Monday, June 30, 2008

Reminder: Indie Memphis deadline

Film submission deadline for October's Indie Memphis Film Festival is tomorrow, although there's an extended deadline:
Regular Deadline: June 16
LATE DEADLINE: JULY 1
WAB Extended Deadline: July 15

Friday, June 27, 2008

Music Video Showcase call for entries

The 2008 Live From Memphis MUSIC VIDEO SHOWCASE announces a Call For Entries!

MEMPHIS (July 27, 2008) – Live From Memphis™ is announcing a “call for entries” for the 2008 Music Video Showcase.

This is the fourth annual Live From Memphis Music Video Showcase. Music Videos and EPKs (not exceeding 6 minutes in length) will be accepted through September 26, 2008.

In addition to our traditional “Best Music Video/EPK” award, we are happy to announce the addition of an “Audience Choice” award. If you are a local filmmaker or local band with a music video – submit it now! Deadline for entries is September 26, 2008.

This is your chance to ROCK THE BIG SCREEN!

For More information about LFM’s Music Video Showcase including downloading the entry form please visit: http://www.livefrommemphis.com/mvs or give us a call: (901) 278-9077.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Actress 21-28; extras needed

From Timm Scalita:

I am seeking an intellegent and attractive actress between the ages of 21 - 28 for the lead role in my new feature length film, "Chelsea".

It is an abstract/surrealist/horror/suspense film about a young woman who finds herself in a living nightmare and must find a way out of the Dark road that she stumbled on to.

This project is written and directed by myself (Timm Scalita-Smoking Gnome productions) and is accociated with King productions, Knight entertainment and Falling For Grey.

If you are interested please contact me either on myspace.com/scalita1 or you can call me @ 901 281 3982.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Timm Scalita
Writer/Director

We will also need some extras for some key scenes where in you will get some face time and some small speaking parts.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Free film training workshop

The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission announces the scheduling of its second fee-free city/county-funded crew training workshops, “Inside the Production Office: How to be an Office Production Assistant: 101.” The Benjamin C. Hooks Central Library is an additional sponsor. The two-day, intensive workshop will be held at the Central Library all day Saturday, June 28th, and Sunday afternoon, June 29th.

The Commission Selection Committee will offer 30 class positions to legal residents of Memphis or Shelby County. Immediate availability to become a crew member, proven prior interest in film and television through studies and/or production work, and computer proficiency will enhance applications. A strong letter of recommendation is essential. Deadline for submission is the end of the business day June 20th. Those interested in applying should go to www.memphisfilmcomm.org to download the application form. (Minimum age for application is 18 years of age.)

The workshop will offer an introduction to what is really the hub or “nerve center” of any movie or large television show – the production office, where a team of close-knit office workers provides the support which holds a production together and moves it forward, day by day. Positions ranging from office production assistant to office production coordinator will be explained and illustrated against a general context of the workings of the film industry.

The workshop leader will be industry veteran Anne (“Andi”) McCaffrey, production supervisor on 20th Century Fox Television’s “Southern Comfort,” shot in Memphis in 2006. McCaffrey came to know Memphis well during her months living here while filming. According to McCaffrey, “I feel as though I started training Memphians back then … on the job … as I found the production office personnel available in Memphis to be inexperienced, although very eager to learn. I welcome the opportunity to return to what has become one of my favorite production cities!”

Successful graduates of “Inside the Production Office” will be qualified to receive a listing as an “office production assistant” in the next Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission Production Directory. Moreover, graduates will be given priority consideration in selection for hiring through the Commission’s crew trainee program which provides partial refunds of crew trainee’s salaries to major film employers.

For more information, call The Commission Offices at 901-527-8300, ext. 3 or email linn@memphisfilmcomm.org

Willie Bearden doc

Wednesday, June 18, 7:30 p.m.
Indie Memphis
&
The Chickasaw Group Sierra Club
present
Willy Bearden's
"Overton Park, A Century of Change"



Overton Park has been the stage for much of Memphis' history for over 100 years. In its earliest incarnation it was the shining jewel of the Progressive Movement in Memphis, it was the public's backyard and front porch. In its boundaries lies the only old growth forest to be found in any urban setting. By the 1960s, efforts by powerful federal and state government agencies nearly spelled its doom with a plan to split the park with an interstate highway system. "Overton Park, A Century of Change" is the story of the park's founding, its brush with disaster, and its renaissance. Filmmaker Willy Bearden will be on hand to discuss the film. Old Forest Steward and surveyor, Don Richardson, will discuss some of the threats still facing the Park after 100 years.

Admission is FREE!
Refreshments will be available
including Beer, Wine, Sodas, and Popcorn.
Donations are appreciated.
Power House Memphis
45 GE Patterson
(between Front St. & Main)
Memphis, Tennessee 38103

Monday, June 16, 2008

Incentives, Tennessee-style

Theo Emery of the Tennessean in Nashville has a story on how the state landed "Hannah Montana," an instructive look at what it takes to make the most of the state's incentives. The full story is here.

Here's an excerpt:

Disney Pictures, which is producing the $28 million movie about Miley Cyrus' fictional alter ego Hannah Montana, almost didn't shoot in Nashville, or anywhere else in Cyrus' home state.

The movie is being made here because of the feverish efforts of the state Film, Entertainment and Music Commission and its executive director, Perry Gibson, to entice Disney with incentives that could be worth more than $3 million — without which the movie would have instead been filmed in Louisiana.

The Tennessean reviewed hundreds of Gibson's e-mail and text messages through a request under the state public records law. The correspondence illustrates the lengths to which state officials must go to attract movies, which have become prizes in an escalating competition between states to offer tax breaks and rebates for film studios.

Personal ties and the power of handshakes played a role in bringing Disney to Tennessee. Records also indicate that the commission sent bundles of potential crew resumes to Disney, with names flagged for special attention, to convince executives that there was enough experienced labor in Tennessee for the company to qualify for the state's incentives.

Gibson, whom Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed in early 2007, also helped smooth over questions about whether out-of-state cast and crew — including Cyrus and her family — qualified for incentives and personally provided Disney with resumes of Tennesseans in the industry.

In an interview last week, Gibson said every production gets the same treatment, but Disney could set an important precedent in persuading other studios to film big-budget features in Tennessee.

"We needed one production to come here and do really, really well. If they come to a state, and it goes really, really well, they tell everyone," she told The Tennessean. "Disney is so tough, and productions like NBC-Universal say, 'If Disney comes here, we'll be second.' "

As states increase incentives, competition for movies has become fierce, said Bill Lindstrom, CEO of the Association of Film Commissioners International. He said Gibson's efforts demonstrate what must be done in the fight for attention from Hollywood.

"She's a perfect example of the sort of work that a film commission does to do that job right and go the extra mile to make sure it's done right," he said.

Seeking your vote

From Arnold Edwards II of Cowboy Up Productions:

It is official! Our NIN music video has been accepted by the NIN group
(host of the NIN music video festival). Please check it out again, encourage your friends and family to look at it, and vote for us!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=JtltM5Q3_60


Thursday, June 12, 2008

Training workshop 1 a success; No. 2 about to be announced

Very shortly, Linn Sitler, Commissioner of The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission is going to announce the next film crew training workshop. Here's her wrapup of the one held last weekend:

The Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission's first technical training workshop last weekend was a huge success! We've received an overwhelmingly positive response from the 40 graduates of "Memphis Movie U: How to Be a Set Production Assistant." Written responses from our first graduating class include such descriptions as : "inspiring"..."fantastic educational experience"..."a magnificent endeavor." We're even getting thank-you letters from parents.

This brand-new city/county-funded training workshop series is patterned after several of the most progressive workforce development crew training programs in the U.S. and Canada. What's different about this publicly-funded training program? First, applicants must compete for a place in the workshop; secondly, it's free to the successful applicant -- no fees! And, as it's funded by local taxpayer dollars, only legal residents of Memphis or Shelby County can be accepted.

Also, the make-up of our first workshop's student body was truly representative of Memphis & Shelby County --- a diverse group of women and men of all ages from throughout Memphis, Bartlett, Germantown, Lakeland, Cordova, Collierville, and Arlington. Some had production experience and/or training; others had none. Educational levels ranged from a G.E.D. diploma to an M.A. from Harvard--all in the same class of 40. Finally, workshop graduates will have priority consideration for real production jobs --- from those employers who wish to take advantage of incentives offered by the City/County/Commission to hire them!

Like our first workshop's teacher, film and t.v. producer James Spies ("The Contender"..."Commander-in-Chief"), the instructor of future workshops will always be a nationally-known industry veteran. Besides spending time with Spies over the two days during the 10 hours of intense instruction, students were also thrilled by a surprise lunchtime visit from Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer. Long-time local crew members Ty Coke (Gaffer: I.A.-Studio Mechanics) and Talent Agent Lisa Lax also spent time answering students' questions about their respective fields.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Indie Memphis update

A few things regarding Indie Memphis:

The festival, which will run Oct. 9-16, needs volunteers and now is not too soon to get in on it. Hit up its Web site and connect.

Also, the call for entries has been out for a while now and local filmmakers should keep in mind that Memphis directors may take an entry fee waiver on their first submission to the festival. Incentives rule.

Note that this week is the next Indie Memphis Micro Cinema Club #41: RURAL ROUTE TOUR - Encore Presentation. It's at 7:30 pm Wednesday, June 11 @ Power House Memphis. Created to highlight works that deal with rural people and place, this year's Rural Route Tour features both fun and serious films from all around the world. Including, arctic owls in Montana, Canadian lawnmower races, a film about light pollution, dancers in the snowy Norwegian tundra, a man's search for his ancestors in Lithuania and some good, 'ol banjo playin' at a Kentucky old folks home. Total running time is 97 minutes.

And here's an item from Film Festival Secrets blog on Erik Jambor who has taken on the role of executive director of Indie Memphis.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Memphis Belle doc wins recognition

From Ken Axmaker:

We were informed today that our documentary (that gets no respect in our hometown of Memphis) about our lost icon, The Memphis Belle, has won 2nd place at the BareBones Int'l Film Festival. After being turned down by several local TV stations and film festivals because of controversial content, we are glad to see that the "Memphis Belle -- The Final Chapter in Memphis" is being seen by people outside of Memphis as a true story of what happens when a city's icon is taken away because of a lack of interest by the community.

Watch the (newly) award-winning film, "The Memphis Belle -- The Final Chapter in Memphis":

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKzpTZSpUgE

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9Z_nONG7x8


Ken Axmaker, Jr
www.LastTraintoMemphis.com

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Another local indie film in west coast fest

Brian Pera's Memphis-filmed "The Way I See Things" has its World Premiere July 12 at Outfest 2008 -- the 26th annual Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

Synopsis:
After the unexpected death of his longtime boyfriend, Otto’s world has fallen apart. Hoping to snap him out of his funk, his buddy Rob drags him on a cross-country road trip, but Otto escapes and winds up at a new-agey commune where members are encouraged to get in touch with their “authentic self.” Understated and quirky, "The Way I See Things" is a deeply satisfying emotional journey about processing grief, self-discovery and moving forward.


Sunday, June 01, 2008

New LTTM's Shorts Fest this month

LTTM's Shorts Fest is all new for June starting this weekend!

Episode 18 is one of the best yet. Hosted by Memphis' own super starlet, Monica Summerfield. The films are a classic mix of vintage Memphis films, to Memphis natives making films in LA, to future projects to be shot in Memphis.

We would also like to thank all those that came out to the FABA Bash at the Hi-Tone to support LTTM's future project, 5 Shots. It was a big success and it was good to see the local support for Memphis film!

THE PREVIEW:

5 Shots- The Ronald Baldridge Story: A future project by LTTM directed by Ken Axmaker, Jr. and written by Wasabi Jones

THE FILMS:

"Extra Extra"- directed by Matthew Goodman and produced by Bartlett native Dawn Higginbotham.

Extra Extra is the story of Heather who's just come to Hollywood in hopes of breaking into showbiz. She realizes that even being an extra is competitive as she witnesses the ultimate battle for coveted a "union voucher." In her quest she learns the lengths people will go to; she learns how to stand up for herself; and she learns that true love can happen even behind the scenes.

"Flipping Coins"- directed by Tony Bloodworth.

From the Last Train to Memphis Indie film archives, Flippin' Coins is a 5 Takes of Nothing Picture and starring, Allison Christian, Joel Pope and Memphis film icon, J.W. Williams.


MUSIC FOR ENDING CREDITS:

"Missed Parker" sung by Matt Isbell and Rock Lotto from the Rock Lotto album.

THE TIMES are always the same:

Sunday- midnight
Thursday- 2a.m.
Thursday- 10:30 PM
Saturday- 1:30a.m.
Saturday- 11pm
This is a weekly schedule that will begin this weekend.

Be sure to tune in all June long to see some great Memphis talent. We are accepting entries again! If you want info on how to enter, email: info@LastTraintoMemphis.com.