writers to give advice to aspiring authors and screenwriters today at the university of tampa

Received via email:

WRITERS TO GIVE ADVICE TO ASPIRING AUTHORS/SCREENWRITERS AT UT

The movie theaters are filled with films that were adapted from books. But how does one write a book that will end up on the silver screen?

UT Assistant Professor of Journalism John Capouya knows. On Monday, February 22, he'll share his secrets at an event called From Book to Movie: Two Writers Tell a Gorgeous Story, at 6 p.m. in the Reeves Theater on the second floor of the Vaughn Center at the University of Tampa. Capouya and screenwriter/actor John Posey, who is adapting Capouya's book on Gorgeous George for a feature film, will discuss narrative storytelling and the craft of adaptation.

"I got very lucky, including the fact that they are including me in the film and script writing process," Capouya said. Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrester Who Created American Pop Culture tells the story of George Wagner, who created an outrageous image that would later influence Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Bob Dylan. With his regal capes and feminine hairdo, George challenged traditional concepts of masculinity and created a following for the "heel'' or villain in wrestling. Reviews of Gorgeous George appeared in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal.

The event is free and open to the public.

The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 100 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 6,300 students from 50 states and approximately 100 countries. Approximately 70 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.

For more info, call 813-253-6216.

nbc's the biggest loser's casting call

Received via email:

NBC’S THE BIGGEST LOSER IS CASTING!

Are you ready to change your life? Do you have at least 100 lbs. to lose? Are you outgoing with personality? Do you have the want, desire, and competitive edge to vie for this once in a lifetime opportunity to change your lives forever and compete for $250,000?

If so, apply today and change your life forever! We are looking for individuals or teams of two. There will be an open casting call on Saturday, March 6, at the Hard Rock Seminole Casino in Tampa (5223 N. Orient Rd. Tampa, FL 33610) from 10 a.m.-–6 p.m.

Please do not line up more than 3 hours before the open call start time. We will do our best to see the first 500 people in line. If you cannot attend an open call, you must submit a videotape. You must be 18 years old by May 24, 2010.

No contact info was included. Hmmm....

local film brainjacked wins best horror feature film award at melbourne international film festival

Received via email:

FILM RANCH’s BRAINJACKED WINS TOP HORROR PRIZE AT MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

CLEARWATER, FL (February 8th, 2010) – Film Ranch International is proud to announce its new sci-fi/horror feature film Brainjacked as winner of the Best Horror Feature Film Award at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival in Melbourne, Florida.

Raw and riveting, Brainjacked tells the story of Tristan, a teenage runaway who discovers a sinister underworld ruled by an evil neurosurgeon and his violent army of mind-controlled juvenile slaves. In this dark underbelly of society, Tristan is exposed to trepanation, the very real and controversial practice of drilling a hole in one’s head for mental relief and enhancement. Still so young, will Tristan buckle under this hellish horror…or will he survive and escape?

Brainjacked combines paranoid science-fiction with shocking horror in an unforgettable cinematic experience. "Brainjacked is explosive. It pulls no punches and delivers sizzling action and drama while exploring utterly fascinating subject matter,” says director Andrew Allan. He adds,“It clearly had an impact on the festival audience and the judges.” Brainjacked producer Andy Lalino says, “Brainjacked represents independent filmmaking at its finest. It was a great fit for a great festival.”

Brainjacked will be screening at select engagements across the U.S. over the coming months. The Melbourne International Filmmakers Festival (M.I.F.F.) is one of Florida’s premiere independent film festivals. The M.I.F.F. has presented and premiered some of the best independent films over the past thirteen years.

For more info or to view the Brainjacked trailer, visit www.thefilmranch.com.

Congratulations Film Ranch!

update from the tampa-st. pete 48 hour film project

Received via email:

The 48 Hour Film Project returns to Tampa-St. Petersburg in 2010! We'll be back this year with the most exciting 48 filmmaking hours of your life! Keep an eye out here for official dates and the start of registration.

In the meantime, we have a lot of cool things coming up, including a chance to:

1. Vote your least favorite genre "Off the Island!"

2. Make a 48HFP Music Video - no time limit!

3. Attend our end of the year extravaganza - Filmapalooza in Vegas!

YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Take this short, and I mean really short, survey to help us decide the official genres this year. Tell us which to keep and which to get rid of in 2010. (A note to you lovers and haters of our beloved "Musical/Western"... it's not going anywhere, so vote for something else to get rid of or keep.) This is also your chance to make suggestions for the required Character/Prop/Line of Dialogue for cities throughout the world, so put those thinking caps on!

Go here to take the survey: www.surveymonkey.com/48HFP_genres_elements2010

MAKE A MUSIC VIDEO!

That's right... here's your chance to take a little more time to make your masterpiece 48HFP film. Make a Music Video to "You Have 48 Hours" by Bill Briare. We invite you to make a music video -- in whole or in part -- and wel mix the submissions together for the best music video ever and post it on our website and on YouTube.

The deadline for submissions is February 28, so don't miss out. For more info, visit www.48hourfilm.com/competitions/musicvideo/.

ATTEND FILMAPALOOZA in VEGAS!

We'll be in Vegas to celebrate the fantastic 48HFP filmmaking of 2009 and we hope you'll join us. Filmapalooza is April 10-12 at the NAB Show. We'll screen all the2009 City Winning Films, the winning Showdown and National Film Challenge films, network with filmmakers from around the world and party like it's 2010.

Registration for Filmapalooza is only $25... AND it includes access to the NAB Show Floor for free! Go here to register: www.filmapalooza.org.

We hope you'll take part in one or all of the above!

Kerri & Coco Bermudez
48 Hour Film Project
2010 Tampa-St. Petersburg Producers

Visit www.48hourfilm.com for more info.

50 ways to leave your lover

All the Valentine's Day hype makes me want to scream bloody murder.

I’m not falling for the chocolate-covered consumerist propaganda pushed by the greeting card, jewelry, candy and floral delivery industries. Valentine's Day isn't about romance, candlelight and lingerie. February 14th isn't designed for dinner, dancing and diamonds. There's no "happily ever after" following the swell of music and the end credits.

My years spent camped out on the sofa in my pajamas watching movies have not been wasted. Thanks to what I’ve seen on the silver screen, I know that love and romance and Valentine's Day are nothing but trouble. They’re the gateway drugs that lead you down the path to heartbreak, loneliness, misery, obsession, murder, revenge and madness. (I also know not to hang out in a mine around Valentine’s Day. That Harry Warden guy is a total buzz kill.)

In the anti-Valentine's Day spirit, I give you 50 ways to leave your lover:

1. Try to run her over and then blame it on your crazy, evil car. (Christine, 1983)

2. Shoot him. (The Letter, 1940)

3. Push her off a roof. (The Money Trap, 1965)

4. Have a nervous breakdown, kill him, and then wander the streets in a catatonic state. (Possessed, 1947)

5. Dump him while sitting his car, and then give him a pen. (Say Anything, 1989)

6. Poison his favorite food. (Black Widow, 1987)

7. Stress him out so much that he has a heart attack. (The Little Foxes, 1941)

8. Throw scalding coffee in her face and then shoot her. (The Big Heat, 1953)

9. Beat her to death. (The Man in Gray, 1943)

10. Lock him in the garage and leave the car engine running. (They Drive By Night, 1940)

11. Leave him at the altar. (The Graduate, 1960)

12. Stab her with an ice pick after she turns down your proposal. (Scarlet Street, 1945)

13. Steal $40,000 from him and run off to Mexico. (Out of the Past, 1947)

14. Push him down an oil well. (Blowing Wild, 1953)

15. Leave her to rot inside an “iron maiden” torture device. (The Pit and the Pendulum, 1960)

16. Chop him up with an axe. (Strait-Jacket, 1964)

17. Turn her into the police for her crimes. (The Maltese Falcon, 1941)

18. Burn her with acid, then electrocute her, then remove her heart and keep it in an urn. (The Faceless Monster, 1965)

19. Use black magic to get someone else to kill him. (Burn, Witch, Burn, 1961)

20. Strangle her while she’s giving birth. (The Brood, 1979)

21. Try to drive her crazy and make her have a nervous breakdown. (Gaslight, 1944; Midnight Lace, 1960; Night Watch, 1973)

22. Fake your own death and send him to jail. (Body Heat, 1981)

23. Stab him with a grappling hook. (Picture Mommy Dead, 1966)

24. Have your circus-freak friends turn her into an abhorrent “chicken-woman”. (Freaks, 1932)

25. Smash him with a hammer and then bottle up the pieces. (Vault of Horror, 1973)

26. Kill him and make it look like a suicide. (Bordertown, 1934)

27. Inject her with insulin to put her in a permanent coma. (Reversal of Fortune, 1990)

28. Strangle her and then thrown yourself down Niagara Falls. (Niagara, 1953)

29. Hit him over the head with a champagne bottle. (One Girl’s Confession, 1953)

30. Replace her with a “perfect” robotic replica. (The Stepford Wives, 1975)

31. Hire someone to break into your apartment while you’re away, kill her and make it look like a home invasion gone wrong. (Dial M For Murder, 1954)

32. Break up with him and then have all memories of him erased from your mind. (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004)

33. Throw a knife at her throat while she’s shooting at you. (Prizzi’s Honor, 1985)

34. Smother and stab her in bed. (Looking For Mr. Goodbar, 1977)

35. Slash him with a scalpel. (Sisters, 1973)

36. Tell her you don’t give a damn as you walk out the door. (Gone With The Wind, 1939)

37. Get your team of assassins to crash her wedding and gun everyone down. (Kill Bill, 2003)

38. Sadistically torture him. (Audition, 1999)

39. Beat him with a fireplace poker. (Marnie, 1964)

40. Stab her with a camera tripod. (Peeping Tom, 1960)

41. Cheat on him and then give him a detailed description of the affair. (Closer, 2004)

42. Eviscerate him. (Jennifer’s Body, 2009)

43. Break her neck. (Day of the Jackal, 1970)

44. Fake your own death, alter your appearance, change your name and move to a different state. (Sleeping with the Enemy, 1991)

45. Divorce her, fight over the house, and then kill each other so that no one wins. (The War of the Roses, 1989)

46. Stab her in the stomach while you’re strung out on heroin. (Sid and Nancy, 1986)

47. Compare your relationship to that of Sid and Nancy (with him being Nancy) and dump him while you’re eating pancakes. (500 Days of Summer, 2009)

48. Set him up to take the fall on rape and murder charges, and skip town with all the money. (The Last Seduction, 1994)

49. Bury her alive. (The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock, 1962)

50. Get a stranger to kill her for you. (Strangers on a Train, 1951)

sundance award-winning writer gordy hoffman's bluecat screenwriting workshop coming to tampa february 20

Received via email:

THE BLUECAT SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP COMES TO TAMPA

First Ten Pages Workshop (limit 12 writers)

Saturday, February 20, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Baywalk
Suite 110
153 2nd Avenue North
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Fee $75

Gordy Hoffman, the Sundance award-winning writer/director (Love Liza, A Coat of Snow) and founder of the BlueCat Screenplay Competition, comes to Tampa to lead a screenwriting workshop on Saturday, February 20, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival for Love Liza, Gordy is a former Adjunct Professor of Screenwriting at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, as well as having led workshops across the US and Canada, London and Poland. To read Gordy’s articles on screenwriting, visit www.bluecatscreenplay.com/news/advice.php. Hoffman is now attached to direct a movie, written by Melissa Brandt, in the UK and France in 2010.

The First Ten Pages Workshop will consist of 12 writers each submitting ten pages of a work in progress in advance. We will go over each work individually, reading the pages aloud, while discussing the specific, unique challenges each writer is facing on the page.

This discussion will include the technical aspects of description and dialogue, the depth and reality of the characters, and how the ten pages reflect where the entire story goes.

The intimate, focused interaction with fellow writers in the workshop will provide all with a greater understanding of the work that lies ahead on their screenplay, and more importantly, a detailed sense of how they might develop as writers themselves.

To register, please visit www.bluecatscreenplay.com/workshop/

For more info, email bluecatworkshop[at]bluecatscreenplay.com or visit www.bluecatscreenplay.com.

new dates for 2010 ybor festival of the moving image

The Ybor Festival of the Moving Image has changed its festival dates and therefore is still accepting submissions for the 2010 festival. Received via email:

CALL FOR ENTRIES

8th Annual Hillsborough Community College-Ybor Festival of the Moving Image
April 7-11, 2010
(Note: The fest was originally planned for February 2010 but unanticipated scheduling conflicts occurred)

The festival is providing cash awards to Florida filmmakers for films made from 2008 to 2010. The awards are provided by Hillsborough Community College-Ybor City Campus and Atlantic Productions of Tampa.

Florida Independent Films (Non-Student):
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $200
3rd Place: $100
Honorable Mention: Fee waiver, festival pass

Best Tampa Bay Independent Film (Hillsborough, Pinellas and Sarasota counties): $300

Florida Student Films: Atlantic Productions Award (honoring the USF Chinsegut Film/Video Conference)
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $200
3rd Place: $100
Honorable Mention: Fee waiver, festival pass

Judges:
Carolyn Kossar, HCC-Ybor Art Gallery Director, Tampa, Florida
Charles Lyman, filmmaker, President of Atlantic Productions, Tampa. Emeritus professor of Film and Electronic Media, University of South Florida
HCC-Ybor student (TBA), Tampa, Florida
Shawn Cheatham, Electronic Media, Art Department, University of South Florida
USF student (TBA) Tampa, Florida
Monique Bradbury, cineaste, Tampa, Florida
Lisa Scherer, tampafilmfan.com, Florida
Nancy Cervenka, filmmaker, Gulfport, Florida
Bob Devin Jones, Director, Studio 620, St. Petersburg, Florida
Charles Recher, filmmaker, Miami Beach, Florida
Judy Robertson, artist, Miami Beach, Florida
Warner Strauss, feature film industry, Toronto, Canada

Judging Process:
The judges will select a number of qualified films for each category, classified “official selection”, and screened at the festival. All filmmakers will be notified of entry status (accepted/not accepted) by March 24, 2010. The top six filmmakers in the Florida Student Film and Independent Film categories and the top four filmmakers in the Tampa Bay category will be notified and invited to attend the screening/awards ceremony, Saturday, April 10, 3 p.m.

The films will also receive an additional screening at the Art House at the University of South Florida on April 26.

All judging decisions are final. Entering a film into the festival does not guarantee a screening. While films may have adult content/language, please note this will restrict screening opportunities. Films previously screened at the festival are not eligible.

Deadline: Postmarked by March 1, 2010
Student Entry Fee: $18.00 per entry
Independent Filmmaker Entry Fee: $25.00 per entry
Films made from 2008 to 2010 are eligible. All genres and run times are eligible.

Entry Process:
Send a DVD (Region 1) of each film entered to the address provided below. Include your name, contact information, title of film, running time and indicate the category you are entering. Make check or money order (USA currency) payable to Hillsborough Community College. The college is not responsible for lost or damaged entries. If you want the DVD returned, please include envelope with return address and correct postage.

A waiver of the entry fee will not be considered this year. Students must provide a photo copy of student I.D. from educational institute or a certificate from film camp. Filmmakers will be contacted by YFOMI staff upon arrival of their package and provided confirmation that the entry satisfies eligibility requirements. Upon acceptance into the festival, the filmmaker will be immediately notified and asked to provide a press kit including synopsis, bios, and several digital photographs.

Send DVD(s), requested information and entry fee to:

David Audet
Festival Director
Hillsborough Community College
2112 N. 15th Street
Tampa, Florida 33605

This eclectic film festival explores the cinematic landscape of independent filmmakers, with a focus this year on Florida artists, offering a spectrum of documentaries and personal films, plus live performances, workshops and lectures. The 2010 festival will examine the social, political and economic implications and effects of digital motion media on contemporary film making, and the effects of this technological advance on American culture.

Another theme, Making Your Media Matter, presents seminars and innovative films exploring the culturally diverse realms of our lives while challenging pre-existing notions of our world. The feature documentaries selected will illuminate contemporary political and cultural issues affecting and influencing our national life.

The festival is open to the public. Screenings will be held at Hillsborough Community College-Ybor, in the HCC Performing Arts Building at the corner of Palm Ave and 14th Street, Tampa, 33605.

General admission for screenings is $6.00, though numerous events, panels, seminars and programs are free. Tickets are available at the box office located in the Performing Arts Building. All festival events are free to the HCC community.

For more info, contact YFOMI director David Audet at daudet[at]hccfl.edu or visit www.yborfilmfestival.com.

india international film festival starts friday

It looks like the Tampa Bay area has a new film festival! The Indo-US Chamber of Commerce's new India International Film Festival makes its debut on January 22 and will run through January 24.

Visit the IIFF website for the schedule, the films, and the latest news.

films of andrei tarkovsky screening at eckerd college

Received via email from the director of the International Cinema Series at Eckerd College:

This is just to remind you that we are screening the films of Andrei Tarkovsky in the Miller Auditorium this January term. All films will screen at 11:15 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays - with ONE exception: this Wednesday, January 13, we will screen Sacrifice beginning at 11:30 a.m., due to a previous engagement that will last until then.

All other films, again, will screen at 11:15 a.m. on the dates listed below. Anyone who is interested is welcome to come see the films with us. Students from the class will be giving brief (5-10 minute) introductions to each film. All films will be screened from the best available DVD versions on our top-of-the-line projector in the Miller Auditorium. All films have English subtitles.

The Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) is widely regarded as one of the most important and visionary of filmmakers. Ingmar Bergman said of him: "Tarkovsky is for me the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream."

Here is the upcoming schedule:

Wednesday, January 13 - Sacrifice (1986, 149m) - A celebrated Swedish actor comes to fear that the world is coming to an end, unless he performs a great act of sacrifice. This was Tarkovsky's final film, as he died of cancer shortly after its completion. It is also the second film that he made, along with Nostalghia, after defecting from the Soviet Union.

Monday, January 18 - Ivan's Childhood (1962, 95m) - Young Ivan is a military spy, whose childhood was stolen from him when his family was killed during WWII. This was Tarkovsky's first full-length feature film, that he took over from another director who had abandoned the project. This film's success demonstrated amply his talents as a filmmaker and hints at themes that were to become more prominent in his later work.

Wednesday, January 20 - Andrei Rublev (1966, 205m) - Explores the life and times of the great Russian icon painter Andrei Rublev. An experimental epic, that created several conflicts between Tarkovsky and the Russian authorities, and was only released in a severely edited version in Russia after it was enormously successful at the Cannes film festival, where a print had been smuggled out of the USSR.

Monday, January 25 - Solaris (1972, 165m) - The Russian answer to 2001: A Space Odyssey ... Tarkovsky adapted Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem's famous novel of a psychiatrist who travels to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris, to investigate why the crewmembers appear to have lost their focus and their grip on sanity.

Wednesday, January 27 - The Mirror (1975, 108m) - Tarkovksy's experimental homage to his mother is deeply autobiographical, and profoundly poetic.

Hope to see many of you there. Tarkovsky is a challenging but brilliant filmmaker, whose work repays the attentive viewer.

Visit www.eckerd.edu for more info.

baine casting call january 5

Received via email:

VATER ENTERTAINMENT FILMS and EPIC DAWN PRODUCTIONS PRESENT

A psycho thriller movie is being shot here in the Tampa Bay area and now is your chance to be in the movies. Experience is not necessary but it is a plus.

Casting for the movie Baine will be this Tuesday, January 5, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Minnreg Convention Hall, 6340 126th Ave N., Largo, FL 33773. Come early!! Actors should bring head shots with their resumes.

Contact vefilms[at]tampabay.rr.com with any questions.

2010 resolutions

Ah, the new year. A fresh calendar, a clean slate, a new two-digit number to get used to writing on my checks. Traditionally, people make new year's resolutions about eating healthier, exercising more, saving more money and being a better person.

Blah, blah, blah. I make – and break – those resolutions every year.

This year, I’m making different resolutions. Fun, easy resolutions. I want to make up for last year's deficit of movies, TV and fun in my life. So, in 2010, I plan to:

See a movie at a drive-in theater. (I’ve never been to a drive-in.)

Attend at least one film screening at every local film festival.

Give SyFy's new Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica a chance and not just hate it on principle. Give myself permission to continue hating the revamped spelling SyFy.

Catch a screening at a local film series that I've never attended before. (The Dali Museum’s series and the International Cinema Series at Eckerd College come immediately to mind.)

Watch more movies at the theater. Yeah, moviegoers are quite often rude and annoying, and it’s too expensive, but there’s something to be said for hunkering down in your seat in the dark and watching a movie on the big screen.

Face my fear and watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre again.

Stop wondering about Dexter and Dark Shadows, and just watch them already.

Oh yeah, and actually update this blog instead of just thinking about it.

Here’s to a good 2010!

casting call for tagged

Received via email:

We are holding an open audition for our upcoming movie Tagged!, which concerns a teenage girl obsessed with the game of lazer tag. A knowledge of the game is a plus but not a necessity.

Most of the actors we are looking for are between the ages of 15 and 19 years old or can appear to be those ages, however there are several parts open for older actors. We will be looking for males and females, black, Asian and white.

These are the parts still open:

Marcus -- Tall, handsome but deeply troubled. She is Trixie’s love interest.

Mori -- Trixie’s closest friend, if you can call her that. The two fight constantly and do not get along.

Les -- Easy going. Likeable. He and Mori are romantically involved.

Pitbull -- Leader of the team. Abrasive, cocky, believes in winning at all costs. A big, powerful youngster who’s made his way up from the streets. Knows how to cheat to win.

Death Row -- A weasel of a boy. Sneaky. Suspicious.

Quiet Man -- As his name implies, he rarely speaks.

Lazer Tag Referee 3 -- Strong authority figure.

Lazer Tag Referee 2 -- Believes in fair play. Never hesitates when someone breaks the rules. Authority figure.

Lazer Tag Referee 1 -- No lines.

Gargotha -- Boy dressed in alien costume. Rattles off the rules on a TV screen.

Flash Gorgans Team -- Extras. No lines.

Ruby Coasters Team -- Extras. No lines.

Omar -- Trixie’s estranged grandfather and Joe’s father. Although he supported Trixie and her mother, he never was a part of their lives. He becomes the unseen evil Count Omar in Trixie’s delusions.

Ray Kawa -- Mori’s brother. Marcus’ friend. Lazer Tag player.

The Berrys -- Servants to Trixie and her mother. Loyal and servile. Trixie treats them like robots.

Dr. Griffiths -- Omar’s doctor and friend.

We are going for a PG-rated movie, good for the entire family, including teens. We hope to enter it in film festivals aimed at a youthful audience and we will be trying to get approval ratings from groups such as Kids First!

The auditions will be held Saturday, December 5 at 8 p.m. at Q-ZAR, 7807 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33614.

We begin shooting on Martin Luther King Day, January 18, 2010.

For more info, email Nick Cuti at space.opera[at]yahoo.com.

university of tampa film society presents production accounting seminar

Received via email:

Tom Garrett and the University of Tampa Film Society present production accounting seminar with John Gaskin

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009

Time: 9:30 a.m.--5 p.m. (registration and coffee at 9 a.m.)

Location: The University of Tampa Film Society, Department of Communication, Film Media Arts, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa 33606

Instructor: John Gaskin, 25-year film production auditor veteran

The purpose of the seminar is to give indie filmmakers (writers, producers, directors, production managers, etc.) and any/all film students an inside look at the money side of the business, with some practical drilling and Q-and-A so that they can apply what they take from the seminar to their careers.

We’re going to be looking at the differences and similarities between the creative indie filmmaker and the more conservative side of filmmaking – the careful folks who guard the investment money – financiers, bonding companies, major studios and networks. A highlight of a few basic questions that I've heard are:

What is the minimal amount of financial understanding required when pitching projects?

Who does what and who do you trust?

What sort of deal are you expected to negotiate and when do the lawyers and blue suits enter the picture?

What is the minimal amount of control you need to retain?

What is the minimal amout of "film budget speak" expected and how do you communicate it with confidence and enthusiasm?

We talk about these subjects, and do some drilling, to give you more confidence in your pitching for financing or even for a film job. You'll be much more confident in your conversations with executive producers, studio execs, bonding companies, etc., thus creating confidence that you can actually finish the film project with the money available.

Throughout the seminar I give lots of real examples of my conversations with, and working observations of, known film/television producers and directors I have worked with/for.

Unabashed name dropping of some people I've worked with/for: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Bill Mechanic, Frank Oz, George Clooney, Gavin Palone, David Valdes, Kevin Costner, Michael Glick (mentor at the American Film Institute), Film Finances (bond company), Independent Film Guarantors, studio execs at Disney, Universal, Warner Bros, Sony TV, etc.

This seminar is FREE to attendees.

Visit www.talkfilm.biz/flindies.htm for more info or to register.

tribeca film institute filmmaker fund now accepting entries

For any local filmmakers out there:

TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE FILMMAKER FUND NOW ACCEPTING ENTRIES

In 2010, the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund will provide up to $140,000 in support of innovative and compelling filmmaking that explores scientific, mathematical, and technological themes and storylines, or a leading character who is a scientist, engineer, innovator or mathematician in fresh ways.

We are seeking exceptional narrative work of all genres (except science fiction or fantasy) with scientifically accurate themes or characters.

Past projects that have received funding for screenplay development through the TFI/Sloan Partnership include outstanding screenplays about Rosalind Franklin, Hedy Lamarr, Richard Feynman, Edwin Hubble, Ramanujan, Stanley Milgram, Muhammad Yunus, the boy who built a nuclear reactor in his backyard, as well as many comedies.

The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund is open to both established and emerging narrative filmmakers. The Sloan Foundation joins the Tribeca Film Festival and Institute each year in sponsoring screenings, panels and readings. Submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is January 11, 2010.

Visit www.tribecafilminstitute.org/sloan/67771237.html for more info.

movie camera collection owner going for guinness world book of records

Received via email:

Richard “Hyker” LaRiviere claims to have the largest movie camera collection in the world and on the weekend of November 6 he’s going to prove it.

He’s hoping to get into the Guinness World Book of Records with his collection when it is counted and certified at the new Beaux Arts, a former antique shop, at 709 S. Missouri Ave. in Clearwater. The three-day event will also include an 18-hour video marathon with projectors showing short films produced by area film groups and other sources.

Friday and Saturday (November 6-7) events start at 6 p.m., Sunday (November 8) at noon to 6 p.m. for the public to view the mammoth camera collection, set pieces and props on display from such films as Cleopatra, Corpse Bride, Gangs of New York and the Tarzan series. The camera count will be Friday (November 6) at 8 p.m. A single price of $10 gets you into all three days.

LaRiviere says the purpose of the celebration is to provide a venue and forum for the challenge, as well as to promote film and television groups and production in the Tampa Bay area, and promote networking of industry related groups. Monies raised will be used as a fundraiser for the Museum of Motion Pictures and Television.

An added attraction will be the opening of the latest revival of one of St. Pete’s most famous watering holes for the area’s artist fringe. The Beaux Arts was once the home-away-from-home of such stars as Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac, and occasionally even Marilyn Monroe. The new facilities, like its famed predecessor, will be open to artists, photographers, filmmakers, musician and performers of any and all art forms who will be able to exhibit their work in the new contemporary exhibition space and cultural events center.

The owners, Jay “Hunter” Loiselle and Chris Skillman say that the new Beaux Arts will exist “to foster an inclusive art culture that incorporates a cross-pollination of art, music, film, writing, sound and performance. In providing a platform for these different media to co-exist in dialogue and without hierarchy, Beaux Arts encourages experimentation and risk-taking in the pursuit of excellence in contemporary art practice.”

For more info on Beaux Arts, call Loiselle at 813-251-6444 or Skillman at 727-520-4102. For more on the film fest, email Richard “Hyker” LaRiviere at luvfilms[at]gmail.com or visit www.MoMPT.com.

apocalypse boyz casting call

Received via email:

Now casting for Apocalypse Boyz

Casting dates: November 15, 21 and 22

Masque Community Theatre, 8825 N. 56th Street, Temple Terrace (Sweetbay Plaza)

We're looking for:

One male, 25-35, medium build, military type

One male, 25-35, small-to-average build, anthropologist

Two females, 18-35, slim-to-average build

Two males of nonspecific age or body type

Additional male and female speaking parts

We are also requesting that people trying out for the two leads (Matt and Ozzie) come dressed as the part if possible (NOT REQUIRED).

Visit www.apocboyz.com to see the audition script sections. For more info, email apocboyzcast[at]yahoo.com.

independents' film festival kicks off november 5

Received via email:

The Independents' Film Festival Invites You to Join Us for Food, Drink, Films and Fun!

Please join us as we celebrate the independent spirit by bringing you the best indie shorts, docs, animations, experimental and feature length films. Come early for a reception each night with complimentary food and drink, stay after to socialize with the creative souls of Tampa Bay.

See the films...meet the filmmakers...party like a film star!

Dates: November 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14

Location: The Education Channel, 703 N Willow Avenue, Tampa

Tickets: In advance and online only. Seating is limited.

To learn more or to purchase tickets, visit www.independentsfilmfest.com" and click on "2009 Event Info".

sunscreen film festival's horror fest 2009 this weekend

Received via email:

Sunscreen After Dark presents

Horror Fest 2009

October 23-25

Join us for a straight up weekend of Sunscreen with a twist of Halloween

Screening at Baywalk Muvico...the best and darkest indie horror films on the circuit:

See all films for ONLY $25 and any one film for only $8

Friday, October 23:

7:00 p.m. Trick 'r Treat -- starring Anna Paquin (most notably of X-Men and HBO's True Blood)

9:00 p.m. Deadfall Trail -- recently selected for the 8 Films to Die For series

11:00 p.m. Immortal Island -- special test screening of this locally-produced horror film

Saturday, October 24:

7:00 p.m. Sauna -- a dark tale out of medieval Sweden

9:00 p.m. Evil Things -- one of the headliners at Fright Fest in London

10:00 p.m.--2 a.m. Costume Party -- Your $25 special guest pass grants you admission to our costume party. Grab your costume and join your host Count Dracula at the Restaurant Formerly Known As Grille 121 for a Halloween uprising, entertainment, food, cash bar, imitation fortune teller and a foul witch...for good measure.


Actors Workshop
Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25
9:00 a.m.--5:00 p.m.
Studio 620 (620 1st Ave. South in St. Pete)

Learn the Uta Hagen technique and learn how to break into show business from Lana Veenker, the casting agent for Twilight. Also featuring prominent Miami-based acting coach Marc Durso (back by popular demand) and others.


Horror Make -Up Workshop
October 24, 12 noon
Baywalk Muvico

Featuring John Rusnak, special effects make-up for The Possessed and others


Horror Fest Movie Mogul Pass $125 -- Includes Actors Workshop, all the films and costume party [FULL ACCESS]

Horror Fest Special Guest Pass $25 -- Includes entry to the Horror Movie Make-Up Workshop, all four films and the costume party. [LIMITED ACCESS]

Horror Fest Fan Pass $8 -- Grants you entry to one film screening [MOVIE PASS]

For more info or to purchase your pass, visit www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com.

international cinema series screening film 24 city tonight

The film 24 City is screening tonight at Eckerd College as part of the International Cinema Series:

24 City

Directed by Jia Zhangke, in Mandarin, 112 min., 2008

7 p.m., Friday, October 17

Miller Auditorium
Eckerd College, 4200 54th Ave. S.
St. Pete 33711

Once again Jia Zhangke, one of China's most consistently inventive independent filmmakers, combines documentary and fiction in this exploration of the demolition of a state-owned factory.

All films in the series are free and open to the public, and screen in the Miller Auditorium of Eckerd College (4200 54th Ave. So., St. Petersburg). Tickets and reservations are not required.

The International Cinema Series is coordinated by Nathan Andersen, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Eckerd College.

Voted Best Local Film Series in Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay 2007

Visit the International Cinema Series website for more info.

do you want free passes for the movie whip it?

Thanks to the good folks at Fox Searchlight Pictures, I have some passes to the new movie Whip It to give away. The run-of-engagement passes are valid at any local Tampa/St. Pete theater -- Regal, AMC, Cobb, and Muvico – and are valid Monday through Thursday while the movie is out in theaters.

If interested, email me (tampafilmfan[at]aol.com) your mailing address and how many passes you want, and I’ll mail them to you ASAP.

Here’s a synopsis of the movie:

For years, Bliss Cavender (Academy Award® nominee Ellen Page) has been dreaming of escaping her tiny, truck-stop of a town Bodeen, Texas. Unfortunately her devoted, beauty pageant obsessed mother (Academy Award® winner Marcia Gay Harden) is convinced that Bliss can only succeed in life if she wins the crown at the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant, but the awkward outsider knows there’s something bigger and better out there. When Bliss sneaks off to the big city of Austin with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) she discovers a world unlike anything she could ever imagine: roller derby, with its girl-power-meets-punk-rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality.

Inspired by the likes of Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Bliss secretly tries out for a spot on the Hurl Scouts, a rag-tag team of scrappy underdogs. Soon she’s trading in her gowns and crowns for skirts, skates and scrapes becoming her alter ego, Babe Ruthless. Leading a precarious double life, Bliss may be a waitress at Bodeen’s Oink Joint by day, but by night, she’s becoming the fastest thing on eight wheels. Now she’s doing things she never dreamed of -- fearlessly facing off with bad-ass rivals like Iron Maven (Academy Award® nominee Juliette Lewis) and falling for a boy in a band (singer/songwriter Landon Pigg) -- while trying to be a heroine to her new friends and teammates. But when her secret gets out, Bliss will face her toughest fight yet: to take control of the future . . . on her own terms.

Whip It is rated PG-13. Here's what I thought of the movie.

Passes are distributed on a first come, first served basis. So hurry up and email me before I give them all away!