Screenwriters Get Lucky in Nevada

by Jennifer M. Wood | Published May. 2, 2008

Twenty-one has always been a lucky number in gambling. This year it's proving to be a good number for moviemakers, too, first as the title of one of the season's biggest box office draws and now as the Nevada Film Office launches its 21st annual Screenwriting Competition. As the film office's call for scripts opened, MM spoke with Sarah Bontrager, the public relations coordinator for the Nevada Film Office, about this year's crop of submissions, how Nevada is more than just casinos and what it takes to make it in this land of opportunity. (No comments yet)

Virginia Stands Up for Moviemakers

by Mallory Potosky

Virginia Film Office Helps Moviemaking Community

The Commonwealth State has long held a distinctive position in the film industry. Its participation in such movies as D.W. Griffith’s America, Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie and the Oscar-winning Giant, starring Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor, has been part of the draw that continually brings new and veteran moviemakers alike to join in the brotherhood that is Virginia’s moviemaking community.

Georgia Rules

by Mallory Potosky

Doubling as almost any location in the world, Georgia has become a one-stop-shop for major and independent moviemakers alike. Bill Thompson, division director of the Georgia Film, Video & Music Office, talks about state incentives, beginning production in the state and why moviemaking is just as important as fruit.

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Last Exit to Film Geekdom

by Andrew Gnerre
Film geeks like to show off; it's in their job description. Whether it's debating the merits of Lars von Trier or discussing which Evil Dead film is the true masterpiece, it's just what they do. Well, thanks to entrepreneur Mike Ford, what they do has just gotten a bit easier to show off. Ford's UK-based company, Last Exit to Nowhere, sells T-shirts based on fictional companies and locations from films. And although the movies represented tend to skew a bit toward cult favorites (designs include the Winchester Tavern from Shaun of the Dead, the Urban Achievers from The Big Lebowski and Jaws' Amity Island), Ford says this was not deliberate.
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Top 10 Movie Cities 2008

by Jennifer M. Wood
From Austin to Albuquerque and plenty of places in between, MovieMaker's eighth annual countdown of the 10 best places to live, work and make movies in the U.S. (36 comments)

Harry Potter’s World Comes to a City Near You

by Melissa Rose Kimbler
It’s really impossible to hear something like “sorting hat” or “invisibility cloak” and not feel at least a little of the allure of Harry Potter's universe. When the films brought the J.K. Rowling books to life, it was through the costuming, set design and props. In 2009, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” will bring 10,000 square feet of artifacts from the enchanting films to 10 or more cities around the world over a five-year period. (1 comment)

Iron Man Comes Out Fighting in London

by Jennifer M. Wood

As U.S. audiences start counting down the days until Iron Man, one of this spring's most anticipated movies, is released in theaters on May 2nd, film fans across the pond got a sneak peek at hero in action when the film premiered yesterday at the Odean in London's Leicester Square. (No comments yet)

Arthur Max Sets the Scene in American Gangster

by Mallory Potosky
It took many years and several college degrees before Arthur Max began his work in film. Fortunately, audiences didn’t know what they were missing. Originally a lighting designer for the stage, Max turned his sights to the screen after experimenting with varied forms of theater production. Commercial work shortly led to his first feature film, Se7en, directed by David Fincher. The gritty city streets and the gruesome crimes of the biblically-inspired killer were the bones of this thriller—a genre Max has since become family with, subsequently working on Panic Room and American Gangster. It is this latest movie which brought the art director his second Academy Award nomination. (No comments yet)

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#74: Spring 2008

These stories were published in the Spring 2008 MovieMaker Magazine.

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Top of the Box Office

This weekend at the box office saw Iron Man holding steady for the second week in a row despite anticipated competition from the newly-released Speed Racer, starring Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon. The first movie from Marvel Studios took in over $50 million dollars this past weekend, bringing its total gross up to $175 million. Speed Racer finished second with a cool $20-plus million.

Posted 05.12.08 | Top of the Box Office | No comments yet...