West Virginia Film Office

Email Blast

September 10, 2004

 

 

CONTENTS

 

A.  Acknowledgements [intentionally blank for this edition]

B.  West Virginia Film Office Updates & News

1.  Deadline for New and Modified Listings in the 2005 Edition of the PSD

2.  Brevity of September 10 Newsletter Edition

3.  Miscellaneous News from Around the State

C.  Production Activity By Outside Companies [intentionally blank for this edition]

D.  West Virginia Indigenous Production Activity & Casting Calls [intentionally blank for this edition]

E.  Nationwide Casting Calls/Auditions [intentionally blank for this edition]

F.  Articles and Websites of Interest, Useful Resources, Industry Activities

G.  Film Festivals and/or Script Submissions [intentionally blank for this edition]

H.  Calendar of Events

I.   Contact Info, Disclaimer, Subscribe/Unsubscribe

 

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A.  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

 

[intentionally blank for this edition]

 

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B.  WEST VIRGINIA FILM OFFICE UPDATES & NEWS:

 

1.  Deadline for New and Modified Listings in the 2005 Edition of the PSD:  The deadline to become listed, or to modify a listing, in the PRODUCTION SERVICES DIRECTORY is October 15, 2004.  Please do not access the forms currently on the Film Office website; they are being revised and will be posted to the website by September 14.  A separate email will be sent on Monday, September 13, to all those on the Email Blast list with specific instructions for getting listed or modifying a listing in the PSD.

 

2.  Brevity of September 10 Newsletter Edition:  Because of the volume of information received by the Film Office between the May 27 and August 27 Email Blast editions, and to not overwhelm the reader, the information was spread between the August 27 and September 10 Email Blasts.  Our apologies for any inconvenience.

 

3.  Miscellaneous News from Around the State: 

 

(a)  WV Filmmakers Need Help Locating Photos and Film Footage:  The Huntington production team of Witek & Novak needs assistance for one of its film projects in tracking down photos and archive film/video footage of the following:  (a) Cam Henderson (Coach at Davis & Elkins 1923-1935 and then moved to Marshall College 1935-1955); (b) the "Scarlet Hurricane" basketball and football teams of Davis & Elkins (1923-1935); (c) the Marshall College Buckeye Conference football champions of 1937; and (d) the Marshall College N.A.I.B. national basketball champions of 1947.  If you have helpful information, please contact Deb Novak at 304-697-0681 or by email at novak1@marshall.edu.

 

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C.  PRODUCTION ACTIVITY BY OUTSIDE COMPANIES (these listings do not include projects for which the Film Office is conducting locations scouting or other services that are premature to announce):

 

[intentionally blank for this edition]

 

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D.  WEST VIRGINIA INDIGENOUS PRODUCTION ACTIVITY & CASTING CALLS (This section will include only information about production activity from the state's indigenous filmmakers and videographers and will also include casting calls for WV productions (film, TV, commercials, theater, etc.).  The Film Office cannot possibly follow all indigenous production activity across the state; this is where you can assist in passing along information.  The Film Office will consider only information which can be confirmed by a producer or director of a film/video project.  If you are passing on second-hand info, please include an appropriate contact for the project.):

 

[intentionally blank for this edition]

 

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E.  NATIONWIDE CASTING CALLS/AUDITIONS:

 

[intentionally blank for this edition]

 

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F.  ARTICLES AND WEBSITES OF INTEREST, USEFUL RESOURCES, INDUSTRY ACTIVITIES:

 

1.  Calling All Filmmakers!  Get ready for the National Film Challenge!  From the folks that brought you the 48 Hour Film Project, comes a competition in which teams across the country will make short films – write, shoot, edit and score them – from scratch, in one wild weekend.  On Friday, October 1st, you receive a character, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, all to include in your movie.  On Monday, October 4th, you send the completed film to the NFC.  There are two ways you can be involved:  (A) FORM A TEAM.  Rustle up enough folks to make a movie, download the application from http://www.filmchallenge.com, fill it in, pay the fee, and then be ready to go on Friday, October 1st.  Or, (B) JOIN A TEAM or HELP A TEAM.  If you don't have enough folks with whom to make a team, join NFC's Yahoo group.  NFC participants will ask questions and recruit team members there.  Join by going to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nationalfilmchallenge/.  For questions, email Ben Guaraldi at benguaraldi@yahoo.com.  To apply or find out more information, visit http://www.filmchallenge.com.

 

2.  Acting Seminars in Pittsburgh:  How do you audition successfully for a commercial? How do you get a part in a film? How can you break into Voice Overs? Where do you even start? Sonic Pictures is conducting two seminars to help answer these questions. Acting for the Camera will be held on September 18 and October 2; instructor is John Yost.  Fee is $150.00 per session.  Understand the differences between acting for stage and acting for the camera. Study simple techniques used by John Yost in order to make a better impression on the director or producer. Voice Over Techniques will be held on September 25 and October 3; instructors are John Yost and Bud Adams.  Fee is $150.00 per session.  Learn the art of performing a Voice Over. Study the differences between commercial and industrial. See what it feels like to be in a sound booth and how to prepare a voice over demo reel. For more information, visit http://www.sonicpictures.com/seminars.html, or call 412-673-1000.

 

3.  Got Distribution? Consider Film Threat DVD!:  Do you have a great feature?  Has it played some festivals and maybe even won an award or two?  Has your film gotten good press?  Are all the rights to music, talent, etc. cleared?  And, despite all of this, do you still not have a DVD/video deal?!  Consider distribution with Film Threat DVD!  Film Threat is seeking the best independent and underground films that have been overlooked.  Interested?  Send a synopsis, festival history, and other relevant press-related information about your film to Mitchell Bard, Film Threat DVD's East Coast Head of Acquisitions.  For more information, e-mail: mbard@filmthreat.com or visit http://www.FilmThreatDVD.com.

 

4.  Kaydara to Ship MOTIONBUILDER 6 in September:  Fresh from the mammoth SIGGRAPH announcement of the acquisition of the company by Alias, Kaydara is still committed to making MOTIONBUILDER 6 available in late September.  Unveiled at SIGGRAPH, MOTIONBUILDER 6 arrives with the most advanced character animation technology available.  With a dramatically easier-to-learn user interface, faster workflow, new high-level editing capabilities, inter-character rigs and powerful scene management tools, MOTIONBUILDER 6 further advances the most powerful animation toolset in the market.  For more information, visit http://www.kaydara.com/products/motionbuilder/index.php.

 

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G.  FILM FESTIVAL AND/OR SCRIPT SUBMISSIONS:

 

[intentionally blank for this edition]

 

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H.  CALENDAR OF EVENTS (generally, WV activities, with certain exceptions) [please send in events from around the state for consideration]:

 

1.  Book Signing of "The Appalachians", Charleston (Kanawha County):  On Friday, September 10 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Braxton County West Virginia native, Mari-Lynn Evans, returns to the state for a book signing at Taylor Books (226 Capitol Street) in downtown Charleston.  The executive producer and director of the much-anticipated 3-hour documentary "The Appalachians", Evans also helped edit the companion book "The Appalachians: America's First and Last Frontier" (Random House, $29.95).  The book is a collection of 30 essays about Appalachia and the people who live there.  Topics include the musically talented Carter family, old-growth trees in North Carolina, the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud, life in Stearns KY, storytelling and music in the mountains, the beginnings of the country music recording industry in 1927 in Bristol TN, religion in Appalachian, and life in West Virginia (by U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd).  Many of the writers have ties to Appalachian colleges and universities.  For more information about the book signing, contact Taylor Books at 304-342-1461.  [The film, which is a collection of personal accounts of Appalachian life, will air on PBS next spring.  The music of Appalachia is featured prominently in the film and a double CD of music will be released as well.]

 

2.  Monthly Meeting of WAVe Group, Teays Valley (Putnam County):  The next meeting of the WV Animators & Videographers etc. is scheduled for Monday, September 13 @ 6:00 pm at the Putnam County Library.  The meeting is open to the public and free.  Steve Gilliland, an Assistant Professor at WV State University, will be the featured guest with a presentation titled "CHEATERS! Rotoscoping, Motion Capture, and Other Dirty Little Secrets of Animation", which will showcase techniques that blur the line between live-action and animation.  Everyone in attendance (even those who are not trained in the animation field) will get a chance to create his or her own animation.  For more information about WAVe, contact Jamie Cope of Destiny Images at jamie@destinyimages.com

 

3.  Lascaux Micro-Theater Film Series, Buckhannon (Upshur County):  The Lascaux Micro-Theater is hosting a Skeptic's Film Festival on September 10, 17, and 24 in Buckhannon.  At 7:00 pm on each date, the documentary "Hijacking Catastrophe: 9/11, Fear & the Selling of American Empire" (68 min, NR) begins, followed at 9:00 pm with two documentaries, "Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train" (78 min, NR) and "After 9/11: New Politics & the Left" (17 min, NR).  Seating is limited and seat reservations are suggested.  Admission is $6.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.  For more information and directions to the theater, call 304-473-1818.

 

4.  5th Annual WV Filmmakers Festival, Sutton (Braxton County):  The 5th Annual WV Filmmakers Film Festival, hosted by the Landmark Studio for the Arts, will be held October 1, 2, and 3 in Sutton.  The Festival showcases the WV film industry by exhibiting WV films and WV-related films.  It is a great opportunity to network with WV's filmmakers and crews.  Highlights of the 3-day event include the annual meeting of the WV Filmmakers Guild (Saturday, October 2, open to the public), the world premiere of Donna Dudick’s "The Middle Voice", the world premiere of Ray Schmitt’s "Lu Lu: Triumph of the Human Spirit", and the presentation of the WV Filmmaker of the Year Award, sponsored by the West Virginia Film Office.  The award is an original bronze sculpture by sculptor Bill Hopen.  For information on the detailed schedule, directions, and admission fees, visit www.landmarkstudio.org/wvfff, or call Kevin Carpenter at 304-765-5960 or by email at kevincarpenter@elkhotel.us.

 

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I.  CONTACT INFO, DISCLAIMER, SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE

 

1.  Questions, comments, ideas for Email Blasts?  Send email to phaynes@callwva.com if you have ideas on topics you would like to see covered or if you have "news" you would like the West Virginia Film Office to consider publishing in a future Email Blast.  Please note, however, that the West Virginia Film Office is the sole authority on which topics may appear in an Email Blast, and it is the sole right of the West Virginia Film Office to decline to publish a suggested topic, idea, or other news item.  Questions and comments should be directed to Pamela Haynes, Director, West Virginia Film Office, 90 MacCorkle Avenue SW, South Charleston, WV 25303; 304-558-2200, ext. 382; phaynes@callwva.com; www.wvfilm.com.

 

2.  The Email Blasts are compiled by the West Virginia Film Office for purposes of providing information and topics of interest to those who choose to subscribe.  Information contained in the Email Blasts is sometimes predicated upon information gathered from a variety of sources; website links offered in the Email Blasts are not maintained by the West Virginia Film Office and it is not responsible for a website's content.  The West Virginia Film Office, the West Virginia Bureau of Commerce, the West Virginia Division of Tourism, and the State of West Virginia expressly disclaim all responsibility and liability relating to the accuracy of certain information contained in the Email Blasts.  The Email Blasts are provided as a complimentary service of the West Virginia Film Office and sent via Email usually every 3-4 weeks.  Based on information available at the time of each Email Blast, category headings may change periodically.

 

3.  To subscribe to the Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com with "add to email alerts" in the subject line.  To unsubscribe to the Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com with "remove from email alerts" in the subject line.  To obtain back issues of Email Blasts, send an email to phaynes@callwva.com.

 

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