Perhaps that would have been a better film. Saw “The Happening”. That movie was not happening at all.
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film
Last weekend I went to a course put on by the DGC. It was called Introduction to Internet Marketing for DGC Members and was facilitated by Film and TV Director, Creative Consultant, TV Producer and 1st A.D. Peter D. Marshall. You can subscribe to Peter’s excellent filmmaking newsletter over at his site actioncutprint.com.
Peter talked about everything from the more technical such as meta tags and SEO to utilizing web 2.0 sites like faceook and LinkedIn
Basically what I have is all the weapons to market both myself and any of my films or other media products already in my arsenal, but have yet to focus them. It’s like having the best power drill on the planet and drilling at thin air. I’ll be making some changes to my online presence, not the least of which will be to this blog.
Colleen Nystedt came in to speak to us about her site, movieset.com. I was extremely impressed with Coleen and her pitch. Movieset.com is going to revolutionize film marketing and the back-end tools bringing productions truly online (and for free) are of huge interest to me as a filmmaker. I had ideas about doing what movieset.com is doing myself, so it’s a very easy product to get behind.
Here’s Colleen on In the Lab with Leo Laporte:
Go behind-the-scenes with MovieSet™
Colleen Nystedt, Founder & CEO, MovieSet™
- MovieSet™ represents a paradigm shift that advances the marketing of movies to the beginning of the production process.
- Every movie has a core audience and the internet is the most sophisticated tool for identifying, targeting and engaging those fans.
- MovieSet’s toolkit brings film production online creating efficiencies in scheduling and communications, and as a by-product allows fans a abbreviated view of the process.
- As an aggregator, MovieSet™ enables producers to earn advertising and other ecommerce revenue creating new business models.
- MovieSet™ is also developing its utilities for television, documentaries and games.
[source In the Lab with Leo: episode 79]
As well we hear from Trilby Jeeves who spoke about her experience with marketing film related services on the web, specifically her site buffooneryworkshops.com. I’m kind of a buffoon already, but I’m considering taking Trilby’s next course:
“The Buffoonery Acting Workshop” will be two fun-filled days of discovering how to find authentic, believable and committed performances. It’s going to be held in Vancouver, on April 26 & 27, 2008 at the Tooba Physical Theatre.
This workshop is available to no more than 10 actors. Registrations will be on a first come basis. As soon as 10 spots have been taken, this link will be closed.
Coming from the background and experience in this area that I already have I wasn’t sure how much I’d learn, but I’m glad I went. I learned a lot in only a few hours. Thanks again Peter.
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And skipping all the B.S. Here we go:
I should have waited and watched it this way.
Want more info? Check out the list of winers at Slashfilm.
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Vanity Fair has done it again. Every once in a while they do something truly photographically impressive using Hollywood stars who happen to be the flavor of the moment.
This time they’ve recreated scenes from some of Alfred Hitchcock’s more well known films. I’m especially impressed that Strangers on a Train, one of my faves, made the list. They’ve even done a rather creepy making of video and Jim Windolf does a behind the scenes report.
Here’s a few notables:
Jodi Foster is very Tippi Hedren-esque as Melanie Daniels from the eerie 1963 classic, The Birds. You know there was poop involved in this shoot at some point.
Scarlett Johansson and Javier Bardem reprise the Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart roles in Rear Window. Thank goodness Bardem has a decent haircut after the horrendous 70′s mop he wore in No Country for Old Men.
Renée Zellweger is seriously (I mean very) creepy as Kim Novak’s Madeleine Elster / Judy Barton from Vertigo.
Vanouver’s own Seth Rogen as Cary Grant’s character Roger O. Thornhill from North by Northwest. Cary, you’ve put on weight and look a little dopey. Still fun though.
Emile Hirsch (left) and James McAvoy (right) as Guy Haines and Bruno Anthony from Strangers on a Train. I must watch this film again today…
To see the others and some high quality scans check out the livejournal ohnotheydidn’t.
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92.5% of guild vote in favor of strike’s end
By CYNTHIA LITTLETON, DAVE MCNARY
“The strike is over,” Patric Verrone said, dispassionately but with the hint of a smile. “Our membership has voted. Writers can go back to work.”
The WGA West prexy announced the news, something the town had taken as a fait accompli, shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills. Some 92.5% of the 3,775 ballots cast were in favor of ending the 100-day strike, with 3,492 members voting yes and 283 die-hards ready to tilt at the windmill of continuing the work stoppage that began Nov. 5.
The vote on lifting the strike concluded a mere three days after the WGA cinched its contract agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. The strike vote was held over a 48-hour frame, with members able to vote in person at the WGA Theater and at Gotham’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, or via fax.
[more at variety.com]
Finally! I’m getting bored. This may be blasphemy but one can only play so much Call of Duty 4.
Powered by ScribeFire.
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Thanks to the WGA strike we didn’t get to see the usual TV broadcast for the Golden Globes this year. Hopefully we’ll get to see an Oscar show. I do love it so even if I am often disappointed at the Academy’s choices. This year has been a particularly excellent year for the kind of movies I enjoy; the more artsy and story driven ‘independent’ films.
Although I did enjoy Transformers this year, I’m not typically a fan of blockbusters. Although they’re aesthetically pleasing and full of huge stars and even bigger effects they often leave one feeling unfulfilled.
This year things are looking a little different. Take the nominations for Best Picture for example:
Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood
As someone who loves a great story I need a little soul in my films. There’s no Titanic in the lot this year. Thank goodness.
The only one here I have yet to see is Michael Clayton, but the others are definitely at the top of my own list. I can’t wait to swear at the TV again on Oscar night! Yay!
Here’s a video broadcast the nominations from January 22, 2008:
The rest of the nominations for the 80th Academy Awards are listed after the jump:
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I’m in. Finally.
The Directors Guild of Canada, B.C. District Council has provisionally accepted me for membership in the category of Production Assistant. I’ve met all of the mandatory requirements and am now eligible to work in BC in any (that means any) DGC category incuding TAD (Traniee Assistant Director) and TAL (Location Trainee).
What a relief.
Next step is being ratified nationally. I’m sure that won’t be until the new year. After that I’ll be eligible for the health and welfare benefits as well. I’m already able to sign up for the RSP through Fidelity.
Thanks DGCBC. 
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Working Title: Love Sick
Theme: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned
Logline: A tortured and lonely young man uses occult means to conjure himself a girlfriend. She’s perfect, every guy’s dream girl, except for the fact that she’s a demon from hell.
I started playing with this story more than ten years ago, but it just never seemed to earn it’s way out of being more than an idea, so I left it alone for a while to ruminate in the root cellar that is my brain.
I had some epiphanies about it this past month and whipped through 7/8′s of an outline two weeks ago. I couldn’t bring myself to finish the outline until I read the first few paragraphs of this interview with Kevin Smith last night on /film.
I finished the outline this morning in an hour and a half and have written 5 pages of the first draft this afternoon.
This one’s sort of based on my own experience. Really close to home in a lot of ways. I just need to get the shallow creepy ones out of my system before I write anything profound and high brow. I’m starting to believe I’m as deep as a mud puddle anyway.
I’m hoping this isn’t too superficial. But I am trying to write something sale-able. Actually the subtext (which is where my experience comes in) is more about shyness, low self-esteem and growing up than anything.
Delving back into those dark places isn’t fun, but everyone can relate on a certain level.
As screenplays are between 88 and 120 pages long (each page equals about a minute of screen time) if I write only 10 pages per day it could take me 12 days to write. Not much considering the Writers Guild minimums are like $40k per feature.
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to sell this one or want to make it myself. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I’m writing because it’s a challenge and it’s kind of fun to be the first to see a story unfold. I just want to see if I can do it and so far it appears that I can.
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“The lines that people love most come not necessarily from the most revered films in the canon (though Casablanca and Citizen Kane are represented), but from down-to-earth comedies or action films (Ahem, “I’ll be baaack!”) that grabbed the audience on a visceral level. Whatever the genre of the film, these small bits of dialogue are important: they’re cultural shorthand, part of the language everyone shares.”
[entire list at ohnotheydidn't or the original version at Premiere's site]
Some particular favourites of mine from this list:
86. “Can I borrow your underpants for ten minutes?” — The Geek (Anthony Michael Hall) in Sixteen Candles (1984)
68. “Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!” — Bill Murray as Dr. Venkman in Ghostbusters (1984)
41. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” — Brody (Roy Scheider) in Jaws (1975)
26. “Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!” — Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers) in Dr. Strangelove (1964)
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An unemployed 1st assistant director, runs his house like a movie set.
Thanks to all the people (AD’s) who sent me this.
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