Mike Browne’s Blog

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™

1. MovieSet™ represents a paradigm shift that advances the marketing of movies to the beginning of the production process.
2. Every movie has a core audience and the internet is the most sophisticated tool for identifying, targeting and engaging those fans.
3. 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.
4. As an aggregator, MovieSet™ enables producers to earn advertising and other ecommerce revenue creating new business models.
5. MovieSet™ is also developing its utilities for television, documentaries and games.

www.movieset.com

[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.

Register Now.

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.

Download and watch the HD trailer at Yahoo! Movies. This movie, due to be released on March 28, 2008, is going to look amazing.

I want to see Wanted, not just because it’s an action movie and definitely not because of any of the actors or actresses in the film. Those things aren’t really of much interest at all. In fact the dialog seems clich�, the storyline seems lame and the eye make up looks raccoonesque.

So why the post?

I want to see it because some of it, mostly the effects shots, were shot on RED cameras. No film, just super high definition video. Those big effects are going to look awesome being that clear.

Kodak and Fuji, you’re going to have to rethink your business model. There are a few filmmakers (will that even be the correct word in a year?) who are taking full advantage of this new technology. These movies are stunning. As Hollywood directors play with this format and realize the versatility of it we’re sure to see less film and more digital movies in our theatres. Jumper, already in theatres and doing well, used a RED One as its second unit camera and looks phenomenal.

Always up for an experiment Steven Soderbergh shot his movies The Argentine and Guerrilla both due out in 2008 and, The Informant, due in 2009 using only RED One cameras and lenses.

It’s the wave of the future.

I’d love to get my grubby little paws on two full RED packages. Oh what a guy could do with a couple of those babies! All in all $17,500 isn’t bad for a camera body. But, gear-head that I am we’d have to have all the lenses and accessories to go along with them.

Hey brother, can you spare $75,000?

Funny but I still like the gopher.

“The Conservative government has drafted guidelines that would allow it to pull financial aid for any film or television show that it deems offensive or not in the public’s best interest – even if government agencies have invested in them.

The proposed changes to the Income Tax Act would allow the Heritage Minister to deny tax credits to projects deemed offensive, effectively killing the productions. Representatives from Heritage and the Department of Justice will determine which shows or films pass the test.”

more at source: globeandmail.com: Tories plan to withhold funding for ‘offensive’ productions

Hey Stephen Harper, guess what? You just lost a whole ton of votes. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

That’s it. Censor the film business rather than encouraging it. More shows will be off to the Czech Republic and the Canadian economy will suffer.

If you need more money I guess you shouldn’t have cut that one per cent from the GST. *Sigh*

Let’s call an election now… I know which way I’m voting.

I thought I must post on leap day. But what? How about a humorous look at a couple of hot topics mashed together by theonion.com? Sure. Here’s the video:

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.

I love you Mrs B. 🙂

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.