July 27, 2006
Critser Awarded Scholarship
Corey Critser, who took home the first annual Hadrienne Kathleen Mendonsa Young Filmmaker’s Award at this year's Back Row Film Series, has received the Frances Larkin McCommon Scholarship from Savannah College of Art and Design. Critser, a 2006 graduate Chattanooga Christian School, also won CCS' Art Department Award this year. While at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Critser will major in film and television.
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June 25, 2006
Film Investment Offer
Do you want to invest in one of the closest things to a guaranteed venture that there is to offer?
An acclaimed New York Times Best Selling author and film/TV producer, is publishing a book due out this fall. This book is an autobiography of his 25-year quest to uncover the untold sides of current news; he reports what the media won’t. Its a sensational look at what has really been going on for the last 25-years. The book will finally tell things that the public doesn’t know. Its going to be a hit.
This producer has appeared on Larry King Live to promote his previous works, and he is scheduled to go on Larry King again as well as Good Morning America, and many other shows to enhance coverage of the book release.
Just to give you a feel for his previous track record, his last book made over $1 million before it hit the shelves. There is already a movie in the works based on the book, as well as a TV series that his company will produce.
This producer is selling 7.5% of the ownership of his book/movie/TV venture to generate some capital for future projects. This is a commonly practiced way to perpetuate financial momentum within production companies. He is selling:
* 1 point or 1% for $100,000
* 1/4 point or 1/4% for $25,000
* Because of the nature of this kind of investment, the producer will work with chunks of $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, and $100,000.
Even if you don’t have any money yourself to invest at the time, but you may know someone who does, let them know and you can potentially earn part of the perpetuity.
Anything over the producer’s small stated salary will come back to the investor plus partnering residuals. So, if the book/movie/TV/soundtrack (anything at all involved with this production) makes $1 million, a 1% share holder makes back their initial investment. If the project makes $2 million, the 1% share holder doubles his investment.
Looking at the producer’s track record, it is clear that his productions produce profits well over these low-end figures. Again, any investment will entitle you, the investor, to any portion of the book, TV, movie, soundtrack, etc. profits.
Too good to be true? Email me and I will send you his name to check out for your self, his IMDB credentials, his website and investment opportunity website, and I if you want some questions answered or just want to check him out for yourself, I will put you in contact with this producer.
This is purely on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. Once the 7.5% is gone, that’s the end. Even if you are skeptical, take a couple minutes, email me, and I will send you the resource information. If you find this to be legitimate, it is well worth your time.
Email me at thomaswentworth@southern.edu.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Thomas L. Wentworth
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May 09, 2006
Shaking Rays' New Film Collaboration Coming Soon
The Shaking Ray Levi Society has collaborated with artist Judith Mogul on a stop-motion short film entitled, "Anti-Arktikos." A Chattanooga premiere and a DVD are planned.
Click here to see a clip. (Real Media Player required.)
Click here to hear the end credit music by the Shaking Rays' Bob Stagner and Dennis Palmer.
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April 18, 2006
Back Row Opener Redux
The Back Row Film Series got off to an encouraging start Saturday night at GPS’ Evans Auditorium as a somewhat small yet enthusiastic crowd enjoyed a wide range of music videos and short films by local and regional students and independent filmmakers.
Highlights included Stratton Tingle’s Best Friend and Krusty by Jim Burer. Local musicians Travis Knight (Actress), Brad Merrill (Night of the Wolf) and Josh Boutwell (Tremont Beauty Salon) came together as Sound and Vision to debut their very rocking original score to Edwin S. Potter’s 1903 film, The Great Train Robbery, and Corey Critser, who showed two films -- the funny short A Plague of Tics and a music video for Unwed Sailor’s “Cuckoo Clocks” — took home the first annual Hadrienne Kathleen Mendonsa Young Filmmaker’s Award. Hadrienne’s father Andy was on hand to present the award and a short film by her brother Asher was also shown.
Also on hand was Nashville director Seth Worley, director of the evening’s main feature, Suburban Tumbleweed, the very entertaining story of a 12 year-old zombie-fighting superhero. Worley talked a little bit about the film, relaying stories about the perils of shooting with broken gear and was ecstatic that the audience “laughed a lot.” (The film can be watched in its entirety on the Web at www.NoiseBoxMedia.com.)
Immediately preceding Tumbleweed was the premier of a trailer for the next Lazy Bear Productions movie, Killing Elvis, starring Kashad Moore. While Lazy Bear’s Ryan DiGiorgi and Logan Lee are extremely tight-lipped about the near full-length project, if the trailer is to be believed, the film will be parody of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series. Watch it and decide for yourself at www.KillingElvisMovie.com. The film will premiere in Chattanooga this fall.
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March 31, 2006
Back Row Film Series Site Online
The fantabulous new Back Row Film Series site (designed by Coptix) is online.
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March 13, 2006
Films Wanted
ChattanoogaArt.com is accepting submissions from filmmakers in and around the Chattanooga area for an upcoming film festival. Organizers are looking for edgy and experimental short videos or films from at least a few minutes in length to up to a half hour.
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February 21, 2006
New Episodes of Podcorn Online
Two new episodes of Lazy Bear's Podcorn podcast are now online for your listening pleasure.
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February 07, 2006
Lazy Bear presents Podcorn podcast
Ryan and Logan from Lazy Bear Productions have launched the premiere of Podcorn, a weekly podcast that features their analysis of Hollywood's latest offerings, as well as a "liberal dose of their patented hilarious banter." In the premiere installment, the boys talk about King Kong.
The podcast is available via any of your favorite podcatchers.
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January 26, 2006
The Ruthie's On Fire
Folks packed it in at the Hunter for the premiere of Ruthie.
According to the memories of many of those in the audience, last Thursday night’s Hunter Museum premiere of Brian Cagle’s Ruthie might have been the first-ever time a local filmmaker’s work has drawn a standing-room-only crowd. It was also the first time anybody remembered an overflow crowd forcing a second showing of a local film. This is great news for a fledgling local film scene that has made serious strides in the last two years.
In addition to its annual independent film series at The Bijou, The Arts and Education Council is continuing its summer series at the Hunter, this time with the aid of the UTC folks who organized the Firefly Film Fest at Club Fathom in the fall of 2004. The collaboration has since been dubbed Back Row, and will feature at least six events, including a filmmaking workshop for teens starting this week. Caffeine on MLK has started showing films on Sunday nights, local rockers the Sha-Pels are working on a trilogy of horror movie-tinged music videos, and Oak Street Films’ Jarrod Whaley is working on a documentary and showing this film Telesthesia at the Pilot Light in Knoxville on Friday night. The city’s Arts, Culture and Education Department is moving forward with a film commission with hopes of luring filmmakers to shoot (and spend money) here, there is now a Web site devoted to local film (www.ChattanoogaFilm.com) and several other local filmmakers are furiously completing projects they hope to show here and elsewhere later in the year.
Cagle directed, shot and edited the 25-minute Ruthie as his thesis film for Northwestern’s M.F.A. program, getting contributions from a wide array of local cast, crew and sponsors. The film, shot in a local subdivision, deals with love, longing and, well, arson, and features the unexpected yet gorgeous torching of a van by a pair of young pyros—a scene that drew laughs from the Hunter crowd and awe from other filmmakers in attendance. In the entertaining post-premiere Q&A session, Cagle explained that the van had been donated, but joked that he wasn’t sure if the donor knew it had been burned.
Asked if people could buy a copy of the movie, Cagle replied, “No,” as the festivals he’s sending it to for consideration frown upon accepting films that “could be seen anywhere.”
Responses from the cast, crew and director revealed a humble, committed team atmosphere. The crowd offered both much praise and many questions, genuinely enjoying the evening and encouraging more like it. The lack of pretension evident this night is sorely needed around here, if you ask us.
(This article was reprinted from The Pulse.)
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December 03, 2005
It's All About Locations
According to a story in the Times Free Press, Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission representatives photographed Hamilton County attractions and landmarks last week for a database being compiled for film industry location scouts.
Film commission officials are compiling information for the database from all 95 counties in Tennessee in hopes of enticing filmmakers, television producers and music video directors to choose the state for their projects.
"Tennessee is one of the most beautiful and diverse states," said Charles Todd, community liaison for the film commission. "We want to capture entertainment dollars and turn that into Tennessee revenue.”
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Goodbye Firefly, Hello Back Row
The UTC-based organizers of the Firefly Film Festival, the Hunter Museum of American Art and the Arts and Education Council are joining forces to create the Back Row Film Series and Festival beginning in the summer of 2006. Opening night will take place on April 15 and will feature short films by local filmmakers, followed by 4 film nights (on the first Thursdays of every month, May through August) at the Hunter Museum's new theater, culminating with a festival event in September at which awards will be given to selected entrants.
Organizers are now looking for entries from any and all local and regional filmmakers. Films will be reviewed by the 2006 Back Row Film Series committee and, after all qualifying entries are considered, a total of 10 films will be juried by an independent panel of Judges during the Film Series. Awards will be presented at the conclusion of the Film Series on Friday, September 15, 2006. While the decisions of the Judges are considered to be final, any winning entry found to have violated the rules and regulations of the Film Series may have the award forfeited. It is permissible for a film to have entered or won other contests.
The committee formerly known as Firefly will also be partnering with the Hunter and AEC film committees as promoters of local film and will work together to produce workshops for locals (including high school and college students) as a way for writers, filmmakers and enthusiasts to network and collaborate on future projects.
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November 03, 2005
New Oak Street Site
Jarrod Whaley has redesigned his Oak Street Films site. The site contains information and video about his latest projects, Telesthesia and Frequencies.
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Firefly Flies On To Spring
Organizers of the Firefly Film Festival have announced that the next festival, originally planned for November, will be held next April. Submissions are now being accepted in the documentary, short film and music video categories. For more information, contact Stephanie Bates.
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October 24, 2005
Sha-Pels Zombie Video Shoot
(Click for larger, bloodier view)
Mmmmm… Brains...
The Sha-Pels, CIA Music Award winners for "Best New Act of 2004," gathered many in the film and music community recently to begin production on their long-planned music video for the song, "Chesapeake Swinging Moderns." The video was set at a house party where the band performed for a hip crowd while zombies approached and eventually breached the home and disrupted the party. Violent and bloody with a hint of dark humor, the video, along with videos for two other tunes, is to become part of a trilogy of sorts that will be released on DVD early next year. The project pays homage to George Romero's classic zombie motion pictures of the late 20th century.
Over forty amateur actors were cast from the local music community for the production which took place over 12 hours on Sunday, October 2. More than a typical music video, this was an artistic effort by a majority of the music community as over twenty bands were represented by various musicians. While inherently difficult, the shoots went surprisingly smooth and by the end of the night, the production team and the zombies and partygoers were tired but satisfied.
While the production was certainly low budget, the production team pulled out all the stops using a steadicam, gib arm, dolly, multiple light kits, and various technical toys. The production team included Russ Cannon, Chris Braly and Jon Phillips of Digital Video Minds. Also on the production team were Don Benjamin of Trillium Pictures and Mark Gill of Entrudia Independent. Catering was provided by the St. Elmo Doghouse.
The Sha-Pels will make an announcement when the project is complete and a local screening/concert is scheduled. They also wanted to thank to everyone that helped!
An observer has posted digital pictures of the shoot here.
(Thanks to Chris Braly for the info on this event.)
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September 29, 2005
City Plans to Create Filmmakers Commission
From today's Times Free Press
by Herman Wang Staff Writer
Chattanooga is a long way from Hollywood, but local officials are hoping to bring some Tinseltown to the Scenic City.
Mayor Ron Littlefield said Wednesday the city is establishing a film commission to foster area talent and provide assistance to filmmakers looking to shoot movies and television shows here. The film commission will be a collaboration with the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce and the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"We realize we’re not going to be Hollywood, but we do have some things to offer," Mr. Littlefield said. "We’re coming at it from the angle that we’re going to have fun with this, even though we’re probably not going to have a huge film industry here."
Officials said volunteers will staff the commission.
The mayor said proposals to establish a local film commission have been considered on and off since the 1980s. He hopes to get the commission up and running by January.
Besides the state Film, Music and Entertainment Commission, two other film commissions exist in Tennessee: the East Tennessee Film Commission based in Knoxville and the Shelby County Film Commission in Memphis.
"Considering the city’s location for films, I think it’s a good idea," Mr. Littlefield said. "We have people in our arts community who are more connected with the film industry now."
The city’s Education, Arts and Culture Department will oversee the local film commission. To start with, the board will be given an office and a Web site, said department administrator Missy Crutchfield, who has film and television experience.
The commission eventually may help organize film festivals, she said.
"Chattanooga’s just such a wonderful city for filming, and for people who are considering locations here, we want to have a place to find information and contacts," Ms. Crutchfield said.
Rex Knowles, executive director of the theatre program at Chattanooga State Technical Community College, said he welcomes the creation of the film commission.
"I think it’s well worth the energy to investigate the possibility," Mr. Knowles said. "Can you earn a living only by doing film in Chattanooga? No, you can’t, but there are jobs here. The commission would help maximize that possibility. It’d be great to have a list of loca- tions, crews, talent, available actors and then get the word out to say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing here.’" The move comes as the Tennessee Film Advisory Committee explores the possibility of augmenting the state’s tax incentive program to filmmakers. The committee held the second of three public meetings on the issue in Nashville on Wednesday.
Committee members and industry officials have said greater tax breaks are needed to help the state compete in attracting feature films and television shows. The next public meeting is Oct. 12 in Memphis.
Thoughts, anyone?
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