Sony Creative Software Film Contest Seeking Entries

Sony Creative Software has launched its new Technology in Motion: Vision of the Future student film contest. The contest offers participating high school students the chance to experience the process of producing a professional project from start to finish using the award-winning Sony Vegas Pro 8 video and audio production platform. From script to screen, students will conceptualize, produce and edit short films that present their own visions of how technology will shape their future.

The Technology in Motion contest is also a complete multimedia educational program for teachers to use as a structured curriculum. To encourage participation in the contest and highlight the importance of multimedia education, Sony Creative Software will provide each participating classroom with a "Technology in Motion" launch kit. Schools have until February 22, 2008 to submit their Call to Entries form in order to enroll in the contest and register to receive their materials. Each package contains a free version of Sony Vegas Pro 8 video editing software, free Sony Vegas Pro 8 video tutorials ($24.99 value) and a free Digital Video and Audio Production Vegas Pro 8 teaching guide ($49.95 value). Participating classrooms will also receive a free one-year subscription to Edutopia magazine which provides information and innovation for innovative teaching in K-12 schools as part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Teachers that submit completed Call for Entries forms for each group of students will receive the "Technology in Motion" launch kit to help students get their projects underway. Contestants are required to use the provided Vegas Pro 8 software to produce their videos, but all details of story, characters, length, style and camera choice are up to the students’ own creativity.

A teacher or other designated high school representative of legal age must upload the completed film or films by April 11, 2008 to be eligible for judging. An expert panel will choose three finalists from among the submissions, judging entries on creativity and originality. The three finalists’ videos will be posted online, and the public will have the chance to vote for the grand prize winner. All three finalists will receive prize packages from Sony that will be presented at this summer’s NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) in San Antonio; the grand prize winner will receive two Sony VAIO laptop computers, a video camera, software and accessories worth more than $25,000 USD.

For complete contest rules and instructions visit the contest website: www.sonycreativesoftware.com/techinmotion.

Hardest-to-Insure Movie of the Year Goes to...

What is the riskiest movie of this year's crop of Oscar-nominated films? Movie-goers might be surprised.

Was it the western crime thriller "No Country for Old Men" or "Michael Clayton" where a burned-out corporate law firm fixer is targeted for assassination? Perhaps "Sweeney Todd" with its murderous barber or the Russian mob flick "Eastern Promises"?

If you guessed one of these nominees, you wouldn't walk away with a golden statuette. That's because it takes more than a criminal plot to make a film hard to insure.

Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, the entertainment community's veteran leader in insuring films produced by Hollywood production companies, found that the toughest movie to insure in 2007 was not a period epic, a crime thriller or a light-hearted comedy.

According to Fireman's Fund, the winner of this year's most risky film is "Into the Wild," the Sean Penn-directed production about a young man who abandons a normal lifestyle to explore the Alaskan wilderness.

The movie was shot in several rugged locations of Utah, Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, Oregon and Arizona – so medical concerns and transit and care of equipment had to be addressed. Several scenes were shot on cliffs and rocky ledges in the mountains and on whitewater rapids, which can prove hazardous not only for actors, but for cameramen and crew. In case of accidents or injuries, medics needed to be on stand-by with access to helicopters for transport to a medical facility.

The film also uses bears in several scenes. And, while the bears are specially trained, there is always a risk to cast and crew when using wildlife. In addition, Fireman's Fund had to consider potential risks regarding transportation of the bears (moved in air-conditioned RVs) and potential illnesses that could be spread by them to humans.

Finally, to capture the difference in seasons, the movie took a six-week hiatus in shooting. This could have created potential problems if the lead actors sustained illnesses or injuries – even death – while away from the set.

Is there a least risky production among this year's nominees? Fireman's Fund finds that "walk/talk" movies, where the actors are shot in simple scenes and don't engage in activities much beyond dialogue, are the easiest to insure. Of this year's nominees, "Lars and the Real Girl" and "The Savages" fell into that category.

Visit: http://www.firemansfund.com/

Writers' Strike Fall-Out Brings No Happy Ending for Sunset Digital

As recently announced, Hollywood's long and bitter writers' strike ended as the governing boards of the unions representing 12,000 movie and television writers unanimously approved a three year deal with production companies. The strike, which began in November 2007, lasted five months and cost the entertainment industry an estimated $500 million.

Unfortunately, the end of the strike did not have a Hollywood ending for Sunset Digital. The 27-year old famed Glendale, California post production house is closing its doors. The 16,000 sq ft facility contributed to several Academy Award and Emmy winning projects including "The Cooler", "Tomb Raider", and "Jurassic Park 3". Sunset Digital also created DVDs for hundreds of theatrical releases, and in 2003 positioned itself as "Home of the Independent Filmmaker." Negotiations over the past two months of a turn-key sale were unsuccessful, and the auction sale of Sunset's equipment will take place on February 28th.

Post production insiders may recall the first scheduled auction sale of the company's assets on December 12, 2007, where the company would be offered in its entirety prior to a piecemeal sale of the assets. Negotiating a two month extension period with Sunset Digital the day before the first scheduled sale, Rabin Worldwide, an industrial auctioneer headquartered in San Francisco, advanced capital to satisfy the financial needs of the secured lender's equipment lien, enabling Sunset Digital to continue its turn-key sale negotiations. However, with the turn-key option period expiring February 15th and real property concerns in regards to filling vacant space or selling the building, there is no choice but to move forward with the scheduled auction sale.

Though the closure of Sunset Digital may not be entirely due to the writer's strike, the timing of the walk-out could not have been worse. Debt incurred in keeping up with film transfer technology was at a maximum for the company heading into the fourth quarter of 2007. With tight industry margins to begin with, the strike could be considered "the straw that broke the camel's back". Unfortunately, it will never be known if Sunset Digital's doors would still be open for business if the strike had ended a month sooner.

Those interested in learning more about the auction can visit http://www.rabin.com/, where hundreds of pictures will show the many different types of machines and computers utilized in the post production industry. Over 600 items, including signed film posters, will be sold at the North Glendale Hilton Hotel. The public is invited to an open house preview of the facility on Feb 27, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Wyoming Short Film Contest Seeking Entries

A Wyoming short film contest was introduced at the Sundance Film Festival last week to glowing reviews. A $25,000 first prize is being awarded to the winning entry with a storyline that takes place in Wyoming, features Wyoming, or presents the state as a major character. Prize money will go toward production of the winner's next film shot in Wyoming. "We're trying to build a buzz. If you can get more independent, smaller filmmakers interested in Wyoming first that will help us bring in bigger projects down the line. It's a sort of trickle up effect," said Colin Stricklin of the Wyoming Film Office.

Films are due before May 9 and entries must be 15 minutes or less in length. "The short film format allows for all levels of experience and expertise. Our format is wide open and the possibilities are limitless," Stricklin noted. There is no entry fee and submissions are being accepted at: http://www.withoutabox.com/ The winning effort is to premier at the Jackson Hole Film Festival, June 5-9, 2008 in Jackson, Wyoming.

2008 British Short Screenplay Competition Seeking Entries

In its seventh year, the British Short Screenplay Competition (BSSC) is now open for entries. As film-producer and director, Stephen Woolley has said, "Without a great script you're nowhere, this is the backbone of a film and I think we ignore and misrepresent how important screenwriters are." In the absence of a platform for young screenwriters, Arif Hussein, chairman and CEO of Kaos Films launched the BSSC in 2001.

The BSSC is the only place that offers writers' access to the A-list of the British Film Industry. Film makers such as Kenneth Branagh, Sir Alan Parker and Stephen Woolley are all on the eminent judging panel, and each personally reads the final scripts.

The BSSC Live Action is now accepting submissions for the 2008 competition: early deadline is 28th March 2008, and the final deadline is 28th June 2008.

Website: http://www.kaosfilms.co.uk/

Professional Online Film Community Launches

Lifesize Entertainment has launched IndieFilmChat.com, a new online community for film fans and professionals offering inside information about the independent film industry, as well as a series of open forums covering topics as diverse as international film festivals and state of the art production equipment, has just been launched.

IndieFilmChat will feature daily posts and observations from Lifesize executives about the state of the industry and related topics, as well as weekly short films, trailers, interviews and production histories.

Academy Select Two as Film Scholars

The evolution of color in motion pictures and the corporate history of RKO Radio Pictures will be the topics explored by John Belton and Richard B. Jewell, respectively, the eighth pair of Academy Film Scholars selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Institutional Grants Committee of the Academy Foundation, the educational wing of the Academy, selected the two scholars for the honor on the basis of their manuscript proposals. Each will receive $25,000 from the Academy to aid in the research and writing of their respective projects.

Belton, a professor of film at Rutgers University since 1995, will trace the evolution of color in motion pictures from novelty to norm and seek to explain the 70-year delay in this transformation through an analysis of the technological, economic and ideological forces that influenced its development. His book will be titled From Paintbrush to Paintbox: A History of Motion Picture Color.

Jewell, the Hugh M. Hefner Professor of American Film in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, will examine the history of major studio RKO Radio Pictures with a focus on the major studio’s numerous executives, their production, distribution and exhibition philosophies and their differing approaches to the business of motion pictures. His book will be tit­led RKO Radio Pictures: A Corporate History.

The new Academy Film Scholars will receive the first half of their $25,000 grant at a luncheon this spring. The remaining half will be presented upon completion of the manuscripts, when Belton and Jewell will present their projects in lecture form at a public Academy event.

Established in 1999, the Academy Film Scholars program is designed to “stimulate and support the creation of new and significant works of film scholarship about aesthetic, cultural, educational, historical, theoretical or scientific aspects of theatrical motion pictures.”

For grant guidelines and information about the Academy Film Scholars program, contact Grants Coordinator Shawn Guthrie at (310) 247-3000, ext. 306, via e-mail at sguthrie@oscars.org, or visit www.oscars.org/grants/filmscholars.

St. Clair Bourne Award for Best Documentary Film

Ave Montague, founder and director of the San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) has launched a special tribute to the late documentary filmmaker St. Clair Bourne (1943-2007) will take place during the 10th annual San Francisco Black Film Festival in June. The tribute will consist of screening of selected films including Making "Do The Right Thing," The Black And The Green, John Henrik Clarke: A Great and Mighty Walk, a panel discussion with Bay Area documentary filmmakers, and the first St. Claire Bourne Award will be presented to the winner in the documentary category

Ave Montague remarked "St. Clair Bourne was a prolific filmmaker, having created over 40 films, always with the point of view of looking from within, not without, at the African American circumstance. His mentoring of many of today's young filmmakers ensures that his legacy will live on. We felt compelled to mark the passing of such an important person with an ongoing tribute, while also providing the Bay Area film community with an opportunity to pay their respects as a group."

San Francisco Black Film Festival advisory board member, Flo Wiley, in cooperation with the Bourne Family, the Black Documentary Collective and the National Black Programming Consortium, is producing the tribute. Further details will be available on the festival website in the coming months.

The 10th Annual San Francisco Black Film Festival takes place June 4-8 and June 11-15. For festival information visit http://www.sfbff.org/

Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies

Movie theaters are notorious for charging consumers top dollar for concession items such as popcorn, soda, and candy. Are moviegoers just being gouged?

New research from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and the University of California, Santa Cruz suggests that there is a method to theaters’ madness -- and one that in fact benefits the viewing public. By charging high prices on concessions, exhibition houses are able to keep ticket prices lower, which allows more people to enjoy the silver-screen experience.

The findings empirically answer the age-old question of whether it’s better to charge more for a primary product (in this case, the movie ticket) or a secondary product (the popcorn). Putting the premium on the "frill" items, it turns out, indeed opens up the possibility for price-sensitive people to see films. That means more customers coming to theaters in general, and a nice profit from those who are willing to fork it over for the Gummy Bears.

Indeed, movie exhibition houses rely on concession sales to keep their businesses viable. Although concessions account for only about 20 percent of gross revenues, they represent some 40 percent of theaters’ profits. That’s because while ticket revenues must be shared with movie distributors, 100 percent of concessions go straight into an exhibitor’s coffers.

Looking at detailed revenue data for a chain of movie theaters in Spain, Wesley Hartmann, associate professor of marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Ricard Gil, assistant professor in economics at University of California, Santa Cruz, proved that pricing concessions on the high side in relation to admission tickets makes sense.

They compared concession purchases in weeks with low and high movie attendance.

The fact that concession sales were proportionately higher during low-attendance periods suggested the presence of “die-hard” moviegoers willing to see any kind of film, good or bad––and willing to purchase high-priced popcorn to boot. “The logic is that if they’re willing to pay, say, $10 for a bad movie, they would be willing to pay even more for a good movie,” said Hartmann. “This is underscored by the fact that they do pay more, even for a bad movie, as is seen in their concession buying. So for the times they’re in the theater seeing good or popular movies, they’re actually getting more quality than they would have needed to show up. That means that, essentially, you could have charged them a higher price for the ticket.”

Should theaters flirt with raising their ticket prices then? No, says Hartmann. The die-hard group does not represent the average movie viewer. While the film-o-philes might be willing to pay, say, $15 for a movie ticket, a theater that tried such a pricing tactic would soon find itself closing its doors.

“The fact that the people who show up only for good or popular movies consume a lot less popcorn means that the total they pay is substantially less than that of people who will come to see anything,” says Hartmann. “If you want to bring more consumers into the market, you need to keep ticket prices lower to attract them.” Theaters wisely make up the margin, he says, by transferring it to the person willing to buy the $5 popcorn bucket.

The work of Hartmann and Gil substantiates what movie exhibitors have intuited all along. “The argument that pricing secondary goods higher than primary goods can benefit consumers has been circulating for decades, but until now, no one has looked at hard data to see whether it’s true or not,” says Hartmann.

For related research citations and to dig deeper, visit http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/knowledgebase.html.)

Online Casting Call for New TV Show

Briggs Digital Media is looking for a few good men... and women... and teens too! In early March, the new Los Angeles-based production company, whose first series "The Acquirer" starring Matt Schulze ("The Fast and the Furious," "Blade II") is currently filming in Southern California, will begin production on their second series for the Web and Television Syndication, entitled CLONE.

The company is slated to film twenty-two episodes of the new series, which centers on a young man who has discovered a group of human clones that are the creations of a brilliant scientist whose genetic experiments with some of history's most celebrated individuals resulted in living, breathing, human replicas of the great individuals. Something went wrong along the way, however, and now these clones have turned into evil alter-egos of the great human beings from which they were created. Now it is up to one man, Clone Hunter Erik Berlin, to bring these beings to justice.

Actors are invited to submit themselves for consideration by visiting the Briggs Digital Media entertainment website http://www.cinsay.com/. There, they will find complete instructions for submitting resumes and photos to Briggs' casting directors.

FINAL DRAFT's Big Break International Screenwriting Contest Open for Entries

Final Draft, Inc., publisher of Final Draft, the #1-selling scriptwriting software, has launched its 9th Annual Big Break International Screenwriting Contest which closes June 15. This year, Big Break has partnered with CineStory, a non-profit organization that provides new screenwriters with opportunities to work with committed industry professionals to raise the level of their craft and career marketability. CineStory's commitment to helping writers improve their craft and gain access into the industry aligns itself perfectly with the philosophy of Final Draft’s Big Break.

This partnership allows Final Draft to add to its Big Break contest prize package a mentoring component which sets its contest apart from the sea of others. While Big Break has always awarded its finalists with substantial cash and prizes, including industry meetings for the top three winners, the contest has never before offered a year-long industry mentorship as part of its grand-prize winner package. CineStory will also invite the top three Big Break finalists to participate in CineStory’s annual retreat in Idyllwild.

At the CineStory retreat, writers meet with several retreat mentors to discuss their script submissions and possible personal pathways to a professional life in the business. At the conclusion of the three-day retreat, the Big Break contest winner will select two industry mentors with whom they will work for one year.

Big Break offers early registration incentives. Electronic submissions encouraged.

Website: http://www.finaldraft.com/.

Connecticut Film Festival Lands New Home In Danbury

Danbury Connecticut is the new home for The Connecticut Film Festival's annual 6-day and night festival of Independent Film & Music this May 20-25, 2008.

The Connecticut Film festival is nine month event that begins in September and runs through the end of May, screening hundreds of films during this period at 9 weekend festivals and 12 midweek screening events throughout the state and then culminating in a 6 day and night exhibition and competition of Independent Film and Music May 20-25, 2008 in downtown Danbury, Connecticut.

Submissions to the festival are open year round and it is still accepting films for consideration in the May 20-25, 2008 festival in Danbury. To submit a film, volunteer or get on the festival’s Email list, visit: http://www.ctfilmfest.com/ . The festival will be coordinating travel packages for filmmakers and those others coming into the area from out of town.

Raleigh Filmmaker, Holocaust Survivors at Work on "Remember"

Each year, in cities across the nation, special services are held to remember the Holocaust, honor its survivors, and raise awareness so that this atrocity will never happen again.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, a film director and the son of a 78-year-old survivor who has carried the number the Nazis tattooed on his arm for 65 years, has conceived of a way to support the effort through a public service announcement (PSA) that focuses on those haunting numbers.

Allen Weiss, whose father Harry managed to survive the Nazi death camps in Landesberg, Dachau and Aucshwitz, is working with Trailblazers production company in Raleigh to create "Remember," a 30-second PSA that features survivors and their progeny - children, grandchildren - including his own father and his two daughters, Emily and Natalie Weiss. Trailblazers is donating time, equipment and crew to produce the spot, which should air throughout North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill) if local television stations pick it up.

Allen Weiss and Trailblazers are editing the PSA now and hope to have it ready to present to area television stations within the month.

PBS Greenlights ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES

PBS in conjunction with Wildheart Entertainment will launch a major new television series, ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES, an eight-hour series that traces the history of recorded music and its impact on popular culture. Featuring hundreds of artists from all genres of music, ON RECORD: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES is slated to air nationally as a primetime series in the Fall of 2010 on PBS; Sir George Martin, legendary producer of the Beatles, will host. Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Spacey will narrate.

The television series and an extensive educational outreach initiative, including the companion Web site on pbs.org, will be the centerpiece of an ambitious multi-pronged project expected to include a companion CD box-set and branded CD series, 12-hour DVD/home video series, accompanying books, a multi-genre worldwide radio show and broadcasting through internet portals globally.

U.S. Internet Users Viewed 10 Billion Videos Online

Google Sites once again ranked as the top U.S. video property in December with 3.3 billion videos viewed (32.6 percent share of videos), gaining 1.3 share points versus the previous month. YouTube.com accounted for more than 97 percent of all videos viewed at the property. Fox Interactive Media ranked second with 358 million (3.5 percent), followed by Yahoo! Sites with 340 million (3.4 percent) and Viacom Digital with 238 million (2.3 percent).

In total, nearly 141 million Americans viewed online video in December. Google Sites also captured the largest online video audience with 79 million unique viewers, followed by Fox Interactive Media with 43.9 million and Yahoo! Sites with 38.2 million.

Source: comScore Video Metrix : http://www.comscore.com

Hofstra University Presents Final Cut: Movie Editing in the Digital Age

Hofstra University's Center for Continuing Education and Professional Advancement ( CCEPA ) presents a free seminar, "Final Cut: Movie Editing in the Digital Age" on Wednesday, February 6 from 7-9 p.m. in the Mack Student Center Theater.

Join Director Mark L. Pederson of Off Hollywood, Visual Effects Editor Jay Ignaszewski of the School of Visual Arts, Animator Paul Lipsky of Hofstra University, Post Production Editors Evan Schectman of Outpost Digital and Patrick Inhofer ( Hofstra 1988 ) owner of Fini.tv, and Distributor Alan Reed of Wild Reed Productions, as they examine the digital moviemaking process with Michael Vitti, leader of the Moving Picture Collective.

The Moving Pictures Collective ( http://www.movingpicturescollective.org/ ) is New York City’s largest digital storyteller’s salon. MoPictive’s goal is to assist the digital storyteller in the pursuit of storytelling excellence through education, peer-to-peer exchange and ongoing community development.

This comprehensive panel discussion will cover all aspects of digital moviemaking, from script to directing to post-production to distribution. Particular attention will be paid to the tools and techniques that make for a successful film.

To register for the event or for more information, call ( 516 ) 463-7200 or visit ccepa.hofstra.edu and click on Special Events.

Student Films Sought for Festival Competition

The Cosmic Film Festival is accepting student-made films for judging and screening at its spring festival.

Film submissions will be accepted until Feb. 29. Students of all levels and majors are eligible.

Meteor Theater, UT Dallas' student-run movie theater, will host the Cosmic Film Festival in April in conjunction with the Student Government.

Films do not have to be produced exclusively for this festival. Any previously completed films, including those assigned as coursework or used in other festivals, may be entered.

A panel of judges will award prizes to the top three winners in each of four categories:

Animation.
Documentaries.
Music videos.
Fiction.

The films will be shown April 10-11 and 17-18 at 10 P.M. in MC 2.410.

To reserve a slot for your film, visit the Meteor Theater Web site and click on the link to the Cosmic Film Festival.

National Lampoon Agrees to Eight Picture Output Deal with Russian Distributor

National Lampoon, Inc. has agreed to an output deal for eight feature films with Russian distributor, Lizard Cinema Trade.

National Lampoon has recently signed multi-picture distribution deals for Canada with Equinoxe, Australia with Force Entertainment, the Middle East with Front Row and Germany, Spain, Italy, and Eastern Europe with Beta Film.

Under terms of the deal Lizard has acquired theatrical, home video and broadcast distribution rights to eight National Lampoon titles across Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Titles include “National Lampoon’s Bagboy”, the first title to be produced in-house by National Lampoon in the company’s history, and additional original National Lampoon titles “National Lampoon’s Ratko” and “National Lampoon’s 301”.

National Lampoon will release up to twelve titles per year comprised of four original movies and up to eight acquisitions. Distribution will be handled independently by National Lampoon, with some titles having broader distribution in partnership with major studios. Recent and upcoming theatrical releases from National Lampoon include "National Lampoon presents The Beach Party At The Threshold Of Hell" and Les Claypool's directorial debut "National Lampoon Presents Electric Apricot: Quest For Festeroo", "National Lampoon's Bagboy" to be released Spring 2008, and “National Lampoon’s Jakes Booty Call”, slated for video release February 2008.