Review: Brideshead Revisited

With every sweeping period piece about war and love, a certain amount of melodrama is expected to creep out of the woodwork and haunt the scenes with both nostalgia and searing period criticism. While a gorgeous vision, this version is all crackling social examination and sparing dry wit that's easy to miss. Beautiful visuals of Venice canals and English estate countryside backdrop the biting oppression of the family matriarch (Emma Thompson) and the silent rebellion of a family torn between their social obligations (Hayley Atwell as the blossoming sister Julia) and the truth of their challenging circumstances (Julia's expected auctioning to the highest bidder.) A story of its own, the danger is complicated by brother Sebastian's forbidden attachment to his male acquaintances who more prefer the company of women like his sister. While Sebastian's plot sizzles, the love affair between the family friend and the sister is more of a social criticism of that period in high society history.

While Brideshead looms in the distance, school friend Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) first invites his working class artist friend Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) home on a secret visit to his old nanny, a loyal if addled surrogate who accepts his eternal childhood as a troubling rebuttal to becoming an eligible conventional bachelor. Thwarted in their secret escape by Ryder's dawdling artistic adoration of the estate, his introduction to Sebastian's family sets into motion a love interest as well as a fundamental conflict with the social norms that are driving Sebastian to dangerous acts to prevent himself from having to spell out what his mother refuses to acknowledge.

Emma Thompson provides a human face to the matriarchal demands and traditional ideology while Michael Gambon plays the abandoning father who for all his lush life attitude does not support his children in their efforts to break free from their guilt, all while he flees to live a carefree life with his new love interest in Venice.

Ed Stoppard provides the driest of wit in his simplistic views of matrimony and hunting as the eldest son, while family acquaintance Charles Ryder's father (Patrick Malahide) provides a blunted acerbic rebuttal of his son's self-absorbed behavior and the implications it could create, proving true enough when the instability of Charles' friendship with Sebastian starts to crack under the strain of sister Julia's increasing fascination with her brother's latest stray.

Criticized by some for perceived undertones, the film deftly examines the reaches of human compassion and the place of spirituality in a time of political uncertainty and rapid change. Though melancholy in the evolution of Charles's development from a poor acquaintance to a successful (if opportunistic) artistic success, the unapologetic take on both the spiritually obligated as well as the socially absent make for a great viewing and satisfying philosophical food for thought.

Review: Chuck Palahniuk's Choke

Compulsive nympho reenactment theme park interpreter Victor Mancini thinks he has a plan. His hospitalized drug-addled mother thinks he's a failed second coming, meanwhile his best friend and fellow interpreter Denny creates monolithic stone sculptures to keep his hands off limits from chronic self-starting. They are Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, and Brad William Henke respectively, and they lead an excellent ensemble cast with plenty of good lines and strong scenes to prop up this exploration of sexuality in modern America. The story leads a winding path down to the main quest that Victor must complete. Why can't he raise the flag for the one woman he actually wants to like?

If the setup sounds a lot like a plot heist from Monty Python, you're half way to understanding this irreverent take on modern repression. Throughout the playful sketches of life on the paw interpreter style, little bits of amusing psychoanalysis add satisfying yet vivid penetration to lines like, "But thou penis is in her hand?"

For those who favor the likes of "Bubbah Ho-tep," "A Fish Called Wanda," and other concept comedies in an all or nothing deadpan style, this one carries an extra set farther than most can manage with an R rating. The personal drama behind modern reenactment life eventually manages real meaning for this merry band of colonial interpreters, who live life mostly trapped in the same repression and uncertainty as their chipper day job personas must have felt as real explorers. A breath away from being spotted by the tourists in their seedy activities, they hoist their frustration into cheery and wholesome child-friendly activities instead, all the while plotting their mile high encounters.

Highlights include the lovelorn manager of the colonial reenactment settlement (a completely convincing performance by director Clark Gregg) who stumbles through the back of the barn hay while his beloved milk maid lies asleep at the wheel of an unfinished job down the front of Victor's period-style trousers. Meanwhile Paz de la Huerta plays unapologetic trailer trash caught in 12-step purgatory, and Gillian Jacobs makes a wonderfully terse blond turned brunette philosopher who falls for a man who makes her look pretty in earnest strip club pencil scrawling.

Anjelica Huston somehow makes the impossibly determined character of Victor's mother likable and includes hilarious lampoons in an alternate universe of fishnet gloves and goth punk chutzpah. It's a role she alone has the chops to reinvent, and scenes with Jonah Bobo as the young Victor who learns to choke himself in a restaurant are both sad and revealing.

From the creator of Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk's Choke does for sex addicts what Full Monty did for amateur male strippers. For the rest of us it's a laugh we dare to admit.

Review: Elegy

Not knowing what to expect from Elegy is probably the best viewing, so save some reading and just go. For those who live for all the pontifications on excellent camera and creative direction, read on.

Ben Kingsley does an excellent turn as a red-blooded, yet intellectually discerning old boy with a knack for playing romantic chess with his unwitting opponents: his more desirable female students.

Yet the irony is clear. For all his self-narrated lauding of personal highbrow tastes, at heart he is an old fashioned Humbert, unable to contain his desire in the orderly respect he had once assumed constant to his personality - that is until he finally finds the right woman for his laundry list of knockout perfection.

Consuela is effortlessly Penelope Cruz at a fine turn, presenting both the adult Kingsley's character has not yet become, and the cerebral match, if a little disadvantaged by her years to catch up.

Shamelessly and poetically honest as an examination of mid-life unattached, the private musings of the rigid professor are tempered with beautiful photography and an outstanding cast, including Patricia Clarkson as a disillusioned long-distance lover who sees all too clearly what the professor hides behind a smoothly presented abandonment.

As a warning to young women everywhere, it works nicely. As an inside view of men who like their students unbuttoned and their classes well-controlled, it also works. As a happy ending, not so much, since the emotional midpoint sags a bit, not due to any flaw in performance or presentation, but due to the sudden, conventional grab at audience sympathy for what has really become more of a train wreck. Still, the finale keeps the momentum of the film as a whole on solid footing, and the outstanding performances are not to be missed. Parodied professors, beware.

Good Rep. Bad Rep

Do independent filmmakers (filmmakers who write and develop their own material) REALLY need agents?

Another commonly asked question is whether a filmmaker needs both an agent and a lawyer; two different people.

There is an adage that usually pops up from time to time in the independent film world as to the significance of agents to independent filmmakers.

Agents are said to be useful primarily for two things:

FIRST: to get the filmmaker hired (e.g., the chance to direct a picture developed by others, often with a title ending in a number or starring a former Saturday Night Live cast member); and

SECOND: to link up the filmmaker with actors represented by an agency in order to make the filmmaker's project attractive to the various entities who finance independent films.

Naturally, the above is a gross simplification of the many career guidance services that agents often do perform. The latter has become more and more essential to the production of independent films and the former is often essential to the cause of subsistence while the latter process crawls forward.

CLICK HERE to READ MORE By: John Sloss - http://www.ifp.org/filmmakerlib/article.php?subcatid=159&id=18
Copyright © 2008 IFP — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Analyst: Financial Crisis Could Crush Media...

The financial implosion occurring on Wall Street will hit Madison Avenue by 2009 with a force that will take down some media companies and prompt many to seek financial relief in digital interactive solutions. It will be media's first painful step toward securing its future.

All ad-related and media companies will be shaken by the full implications of the deepening credit crisis, financial breakdown and consumer-led economic recession over the coming year and a half. They will reign in costs and cautiously explore ways to generate new digital revenues. Many will budget for a best-case scenario–and will be devastated when the worst case occurs, as respected economists forecast.

Nouriel Roubini, RGE Monitor economist who is known for well-regarded, accurate forecasts warned of at least an 18-month recession in which corporate earnings generally will see only 5% or negative growth in 2009. Stock market and housing values generally could continue to fall to a collective 40%. Corporate debt will climb without relief, causing many defaults. Almost half of all homes will be in a negative equity position, destroying the consumption of goods and services and resulting in negative GDP growth.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE... http://seekingalpha.com/article/97387-financial-implosion-next-stop-madison-avenue

SCARLET, we hardly even knew ya

There’s been coverage all over the web today about the announcement from RED guru Jim Jannard that RED has scrapped the plans for his $3,000 3K handheld camera know as Scarlet.

There are quite a few people who shed a tear at the news as they were counting on that camera to make them a better filmmaker. Instead, we can all look at recent announcements from Nikon and Canon and the addition of HD video shooting to their DSLR cameras, and even ponder RED’s other somewhat announced DSLR-killer, and try to infer something into the death of Scarlet and what it might mean for whatever comes along next.

No one knows if the Scarlet replacement will even be called Scarlet...

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE By Scott Simmons...http://www.studiodaily.com/blog/?p=666

STUDIO DAILY © 2008 Access Intelligence LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Toshiba Moving to SD Cards for HDTV

Toshiba, which lost out in the battle between its HD TV and Sony's Blu-ray, is now forecasting that movies on optical discs will soon become a thing of the past.

The company said it plans to develop players -- both portable and settop -- employing the tiny SD cards usually associated with digital cameras.

The announcement comes following Toshiba's $24-million investment in MOD Systems, which provides retailers with kiosks that can quickly download movies and music onto SD cards. (They currently download only music.)

In a statement, Toshiba observed that direct downloads in retail environments answers the studios' concerns regarding piracy.

=_Blank>MORE>>>http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/toshiba%20moving%20to%20sd%20cards%20for%20hdtv_1081691

DEPTH OF FIELD TUTORIAL

Depth of Field is fully explained in this short video tutorial for DPs and directors who want more control over the images they film

This 20 minute video will give you a detailed explanation of depth-of-field and the factors that affect it. This tutorial was designed specifically for filmmakers who want their videos to look professional and use or are planning to use 35mm depth-of-field adapters. The information can also be applied to still photography and other photographic mediums.

You may download the full version to your computer (by saving it) or watch each of the six sections online. You will need QuickTime 7 or later to play the files. If you choose to watch the full version please download the file to your computer. Depending on your connection and browser, the sections may take a few minutes to begin playing.

CLICK HERE to SEE THE VIDEO - http://snodart.com/tutorials.php

hosted by: Virtuoso Net Solutions - Copyright 2007 Justin Snodgrass

3 Common Film Script Errors

The number one offender is: The film’s central idea isn’t good enough.

How can you know for certain if you’ve got a weak central idea for a film?

Actually, this is a simple question to answer. Ask yourself the following question, "Is there one visual image that sums up the movie, a great ten word tagline and a hundred words of text that can sell the story?"

You’d be amazed at how many people don’t even look at this issue until their film is in the can. Most people also have very weak sale’s pitches. If you can’t persuade someone to rent your movie based on a DVD cover image and a hundred words, then it stands to reasoon that your central film concept isn’t strong enough. To take it a step further, your cover image has to be strong enough to persuade someone to read the one hundred words.

READ MORE by Clive - http://www.1000dollarfilm.com/3-common-film-script-errors/news/2008/08/19/#more-376

Copyright © 2008, 1000 Dollar Film

NY Independent Film Week Events

Feel free to bring a guest and forward this to anyone you feel would appreciate these events. All you have to do is show up we have plenty of seats. The idea of Independent Film Week is to bring together the film community please drop by the Lounge to check out vendors and info and swag anytime before or after.

1. Independent Film Week Lounge – The Tent

West 28th Street (between 7&8 Avenue)

10am-5pm
-------------------------------

2. Screening: NextGEN NYC – Documentary Shorts
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
2pm – 3:30pm
Chelsea Cinemas 260 West 23rd Street , NYC

The Best Student Documentary Shorts in a program partnered by IFP & The Mayor’s Office.
--------------------------
3. Panasonic Production Workshop Seminar
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Katie Murphy Theater @ FIT West 27th Street (betw. 7&8 Avenue)
An in depth seminar on Panasonic’s HD cameras and the workflow with Panasonic’s Jan Crittenden.
*******************************************
Jonathan Russo
Membership Manager, IFP
104 West 29th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY 10001
w: www.ifp.org
e: jrusso@ifp.org

Suggestion from Jeanne C. - If you go, you might want to print this out. Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), where the Film Week is being held, has its own security and it might be a good idea to take proof of the origin of the invitation.

MAKE YOUR HORROR TRAILER with 1-2 actors…

How does any low-budget filmmaker get started making his great independent horror movie? The answer is rather simple.

Growing up, my mother used to tell me about the scene in the original B&W silent “Phantom of the Opera” where the audience gasped as Lon Chaney’s mutilated face was first exposed. It's still O.K. to startle your viewers but that's a one shot. Horror has to build in the mind of the audience and that calls for a skillful director.

Yes, the classic formula contains a horrible, ugly monster or a scarred masked man and a beautiful woman, but times have changed. Today, we know the elements of horror can exist with any two actors, real or imagined.

You start with an isolated location (preferably a strange place with lots of rooms) and someone stalking someone else. The audience immediately understands the plight of anyone “lost” in an unfamiliar setting.

A most important element is to have poor lighting and extreme contrast to enhance the drama in the location you choose (think of the dark and dimly lit interior of the Nostromo in the film “Alien”). You want the audience (like the frightened actor in the film) not to be able to see things clearly. The viewers will then empathize with the actor on the screen and feel some of what he must be feeling.

Even more important than the visual element (which is shot first) is the sound design (which normally is constructed when you edit). Great sound can make or break any mood a director wants to create. Great sound design is a like a symphony-it is a string of connected sounds that add up to a lot more than each individual note.

Properly orchestrated, sound design can scare an audience with a sudden jolt or it can put your audience to sleep. If you’re good at editing, you can make an horror trailer that will grab the audience’s attention and make it beg to see more…

CLICK HERE to see the trailer- http://fornevermovie.com/BroadAppleTrailer1.html

©2008, Stanley Lozowski. All Rights Reserved.

A Standard Business Plan Outline

If you are trying to raise money for your film production, the first thing you will need is a good business plan.

Once you have the main components, the order doesn’t matter that much, but this is what you should include:

1.) An Executive Summary: This can come first, but write this last. It’s just a page or two of the highlights of your plan.
2.) Your Company Description: Legal establishment, history, start-up plans, etc.
3.) Your Product or Service: Describe what you’re selling. If you're making a film, describe why it will be profitable. Focus on customer benefits.
4.) Market Analysis: You need to know your market, customer needs, where they are, how you will reach them, etc.
5.) Strategy and Implementation: Be specific. Include management responsibilities with dates and budgets. Make sure you can track and verify results.
6.) Web Plan Summary: For e-commerce, include discussion of website, development costs, operations, sales, distribution and marketing strategies.
7.) Your Management Team: Describe the organization and the key management team members with their CV and relevant accomplishments.
8.) Financial Analysis: Make sure to include your complete budget with a top sheet and at the very least your projected Profit and Loss and Cash Flow tables.

READ MORE by Tim Berry - http://articles.bplans.com/index.php/business-articles/writing-a-business-plan/A-Standard-Business-Plan-Outline

Copyright ©1996-2008 Palo Alto Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved

IFC Conference Starts Today - First Panel Talk: "From Script to Screen"

The 2008 Independent Filmmaker Conference kicked off their week long event this morning with insights from panelists including attorney Robert Seigel, SAGIndie rep Michael Sladek, Casting Director Meridith Tucker, and Cooper's Town Productions partner Emily Ziff, all of whom had lots of encouragement and enthusiasm for the expansion of more DIY global film making.

Some useful takeaways from this morning's talk: "From Script To Screen" included tips for nabbing named casts, getting discounts via small theater release, and strategies for negotiating with producers on price points and production costs. The key? According to Susan Stover, unknown filmmakers need to be able to articulate well about the business and also explain their vision in terms of the scope of their production costs, and the expected value on the market. These three aspects of the discussion will be primary motivators on what brings producers to the decision to open the purse strings - or not.

Do you Need a Financial Agent?

Producer Howard Gertler suggests considering a finance agent, and also mentions some talent agencies conveniently provide packaging services that include financial overviews to assist first time filmmakers. He further suggests when speaking with interested parties that the filmmaker be willing to openly admit what is needed as part of the aesthetic standard requirements, so that it opens up the discussion of why such additions are actually imperative to the film if indeed they are, and why the producer should value them enough to build them into the cost. This is a good idea to be honest in the initial stages, and to clearly mark out which expenses are being estimated for what type of requirements, so that when the discussions inevitably require some diplomacy and give-and-take, the appropriate nonessentials can be done away with while maintaining the integrity of the story itself.

How Do You Negotiate and Still Keep Your Film's Integrity at Financing?

SAGIndie rep Mark Sladek suggests a simple rule to keep your film successfully weathering budget cuts of all types. "As long as you can hear it, and there's a good story, people will love it."

This is a known piece of advice, supported by many industry professionals who must participate in the protection and advancement of a film.

In other discussions, for instance, screenwriter Jacob Krueger often says the film's theme is a key bargaining chip at the negotiating table, where script and plot changes can and do get discussed. Understanding what additional changes will fit within your theme when they are suggested by producers will keep you able to yes or no within a heartbeat while you've still got momentum in the discussion rather than after you've researched more details after the fact. Theme coherence works as a great spot check to diplomatically highlight and focus tangent ideas. Overall though, if a producer is offering to brainstorm on your film, it's a good sign, and working with them to incorporate similarly themed alterations is a foot in the door, not an absolute no from either side.

How Can You Get Noticed by Named Casts for an Indie Movie?

Emily Ziff makes the point that assurances can be dicey if actors are lured to participate with the promise of working with other specific names that most likely won't end up in the final role call of the film. It's better to build solid partnerships with clear information about who's really on board, so that last minute changes don't shake everyone out of place, which happens. In the end, getting a stellar cast to sign on with false expectations may leave the production two years later, still stranded at square one - everyone backs out without the headliner.

Producer Howard Gertler also suggests productions have the director or an agency they will respond to write an introductory letter explaining how the specific part in the attached script will work in favor of the actor or actress's career, and also a brief explanation of the scope of the production, and what the part will require. If there is still no response, Gertler says the talent's manager is the next best bet. "The manager can be more interested in their [client's] career, instead of just the paycheck." Susan Stover ads: "Don't send an actor the same part they've done in the last four movies." Think through not only who would work well in the part, but also who would appreciate it enough to take on a film for no money and be committed to the part enough to do a good job on film during production, but also behind the scenes helping with opportunities and post-production, with an interest in the sales and promotional aspects of the distribution. Actors who love their parts want to support their films. As Stover says, "you never finish a film, you abandon it."

Attorney Robert Siegel adds that a small, even token theater release, which many named casts can suddenly provide, can help lower further price points down the line, making the film ultimately more capable to get good traction with audiences by enabling more money spent in the right release channels. Emily Ziff ads even with a great cast, and an ample budget, it's always basic to remember "You always have to sell a film twice." - First to producers and financiers, but even if you do get a great budget for your film, if the target audience for the film is small, it can be better to accept less money, leaving the option to make a within-reason film that will have the capacity of making back the money spent in the second sell - to the audiences - making everyone involved look like a safer bet the next time around if the budget sheets can come close to balancing. The benefit to compromise on the budget may be this: Once the production generates buzz and revenue, it becomes a calling card film for everyone who worked on it - leading to bigger and better projects soon after.

The 2008 Independent Filmmaker Conference continues through Friday, September 19th in New York. Day passes are available for purchase on site 9AM - 5PM, Sunday, September 14th - Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at the Courtyard Tent, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), 28th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue). FYI, they accept Visa, Mastercard and Cash. Day passes were going for around $70 pre-event, plus individual panel options may still exist.

TVMMDI

We invented TV and now TV is inventing us…

TV Made Me Do It is seeking participants and short videos for a new TV documentary series about how TV is changing people's lives.

Has a TV character inspired you to become a do-gooder lawyer, solve a crime, propose marriage, come out of the closet, or MacGyver your way out of trouble?

Has your love of home reno shows inspired you to gut your house?

Or maybe TV inspired you to quit your job, sleep around, dump your lover, get rich quick, blow stuff up, or become a real-life cop, private eye, or CSI.

We'd love to hear from you. Tell us - or show us - how TV altered your world!

Email us (stories@tvmademedoit.com) or submit a 30-second video in which you tell your story and say, "That's how TV made me do it." (CLICK HERE - http://tvmademedoit.com/) Mail your DVD or simply upload your video on You Tube and tag it 'TVMMDI'. The best stories will appear on our show!


CLICK HERE TO SEE THE SHOW - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcGD8j-A2e4

So You Wanna Dance in Broadway Musicals

You Can Dance!

Perhaps you've acquired advanced technical training and have even performed professionally with a ballet company, on the concert-dance stage, or in music videos.

Does this mean you're ready for Broadway? Or is there something different about dancing in musicals; something you're not sure about? What do dancers from other sectors of the profession need to know before charging into Broadway musical theatre auditions?

"The real difference is that dancers in musicals must be able to act. You can be the best dancer in the world, but if you can't apply an objective or a motivation to your movement, then forget it," says the founder of the Answers4Dancers website, Grover Dale, who originated the role of Snowboy (one of the Jets) in West Side Story, danced in more than a dozen other Broadway shows, and co-directed Jerome Robbins' Broadway.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE By Lisa Jo Sagolla - http://www.backstage.com/bso/advice-columns/actors-craft/voice-movement/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003848132

© 2008 Nielsen Business Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Four online destinations for indie films

A look at iTunes, Amazon, Jaman and IndieFlix By DANIEL FRANKEL

ITUNES - www.itunes.com is the dominant, legal online marketplace for movies, delivering an average 50,000 pics a day for rental and purchase. Apple's entertainment store has made package deals with known indie suppliers. Recently, smaller distributors including New Video (with 5,000 hours of programming) have made inroads into iTunes, offering a slice of the Apple to a lot more small-profile
filmmakers.

AMAZON UNBOX - www.amazon.com is the second most popular movie download destination and using the Amazon service CreateSpace (createspace.com), filmmakers can deliver their masters and have a digital version of their pics for sale on Unbox. Filmmakers earn 50% royalties on transactions but do not have the luxury of setting their own price. Like iTunes, visibility for indie fare is limited among the myriad big studio titles.

JAMAN - www.jaman.com is the most sophisticated portal and offers self-distribbers about a third of the revenues. Emphasizing and merchandising indie and foreign fare, 90% of Jaman's 3,500 titles are either arthouse or international. The site has contrcats with First Look, Magnolia, Lionsgate, Paramount Vantage and Bollywood supplier Eros Intl.

INDIEFLIX - www.indieflix.com (with 125,000 viewers globally) offers a direct, no-fee, totally non-exclusive distribution arrangement whereby filmmakers can collect 70% of revenues while setting their own prices (minimum of $9.95 for features, $5.95 for shorts). Free site takes care of "manufacturing," fulfillment and customer service while providing multiple revenue streams that include PPV, sponsored streaming, downloads and DVD delivery.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE - http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991741.html?categoryid=3235&cs=1&nid=2562

© 2008 Reed Bisiness Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

WEBISODES, WEBISODES, WEBISODES

WEBISODES ARE HOT!

They come in all sizes, shapes and flavors...

24X - EPISODE ONE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcsQnTZ8ZJU

Gemini Division with Rosario Dawson (Jeff Saganansky/Producer Stan Rogow of Electic Farm) Hot webisode picked up by Sony Pictures Television-International distribution and domestically by NBC Universal. http://www.geminidivision.com/index.shtml

Lost Planet - http://www.metacafe.com/watch/424611/lost_planet_webisode_1/

The Morlocks - http://www.metacafe.com/watch/448166/0005_the_morlocks_webisode/

Best Shot - http://oxygen.feedroom.com/?fr_story=277e2010d6287e9e614f8a3015efd282b7bc86c5&rf=rss

Wildfire - http://community.abcfamily.go.com/watch/wildfire/wildfire-webisode-7-mistaken-identity

WunderFrau - http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/5b713e888d

High-Def iTunes Movies?

This Tuesday, Apple is expected to announce that its next version of its iTunes software will allow users to download movies and television shows in high definition, several websites disclosed Thursday. They cited a leak in Apple's upgrade notes.

On Thursday, Amazon announced the launch of Amazon Video on Demand that makes available the company's catalog of 40,000 movies and TV shows for "rent" (i.e., via streaming) on PCs, Macs and other settop boxes like the Sony Bravia TV sets and Apple TV.

Movies will cost $2.99 and $3.99 and TV shows will cost $1.99. They can only be viewed during a 24hour-period after being purchased.

READ MORE MOVIE NEWS - http://www.imdb.com/news/ns0000003/

Copyright © 1990-2008 IMDb.com, Inc.

Writing From The Heart

Writing scripts and screenplays for film requires a lot of work.

"I don't bekieve anyone can really teach writing, "says Nancy Slonim Aronie, director of the Chilmark Writing Workshop on Martha's Vineyard.

"What I know I can do is create a safe place for writers to write. And if you feel safe, you can do anything. You can take the risk of saying this is who I am; this is what terrifies me; this is what moves me; this is what makes me laugh. When you take that risk, you dig deep. You will access your innocence, your truth and your vulnerability and then you cannot miss.”

Using prompts Nancy has devised aimed at silencing the internal censor and letting imaginations and memories wander freely, there will be no "constructive criticism" for shared readings. Others will only voice what moved them about the pieces; what they enjoyed about them; what piqued their curiosity; what feelings they brought up; and NOT how they think the piece could be improved or any other forms of judgment.

"You mine for gold and you find gold. You honor your own voice, write in your own rhythms, use your own language and write your own stories. We stop the inner critic in his tracks. I know it's possible because I have seen it happen for fifteen years over and over again," says Nancy.

Writing From The Heart: Finding Your Own Voice is a book that is nurturing for the beginning writer and a jump-start for the burnt-out professional. You will learn your powerful one-of-a-kind golden voice filled with self-esteem, honor and joy.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE - http://www.storycircle.org/

For more information on Nancy's approach, check out her book, Writing from the Heart available on amazon.com, or CLICK HERE for her website - http://chilmarkwritingworkshop.com/

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON

The feature-length narrative TIE A YELLOW RIBBON provides a rare view into the emotionally complex interior of young Asian American women. The film features a Korean adoptee who needs to come to terms with her damaged past.

Estranged from her family due to a childhood indiscretion with her white brother, a young Korean adoptee woman seeks to regain a sense of home by exploring ties with the Asian-Americans she meets in her new apartment building, until suddenly, her brother shows up at the door, stirring up long lost feelings that she has tried to bury.

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON was awarded the DIRECTOR'S CHOICE FOR BEST FEATURE at the Delray Beach Film Festival and has won Best Feature Film at the San Francisco Women's Film Festival. Joy Dietrich also won the Director Prize at CineVegas Film Festival for TIE A YELLOW RIBBON, her first feature film.

CLICK HERE to visit the Microsite for additional information - http://www.shoutingcow.com/tyr/tyr_news.html

TIE A YELLOW RIBBON is now available on DVD. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE - http://www.jedfilms.net/yellowribbon/dvd/index2.php

The REMOTE CONTROL

A remote control with a mind of its own.

This 60 second movie has won numerous awards - the most recent being the 'Just a Minute' trophy at the British International Amateur Film Festival (BIAFF) and the latest, a Silver in the One-Minute challenge at the UNICA International festival in Europe. Posted By: Mike Shaw


CLICK HERE to see the ONE MINUTE FILM: http://community.avid.com/media/p/227197.aspx