Indie Filmmakers Need Screenwriters

Another Way In --

Most people never consider Indie filmmakers as a potential market
for their screenwriting. But there are opportunities there and in some
cases, it is a lot easier to establish yourself with an Indie.
As you read this interview with screenwriter Michael Hockney, you will be surprised at the results that can be achieved in the Indie
world. Here's the interview:

HAL: Hi Michael. I know you've had a lot of success getting
assignments with Indie producers, can you give me an overview of
what you've done with them?

MICHAEL: Sure. Since I took your Great Screenwriting Series two
years ago, I've worked with nine producers on two shorts, two features, a feature-length animation, a TV series, two Pilots and an animated TV Series.
I think I've done just about everything a screenwriter could do for an
Indie producer - taken a producer's idea and developed it into a
feature length script, I've rewritten a few scripts optioned by
producers, worked as a story editor on one producer's project, major
rewrite on another and I've been given concepts and free range to
write the best script possible.

HAL: Wow! That's amazing. How did you locate these Indie
producers?

MICHAEL: I met some at the local film society, through websites
like Hollywoodlitsales, film festivals, and through word-of-mouth.
producers I worked with talking to other producers.
HAL: Okay, so then you somehow hooked up with them to get
a writing assignment. How did you do that?

MICHAEL: The first two were members of the film society here in
the Okanagan. Although I wasn't paid, the experience was valuable
and I had two credits to put on my resume. With that small resume,
I went to websites like hollywoodlitsales.com and emailed producers
looking for writers. My first "LA" job came that way.
Then the local producer had her short screened at the National
Screen Institute in Canada, which helped launch her career -- I was
fortunate enough that she remembered me and she recommended
me to the next two producers. After an email introduction, I sent my
resume and a very short writing sample. They emailed back within
the hour asking me what my rates were! That was a weird moment.
Usually they tell me their terms!

LEARN MORE at SCRIPT FOR SALE.com
http://www.scriptforsale.com/articles/indies.htm

First Look: Sony HDR-UX1/SG1

In July 2006, Sony Electronics and Panasonic announced the delivery of a new camera acquisition format known as "AVC-HD" or Advanced Video Codec-High Definition. AVC is a format that stems from h.264/MPEG 4 pt10, and has a wide range of profiles offering support for mobile communication devices to 4:4:4 10 bit video. AVC-HD is in its infant state, but stands to become a broadly spread format in years to come, provided hardware continues to develop to make the process more efficient and as encoders mature in coming years.

The first camcorders utilizing the AVC-HD codec are scheduled to launch shortly, and during a recent expedition to Southeast Asia, I had the opportunity to spend several days shooting with a pre-production model of the new Sony HDR UX-1 camcorder in a variety of shooting situations. This small, DVD storage-based camcorder is very impressive, particularly given that it's a first outing of the format. The camcorder offers approximately 12 Mbps of video bit-rate; the efficiency of the AVC HD codec allows for lower bitrates while maintaining high quality images.

A few comments on initial experiences with AVC-HD; It requires a fair amount of additional horsepower to work with than HDV or other lesser-compressed formats, so for the professional editor, this will be a bit of a challenge, though the average consumer will likely not know the difference. Consumers will love the ability to put the disc in their DVD player or computer and immediately play, index, and edit the content, even if it's not at fast frame rates, just as it is now. Converting to an intermediary format is likely going to be required in the shorter run, until hardware and software can catch up to the decoding demands of AVC.

Keying is a challenge in this format; I shot against a well-lit Photoflex green panel, and the results were less than stellar, but this is also a pre-production model of the camcorder, so I'll offer it the benefit of the doubt for the time being. I have to also constantly remind myself that this is a lower bitrate, consumer aimed acquisition device, and the cost has to be figured into the value-per-dollar, and not just pixel-per-dollar.

READ MORE...By Douglas Spotted Eagle for Studio Daily
http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/7001.html

SEVEN MUMMIES

A misfit group of convicts find a fabled treasure and horrific death when they uncover the secret of the lost gold of the Tumacacori.

- Originally titled Treasure of the Seven Mummies.
- Supposedly has vampires, ghouls, and mummies.
- Currently in Post-Production.
- Filmed at Old Tucson Studios/Mescal site outside of Tucson, Arizona.
- Talmarc Productions and Pretty Dangerous Films, with Thadd Turner and Ryan Johnson are producing.

LEARN MORE...
http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/movies/treasure.php

A Christmas Miracle

CHRISTMAS is a state of mind.

Miracles can happen any day of the year.

SEE THE FILM...
http://www.kidnapperfilms.com/video.php?video=Christmas%20Miracle.mov&w=360&h=256&info=A%20Christmas%20Miracle

DANGEROUS WAYS

In a place where payback is second nature, you have to be careful who you cross. Making the wrong choice can prove to be deadly. "DANGEROUS WAYS" tells the story of the seedy Glaswegian underworld of corrupt cops, pimps and thieves. Alan McGowen has a history of back luck with women.

He was banished from his home in Glasgow for having had an affair with mob boss Shugg's woman Julie. Two years later, Alan returns home for his brother, Gary's funeral. Gary, who himself was a part of the mob, has been brutally murdered, leaving everyone searching for answers. Shugg and Georgie Boy cut a violent path through Glasgow's underworld trying to find Gary's killers. When Alan sees that things don't seem to add up, he decides to take it upon himself to get to the real truth. Women troubles start again for Alan when he begins an affair with Sharon.

Alan is unaware that she is Georgie Boy's ex girlfriend. Georgie Boy warns Alan to stay away from her. When Alan ignores his threats, he tells Shugg that Alan and Julie are back together. The news enrages Shugg throwing him into a tailspin leading him to slice Alan. Alan eventually uncovers Gary's murderer and Shugg delivers the usual gangland justice.

A New York based production company, Ugly has been an active part of the Independent Film Industry for the past four years. Partners Nicky Arezu Akmal, Massoumeh Emami and Yasmin Rais founded Ugly Productions with the aim to bridge the gap between documentaries and narrative features, launching Independent films into the forefront of the entertainment industry.
LEARN MORE...
http://www.ugly-productions.com/frame2.htm

PORN FOLEY ARTIST

A foley artists is somebody that creates sounds for motion pictures.
In every movie you go and see, every sound is made in a studio like this. Screeching tires, somebody slamming a door… It’s not about making it sound real. It’s about making it sound how you want it to sound.
Gents! Let me tell ya, as a sound mixer for film and tv (not to mention, former foley artist/engineer), I TRULY appreciate this...AND the good work you do!
I KNEW that was some of your sounds I heard just last night in fact! Wow. Now to see you 'in action' is just...just great, y'know?
:)
(very amusing to an actual sound pro. keep it up!)
-jfriah

All movies have Foley artists that make sounds from gunshots to cum shots.
-zeketheo

I searched long and hard (no pun intended) and finally found a film with Foley by Julius. If you get a chance check out "Sex Trex: The Next Penetration".
-hypjoe
SEE HOW THE SOUNDS ARE MADE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhEm4lGKY8k

The Horror Screenwriter's Page

If you write horror screenplays (or if you want to) then this is the site for you.

At this site you will find information and links to various screenwriting and horror sites that you might find useful.

LEARN MORE...

http://www.tcnj.edu/~beres/horror.htm

TRUST

From the darkened shadows of the inner city comes a powerful tale of love and betrayal as three unforgettable souls dare to challenge life’s ultimate game of who to “Trust.”
The story unfolds with the beautiful Isis who meets Deandre, a street raised genius. They encounter a new and very special relationship together. But Deandre knows he can’t and should not trust anyone, even Isis. Deandre’s street attitude keeps him strong and suspicious of everyone, even his old friend Winston.
Deandre, consequently discovers a series of shocking truths about his friend Winston who has more than a longtime friendship in common with him.
This leads to an emotional boiling point exposing a burning fuse, ready to ignite. Suddenly their simple lives are saturated with turbulence, as Isis unwittingly becomes a pawn in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Winston finds himself face to face with anger powerful enough to destroy him. And Deandre’s relentless cycle of madness makes him unable to escape F.E.A.R. and finally “Trust” someone.
William Pierce and Parris Reaves bring to life a dangerous intersection of pain and destruction into a realm of movie masterpiece …
Trust is their story.
LEARN MORE...
http://www.maverickentertainment.cc/filmdetail.php?ProductID=43&Submit=%A0Go%A0

My Phamily B.B.Q.

What do you get when you combine “Soul Food” and “Friday?”

You Get My Phamily B.B.Q. This is the story of three families who come together after 4 years apart for a giant family reunion with grandma and grandpa. In this family you have your rivalries, kissing cousins, badass kids, cheating husbands and drug dealers. Not to mention someone is about to be drafted in the NBA, and someone brings their new white lover to the reunion. Whew, if you think that isn’t drama, auntie can’t let go of the past and uncle can’t cook the B.B.Q. This family put the “Phat” in Phamily.

LEARN MORE...
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/my_phamily_bbq/

Editing Tricks 1: Cutting on Motion & Crunching Time

This clip features some basic editing tricks and concepts.

WEB DOCS feature interviews shot by Gil Whitney, along wih B-Roll shot by Gil Whitney, Scott Spears, Sean Reid, Phil Garret, and still photography by Therp Sajik. Directed & Edited by Peter John Ross
© copyright 2006 Horrors of War LLC

SEE EDITING TRICKS...
http://www.horrorsofwarmovie.com/webdocs/edit1.php

Everything You've Wanted to know About Video Compression

Compression is the process of reducing data in a digital signal by eliminating redundant information. This process reduces
the amount of bandwidth required to transmit the data and the amount of storage space required to store it. Any type of digital data can be compressed. Reducing the required bandwidth permits more data to be transmitted at one time.

Compression can be divided into two categories: lossless and lossy. In lossless compression, the restored image is an exact duplicate of the original with no loss of data. In lossy compression, the restored image is an approximation, not an exact duplicate, of the original.

Lossless Compression

Lossless compression is characterized by a complete restoration of all the original data that was contained in the original image. Compressing a document is a form of lossless compression in that the restored document must be exactly the same as the original. It cannot be an approximation. In the visual world, lossless compression lends itself to images that contain large quantities of repeated information, for example, an image that contains a large area of one color, perhaps a blue sky. Computer-generated images or flat colored areas that do not contain much detail, e.g., cartoons, graphics, and 3D animation, also lend themselves to lossless compression.

One type of lossless compression commonly used in graphics and computer-generated images (CGI) is run-length encoding. These images tend to have large portions using the same colors or repeated patterns. Every pixel in a digital image is composed of the three component colors, red, green, and blue, and every pixel has a specific value for each color. Therefore, it takes three bytes of information, one byte for each color, to represent a pixel.

LEARN MORE...By Diana Weynand & Marcus Weise
http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=50116

AGENTS

If you do not have an agent, nobody will talk to you.

You need to know that right out of the gate, even though it isn't 100% true. It is possible to sell a script without an agent, but it's a hell of a lot harder. Of course, if nepotism is on your side, all bets are off, but if you don't have any friends or relatives in the film industry, you should really get an agent.

There are a few reasons why nobody will talk to you if you don't have an agent. It's sort of like a pre-screening process. Having an agent says several things about you right off the bat.

You're at least partially serious. After all, you went to the trouble of getting an agent, and that isn't easy.
At least one professional thinks your script is worth reading, and not just your Mom.
Somebody in your camp is capable of speaking their language.
Somebody in your camp is capable of making a deal.
Agents make contacts for a living. They talk to studios, production companies, and other agents every day, and they know the business. Agents are negotiators, deal makers. Can you name ten actors who have their own production companies and are currently in a buying mood? Neither can I. Can you negotiate a pre-emptive purchase with a reasonable backend? I don't even want to try. This is reason number two why you need an agent. In the long run, they have the potential to make your job easier.

This does not mean you get to stop working after you get an agent. First and foremost, keep writing. It may take months or years to make that first sale, and if not for yourself, write to show your agent that you're not just a flash in the pan. Don't assume your agent is going to do all the work. Keep thinking. Help out by trying to track down leads, or other places you haven't approached yet. Don't become dependant. Agents have many clients, not just you.

There are definitely some agents out there who just sit on their ass. You want an agent who will work for you, and not just represent you on paper. It can be difficult to determine if an interested agent really does plan to push your work out in the wild, or if they just want to make themselves look good by saying they have such-and-such number of clients. It's a judgment call, but trust your instinct. If something about an agent just rubs you the wrong way, then you're probably better off continuing your search. The last thing you want is to find yourself knee-deep in the middle of a scam. Yes, many troglodytes prey upon the desperation of amateur writers. Listen to what they say very carefully. Saying yes to the wrong agent (or lowlife who claims to be an agent) can hurt you. Don't worry, this isn't an epidemic. It's just something you need to be aware of, like carjacking.

Agents can also help you plan your career, but they shouldn't order you around. Not all advice they give you is going to be good, but it's all worth listening to.

Agents don't pay you. They don't buy scripts, they help you sell them. Merely having an agent doesn't mean you're getting any money, nor does it mean they are getting any money. They make money by making money for you. That's the good news. They need you in order to survive just as much as you need them. They take 10% of any fees you earn (selling a spec script, option, residuals, etc), so if you don't get paid, they don't get paid. No agent should ever demand any money from you under any other circumstances, or if they do, they are not to be trusted. This includes any and all variations of the old "I know somebody who can make your good script great for $200." Don't fall for it.

You may only have one agent, but your agent has more than one client, and in fact, they probably have A LOT. Your magical 10% alone doesn't get them very far, if and when it materializes at all, so they handle many clients. Maybe they're all writers, or maybe there's a mix of writers, directors, actors, or whatever.

You should also understand that any agent who agrees to represent you is taking a risk. They work on commission in its rawest form, and they absolutely do not want to waste their time with a script or a writer (they may choose to represent one or the other) they think will go nowhere. Any time they spend on you is time that could be spent on other clients. Every script is a gamble for an agent, and you need to understand the importance of that.

What does all this mean? It means that the first thing you do is try to get an agent. Once you have an agent, you will work together to find a buyer. The good ones work very hard, and if you're lucky enough to hook up with one of them, treat them with the respect they deserve.

http://www.mindspring.com/~spacklebeast/querytosale/ig.html

AMERICAN SHOPPER

"American Shopper" is a feature-length film about one man's passionate and comic struggle to start an unlikely new sport, and about the citizens of a small town who overcome their initial skepticism and get swept up in his crazy dream. The film follows the stories of several townspeople who decide to participate in the sport and compete in the 1st National Aisling Championship, and whose lives are turned upside down in the process.

The unlikely new sport is called "aisling". The sport's inventor, Jonathan Sawyer, was inspired by something he had read in a newspaper article recently: "The average American shopper spends 6000 hours in his or her lifetime just shopping for food, which is the equivalent of shopping day and night without stopping for 250 days." As he looked over the store that afternoon, everyone appeared numb and bored pushing their little carts around, and it seemed sad to him that people had to spend so much time doing an activity that brought them so little pleasure.

He started to envision carefully choreographed routines set to music, exhibitions of grace or balance, strength or speed, a cross between figure skating and skateboarding. He pictured people gliding and spinning through the aisles with their carts - handstands, jumps, cartwheels - as they collected produce and products from the shelves for points. There would be a panel of judges and a complicated scoring system. The smooth floors and wide aisles were just asking for it.

"American Shopper" is a hybrid - part documentary, part fiction. The main character, Jonathan Sawyer, is played by an actor. Everyone else who appears in the film is a real person. The other characters know Jonathan Sawyer is an actor, and that they are taking part in a fictitious documentary, but they also know that the competition itself is real and unscripted, and that true-life prize money is at stake. The film audience will feel like it is watching a mock documentary that seems a little too believable to be untrue.

The tone of the film is comedic, but it is played straight, low-key and deadpan - comparable to the tone in some fictitious documentaries like The Office or Best in Show.
LEARN MORE...http://americanshoppermovie.com/index.php?id=1,0,0,1,0,0
TRAILER: http://americanshoppermovie.com/index.php?id=3,0,0,1,0,0

YouTube signs partnership with Warner Music

PHOTO: Madonna performs at Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, September 12, 2006. Music videos from artists like Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sean Paul will be legally available for the first time on YouTube, a popular online video sharing site, after signing its first commercial partnership with Warner Music Group. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool/Reuters)

Music videos from Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sean Paul will be legally available for the first time on YouTube, the online video sharing site, which signed its first commercial partnership with Warner Music Group Corp. on Monday.

YouTube, which has over 100 million videos viewed everyday, and Warner Music, the fourth biggest record company, said on Monday the pact would help Warner distribute music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, artist interviews and original programming.

The companies said YouTube users would also be able to incorporate music from Warner's catalog into the videos they create and upload.

Music videos belonging to Warner Music and other record companies are regularly uploaded to YouTube by its users but usually without permission from the labels.

READ MORE... By Yinka Adegoke for Reuters/Yahoo

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060918/wr_nm/youtube_dc

The partnership, which has been in discussions for months, was signed late on Sunday afternoon. It comes just days after Universal Music Group, which is owned by Vivendi, described YouTube and News Corp.'s social networking site MySpace of being "copyright infringers" that owe the music industry "tens of millions of dollars."

CREATING STORYBOARDS

Loki Pictures, a new production company with a completed short film under its belt, is now ready to move onto feature film.

Many independent filmmmakers completely skip and/or eliminate the story board process because of its potentially high cost.

See their low-cost storyboards produced for pre-production of Loki Pictures EXPENDABLE.

SEE THE STORYBOARDS Created with FrameForge 3D Studio 2...
http://lokipictures.com

NBC joining free online episode parade

LOS ANGELES - NBC is about to join CBS, ABC and Fox in offering free, advertising-supported shows online. The network, starting Oct. 1, will begin streaming on the Internet episodes of all six of its new prime-time series one day after their network airing. The episodes will run on the network's video player, called NBC 24/7, the network said Wednesday. The episodes will be accompanied by blogs from the shows producers, writers or stars.

The network said it would air the first four episodes of its new comedies, "30 Rock," and "Twenty Good Years," and the first eight episodes of its new dramas, "Kidnapped," "Friday Night Lights," "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," and "Heroes."

NBC will also allows fans to interact with the creators of all its shows on the night of their premiers, the company said.

The goal is to help promote the new shows and experiment with giving viewers multiple options to view them, the company said. NBC also sells episodes of some of its shows on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes store for $1.99 each.

READ MORE...By GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer

TWILIGHT SAMURAI-NY-FREE Admission/Popcorn

YOJI YAMADA’S “THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI”
WED, SEP 27, 2006 : 7:45PM (DOOR OPENS 7:15 PM )
THE IMAGINASIAN : 239 EAST 59 ST. (BET.2ND & 3RD AVE.) , NYC
FREE ADMISSION ! & FREE POPCORN !

RSVP to
ana@newyork-tokyo.com
with your full name. 1 RSVP for 1 or 2 people.

* BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES *
Seibei Iguchi, a low-ranking samurai, leads a life without glory as a bureaucrat in mid-19th century Japan. A widower, he has charge of two daughters he adores and a senile mother. He must therefore work in the fields and accept piecework to make ends meet. New prospects seem to open up when Tomoe, his long-time love, divorces a brutal husband.

However, even as the Japanese feudal system is unraveling, Seibei remains bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedences. The consequences are cruel.

Based on the best-selling novel by Shuhei Fujisawa, and directed by Yoji Yamada famous in Japan for his Tora-san series (48+ episodes), the TWILIGHT SAMURAI is one of the best contemporary samurai movies. Japan, 2002, 129 minutes, 35 mm, in Japanese with English subtitles

LEARN MORE about this film...
http://www.kfccinema.com/reviews/swordplay/twilightsamurai/twilightsamurai.html
MEDIA CONTACT : ALEX LEE alex@newyork-tokyo.com

The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina)

Men bring out the best in queens… and sometimes the worst !

A unique film coming from India where homosexuality is still taboo, The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina), is a colorful funny look into the Indian homosexual closet.

It pits two Indian drag queens against a westernized gay teenager in a battle to woo a handsome hunk. It's a clash of the east and west. Who will win? The drag queens who are expert in the art of seduction with their wit, innuendo and cunning or the young teenager who is saucy, slutty and sly?

The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina) is a mute witness to their happiness, jealousies, passion and anguish.

Underneath the campy humorous exterior, the film is an exploration of the Indian gay landscape and understanding of the deep, humanly tender bondings that exist between drag queens in India who form unique, non-patriarchal families..

Using the Bollywood soap idiom of song, dance and drama and for the first time in the Indian drag queens' very own language, Hindi, the film also explores other veiled issues related to the Indian gay community: the lurking threat of HIV/AIDS.

LEARN MORE...
http://www.solarispictures.com/synopsis.htm

willVIDEOforFOOD.com

"Will Video for Food" is dedicated to helping video junkies make better viral videos, earn a side income on them, and stay current on the rapidly changing landscape of online video sites, tools and software. This is a spinoff blog from www.Revverberation.com. The editor of this blog also maintains www.CubeBreak.com, a video site for bored office workers.

Psychology of Online-Video Commenters
I've been studying online-video comments for a few months, and I’d like to share my unscientific but well-documented conclusions. Online-video commenters come in three segments:

Angry cynics (66%)
Supportive fans (23%)
Self promoters (11%)
For some of my videos it would take more time to read the comments than it did to shoot, edit and submit the video. But I’ve scanned almost all of them, and here are some typical responses:

I’m a bad dad for encouraging my kids to do x, y and z (few consider we’re acting and the kids understand this)
I’m a good dad for spending time with my kids
I’m a f**k p**s moron idiot (I get a lot of that)
In general the people that slam are also the ones that don’t have any of their own videos posted. So they’re kinda the mini version of Ebert except angrier. I don’t remember seeing any of Ebert’s films. Now here’s the interesting thing. The commenters are more or less acidic depending on the online-video site.

Revver: Always positive. Because they don’t allow comments.
YouTube: Mixed angry and not. Usually dissappointed with the humor level.
Yahoo: Mostly angry, and clueless about what’s real and not in a video.
Metacafe: Extremely supressed and disturbed, with some exceptions.
Live Digital: Satanic. Not posting there anymore.
Context is the biggest factor in the commenter’s response. If they’ve found my video while searching for silly kid videos then they’re clearly positive. However if it shows up randomly (like the homepage of Yahoo) then they mostly don’t understand that it’s a viral video and intended for humor. Most of all, if it’s featured in the middle of extreme, risque or irreverent videos, mine usually get a lot of “gay” and “wtf” responses. I once posted a spoof with my kids on a rap contest on Live Digital. I had to pull it down because the reactions were demonic.

How do I respond? Mostly with intrigue. The only thing I don’t like to see is “yawn” or “you’ve done better.” I’d rather a reaction- positive or negative. My favorite is when people analyze a video far beyond what I’d ever imagined. There was once a debate as to whether I was representing George Bush in a video. It reminded me of 9th grade English when we’d look for meaning in a Hemingway book that Hemingway never probably even considered.

Would welcome further diagnosis of “commentitis.” Maybe someone should launch an “angry online video site” just for repressed folks who don’t make videos but like to critique. I’d submit.

Most importantly, I’d encourage people to develop thick comment skin. It comes easier with time. Tuning into them will discourage you and make your videos worse.

READ THE ENTIRE BLOG...
http://nalts.wordpress.com/2006/09/09/psychology-of-online-video-commenters/

my god...START YOUR OWN RELIGION...FILM at 11

We have 60 days and $5000 to start a new religion.

All we need is a messiah. How about you?

We're looking for a guru, a prophet, a messiah, a preacher, a god, or a goddess.

Spread the word, or apply today!

my god is a new independent documentary film currently in production from andy deemer...

Right now, around the world, there are over 4 billion people who belong to one of the three major religions. As different as these religions are from each other, they share one thing in common: once upon a time, a long time ago, they were all started from scratch.

And we wondered whether maybe there wasn’t room for one more religion, that WE would start from scratch.

We weren't alone in this thinking: we had some great examples we could learn from (the Kao Dai in Vietnam, the Unification Church, Christian Science, and so on) and also some lessons on what NOT to do (Jim Jones, Aum Shinrikyo, Heaven's Gate, and so on).

The first lesson we learned was you need to find the right person at the top. So we're setting out to pick a leader for our new religion, and we want to do it the right way.

Now all we need to know is: how do you interview for a messiah?

Join the filmmakers as they follow modern-day gurus on their spiritual journey. At the same time, the filmmakers themselves will delve into their own spiritual past and future, and explore the history of new spiritual movements in America today.

"Three blind men come upon an elephant in the forest. So this is an elephant, says one, grasping its tail - it's long and thin; no, says the second man, grasping its trunk - it's long and fat and open at the end. No, no, says the third man, grasping its leg - it's just like a tree trunk." - Ancient parable, as retold by Mick Brown, The Spiritual Tourist

"To study different religions need not imply infidelity to one's own faith, but rather it may be enlarged by seeing how other people have sought for reality and have been enriched by their search." - Geoffrey Parinder, World Religions: From Ancient History to the Present

READ MORE AND LEARN MORE...
http://www.startyourownreligion.org/

NIGHTMARE

Nightmare is an independent psychosexual thriller...

On the brink of madness, a director's only recourse is to make a movie of the savage murders he believes he committed.

The morning after a wild party, a young film student awakens in the arms of a mysterious actress. Unsure where they are, the two startle to find a video camera at the foot of the bed aimed at them. Suspicious of one another, the lovers decide to watch the tape. Their apprehension turns to terror as they see themselves on screen gleefully committing a savage murder in the room they've just slept in.

But there are no victims, no blood, no sign of struggle.

LEARN MORE & SEE THE TRAILER...
www.nightmarethemovie.com

New Technology Pushing What is Possible

FrameFree is like a next-gen morpher. © FrameFree. J. Paul Peszko looks into emerging technology and discovers that we ain’t seen nothing yet.

The year: 1927. The movie: The Jazz Singer. Al Jolson utters the immortal line: “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” heralding the first major innovation in cinema since its inception in the late 19th century. Fast-forward nearly 80 years, and if Jolson were around today, he would have to shout his line even louder. Yes, it has taken that long for cinema to embark on its second major innovation.

“Wait,” you say. “What about all the special effects, Dolby sound, and CG, for goodness sakes! Aren’t those incredible innovations?” Incredible, yet still comparatively minor because until now film has remained a two-dimensional medium, but all that is about to change.

“You know movies really haven’t changed from the beginning. We’re still caught in this paradigm of a secession of still frames, and that’s not really how our minds work. And that’s really not how our visual system works. Our visual system is really a hallucination that our brains resolve through the eyes.

This software does a very good job of analogizing that process,” asserts John North, director of business development at FrameFree, talking about an innovative process known as FrameFree Studio. North is one of several developers we interviewed about various emerging technologies that have put cinema on the verge of becoming a realtime, multi-dimensional, interactive form of entertainment.

To begin, what exactly is FrameFree? According to independent director John Gaeta, who used the technology on his short, Homeland, “FrameFree is a very powerful non-linear interpolation technology that produces very clean, somewhat organic-looking results. It seems like it passes many of the optical flow type technologies that have been incorporated into past effects, and I've backed the flow approach on many. Essentially it’s the next-gen morpher.”

Gaeta, who was the visual effects supervisor on The Matrix, which garnered him an Oscar, adds, “What's most interesting is that they're [FrameFree] presenting user interfaces very, very simply so an artist can do what appears to be very complex interpolation effects from a more creative angle.”

Just how simple is it? “The current process is not involved at all,” states FrameFree’s president, Tom Randolph. “Our process is new. There has never been an imagery synthesize like FrameFree Studio before. We have a native file format that retains the extreme compression ratio up to 1/5,000, but we can also dump frames to BMP, JPG, TIFF, PNG and AVI and QuickTime.”

LEARN MORE...By J. Paul Peszko
http://vfxworld.com/?sa=adv&code=57c5ed8a&atype=articles&id=2991

Mobile Entertainment - Bring It On

Teens, tweens and young adults seem ready for the face-off and the contest. Tellywood has to determine how they can compete and survive.

All the people who really know how to put entertainment content to work for them are back in school with all of the essentials…notebook computers, smartphones, video MP3/iPods, PSPs.

Working to win their hearts and minds; content owners, aggregators and manufacturers heard (and believe) what Sparky said in Bring It On…”Follow me, or perish, sweater monkeys.”

These everything devices have pushed the music industry into the position where they had to completely rethink their business model. They have put Hollywood and broadcasters into the awkward position of trying to maintain their present revenue streams while stumbling toward personal one-on-one entertainment.

Device manufacturers can’t add features, capabilities and storage fast enough. Unfortunately all of the additions only help them maintain market position/marketshare, not improving the bottom line.

Two winners are emerging – content aggregators like Apple (sure they make a PC but face it where are the real no-sweat profits? Right !!!!) and storage producers (flash and HD).

Video, music players, smartphones, mobile devices of every kind today have one thing in common. They require storage and we never seem to have enough for our entertainment. Tellywood has a love/hate relationship with both but consumers simply chant – Bring It On!

READ MORE...By Miles Weston
http://phones.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=61751

TRUST

From the darkened shadows of the inner city comes a powerful tale of love and betrayal as three unforgettable souls dare to challenge life’s ultimate game of who to “Trust.”
The story unfolds with the beautiful Isis who meets Deandre, a street raised genius. They encounter a new and very special relationship together. But Deandre knows he can’t and should not trust anyone, even Isis. Deandre’s street attitude keeps him strong and suspicious of everyone, even his old friend Winston.
Deandre, consequently discovers a series of shocking truths about his friend Winston who has more than a longtime friendship in common with him. This leads to an emotional boiling point exposing a burning fuse, ready to ignite. Suddenly their simple lives are saturated with turbulence, as Isis unwittingly becomes a pawn in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
Winston finds himself face to face with anger powerful enough to destroy him. And Deandre’s relentless cycle of madness makes him unable to escape F.E.A.R. and finally “Trust” someone.
William Pierce and Parris Reaves bring to life a dangerous intersection of pain and destruction into a realm of movie masterpiece … Trust is their story.
LEARN MORE...
http://www.maverickentertainment.cc/filmdetail.php?ProductID=43&Submit=%A0Go%A0

Delivery Boy Chronicles

Delivery Boy Chronicles is based on a legendary pack of food delivery drivers in Atlanta. They were on a search for life after college, but now find themselves in the midst of corporate greed, government deceit, and cultural paranoia.

Stacey Childers co-produced and directed her first feature film, Delivery Boy Chronicles, which was written and co-produced by her brother, Michael Childers. Delivery Boy Chronicles, starring Shawn Mullins, was shot on location in Atlanta by an extraordinary Georgia-based crew, and features equally talented Atlanta-based actors.

SEE THE TRAILER…http://www.deliveryboychronicles.com/trailer1_select_format.html

WGA Registration vs. Copyright Registration

WGA REGISTRATION vs. COPYRIGHT REGISTRATION For screenwriters who use the latest version of Final Draft ® to help write their script, one nifty feature is the ability to register the screenplay with the WGA-West Intellectual Property Online Registry with the touch of a button. Many (if not most) screenwriters register all of their scripts with the WGA Registry, and, believing that they have done all that is necessary to protect their script, they neglect to register the script with the Copyright Office.

Imagine their surprise when someone steals their screenplay and they learn for the first time that, other than establishing a date of creation, the WGA registration gives them almost no benefits at all. In fact, relying solely on the WGA registration can prove extremely costly for the following reasons.

First, although copyright protection exists at the moment of creation, registration with the Copyright Office is required before a lawsuit can be brought. Because it can take up to six months from the time the application is mailed to the Copyright Office until the application is processed and returned, if the writer needs to immediately file a lawsuit (i.e., in order to enjoin the movie's distribution), he must apply for an expedited registration, for which the Copyright Office charges an additional $580.

Second, if the writer registers the script with the Copyright Office only after the infringement has taken place, he will be barred from recovering attorneys fees or statutory damages in the lawsuit.

Third, if the script is registered prior to or within five years of its publication, the registration acts as prima facie proof of ownership of the script in the event of a trial. There is no such benefit from the WGA registration.

The only real advantage of the WGA registration is that, in the event of a lawsuit or a credit arbitration, the WGA will have an employee appear and testify concerning the date of the registration. But this is rarely an issue during litigation.

Therefore, if you are a screenwriter wondering whether to register with the WGA or the Copyright Office, the answer should be clear - always register your script with the Copyright Office, and, if you have the extra $10 or $20, register with the WGA as well. And if you have scripts in your drawer that you registered in the past with the WGA, but never bothered to register with the Copyright Office, now is the time to do so. Before the work is infringed.

WGA Registration Copyright Registration Cost $10 WGA members $20 non-members $30

Duration of Protection 5 years, but renewable for additional 5 year terms If author is a natural person ? author?s life plus 70 years; If author is a corporation, anonymous or pseudonymous, then 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.

Allows Immediate Access to Court? Yes

Allows for Attorney?s Fees If Infringed? Yes, if registered prior to infringement or within 90 days of publication

Allows for Statutory Damages If Infringed? Yes, if registered prior to infringement or within 90 days of publication

Will Accept Submissions Over The Internet? No

Acts as prima facie proof of ownership? Yes

Will have employee appear in court to testify about date of submission? No


by Larry Zerner ESQ - Larry Zerner is an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles. He can be reached by email at Larry@Zernerlaw.com or by phone at 310-203-2299.

Ann Berrybush: THIS NEW VOICE OF REASON

Ann is one of those teachers who will do anything to strip the veil of ignorance from her students’ minds -- even if it means getting stripped of her bodily veils in the process. So dedicated is she to her noble calling, that the prim and proper teacher will endure the most outlandish pranks as she marches her students toward enlightenment. She is always standing up for reason -- even when there happens to be glue on her chair.

Ann loves rules. In fact, she is one of the few cases where the malapropism “flaunting the rules” actually applies. Exuberantly organized -- all the way down to her color-coordinated underwear -- she keeps expanding the domain of classroom rules, until she is micro-managing her students’ lives. Naturally, the children rebel against such strictures, setting the stage for a titanic battle of reason vs. chaos, during which the rule of law -- “the fabric that holds society together” -- is put to the test. Not to mention the fabric that lifts and sculpts Ann’s sumptuous figure.

In her defense, it must be said that Ann’s penchant for rules is only a means to an end, a way of disciplining the minds of her students so that rigorous thought can flourish there.

Moreover, she is always in search of new ways to cultivate her students’ minds. Even when sneaking home from school in her underwear, having lost control of both her class and her clothing, she wracks her brain for a way to transform her misfortunes into a teaching tool. “Perhaps when wrapped in spectacle, my message of pure reason can penetrate my students’ minds like never before,” she muses as she hides behind a bush, unaware that the bright white satin of her bra and girdle is clearly visible through the branches.

She could be on the verge of a pedagogical breakthrough, yet Ann worries that her wardrobe won’t hold out much longer, for instead of imparting knowledge to her students, she is being parted from her skirts and blouses by them, at a rate faster than these articles of clothing can be replenished, given the limits of her teacher’s salary.

As a warrior for reason, Ann sees battling chaos as a duty that can’t be shirked. But time is running out. Can she connect intellectually with her students before they strip away her last shred of dignity and force her to conduct class stark naked?

Reason is the demand that our experience be not just coherent, but spectacularly coherent: the unbounded expansion of coherence, even into the realm of chaos. Hence it characterized by excess, not moderation. Ann Berrybush has dedicated her life to breaking the linkage in the public's mind between ' reason ' and 'moderation'; once this shibboleth is smashed, reason will be revitalized.

For there is something enthralling about excess, the beating heart of spectacle. Reason 's spectacular dimension deserves to be better known in an era when far lowlier spectacles fill our consciousness. This is the mission of Ann Berrybush, the sexiest crusader for reason who has ever lived.

Worse things have been done to reason than turning it into a pin-up. Such as the day when reason became synonymous with "common sense" in the public's mind. Reason is not common sense. While common sense provides our day-to-day existence with enough coherence to meet the challenges of life, reason demands that we go over and above this merely practical level of coherence.

For example, rather than being content with the common-sense-friendly Ptolemaic system, which was useful (to some extent) for practices such as navigation, but left some unexplained anomalies in the heavens, Copernicus (a lover of reason ) demanded a model of the universe that was not just coherent, but spectacularly coherent; hence he overthrew Ptolemy's system.

The ultimate in spectacular coherence -- the fullest possible explanation of everything -- may very well be an ideal beyond our reach, like the Blue Flower of romantic legend, but it is a spellbinding and tantalizing vision that brings us to full flower by beckoning us to the limits of thought.

Thus the postmodernists are wrong about reason . Contra Foucault, reason is not about power or brute force. Reason doesn't bully; it beckons you, by enabling you to flourish as a human being. It is one thing to say this; it's quite another to show this to be true. That's the purpose of the Ann Berrybush movie.

It is a thought-experiment put on film: first, imagine a character undergoing excruciating shame; then, show how, even at the bottom of this abyss, pride is still possible, thanks to reason . For there is no disgrace that the grace of reason can't eclipse.

Thankfully the deflation of reason by the postmodernists has finally run its course. Reason has not let us down, as the postmodernists claim; rather, we have failed to live up to it. To live up to reason is to 'live it up' -- to live life to the fullest, by training our minds to see how reason exerts an erotic pull, impelling us to the most spectacular of all frontiers, the limits of thought.


LEARN MORE & SEE THE TRAILER...
http://annberrybush.com/

THE TOURIST

A mystery thriller feature film

"The Tourist", a new thriller film, is now casting major roles for production starting this October.

This movie will be about an ordinary accountant who is introduced by a charismatic lawyer to an underground sex club known as "The List". After meeting the woman of his desires, the accountant suddenly becomes the top suspect in the woman's disappearance.

"The Tourist" was written by Mark Bomback, Jason Keller, and Patrick Marber, and it is being directed by Swedish filmmaker Marcel Langenegger.

Filming begins in October 2006.

PARTICIPATE HERE...
http://www.fallproduction.u4.pl/

Creating Killer Titles!

As you already know, a great title means EASIER MARKETING and that translates into potential box office success. To a producer, anything that increases the chance of success at the box office is very attractive. It is worth putting the effort into creating the best title you can.

There are three types of titles that work and three that don't.

Three types of titles that work:
1. Same title as the best selling book that the movie
is based on. Example: Cold Mountain.
2. Intriguing titles. Example: Indecent Proposal, Crying
Game, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and others.
3. Titles that instantly give us the story/environment, etc.
Example: Gettysburg, Stakeout, Clueless, GI Jane, etc.

Three types of titles that generally do not work:
1. A long title without a reason for it being long.
2. A title that makes you watch the movie to understand what it means.
3. A title that confuses or causes a person to think it is another genre or type of movie.

But knowing all of that only gets you so far. Now, the question is "How do you create titles?" I'm sure there are many ways. Here are a few that may make the process a little easier.

1. Brainstorm the easy titles: Just think of your story and make a list of works and title ideas that come up. Many times, just searching for titles will bring up some pretty good ones.

2. List info from the script that could trigger title ideas: Your script is full of information that could assist you in creating a great title. Your job is to mine it in order to dig up potential treasure. To do that, list anything that is important in this story.

List:
- Key concepts
- Main issue
- Conflicts
- Character goals
- Jargon and technical terms used.
- And other parts with potential.

Once you have that list, you'll run them through the formats in the next step.

3. Run that information through the Title Formats: There are many different Title Formats. In each case, you go through the information from Step 2 and see how each piece might fit into the formats.

A. Opposite Words:
Back to the Future
Crying Game
Bad Santa

B. Main Character's Internal State:
Bedazzled
Delirious
Unforgiven
Clueless

C. Key Location:
Gettysburg
Moulin Rouge
Air Force One

D. Cliche from the story:
You've got Mail
A few Good Men
Friday the 13th

E. Twist on a cliche:
G.I. Jane
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
The Man Who Knew Too Little
Natural Born Killers

It is just a matter of testing out a variety of different formats and allowing your creativity to flow from there. Many times, a bad idea will spark a good idea.

Without a doubt, the title is the most important set of words of your entire script. It either instantly engages people or it lets them down. Make sure your title knocks 'em dead.

Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party

Stephen Tobolowsky is one of the busiest actors in Hollywood. He has appeared in more than 150 film and television projects over the last 20 years. While most people are not familiar with his name, almost everyone knows his characters: Ned Ryerson, the annoying insurance salesman in “Groundhog Day,” Clayton Townley, the local KKK leader in “Mississippi Burning” or Sammy Jankis in “Memento.”

Stephen Tobolowsky is part of a disappearing group of actors - character actors - who are not major stars yet can make a living practicing their craft in Hollywood films.

In Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party filmmakers Robert Brinkmann and Andrew Putschoegl follow Stephen on his birthday and document a performance he gives for the cameras and a group of friends, during which he tells stories about his experiences in Hollywood. Instead of his regular role as a supporting actor, Stephen takes the stage in Birthday Party and shows that he has the charisma to hold the audience’s attention without the help of a script.

The film starts on a Malibu beach, where Stephen introduces himself and the film to the audience and leads right into the first story, Swimming with Dolphins. The film continues in his kitchen, where, as he prepares food for the party, Stephen tells stories about his early experiences in auditions, Ronald McDonald, Old Man Crossing the Road. He continues with other behind-the-scenes stories as he finishes the preparations in his yard, Lobsters on a Plane, Ann is Pregnant.

When the guests arrive, Stephen tells the stories of his being nominated as one of the 100 coolest people in Los Angeles by Buzz Magazine, Ronald Reagan, Held Up at Gunpoint, Beaten by Monks. The guests include many of Stephen’s actor friends, including Amy Adams, Mena Suvari, Greg Wagrowski and, of course, his wife Ann Hearn. Intercut with the stories are brief interviews, which offer a different perspective of Stephen from various points in his life. After celebrating with the birthday cake, Stephen tells stories about some outrageous drug experiences, Ammonia Pot, LSD Christmas, before returning to behind the scenes tales with Bird on a Wire and Mississippi Burning.

The film ends with a small after party gathering at which Stephen remembers his friend Bob Darnell with Meeting Bob and Bob’s Death. The end credit sequence, with actual photos from the stories he has just told, provides a fitting and satisfying finish.

Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party is a return to the basics of entertainment. A film without action, without a script, and without a budget still manages to engage the audience and hold their interest with the oldest entertainment technique there is: storytelling.

LEARN MORE & SEE THE TRAILER...
http://www.stbpmovie.com/

DO YOU NEED TO WRITE A QUERY LETTER?

I know writers who say they've gone their whole careers without once writing a query letter to anyone.

First question: do you even need to write a query letter? I know writers who say they've gone their whole careers without once writing a query letter to anyone. Real results, they say, come from phone calls and personal contacts. Then you send out the script with a simple cover letter, and get on with your life.
I will say this: these folk do have a point. Writing a query letter is almost always an act of futility.
But I will also say: so what?
Breaking into the film business is not a problem that resolves itself through a single answer or path. It's a problem that succumbs only to a process, a series of efforts taken over time. And the bitch of it is, you never know which is the right strategy until it pays off.
So you do everything. Whether the odds are with you are not. You do everything.
The trick is to not get obsessive about it. You write your queries, send them off and forget about them. You're too busy writing, rewriting, reading scripts, studying, going to seminars, and watching movies. Don't let yourself get caught up in thinking, "It's been six weeks since I wrote that company, why haven't they answered?" Similarly, if a company or agency does respond with a request to look at your script, it isn't some sudden validation of your talent. Send 'em the script, and again, forget about it.
The odds are against you, yes. And that's why you do it -- because the odds are against you.

Second question: when do you send a query letter? How do you tell whether you're ready?
The answer is -- you're not.
I mean no disrespect by this. Sending out query letters too soon is something all writers seem doomed to do. Heck, even Ted and I sent out queries too soon, and we waited for over three years. Writers are an insecure lot; they crave validation, they crave feedback, they crave any shred of hope that will help sustain them in their madness. They're also an optimistic lot, and the combination causes query letters to rain onto Hollywood like ticker tape on V-Day.
You really should wait to send out letters until after you've studied and practiced for many years, are very familiar with the industry, and have a killer script completed, and a second one almost done.
I mention this just for the fun of it. I know you won't listen. Hey, we're only human, right?
READ MORE... Breaking the Ice by Terry Rossio
http://wordplayer.com/columns/wp38.Breaking.the.Ice.html

NIMOY & SHATNER MAY RETURN....

The Toronto Comic Expo is happening this weekend, and among the special guests in attendance this year are Kirk and Spock themselves, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.

The Toronto Sun interviewed Nimoy this week, and he revealed some surprising news about the upcoming Star Trek movie that is being produced by J.J. Abrams. Despite the insistence that the new movie will be a complete “reboot” of the Trek franchise, introducing a brand new cast of characters and severing all connections with past movies, it seems that Paramount may want Nimoy and Shatner to be involved after all.

“They might possibly want Bill and I to set up the story as a flashback. But that’s just conjecture on my part.” This would seem to support the possibility of the new movie featuring a young Kirk and Spock after all. Personally, I’d be okay with that.

Although I’m interested in a fresh take, I think you do need something to connect it to previous Trek incarnations, otherwise it just wouldn’t feel like Star Trek anymore.

LEARN MORE...
http://www.filmjunk.com/spacejunk/

RELATED LINK: TORONTO SUN
http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/2006/08/29/pf-1783310.html

ASPIRING FILMMAKERS CAN BEGIN THEIR JOURNEY TO HOLLYWOOD

ONLINE VIDEO SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED FOR FOX’S NEW UNSCRIPTED COMPETITION SERIES “ON THE LOT” - Series Executive-Produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg

Aspiring filmmakers can take the first step toward fulfilling their dreams of becoming a Hollywood director by taking part in FOX’s new reality competition series ON THE LOT. Video submissions and application forms are now being accepted at thelot.com. Applicants must submit a self-directed short film, up to five minutes in length, that may be shown on the website on a future date.

ON THE LOT, executive-produced by Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, will give aspiring filmmakers from around the world the chance to earn a $1-million development deal at DreamWorks.

Airing next spring on FOX, this unscripted series will feature a cast of 16 undiscovered filmmakers who will compete to win the support of the show’s viewers, as their fate will be decided by a weekly audience vote.

The competition will air over two nights weekly, with a one-hour “Film Premiere” episode, followed the next night by a half-hour “Box Office” results show.

After a global search, applicants will be winnowed to a group of 16 talented filmmakers. These finalists will be brought to Hollywood, where they will be divided into teams and begin the journey toward their “big break.”

Every week, the hopeful filmmakers will produce short films from a chosen genre, running the gamut from comedies to thrillers, personal dramas to romance, sci-fi to horror. They’ll have access to the best resources the industry has to offer -- professional writers, cast and crew, and maybe even Hollywood celebrities.

After the teams have battled time frames, budgets and all the usual chaos that goes along with filmmaking, their films will debut and be critiqued in front of a live audience during the “Film Premiere” episode. Judges will include a high-ranking motion picture executive, a prominent film critic and a succession of well-respected guests, such as directors who are experts in the week’s featured genre. But the filmmakers ultimately will be judged by the harshest critics of all … the public.

It will be FOX viewers whose votes determine which film should be left on the cutting-room floor. On the next night’s “Box Office” results show, the director whose feature garners the fewest votes will be sent home.

The competition continues and directors are eliminated until only the most talented filmmaker is anointed the winner and heads to DreamWorks … ON THE LOT.

LEARN MORE...

http://www.thelot.com/

FOSTER

I recently had an opportunity to speak with a director who has worked with child actors. His latest short film, “Foster,” had just come across my desk with a large stickie saying “Must watch.”

I did.

And I was charmed.

So I set about getting to know Jonathan Newman. According to a director’s statement he sent me on making his film, he was

“Sitting around one unusually warm British day with my friend Andy and his lovely children, I thought it would be great to write something for his extremely gifted son, Preston. I didn’t yet know what the movie was, but I knew his son’s capability to perform, and wanted to be able to capture this while he was still young.

“A few days later, the script for FOSTER was brought into life, written specifically for Preston. Knowing the boy that was to play the character in the film as well as I did provided inspiration for the scenes and the dialogue. I have always like the idea of telling a story through a child’s eyes. The innocence and naivety of youth provides rich territory for both humour and sadness, which I have attempted to strike a balance between in this story.

“I played around with the script, redrafting until I got it write, and then felt confident we had a great little short film on our hands.

“I rehearsed with Preston for a day before shooting, and it was clear to me that the old adage of “children and animals” would not be true in this case. He was a seasoned pro, and had already memorised the entire script before I got there.

“With a limited budget, we went about shooting the film and I was astonished at this young man’s capability to perform and take direction, outdoing many adults I have worked with and helping us cram the 4 day schedule into an unrealistic 2 day shoot!

“Preston amazed us all with his talent. At the end of one take in particular the crew burst out laughing. Preston asked, “Why is everybody laughing?” We told him it was because he “was so good!” He’s not yet totally aware of just how talented he is.”

FOSTER is the story of a young orphan boy on the day he meets his Foster parents and his parallel story 30 years later.
LEARN MORE & SEE THE TRAILER... from The Monthly Column on Film and Media Arts for the New England Entertainment Digest (http://www.film-festival.org/NEED06_2.php)By George T. Marshall, RIIFF Executive Director/CEO
http://www.serendipity-films.com/foster.htm