue Steel ," Schulman moved to Los Angeles to work for
Barbara
Boyle , co-founder of the innovative co-financing company Sovereign Pictures. In
four
years, Schulman moved from assistant to production executive as she helped to
assemble such international co-productions as " My Left Foot " and " Cinema
Paradiso
."

She next spent three happy years as co-director of programming at the Sundance
Film Festival , helping to shine a spotlight on such rookie directors as David
O.
Russell ,Robert Rodriguez ,Paul Thomas Anderson ,Lee Tamahori and Bryan Singer .
In
an industry where most production executives learn how to read scripts, watching
so
many finished movies was "great training," she says.

Sundance board member Tom Rothman brought Schulman, who wanted to make
movies instead of just select them, over to specialty distributor the Samuel
Goldwyn
Co., where she was involved in acquisitions and production on such films as "The
Madness of King George," "The Perez Family" and " Much Ado About Nothing ."
Schulman even discovered young Australian actor Russell Crowe in " The Sum of Us
"
"We only worked on movies under $12 million," she says. "I got a sweet spot for
making manageable movies in that range."

Joining the short-lived Savoy Entertainment, Schulman got a crash course in film
production on the fly. There, she met head of physical production Betsy Danbury,
who
later became her right arm on "Crash." After Savoy CEO Victor Kaufman
pink-slipped
most of his staff, he sent Schulman out to sell the remaining slate in a fire
sale. "I got
to meet the heads of the studios," she says. Paramount Pictures chairman Sherry
Lansing bought " A Simple Plan " New Line Cinema bought " American History X ."

Universal Studios president Ron Meyer put Schulman together with on-lot
producers
Michael Lobell and Andrew Bergman , and she learned about studio-level producing
on the ill-fated Demi Moore movie "Striptease" and " Isn't She Great ," starring
Bette
Midler as Jacqueline Susann. "We had fabulously fancy-schmancy offices at
Universal,"
Schulman recalls. "I learned how to make big-budget movies, but they were not
the
kind of movies I was interested in."

Around 1998, Schulman and managers Rick and Julie Yorn started to fantasize
about
starting a production management company. So when former CAA chief Michael Ovitz
recruited the Yorns to join his new Artists Management Group, they introduced
him to
Schulman. He turned on the famous Ovitz charm. "I'll never forget it. We had
that
classic meeting at his house with all the artwork, the servant with water on a
silver
tray with a doily over it," she recalls.

As president of Ovitz's Artists Picture Group, Schulman was making $600,000 a
year,
putting together a slate of low-budget movies like Edward Burns ' " Sidewalks of
New
York ." But by summer 2000, Ovitz's AMG was starting to crumble. APG had a deal
with French company Canal Plus that came under the supervision of Universal
after
Universal's merger with Vivendi. Suddenly, Schulman's projects met a closed
door,
with Universal refusing to greenlight them, she says.

In frustration, Schulman that December arranged private meetings with Meyer and
CAA agent Bryan Lourd to see if she could resolve the impasse. Somehow, Ovitz
discovered her meetings. "I was trying to maintain my ethical compass and do
what
was right," Schulman says. "But in pursuit of what was right for the group, I
fell into a
trap." (Schulman has been deposed in the ongoing case involving private
detective
Anthony Pellicano and allegations that he wiretapped and otherwise probed the
backgrounds of prominent entertainment industry figures.)

Called into an audit interview by Vivendi, Schulman says she was counseled by
her
lawyer to tell the truth. She answered questions about how much time and money
she
spent on about 50 projects, unwittingly revealing details of APG's accounting on
the
Canal Plus deal.

According to her 2002 wrongful termination lawsuit against Ovitz, "When Ovitz
learned of Ms. Schulman's truthful disclosures . . . in a rage, he immediately
terminated Ms. Schulman." She lost the suit and was ordered to pay $3.6 million
to
Ovitz during arbitration, but the award was vacated in 2004.

In the film community, while many respect Schulman's taste and acumen as a
producer, some question her business judgment when it comes to the men with
whom she works. "Cathy's emotionality makes her a good producer on-set," says
one
producer, "but gets her into trouble in business."

Schulman admits that she has been "saddened and angered" by the time spent
fighting those legal battles. Amid the Ovitz litigation, she filed for
bankruptcy. "I
bring the same total commitment and passion to movie projects and to managing my
process," she says. "It's my greatest strength and weakness. It's the same thing
that
made me fight tireless battles to get 'Crash' to the screen without pay. I don't
suffer
wrongdoing well. I right wrongs with legal battles. I want to pave the way for
people
who follow me not to let this happen."

While searching for equity investors interested in low-cost, high-quality
movies,
Schulman brought Yari in as an investor in Bull's Eye Entertainment, which she
founded with her partner Tom Nunan, a former television executive at UPN. Yari
brought her the script for "Crash" and asked if she wanted to make it. She loved
it
and, with Haggis, lured a top-flight cast.

On the five films Schulman made with Yari, he paid for her overhead, found
international investors, invested some of his own money and controlled the purse
strings. He asked Schulman to defer her producing fees on the projects, which
included the Sundance films "Employee of the Month" and "Thumbsucker." That left
her in the financial lurch on more than one occasion, including her stint in
Prague
shooting the $17 million "The Illusionist." When she got back and found that
"Crash"
was a runaway success, she thought she might start seeing some money. According
to the complaint Schulman and Nunan filed against Yari last month, she has not
been
paid for any of the work she did for him. Yari has called the lawsuit "a
shameful
misrepresentation of the facts" regarding the Bull's Eye partnership.

"Twice, I've built companies for powerful men who've gotten pissed off . . . and
sued
me," Schulman says. "In defending myself, I'm considered litigious, like I'm the
problem."

Now separated from Yari, Bull's Eye has several upcoming TV series, including
CBS'
"Crash" and "Angela's Eyes" at Lifetime as well as some pictures in development
at
Focus Features, DreamWorks and Fox Searchlight. Director Ed Zwick is developing
its
fantasy epic "The Lions of Al-Rassan" at Warner Bros. Pictures. Schulman is
trying to
put together a financing company with silent investors.

In the end, Schulman sees her "battle wounds as badges of honor," saying: "It's
been a
hard battle to succeed in this crazy career as a female indie producer. It was
the
greatest reward to end up with an Academy Award. 'Crash' is amongst 78 other
movies that are considered American classics. I feel proud that this amazing
exploration of fear made people feel something about the lives they are living,
all
over the world."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060310/114198874800.html

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

HOLLYWOOD SEX SCENES ATTRACT LAWMAKERS' ATTENTION

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved child-safety legislation that
includes
a provision bringing some legitimate film and TV productions under the same
federal-reporting requirements as X-rated films.

Under a provision inserted in the Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction
Act,
the legislation would require "any book, magazine, periodical, film, videotape
or other
matter" that contains a simulated sex scene to come under the same government-
filing requirements that adult films have to meet.

Currently, any filmed sexual activity requires an affidavit that lists the names
and
ages of the actors who engage in the act. The film is required to have a video
label
that claims compliance with the law and lists where the custodian of the records
can
be found. The record-keeping requirement is known as Section 2257, for its
citation
in federal law. Violators could spend five years in jail.

Under the provision authored by Rep. Mike Pence , R-Ind., the definition of
sexual
activity is expanded to include simulated sex acts like those that appear in
many
movies and TV shows.

While the overall bill is designed to give law enforcement officials more power
to
prosecute violent sexual predators and sets up a comprehensive national sex-
offender registration system, it includes the language targeting motion
pictures, TV
shows and other material.

Last year, the House approved a similar measure, but it languished in the Senate
as
lawmakers could not decide how to proceed on hate-crimes language that also was
attached to the legislation. The new legislation left the hate-crimes language
out of
the bill in the hopes that it would have an easier time in the Senate.

The Pence amendment has garnered opposition from several groups ranging from the
Motion Picture Assn. of America, the Recording Industry Assn. of America, the
Screen
Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America to the American Conservative
Union,
Americans for Tax Reform and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce , which say that the
new requirement is a bad idea for legitimate business and could actually undo
the
current adult-film industry reporting requirements as it is likely to face a
court
challenge if it becomes law.

While the provision was included in the House version of the Children's Safety
Act
approved September 14, it was not included in the version of the bill approved
by the
Senate Judiciary Committee on October 17.

Whether the Senate decides to include the provision, it will have to be disposed
of one
way or another when lawmakers from both sides of the Capitol meet to iron out
their
differences, if the Senate approved the overall bill.

Changes in the Pence language that allow the motion picture industry to
"self-certify"
their compliance have made the provision more palatable, say industry officials.

Still, the motion picture industry hopes to be able to convince lawmakers to
make
further changes.

"We'd like to be completely excluded," said one studio executive. "We want them
to
focus on child predators. We don't want them to lose their focus on that."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060308/114188754900.html

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


INDIAN FILM TO BE MADE BY PAKISTANI FOR FIRST TIME

An Indian film is to be directed by a Pakistani for the first time ever,
deepening
cultural links between the arch-rivals and neighbors while their diplomats
struggle to
push forward a slow-moving peace process. Pakistani actors and musicians have
made a mark on Bollywood, but Omar Sharif will be the first to debut as a
director in
India's booming Hindi-language movie industry.

Indian films, which have been banned in Pakistan for 40 years, are hugely
popular
there, and a flourishing bootleg DVD industry and satellite television mean
Pakistanis
can now watch Bollywood movies at home.

Sharif will begin shooting for "Tum Mere Ho" (You Are Mine) -- starring 1970s
Bollywood heartthrob Rajesh Khanna and upcoming stars Ashmit Patel and Aarti
Chhabria -- from March 26 in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.


The crew will then move on to Chicago, where most of the film will be set.

"It's a romantic comedy and I chose Omar to direct it because I have watched his
films
and they are great," the film's U.S.-based producer Masood Ali, also making his
debut, told Reuters.

Sharif started as a stand-up comedian before moving into cinema.

"We are looking to release the 120 million rupee ($2.7 million) film around
October or
November before the (Hindu festival) Diwali," Ali said.

Indian film industry officials welcomed the arrival of a Pakistani filmmaker,
saying
their neighbor had several promising directors who could better showcase their
talents in India, whose films are increasingly gaining an international
audience.

"More such cultural exchanges are required. Bollywood has always been very
receptive
to Pakistani artists," said Taran Adarsh, a leading trade analyst.

Last month, Pakistan allowed a special screening of "Mughal-e-Azam," an Indian
period drama classic of Mughal emperors.

Officials there have indicated that other selected Bollywood films could be
screened
despite the long-time ban.

The two countries began a peace process two years ago in a bid to end decades of
animosity that have seen them fight three wars since both gained independence
from
British rule in 1947.

But while they have strengthened transport, cultural and sporting ties, and
boosted
commercial links, little progress has been made on resolving core disputes such
as
that over Kashmir , a territory both claim.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060309/114190599300.html


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


REINER COMEDY SEES BOTH SIDES OF DVD FORMAT

Delivering on a promise made months ago, Warner Home Video has announced the
first hybrid disc to feature high-definition (HD) DVD content on one side and
standard DVD content on the other.

"Rumor Has It" will be in stores May 9, the same day as the regular DVD of the
film, a
Rob Reiner -directed romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner
.

The announcement comes a week after the first two HD-DVD players, both from
Toshiba, arrived in stores along with three software titles: "Serenity," from
Universal
Studios Home Entertainment, and Warner's " The Last Samurai " and " The Phantom
of
the Opera "

Warner senior vp market management Steve Nickerson said several weeks ago that
Warner would be releasing a series of "hybrid" discs to ease the transition from
standard to high-def DVD.

"Purchasing a disc now in this format gives consumers the greatest flexibility
in
viewing options," he said. "If they own an HD-DVD player, they'll get all the
benefits
of HD-DVD. If they're considering a future purchase of an HD-DVD player, they
can
still enjoy the movie (on their existing DVD player) until they upgrade."

Warner announced three additional titles to be released in the HD-DVD format:
"Goodfellas" and "Swordfish" on May 2 and "Training Day" on May 9. They join
three
previously released HD-DVD titles from Warner: "Samurai," "Phantom" and "Million
Dollar Baby," which had been earmarked as part of the April 18 launch package
but
because of technical issues didn't arrive in stores until late last week.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20060426/114606097000.html

Hi All,

I've been busy with another project so hence the perpetual delay in sending out
the
usual newsletter.  But it's coming...

This is the reason for the delay:

PROJECT:
Non-union
3-7 day shoot mid-late May, early June
Location: Los Angeles mostly (possibly some OC)
Compensation: Credit & Copy
Distribution: Internet (possible DVD down the road)
Script: 11 pages
Genre: Spoof/comedy

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

CAST:

Supporting / FEMALE / 18 TO 26 / Caucasian / A central NON-SPEAKING role
The cute girl next door who's also an athlete (soccer helpful, but not
required).

Supporting / FEMALE / 21 TO 33 / Indian - Eastern
Potential love interest of the lead.

Auditions this week.

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

CREW:

AD (must have at least 2 years exp)
Soundmixer/Boom (must have at least 1 year experience)
Gaffer (must have at least 1 year experience)
Grip (prefer some experience)
PA (prefer some experience)

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

I'm from the Robert Rodriguez school of thought: make it happen at all costs
with
what you've got. I have many projects under my belt including a feature which
got
distribution on netflix.

Feel free to forward/post this message to anyone or group interested.

Thanks,
Anup
www.Anup.net

Hello All,

Welcome to another edition (or the first one to all you new members) of the
newsletter.  I'm trying to separate the stuff so things pertaining to actors
will be at
the forefront and the crew (producers, writers, directors, makeup etc) will come
later.
However, there are things that kind of fall through the cracks like the apple
trailers
for the Oscar films.  However, actors might want to pass on the festival info to
their
directors so they can submit the film to festivals.
Enjoy,
Anup

ACTORS

1. ACTING DICTIONARY
2. AGENT VIA LA CASTING
3. ANOTHER TALENT DATABASE
4. NOWCASTING STATS & SUBMISSIONS
5. SPEEDREELS
6. CSA – CASTING SOCIETY OF AMERICA
7. TALENT MANAGERS ASSOCIATION


PRODUCERS/WRITERS/DIRECTORS/CREW

8. INDEPENDENT EXPOSURE FILM FEST
9. MORE DISTRIBUTION IDEAS (INDIE FLIX, SKY VODKA, IFC)
10. KEVIN SMITH'S FILMMAKER FRIENDLY SITE
11. CLEAN UP SERVICES

12. JUST FOR KICK
13. INDEPENDENT ARTIST REGISTRY (MUSICIANS)
14. MEMBER UPDATES
15. WRITE NOW – WRITER'S RESOURCES
16. ARTICLES

________________________________________________________________________

ACTORS

1. ACTING DICTIONARY

Totem pole of roles – how the credits are ranked from everything I pieced
together.  It
seems to be quite a mystery and I can't find a straight answer anywhere.  If
anyone
has more pieces to this puzzle, please reply and send.


Film:
Starring - not really used unless you're an actual "star"
Lead
Co-Lead – hardly used
Supporting
Day Player – works only one day, can have lines
Principle - has lines (can be a generic term for all of the above)
Featured – an extra, therefore no lines, but singled out
Extra


TV:
Lead
Recurring – (like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld)
Co-star – someone who has a key role for that one episode
Guest-star – someone who says a few lines like a clerk or someone secretary
Extra – no lines

Here are a few more terms that are thrown around all the time on the set that
are not
in either of the dictionaries below:

BOOKED – got an acting job

HS/R – Headshot & Resume

LINE-READING – when an inept director who acts out the line instead of coaxing
it out
of the actor by better methods such as saying, `Image how you'd react if your
partner
just beat up your mother'.

OFF-BOOK – having your lines memorized

REPRESENTATION – an agent or manager who represents an actor, writer, director,
etc.

SIDES – a few pages (usually between one and five page) of the script intended
for the
audition process.

SUBMISSION/SUBMIT -  sending in your headshot and resume for a casting call

SUBTEXT – a different meaning than what the lines say. For example, a person
holding
a gun and saying `I love you soooooooo much, dear!' just before they're about to
shoot them.

Here's a link to an acting dictionary (it's not that strong):
http://www.vtheatre.net/acting/dict.html

IMDb also has one, a better one:
http://imdb.com/Glossary/

Any more terms that you hear often and wonder about, but are not found anywhere?
Shoot me an email by replying to this post.
-Anup

________________________________________________________________________

2. AGENT VIA LA CASTING

If you sign up for this site ($10/mo or free if you have an agent) and don't
have
representation they will shoot out all the actors on a monthly basis to agents
and
managers.  I'm not sure how many agents and managers are on the list, but a
friend
got a good agent that way and has booked several jobs. However, they're still in
the
Pong-age – can't register online.
-Anup

http://www.LACasting.com

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

3. ANOTHER TALENT DATABASE

Store your profile into our database for our future projects
http://www.fdmnetworks.com/casting/

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

4. NOWCASTING STATS & SUBMISSIONS

I posted a casting call (see member update below) for my project and here are
the
number of submission I got through nowcasting.com:
300 men
466 women
50 boys
88 girls

So imagine how many submission the TV shows get out of the 74127 actors who are
on the site.  From the casting directors' point of view when you see a page of
250 1"x1.5" headshots, the ones that stood out had just the head and not the
whole
body.  The high-contrast pictures stood out more than the washed out one. This
sounds obvious, but there were many more washed out pix (including some of the
members in this group) than high contrast ones.  There is not enough time to
look at
each and every resume, so the ones who put a relevant comment regarding the
project was noticed – such as "comedy/improv training" for a comedy project. 
Try
doing a search for actors (you don't have to be registered) on nowcasting.com
and
set the view to 250 per page and see what you learn from it.

http://www.nowcasting.com

-Anup


________________________________________________________________________

5. SPEEDREELS

http://www.speedreels.com - the latest trend of acting demo reels about a minute
in
length

________________________________________________________________________

6. CSA – CASTING SOCIETY OF AMERICA

You're invited to invite us! CSA now allows Actors, Agents and Managers to
submit
online invitations to plays, screenings, showcases and comedy shows by the use
of
Virtual Postcards. We hope this feature will save you time and money by allowing
you
to get the word out on your activities online.
http://www.castingsociety.com/actors

________________________________________________________________________

7. TALENT MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

Check out managers to see if they're (somewhat) legit:

http://www.tbatechnology.com/talentmanagers/v2/


________________________________________________________________________
PRODUCERS/WRITERS/DIRECTORS/CREW
________________________________________________________________________

8. INDEPENDENT EXPOSURE FILM FEST

On-going film festival with only a $5 entry fee.
http://microcinema.com/

________________________________________________________________________

9. MORE DISTRIBUTION IDEAS

INDIEFLIX
Another new Internet film/video distribution model that may be stillborn without
Net
Neutrality.  IndieFlix is like iUniverse for film.  A filmmaker makes his/her
film and
IndieFlix will stream it to the audience.  It makes its money on burning DVDs of
the
film that are ordered from its website, and splitting revenue with the
filmmaker.
Writes the NY Times, IndieFlix represents "a platform to present their work to
an
audience that under normal circumstances wouldn't be available to them," said
the
actress Whoopi Goldberg , who is on the company's advisory board. "As one who
works inside and outside the system, I've come to understand the distribution is
a key
component. And from a purely economical standpoint, if there's a way for folks
to
participate" it would be "a win-win for everybody involved."
http://www.indieflix.com

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

SKY VODKA SHORT FILMS

http://www.skyy.com/banner_campaigns/YAHOO/chair/425X600/mail/ad.html


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

IFC TO AIR SHORT MOVIES ON ITS WEB SITE

Budding filmmakers will have a new outlet for their work when the Independent
Film
Channel begins airing short movies initially produced for its Web site.

The new IFC Media Lab is envisioned as an online community for independent
filmmakers who want to distinguish their flicks from the growing amount of video
posted on the Internet.

Short films of six minutes or less will be posted on the IFC site, and viewers
can vote
for their favorites. Starting in April, the top five films will air on the IFC
cable TV
channel in-between scheduled programs.

"Media Lab provides a home and a voice for new, original filmmakers all across
the
country and showcases great content that might not otherwise get seen," said
Jennifer
Caserta, IFC's senior vice president of marketing.

The Media Lab was quietly launched late last year and now has almost 4,000
registered members and 400 films submitted.

The site will grow to include Web journals, links and resources for filmmakers.

Anyone can upload a film, create a home page and rank other people's movies.

IFC Companies is a division of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC.
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20060208/113945544000.html

http://video.google.com/

________________________________________________________________________

10. KEVIN SMITH'S FILMMAKER FRIENDLY SITE

http://viewaskew.com/
http://www.moviesaskew.com/

________________________________________________________________________

11. CLEAN UP SERVICES

Chrysalis StreetWorks - A local independent nonprofit, Chrysalis, has introduced
StreetWorks, a program providing location cleanup services to productions
filming
downtown. Chrysalis is dedicated to assisting the  economically disadvantaged
through work opportunities, while offering  competitive pricing to its industry
customers. Please contact Chrysalis directly if you have questions about this
program.
An informational flyer is  available to get you started.
http://www.eidc.com/ChrysalisFlyer_Final.pdf

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

Hollywood Recycles - is a free beverage container recycling program  for film
and
television productions filming on stages located off major studio lots within
the Los
Angeles area. more...

http://www.filmla.com/epg/index.htm

________________________________________________________________________

12. JUST FOR KICKS

A few films about filmmaking that you should check out: "Living In Oblivion",
"Ed
Wood", "Chaplin" and this hilarious short on ifilm, "Steal This Film":
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2677432

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

Check out PRIMER which was shot for $6K (which is less than El Mariachi!!!) on
film
and won at Sundance last year.

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

MANOJ'S FIRST FEATURE

Looking for M. Night Shyamalan's first NYU feature "Praying With Anger"?
http://www.eurofilmsltd.com/catalog/p/praying_with_anger.html

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

2005 ACADEMY AWARDS MOVIES with hi-res trailers

http://www.apple.com/trailers/awards/2005/

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

YAHOO MOVIEMAKER

Make your own movies in this playable demo, premiered on Yahoo! Video Games
http://videogames.yahoo.com

________________________________________________________________________

13. INDEPENDENT ARTIST REGISTRY

 	 "Finding the nation's best independent artists is my top priority," said
Atlantic
Records A&R rep Steve Robertson.  "When I was approached to be a part of the
Independent Artist Registry, I knew it would be a great way to find artists I
might not
get a chance to hear."
The Independent Artist Registry (IAR) is a US based talent search who's goal is
to find
the nation's best undiscovered artists and promote them to virtually every major
label
A&R rep.  Artists are reviewed based on their total package and potential for
success
at the next level.  Unlike band competitions, there is no entry fee for the IAR,
but
artists must meet the minimum requirements posted on the IAR website.
Every artist who submits their demo will get a detailed one page summary that
includes a critique of their submission by the music industry pros who reviewed
it.
The 300 West Coast artists selected for induction into the IAR will have their
bio sent
to virtually every major label A&R rep and media outlet, have their booking and
contact info included in a music industry publication read by nearly a quarter
million
music pros and be featured on the IAR's website.
The top artist will get 1,000 of their CD's replicated for free, have an article
written
about them in a national music industry publication, and have their music walked
into
the A&R departments of virtually every major label.
"I especially like the way the IAR is structured," said Atlantic's Robertson. 
"Being
entirely artist driven, I know the demos I get will be from serious performers
with
talent.   I'm excited to see who the first Indie Award winner will be."

The deadline for the next installment of the IAR is August 31st.   If you are an
original
performer and think your developed enough to make it on a national level, visit
Independent Artist Registry now to arrange for your demo to be reviewed.
http://www.IndependentArtistRegistry.com

__________________________________________________________

14. MEMBER UPDATES
__________________________________________________________

FUNDRAISER WANTED

Cheryl Kanekar is looking for someone to help raise funds (and keep a percentage
of
it for compensation) for her documentary film "Pyramid of Women".  A short
documentary featuring the attempt of a group of women to form a human pyramid as
part of the traditional Gokulashtami celebrations.
cherylkanekar@ [no space] yahoo.com

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

EXPERIENCE WANTED

Hi, my name is Graham D. I am an aspiring screenwriter/director. I am
looking for experience on sets and possibly some help on my own project
that I am planning to launch over summer.
sundance_5d@ [no space] yahoo.com

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

ACTOR LOOKING FOR FEATURE PROJECTS

I just worked Mark Elias on a table reading and he's hungry and looking for more
feature projects.  You can find him on nowcasting.com or email him absolutelias@
[no
space] yahoo.com

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

ACTOR STRUTTIN' HIS STUFF

Hi friends,

Check out  http://www.thegoldbracelet.com

Thanks,
Rajeev Chhibber

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

COMPOSER

Hey Anup, It's Michael Patterson, composer. I've been  attempting
to drum up work and the last couple of months have not been very
fruitful. As you probably know I'm not one to sit waiting for the phone
to ring. So, I'm attempting to get the word out that I'm looking for  work.
Here are a couple of highlights from 2005.

- Limited theatrical  release of the film "The Helix: Loaded"
Produced by Stained Iris and  Distributed by Romar Entertainment
- "Freeze Out" winner of the Westwood Film  Festival (Best Feature)
- Recently completed the score to the comedy "Stone  & Ed"
Produced by Three Bird Pictures and Fred Fontana (Vegas  Vacation)
- "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" will premier at Sundance  2006
Produced by the 2005 Oscar Nominated creators of "Twist Of  Faith"

You might be thinking, "Mike you really need a better agent." That  is
part of the problem, I do not have an agent. So, I could use help in the
area as well. But that doesn't change the fact that I'm not right now
working on a indie hopeful or something like that.

I could really use  referrals for feature films. I always prefer to work
on straight dramas but  would love to work on a horror/suspense film,
sci-fi film or a romantic  comedy might be nice. The films do have to
have a music budgets and be  within the realistic measures of an indie film
but I'm realistic also.

What I bring to a project is not only experience and creativity, but a
dedication to projects. I take extreme care in my work, not only for my
own sake but for the dozens of others that work on the film.

So, if  you know of anything please, please, please forward on my contact
info or let  me know. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
Michael
mspproductions@ [no space]hotmail.com

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

CAST & CREW CALL

I am starting the "Anup Sugunan show".  It's going to be super-low budget sketch
comedy like the Ben Stiller show (but even superer-lowerer because he got
network
support. If you haven't submitted via nowcasting, send me a headshot and resume.
I'm also looking for crew, esp DPs.

__________________________________________________________

15. WRITE NOW – WRITER'S RESOURCES

Internet Movie Script Database
http://www.imsdb.com

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

Script O Rama
http://www.script-o-rama.com

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

HILARIOUS LOOK AT CLICHÉS

This is a great list of clichés found too often in films.  Avoid `em at all cost
when
writing. Courtesy of Celeste.

1. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St
Patrick's
Day parade - at any time of the year.
2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a
woman but only waist level on the man lying beside her.

3. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

4. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

5. The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will
ever
think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the
building
without difficulty.

6. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be
necessary to
speak the language. A German accent will do.

7. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

8. A man will show no pain while taking the most  ferocious beating but will
wince
when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

9. When paying for a taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note -
just grab
one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

10. If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.

11. Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every
morning,
even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

12. Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

13. A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football
stadium.

14. Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

15. All single women have a cat.

16. Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

17. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20
men
firing at one.

18. Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be  closely investigated.

19. Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of
their
family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.

20. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved
martial arts -
your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a
threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.

21. During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are
speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.

22. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still
be
clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

23. Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.

24. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

25. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies
using complicated machinery involving  fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases,
lasers
and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to
escape.

26. Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth
birthday.

27. Many musical instruments - especially wind instruments and accordions - can
be
played without moving the fingers.

28. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts
so you
know exactly when they're going to go off.

29. It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are
visiting.

30. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

31. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will
know all
the steps

__________________________________________________________

16. ARTICLES
__________________________________________________________

MAGNOLIA AND SHORTS INTERNATIONAL BRINGING OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORTS TO
THEATERS

Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International have announced a partnership to bring
this
year's 10 Oscar-nominated shorts (live-action and animated) to theaters before
the
Academy Award ceremony on March 5. The series will kick off Friday, February 24,
in
New York and Los Angeles. The series will also play in select theaters in San
Francisco, Detroit, Berkeley, Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Portland and
Chicago.
The two distribution companies anticipate adding more markets in the coming
weeks.

__________________________________________________________

LA. TOWN TO GET FILM INDUSTRY COMPLEX

Known as "Hollywood South," Louisiana's growing movie industry is set to get the
big-time movie production studio that industry leaders have said it needs.

Just weeks after plans surfaced for a small studio in Baton Rouge, two movie
makers
announced Tuesday a separate, more elaborate venture to construct an entire
movie
complex in the town of Robert, located on Lake Pontchartrain's north shore and
roughly 50 miles northwest of New Orleans.

The complex will include a studio, shops, restaurants, condos and a golf course,
and
be designed to attract more foreign filmmakers to the state by providing them
with a
place to live, work and be entertained, the planners said.

"They'll come from all over, Japan, Germany, Italy," said filmmaker Alfredo
Leone of
Louisiana Entertainment Associates LCC, the company that purchased more than 150
acres of land for the project.

"Louisiana is trying to grow their industry, and some will settle here, some
will not,"
Leone said, who has teamed with fellow filmmaker Robert "Bob" DiMilia in the
venture.

A state Office of Film and Television spokesman said officials have heard of the
project but had no immediate comment Tuesday.

Though New Orleans and Louisiana have steadily attracted film producers since
tax
incentives were introduced in 2002, industry leaders have said that a major
component missing in "Hollywood South" is a big-time production studio.

Plans for a $150 million digital theme park and film studio in New Orleans were
put
on hold after Hurricane Katrina. Last month, plans were unveiled to turn a
partially
completed 30,000-square-foot building in Baton Rouge into a movie studio.

The Robert project, called Louisiana Cinema City Studios, includes a film
laboratory,
production offices and a five-star suite hotel, a day-care center and health
club. It
will also include eight Hollywood-style sound stages and four broadcast stages
that
will cover a combined 250,000 square feet, the planners said.

The project will take three years to complete, but the studio portion may be
finished
before year's end, DiMilia said.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060201/ap/d8fg3ke00.html

__________________________________________________________

HOLLYWOOD MARKETING FILMS THROUGH CHURCHES

At some of the largest and most influential Christian churches in the country,
the
lights dim and congregants watch a sneak preview of a new movie about golf.

The Walt Disney Co. is marketing "The Greatest Game Ever Played" to faith-based
groups even though the film, about Francis Ouimet's improbable win in the 1913
U.S.
Open, isn't overtly religious.

"Its themes are about family, about not giving up on your dreams, courage," said
Dennis Rice, head of publicity at the Walt Disney Studios. "They are very
secular
virtues, but they also could potentially be Christian virtues."
Other major studios have undertaken similar marketing for films that aren't
about
God, including the recent father-son story "The Thing About My Folks" and even
the
dark drama "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." Twentieth Century Fox has launched a
Web
site to market family-friendly videos directly to Christian groups.

The approach reflects the next step in Hollywood's attempt to capitalize on the
business lessons of "The Passion of the Christ," a surprising blockbuster last
year
thanks to unprecedented marketing and mobilization in churches. With Congress
cracking down on indecency in television, video games and films, there's a
political
dimension as well.

This year, Congress dealt Hollywood a serious blow by passing legislation
drafted to
help parents keep their children from seeing sex scenes, violence and foul
language
in movie DVDs. The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act gave legal protection
to
fledgling filtering technology that lets users automatically skip or mute
sections of
movies.

Studios said it's hard to quantify potential revenue from the family-values
demographic, but one industry analyst gave a sense of what's at stake. Targeted
marketing of this kind happens only if a studio expects to add $25 million to
$50
million to the box office gross and sell perhaps an extra 5 million DVDs,
according to
Harold Vogel, who heads the New York investment firm Vogel Capital Management.

For their part, churches recognize that just denouncing violent or sexually
explicit
films doesn't influence their content so their members are using buying power to
support films that reflect their values.

Despite its explicit violence, "The Passion of the Christ" grossed more than
$400
million at the worldwide box office and millions more on home video. The success
was largely attributed to intensive marketing within churches, which reserved
entire
theaters for opening day while congregants invited neighbors who skip church to
watch the movie.

"Increasingly, the church realizes that spiritual conversations are happening in
the
culture and we are in danger of being left out of the conversation," said Robert
K.
Johnston, a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in
Pasadena.

Filmmakers behind smaller movies that otherwise might not command big marketing
dollars say that support from faith-based communities encourages studios to make
similar films.

"If the powers that be see there is a bigger market out there, it will make it
easier for
the next time around," said Paul Reiser, who wrote and co-stars in the family
comedy
"The Things About My Folks." To promote that movie, members of churches,
synagogues and Jewish community centers were invited to more than 30 screenings
in cities including Minneapolis, Cleveland and Chicago.

Disney is counting on Christian audiences to boost its "The Chronicles of
Narnia: The
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

The film, based on the C.S. Lewis book, is a big-budget fantasy epic and the
first in a
series Disney hopes will rival the popularity of "The Lord of the Rings"
trilogy. Some
Christians interpret the book a staple of children's literature as an allegory
in which
the hero, the lion Aslan, represents Jesus Christ.

Disney hired Motive Entertainment, the same group that marketed "The Passion of
the
Christ" to churches, to sell "Narnia" to Christian audiences. Dozens of churches
nationwide will host sneak peeks of parts of the film before its December
opening.

"As good business people, we'd be silly not to tap into every fan of the book
and hope
they will become a fan of the movie," said Disney's Rice. "We don't believe
we're
making a Christian movie. We believe we're following the story of the book
faithfully
and allowing everyone to interpret it how they want depending on how they've
connected to the book."

Twentieth Century Fox, which distributed the video of "The Passion," recently
launched a Web site (http://www.foxfaith.com) to target Christian and
family-based
films directly to a religious audience. The site includes a "church resources"
link,
which lists several movies and includes written guidance suggesting Bible verses
to
discuss in conjunction with scenes from the films.

"We recognize this is an underserved marketplace that was hungry for programming
that mirrored their values," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of
marketing at
Fox Home Video.

Fox defines the market broadly. It's distributing such library titles such as
"The Bible"
and "The Sound of Music" but also striking deals to distribute or produce films
based
on top Christian best sellers by Bishop T.D. Jakes and Frank Peretti. "It's not
necessarily who people are and where they live," Feldstein said, "it's how they
think."

I'm working on the new Oliver Stone film "September" and the casting director
asked
me to help her find more extras.  NON-UNION $54/8hours. Must be able to work ALL
days from today through Sat.  Call Judy Cook at 323.692.7555.  The shoot
currently is
in Hawthorne, CA.  Please let her know that I sent you.

-Anup (pronounced Anoop )

Yes, it's been a while since the last newsletter.  I apologize to all of you for
not
keeping up with the info.  I have been working on projects. So far I've done
about 35 for the year and a lot in the last few months so that's why I haven't
been able to do this.  Some have been features and some have been things
that I wished I stayed in bed (just kiddin') but I've learned something from all
of them (see member updates below).  Well, until next time, keep chuggin'
along.

-Anup

_____________________________________________________

1. CALL FOR ENTRIES
2. JOBS AT MTV
3. MEMBER UPDATES
4. VOTE OR DIE - IMDB Polls
5. ARTICLES
Calling-card shorts now mostly a long shot
Woody Allen enters modern world for movie promo
U.S. adds 'Baby Face,' 'Rocky Horror' to registry
LOOKING BACK AT '05: The Year of the (Film) Blogs, With More To Come

_____________________________________________________

1. CALL FOR ENTRIES

CELL PHONE FEST
How to enter: The competition begins as 8 a.m. ET on November 1, 2005 and
ends at 8 a.m. ET on January 10, 2006. To enter, use your cellular phone or
smartphone to shoot video footage that can be edited using any digital editing
software. The video may fit in any genre, including documentary, action,
comedy, drama, or experimental. The edited video must be no longer than :30
seconds in length, and must include audio, including music, dialogue, and/or
voiceover. Instructions for uploading submissions are included in the
competition instructions on the official CellFlixFestival site (http://
www.cellflixfestival.org).

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

DESI VISION –  desivision is looking for people with Short Films, Music
Videos, Music, Parodies or anything else you feel should be on desivision.
Please contact us at artists@ [no space] desivision.tv for more information.
Please forward this to anyone you know that may be interested.

(Courtesy of group member Rajeev Chibber)

_____________________________________________________

2. JOBS AT MTV
https://jobhuntweb.viacom.com/jobhunt/main/jobhome.asp

I VANT MY MTV – mtvdesi.com – looking for content, possibly vjs etc

_____________________________________________________


3. MEMBER UPDATES

NICK AT NITE (AND DAY)

Congrats to Sameer Asad Gardezi who got selected to Nickelodean

"I haven't heard back from Nickelodeon yet for the Diversity Writing Program
(have I told you? sorry I forget). I made the semi-finals and will hear about
making the finals this week. Four people out of the 12 selected will get to be
fellows and work on shows for a year."
-Sameer

I got an email from Sameer after this one stating that he got in!  But I can't
find
it now, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
-Anup

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

DA SLUDGSTER

Rahul Chatterjee's writing debut is now a film with it's own trailer:
http://www.obsidianproduction.com/sludge.html

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

UNSTOPPABLE

Sharat Raju's AMERICAN MADE  (http://www.americanmadethemovie.com)
will be on the show Independent Lens on PBS
(http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/index.html)
If you hurry you can too can submit for their call for entries for 2008 season:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/submissions.html

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

UNCLE G

Rajeev Chhibber's was in a short film which is completely viewable online
called Aunty G's.
Synopsis: they drink beer and push guys on basketball court - careful with
Auntie G's.
http://www.shetanifilms.com/films.html

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

LOOKING FOR ANUP IN A MUSLIM COMEDY TRAILER

Well, I finally made it to the big screen, well sort of, I did make it to the
trailer of
the Albert Brooks movie `Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' I worked
on back in January '05 (see blog-type info titled "Lessons I Learned This
Week" in newsletter #119 -
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/AnupSugunan/message/119).
The movie will release on January 20, 2006 distributed by WB Independent.  Of
course, this is to illustrate that an peon extra role can actually turn out to
be something way more (for me, SAG eligibility and a featured role).

http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/
lookingforcomedyinthemuslimworld/trailer1

I worked on Passions, no not the one with Christ, but the Soap that has aliens
and in this episode a Bollywood dream wedding in which I played one a
groomsman.  The pacing of TV is so much faster paced than movies.  They
didn't seem as anal as film in setting up the shots and doing take after take,
but then again, this is no 24 or CSI.  But I keep hearing over and over that
working in tv makes you very disciplined (as a writer, actor, etc) because of
the tight deadlines. But me, I'm a movie person way more than a tv person –
well, I'm sure that's because I don't have a tv.

I also worked on a reality show (please don't throw rocks at me!) as a hip-hop
dancer – yeah boyeee!  There was no pay and I signed an NDA so I can't
disclose the show til after it airs in a few months.

I finally took the plunge and joined MYSPACE.COM
(http://myspace.com/anups) because this is supposed to be the most entertainment
oriented network compared to Friendster etc.  I'll keep you posted…

-Anup

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

Send me your update or upcoming shows and I'll put it on (within a few
months : )
-Anup

_____________________________________________________

4. VOTE OR DIE

Some interesting polls from imdb:
http://imdb.com/poll/questions

What type of commentary do you prefer on your DVDs?

Votes (percentage)

Cast members
3277 (39.4%)

Director
3110 (37.4%)

Commentaries put me to sleep
1269 (15.2%)

Film historians/critics
328 (3.9%)

Writers
274 (3.3%)

Special effects crew
67 (0.8%)

A total of 8325 votes were collected.

Formatting becomes a little less pleasing here on out and in the file  : (

At what point does a movie officially become too long for you?
Votes(percentage)
I have no problem with movies being too long!
5185(51.8%)
After 2 hours and 30 minutes
2057(20.6%)
After 3 hours
1875(18.7%)
After 2 hours
816(8.2%)
After 90 minutes
75(0.7%)

A total of 10008 votes were collected.

Which current actor do you think most consistently plays himself?
Votes
Adam Sandler
1580(27.7%)
Hugh Grant
772(13.5%)
Ashton Kutcher
616(10.8%)
Other
471(8.3%)
Owen Wilson
389(6.8%)
Ben Stiller
325(5.7%)
Tom Cruise
308(5.4%)
Keanu Reeves
300(5.3%)
Will Smith
285(5.0%)
Vin Diesel
217(3.8%)
Ben Affleck
210(3.7%)
Harrison Ford
144(2.5%)
Paul Walker
90(1.6%)

A total of 5707 votes were collected.

What critically acclaimed movie of the past couple years did you just not
"get"?
Votes
I "got" them all, thank you very much!
1687(22.8%)
Mulholland Drive
999(13.5%)
Lost in Translation
804(10.9%)
Other
719(9.7%)
Punch-Drunk Love
571(7.7%)
Donnie Darko
467(6.3%)
The Hours
459(6.2%)
Adaptation
313(4.2%)
Ghost World
230(3.1%)
Waking Life
185(2.5%)
Memento
185(2.5%)
Igby Goes Down
156(2.1%)
21 Grams
138(1.9%)
American Splendor
114(1.5%)
Far From Heaven
110(1.5%)
Talk to Her
85(1.2%)
Elephant
73(1.0%)
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing
69(0.9%)
The Station Agent
19(0.3%)

A total of 7383 votes were collected.

I put some (about 118 pages in word) interesting film marketing/acting/etc
type polls that Harvey Weinstein would kill for on the yahoo group:
http://movies.groups.yahoo.com/group/AnupSugunan/files/
If you can't access it, email me and I'll send you a copy of it.
-Anup

_____________________________________________________


5. ARTICLES

Calling-card shorts now mostly a long shot

By Borys Kit
Wed Dec 21, 3:16 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - George Lucas might not want to make
any more "Star Wars" movies now that "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of
the Sith" is secure in its crown as the top-grossing domestic movie of the year.
ADVERTISEMENT

But that didn't discourage West Virginia-based filmmaker Shane Felux, who
this year created a sequel of his own: "Star Wars: Revelations," a 47-minute
opus with genuine production value, impressive special effects and -- true to
the "Star Wars" template -- wooden dialogue and stilted acting.

All Felux needed was about $20,000 to complete his film, which drew quick
notice on the Internet when it debuted in April. On iFilm, the short film Web
site, his film was downloaded more than 3 million times, and he earned
notices in USA Today and an appearance on CNN.

But despite the attention, Felux has been disappointed to discover that
"Revelations" hasn't provided him the entrance to Hollywood that other film
shorts inspired by Lucas' franchise have brought in the past.

"I was hoping that the industry might stand up and go, 'All right, that's pretty
good for something a little under 20K, what do you want to do next?"' Felux
said. "And I'd go, 'Well, here is the next thing I want to do, here's how much
it's
going to cost.' And hopefully go on and make another film."

On rare occasions, cinematic calling cards sometimes do their job. Peter
Cornwell, an Australian sound man, spent years crafting "Ward 13," a 14-
minute short about a man waking up in an insane asylum, trying to break free,
facing all sorts of bad guys. With the idea of crafting a calling card, Cornwell
began constructing the figurines and sets in his bedroom, and when the
project expanded, he started moving pieces and construction into his friends'
homes. His hard work paid off when, in November, he was hired to direct "The
Dionaea House," a horror thriller that "Harry Potter" producer David Heyman
is producing for Warner Bros. Pictures.

But Cornwell's experience is very much the exception to the prevailing rule.
It's not that attention-grabbing short films -- whether they begin life as fan
films
or Internet novelties -- aren't the calling cards they once were in the movie
industry. The truth is that, despite a few illusory examples, they never did
guarantee the entree for which their creators hoped. Despite all the initial
acclaim that greeted such short films as the "Stars Wars" spoof "George Lucas
in Love" or "405," in which an airplane lands on the 405 freeway in Los
Angeles, their creators were not instantly given the directing assignments for
which they were angling. And the flood of ersatz films that have followed in
their wake pretty much has rendered the Internet fallow ground for
recruitment.

The phenomenon began in the late 1990s, as the Internet began spawning
so-called fan films, which take well-known characters, usually from fantasy
and sci-fi movies, and present them in new stories via short films and trailers.
One of the first such films to become hot was "Troops," a short directed by
Kevin Rubio in 1998 that followed a group of stormtroopers on Tatooine a la
the TV show "Cops."

Another short that rocketed to short-lived popularity was "Lucas in Love,"
which spoofed the then-popular "Shakespeare in Love" by inserting George
Lucas as the title character as it offered a fictional scenario about how he
developed the "Star Wars" mythology. It was written by Timothy Dowling and
directed by Joe Nussbaum, who made "Lucas in Love" as his USC student
film project.

Even before they hit the Internet, both films attracted attention as VHS tapes
that quickly circulated throughout Hollywood. Executives had their assistants
making copies of copies of copies. Soon Rubio, Dowling and Nussbaum all
got meetings around town and netted agents and managers.

Rubio credits the Internet for fueling the frenzy. "'Troops' had the luck of
being
the first one put on the Net like that, back when you only had QuickTime 2 and
it took eight hours to download," Rubio said of his film, which appeared on
TheForce.net. "The fact that it took that long to download and that we were
crashing sites, it got noticed from the community because people wanted to
know what the hell is worth waiting eight hours to download."

"Lucas in Love" surfaced on the Web site Mediatrip.com, where a few million
watched it.

"This is when everyone thought that every Web site would be laden with short
films and it was going to be a Shangri-La for shorts," said Dowling, who was
written up in People, the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly and
appeared on CNN, CNBC and "The Today Show" while also making the
rounds of film festivals worldwide.

Soon, Hollywood agencies began tracking the Internet with the hopes of
discovering new talent. The developments attracted the attention of Bruce
Branit and Jeremy Hunt, visual effects artists who were working on TV's "Star
Trek: Voyager." Working weekends, spending just a few hundred dollars, they
created a short titled "405" that showed a 747 landing on a amazingly traffic-
free section of what usually is one of the most congested highways in the
country.

At first, their calling card appeared to be a success. Amid the Details and
Rolling Stone interviews and photo shoots, Branit and Hunt quit their jobs,
signed with agents and began taking meetings.

The success of "405," "Lucas in Love" and "Troops" changed the landscape
for calling cards. Suddenly, spoofs flooded the Hollywood landscape and
then the Internet. "It became too much," Dowling said. "It became a lot harder
to get something seen. There were like a hundred 'Blair Witch' spoofs. There
were so many of them that not one of them was making an impact."

The evolution of the Internet and digital technology only made it easier to
make and disseminate such shorts. But as they multiplied, they tended to
cancel one another out.

"It doesn't make a splash anymore," said John Halecky of iFilm, where many
shorts appear. "People are even spoofing the MasterCard 'Priceless'
commercials. Well, you're spoofing a 30-second ad with a 30-second ad."

The evolution of the Internet also made it harder to build buzz. The old days of
making copies of copies on VHS, messengering them around town and
congregating around TVs to catch the latest parody were gone. While the
Internet made such shorts instantly available, it also ended their mystique.

The original calling cards were, Halecky said, "a hotter item because you
couldn't get it unless you knew someone. Whereas today, if it's online, boom,
the whole world can watch it and move on with their lives."

Ultimately, making a splash with a short ended up diverting some of its most
celebrated practitioners from their career goals. The makers of "Troops,"
"Lucas in Love" and "405" were so focused on their particular projects that
they lost sight of why they made their shorts in the first place.

"Once you get those meetings, and they love the short, but they can't do
anything with it, the big question is, what's next? What else do you have?"
Dowling said. "And we were so focused on the short that we didn't have
anything else."

Branit agreed: "What happened was we ended up in a lot of rooms with
people going, 'So what do you want to do?' And we didn't know. We hadn't
planned the second chapter."

Nussbaum turned to commercials work while waiting for a feature project, and
Dowling focused on writing. Branit and Hunt started their own visual effects
company, parted ways with their agents and eventually with each other.

But as they continued to plug away, they learned another Hollywood lesson:
perseverance. Nussbaum eventually landed a directing gig on MGM's 2004
tween movie "Sleepover." Last year, Dowling sold a high-profile project,
"Outsourced," with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn attached.

Branit moved with his wife to Kansas City, started another visual effects
company and this year worked on "Sin City," "The Adventures of Sharkboy &
Lavagirl in 3-D" and "Serenity." But he still is working on the dream: He is
putting the finishing touches on a nine-minute short he wrote and directed that
he hopes will put him back on the map as a Hollywood player.

Still, for a few would-be players, if such calling cards demonstrate real skill,
they occasionally still can hit their mark.

"It's not (about) saying to the whole industry 'Look at me,"' said Mark Bell of
Film Threat DVD, which specializes in short films. "It's saying, 'I have certain
skills, I can handle a camera, this is the d.p. I want to use, etc."'

For example, looking for a directing gig at New Line, Michael Davis submitted
several minutes of animatic action sequences of his own script, "Shoot 'Em
Up." The studio liked what it saw, and the project is moving forward with Clive
Owen attached.

Filmmaker Wes Ball created a one-minute animated trailer for the coming-of-
age adventure "The Treehouse" that he hopes to make as his directorial
debut. The trailer was instrumental in him getting the gig on the Warner Bros.
Pictures project.

And though the day of the Internet short might be waning, the dawn of the
phone-download featurette could be just beginning with mobile phone
companies desperately looking for short-form content to fill their small
screens. "If the next breakout films (come) on the phone, I would not be
surprised," Bell said.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051221/tc_nm/internet_dc

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

Woody Allen enters modern world for movie promo
Tuesday December 27 9:35 PM ET


Movie marketing used to be a pretty basic business of buying network TV
spots and newspaper ads. These days, it has evolved into a more challenging
puzzle in which nontraditional media are increasingly part of the solution.

A case in point is DreamWorks' innovative marketing campaign for Woody
Allen's critically acclaimed thriller "Match Point," opening Wednesday in New
York and L.A., which includes video and audio podcasts and satellite radio
interviews.

After receiving rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it was picked
up for North American distribution by DreamWorks. The studio will release it
nationally on January 20, four days after the Golden Globes where it is
competing in four categories.
ADVERTISEMENTAllen, 70, a noted technophobe who's not exactly
enthusiastic about movie promotion, participated in a series of five video
podcast interviews, all of which can now be downloaded free at the Apple
iTunes Music Store. It marks the first time any studio has created video
podcasts as an element in a film's marketing campaign. The same interview
material with Allen is also being used by DreamWorks combined with other
materials from the film to promote "Match" in a series of programs running on
XM Satellite Radio through January 22.

DreamWorks marketing chief Terry Press likened the podcasts to a director's
commentary track on a DVD. "And Woody Allen does not do (commentaries
on DVDs of his films). As far as I know, he has done no DVD commentaries,"
she said. "So you actually can hear (in these podcasts) this kind of running
stream of consciousness from him, which is really interesting, that you won't
get, I don't think, when the DVD comes out."

"Match," Allen's first film shot in London rather than in New York, is a drama
about ambition and obsession and the importance of luck in our lives.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays a tennis pro who becomes friendly with one of
his students, a wealthy young Englishman (Matthew Goode), and goes on to
marry the man's sister (Emily Mortimer). Although he quickly becomes
accustomed to his new upper-class lifestyle, things get complicated when he
becomes romantically entangled with his new brother-in-law's beautiful
American fiancee (Scarlett Johansson).

It received Golden Globe nominations for best picture-drama, director (Allen),
screenplay (Allen) and supporting actress (Johansson).

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20051227/113574813300.html

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

U.S. adds 'Baby Face,' 'Rocky Horror' to registry
Tuesday December 27 4:19 PM ET


Films that helped usher in a new era of censorship, changed the way
Hollywood thought about the audience, provided a first-hand look at one of
the nation's great disasters and introduced the world to the word "gnarly" are
among the 25 films the librarian of Congress named to the National Film
Registry on Tuesday.
Full Article: http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20051227/
113572917900.html

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

LOOKING BACK AT '05: The Year of the (Film) Blogs, With More To Come

by Steve Rosen (December 15, 2005)

[EDITORS NOTE: This is the first in a series of 5 articles looking back at some
of the notable people, trends and companies of 2005. Additional articles in
this series will be published all next week.]

While it's hard to prognosticate about the overall future and impact of film
blogs, one thing became apparent this year, film-blog prognostication itself
suddenly has become a booming Internet business. And so far, it's benefiting
indie films.

Blogs that treat film awards like a competitive sport, like OscarWatch.com and
David Poland's Hot Blog, have been joined by newspaper-sponsored blogs
from The New York Times, David Carr's The Carpetbagger, The Los Angeles
Times' The Envelope and The Los Angeles Daily News' On The Red Carpet
to create a growth industry in Oscar-handicapping sites. More are on the way,
too, as the Academy Awards broadcast on March 5 approaches -- Yahoo! is
scheduled to start one up soon.

"This is the first year we've really had the industry pay attention to blogs,"
said
James Lewis, a Los Angeles publicist for mPRm, which is working on the
Oscar campaigns of several movies. "They're tied in to major publications."

These blogs may be having an egalitarian effect on awards season, aiding
smaller films like "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Transamerica" or "The
Squid and the Whale" against the bigger Hollywood movies so far.

"It certainly levels the playing field because our prognosticators treat them
seriously and give them the same amount of space as other films," said Tom
O'Neil, who licensed his hobbyist Goldderby.com award-predicting website to
Los Angeles Times last July. It became part of The Envelope, for which he
writes his Gold Derby blog.

These blogs have found a good year to try to make an impact, too. "If we're
going to have the first full-scale gay Oscar season, with 'Brokeback' followed
by 'Capote' and 'Transamerica,' there's going to be a lot to chatter about it,"
said Ray Price, vice president of marketing for Landmark Theatres, the
nation's largest art-house chain.

He's in the process of creating Movienet.com, a new Landmark-affiliated one-
stop independent film website that he hopes will host blogs from critics and
filmmakers. "If I got Robert Altman to show up a few times a week while
people were talking about 'Prairie Home Companion,' that'd be really cool."

But while all these high-profile changes are occurring, other blog activity
augers well for film buffs throughout the Internet. Lively, intelligent blogs
that
feature frequently updated, conversational postings about cinema -- as
opposed to celebrity gossip -- are flowering. They're trying to create an
interlinked community devoted to those passionately interested in film, similar
to what the pioneering urban art houses of the 1950s and 1960s did. And if
they haven't yet reached the point where they have a measured impact on
box office, they're trying.

These blogs include, but certainly aren't limited to, film critic and writer
Dave
Kehr's new blog, online film journal Reverse Shot's Reverse Blog, S.T.
VanAirsdale's The Reeler, the Twitch blog, MovieCityNews' MovieCityIndie
blog, and GreenCine's Green Cine Daily.

The blogs can be as fun as they are erudite, as newsy as they are ruminative,
as friendly as they are academic. And their very logos and mottos connote a
certain luminously magical quality, a sense of entering a new world similar to
what early moviegoers found watching Melies' "A Trip to the Moon."

Twitch, which takes a keen interest in Asian film, bills itself as "spreading
the
news on strange little films from around the world." Kehr's site dedicates
itself
to reporting "from the lost world of cinephilia." Filmbrain's blog is called
Like
Anna Karina's Sweater blog.

Jeff Reichert, a co-founder of the Reverse Shot website who now co-edits its
blog, believes that these all have a shot at bringing a populist, youthful
energy
to the aging art-film world. He thinks they're capable of opening up criticism
to
the masses, without dumbing it down. (He's also director of marketing and
publicity for Magnolia Pictures.)

"If I see the new Hou Hsiao-hsien film and love it, I don't have to talk about
it in
a rarified form," he said. "And if there are more opportunities for dialogue,
people will feel like they're becoming involved rather than being told about
something. That could re-energize art cinema."

While there are good indie-film blogs, there are so many there's concern that
any single one's impact is minuscule, even with host sites and links to direct
traffic. BlogPulse.com identified 19,666,253 blogs of all type in existence -
36,945 added in a recent two-hour period. And a search of "film blogs" on
blogger.com came up with 40,329.

Still, hope is building that they can help first-run specialty movies find an
audience, especially if newspaper coverage of art and indie films undergoes
cutbacks due to stagnant circulation. "The biggest problem we have is that a
film is always dying of anonymity," Landmark's Price said. "And declining
newspaper space doesn't help that - that's the essential problem in our
business and it's getting worse."

"Blogs are good but there has to be a way to navigate through them," he said.
"Maybe 10,000 places, each with a little audience, are fine. Maybe they add
up to one nation. But on the other hand, maybe there's a need for some
centrality." Indie distributors and filmmakers are also getting more active in
creating their own blogs.

For instance, right now "Cape of Good Hope" director Mark Bamford is
chronicling the slow rollout of his Artistic License-distributed drama about
three women's lives in South Africa on his own blog. He posts reviews as well
as such material as snapshots of the actors at the film's New York opening. "It
brings people into the experience in a personal way," he said.

"For the indies, blogs can potentially be much more important for any given
film for a variety of reasons, not least of which is that other forms of
publicity
are relatively so much more expensive yet not necessarily more effective and
certainly not as 'targeted'," said Green Cine Daily's David Hudson, in an E-
mail.

"When an indie production has a particularly intriguing or creative personality
involved, getting them online and blogging can arouse not just a certain level
of buzz but also, if something sparks between them and their readers, a whole
core of evangelists for that particular film."

A particularly good example of that this year was Miranda July's blog for the
IFC Films release, "Me and You and Everyone We Know." "What's interesting
here is that, in July's case, anyone who saw the film was likely to be very
interested in finding out more about her," Hudson said. "If they found the blog,
they found a place that not only had the look and feel of the overall campaign
for that film but also that July was a pretty fun read - and anyone who would
warm up to the film would likely warm up to the personality there, too."

IFC Films' new marketing director, Ryan Werner said he plans to redesign the
company's website to incorporate blogs, and that he's working on having
Danish director Lars Von Trier -- whose fear of flying prevents him from
traveling to America --- personally address that issue as part of IFC's
Internet-
marketing campaign for his upcoming "Manderlay." He also may advertise on
both film blogs like GreenCine.com and politically oriented ones like
huffingtonpost.com.

The film-blogging experience seems sure to grow in 2006. And that will mean
more work than ever for the writers involved, who often have other careers
involving writing, that pay the bills.

Anne Thompson, the Hollywood Reporter columnist who this year expanded
her Risky Business column into an ongoing Risky Biz blog, plans to file on her
personal blog, in her column and in other Reporter coverage at Sundance
this year.

"I hope I see some movies," Thompson said. "But I love doing (the blog). I
have to fight to keep from doing it more than a few hours each day. And it's
helped my voice, helped my writing become more opinionated."


indieWIRE continues its monthly series with AppleStore - SoHo that presents
indie film professionals discussing various aspects of the filmmaking process.

WHEN: Friday, December 16th, 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m WHERE: AppleStore -
SoHo, 103 Prince Street, NYC

indieWIRE is pleased to bring together some of it's favorite film bloggers to
discuss their corner of the blogosphere. As film blogs become more and more
popular, meet the people behind these blogs that cover indie, foreign and
Hollywood films.

Bloggers confirmed include:

Karina Longworth (Cinematical) Scott Macaulay (Filmmaker Magazine Blog)
Alison Willmore Andrew Grant (Like Anna Karina's Sweater) Aaron Dobbs
(Out of Focus) S.T. VanAirsdale (The Reeler) Michael Koresky (Reverseblog:
The Reverse Shot blog)

The event will be moderated by indieWIRE Editor in Chief (and blogger)
Eugene Hernandez

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20051216/113473421300.html

Hello Boys and Girls,

It's been a while, yes, I know.  But I've got a lot of goodies in this issue. 
Plus,
a lot of things going on with our members.

I hope everyone is doing well and cranking out project after project and not
letting the `real world' get you down.

Anup

__________________________________________________________

1. CASTING CALL FOR MUSIC VIDEO
2. PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL
3. DISTRIBUTION / SHOWCASE
4. STUDENT CREW CALL DIRECTORY
5. DIVX DOWNLOADABLE DVD MENU
6. NET TV SHOW
7. MEMBER UPDATES
8. SAN DIEGO INDIE FILM GROUP FORMING
9. ARTICLES:
Q's For A Casting Director
Sony to Pay $1.5M Over Fake Movie Critic
IFP's Independent Film Week
BitTorrent moving uptown

__________________________________________________________

1. CASTING NOW for 2 MUSIC VIDEOS (LA area)

Music Artist: Shaheen
http://www.shaheensheik.com

If you've got a great personality and on-camera presence and fit the
specifications/availability below - please apply!
Please note, if we would like to consider you for one of the roles mentioned
below, we will get in touch - thank you!

PLEASE EMAIL THE FOLLOWING INFO to azadi.music@ [no space]
gmail.com
1- Which video you would like to be considered for.
2- First/last name and contact number.
3- Resume (in body of email, not as an attachment).
4- Website preferred w/ photos OR attach 2 photos (one headshot and one
full body - no nudity)

Music Video #1 - Wildflower World
Shoot dates: Sat, Sept 17 -- 1/2 day and Sun, Sept 18 - all day
Location:  Santa Monica/West LA

Casting: 2 males roles
1- male, late 20's/early 30's, handsome, fit, clean cut, South Asian (Indian) to
play a husband role
2- male, late 20's/early 30's, must be very handsome, fit, clean cut, any
ethnicity to play a lover role

Song: Wildflower World
Listen online: http://www.shaheensheik.com/songs/songs_wildflower.html
Benefits: Credits, copy and food provided (no pay)

Music Video #2 - Here and Now
Shoot dates: Sat, Oct 1 - all day
Location:  Santa Monica/West LA (in studio)

Casting: 2 male and 2 female roles
1- 2 females, 20-30 age range, any ethnicity (just not South Asian look for this
one), various "looks" (urban, trendy, hip) great dancer a must!
2- 2 males, 20-30 age range, any ethnicity (just not South Asian look for this
one), various "looks" (urban, trendy, hip) great dancer a must!

Song: Here and Now
Listen online: http://www.shaheensheik.com/songs/songs_here.html
Benefits: Credits, copy and food provided (no pay)

Thank you and best of luck!

__________________________________________________________

2. PUBLIC ACCESS CHANNEL

Here's a place where you can hone your skills on putting together a tv show
and actually airing it on TV like the Wayne's World guys.  Also Rodriguez
used this type of facilities to edit, "El Mariachi".

-Anup

SD - http://www.ctn.org/schedule.html
LA - http://comcastoriginalprogramming.com/studios/default.htm
NY - http://www.mnn.org/
__________________________________________________________


3. DISTRIBUTION / SHOWCASE

Hello,
I am Vice President of Bulletproof distribution, LTD. in Laguna Hills, Ca. We
are currently looking for feature length films, Extreme sports videos, and
documentaries.

We are relatively new but, we have been establishing ourselves quickly.  Our
office phone is 949 460-6499 in Laguna Hills.  We have much more inventory
than is on our site.  We are always looking to gather more.  Thank you.

Jeff Spencer
Vice President
Bulletproof Distribution, LTD.
http://www.bulletproofdist.com

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

http://www.anewbreedcinema.com
Not only do we cater to the film watcher, but we also give Film creators the
opportunity to make money off of their movies in a brand new way. A portion
of each ticket sold will directly go to the Filmmaker.

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

Hi,

I am writing you to let you know that my client's new website, MEET THE
MAHONEYS, is up and running.  The site welcomes – absolutely free – your
film and video projects for viewing on the World Wide Web.

MEET THE MAHONEYS is a showcase for film and video producers, as well
as for others (actors, singers, dancers, etc.) wishing to have their talent seen
by viewers.  Located in Hollywood, our client will soon begin marketing the
site to television networks, talent executives, agents – the very people your
students will want to see their work.  The site is like a "virtual" television
network, where viewers log in and watch short films, blogs, and television
"series" produced by anyone wishing to post their creative video to the site.

The site is absolutely free, and all work posted thereto remains the sole
intellectual and creative property of its producer.

I have attached a press release which announces all the pertinent details and
which invites you to showcase your film and video work at
www.meetthemahoneys.com.  We have very high hopes for the site and fully
expect many of those who showcase their work on the site to land their first
"real" production jobs after having their work seen on MEET THE
MAHONEYS.

We welcome your questions and comments, and hope that you will enjoy this
new site
Cheri Waterhouse
Publicist
Paul Gendreau Public Relations
cheripgpr1@ [NO SPACE] adelphia.net
818-985-0245
818-985-7017 fax
http://www.MEETTHEMAHONEYS.com

__________________________________________________________


4. STUDENT CREW CALL DIRECTORY

Crew Call is a directory for film and video production students and those who
wish to employ or work with them. Below is our general sign-up form for
individual students and professional filmmakers who wish to be listed in the
upcoming directory. Listing are free for students and $10 for professionals.

http://crewcalldirectory.com

__________________________________________________________


5. DIVX DOWNLOADABLE DVD MENU

http://www.Divx.com is now encoding media so you can download dvd menu
digitally then burn it to a disc.  Check out the free trial of a Star Wars fan
film.

__________________________________________________________


6. NET TV SHOW - KUDOS TO MAKING YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITY

Not Yet – a trio of Canadian comedians didn't wait for a tv deal.  They
produced sketch comedy and put it on the net and is now getting a solid
following.
http://www.NotYetShow.com

__________________________________________________________

7. MEMBER UPDATES:

BAR MOMENTS TO SCREEN AT SDFF
Congratulations on being accepted into the 2005 San Diego Film Festival!

Your short film was selected out of over a thousand entries to be showcased
in this year's festival. The festival will be held from September 21 –
September 25 throughout San Diego's historic Gaslamp District. This 16-
block downtown area boasts over 80 unique restaurants and nightclubs, 11
world-class hotels, numerous high-end retail shops, 5 playhouses, and over
30 movie screens. See www.SDFF.org for details.

Your screenings will be held at the Pacific Gaslamp Theatre located at 701
5th Avenue (corner of 5th Avenue and G Street) in downtown San Diego.
Your film will be shown on Friday, September 23 at 6pm and Sunday,
September 25 at 4pm in Theater #6.


This was written by Matt Nourse and Adam Rudder and directed by Adam.  It
features Greta Valenti (http://www.GretaValenit.com), Jaimyon Parker, and
yours truly.
-Anup

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

FEATURE DEBUT
Matt Nourse is being super-prolific in addition to Bar Moments, he just
finished shooting his first feature, `The Pacific And Eddy'.  Check out the
site:

http://www.thepacificandeddy.com

-Anup

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

LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN A MUSLIM WORLD

Here's a sneak-peek review (with spoilers – you've been warned) of the
Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo, Defending Your Life) movie I worked on back in
Jan and is due to be released in Jan `06.
http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=20845
-Anup

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

NYFA SCREENING

Roopa Jeevaji and I worked on a film for NYFA which will also be screening
Friday, Sept 23 at the Universal Lot.  I will not be there, but Roopa will.

-Anup

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

J'S PLAY

The Staged reading of
FAITH
An original stage play
By
Jaimyon Parker

Location: Creative Grounds Coffee House & Stage
3042 Glendale Blvd
LA, CA 90039
Time:  8:00 pm

Date: 09/08/2005

You are invited to the first publicly staged reading of Jaimyon Parker's
original
stage play FAITH. Enjoy the delicious beverages from the coffee house as
you hear an inspirational story of a young man's surúprising journey to find
his faith.
This is a free event to gain audience feedback and possible financial backing
for a Spring 2006 production.

Questions or comments?
Jaimyon Parker
jaimyon@ [NO SPACE] prodigy.net

Intermission will feature the stand up comedy of OMAR REGAN, winner of E!
Entertainment's Fight For Fame.

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

SCREENPLAY CONTEST WINNER

Hi,
   Thought I'd let you know how the July 28th,  night went.
  We were excited to be there... and then to hear Sharon's name called out as
the one of the four grand prize winners (out of 1,635 contestants).... was well
wonderful.  We both heard the MC say  Sary's Gold...but as Sharon said...
"gee that sounds familiar...oh it's me!"  she brought home a gold statue "2005
Script P.I.M.P. Grand Prize Winner", a check and a baseball cap that says
writer... now the fun begins.... paperwork for the follow up and possible
connections.
  Thank you from me for all the well wishes that went on before.
Here is part of the Newsletter we received:

SCRIPT P.I.M.P. AUGUST NEWSLETTER
www.scriptpimp.com
============================================================
===
(1) Congratulations to the 4 Grand Prize Winners!
============================================================
===
Congratulations are in order for our 4 Grand Prize Winners for the 2005
Screenwriting Competition: Sam Ragsdale for his script, FOUL DEEDS;
Sharon A. Shipley for SARY’S GOLD; Jason Whiton for THE BONSAI;
David Eskin for JOURNEY OF THE HEART.
The winners were awarded at the Hollywood Improv on Thursday, July 28th
during the Awards Ceremony.

Skip Shipley

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

A POST-911 DOC NEEDS YOUR HELP

A powerful doc about all the Sikhs who were attacked after 9/11 is currently in
production and directed by Sharat Raju – who's `American Made' starring Kal
Penn was terrific.

-Anup

More info:
Blog: http://valariekaur.blogspot.com
Film: http://www.dwf-film.com
Initiative: http://www.dnsi.org

__________________________________________________________


8. SAN DIEGO INDIE FILM GROUP FORMING

Now Forming:
A group for independent filmmakers to connect and learn.  We want
producers, directors, lighting designers, editors, directors of
photography, audio technicians, special effects artists, make-up
artists, costume designers, writers, actors…  If you have made or want
to make a film in San Diego, this is the group for you.

Come join us on September 14, 2005 for the inaugural meeting.  There
will be refreshments and a chance to network with other San Diego
filmmakers.  Future meetings will focus on a new topic of interest to
you each month and give you the opportunity to meet other talented
folks here in San Diego who may just be looking to meet you.

Meeting place:  Video Gear Rentals
	 11760 Sorrento Valley Rd.  Suite M
	 San Diego, CA 92121
	 858-356-0200

Social hour/networking: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Meeting time: 	 6:30pm - 8:00pm

For more info:
call  858-356-0203
Email  filmmaker@ [NO SPACE]sprynet.com
or surf to  http://filmmaker.home.sprynet.com/

__________________________________________________________


9. ARTICLES:

Q'S FOR A CASTING DIRECTOR

Patricia Rose began her career casting for Jonathan Kraneof MCEG. At that
time in 1990, Jonathan was the hottest indie producer in Hollywood with The
Look Who's Talking series. Patricia cast over 40 independent films and pilots.
She recently returned from London where she cast the film, Provoked starring
Miranda Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, and Aishwarya Rai. Patricia also just
completed a feature called Lenigrad starring Mira Sorvino. Patricia is also the
mother of actress Danielle Nicolet.

NC: What are the most important things an actor should know or do before
walking into the audition?

PR: Know that no one will be just like you. To have faith in the fact that even
if
I audition two hundred times for a role—which I have been known to do—
more than that even—that when you walk in the room an audition, there will
never be any other person that will deliver the lines the way you deliver them,
nor will anyone look like you look, have the energy that you have. It's like
being a fingerprint. Every actor's an individual fingerprint, so therefore it's
important to be confident in that and not be intimidated by the other actors.
And the second thing is to know that the casting director really wants you to
be very, very good because they really want to stop looking. (Laughs)

NC: What are the important things an actor should or should not do during an
audition with you?

PR: Don't touch the casting director. A long time ago when I first was started
out I actually had—oh, I've had some bad experiences—I've had an actor
come in with a knife for an audition, I've had another come in with a gun—a
real gun! Make sure that you don't overstay your welcome. Do your job and
after you do it if you feel things didn't go the way you wanted them to you can
say, "Well, would you like to see it differently?" If they yes, then give them
the
adjustment. But don't hang out.

NC: Is there any difference in terms of how an actor should be in the room
with you and then when they're in the room with the producers and director?

PR: Yeah, I'm much more lax. I believe I have a very good imagination. You
come into the room and be yourself and then go into character. For a lot of
directors, I've experienced they love you walking in as the character.

NC: Nobody has said that in all the interviews that I have done and yet I know
that's pretty much to be true.

PR: Ah, especially for TV, you know that. Frequently, they hire who you see.
This has been my experience. Who you see on TV is who they are. I mean I
can't say that for Martin Sheen on West Wing and there are a lot of great
actors on television.

NC: Is there anything else an actor should know or do when they're in that
room?

PR: Take control of the room, make strong choices and don't be afraid to be
too big because they can always bring you down, they can't bring you up. I'd
rather you make very strong choices and make it very big than do it quiet and
timidly.

Taken from Nowcasting.com's newsletter:
https://www.nowcasting.com/actorsink/article.php?articleID=733&lastUpdate=
20050628181703
…
NC: What makes you call in a lesser-known actor: is it the headshot, the
training, the agent or manager, or a mailing?

PR: A lot of it has to do with timing. I get submissions all the time but I
don't
save them all because I don't have enough room to do that. If I'm in the
process of actually casting a film and your headshot shows up in front of me
and you look like the person that is the vision of my director then I'll check
your credits to see if you have film experience or if you've guest starred on TV
shows. It depends on exactly what they're looking for, especially if you're very
young. Then I will bring in people who maybe don't have an extensive
amount of credits.

NC: What is it you look for in a headshot?

PR: Mainly the eyes. The eyes straight ahead and they must grab me when I
look at it. After the eyes then I go to the rest of the picture. I know now
color is
a big thing, but it doesn't matter to me, color or black and white.

NC: What do you look for in a demo reel?

PR: If I'm looking to cast a certain kind of role, I look to see if the actor
has
played that kind of role before. I look to see who they play opposite of, to see
if
they can hold their own opposite a name talent.

NC: Do you care more about sustaining a scene or a variety of roles?

PR: Sustaining the scene.
…

PR: Oh, to get an agent? A strong theatre background helps, especially if it's
out of New York or Chicago, or London. There's great training in London. You
need to start young, although there are people who started at the opposite
extreme. I know of a woman right now who started when she was sixty-five
and she's now seventy-five and her pilot just got picked up. You need to
gather credits and how do you gather credits? You do student films, you do
non-union projects, and you get Taft-Hartleyed into the union, which means
SAG, which is of extreme importance in getting an agent because most of the
guest star roles and evening or nighttime TV require you to be SAG.

https://www.nowcasting.com/actorsink/article.php?articleID=732&lastUpdate=
20050620124330

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

SONY TO PAY $1.5M OVER FAKE MOVIE CRITIC

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES - A judge approved an agreement calling for Sony Pictures
Entertainment to pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the
studio of citing a fake movie critic in ads for several films, an attorney said
Tuesday.

Moviegoers who saw the films "Vertical Limit," "A Knight's Tale," "The Animal,"
"Hollow Man" or "The Patriot" during their original theater runs must file a
claim to be eligible for a $5 per ticket reimbursement, said lawyer Norman
Blumenthal, who represented a group of filmgoers who sued Sony Pictures in
2001.

Any funds remaining after claims are satisfied would go to charity, he said.

Sony Pictures declined comment. The studio did not admit any liability under
terms of the settlement.

After the dispute came to light, the studio temporarily suspended two
executives and vowed to monitor its publicity and advertising more closely.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl entered a final judgment in
the case last month, Blumenthal said.

The lawsuit, originally filed by two California moviegoers, claimed the ads
fooled the plaintiffs into seeing "A Knight's Tale."

In one ad for the action-comedy, a critic identified as "David Manning of The
Ridgefield Press" was quoted calling star Heath Ledger "this year's hottest
new star!"

In an ad for "The Animal," Manning was quoted declaring, "The producing
team of 'Big Daddy' has delivered another winner!"

At the time, The Ridgefield Press, a small weekly newspaper in Connecticut,
did not have a movie critic named David Manning, the lawsuit said.

Some of the movies Manning praised had already received positive reviews
from real critics.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050803/ap_en_mo/movie_review_lawsuit

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

IFP EYES THE PUBLIC WITH NEW "INDEPENDENT FILM WEEK" BRAND
TIED TO ANNUAL IFP MARKET EVENT
Wednesday September 7 10:20 AM ET

by Brian Brooks


With just weeks to go before the annual IFP Market & Conference, the
Independent Feature Project (formerly IFP/New York) has announced a new
initiative that will re-brand its yearly event, while targeting some of its
efforts
toward stimulating public interest in independent film. Now called
Independent Film Week, the event will contain the annual IFP Market and
consumers will be encouraged to see more films at first-run independent
theaters. Launching the initiative is the New York premiere of Magnolia
Pictures' "Nine Lives" by Rodrigo Garcia on September 19 at the Cleaview
Beekman. In a separate announcement, IFP has also said it will honor actor
Matt Dillon ("Crash") with a Gotham Award at its 15th annual event on
November 30th.

"Nine Lives," starring Kathy Baker, Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Aidan Quinn,
Amanda Seyfried and Sissy Spacek, tells of the "individual experiences of
nine women as told through nine single unbroken camera takes. Cast
members as well as Garcia, who wrote and directed the film, will attend the
invitation-only event.

Open to the public are a host of events throughout the five-day Independent
Film Week that will coincide with the traditional IFP market and conference in
downtown Manhattan, although that event will remain exclusive to invited
industry professionals. Independent theaters participating in the consumer
promotion include the Angelika Film Center, Cinema Village, IFC Center,
Quad Cinema, Pioneer Theater and the Paris theater in Manhattan as well as
the Brooklyn Heights Cinemas and Cobble Hill Cinemas in Brooklyn, and the
Kew Gardens Cinemas in Queens.

"I don't think there's been [an event] where all these venues have come
together," Michelle Byrd, executive director of IFP told indieWIRE Tuesday
afternoon. "We haven't done a lot of [work] directly targeting the consumer
[but] we had the idea bout a month ago, and put it together pretty quickly. We
already had [much of] the infrastructure in place to pull off a marketing
campaign like this."

Stimulating viewer interest in independent film directly is a mostly new
platform for the New York office of IFP. "We would like it to evolve into a
'Restaurant Week' for independent film, perhaps with discounted tickets,"
added Byrd in reference to New York's annual restaurant event that provides
consumers with specials at participating eateries citywide. Byrd indicated that
IFP will meet with New York City's official marketing and tourism group, NYC
& Company in October, which, according to its website, receives half of its $16
million budget from the city.

"Independent film [as a whole] doesn't brand itself the way Broadway or other
industries do," added Byrd, who said she hopes to leverage the cooperation
of exhibitors and distributors in the city to evolve this year's consumer push
into a broader event like other entertainment industries in the city. "When
marketing in tandem, one can get more official support than possible
[individually]."

Tackling this year, IFP is working with Moviefone, the Village Voice, and the
New York Observer and others as well as participating theater venues.
Additionally, IFP plans to "hit the pavement" to drive audiences to
Independent Film Week. "We're printing 50,000 5X7 postcards that will be
handed out by street teams," said Byrd. "It's a guerilla effort that energizes
us
a lot here."

Other than the re-brand and listings of events taking place around the city,
this
year's participants in the market and conference sections of Independent Film
Week will notice little difference in their daily activities, centered around
the
Puck Building and Angelika Film Center in Manhattan. "The market
participants will notice the added component in their materials. [But] the
market will remain exactly what it is [and] the only people involved with it are
professionals," said Byrd.

Planned free public events this year include a Slamdance staged screenplay
reading; a conversation with actor Matthew Modine on his experience starring
in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" at the SoHo Apple Store; a discussion
with actors who balance between consumer projects and independent films; a
conversation with "Nine Lives" director Rodrigo Garcia and director of
photography, Xavier Pérez; and a conversation with Norman Jewison on his
new book, "This Terrible Business Has Been Good to Me" followed by a book
signing.

Closing the public part of Independent Film Week is "'Fatal Attraction' and An
Evening with Glenn Close" at the Museum of the Moving Image ($18 public/
$12 Museum and IFP members). The evening will begin with a screening of
the film by Adrian Lyne, which earned Close an Academy Award-nomination,
followed by a dialogue with Close about her career.

In separate IFP news, the organization said it will honor Matt Dillon with a
Gotham Award at the 15th annual Gotham Awards on Wednesday, November
30th. The event will be a departure from recent years in that Dillon will be the
only individual feted for a body of work during the show. The ceremony will
also include six competitive awards honoring films and talent.

Founded in 1979, IFP is a non-profit membership organization that works to
create infrastructure supporting independent filmmaking. IFP also has
chapters in Austin, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Santa Fe, and Seattle
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/iw/20050907/112611360000.html
http://www.ifp.org

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

BITTORRENT MOVING UPTOWN

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Mercury News


Bram Cohen arrives in San Francisco's Mission District, his hair disheveled,
his face stubbled with a day's growth of beard and his black BitTorrent T-shirt
proclaiming him for what he is -- the poster boy for a popular and disruptive
Internet file-swapping technology.

Time was, guys like this would be found hunched over a computer keyboard
in a distant Baltic republic, working anonymously for some offshore
corporation.

But now that the Supreme Court has clarified the do's and don'ts of file-
sharing, the creator of BitTorrent -- which allows video and other large files
to
be quickly downloaded -- has no reason to hide. Indeed, Cohen, 29, recently
relocated from Seattle to San Francisco, and he and his chief operating officer
are making the rounds on Sand Hill Road looking for venture capital for their
new company, BitTorrent. They've forged a partnership with paid-search
provider Ask Jeeves, and recently the duo flew to Burbank for high-level talks
with the Motion Picture Association of America.

BitTorrent already has struck deals with video game publishers to distribute
games with its technology.

Cohen's bid to commercialize BitTorrent is a measure of how far the
entertainment industry has come since the late 1990s, when Napster
introduced millions of people to the power of peer-to-peer technology for
downloading songs -- and mobilized scores of lawyers to shut it down.

The recording industry continues its legal campaign to crush the once-wildly
popular Australian-based Kazaa file-sharing service. But the studios are now
moving to embrace BitTorrent technology -- which gracefully and cheaply
distributes giant files -- even as they sue those who use it to trade bootlegged
movies, TV shows or video games.

``We have no aversion to peer-to-peer technology. For us, it is in some
respects kind of a promising delivery method,'' said Darcy Antonellis, senior
vice president of worldwide anti-piracy for Warner Bros. Studios. ``We
obviously have issues with its illegal uses, but to the extent that the use of
the
technology can be legitimized, we're all for it.''

It helps that Cohen never cast himself as an anarchist who bragged that his
technology would vanquish the old entertainment industry. He has gone out
of his way to castigate those who use BitTorrent for piracy.

The trick, of course, is converting the 40 million or so people Cohen says
have downloaded BitTorrent's free software into paying customers.

Over a lunch of veggie burritos and nachos, Cohen and BitTorrent's 28-year-
old chief operating officer, Ashwin Navin, talk about their plans for turning a
garage operation dependent on donations and T-shirt sales into a Hollywood
player.

Any examination of BitTorrent's potential needs to start with an understanding
of how it differs from other file-swapping technologies. BitTorrent breaks giant
files into tiny bits and spreads the distribution load among dozens or
hundreds of computer users. It's built on the notion of cooperative distribution
-- to get pieces of the file you lack, you must offer up chunks in exchange.

This approach turns typical online distribution on its head: the more popular
the file, the faster the download times. The inverse is also true: It took 72
hours to download Bram Cohen's September 2003 lecture at Stanford
University.

BitTorrent dramatically improves the economics of the Internet as a broadcast
medium.

With distribution costs removed, budding filmmakers like Ben Buie of
HighlyDef Productions in Altanta can suddenly afford to release ``On Our Way
Up,'' a full-length docudrama, based on the lives of three brothers, shot in
high-definition video. Buie uses Prodigem, a Mountain View start-up, to
manage the delivery and collect payment.

``We actually thought about hosting it ourselves, and the bandwidth costs
would have been enormous,'' said Buie. ``With BitTorrent, download is
distributed over several users. There was really no cost of entry.''

The power and efficiency of BitTorrent lured Navin, the embodiment of a high-
energy ``biz dev'' guy, away from search giant Yahoo, where he worked in
corporate development figuring out digital distribution strategies.

``BitTorrent solved a lot of issues that I think an aggregator like Yahoo or
download.com faces,'' said Navin, who joined the newly incorporated
company in October. ``Do we host? Does the publisher host? If we host, how
much do we charge? BitTorrent makes that whole question irrelevant.''

Navin and Cohen, the computer networking savant, share a vision of
BitTorrent evolving into a true distribution platform that not only delivers
video,
but also helps people discover interesting content online. Eventually, they
hope to collect a fee for connecting its audience to commercial content.

The first step along this path came in May, when BitTorrent introduced a
search feature to help people find specific ``torrent'' files they're seeking.
Search unlocked a fresh source of revenue for BitTorrent: sponsored links
provided through a partnership with Ask Jeeves in Oakland.

BitTorrent's search engine also points to obviously pirated content, such as
copies of the new Steven Spielberg blockbuster ``War of the Worlds,''
available with Danish subtitles from a Swedish site called thepiratebay.org.

When asked how he would respond to BitTorrent's use as a tool for piracy,
Cohen said he would follow the same rules that apply to other search
engines. The studios would provide notice of the infringing work, and he
would remove links to the stolen content, rendering it inaccessible.

The challenge for BitTorrent or any other existing file-sharing technology is
whether pirated content can co-exist alongside paid movies or television
shows.

From the perspective of the Motion Picture Association of America, the
solution is obvious: BitTorrent should use filtering technologies to block the
exchange of pirated works.

``There is a whole new market that's being developed with filtering tools, ways
of allowing these technologies to develop while preventing copyright
infringement,'' said Dean Garfield, the MPAA's legal affairs director. ``We're
hopeful that Bram will be a partner in moving BitTorrent in that direction.''

Negotiations between the MPAA and BitTorrent are continuing, talks that
Cohen characterizing as `friendly.'' BitTorrent is also in discussions with two
studios he declined to identify.

In the past, negotiations have failed because of the entertainment industry's
reluctance to put a pirate in business, said Hilary Rosen, the former head of
the Recording Industry Association of America. Peer-to-peer companies,
meanwhile, have been reluctant to go dark or filter out copyrighted works, for
fear of losing their loyal users, she said.

The recent Supreme Court decision in the Grokster case has changed the
tenor of discussions. It made clear that tech companies that tout their file-
sharing technology as a tool for piracy, or provide technical support to aid in
the theft, are legally liable.

A number of established file-swapping services ``are coming to the table,
either with the MPAA or with individual studios, to talk about ways they might
alter their mode of operations,'' said one senior media attorney involved in the
discussions.

(Reached Text Limit.  Full Article here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/sv/20050802/tc_siliconvalley/_www12276446 )

1. Shop Talk Friday in San Diego
2. Action Magazine Wants Actor/Writer/Director
3. Acting Workshop Feedback
4. Responsibilities of CDs & Directors
5. Casting Call for Stock Photography
6. MySpace + Film = ActorsAndCrew.com
7. More Audition Stats
8. New Extras Casting Site
9. Acting/Directing Tips
10. Member Updates
11. NBC's Native American Website
12. Cinderella Man's Marketing Scheme To Salvage Film

_________________________________________________________

1. SHOP TALK FRIDAY

When: Friday, July 1, 2005 from 5pm onwards (Happy Hour til 8pm)
Where: The Thin Room in downtown San Diego – one of my usual hangouts.
852 Fifth Ave San Diego, Ca 92101
21+up WITH ID

I had a couple of these recently with just a few friend talking shop and it was
amazing the ideas and inspiration we got out of it.  Actually, two people
connected and one got a part and already shot a scene in the other's feature
film.  Kinda cool if you ask me. (Disclaimer: Results not typical. ).  So, I
thought
I'd try it on a larger scale and post it to this group.  I will definitely be
there
unless I get a last minute call for an audition.  Even if I'm not, don't worry
because it's happy hour and you can get ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI (limited -
meaning about 4 types) for only $5!!!  That's even better than a Corleone
offer!!!!

Bring your cards, headshots and resumes.  Fret not, LA people – I will have
one of these up there soon – if you know of a killer happy hour deal like this
let me know.

Hope to see ya there.

By the way, I would recommend NOT setting this newsletter to `daily digest'
because it will be sent at midnight instead of when I actually send it.  I
usually
don't send out more than 2 or 3 a month nowadays, anyway.  Since most of
the events in this newsletter is so last minute, due to the spontaneous nature
of auditioning, I can't plan ahead.  Furthermore, my subject line makes it
easier to determine whether or not it's worth reading – instead of just a digest
#.

-Anup

_________________________________________________________


2. ORSON WELLES TYPE WANTED

Action magazine's Jenelle Riley is interested in actors who is starring as well
as writing and directing/prod a film. I know there are a few of you on in this
group who are doing that. Contact her at jriley@ [no space]backstage.com

Here's the last guy she interviewed http://www.mitchellvillethemovie.com  -
John D. Harkrider, a lawyer by day and filmmaker by night.  Got into
Sundance. Inspiring!

-Anup

_________________________________________________________


3. ACTING WORKSHOP FEEDBACK

Here is an anonymous report from a reliable source regarding the free acting
workshop I posted in the last newsletter.
-Anup

"I attended the FREE ACTING WORKSHOP at The Actors Creative Workshop
with Jeffery Brooks.  It was a 2 hour session and the first hour and twenty
minutes was spent talking about Mr. Brooks experience and background. In a
nutshell, he is a  personal manager, producer, actor, coach, casting director
and wants to earn extra cash teaching his knowledge to new actors.  While it
was no secret that the seminar was a big sales pitch (Jeffery admitted this
openly), he did showcase his ability to help actors in the audition process.  
If
you are an actor that has been called in for auditions and called back but
never booked the role, this class is for you.  The class starts July 6th and
runs
for 6 weeks with a list price of $300."

_________________________________________________________


4. WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

In my previous newsletter (#116) I wrote about actors' faults.  Now it's time to
turn the tables around.  Casting directors (CD) and directors have lots of
power over actors. I went in for an audition in LA earlier this week with a
prominent casting director.  S/he didn't have me do a read, but only looked at
me.  Based on my looks, I was a `definite' to read for him/her the following
day.  S/he stated that the agency would get in touch with me later on that
same day with more info.  Next day I called and left a message. Yes, I realize
the `don't call us, we'll call you' situation which happens all the time and I
completely understand that method.  However, when it's stated the actor will
`definitely' read and then never get back to the actor, it's very
unprofessional.
Actually, a member of this group, whom I'd met at the audition, flew in from
Phoenix and the same thing happened to him.

A different situation – I spoke to a student director whose film I worked on
asking for a copy.  The director stated, `I was hoping you wouldn't call and
would've forgotten about it because I'm not at all happy with it.'  I can
understand the time it takes for post-production can vary and can even be
lengthy at times.  Hell, it took me over a year to get copies of my film
`Interminal' to my actors. But to not give to the actors is like not paying
someone after they worked for you.  Especially when that's the only
compensation that was listed when the actor submitted `credit/copy/meals' a
lot of the times meals are even provided.  That doesn't include the gas, wear
and tear, eating out all to work on the film.

After experiencing both of these this past week I decided it's time for action.
Just as I marked flakey actors who REPEATEDLY flaked, I will compile a list of
directors and CDs who do the same.  This is not a `black list' and not
necessarily for retribution, mind you, but just so there won't be disappointment
if you have the unfortunate luck of working with them and something like this
happens.

Furthermore, if you're doing a small student project don't do `callbacks'.
Instead, videotape the auditions so you can compare the actors later instead
of having them drive back for a second round.  It's not like it's a huge
hollywood project that pays and therefore has a dozen or so callbacks
rounds.

Ahh, I feel better now. ; )

-Anup

_________________________________________________________


5. CASTING CALL FOR STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY
A major company is looking for models for their shoot. Yes, it's paid.  If
you're
interested, reply and I will send you the followup info.  I'm not at liberty to
post
it here.
-Anup

_________________________________________________________


6. ACTORS AND CREW WEBSITE

Acting/filmmaking crossed with MySpace.  It looks like it has potential once
they work out all the bugs and more people join.
-Anup

ActorsandCrew.com is a networking and employment service for
entertainment professionals. It is a central place for everyone in the
entertainment community to come together. We have developed a service
where people can meet to exchange ideas, network, develop relationships,
post, find and submit to opportunities for projects, services, employment, and
quite a bit more.  ActorsandCrew.com was founded on the belief that what our
users have to say to each other is far more important than anything we have
to say to you. We believe that in concert with hard work, talent and
perseverance, the relationships you develop are what facilitate your
opportunities in the entertainment business.  This is what ActorsandCrew.com
is about, and we hope your experience on the site is fun, rewarding and that
it's a catalyst for your success.
http://www.actorsandcrew.com

_________________________________________________________


7. STATS AGAIN?

An acting friend was wondering which days she should have off from her
dayjob.  So I went back and looked at my audition stats over the last 2-3
months.  Here are my stats from the last 26 or so auditions:

7 Saturday auditions
6 Sunday auditions
3 Friday auditions
6 Thursday auditions
2 Tuesday auditions
4 Monday auditions

About 75% are student projects. Rest are misc. It's kind of a rough estimate,
but interesting nevertheless.  However, I heard that most industry auditions
are during the week b/c that's their day job so they work 9-5 M-F and students
do most of their stuff on the weekends or on Thu so they can shoot last minute
on the weekend.  However, the Thu's have usually been in the evens as well.
(See archived newsletter #120 for previous stats).

-Anup

_________________________________________________________


8. EXTRA! EXTRA!

Breakdown Services unveiled a totally new service at Actorfest on Saturday,
June 18.

Extrasaccess.com

Extras Access gives Background performers the ability to submit themselves
directly to casting for specific jobs much like Actors Access.

As of Tuesday, all jobs for Background work will only appear on Extras
Access and will not appear on Actors Access. Registering for Extras Access is
FREE! Just go to http://www.extrasaccess.com and follow the easy steps to
register. Just like Actors Access you can upload two pictures and update them
at no charge.

If you have any questions, please call Breakdown Services at (310) 276-9166
in Los Angeles and (212) 869-2003 in New York.

_________________________________________________________


9. ACTING TIPS

I was editing a friends film and couldn't find a cutaway to cut around some
weak acting.  I  ended up using the footage just after the clapper exited the
frame and before the director yelled action.  So if you're an actor (or
directing
actors) hold 3 seconds after you hear action and three seconds after hearing
cut before breaking out of character.  Usually a blank stare works best
because it can convey so many different emotions.  I usually wait til I see (or
hear) the asst. camera turn off the camera before `breaking character'.
If you're assistant camera operator who's doing the `clapping' make sure your
shadow is out of frame as soon as possible.  Otherwise, you can't use the take
even if the actor is still in character.

-Anup

_________________________________________________________


10. MEMBER UPDATES:

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

Hey everyone,
This is a follow up to the email I sent out about 2 months ago asking
for you to vote for my poster.  Well, for those of you who did....thank
you.  I won the contest.  Out of 90+ entries, over 2600 votes were
cast.
In fact, the first show is tomorrow night (Thurs. the 30th) at the
Santa Monica Pier.  Easy Star All Stars, doing a really cool reggae
version of "Dark Side of the Moon."  I actually have this album, it's
awesome.  The best part is....it's free!

For the whole summer line-up go to www.twilightdance.org.  You'll
actually be able to download the poster there too eventually (if you
care).

The poster actually turned out being a lot different than the original.
   If you want to see the final outcome, you can take a look at it on my
site www.electricsoap.com

See you at the pier.

Jeff Verges
http://www.ElectricSoap.com

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


AND ANOTHER ONE

Member Daeg Faerch (http://DaegFaerch.nowcasting.com) won a script
writing contest!

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


WE'RE ALL WINNERS AREN'T WE?

Ok, come see "The Merchant of Venice"! Not because I am in it but because it
is great theater in LA! See the review below or check out the LA Times review.
http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/221452,0,4791089.event (you might have
to type in Merchant of Venice)

For the first time since I have lived in LA I am truly happy in some part
because of working with this troupe who is destined to change the world. I'm
not exaggerating. A few weeks ago I participated in the "Tolerance
Conference" for educators at the Goethe Institut on Miracle Mile. Lisa, artistic
director and amazing actor, is currently working on a documentary on the last
12 years of the company and writing her book. She also lectures all over the
world. Tickets are cheap and it is so worth it just to see her play. That's not
to
underplay the rest of the cast who are all talented, amazing actresses. I'm
blushing now. I needs must stop this gushing.

We only have two weeks more to go and the last weekend is almost sold out
so come this weekend if you can. We play from Wednesday- Sunday, but with
the split cast system I am playing Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at
2pm. Ticket prices are $15 online at www.lawsc.net or $20 at the door. But if
the ticket price is preventing you from getting there let me know and we'll
figure something out. Let me know when you are coming because I would
love to see you!

Kristin

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

RADIO KILLED THE VIDEO STAR

I was fortunate enough to act in a music video for the artist, Hargo (http://
www.Hargo.net) directed by the ever-pleasant and prolific Gariss for Fourth
Project productions (http://www.FourthProject.com).  They're constantly
working on projects so check out their site for headshot submission info.
-Anup

_________________________________________________________


11. NBC LAUNCHES A WEBSITE FOR NATIVE-AMERICAN TALENT

As part of NBC Universal's ongoing effort to promote diversity within the
entertainment industry, www.fourdirectionstalent.com was built and launched
as the only network-sponsored active website and searchable database
created for Native American actors, comics, models, singers, writers and
directors to post their headshots, resumes and demo reels free of charge.

The site also offers a posting board with up to date information on casting
opportunities and events that impact the Native-American community.

If you are a Native-American performer or you have a client who is, we
encourage you to complete your free online profile which can be searched by
casting directors, producers, and talent scouts nationwide.

GO TO http://www.fourdirectionstalent.com to register.

_________________________________________________________


12. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS

Money-back guarantee offered for 'Cinderella Man'

By Steve Gorman
Wed Jun 29, 4:59 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a rare marketing ploy, the No. 2 U.S. movie
theater chain, AMC Entertainment, is offering a money-back guarantee for
boxing picture "Cinderella Man," hoping to boost interest in the struggling film
amid a record box-office slump.

Advertisements offering on-the-spot refunds to AMC patrons unhappy with the
film began running on June 24 in newspapers and on the exhibitor's Web site
(www.amctheaters.com), AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase said on Tuesday.

The ads, welcomed by the film's distributor, Universal Pictures, say in part:
"AMC believes Cinderella Man is one of the finest motion pictures of the year!"

Blase said AMC provides occasional rebates to dissatisfied moviegoers on a
case-by-case basis. But the "Cinderella Man" offer marks the exhibitor's first
money-back guarantee since "Mystic Pizza," Julia Robert's breakout 1988
film.

"This is highly unusual," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office
tracking service Exhibitor Relations Inc. "That's putting your money where
your mouth is."

The AMC promotion is perhaps the most eye-catching step taken by
exhibitors in recent weeks to shake up sluggish movie admissions, which
some industry observers have attributed in part to a string of films widely
regarded as subpar.

The major studios and theater owners have now posted 18 straight weekends
of year-to-year declines in ticket sales, the longest slump since analysts
began keeping detailed box office tallies.

"If there's a question about the quality of movies that are being shown right
now, here is a movie that AMC would like to really tout as very high caliber,"
Blase said.

Starring Russell Crowe as the Depression-era boxing hero Jim Braddock,
"Cinderella Man" has received generally favorable reviews but fallen flat at
the box office.

The movie, which cost a reported $88 million to make, opened in fourth place
the weekend of June 3-5 and has grossed a lackluster $49.8 million through
its fourth weekend.

Executives at Universal, a unit of General Electric Co., have acknowledged
they took a gamble releasing a period drama aimed at adult moviegoers early
in a summer movie season awash in high-octane popcorn fare targeting
younger audiences.

Conventional wisdom holds that such films have a better chance in mid- to
late-summer, when older filmgoers are looking for a break from blockbusters.

"We took a risk, and this time period clearly didn't work," Universal spokesman
Paul Pflug told Reuters, adding that the studio is considering re-releasing the
picture in the fall, closer to Oscar season.

Blase said the AMC has not decided how much longer to keep "Cinderella
Man" in theaters, a decision that Universal said was up to individual exhibitors
at this point.

The number of refunds requested since the promotion began has been
"minuscule," but no figures were yet available, Blase said. Nor was there any
way to tell whether admissions to "Cinderella Man" have risen since the offer
began, she said.

The AMC promotion comes days after the privately held exhibitor announced
plans to acquire its next-largest rival, Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp.
The newly merged venture will remain the No. 2 U.S. theater chain with about
5,900 movie screens in 450 venues.

1. Free Acting Workshop
2. Indie Distribution
3. eFilm Market Online
4. Free Film Festival Submissions
5. Carpool Group for Commuting Actors
6. Script Reading Workshop
7. Member Updates
8. Film Grants

__________________________________________________________


FREE ACTING WORKSHOP

The Actors Creative Workshop presents:

SPECIAL FREE WORKSHOP with Jeffery Brooks

From the dialogue coach on Friends and CEO of RedRock Entertainment
Development, comes an exciting new workshop that will get you working!

SATURDAY, JUNE 25th

Jeffery Brooks:  personal manager, producer, actor, coach, casting
director.

Jeffery Brooks worked as dialogue coach for over seven years on
Friends.  Jeffery has been teaching and coaching acting students for
more than 15 years and has worked as both a private and a studio
coach for actors of all ages, from beginners to celebrities.  Most
recently, Jeffery's management company, RED (RedRock Entertainment
Development) just signed a deal to produce 24 more short films and
their first 10 million dollar movie.  The success of his last film,
Sleeping Dogs Lie, starring Bradley Wilk (Rage Against the Machine)
and Ed Asner, has swept the festival circuit. Read about Jeffery's
Latest Film: www.sdlmovie.com.

Don't miss out on your chance to work with Jeffery Brooks ~ for free!

WHEN: Saturday, June 25th: noon-2pm

WHERE:  Actors Creative Workshop, 10523 Burbank Blvd.  Ste 206, North
Hollywood, CA  91601  (two story, white office building on Burbank
Blvd., just east of Cahuenga Blvd., near the NoHo Arts District.)

HOW TO REGISTER:
There will be a limited amount of space, so please follow the
subsequent instructions carefully to secure your reservation.

Go to http://www.trulyacting.com

Click on the "FREE WORKSHOP" link.

Fill out the form.

You will be contacted shortly via email with confirmation of your
reservation.

CONTACT:  Website: www.trulyacting.com, Phone: 818-752-1922, Email:
info@...

__________________________________________________________


INDIE DISTRIBUTION

Here's another distributor for indie films.  David Lynch just allowed this
company to distribute his first feature, Eraserhead, which til now was only
available through his website.
-Anup

http://www.Indiebuyer.com

__________________________________________________________


eFILM MARKET ONLINE

eFilm Market Online cuts out the middle man, and lets buyers contact you
directly through eFilm's auction and promotional services. In other words, it
brings sellers and buyers together, from the comfort of their own chairs.
Seller, or buyer, you make the deals yourselves.  eFilm Market Online is your
chance to retain up to 97% of what your TITLE grosses in worldwide sales. At
eFilm Market Online, you are your own salesperson, and, yes--the end result
will be that film sellers will retain up to 97% of what their film grosses. 
Efilm
Market charges a monthly listing fee per title, and a 1.5% gross of all sales on
the eFilm Market Online....far less than 25% to 30% normally charged by
sales companies, along with market expenses.  There are no hidden
expenses that eat up potential profits.
It's FREE to register, and only takes a few minutes of your time to become a
member.

http://www.efilmonline.com

__________________________________________________________


FREE FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSIONS

Tiburon International Film Festival (Free for Student Filmmakers)

"This annual festival is a true United Nations of cinema, showcasing films from
around the entire world." Via Magazine

Tiburon, CA ---- The Tiburon International Film Festival is excited to announce
the call for entries for its 5th annual event to run from March 9 - 17, 2006.

Submissions are open to all genres of film (Fiction, documentary, short,
animation, experimental, student, children, sports, music video.....) from any
nation of the world.

The Tiburon International Film Festival is proud to be the platform for the
talented independent filmmakers with premieres like Academy Award
nominated 7:35 am (7:35 de la mañana) [2004] by Nacho Vigalondo .... and
many films, which were picked up for distribution .... and countless films that
were invited to other festivals after being screened at TIFF.

Golden Reel Award

The films submitted to the Tiburon International Film Festival are eligible to
win the Golden Reel Award in several categories: Best Fiction, Best
Documentary, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Short, Best Animation,
Best Children Film, Best Student Film ..... The Audience Award will be
presented to one film through submitted ballots and the winners of all
categories will be announced at the end of the Festival.

ENTRY INFORMATION:
Entry form and eligibility guidelines are available on the festival's website
under Submit Films at: www.tiburonfilmfestival.com.

The deadline for submissions is: December 1, 2005.

Festival Date: March 9 - 17, 2006
Phone: (415) 381-4123
Fax: (415) 388- 4123
info@...
http://www.tiburonfilmfestival.com
1680 Tiburon Boulevard
Tiburon, CA 94920 USA

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

IMPERIAL BEACH FILM FESTIVAL (SAN DIEGO)

We are in out third year of production This year the festival will be a
2-day event with limited number of venues. It will again feature an art
walk, which prove to be a sucess last year.

This year our event will take place September 9th & 10th. Our call for
entries started May 1, 2005 and will close July 31, 2005.

Please visit our website at ibfilmfestival.com. and download an
application to submit your film.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us via e-mail at
futerman1@..., futerman@... or by phone at (619) 423-2692.
We look forward to hearing from you.

Steven and Martha Futterman
Imperial Beach Film Festival


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

MIAMI SCREENINGS

Hi.  My name is Justin Routt.  My company is Birch Creek Films.  My website is
http://www.bcfs.us  I hold Independent Film Night here in Miami, Florida.  I
show short films at the event.  I hold the event at popular venues.  I usually
get
between 100 and 200 people per event.  I have been featured in many press
articles, i.e., Movie Maker, Fortune Small Business, Miami Herald, New Times,
Deco Drive, Palm Beach Post and lots of others.  I let everyone in free, give
drink specials, and give away prizes.  I am looking for short films to show.
There is no fee and you will get great exposure and press.  If you are
interested in submitting your short film, please send in DVD format to:

Justin Routt
915 N.W. 1ST Ave # H 2611
Miami, FL  33136

If you have any questions, please look at my website, or e-mail me
jroutt@...
Thank you, I look forward to hearing from you.

Justin

__________________________________________________________

CARPOOL - SD TO LA COMMUTING ACTORS

There are several actors who live in San Diego and commute to LA for gigs,
auditions, etc.  Even though schedules are so random as well as specific
locations in LA, there might be times when people's schedules come together
and we'd be able to commute thereby splitting gas money and wear and tear
on the car.  If you're interested, just hit reply and give me your info.

-Anup
__________________________________________________________

SCRIPT READING WORKSHOP

Scripteasers, a San Diego-based playwrights development group, provides
writers the opportunity to hear their work read by actors. The group meets on
biweekly Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. to present cold readings of stageplays
and screenplays.

http://www.scripteasers.org

__________________________________________________________


MEMBER UPDATES


ACTOR'S DEBUT DIRECTING PROJECT

Hi folks.
I wanted to invite you to see the play I've been working on.  I will not be
onstage, but feel free to sit in the audience and take notes on the
performance, right along with me.
I am directing a play called Hellcab.  It's funny. It's sad.  But mostly, it's
funny.
The play runs Thursday night and Saturday & Sunday afternoons from June
16-26.
If you are interested in seeing it, you can peep details at the website below.
Or just keep reading this email...

Hellcab
written by Will Kern

A collection of scenes from a day in the life of a Chicago cabbie... Alternately
frightening, hilarious and poignant, these sharply etched blackouts and
cameos... are capped by a stunning and very touching finale.

Show Dates:
Thursday, June 16 at 8:30pm
Saturday, June 18 at 3:00pm
Sunday, June 19 at 3:00pm
Thursday, June 23 at 8:30pm
Saturday, June 25 at 3:00pm
Sunday, June 26 at 3:00pm

Reserve your seats now! Call (323) 465-0800 Plenty of free parking!

Hollywood Fight Club Theatre
6767 Sunset Blvd, Suite #6
(NE corner of Sunset & Highland)
Hollywood, CA 90028

Hope to see you there...
later,
Sid

www.SidVeda.com

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

GA$ MONEY IMPROV !!!!!!!!!!

June 20, 2005
8 p.m.
$10.00

14106 Magnolia blvd (look for A1 Cleaners)
Sherman oaks,  91423

Contact: 310-849-9145

Please RSVP .
Thank you very much.

Omar Adam

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

NYFA SCREENING

I had the pleasure of acting in a New York Film Academy (in LA, go figure)
short film last weekend with fellow group members Sonia Mari (http://
www.soniamari.com) and Viji about a young woman who is dealing with
pressure from her mother (Viji) to get married.  So she and her friend (Mari)
hire an actor to play a suitable beau to please her mother.

- Anup

Will You Marry Me?
Screens: Friday, Jun 24 at 7pm
Location: NYFA
Email me (by replying) for more info and/or changes

__________________________________________________________


FILM GRANTS

Academy Foundation Names 47 Institutions to Receive $500K Grants
by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE

The Academy Foundation's Institutional Grants Program has announced its
latest round of institutional grants, with $500,000 going to 47 universities,
colleges and cultural organization throughout the United States and two other
countries. Since 1968, the Academy Foundation, the educational wing of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has distributed over 400 grants
to film-related departments and programs at universities, colleges and
nonprofit organizations.

"The grants program is designed to bridge public audiences with the film
industry while promoting and advancing film as an art form and profession,"
explained Grants Committee Chair Buffy Shutt. "Providing half a million
dollars in grants will assist educational institutions and organizations in
developing film-based programming for their respective communities."

The Academy Foundation's Grants Committee selected the following
programs for the 2005-2006 allocation:

Internship Programs

$15,000

California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA)

Columbia University School of the Arts (New York, NY)

New York University (New York, NY) - The Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film
and Television

University of California at Los Angeles - Film and Television Archive

University of Southern California - School of Cinema-Television

University of Southern California - College of Letters, Arts and Sciences - The
Master of Professional Writing Program

$10,000

Austin Film Society (Austin, TX)

Columbia College (Hollywood, CA)

Penn State University (University Park, PA) - Department of Film-Video and
Media Studies

University of California at Los Angeles - School of Theater, Film and
Television

University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC) - Hollywood Internship Program

Yale University (New Haven, CT) - Film Studies Program

$5,000

Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY) - Department of Film and Media

Institutional Grants

$25,000

American Film Institute (Los Angeles) - Directing Workshop for Women

$20,000

Flaherty/International Film Seminars (New York City) - 51st Robert Flaherty
Film Seminar

Inner City Filmmakers (Los Angeles) - Training and film industry job
development program serving underprivileged youth

Streetlights (Hollywood, California) - Film industry job training, placement,
career mentoring and advancement

$15,000

Acme Network (Los Angeles) - "Acme Animation On-Air and Online" - Distant
learning program and online learning resource for high school and college
students

FIND (Los Angeles) - "Project Involve" - Mentoring and training program for
young filmmakers from underrepresented communities

Henry Mancini Institute (Culver City) - "Tribute to American Film Music" - One-
night concert with accompanying film clips

Writers Guild Foundation (Los Angeles) - Educational programs, including a
visiting writer program, seminar series, nominees' panel and a one-day
workshop on adaptation

$12,500

Film Arts Foundation (San Francisco, CA) - Screenwriting education program
and mentorship program

Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY) - "Animation: Minds in Motion!" -
Animation workshop for children between 9-12 years of age in from
underserved school districts and community organizations

Pacific Film Archive (Berkeley, CA) - "How To Read A Film" - Two-day visual
literacy workshop for teachers

$10,000

CineStory (Idylwild, CA) - Screenwriting workshop

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) - Cornell Cinema - Visiting filmmakers

Independent Feature Project (Minneapolis/St. Paul) - "Women Filmmakers
Access Grant Program" and the "Independent Producers Conference"

Independent Feature Project - "Project Involve: New York" - Networking
workshops and a mentorship program for 40 emerging and mid- career
minority narrative and documentary filmmakers

National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Santa Monica, CA) -
"Latino Producers Academy" - Intensive workshop bringing together
producers and directors

Squaw Valley Community of Writers (Olympic Valley, CA) - Screenwriting
workshop

$8,000

Cineaste Magazine (New York, NY) - "Acting in the Cinema" - Special 40-
page supplement

$7,500

Cleveland High School (Los Angeles) - "Summer Film Production Workshops"
- Cinematography projects for high school students

Double Helix Corporation (St. Louis, MO) - "City Visions" - Filmmaking
workshops with nationally recognized filmmakers

Duke University (Durham, NC) - "Women Film Pioneers International" -
Touring exhibition program

George Eastman House (Rochester, NY) - "Visiting Artist Series"

North Carolina School of the Arts (Winston-Salem, NC) - School of
Filmmaking - Visiting filmmakers

Winnipeg Film Group (Canada) - "The Winnipeg Aboriginal Filmmaker's
Training Program" - Advanced production workshop

$6,000

Community Film Workshop of Chicago - Film production workshop

eQuinoxe to be Continued (Paris, France) - International workshops for
screenwriters

$5,000

Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York) - "Screening Great Literature" -
Educational film series for high school students

California Film Institute (Mill Valley, CA) - Educational outreach programs
including filmmaker visits to schools, young critics workshop and student
transportation to events

College of Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM) - "GirlsFilmSchool" - Summer film
production workshop

Frameline (San Francisco, CA) - "Frameline at the Center" - Screening and
visiting filmmakers program

Independent Feature Project (IFP) Chicago - "Project Involve Chicago" -
Summer film program targeting underprivileged youth

Independent Films, Inc (Aspen, CO) - "Latino Youth Documentary Project" -
Film production workshop for immigrant teens

Women Make Movies (New York, NY) - "Production Assistance Program" -
Professional development workshops, fiscal sponsorship and information
services for women filmmakers

$2,500

University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) - Visiting Filmmakers Program

[ For grant guidelines and proposal information, please visit http://
www.oscars.org/grants ]

LUCAS' GENIUS BEYOND STAR WARS

Lucas Reimagined Movie Tech, Then Sold It

After filming the first "Star Wars" movie with special effects far from special,
George Lucas spent millions to develop a complete digital editing system to
populate his sequels with armies of X-wing fighters and Gungan warriors.
Then, he virtually gave it away…

Apple Computer Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs paid $10 million for the team
that became Pixar Inc., and the movie company went on to make $3 billion at
the box office…

First, the computer team created "EditDroid," the first digital-editing system.
It
allowed movies to be transferred to computer disks so editors won't have to
fiddle with cumbersome film reels. Lucas sold that technology to Avid
Technology Inc., which went on to sell the forerunner of modern movie-editing
bays…

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050512/111592788000.html

_________________________________________________________

MINI-OSCARS

Academy Announces Student Finalists

Twenty-nine students from 18 colleges and universities are vying for the
Academy's top student prizes.

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/fs/20050511/111584009900.html

_________________________________________________________

BETWEEN IRAQ AND A HARD PLACE

Read this article before you want to complain about how hard it is to make a
movie.  It's about the first Iraqi film which has been accepted to Cannes.
However, I can't take credit for the clever title - it's from Channel 4 in
England.
-Anup

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050512/111594318000.html

_________________________________________________________

MAYBE HE GREW IT.  MAYBE IT'S MAYBELLINE.

Here's a cool trick I learned when I had to grow out a moustache for the film
noir set in the 80s I shot a few weeks back.  Use mascara to thicken even a
two days' worth of facial hair growth to look like a month's growth.

-Anup

_________________________________________________________

MEMBER UPDATES:

DVD RELEASE - AMERICAN MADE

Sharat Raju (writer/director) of "American Made"  the DVD is almost ready.
Just around the corner, with the official release is scheduled mid- to late May.
In fact, you can reserve a copy of American Made at a discounted price of $10
(including shipping and handling)! If you pre-order American Made by May
1st, you'll save $5 off the usual price of $15.

On the web: http://www.AmericanMadeTheMovie.com

Place your vote on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352165/
And through that word of mouth, we have a remarkable new development.
American Made is now being endorsed by the Austin Police Department.
That's right -- our little short will be used for cultural outreach and
sensitivity
training in Austin, Texas for the police officers there. It's really an honor
and
we hope it helps in anyway possible. We're delighted they approached us
and are really thrilled about it.

And we hope you decide to get a copy of the film to be a part of your own
personal collection. Remember: "American Made -- If it's good enough for the
Austin PD, it's good enough even for me."

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

DVD RELEASE - ARYA

my movie ARYA
www.nritvfilmclub.com/aryatrailer.html
is releasing may 25th worldwide
 
please do help spread the word
people can prebook the DVD online - www.nritvfilmclub.com/store.php
for discounted price 9$
 
 
regards - manan singh katohora

--------------------------------------
FUNNY SHORT

Holly Bolly
http://www.imotion.com

_________________________________________________________

COOL DAY JOB OR AWESOME IDEA FOR ENTREPRENEURS

Harvard Prof Works As Hollywood Math Whiz


Harvard professor Jonathan Farley is an award-winning scholar, but he
wouldn't mind being known as a Hollywood mathematician.

Inspired by the box-office success of math-themed movies like "A Beautiful
Mind" and "Good Will Hunting," Farley figured there was a growing demand in
Hollywood for experts who can make sure the numbers add up on the screen.

Farley and a colleague founded a consulting company to offer their expertise
to television producers and filmmakers and hit it big with his first client:
consulting the CBS drama "Numb3rs," which stars Rob Morrow as an FBI
agent who recruits his mathematical genius brother to help solve crimes.
ADVERTISEMENT"It's not just about fixing mathematical mistakes in the
script," he said. "It's also about helping them get the culture right."

Plenty of films and TV shows employ military experts, police officers or doctors
to serve as technical advisers, but Farley believes his company Hollywood
Math and Science Film Consulting fills an unmet need.

Many movie mathematicians seem to luck into the job.

"A Beautiful Mind" director Ron Howard hired Barnard College math professor
Dave Bayer after he read a review of the play "Proof" that Bayer wrote for the
American Mathematical Society.

Before he consulted for "Good Will Hunting," University of Toronto physics
professor Patrick O'Donnell was hired as an extra. A producer stopped him on
the street and asked him to play a drunk in a bar scene with Robin Williams.
O'Donnell later helped actor Matt Damon with the math his character, a
troubled genius, would be tackling on screen.

"Hollywood is not a math class," O'Donnell said. "Every scene was accurate,
but you wouldn't learn mathematics from it."

Farley, 35, co-founded his company with Lizzie Burns, a London-based
biochemist he met studying at the University of Oxford a decade ago. Farley
said he and Burns are philosophically at odds over how mathematically
accurate movies should be.

"To make a film really credible," Burns said, "it's important to get the science
right."

Farley, on the other hand, said he knows filmmakers sometimes sacrifice
scientific accuracy in the name of entertainment.

"I just think there's a way of making the science not look ridiculous, as you
often find in many science-fiction shows and movies," he said.

Farley has recruited some of his colleagues, including Harvard postdoctoral
fellow Anthony Harkin, to serve as consultants. Harkin said mathematicians
love to police television programs and movies for errors. One of the most
famous, he added, comes from "The Wizard of Oz"

"When the scarecrow gets his brain, he incorrectly states the Pythagorean
theorem," Harkin said. "If any mathematician would looked at it, they could
have easily fixed that flaw."

Farley gives high marks to the makers of "Numb3rs" for what he says is an
accurate portrayal of how mathematicians work and interact with each other.

"Getting the math right is very important to our creators," said Andy Black, a
researcher for the show. "We do want to have that kind of credibility."

After "Numb3rs" premiered in January, Farley e-mailed the show's producers
and offered his services. He traded messages with Black, who agreed to start
sending him copies of unfinished scripts. Farley won't disclose what his
company is paid for their advice.

"Jonathan seemed very enthusiastic about pitching in," Black said.

Farley and Harkin check the scripts for errors, scribble suggestions in the
margins and send them to Black, who passes them on to the show's head
writers.

"He presents nice, concise suggestions," Black said. "It's up to the writers to
implement them."

Farley said he objected to a scene where one of the main characters, an older
mathematician played by Peter MacNicol, talks about his "brazen attack on
the Lorenz invariance."

"I asked a string-theory friend, and he said it doesn't make sense," he said. "I
told them, but they didn't change it."

The show also works closely with Gary Lorden, who chairs the math
department at the California Institute of Technology. Lorden comes up with
some of the formulas that Charley scribbles on chalkboards. In early
episodes, one of his younger graduate student's hands filled in for those of
the math genius, played by David Krumholtz.

Lorden said he sees the job as a lark, not a business opportunity.

"I grew up seeing virtually nothing about math in the popular media," he said.
"I'm really hoping 'Numb3rs' spawns some imitators."

Farley and his agent Caron Knauer, a former associate producer at 20th
Century Fox, are banking on that happening. "More and more projects are
featuring math on the forefront," Knauer said. "It's the Hollywood bandwagon
mentality."

On the Net:

Hollywood Math and Science Film Consulting: http://www.hollywoodmath.com

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20050502/111506184000.html

Here's an excellent article which puts the indie movement into perspective
and potential return on investment.  It's a really long article, but something I
want archived in case they take theirs offline.  So, keep making those films
even if you don't get distribution.

-Anup



THE LONG TAIL
By Chris Anderson
from Wired Magazine
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html

Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The
future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end
of
the bitstream.

In 1988, a British mountain climber named Joe Simpson wrote a book called
Touching the Void, a harrowing account of near death in the Peruvian Andes.
It got good reviews but, only a modest success, it was soon forgotten. Then, a
decade later, a strange thing happened. Jon Krakauer wrote Into Thin Air,
another book about a mountain-climbing tragedy, which became a publishing
sensation. Suddenly Touching the Void started to sell again.

Random House rushed out a new edition to keep up with demand.
Booksellers began to promote it next to their Into Thin Air displays, and sales
rose further. A revised paperback edition, which came out in January, spent
14 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. That same month, IFC Films
released a docudrama of the story to critical acclaim. Now Touching the Void
outsells Into Thin Air more than two to one.

What happened? In short, Amazon.com recommendations. The online
bookseller's software noted patterns in buying behavior and suggested that
readers who liked Into Thin Air would also like Touching the Void. People
took the suggestion, agreed wholeheartedly, wrote rhapsodic reviews. More
sales, more algorithm-fueled recommendations, and the positive feedback
loop kicked in.

Particularly notable is that when Krakauer's book hit shelves, Simpson's was
nearly out of print. A few years ago, readers of Krakauer would never even
have learned about Simpson's book - and if they had, they wouldn't have
been able to find it. Amazon changed that. It created the Touching the Void
phenomenon by combining infinite shelf space with real-time information
about buying trends and public opinion. The result: rising demand for an
obscure book.

This is not just a virtue of online booksellers; it is an example of an entirely
new economic model for the media and entertainment industries, one that is
just beginning to show its power. Unlimited selection is revealing truths about
what consumers want and how they want to get it in service after service, from
DVDs at Netflix to music videos on Yahoo! Launch to songs in the iTunes
Music Store and Rhapsody. People are going deep into the catalog, down the
long, long list of available titles, far past what's available at Blockbuster
Video,
Tower Records, and Barnes & Noble. And the more they find, the more they
like. As they wander further from the beaten path, they discover their taste is
not as mainstream as they thought (or as they had been led to believe by
marketing, a lack of alternatives, and a hit-driven culture).

An analysis of the sales data and trends from these services and others like
them shows that the emerging digital entertainment economy is going to be
radically different from today's mass market. If the 20th- century entertainment
industry was about hits, the 21st will be equally about misses.

For too long we've been suffering the tyranny of lowest-common-denominator
fare, subjected to brain-dead summer blockbusters and manufactured pop.
Why? Economics. Many of our assumptions about popular taste are actually
artifacts of poor supply-and-demand matching - a market response to
inefficient distribution.

The main problem, if that's the word, is that we live in the physical world and,
until recently, most of our entertainment media did, too. But that world puts
two
dramatic limitations on our entertainment.

The first is the need to find local audiences. An average movie theater will not
show a film unless it can attract at least 1,500 people over a two-week run;
that's essentially the rent for a screen. An average record store needs to sell
at least two copies of a CD per year to make it worth carrying; that's the rent
for a half inch of shelf space. And so on for DVD rental shops, videogame
stores, booksellers, and newsstands.

In each case, retailers will carry only content that can generate sufficient
demand to earn its keep. But each can pull only from a limited local
population - perhaps a 10-mile radius for a typical movie theater, less than
that for music and bookstores, and even less (just a mile or two) for video
rental shops. It's not enough for a great documentary to have a potential
national audience of half a million; what matters is how many it has in the
northern part of Rockville, Maryland, and among the mall shoppers of Walnut
Creek, California.

There is plenty of great entertainment with potentially large, even rapturous,
national audiences that cannot clear that bar. For instance, The Triplets of
Belleville, a critically acclaimed film that was nominated for the best animated
feature Oscar this year, opened on just six screens nationwide. An even more
striking example is the plight of Bollywood in America. Each year, India's film
industry puts out more than 800 feature films. There are an estimated 1.7
million Indians in the US. Yet the top-rated (according to Amazon's Internet
Movie Database) Hindi-language film, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India,
opened on just two screens, and it was one of only a handful of Indian films to
get any US distribution at all. In the tyranny of physical space, an audience
too thinly spread is the same as no audience at all.

The other constraint of the physical world is physics itself. The radio spectrum
can carry only so many stations, and a coaxial cable so many TV channels.
And, of course, there are only 24 hours a day of programming. The curse of
broadcast technologies is that they are profligate users of limited resources.
The result is yet another instance of having to aggregate large audiences in
one geographic area - another high bar, above which only a fraction of
potential content rises.

The past century of entertainment has offered an easy solution to these
constraints. Hits fill theaters, fly off shelves, and keep listeners and viewers
from touching their dials and remotes. Nothing wrong with that; indeed,
sociologists will tell you that hits are hardwired into human psychology, the
combinatorial effect of conformity and word of mouth. And to be sure, a
healthy share of hits earn their place: Great songs, movies, and books attract
big, broad audiences.

(page 2)

But most of us want more than just hits. Everyone's taste departs from the
mainstream somewhere, and the more we explore alternatives, the more
we're drawn to them. Unfortunately, in recent decades such alternatives have
been pushed to the fringes by pumped-up marketing vehicles built to order by
industries that desperately need them.

Hit-driven economics is a creation of an age without enough room to carry
everything for everybody. Not enough shelf space for all the CDs, DVDs, and
games produced. Not enough screens to show all the available movies. Not
enough channels to broadcast all the TV programs, not enough radio waves
to play all the music created, and not enough hours in the day to squeeze
everything out through either of those sets of slots.

This is the world of scarcity. Now, with online distribution and retail, we are
entering a world of abundance. And the differences are profound.
To see how, meet Robbie Vann-Adibé, the CEO of Ecast, a digital jukebox
company whose barroom players offer more than 150,000 tracks - and some
surprising usage statistics. He hints at them with a question that visitors
invariably get wrong: "What percentage of the top 10,000 titles in any online
media store (Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, or any other) will rent or sell at least
once a month?"

Most people guess 20 percent, and for good reason: We've been trained to
think that way. The 80-20 rule, also known as Pareto's principle (after Vilfredo
Pareto, an Italian economist who devised the concept in 1906), is all around
us. Only 20 percent of major studio films will be hits. Same for TV shows,
games, and mass-market books - 20 percent all. The odds are even worse for
major-label CDs, where fewer than 10 percent are profitable, according to the
Recording Industry Association of America.

But the right answer, says Vann-Adibé, is 99 percent. There is demand for
nearly every one of those top 10,000 tracks. He sees it in his own jukebox
statistics; each month, thousands of people put in their dollars for songs that
no traditional jukebox anywhere has ever carried.

People get Vann-Adibé's question wrong because the answer is
counterintuitive in two ways. The first is we forget that the 20 percent rule in
the entertainment industry is about hits, not sales of any sort. We're stuck in
a
hit-driven mindset - we think that if something isn't a hit, it won't make money
and so won't return the cost of its production. We assume, in other words, that
only hits deserve to exist. But Vann-Adibé, like executives at iTunes, Amazon,
and Netflix, has discovered that the "misses" usually make money, too. And
because there are so many more of them, that money can add up quickly to a
huge new market.

With no shelf space to pay for and, in the case of purely digital services like
iTunes, no manufacturing costs and hardly any distribution fees, a miss sold is
just another sale, with the same margins as a hit. A hit and a miss are on
equal economic footing, both just entries in a database called up on demand,
both equally worthy of being carried. Suddenly, popularity no longer has a
monopoly on profitability.

The second reason for the wrong answer is that the industry has a poor sense
of what people want. Indeed, we have a poor sense of what we want. We
assume, for instance, that there is little demand for the stuff that isn't
carried by
Wal-Mart and other major retailers; if people wanted it, surely it would be
sold.
The rest, the bottom 80 percent, must be subcommercial at best.

But as egalitarian as Wal-Mart may seem, it is actually extraordinarily elitist.
Wal-Mart must sell at least 100,000 copies of a CD to cover its retail overhead
and make a sufficient profit; less than 1 percent of CDs do that kind of volume.
What about the 60,000 people who would like to buy the latest Fountains of
Wayne or Crystal Method album, or any other nonmainstream fare? They
have to go somewhere else. Bookstores, the megaplex, radio, and network
TV can be equally demanding. We equate mass market with quality and
demand, when in fact it often just represents familiarity, savvy advertising,
and
broad if somewhat shallow appeal. What do we really want? We're only just
discovering, but it clearly starts with more.

To get a sense of our true taste, unfiltered by the economics of scarcity, look
at
Rhapsody, a subscription-based streaming music service (owned by
RealNetworks) that currently offers more than 735,000 tracks.
Chart Rhapsody's monthly statistics and you get a "power law" demand curve
that looks much like any record store's, with huge appeal for the top tracks,
tailing off quickly for less popular ones. But a really interesting thing
happens
once you dig below the top 40,000 tracks, which is about the amount of the
fluid inventory (the albums carried that will eventually be sold) of the average
real-world record store. Here, the Wal-Marts of the world go to zero - either
they don't carry any more CDs, or the few potential local takers for such fringy
fare never find it or never even enter the store.

The Rhapsody demand, however, keeps going. Not only is every one of
Rhapsody's top 100,000 tracks streamed at least once each month, the same
is true for its top 200,000, top 300,000, and top 400,000. As fast as Rhapsody
adds tracks to its library, those songs find an audience, even if it's just a
few
people a month, somewhere in the country.
This is the Long Tail.

You can find everything out there on the Long Tail. There's the back catalog,
older albums still fondly remembered by longtime fans or rediscovered by
new ones. There are live tracks, B-sides, remixes, even (gasp) covers. There
are niches by the thousands, genre within genre within genre: Imagine an
entire Tower Records devoted to '80s hair bands or ambient dub. There are
foreign bands, once priced out of reach in the Import aisle, and obscure
bands on even more obscure labels, many of which don't have the distribution
clout to get into Tower at all.

(page 3)

Oh sure, there's also a lot of crap. But there's a lot of crap hiding between
the
radio tracks on hit albums, too. People have to skip over it on CDs, but they
can more easily avoid it online, since the collaborative filters typically won't
steer you to it. Unlike the CD, where each crap track costs perhaps one-
twelfth of a $15 album price, online it just sits harmlessly on some server,
ignored in a market that sells by the song and evaluates tracks on their own
merit.

What's really amazing about the Long Tail is the sheer size of it. Combine
enough nonhits on the Long Tail and you've got a market bigger than the hits.
Take books: The average Barnes & Noble carries 130,000 titles. Yet more
than half of Amazon's book sales come from outside its top 130,000 titles.
Consider the implication: If the Amazon statistics are any guide, the market for
books that are not even sold in the average bookstore is larger than the
market for those that are (see "Anatomy of the Long Tail"). In other words, the
potential book market may be twice as big as it appears to be, if only we can
get over the economics of scarcity. Venture capitalist and former music
industry consultant Kevin Laws puts it this way: "The biggest money is in the
smallest sales."

The same is true for all other aspects of the entertainment business, to one
degree or another. Just compare online and offline businesses: The average
Blockbuster carries fewer than 3,000 DVDs. Yet a fifth of Netflix rentals are
outside its top 3,000 titles. Rhapsody streams more songs each month
beyond its top 10,000 than it does its top 10,000. In each case, the market that
lies outside the reach of the physical retailer is big and getting bigger.
When you think about it, most successful businesses on the Internet are about
aggregating the Long Tail in one way or another. Google, for instance, makes
most of its money off small advertisers (the long tail of advertising), and eBay
is mostly tail as well - niche and one-off products. By overcoming the
limitations of geography and scale, just as Rhapsody and Amazon have,
Google and eBay have discovered new markets and expanded existing ones.
This is the power of the Long Tail. The companies at the vanguard of it are
showing the way with three big lessons. Call them the new rules for the new
entertainment economy.

Rule 1: Make everything available

If you love documentaries, Blockbuster is not for you. Nor is any other video
store - there are too many documentaries, and they sell too poorly to justify
stocking more than a few dozen of them on physical shelves. Instead, you'll
want to join Netflix, which offers more than a thousand documentaries -
because it can. Such profligacy is giving a boost to the documentary
business; last year, Netflix accounted for half of all US rental revenue for
Capturing the Friedmans, a documentary about a family destroyed by
allegations of pedophilia.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who's something of a documentary buff, took this
newfound clout to PBS, which had produced Daughter From Danang, a
documentary about the children of US soldiers and Vietnamese women. In
2002, the film was nominated for an Oscar and was named best documentary
at Sundance, but PBS had no plans to release it on DVD. Hastings offered to
handle the manufacturing and distribution if PBS would make it available as a
Netflix exclusive. Now Daughter From Danang consistently ranks in the top 15
on Netflix documentary charts. That amounts to a market of tens of thousands
of documentary renters that did not otherwise exist.

There are any number of equally attractive genres and subgenres neglected
by the traditional DVD channels: foreign films, anime, independent movies,
British television dramas, old American TV sitcoms. These underserved
markets make up a big chunk of Netflix rentals. Bollywood alone accounts for
nearly 100,000 rentals each month. The availability of offbeat content drives
new customers to Netflix - and anything that cuts the cost of customer
acquisition is gold for a subscription business. Thus the company's first
lesson: Embrace niches.

Netflix has made a good business out of what's unprofitable fare in movie
theaters and video rental shops because it can aggregate dispersed
audiences. It doesn't matter if the several thousand people who rent Doctor
Who episodes each month are in one city or spread, one per town, across the
country - the economics are the same to Netflix. It has, in short, broken the
tyranny of physical space. What matters is not where customers are, or even
how many of them are seeking a particular title, but only that some number of
them exist, anywhere.

As a result, almost anything is worth offering on the off chance it will find a
buyer. This is the opposite of the way the entertainment industry now thinks.
Today, the decision about whether or when to release an old film on DVD is
based on estimates of demand, availability of extras such as commentary and
additional material, and marketing opportunities such as anniversaries,
awards, and generational windows (Disney briefly rereleases its classics
every 10 years or so as a new wave of kids come of age). It's a high bar,
which is why only a fraction of movies ever made are available on DVD.
That model may make sense for the true classics, but it's way too much fuss
for everything else. The Long Tail approach, by contrast, is to simply dump
huge chunks of the archive onto bare-bones DVDs, without any extras or
marketing. Call it the Silver Series and charge half the price. Same for
independent films. This year, nearly 6,000 movies were submitted to the
Sundance Film Festival. Of those, 255 were accepted, and just two dozen
have been picked up for distribution; to see the others, you had to be there.
Why not release all 255 on DVD each year as part of a discount Sundance
Series?In a Long Tail economy, it's more expensive to evaluate than to
release. Just do it!

(page 4)

The same is true for the music industry. It should be securing the rights to
release all the titles in all the back catalogs as quickly as it can -
thoughtlessly, automatically, and at industrial scale. (This is one of those
rare
moments where the world needs more lawyers, not fewer.) So too for
videogames. Retro gaming, including simulators of classic game consoles
that run on modern PCs, is a growing phenomenon driven by the nostalgia of
the first joystick generation. Game publishers could release every title as a
99-cent download three years after its release - no support, no guarantees, no
packaging.

All this, of course, applies equally to books. Already, we're seeing a blurring
of
the line between in and out of print. Amazon and other networks of used
booksellers have made it almost as easy to find and buy a second-hand book
as it is a new one. By divorcing bookselling from geography, these networks
create a liquid market at low volume, dramatically increasing both their own
business and the overall demand for used books. Combine that with the
rapidly dropping costs of print-on-demand technologies and it's clear why any
book should always be available. Indeed, it is a fair bet that children today
will
grow up never knowing the meaning of out of print.

Rule 2: Cut the price in half. Now lower it.

Thanks to the success of Apple's iTunes, we now have a standard price for a
downloaded track: 99 cents. But is it the right one?
Ask the labels and they'll tell you it's too low: Even though 99 cents per track
works out to about the same price as a CD, most consumers just buy a track
or two from an album online, rather than the full CD. In effect, online music
has seen a return to the singles-driven business of the 1950s. So from a label
perspective, consumers should pay more for the privilege of purchasing à la
carte to compensate for the lost album revenue.

Ask consumers, on the other hand, and they'll tell you that 99 cents is too
high. It is, for starters, 99 cents more than Kazaa. But piracy aside, 99 cents
violates our innate sense of economic justice: If it clearly costs less for a
record label to deliver a song online, with no packaging, manufacturing,
distribution, or shelf space overheads, why shouldn't the price be less, too?
Surprisingly enough, there's been little good economic analysis on what the
right price for online music should be. The main reason for this is that pricing
isn't set by the market today but by the record label demi-cartel. Record
companies charge a wholesale price of around 65 cents per track, leaving
little room for price experimentation by the retailers.

That wholesale price is set to roughly match the price of CDs, to avoid
dreaded "channel conflict." The labels fear that if they price online music
lower, their CD retailers (still the vast majority of the business) will revolt
or,
more likely, go out of business even more quickly than they already are. In
either case, it would be a serious disruption of the status quo, which terrifies
the already spooked record companies. No wonder they're doing price
calculations with an eye on the downsides in their traditional CD business
rather than the upside in their new online business.

But what if the record labels stopped playing defense? A brave new look at
the economics of music would calculate what it really costs to simply put a
song on an iTunes server and adjust pricing accordingly. The results are
surprising.

Take away the unnecessary costs of the retail channel - CD manufacturing,
distribution, and retail overheads. That leaves the costs of finding, making,
and marketing music. Keep them as they are, to ensure that the people on the
creative and label side of the business make as much as they currently do.
For a popular album that sells 300,000 copies, the creative costs work out to
about $7.50 per disc, or around 60 cents a track. Add to that the actual cost of
delivering music online, which is mostly the cost of building and maintaining
the online service rather than the negligible storage and bandwidth costs.
Current price tag: around 17 cents a track. By this calculation, hit music is
overpriced by 25 percent online - it should cost just 79 cents a track,
reflecting
the savings of digital delivery.

Putting channel conflict aside for the moment, if the incremental cost of
making content that was originally produced for physical distribution available
online is low, the price should be, too. Price according to digital costs, not
physical ones.

All this good news for consumers doesn't have to hurt the industry. When you
lower prices, people tend to buy more. Last year, Rhapsody did an
experiment in elastic demand that suggested it could be a lot more. For a brief
period, the service offered tracks at 99 cents, 79 cents, and 49 cents. Although
the 49-cent tracks were only half the price of the 99-cent tracks, Rhapsody
sold three times as many of them.

Since the record companies still charged 65 cents a track - and Rhapsody
paid another 8 cents per track to the copyright-holding publishers - Rhapsody
lost money on that experiment (but, as the old joke goes, made it up in
volume). Yet much of the content on the Long Tail is older material that has
already made back its money (or been written off for failing to do so): music
from bands that had little record company investment and was thus cheap to
make, or live recordings, remixes, and other material that came at low cost.
Such "misses" cost less to make available than hits, so why not charge even
less for them? Imagine if prices declined the further you went down the Tail,
with popularity (the market) effectively dictating pricing. All it would take is
for
the labels to lower the wholesale price for the vast majority of their content
not
in heavy rotation; even a two- or three-tiered pricing structure could work
wonders. And because so much of that content is not available in record
stores, the risk of channel conflict is greatly diminished. The lesson: Pull
consumers down the tail with lower prices.

(page 5)

How low should the labels go? The answer comes by examining the
psychology of the music consumer. The choice facing fans is not how many
songs to buy from iTunes and Rhapsody, but how many songs to buy rather
than download for free from Kazaa and other peer-to-peer networks.
Intuitively, consumers know that free music is not really free: Aside from any
legal risks, it's a time-consuming hassle to build a collection that way.
Labeling is inconsistent, quality varies, and an estimated 30 percent of tracks
are defective in one way or another. As Steve Jobs put it at the iTunes Music
Store launch, you may save a little money downloading from Kazaa, but
"you're working for under minimum wage." And what's true for music is doubly
true for movies and games, where the quality of pirated products can be even
more dismal, viruses are a risk, and downloads take so much longer.

So free has a cost: the psychological value of convenience. This is the "not
worth it" moment where the wallet opens. The exact amount is an impossible
calculus involving the bank balance of the average college student multiplied
by their available free time. But imagine that for music, at least, it's around
20
cents a track. That, in effect, is the dividing line between the commercial
world
of the Long Tail and the underground. Both worlds will continue to exist in
parallel, but it's crucial for Long Tail thinkers to exploit the opportunities
between 20 and 99 cents to maximize their share. By offering fair pricing,
ease of use, and consistent quality, you can compete with free.

Perhaps the best way to do that is to stop charging for individual tracks at
all.
Danny Stein, whose private equity firm owns eMusic, thinks the future of the
business is to move away from the ownership model entirely. With ubiquitous
broadband, both wired and wireless, more consumers will turn to the celestial
jukebox of music services that offer every track ever made, playable on
demand. Some of those tracks will be free to listeners and advertising-
supported, like radio. Others, like eMusic and Rhapsody, will be subscription
services. Today, digital music economics are dominated by the iPod, with its
notion of a paid-up library of personal tracks. But as the networks improve, the
comparative economic advantages of unlimited streamed music, either
financed by advertising or a flat fee (infinite choice for $9.99 a month), may
shift the market that way. And drive another nail in the coffin of the retail
music
model.

Rule 3: Help me find it

In 1997, an entrepreneur named Michael Robertson started what looked like
a classic Long Tail business. Called MP3.com, it let anyone upload music
files that would be available to all. The idea was the service would bypass the
record labels, allowing artists to connect directly to listeners. MP3.com would
make its money in fees paid by bands to have their music promoted on the
site. The tyranny of the labels would be broken, and a thousand flowers would
bloom.

Putting aside the fact that many people actually used the service to illegally
upload and share commercial tracks, leading the labels to sue MP3.com, the
model failed at its intended purpose, too. Struggling bands did not, as a rule,
find new audiences, and independent music was not transformed. Indeed,
MP3.com got a reputation for being exactly what it was: an undifferentiated
mass of mostly bad music that deserved its obscurity.

The problem with MP3.com was that it was only Long Tail. It didn't have
license agreements with the labels to offer mainstream fare or much popular
commercial music at all. Therefore, there was no familiar point of entry for
consumers, no known quantity from which further exploring could begin.
Offering only hits is no better. Think of the struggling video-on-demand
services of the cable companies. Or think of Movielink, the feeble video
download service run by the studios. Due to overcontrolling providers and
high costs, they suffer from limited content: in most cases just a few hundred
recent releases. There's not enough choice to change consumer behavior, to
become a real force in the entertainment economy.

By contrast, the success of Netflix, Amazon, and the commercial music
services shows that you need both ends of the curve. Their huge libraries of
less-mainstream fare set them apart, but hits still matter in attracting
consumers in the first place. Great Long Tail businesses can then guide
consumers further afield by following the contours of their likes and dislikes,
easing their exploration of the unknown.

For instance, the front screen of Rhapsody features Britney Spears,
unsurprisingly. Next to the listings of her work is a box of "similar artists."
Among them is Pink. If you click on that and are pleased with what you hear,
you may do the same for Pink's similar artists, which include No Doubt. And
on No Doubt's page, the list includes a few "followers" and "influencers," the
last of which includes the Selecter, a 1980s ska band from Coventry, England.
In three clicks, Rhapsody may have enticed a Britney Spears fan to try an
album that can hardly be found in a record store.

Rhapsody does this with a combination of human editors and genre guides.
But Netflix, where 60 percent of rentals come from recommendations, and
Amazon do this with collaborative filtering, which uses the browsing and
purchasing patterns of users to guide those who follow them ("Customers who
bought this also bought ..."). In each, the aim is the same: Use
recommendations to drive demand down the Long Tail.

This is the difference between push and pull, between broadcast and
personalized taste. Long Tail business can treat consumers as individuals,
offering mass customization as an alternative to mass-market fare.
The advantages are spread widely. For the entertainment industry itself,
recommendations are a remarkably efficient form of marketing, allowing
smaller films and less-mainstream music to find an audience. For consumers,
the improved signal-to-noise ratio that comes from following a good
recommendation encourages exploration and can reawaken a passion for
music and film, potentially creating a far larger entertainment market overall.
(The average Netflix customer rents seven DVDs a month, three times the rate
at brick-and-mortar stores.) And the cultural benefit of all of this is much
more
diversity, reversing the blanding effects of a century of distribution scarcity
and
ending the tyranny of the hit.

Such is the power of the Long Tail. Its time has come.

Chris Anderson (canderson@...) is Wired's editor in chief.

Hello,

It's been a while since my last update, especially for the people on the
'special
notices only' setting.  I have six films screenings starting this Saturday
(5/14)
through the following Saturday at three different schools.  Unfortunately, two
of them are on the same night - it's like having to choose between your kids'
baseball game or piano receital.  But I'm not complaining.  These student fests
are pretty long and it's hard to determine where my films will play,  Nausheen
a group member here wrote and directed `12th Man'.

Let me know if you're even remotely interested in going because I will then
send you email updates (as opposed to yahoo group updates) as locations,
dates and times are subject to change.

I also tried to put as much info on there about the film and my role in it.

I hope to see you there.

Anup



"EMEKA"
Chapman University Screening
Written & Directed by Chido Osueka
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Between 12pm – 6pm

Chapman University
Argous Forum Rm 208
1 University Dr
Orange, CA 92866-1005

Admission: Free

Synopsis: An immigrant woman faces hardship to support herself and her
son.
Genre: Drama
Original Format: Super 16mm
Running Time: 13 min
My Role: Day Player (one scene)

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

"THE PACKAGE"
Chapman University Screening
Written & Directed by Chris Coulter
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Time ?

Chapman University
Argous Forum Rm 208
1 University Dr
Orange, CA 92866-1005

Admission: Free

Synopsis: Two soldiers caught behind enemy lines.
Genre: Drama/Action
Original Format: Digital
Running Time: 15 min
My Role: Lead

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

"A GIRL AND A GUN"
Synopsis: A quirky film noir set in the mid-80s about a guy, his girls, and his
gun.

San Diego State University Screening
Written & Directed by Adam Thomson

Thursday, March 19, 2005,
Program Starts: 7pm
San Diego State Univ.'s Don Powell Theater

Admission: $5 include a BBQ beforehand

Genre: Comedy/Film Noir
Original Format: Super-16mm
Running Time: ~12min
My Role: Lead

Directions to Campus:

From Los Angeles
* I-5 South
* Merge onto I-8 East

From River
* I-15 South
* Merge onto I-8 East

From Yuma
* I-8 West

From Mexico
* 805 North
* Merge onto I-8 East

From San Diego International Airport
* Turn left onto N. Harbor Dr.
* Turn left onto W. Grape St.
* Merge onto I-5 South
* Merge onto CA-163 North
* Merge onto I-8 East

From I-8, take College Avenue exit and go south. San Diego State University
will be on your right.

Proceed past Canyon Crest Drive through (the first stoplight) then make an
immediate right turn to the green Information Booth for parking information.
Ask the parking guard for directions as to where you may park.

Paid visitor parking is available in designated campus lots. Please refer to the
campus map (http://sdsu.edu/map/index.html) for specific visitor locations.

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

"BIRTH CONTROL"
Synopsis: A man and a woman discuss their future.

Chapman University Screening
Written & Directed by Alex Lavin

Thursday, March 19, 2005 - 7pm
Chapman University
Argous Forum Rm 208
1 University Dr
Orange, CA 92866-1005

Admission: Free

Genre: Drama
Original Format: Super 16mm
Running Time: 3 min
My Role: Lead

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

"FUTILITY"
Synopsis: A high school girl deals with incredible amounts of problems that
parents never understand.

UC Irvine Screening
Written & Directed by Ben Lieu

Friday May 20, 2005
Program Starts 7pm

University of California at Irvine
Humanities & Instructions Building (HIB 100)

Admission: Free
Free Food

Genre: Comedy
Original Format: Digital 24p
Running Time: 14 min
My Role: Day Player

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

"THE 12th MAN"
Synopsis: A woman steals a cricket ball from a college team and has to deal
with the repercussions.

Cal State University Long Beach Screening
Written & Directed by Nausheen Dadabhoy

Saturday, May 21, 2005
Cal State Long Beach Carpenter Performing Arts Center
Doors open at 7:30 and the show begins at 8:00*

General Admission is $8.00
Students, seniors, and children get in for $6.00.
Parking is $3.00.
Tickets can be purchased at the box office.

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Running Time: ~12 min
My Role: Supporting

*Please be on time at 12th Man is going to be the first film screening that
night. The show is 2 hours long and there are refreshments afterwards.

Here's the Carpenter Center website for more info:
http://www.carpenterarts.org

Here's the address:
6200 Atherton St.
Long Beach, Ca
90840

The Carpenter Center is located on the corner of Atherton and Palo Verde.
Attached is a map of where is can be found on the campus.

This place seats 1,074 people, so feel free to invite friends and family to
come as well.

I hope you can all make it,
Nausheen