Maria Full of Grace

July 5th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

She’s Gotta Have It

It was on this day in 1985 that Spike Lee got the cameras rolling for his first feature, She’s Gotta Have It. The completed movie premiered to international audiences at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and returned home with the Award of the Youth for Foreign Film. Later that year it opened to U.S. audiences, who equally embraced it by honoring Lee, also one of the movie’s co-stars and its sole writer, with a Spirit Award for Best First Feature. She’s Gotta Have It tells the story of Nola, a graphic artist from Brooklyn, who simultaneously dates three men, unwilling to commit and choose just one. Problems arise when the men decide they each want her to themselves. Shot in 15 days on a budget of $175,000, the movie eventually grossed over $7 million and, according to The New York Times, ushered in the independent film movement of the late 1980s.

Connections: Spike Lee has a rival in Tommy Redmond Hicks when they compete for the love of one woman in She’s Gotta Have It. But in real life, the men obviously work well together as Hicks had previously starred in Lee’s short Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983).

July 4th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Louis B. Mayer

Legendary studio chief Louis B. Mayer considered himself a patriot for the United States—despite being born in the Ukraine and growing up in Canada. It was for this reason that he chose to maintain his birthday was the same as that of the country he loved (the real date is widely thought to be the 12th of the month). Throughout his career Mayer preserved his brand of conservative patriotism by stumping for Herbert Hoover’s presidential bids and naming names before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. “Mr. Motion Picture,” as William R. Wilkerson of The Hollywood Reporter used to call him, began modestly with one Massachusetts movie theater to his name in 1907. By 1924 Mayer had merged his own thriving studio enterprise with those of Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During his reign as head of the studio, he became the highest paid executive in the country and made stars out of Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy, understanding that Hollywood was a “business of making idols… Everything else was secondary.”

Factoid: Louis B. Mayer’s empire was built on a foundation laid by The Birth of a Nation (1915), which he purchased a copy of after pawning his wife’s wedding ring.

Photo courtesy of AMPAS.

July 3rd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

Patrick Wilson

Stage and screen actor Patrick Wilson, born in Norfolk, VA on this day in 1973, was that oh-so-familiar friendly face swinging around this season’s Gap ads with Claire Danes. Before that Wilson was largely known as a two-time Tony Award nominee for his lead roles in “The Full Monty” and the Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!” But in 2003 he ventured a turn on-screen as the bisexual Mormon in HBO’s “Angels in America” and took a chance that paid off with nominations at both the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. The Carnegie Mellon grad then transitioned from small screen to big with roles in Joel Schumacher’s The Phantom of the Opera and 2005’s Hard Candy. The following year Wilson’s recognition grew after playing the adulterous Brad Adamson in Little Children—alongside Oscar nominees Kate Winslet and Jackie Earle Haley. Most recently he re-teamed with his Gap partner, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep and a host of other acclaimed actresses in the June release Evening and can be seen in the Edward Burns feature, Purple Violets.

Quotable: “Does it make any difference that I might be one thing deep within? No matter how wrong or ugly that thing is so long as I have fought with everything I have to kill it?”—Patrick Wilson as Joe Pitt in “Angels in America”.

July 2nd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Top of the Box Office

1. Ratatouille
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $47,227,000
Total Gross: $47,227,000

2. Live Free or Die Hard
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $33,150,000
Total Gross: $48,178,571

3. Evan Almighty
Universal
Weekend Gross: $15,089,400
Total Gross: $60,625,000

4. 1408
Miramax/Dimension
Weekend Gross: $10,610,000
Total Gross: $40,389,000

5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $9,000,000
Total Gross: $114,800,808

Totals courtesy of www.the-numbers.com.

July 1st, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Before Sunset

It was on this day in 2004 that Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset was first released to a limited number of U.S. theaters. Co-written by Linklater with stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, the feature became the type of rare sequel that critics adored and awards committees embraced. The screenplay was nominated in Best Screenplay categories at the Writers’ Guild, Independent Spirit and Academy Awards. Like its predecessor (1995’s Before Sunrise), Before Sunset follows Parisian Celine (Delpy) and American Jesse (Hawke) as they walk the streets of Europe bonding. Their deadline this time around: Sunset. Movie’s running time: 80 minutes. To address the timing discrepancy, Linklater employed many long takes, only a few unique scenes and an open ending--thereby achieving a feeling of real time and granting the audience access to the timeless tale of kindred spirits.

Connections: To date, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater have completed six films together, including The Newton Boys (1998), Tape (2001), Waking Life (2001) and Fast Food Nation (2006).

July 1st, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Baltimore, Maryland

Being located right outside of the Beltway has made Baltimore, Maryland a natural extension of the U.S. capital and the setting for many a movie with a political tint. Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver visited during production of their 1993 comedy Dave, as did Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine for 1994â€(tm)s Guarding Tess.

But it could be said that the people who really put this metropolitan area on the map were Bruce Willis and John McTiernan, who set up shop for Die Hard: With a Vengeance in 1995. Twelve years later the smooth-shaven action star returned with a new crew to film Live Free or Die Hard, released this past week by 20th Century Fox. The new movie finds battered action hero John McClane somewhat reluctantly dragged into yet another adventure when helicopters begin a high-speed chase of his vehicle through Baltimoreâ€(tm)s city streets. When Washington, D.C. is nearly shut down by homegrown cyber-terrorists, McClane and his new partner in crime (Dodgeballâ€(tm)s Justin Long) find themselves back on their way through the Old Line State to Baltimoreâ€(tm)s Woodlawn section, home to the targeted national headquarters of the Social Security Administration.

Usually, filming at government buildings can be a tricky feat, what with permits being a daunting task to tackle. But through the Maryland Film Office thereâ€(tm)s always a helping hand, whether in the form of a much-needed location scout or free shooting and production properties, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts can help moviemakers find their niche within the borders of The District without actually being within the borders of The District. Register your project with the state for free and even receive a five percent tax rebate on some of your most essential rentals and production services, all while rolling film in one of the nation’s original seaport cities.

The works of John Waters and many others have made use of Baltimore, including:

Diner (1982)
Hairspray (1988)
Cry Baby (1990)
Enemy of the State (1998)
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Syriana (2005)

Sound Off: Baltimore so easily passes for Washington, D.C. on film that you might not even notice the difference. What other popular movies have successfully utilized a substitute location and are worth a moviemakerâ€(tm)s tightly-budgeted money? Share with your fellow independents in our comments section!

July 1st, 2007 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Bernard Herrmann

Legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann was born in New York City on this day in 1911 . His original, innovative scores have brought some of the most important films of our time to life. After writing music for Orson Welles’ radio shows in the 1930s, including the infamous “War of the Worlds” broadcast, Herrmann went on to compose the score for Citizen Kane (1941). Herrmann produced nine scores for Alfred Hithcock, including The Birds (1963), Psycho (1960), North by Northwest (1959) and Vertigo. In 1942 he won the Academy Award for Best Music for The Devil and Daniel Webster. He died just hours after recording the score for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976), for which he received an Oscar nomination.

Factoid: Bernard Herrmann’s posthumous Oscar nomination for Taxi Driver was not his final nod. He received a second nod in the same year for Brian De Palma’s Obsession but ultimately lost out to Jerry Goldsmith for his ominous Omen score.

June 29th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Tribeca 798 Film Festival Beijing

2007’s Tribeca 798 Film Festival Beijing will take place on July 10th and 11th in Beijing, China. Tribeca Enterprises, the William Morris Agency and China Interactive Media Group have all come together to present this special two-day independent film event, which will have an opening reception, free outdoor screenings and a block party on opening night set to take place in the 798 district, a neighborhood said to resemble the
artsy feel of New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. John Patricof, COO of Tribeca Enterprises, explains that the convergence of independent Chinese cinema and the Tribeca Film Festival “helps further the Tribeca Film Festival’s mission to expand the audience for independent film and to provide artists with unique platforms to reach new audiences.” The festival is featuring Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046, Benson Lee’s Planet B-Boy and Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer as well as 13 other features and shorts.

June 27th, 2007 | Category: Happenings | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

Krzysztof Kieslowski

Influential Polish writer-director Krzysztof Kieslowski was born on this day in Warsaw in 1941. His career started out by accident, when he dropped out of firemen’s training school at 16 after just three months. With no clear direction in life he entered the College for Theatre Technicians in Warsaw in 1957 because it was run by a relative. To avoid military service, Kieslowski briefly became an art student. After several months of successfully avoiding the draft, he was accepted to the Lodz Film Academy on his third attempt, the same school that produced Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda. Although he wasn’t overtly political, Kieslowski’s documentaries, like Workers ‘71, caused him much conflict with Polish authorities. Most famous are his foreign made films such as The Double Life of Veronique (1991) and his Trois Couleurs trilogy. In 1994 he was nominated for two Academy Awards for Three Colors: Red . Kieslowski died on March 13, 1996, at the age of 54, during open-heart surgery following a heart attack.

Factoid: Kieslowski was considered part of the “Cinema of Moral Anxiety,” a loose movement which grouped together several Polish directors, including Andrzej Wajda, who aimed to depict the conditions of Poles under communism.

June 26th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Paul Thomas Anderson

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson was born on this day in Studio City, California in 1970. He briefly attended Emerson College and NYU, but both stints were short-lived. Instead of a traditional education, Anderson chose the school of real life--working as a production assistant on TV movies, videos and game shows. Anderson’s first film, Cigarettes & Coffee, was a hit at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. Anderson is best known for his large casts and complex independent film inspirations with interweaving storylines. His breakout film, Boogie Nights (1997), was critically acclaimed as the best film of the year by many film critics and one of the finest examinations of the porn industry. Later, his ensemble piece Magnolia (1999) received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay. In 2002 Anderson wrote and directed Punch-Drunk Love, starring Adam Sandler in his first serious role. His newest film, There Will Be Blood, an adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, is scheduled for release this fall.

Factoid: Boogie Nights was based on a 30-minute mockumentary which Anderson produced in high school. It was inspired by an article he had read on porn star John Holmes.

June 25th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Top of the Box Office

1. Evan Almighty
Universal
Weekend Gross: $32,111,640
Total Gross: $32,111,640

2. 1408
Miramax/Dimension
Weekend Gross: $20,175,000
Total Gross: $20,175,000

3. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $20,150,000
Total Gross: $97,603,559

4. Ocean’s Thirteen
Warner Bros.
Weekend Gross: $11,345,000
Total Gross: $91,013,000

5. Knocked Up
Universal
Weekend Gross: $10,635,625
Total Gross: $108,981,875

Totals courtesy of www.the-numbers.com.

June 24th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

8 1/2

On this day in 1963, Italian director Federico Fellini released his classic film 8 1/2 in the United States. Considered by film critics to be one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, 8 1/2 was nominated for five Academy Awards, and won two: Best Foreign Language Film and Best Costume Design. Fellini’s semi-autobiographical film, starring Marcello Mastroianni, tells the story of a film director who, lacking inspiration for his next movie, retracts into his dreams, bemusing over his past and the women he has loved and lost. The film was shot in black and white by influential and innovative cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo and features a soundtrack by Nino Rota.

Factoid: The broadway musical Nine, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston, is based on Fellini’s 8 1/2.

June 24th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 4

Indie Memphis Film Festival

The South is not like anywhere else. According to longtime MM contributor Jason Mann, this fact has been recognized many times over in literature and music, but rarely in film. So the Indie Memphis Soul of Southern Film Festival was created to right that injustice, focusing on films that showcase that local flavor.

The fest accepts films in four categories: Narrative Feature, Narrative Short (less than 30 minutes), Documentary and Experimental/Animation. Films made in Shelby County, home of the Indie Memphis Film Festival, are eligible for a second set of awards, aptly called the Hometowner Awards.

But what does the South have to offer the moviemaking community at large? “The South has a great tradition of storytelling,” says Tracy Lauritzen Wright, executive director of Delta Axis, the organization behind Indie Memphis. “The rich history and culture of the region lend themselves to great imagery, music and stories. Indie Memphis seeks to introduce the national moviemaking community to a new generation of filmmakers who draw inspiration from the people and landscape of the South. We are particularly committed to the local community of filmmakers, and provide many Memphis filmmakers with their first screening opportunities,”

Think you’ve got what it takes to make it at this year’s event? The 2007 Indie Memphis Film Festival will run from October 19–25. The final deadline for submissions is July 16. For more information visit www.indiememphis.com.

June 24th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Michael Moore

He has been an elected official (at the budding age of 18 no less), executive editor of Mother Jones magazine and a would-be priest. Now, as a video journalist and moviemaker, Michael Moore is conquering his next mountain: The U.S. healthcare system. In SiCKO, out in early release from The Weinstein Company on June 22, Moore documents the drawbacks and inconsistencies in the privatized system while promoting an elimination of private health insurance and a regulation of pharmaceutical companies. “One thing I said to my coworkers when we started was that we donâ€(tm)t need to spend a lot of time in the film telling the audience how bad the system is, because they already know,” Moore says. “That would be like making a movie now and pointing out that Bush is a lousy president.” Wait, didnâ€(tm)t he already do that?

In 2004 the moviemaker caused a worldwide stir when his scathing critique on the Bush administration, Fahrenheit 9/11, hit theaters sans support of its Disney distribution label. With the mouse house out of the picture, the Weinstein brothers, Lionsgate and IFC Films stepped up to promote and distribute what became the highest grossing documentary in box office history.

Moore, no stranger to controversy, has become synonymous with sociopolitical calls to action since first raising a popular ruckus with the release of 1989â€(tm)s Roger & Me. His attempts at meeting with General Motors CEO Roger Smith raised many an eye to the economic fate of Mooreâ€(tm)s hometown of Flint, Michigan. His next documentary, the Academy Award-winning Bowling for Columbine, expanded its scope to the nationâ€(tm)s gun control laws (or, rather, leniency) after the shooting rampage at Columbine High School. Its screening at Cannes marked the first documentary to be shown at the festival in 46 years and came home with the 55th Anniversary Prize.

“Ignorance is never a healthy thing,” Moore observes. “You canâ€(tm)t make the best decisions without having all of the information. Thatâ€(tm)s true in our daily life, and thatâ€(tm)s true in our political life.” Which is probably why we look to this passionate moviemaker to challenge us every few years.

Sound Off: Michael Moore confronts issues in his movies often by revealing only one side of the argument, explaining that the other side is what the public is bombarded with day in and day out. Some people find this deceitful while others find it necessary. What’s your view? Tell us what you think in our comments section!

June 24th, 2007 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 18

In Theaters Now

Evan Almighty
directed by Tom Shadyac
Steve Carell is back in the sequel to the hit comedy Bruce Almighty, dishing out biblical lessons through family-oriented humor. Evan, a newly selected congressman, is hoping to serve his country, but when called upon by God (Morgan Freeman, of course) to build an ark that will serve all humanity, he realizes his calling is greater than he could’ve imagined. Carell is always entertaining, and jokes played off religion are an easy laugh, but can the film maintain its entertainment factor for its 90-minute running time? God willing, you’ll leave with a few good chuckles and maybe some moral gain. Say Amen, somebody.

1408
directed by Mikael Hafstrom
It seems that as the horror market grows, even actors better known for their comedic turns like Jim Carrey and now John Cusack are trying their hand at fright (and, well, we all remember how well The Number 23 was received… or more likely don’t remember it at all). A far cry from romantic comedies like High Fidelity or Say Anything, this Stephen King thriller, about a paranormal investigative writer who takes his chances by staying in an allegedly haunted hotel room, claims to terrify audiences. Any hopes that the deadly room is a myth are quickly debunked. It’s a little hard to take 1408 seriously though when images of a lovesick teen holding a boom box over his head get in the way.

A Mighty Heart
directed by Michael Winterbottom
Oscar alert! Angelina Jolie lands a dream role, her chance for a shot at Best Lead Actress (to match her Best Supporting Actress statue for Girl, Interrupted), playing Mariane Pearl in the harrowing, true story of a woman struggling to save her husband, Daniel (Dan Futterman), the American reporter who was brutally murdered by a Pakistani militant group in 2002. Although Mrs. Pearl is of mixed race, Jolie manages to look uncannily like her, and apparently it was Mrs. Pearl’s request that Jolie have the part (though Brad Pitt did produce the film...). A Mighty Heart promises to be the most heart-wrenching film of summer. Bring tissues and a loved one.

You Kill Me
directed by John Dahl
Oh, another Hollywood contribution to women’s rights where the on-screen couple involves a young hot woman with a male partner who could be her father. In You Kill Me, Ben Kingsley is a hit man whose drinking has gotten the best of him, so he’s sent away by his Polish mob family to sober up in San Francisco. Working at a mortuary he befriends the “tart-tongued” Laurel (Téa Leoni) and the two form an unlikely partnership. Luke Wilson and Dennis Farina also star in this black comedy.

--Nina Boutsikaris

June 21st, 2007 | Category: In Theaters Now | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Graham Greene

Today in 1952 actor Graham Greene was born on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada. A graduate of The Centre for Indigenous Theatre’s Native Theatre School program, Greene went on to become a well recognized face, taking on projects that concerned the harsh realities and difficult issues concerning indigenous people. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Dances with Wolves (1990), and he received the Best Actor Award in 2002 at the Tokyo International Film Festival for Skins, a tale about the relationship between two Sioux Indian brothers living on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation.

Factoid: Along with his film and TV work, Greene also provides the recorded narration for “Tecumseh!” an outdoor drama presented each summer at the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre in Chillicothe, Ohio. Audiences witness a reenactment of the legendary Shawnee leader as he struggles to defend his sacred homelands in Ohio country during the late 1700s.

June 21st, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 2

Sunshine State

John Sayles’ Sunshine State was released in American theaters on this day in 2002. The indie film, starring Angela Bassett and Edie Falco, was critically acclaimed for the insightful examination of Florida’s historic past and uncertain future. Bassett plays a newly married woman who returns to her hometown in coastal northern Florida, only to deal with family, business and the impending real estate development that threatens to take over the once familiar land.
Quotable: “I won’t try to second-guess what a Hollywood studio would like to see in a low-budget film so that they will hire me the next time around. I know I will always do better work if I do projects in which I really believe. And if I never get to direct again, I will have made some movies I can feel proud of.”

June 20th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 9

Martin Landau

On this day in 1931 American actor Martin Landau was born in Brooklyn, NY. At age 17 he worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for the New York Daily News. Landau attended Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio in 1955 and eventually went on to coach modern stars like Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Houston. At age 28 he made his major film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959), alongside actors Cary Grant, Eva Saint Marie and James Mason. A few years later Landau landed the role of “Rollin Hand” on the hit television show “Mission: Impossible.” Landau has been nominated for several Oscars, including a win for Best Actor in 1994 for his role as Bela Lugosi, the original Dracula, in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood.

Factoid: Martin Landau has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

June 19th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Kathleen Turner

The famously husky-voiced actress Kathleen Turner was born on this day in 1954 in Springfield, Missouri. The daughter of career diplomats, Turner lived in four foreign countries while growing up (Canada, Cuba, Venezuela and the U.K.). As a young woman she was known for her stunning looks and deep, sexy voice and was often compared to 1940s Hollywood sex symbol Lauren Bacall. Throughout her career, Turner has received numerous award nominations, including five Golden Globes nominations plus an Oscar nod for 1986’s Peggy Sue Got Married. Turner received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Savannah College of Art and Design at the Savannah Film Festival in October 2004 and was also a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004.

Factoid: Turner has opted to do her own stunts in many of her films, including 1991’s VI Warshawski, where she broke her nose while filming.

June 18th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Chris Cooper in Breach

Chris Cooper is much more than the stereotypical cowpoke from Missouri. Because, while he started his career designing and building sets there, the young actor found his first acting roles in New York City and soon crossed the pond to play opposite Lauren Bacall in “Sweet Bird of Youth” on the London stage in 1985. Cooper’s career has since been founded on the small but significant supporting characters in films such as This Boy’s Life, A Time to Kill (1996), The Horse Whisperer (1998) and Alfonso Cuarón’s Great Expectations (1998). His portrayal of a stern (and complex, sexually-confused) military man in Sam Mendes’ American Beauty earned him a supporting actor nomination from SAG--the first of three in four years, he was also nominated in that category for 2002â€(tm)s Adaptation and 2003â€(tm)s Seabiscuit. In fact, it was his performance as an orchid expert in Adaptation that brought Cooper gold in the form of an Academy Award statuette, plus subsequent roles as KBI agent Alvin Dewey in Capote and Robert Hanssen in Breach, his first as a leading man. Next up he reprises his role opposite Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum and acts against Patricia Clarkson in both Hurricane Mary and Married Life.

Connections: Chris Cooperâ€(tm)s first feature film role came courtesy of John Sayles in 1987â€(tm)s Matewan. Since then the men have worked on City of Hope (1991), Lone Star (1996) and Silver City (2004).

June 18th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Great American Pitchfest

The Great American Pitchfest is like speed dating for the Hollywood business crowd. It’s where writers with ideas meet people with resources and an impressive number of love affairs have blossomed. “For many writers, gaining access to industry insiders is very difficult, even if they live right in Los Angeles,” explains Bob Schultz, a Pitchfest organizer. “As the only pitching event created by screenwriters for screenwriters, we take tremendous pride in opening those doors for aspiring writers.”
The annual event was founded by moviemaker Signe Olynyk after becoming frustrated by other unorganized festivals of this type—especially after they yielded few results. Her solution, the Great American Pitchfest, ensures each attendee five minutes with each company and the opportunity for additional time if the company desires. The low ratio of industry reps to attendees keeps the event fairly intimate and the odds of success higher. Additionally, registered guests are guaranteed seating to free on-site classes sponsored by The Writers Store, Learning Annex and Writers Guild of America.
Besides sitting in on classes and sweet-talking the industry insiders, Schultz says there are three vital elements to setting yourself apart and succeeding at the Great American Pitchfest. First, is strategy: Have things planned ahead of time. Second, energy: “Channeling your nervousness, excitement or fear into an enthusiastic (but focused) pitch makes all the difference.” Finally, knowledge: Knowing every detail about your script and about the company you are pitching to. With all that, you just might find a lifelong companion.

See what the Great American Pitchfest can do for you when it hits the Sheraton Hotel in Universal Studios, California, June 23-24. Head over to www.pitchfest.com for more details.

Sound Off: The Great American Pitchfest pairs prospective talent with the people who can propel that talent forward. What is the best story of an unknown becoming a hit through a chance meeting?

June 18th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Wordplay

The documentary Wordplay was released in theaters on this day in 2006. Recognized by the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Critics Association Award, Satellite Award and Sundance Film Festival, the film takes a look at the historical and modern day forces behind the New York Times crossword puzzle and the fascinating world of puzzle addicts. Director Patrick Creadon follows five brilliant minds as they prepare for and compete in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, documentarian Ken Burns and former President Bill Clinton are just a few of the celebrity interviewees, who share their own experiences and love of the famous puzzle.

Factoid: Twentysomething Tyler Hinman, who won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for the first time when Wordplay was shot in 2005, has won every year since!

June 17th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

Top of the Box Office

1. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $57,400,000
Total Gross: $57,400,000

2. Ocean’s Thirteen
Warner Bros.
Weekend Gross: $19,105,000
Total Gross: $69,810,000

3. Knocked Up
Universal
Weekend Gross: $14,535,000
Total Gross: $90,481,815

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $12,024,000
Total Gross: $273,757,000

5. Surf’s Up
Sony Pictures
Weekend Gross: $9,300,000
Total Gross: $34,671,000

Totals courtesy of www.the-numbers.com.

June 17th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

No comments (yet!)

India

While India has long had its own thriving film community in Bollywood, it is often equally appealing to foreign productions looking to set up shop throughout the country. Most recently A Mighty Heart made use of the Asian land in bringing to life the true story of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.

Based on the book of the same name by Pearl’s wife, Mariane, the movie delves into the lives of the Pearls (played by Oscar winner Angelina Jolie and nominee Dan Futterman), leading up to and following the capture and subsequent murder of the former South Asian Bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. Filmed throughout India and Pakistan, director Michael Winterbottom squeezed every last drop from his inspired setting and followed the storyline through streets of police raids and processions to landmarks such as the Gateway of India and Churchgate Station. Plus, a marked amount of extras and crew were farmed from the local talent pool and sometimes even right off the street. “If a guy on the street looked right for the part, we grabbed him,” explains casting director Wendy Brazington, who also called on well-known Indian faces Irfan Khan and Archie Panjabi for weighty supporting roles.

With borders along the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal and inlands made of sandy deserts, India’s landscape provides the variety needed for productions of many a setting and experience. Through the National Film Development Corporation Limited, productions of any size can submit to receive partial funding and production assistance in the form of photographers, art directors, Steadicams, mikes and booms, computer graphics and lodging, among other filming necessities. Plus, the task of dealing with customs and local/national government falls on the shoulders of the NFDC, leaving moviemakers free to storyboard and dare to dream.

Wondering how you can experience India on film if you haven’t caught many Bollywood movies? Watch the following:
Armageddon
The Bourne Supremacy
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Monsoon Wedding
Passage to India
Salaam Bombay!

For more information on A Mighty Heart, released domestically by Paramount Vantage on June 22, visit www.amightheartmovie.com.

For more information on India and filming in the country, check out www.incredibleindia.org and the National Film Development Corporation Ltd. at www.nfdcindia.com.

SOUND OFF: In the past few years alone there have been at least two biopics per year. Which is your favorite of all time? Sound off in our comments section!

June 17th, 2007 | Category: Location of the Week | By MovieMaker Staff

Comments: 1

Page 27 of 41 pages « First  <  25 26 27 28 29 >  Last »

SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS

Home | Latest Headlines
Screenwriting | Producing | Directing | Acting | Cinematography | Editing | Distribution | Education | Festivals | Locations
Listings | Archives | HOP Interviews | Blogs | Forums | Contests | Subscriptions | Advertising

About | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Contact

© 2012 MovieMaker Magazine

Web site design by Hop Studios