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.