Filmmaking

KEVIN SMITH REVEALS “RED STATE” POSTER

Here’s a little treat for ya on Halloween! Today on Kevin Smith‘s blog, Silent Bob Speaks, the outspoken writer-director put up a teaser poster of his next film, Red State, his first foray into horror. In the past Smith has described the film as being loosely based on religious extremism, and its one he’s talked about making for years. If you follow Smith on Twitter you know he finally found enough money to shoot it over the summer, and according to his blog post, principal photography is now wrapped. Smith on the poster: Moody, weird, and pitch-perfect for the tone […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Oct 31, 2010 Filmmaking
KAREN SCHMEER FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCED; DEADLINE DEC. 15

Friends of the late Karen Schmeer, the documentary film editor whose credits include Errol Morris’s Fast, Cheap and Out of Control and Greg Barker’s Sergio, have honored their colleague by creating a fellowship for editors. They have partnered with ACE, SXSW, IFFBoston, the Manhattan Edit Workshop, and Powell’s books for this program intended to help-and-coming documentary editors while remembering Schmeer’s extraordinary accomplishments. Schmeer died last year when she was struck by a car fleeing a drug store robbery. From the group’s website: We are now accepting submissions for the Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship. Awarded annually, the Fellowship was created […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 31, 2010 Filmmaking
EARLY COURSEWORK FROM DISTRIBUTION U.

Scott Kirsner and Peter Broderick are bringing their Distribution U. to New York and Los Angeles November 13 and 20, respectively. Among the various presentations dealing with independent marketing and distribution in New York will be a case study of Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop. In L.A., singer-songwriter Jill Sobule will be talking about how she reinvigorated her recording career through crowdfunding and an online community. I’ll be leading one of the seminars in New York. Here is how the event is described: Designed and presented by leading distribution strategist Peter Broderick and cutting-edge author and tech analyst Scott […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 29, 2010 Filmmaking
“ON COAL RIVER” AT STRANGER THAN FICTION

There’s an explosion. Children play on swings, unaware of a darkening cloud on the horizon. A man opens the back of his toilet only to discover it’s filled with black sludge. Just a few scenes from On Coal River, last night’s selection for Stranger Than Fiction, the weekly documentary series hosted by Thom Powers at the IFC Center. Significantly more frightening than your average horror flick, On Coal River follows a group of West Virginia activists in their fight against Massey Energy and its practice of “mountaintop removal mining,” a type of strip mining where they literally blow off the top […]

By Mary Anderson Casavant on Oct 28, 2010 Filmmaking
COMCAST, CABLE CORDCUTTING AND THE ECONOMY

Comcast beat estimates but surprised analysts with an almost 300,000 subscriber loss, reports Tim Arango in the New York Times. From the article: [Bernstein analyst Craig] Moffett said the image of the cord-cutter has been a “cutting edge technologist” who prefers to bypass cable to watch programming on their computers and on an every-proliferating array of devices, such as tablets. “The reality is it’s someone whose 40 years old and poor and settling for a dog’s breakfast of Netflix and short-form video.” He added, “the image that people are cutting the cord because they like what’s on the Internet better […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 27, 2010 Filmmaking
FILMMAKER MAG DIGITAL INTERN WANTED

Are you a reader of Filmmaker Magazine interested in being part of online coverage of the independent film world? Filmmaker is looking for an intern to assist with the publishing of its website, FilmmakerMagazine.com, as well as the managing of Filmmaker’s online community. Ideal candidates will have strong writing and communication skills, a sincere interest in both the artistic as well as the business and production sides of independent filmmaking, and will have familiarity with online publishing. Responsibilities will include research and fact-checking, copy-editing, news and link gathering, event coverage, light writing, and assisting with community forum management as well […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 27, 2010 Filmmaking
“TAKING ON THE KENNEDYS” AT STRANGER THAN FICTION

Ever since the great documentarian Robert Drew turned his camera on then Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy in the 1960 documentary, Primary, the campaign film has been one of the great genres of documentary filmmaking. So, it was no small compliment to director Josh Seftel when Thom Powers introduced Seftel’s 1996 film Taking on the Kennedys as “one of the great campaign documentaries” at Stranger than Fiction last night. Made when Seftel was only twenty-six years old, Taking on the Kennedys follows the Republican doctor Kevin Vigilante as he runs for Congress against Patrick Kennedy, Ted Kennedy’s youngest son. Despite […]

By Mary Anderson Casavant on Oct 27, 2010 Filmmaking
Paramount’s Micro-Budget Division Releases First Trailer

Remember that Paramount micro-budget division, Insurge, announced in the wake of Paranormal Activity‘s big success? The one we all got excited about? Well, the company has released the first trailer from its first production, and it is embedded below. Pamela McClintock has an update on the company in Variety. (Note: paywall.) From her piece: At the time, the studio said it was committing $1 million for Insurge to produce or acquire 10 films with budgets of $100,000 each. But if the industry expected Insurge to be a traditional division, operating under traditional rules, it was wrong. Half a year […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 26, 2010 Filmmaking
THE STATE OF PROMOTION TODAY?

Bob Lefsetz posted this video today about promotion in today’s music world. (If you don’t get his newsletter about the music business, you can subscribe at the link.) Here’s what he wrote: To succeed in the artistic world you need two things: concept and execution. Execution without concept is all those big name records that you spin and find not exactly unlistenable, but unmemorable. Concept with failed execution is this video. But watch it anyway, because the concept is so damn good. Anybody who tells you they’ve got a grip on today’s landscape, that they know everything, what’s truly going […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 26, 2010 Filmmaking
“OPEN FIVE” WINS THE 13TH MEMPHIS FILM FESTIVAL

Congrats to Filmmaker 25 New Face Kentucker Audley for winning Best Narrative Feature at the Memphis Film Festival with his latest, Open Five. As I blogged last week, Audley has made the entire feature available for a limited time on his site (or, embedded below). Also winning awards were films by three other “25 New Face” filmmakers — The Colonel’s Wife (Brent Stewart), Mars (Geoff Marslett), and Blackmail Boys (under a pseudonym, Morgan Jon Fox). The complete awards are below. Jury Awards Announced for 13th annual Indie Memphis Film Festival Category: Uncategorized — admin @ 12:58 pm NARRATIVE FEATURE AWARDS […]

By Scott Macaulay on Oct 25, 2010 Filmmaking

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