1 Way Presents...

Download a Feature Film for 5 Bucks!

2012-01-27T04:20:00.000-08:00

Nick Bahash produced and directed a feature film and is now making it available for us for only 5 bucks.

Five Dates was shot in one week on a $3,000, self-funded budget. It was filmed local to the filmmaker's stomping grounds in both Rogers and Fayetteville, AR. Only Nick Bahash's friends (minus Amanda Lund, who is now a friend) and family helped him out with production. He bases it loosely on a true story (he's a self-admitted "hopeless romantic").

Five Dates (HD & SD versions) = $5

HD: 3.7 GB .mp4 (HDTV-ish quality)
SD: 1.4 GB .mp4 (DVD-ish quality)

Five Dates Trailer from Nick Bahash on Vimeo.

Get your download HERE!

- Lena

Maria Guzman's Univision TV Interview

2012-01-26T05:35:00.000-08:00

Our very own Maria Guzman (Miranda) leading role in the Mexico-produced Maria Del Norte recent appeared on cable television's Univision show. She and the producers were interviewed in conjunction with their recent screening.

Here it is below:

You can actually see an exclusive scene from the film HERE.

- Lena

Full Spike Lee Sundance Q & A for "Red Hook Summer" in HD!

2012-01-25T07:02:00.000-08:00

This HD video was recorded following the world premiere of Spike Lee's outstanding new film, "Red Hook Summer" on January 22, 2012 in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival.

- Lena

Making the Most of Commercial Auditions

2012-01-23T12:19:00.000-08:00

Acting teacher and actor Carolyne Barry offers tips for actors to make the most of commercial auditions and callbacks. From Backstage.

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- Lena

Approaching Agents: Do's and Dont's

2012-01-20T05:47:00.000-08:00

From Spotlight.com, here is a very helpful free podcast for actors seeking advice about finding an agent. Here are some Do's and Dont's. Check it out below:

19th January 2012

What are the key things an actor needs to know about finding an agent? If you’re a performer looking for representation or a final year drama school student, then learn from one of the best in the business – Daphne Waring from Waring & McKenna – in our latest Spotlight podcast.

We spoke to Daphne ahead of the 2012 Spotlight Graduate Programme to get her tips on the key dos and don’ts for approaching agents, how a performer can impress an agent, and what agents are looking for at graduate showcases.

Daphne is one of the directors of Waring & McKenna, one of London’s leading Personal Management Agencies, with actors working in all areas of the business, and has a wealth of experience and knowledge of the industry.

Don’t miss this valuable insight into the world of agents – click to subscribe to the Spotlight podcast via iTunes now.You can also download the podcast or listen via the player below.

Don’t miss future podcasts containing valuable insights from key industry professionals. Go here to subscribe to the Spotlight podcast in iTunes.

- Lena

Diana Sanchez Discusses "Abandoned"

2012-01-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to welcome actress/writer Diana Sanchez to our family! Diana is the co-writer and actress from Kent Sutton's Abandoned.

In this, her first interview, she discusses Abandoned and her love for Washington Heights, NYC.

Shot and Edited by Art By Dj Boy
www.Artbydjboy.com

Follow Diana Sanchez on Twitter!

- Lena

Meissa Hampton in "The Wind"

2012-01-12T07:25:00.000-08:00

Here is the teaser trailer for The Wind, a new short that stars our very own Meissa Hampton.

A small town detective tracks a string of recent murders to an unlikely cause. Starring Gerald Keyzer, Daniel Berkey, and Meissa Hampton. Written and Directed by Adam J. Boyer & Eric Kneifel.

The Wind (Teaser Trailer) from cambrianfilmstudios on Vimeo.

- Lena

Kevin Spacey's Advice to Fellow Actors

2012-01-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

Kevin Spacey is an Oscar-winning Actor and the Artistic Director of the Old Vic Theatre in London. He had a love for the theatre from a young age, and a guidance counselor suggested to him that he use his "excessive amount of energy" studying Drama at Julliard. Kevin is now based in London and, when he's not making movies or playing ping-pong, he dedicates his time to supporting emerging talent in the film world.

Reel of the Month: Nathaniel Kramer

2012-01-10T04:42:00.000-08:00

This month's "Reel of the Month" belongs to DP Nathaniel Kramer from NYC. Make sure you check out more about him and his work at his official website.

Nathaniel Kramer Show Reel (click on screen to play) from nathaniel kramer on Vimeo.

- Lena

Naama Kates Spotlight: "THE JACQUES BOLSEY PROJECT"

2012-01-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here is some great info on the process of translating Bolex Camera inventor Jacques Bolsey's 1927-1947 journal as described by translator/musician, our own Naama Kates.

THE JACQUES BOLSEY PROJECT - NAAMA KATES SPOTLIGHT from HME on Vimeo.

Get Naama Kates' iTunes single "Before You Lose It" here. Her full album is coming soon!

DONATE to our friends' fantastic film "The Jacques Bolsey Project" documentary through Indiegogo. Any little bit HELPS!

Twitter: @beyondthebolex

Facebook: facebook.com/jbdoc

Website: jacquesbolseyproject.com/

- Lena

Rik Cordero's "Inside a Change"

2011-12-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the entire Rik Cordero feature film Inside a Change free!

**Winner of the 2009 HBO NYILFF Best Film Award***

Rik Cordero's direction has restored the soul of urban life in America that blossom's between rapper's bars for years. Inside A Change brings that astute observation to a feature, with a dichotomy of the American Family in the '00s. Beautiful cinematography, powerful acting and a charged script make this work a true piece of art, that carefully puts Rik's first love in a vivid backdrop. Slick Rick, Biggie, Nelson George and now Rik are Hip Hop's storytellers. - Jake Paine (HipHopDX)

Chris Price (Ephraim Benton) is about to serve 180 days in prison for a first-time offense. When his mother (Karen Chilton) invites him home for dinner, he finds his younger brother (Darrell Vanterpool) following in his footsteps and his older brother, Shawn (Donté Bonner) disowning him. With his family falling apart, Chris is forced to re-examine his life and how he can bring everyone together for his mother's birthday. Written and directed by Rik Cordero, the film is based on true events.

"A moving portrayal of the human condition, and all of its pitfalls and triumphs." - Paul Glanting (URB)

The film's official site.

- Lena

Ed Burns on the Changing Face of Indie Film Distribution

2011-12-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

Check out this The Daily Beast article by Ed Burns after the jump:

Ever since his 1995 directorial debut, The Brothers McMullen, which grossed over $10 million at the U.S. box office on a budget of just $23,800, Edward Burns has been at the fore of cutthroat, low-budget indie filmmaking. With his latest film, Newlyweds, released Dec. 26 on video-on-demand, the director opens up about how independent film distribution models have changed, and what it means for the future of indie moviemaking.

Sixteen years ago as a film student at Hunter College, I made my first movie—The Brothers McMullen. While film technology has made rapid leaps and bounds since then—I shot my most recent film on a Canon 5D—the method of exhibiting indie films theatrically has seen little change over the years, and it is still as difficult as ever for independent filmmakers to reach a sizable audience in movie theaters.

In fact, there are also fewer specialty theaters than ever before; the specialty-film theater in my hometown, Valley Stream, Long Island, where McMullen played, is now gone, just one of many to disappear. This is not surprising given the explosion of affordable home entertainment systems and giant flat-screen televisions, as well as the advent of terrific original programming on cable. And we can’t underestimate the not-so-insignificant cost of a night out at the movies in these economic times. The incentives to stay in the comfort of one’s own home are greater than ever.

Read the full piece HERE.

- Lena

Naama Kates Featured in LA Weekly!

2011-12-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our very own Naama Kates is featured in the latest LA Weekly in both physical and digital copy! Here is what writer John Payne says:

"Singer-composer-actress Naama Kates' songs are like minifilms, experiences in sound, word and energy that stop and start again, accelerate and explode and collapse and fall to the floor to catch their breath and reassess. When she's playing solo, just her and a piano, she's a bit wistful and introspective, delivering her material in a soulful yet refreshingly unmannered vocal style. With her small ensemble she lays into complexly structured pieces whose violin, cello and trombone ornaments bring a cabaretlike mystique to the proceedings."

Check out LA Weekly's info about her upcoming show at Room 5 Lounge in LA on December 27th.

- Lena

Wendy Keeling in "Unknown Angels"

2011-12-22T20:45:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, it helps to have a movie just make you feel good. This holiday season, our feel-good short film stars our very own Wendy Keeling (10 Commandments of Chloe).

Gifts come from the most unlikely of places...

Written and Directed by Robby Coles
Director of Photography - Anne Cates
Sound - Marti Young

a NEW WORLD PRODUCTIONS film

- Lena

Measuring Influence in Social Media Networks

2011-12-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

This video is from TEDx Columbia Engineering.
It was filmed November 29, 2011, at Miller Theatre, Columbia University, NYC.

Sinan Aral is an Assistant Professor and Microsoft Faculty Fellow at the NYU Stern School of Business. He studies how behavioral contagions spread through social networks -- from products to productivity to public health.

His novel research on information and behavioral diffusion in massive networks is being applied to a variety of fields including epidemiology, innovation management, organizational performance and development economics. This research has won numerous awards including the Microsoft Faculty Fellowship (2010), the PopTech Science and Public Leaders Fellowship (2010), an NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Award (2009), the IBM Faculty Award (2009), the ACM SIGMIS Best Dissertation Award (2007), and four Best Paper Awards at the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS). Sinan has been a Fulbright Scholar, serves as Chief Scientist of SocialAmp, a social commerce company that enables targeting and peer referral in social media networks, and is currently an organizer of the Workshop on Information in Networks (WIN): http://www.winworkshop.net. His work has been published in leading journals such as the American Journal of Sociology, IEEE Intelligent Systems, Information Systems Research, Management Science, Marketing Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Science, Organization Science, the Harvard Business Review and the Sloan Management Review, and been mentioned in popular press outlets such as the Economist, the New York Times, Businessweek, Wired and CIO Magazine. Sinan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Northwestern University and holds masters degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard University. He received his PhD from MIT.

You can follow him on Twitter @sinanaral.

- Lena

Roger Corman Interviewed by Tavis Smiley

2011-12-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

If you are in NY or LA within the next few days, make sure you check out Corman's World - a documentary on one of the worlds' most prolific producers of all time.

Considered the godfather of indie movie-making, Roger Corman is one of Hollywood’s most prolific writer-director producers. He's produced more than 550 films and directed 50 others, with credits that include such cult classics as the original versions of The Fast and the Furious and The Little Shop of Horrors. A personal hero of our CEO, Corman has also had a lasting influence on American film, fostering a legion of A-listers and, as founder of New World Pictures, promoting early works by struggling actors and directors. His legendary career is chronicled in the new documentary Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel.

Check out his recent interview from The Tavis Smiley Show:

Watch Film producer Roger Corman on PBS. See more from Tavis Smiley.

- Lena

Trailer for Ed Burns' Microbudget Film "Newlyweds"

2011-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the very cool trailer for Ed Burns' microbudget, Canon 5D-shot feature film Newlyweds! Looks like the 5D is here to stay for a while, this looks great!

Buzzy (Edward Burns) and Katie (Caitlin FitzGerald) are a newly married couple living a seemingly conflict-free life. But when Buzzy's damaged and impulsive half-sister Linda (Kerry Bishe) arrives at their doorstep expecting to stay for an indefinite period in their Tribeca loft, her antics threaten to disrupt the couple's commitment to an "easy" marriage. Meanwhile, with Katie's sister Marsha projecting suspicions of her own husband's infidelity onto Buzzy, will the couple's formerly trusting and insulated life be able to withstand the dysfunctions of their respective siblings?

Available Everywhere December 26th! Go see it!

Ed Burns' Official Website.

- Lena

VIDEO: Award Season Roundtable "The Actresses Uncensored"

2011-12-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here is The Hollywood Reporters' full uncensored video of the Award Season Roundtable Series with Glenn Close, Charlize Theron, Carey Mulligan, Michelle Williams, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer talking candidly about their lives and their work.

Its a very interesting, inside look into the personalities of such amazing women!

Check it out HERE.

- Lena

Rick Borgia's Website

2011-12-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

Our own Rick Borgia has launched his new website!

Check it out to see what projects he is up to lately!

Also check him out on Facebook, his Company's Site, his IMDB page, and his latest film's site, Gunner's Rift.

- Lena

Rochelle Aytes in ABC's "Work It"

2011-12-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

Our own Rochelle Aytes is starring in a new show hitting ABC on January 3rd. Check out the rough version promo teaser below:

- Lena

Jenna Fischer Advises Actors

2011-12-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

Jenna Fischer, in her own words, writes the most honest, best advice ever at the Daily Actor. You have to read it to believe it.

Jenna's story could be any one of ours. Struggling to get an agent, finding money for headshots and classes and trying our best to rustle up work.

This is a long read but well worth your time. She talks about how she got to where she is today, great advice and even tells you the name of her acting coach. Here it is, after the jump:

"I’ve received tons of letters from people asking advice about the entertainment industry and, in particular, pursing a life as an actor. People have also asked how I got to be on The Office. This blog, I hope, will address some of those questions.

I grew up in St. Louis Missouri. I always wanted to be an actor but when you grow up in a place like St. Louis that is sort of like saying, “I want to be a superhero when I grow up”. It hardly seems real. The world of Hollywood is mysterious. You hear stories of girls being discovered at ball games. Success is about having “it” or being pretty or some other intangible magic. You have no model for how to succeed. Everyone’s story is different. One person does stand-up for 15 years and then gets a TV show, someone else finances their own movie and it takes off at a festival and suddenly they are the hottest thing. But for each of those people there are thousands of stand-up comics and filmmakers who never got their break. How do you know what to do?

I thought being an actor meant being famous. But, most actors aren’t recognizable. It’s funny. I watch TV in a whole new way now. Like, I watch a show and I see the person who has 3 lines on Law and Order and I think, “Their family is gathered around the TV flipping out right now. I bet that was a huge deal for that person!” There are so many actors that make a living by doing support work on shows. I was that person for many years. For me to stay in this business, it had to be okay if I was never recognized. I learned that I loved the craft of acting more than the idea of being famous.

My first piece of advice to someone who is serious about being a professional television or film actor is: move to Los Angeles. Moving to Los Angeles can be difficult but it is the only city that doesn’t put a ceiling on where you can go with your career. New York is the place to go if you want to do theater. But if you want to be in film and television, move to LA.

I had a teacher once who said, “If you can think of anything else you are passionate about besides acting, do that. Your life will be better for it.” I actually think that might be good advice. I couldn’t come up with anything so I moved to LA.

I fully expected to be working in movies within a year of moving to LA. That was not my reality and it is not the reality of most people who move to LA to pursue acting. It can take a very, very, very long time to succeed in this business and my best piece of advice is to not give up. You have to motivate yourself and just keep going. Create projects for yourself. Don’t whine. The first year is the hardest followed by every anniversary up to about year 5 when you’re so beaten down you don’t notice the years passing anymore. I have a friend who is so incredibly talented it is a crime that after 10 years in LA he still has to wait tables to make a living. He gets acting work here and there but he can’t hold down an agent. This business is not fair. It is not like other businesses where if you show up, and work above and beyond everyones expectations, you are pretty much guaranteed to move up the ladder. I don’t know why it works out for some and not for others. And when you move here you have no idea which camp you are going to fall into.

It isn’t who you know. It just doesn’t work that way. I didn’t know anyone when I moved to LA. Most people don’t. I shared an apartment with an old college buddy. He had a commercial agent and I was sure that by knowing him, this agent would take me on. She didn’t.

Here is how I got “discovered”. I had been living in LA for about 2 years. A friend wrote a TV script and wanted to do a live stage version as a way of attracting TV producers. He asked me to play a small role. It meant lots of rehearsal for very little stage time and no pay. Along the way I questioned why I had agreed to do it. But, it was very funny and he was a friend, so I agreed. After our 3rd performance, his manager approached me and asked if I had representation. I said, no. She offered to represent me saying she thought I had a real future in television comedy. Naomi is still my manager today.

A month later, I was doing a very strange play - a musical adaptation of the movie Nosferatu – at a small theater in Los Angeles. I was doing it because I loved the Commedia dell’arte style of the show and the people involved. I worked all day as a temp doing mind-numbing data entry for a medical company and then went to rehearsals for 5 hours a night, often getting home past midnight. One night an agent came to see the play and left his card at the box office asking to meet me. He became my first agent.

Now, that sounds easy right? Well, that was all after 2 years of working as a temp, doing every acting gig I could find – usually for no pay, borrowing money to buy a new engine for my car and wearing a pair of shoes with a hole in them because I couldn’t afford anything else. Did I mention my living room curtain was made from a torn bed sheet? It was another 3 years before I got my first speaking part on a TV show. That show was Spin City. (I played a waitress in a scene where the girl playing Charlie Sheens crazy date threw bread at me.)

Every year I did a little more than the year before. My first 5 years I probably earned between $100 – $2,000 a year from acting. Year 6 brought me some of my biggest success and I only made $8,000 from acting. But, I put a lot more money into my career than that. Headshots are expensive. The photo session and getting prints can run anywhere from $500-$800. Classes range from $150-500 a month. It costs $1,200 to join SAG once you are eligible. And apartments are crazy expensive. $700 – $1,000 for a crappy apartment that you share with at least one roommate. Its no wonder my living room curtain was a bed sheet.

So, how did I get The Office? Spin City was cast by Allison Jones. She also casts The Office. She became a fan of mine through a series of auditions. I kept going into her office year after year auditioning for different things. I got some and not others but she kept bringing me back. I developed a relationship with her – not because I met her at a party and we schmoozed – but because I had proven to her over the course of many years that I was a reliable and serious actor capable of providing a consistent body of work. That is what this business is all about – from a real working actors perspective. Allison remembered me when it was time to cast The Office. She called me to audition and I finally got the part.

Most actors think their first priority after moving to LA is to get an agent. I disagree. I think the first priority should be to build a body of work. Become a pro so that you are valuable to an agent. No agent wants to sign a non-union newbie. It’s not their job to get you ready. Join NowCasting.com or LACasting.com and submit yourself for non-union work. Get experience. These websites require you to pay a monthly fee for their service. I would normally warn you about places that charge you a fee, but NowCasting and LACasting are legit businesses. You post your photo and resume. They post casting notices for student films, short films, non-union work and some commercials. You are able to submit yourself for work and hope you get a request to audition. I have friends who work all the time doing this. It is a great way to get commercial work. I think the website LACasting.com submits their non-union members to commercial agents as part of their service. (You need to live in LA to participate.)

Work as an extra. If you are new in town this is a very good way to learn how a movie or television set operates. I did this my first year and I’m glad I did. No one gets treated worse than an extra (or as they are called now, background artists) but since I went through it myself I know how to be gracious now that I’m more successful. It’s a great boot camp. You learn the set terminology and etiquette from a safe distance. That way, when you book your first acting gig you will know what it means to “hit your mark” or how to “clear for second team”. The top extras casting agency is Central Casting. If you work enough you can earn your SAG card. That’s how I did it.

You need your SAG card to be taken seriously by an agent. You cannot work on a TV show or a studio movie without belonging to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Union. You can do some extra work if you are not in the union but you cannot have a speaking role in a major production. There are non-union productions that hire non-union actors (like student films and low-budget features) and that is a great way to get practice in front of a camera.

When you are ready to get an agent you should know a few things. Legitimate agents only take 10 percent and they should NEVER charge you a monthly fee or startup fee. They should not force you to use a certain photographer to take your headshots. If they do, they are probably just signing you up so that you’ll hire the photographer and they’ll get a kick-back. Agents should only make money if you make money. An agent may ask you to sign a contract – this is normal. A standard contract is for 1-2 years. I would not sign a contract for more than 3 years. And, READ THE CONTRACT. A friend of mine met with an agent who tried to write a clause into the contract that made it so that, at the agent’s discretion, the contract never ended. If you are unsure, contact SAG and ask them for a standard Agent/Client agreement. Ask if the agent you are thinking of going with is SAG certified.

If you are good at comedy, take classes from the Groundlings or I.O. (formerly known as Improv Olympic). Second City in Chicago is also great. These are the most recognized improv comedy places. They look good on a resume. It’s a great place to meet people when you are new to town. Classes are expensive so that can be hard when you are just starting out. I didn’t do this but I wish I had. Almost every actor on The Office has studied with one of these 3 places.

There is a book you can get at the LA bookstore Samuel French called “The Actor’s Guide to LA”. It is a spiral bound book that is updated every year. It lists all the extras casting agencies, casting directors, agents, photographers…etc. This is a great resource for the new actor. I also suggest reading Backstage West. It has casting notices and articles for actors.

Finally, there is an amazing book you can do called The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. I highly recommend it. It is a 12-week self-lead creativity seminar in the form of a book. It’s brilliant. You don’t have to move to LA to do it. In fact, it would be a good thing to do if you are thinking of moving to LA. It might give you the answers you need. It was through doing The Artists Way that I was inspired to make my movie LolliLove. I completely credit this book with giving me the tools and courage I needed to complete that project (a project that took over 4 years to finish.) And I credit LolliLove with giving me the confidence and practice with the mockumentary style that lead me to landing my job on The Office.

Yes, you will meet some scumbags if you move to LA. People that prey on newcomers. I can tell you with absolute certainty that those people have NO POWER in the grand scheme of things.

For example, it was my first year in town and I was part of a theater group. At a party for a new play opening the playwright came up to me and asked me if I was an actress. I said yes. He asked if I was interested in doing a part in his new movie. I was kind of floored. How did he know I was any good? I said, “What is it about?” And he said, “Well, you’d have to do a raunchy sex scene with nudity. Would that bother you?” I laughed and said, “I wouldn’t do anything I wouldn’t be proud to show my parents.” He then said, “That was a test. You aren’t a real actress. A real actress would never say that. A real actress would piss herself onstage if the part called for it. You aren’t going to make it in this town. You should just go home.” And then he walked away. I went back to my apartment and cried. Why was Shem Bitterman (that is his real name) such a dick? I have no idea. Stuff like that will happen to you if you decide to become an actor. People will roll their eyes when you tell them what you do. You have to develop a thick skin – without becoming jaded, guarded or cynical. That’s a tall order. I’ll say now what I wish I had said then, “Shem, sir, with all due respect, you are a fuckface and you can kiss my ass.”

I have a great acting coach who says that success in Hollywood is based on one thing: Opportunity meets Readiness. You cannot always control the opportunities, but you can control the readiness. So, study your craft, take it seriously. Do every play, every showcase, every short film, every student film you can get. Swallow your pride. Be willing to work for nothing in things you think are stupid. Make work for yourself. Make your own luck. Don’t complain. Hopefully, the work will find you if you are ready.

I know how hard it can be when you first get out here. Go out and meet as many people as you can. Create a family for yourself of creative, supportive people. AND, don’t stop your personal life for your career. I know a lot of people that wait to do things – visit family, friends, have relationships, get married – because they are waiting until they “make it”. Or, they don’t go to a friend’s wedding because they might “miss something”. Life is too short and it’s not worth it in the end. I always took off and did that stuff and it turned out fine. I was often anxious and worried in the process but I did it. I believe that in order for my professional life to move forward, I have to keep my personal life moving forward as well.

I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for my ex-husband James. He is the one who convinced me to quit my job as a secretary (ironically) and focus full time on acting. I didn’t totally believe I could make it but he did. He supported us financially and supported me emotionally. He ran lines with me and coached me before countless auditions. He put up with my highs and lows. He was, and still is, my biggest cheerleader. And, you need that out here.

It will be hard to explain your first milestones to friends and family back home. They are waiting to see you on TV or on the big screen. It is hard to explain how a 2nd callback for a job you didn’t land was the highlight of your month and a very valid reason to celebrate. I remember one year my proudest moment was at an audition for a really slutty bar maid on a new TV show. It was written for a Pam Anderson type. I thought, “I can never pull this off. I just don’t have the sex appeal. I feel stupid. No one is going to take me seriously.” But, I committed to the role and gave the best audition I could. I didn’t get the job. I didn’t get a callback. But I conquered my rambling, fear-driven brain and went balls out on the audition anyway. That was a huge milestone for me – but hard to explain at Christmas. A year later I booked the role of a trashy prostitute in a little indie movie called Employee of the Month. In the past I would have turned down the audition thinking that I would embarrass myself. But after that earlier breakthrough I felt confident. The success is not always in getting the part but in the seed that is planted.

If you live in LA and are serious about acting, I know a great acting coach. He teaches a class on How to Audition. Being a great actor isn’t enough. You have to master the art of the audition – showing people you are a great actor. His class is both inexpensive and amazing. I completely credit him with changing me from a good actor to a working actor. His name is Robert D’Avanzo 818-508-0723. Ask about his 6-Week On Camera Audition Class. He’s the best kept secret in town. And he’s AFORDABLE!

This Spring marked my 12 year anniversary in Los Angeles. I didn’t land the part of Pam on The Office until year 8. I’m hardly an overnight success. Likewise, Rainn Wilson toured the country doing theater and was one of those working but unrecognized actors for over 10 years. Steve Carell had been kicking around for close to 20 years. Most of us on The Office have a story like that. I think that is one of the reasons why we are all so very, very grateful to have landed such a wonderful job. Slow and steady wins the race.

I hope that answered your questions about the biz. Good luck!"

- Lena

Meissa Hampton in "My Brother Jack"

2011-12-13T13:49:00.000-08:00

Our very own Meissa Hampton stars in the thriller My Brother Jack. The feature film is currently in production in New Haven, CT. Here is more about the film:

On Christmas Eve, celebrated artist JACK BURNS and his brother VINCENT witnessed the murder of their parents in cold blood. Twenty years later, the man convicted of the murders is released from prison and is found brutally stabbed to death the same day.

Who killed the killer?

All signs point to Vincent who battles the demons of mental illness and sleep paralysis – a condition that blurs the line between the real and unreal.

To protect his brother, Jack is forced to confront his own demons and uncover the truth of what really happened the night his parents died - A truth that threatens to burn away his life of fame and fortune with murder and lies.

The film is directed by Stephen Dest, and produced by Upcrown Studios, Byron Yee, and David A. MacNiven.

Follow the developments of this film at it's Facebook page.

- Lena

December Auditions

2011-12-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

December is commonly known as a slower part of the audition season, but not according to these recent casting openings.

Leo DiCaprio is producing Akira starring Kristen Stewart. Details about casting HERE.

Backstage has it's December list of NY union and non-union casting calls HERE.

- Lena

"Targets" trailer

2011-12-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Throwback Sundays presents...

This independent, Roger Corman-produced film was directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Apparently after Corman showed it to Paramount, they loved it so much that it was scheduled for a national release. As the release date got closer, RFK was assassinated and Paramount got cold feet, never releasing the film.

Here is the film's short promo summary:

TARGETS are people...and you could be one of them! Elderly horror-film star who, while making a personal appearance at a drive-in theater, confronts a psychotic Vietnam veteran who's turned into a mass-murdering sniper. Starring Boris Karloff & Tim O'Kelly. Directed By Peter Bogdanovich.

Here's the trailer:

- Lena

"The Kids Are Awake"

2011-12-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Mark Borkowski of NYC-based The Indies Lab, is raising funding for his new film The Kids Are Awake. There are only 11 days left to fund this project! Spread the word!

"The Kids Are Awake" is an independent short film based on an award winning New York stage play by Mark Borkowski. The play was developed in The Actors Studio and the screenplay at The Indies Lab in New York City.

Shooting of the film will begin in the winter of 2012.

Awards: The 2010 Rod Serling Award for Best Play

What's it about?

"THE KIDS ARE AWAKE" centers around two twenty something misfits trying to find themselves amidst the most horrific of circumstances. Keri Cram, the daughter of a serial killer meets Paul, the son of one of her father’s victims. Her guilt and his compassion clash against the backdrop of his mother’s grizzly murder. The film tackles universal questions such as how do we find humanity amidst devastating circumstances and what happens to the children of monsters?

Here is Mark's Inspiration (in his own words)

I was working on the set of "The Perfect Witness" when the inspiration came over me to write this story. Having written "The Perfect Witness" I was already doing tons of research on compulsive killers and chronic psycho/sociopathology when, amidst my research, I started to wonder about the children of these people. I was filled with deep empathy, enough to be inspired to share their point of view. The "serial killer" being the monster father can easily be a metaphor for many parents who commit heinous crimes for which their children suffer shame and humiliation. The Nazi, the CEO who destroys the environment, the bad politician who destroys lives, the mobster, the unethical doctor, the crooked policeman and so on. We all have children. We all have a responsibility. I wrote this tale in the form of a play and it was produced by many different theatres around the country. The success of the play urged many people to convince me that it's such an original story that it deserves to be a movie. I brought the play into The Indies Lab in New York (under the moderation of George Katt) and, with the help of talented actors, I developed it into a short screenplay. At that point I had so many fans of the play that the pieces all started to come together and now, with your help, "The Kids are Awake" will soon become a motion picture.

What Mark Needs (in his own words)

Your donations will enable us to make this film the cinematic experience it deserves to be. We are currently in pre-production, scouting locations and rehearsing with the actors. I’m also working with a cinematographer, editor, sound people and all the necessary talents that put a film together. This all requires money. The crew I have involved in this endeavor are some of the most talented and skilled in New York City-- and they are willing to work for next to nothing because they truly believe in this project. But in order for them to devote their time they need some type of compensation, and deservedly so. Aside from this we have to assemble our locations, our equipment (lights, camera, etc), software, costumes, editing, union contracts and so on. The kickstarter goal of $8,000 will cover production cost as well as take us into post production. Please help us make “The Kids are Awake” not only a reality but the motion picture it deserves to be. I, as well many people who've experienced the play, truly feel that this film will touch people and shed light where there has mainly been darkness.

On behalf of my cast and crew, we thank you for your generosity.

Thank you,

Mark Borkowski Writer/Director

To read more info and/or make a pledge visit their Kickstarter page.

- Lena

Advice from Actorfest NY 2011

2011-12-08T07:32:00.000-08:00

Fresh from the recent Actorfest NY 2011, here are several very helpful bits of advice from some of New York's top casting directors:

- Lena

Louise and Her Lover

2011-12-06T05:59:00.000-08:00

The One Way gang had the pleasure of working with actress Julia Porter Howe on the feature film Carter, directed by Ryan Balas. We also had the pleasure of working with actress Deirdre Herlihy and actor Richard Buonagurio on the same production. All 3 of them are featured in Ryan Balas' upcoming erotic thriller Louise and Her Lover. Here is a little about it below:

The line between art and sex gets blurred in this erotic thriller. Howe plays Lilly, a wanna-be model, falls in love with Johanna, an up and coming New York City painter. Louise, another model, enters the picture and a threesome spins things out of control and into dangerous new heights.

Stay tuned to the film's webpage for updates on the film!

- Lena

Crystal Glass' "Witness"

2011-12-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

One Way or Another partner Crystal Glass is writing and directing her first feature film! Her exciting campaign has launched and is live now. Here is more about the film Witness.

Who can you trust? A feature action-drama about a man hidden from the mob by US Marshals only to have hitmen hunt him down in a secluded suburb. Here is a teaser:

Here's the Story...

ACE Film Productions is a newly formed production company founded by Crystal Glass Warner born and raised in the City of Newark, New Jersey. Crystal takes pride in her community and wants to provide job opportunities for her cast, crew and production staff in Newark and the surrounding metropolitan area. Filmmaking is our passion and it’s our belief to provide talented people with an artistic outlet to showcase their works. Crystal's story started with an idea in 2008 to start writing a screenplay. That turned into a catalog of over 15 movie ideas. One of those stories came to light on June 17, 2011. "Witness" was written in one day by seeing a photograph of a beach house. "Witness" started out as a short film but has now turned into a full length feature action-drama. Here is the film's website.

The Impact of a Team effort

ACE wants to make an impact not only by creating a community of artists to showcase their works but to also give our audience a chance to get involved, this excites us. We at ACE Films want to create job opportunities for artists within the surrounding areas of Connecticut, New York and especially Newark, New Jersey. We want people to think about the idea of "What If?. What would you do if your neighbor was in the witness protection program, would you know? The story gets people thinking about who their neighbors really are. We are starting this fundraising process in two phases.

Phase One:

is for production. Monies raised will pay for union talent, camera operations, rentals of equipment, lighting, set design, wardrobe, food, travel, insurance, and legal fees.

Phase Two:

would be solely for post-production and promotion.

If ACE does not reach it's goal "Witness" will still happen and all will still receive their gifts. We are known to be frugal and make good use of our resources. So even if you can't make a monetary donation your help in any capacity will be greatly appreciated. You can offer your services on production, promotion etc. Make a suggestion to ACE that will help all involved.

To learn more and make a pledge visit the film's IndieGoGo page!

- Lena

Support THE JACQUES BOLSEY PROJECT

2011-12-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

Ever so often, you come across a crowd-funding project that is really special. Our new friends, the LA-based team from The Jacques Bolsey Project have a real winner on their hands, and its just a matter of time before we hear a lot about this film at festivals and on TV outlets nationwide.

Imagine finding out in film school that your great-grandpa invented the Bolex & your family never mentioned it! This is exactly what happened to Alyssa Bolsey, the film's director.

Here is more about this exciting documentary and how you can help below. This project has our full support!

THE JACQUES BOLSEY PROJECT

One Renaissance man's fight against his own mortality.

THE JACQUES BOLSEY PROJECT (Development Teaser) from HME on Vimeo.
LOGLINE

In the early 1920’s a prolific inventor, Jacques Bolsey, put motion-picture cameras into the hands of amateur filmmakers. Decades later, the dramatic life of the mysterious Renaissance man is uncovered.

ABOUT THE FILM

With a working title of “The Jacques Bolsey Project,” this documentary follows the life and struggles of Jacques Bolsey, a forgotten inventor whose 1924 innovation, the Bolex camera, links the earliest amateur filmmakers to some of today’s creative giants in directing and cinematography, including Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson and David Lynch. The Bolex, a direct precursor to today’s modern home video camera, forever changed the face of filmmaking. It was a camera accessible to most, if not all people, giving amateur filmmakers a tool to tell stories and to record their lives.

Until several years ago the story of the man behind this camera was a mystery, even to the inventor’s own family. It wasn’t until 2004 when his great-granddaughter, Alyssa Bolsey, stumbled upon boxes that had been housed in the family basement for decades, that the story has come to light. Through these materials and thousands of feet of film dating back to the 1920’s, it has become evident that the documentary is more than a narrative of one single man. It is a narrative of motion picture development. Furthermore, it is a story of pushing technology forward and the documentation of one’s life through moving images. Today, Jacques Bolsey’s ideas of the accessibility and the miniaturization of cameras are more prevalent than ever. It is a story of perseverance, vision and the untimely death of a man who had his hand on the pulse of the future. Nevertheless, as influential as his invention of the Bolex was, it was but one notch on his belt among the many other significant inventions he had created during a lifetime marked by turmoil, revolutions and world wars.

SYNOPSIS

The inventor of the Bolex camera was Jacques Bogopolsky/Boolsky/Bolsey, known to his friends as JB. He was a Russian Jew who traveled the globe to realize his vision of empowering the amateur artist. Beginning his journey in Russia, he traveled to France, Switzerland and finally to the United States, all the while setting up numerous companies to achieve his goal of improving the fortunes of humanity. In the process of achieving his vision, his profits, as well as his future legacy, would take a backseat to moving his ideas forward. Money was but a means to an end and was not a primary motivator.

As he navigated the tumultuous times, his only fear lay in his certain and unavoidable mortality, a fate that would halt progress towards realizing his visions. It was a fear that would drive incredible speed and productivity in his work.

JB was a complex man who was far from perfect but who followed his dreams while encountering obstacle after obstacle. Poor business decisions, deceitful advisors and alleged foreign industrial espionage led to a boom and bust business economic cycle. An attraction for beautiful women, including a rumored affair with one of Charlie Chaplin’s ex-wives, in combination with a demanding personality, led to complications within his personal life. Still, to many he was viewed as being larger than life. He was an inventor who was greatly respected in his day for his contributions to society, yet somehow was forgotten with the passage of time.

In death, as in life, JB’s story has undergone many twists and turns. For the half century since his passing, little has been known about the inventor. The contents of JB’s life’s work, including plans for his inventions, documents, cameras and films shot on those cameras, have been buried in a cramped basement in White Plains, NY. To “Google” his name is to come across misinformation and confusion. To some, the scope and timeframe of his work appear implausible, impossible. But was it? With his words and work unearthed and available for study for the first time, we will find out. It is a story of insatiable drive and a will to survive and create; a story that will counter the doubts of skeptics.

This story was brought to light as a result of an accidental discovery by Bolsey’s great granddaughter over 40 years after his death. During her second semester of film school, Alyssa Bolsey was confronted with the realization that her enigmatic great-grandfather, Jacques Bolsey, had been one of the pioneers of the consumer motion picture camera revolution. He was in fact, the inventor of the iconic Bolex camera. Why had this significant family history never been shared with her? With more questions than answers, Alyssa is presented with a mystery she is compelled to solve. She assembles a team of filmmakers, historians and family members to help her tell the story of a man who, almost a century ago, created a device that is still used today. It is time to uncover everything and she won’t take silence for an answer.

Read More about this exciting project or make a pledge HERE!

- Lena

"5 Sobering Realities of Crowd-Funding" by Princeton Holt

2011-12-01T08:42:00.000-08:00

Film Courage just hosted a great article with our CEO Princeton Holt that got really great feedback and lots of views! Film Courage has already asked Holt to return for a new article soon. Congrats to him and thanks to Film Courage!

5 Sobering Realities of Crowd Funding

Film school was the first time in my life that I was early for school – early to every class, and the first to raise my hand to answer questions. NYFA at the time taught us how to “make do” with what we already have. That’s the strongest impression they left me. The technical stuff was just a prerequisite. But they taught us HOW to get films made. We had to get them made one way or another. So that’s what I did.

I directed a short film called Phish in 2005, where I met some of the people that form the core of my company, One Way or Another Productions. When the film was done, I wrote a comedic script about “the one that got away” called The Butterfly Chasers.

Everywhere I walked or drove in the city would remind me of this girl, so to finally move on, I wrote this character Diana Lee based on her. Writing the character with her in mind, II attached the great Rochelle Aytes (White Chicks, Madea’s Family Reunion, Desperate Housewives), since at the time she was looking for something different than what she was getting in Hollywood. She wanted to be funny, smart, etc, and this girl, and consequently this character Diana, is just that. Afterwards, I created the other 8 or 9 characters purely out of my imagination. I had a bunch of actors I wanted to work with, and simply wrote parts for them. I deliberately wanted to work with a lot of actors on this one. It’s an ensemble cast, multiple storyline film, heavily influenced by Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives as well as some of Ed Burns’ work. I gorging on a diet of Altman’s Short Cuts and The Player during this time.

I was convinced that this would be my first feature film. I was able to raise a little bit of the budget but for the most part investors were not too confident that I could deliver, or even actually finish a feature length film simply because nothing I had done previously indicated it.

So I decided instead to write and direct another feature film, Cookies & Cream, on a shoestring budget. Working with a close-knit team, we made a ton of films. Within a few years, we had a nice collection of titles - character driven indies that were critically well-received, and even found distribution.

Our company was strong, and our successes seemed to reawaken the financing in the first film, The Butterfly Chasers. Some more investors came to the table, and we are now closer than we have ever been.

But here is the deal. As I am now about 10,000 feet in the air, about to cross over from Nevada into the California state line, I am going to just lay it all out here, publicly, what’s going on with The Butterfly Chasers.

Like it or not, this is not a one-man show. It never has been. From the beginning, I partnered with Rochelle as producing partner as well as her director. Which means we are making most decisions together. She has helped me compile a much stronger script and form her character with more precision. She encourages me to give her as much as she gives me, to shape this film into the best production that we can make it.

Read the rest of the article HERE.

- Lena

Wynn Reichert in "Way Far Gone"

2011-11-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

Wynn Reichert stars in this Nashville-produced feature film that was a Showcase Selection this past for the Lucerne International Film Festival in Lucerne, Switzerland.

A meth-head English teacher, a mysterious wig-wearing woman, and a trio of redneck, drug-dealing brothers get their sex,drugs and violence all mixed together.

Way Far Gone Trailer - Feature-length film from Rough Customer Films on Vimeo.

See more HERE.

- Lena

Frederick Trevino's "The New Position"

2011-11-29T05:43:00.000-08:00

Our new friend Frederick Trevino is an award-winning filmmaker living in Brooklyn, New York. He received a B.F.A in Film/Video from the University of Texas and is certified in Final Cut Pro, Color, Compressor, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro.

His films have been shown in multiple festivals including, The New Filmmakers Film Festival and Texas Show where his film, Sing For Me, won the Audience Favorite Award. Throughout his film career, Frederick has worked as a director, editor, and colorist. His color work has screened at such highly esteemed locations as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York. Also, he has worked with a long list of accredited studios, such as: Riding Hood Motion Pictures, Third Man Productions, TVtropolis Canada, and Killer Films.

Frederick's extensive software knowledge includes all RED apps as well as a deep understanding of the various RED workflows.

As a filmmaker, he prefers personal, thoughtful films and film influences include Cassavetes, Godard, Coppola, Welles, Scorcese, Kurosawa, Bresson, Teshigahara, Burnett, Maysles and Bergman to name a few.

Here is his latest short, the incredible and subtle The New Position, which was on a Best of Fest tour.

An phone sex interviewer and a woman turning back from the verge of prostitution meet in a formal yet awkward, and destructive job interview.

Written & directed by Frederick Trevino.

The New Position from Frederick Trevino on Vimeo.

- Lena

Wynn Reichert in "Falls the Shadow"

2011-11-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Our very own Wynn Reichert stars in the post apocalyptic "Falls The Shadow" had it's premiere on November 17th at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. Below is the trailer, and an exciting article in Nashville Scene Magazine:

Here is the article from Nashville Scene:

Indie Shocker Falls the Shadow the zombie hordes to Music City

On a Sunday night at Watkins College of Art, Design and Film, Steven Berryessa is feeling a filmmaker's version of labor pains. After an 18-month gestation, just one final test screening stands between his debut feature, Falls the Shadow, and its premiere Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Belcourt. The inclination toward endless tweaking is familiar to anyone in Nashville's creative class, but Berryessa knows it can't go on forever.

"If you don't say 'it's done' at some point, you'll never make another film," he says, before he and the assembled cast and crew settle in for one last look.

The just-about-finished product combines a post-apocalyptic tale of good vs. evil like The Book of Eli with the threat of zombie infestation. As if the end of the world weren't distressing enough, Falls the Shadow imagines a scenario where few more than the cockroaches among us remain. (The point man for evil in the film is a Rev. Phelps, if that gives you any idea.)

Although it was entirely shot in and around Nashville, the director offers a word of reassurance to city boosters and those with a stake in the tourism industry: Shooting a post-apocalyptic film in Music City was a challenge.

Read the rest of this article HERE.

Congrats to Wynn!

- Lena

The Independent Critic Interviews Princeton Holt

2011-11-22T18:34:00.000-08:00

The always fantastic Richard Propes of The Independent Critic just conducted an exclusive, in-depth interview with our CEO/producer Princeton Holt. Here it is after the jump:

One way or another, Princeton Holt was determined to make it in the film industry. The year was 2000, and Holt was on the verge of graduating from the New York Film Academy when he stepped out boldly and launched One Way or Another Productions LLC, a New York-based independent film production company that produces independent films, documentaries and online TV content. In 2005, Holt directed the acclaimed short film "Phish" and by 2008 had completed his first full-length feature film, the even more acclaimed "Cookies & Cream." It was during the Summer of 2008 that Holt landed a gig in the production office for television's "Law & Order: SVU" and had the opportunity to spend a season picking the brain of Executive Producer Ted Kotcheff. Holt left the show at the end of the season with a fierce determination to take what he learned and apply it to his own work in independent film. Holt began feverishly building a catalog of niche-specific, ultra indie projects that have without fail garnered considerable critical acclaim while building a reputation for quality and fiscal responsibility for One Way or Another Productions LLC. Holt is currently in post-production for his second directorial effort, "The 10 Commandments of Chloe" starring Naama Kates, and is now working just as feverishly as ever on putting the pieces together for his third film, "The Butterfly Chasers," based upon one of his earliest scripts while continuing to produce, cultivate and nurture the growing community of One Way or Another Productions, LLC.

THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC

Let's start off simple...Tell me about your latest film, "The Butterfly Chasers."

PRINCETON HOLT

"The Butterfly Chasers is a relationship comedy about 7 adults in NYC who are each at relationship crossroads. Each character is the ex or current husband, wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend of another - that's how they are connected. It has some really good actors attached to it."

THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC

You're approaching funding for "The Butterfly Chasers" a bit differently in that you're using a hybrid of equity investors and crowdfunding. What made you explore this way of funding your film?

PRINCETON HOLT

"Well, necessity, really. It took us 5 years total to raise money for this film, and after getting so close to our full budget recently, we attempted to try to add crowd-funding to the mix. But we are approaching failure in the crowd-funding option, and that's based on a few technical things (like commitments from a couple people on our campaign team being unfulfilled because of unexpected changes in their lives, etc). We did everything else right - kept content going and fresh, constant updates to friends, family and associates, and our social media presence stayed strong. But outside of crowd-funding, we raised most of it through equity investors - the traditional way, and that is where I think we are best suited. Equity financing just simply works better for us - although it takes time. This past Kickstarter campaign just solidifies this for us, and I'm actually quite pleased with having that factual, proven information about us as a company." (Critic's Note: "The Butterfly Chasers" did not reach its Kickstarter goal, a campaign that had been primarily targeted at financing one additional "name" actor for the film).

THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC

You've populated your cast for "The Butterfly Chasers" with a combination of regular collaborators and known "names." You've proven with your previous films that you can make quality ultra-indie films by identifying and nurturing talent. What's making you reach inside Hollywood a bit this time?

See how Mr. Holt answered this question, and others in the full interview.

- Lena

Meissa Hampton Wins Indie Fest

2011-11-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

(The release below is the official Indie Fest press release):

-------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Lena Connoly
info@1wayoranother.net

MEISSA HAMPTON WINS INDIE FEST

New York, NY - November 22, 2011 - Meissa Hampton of Uptown, has won a prestigious Award of Merit from The Indie Fest. The award was given for Meissa's exciting performance as Isabel in the award-winning feature film Uptown, which was released nationally in July of 2010. Uptown also features an exceptional performance by co-star Chris Riquinha as Ben.

In response to this announcement the film's producer Princeton Holt said, "We are very proud of both Chris and Meissa's performances, and are thrilled that Meissa was recognized by this fest. As an actor-based production company this is what we strive for - to showcase what actors do best."

The Indie Fest recognizes film professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity, and those who produce standout entertainment or contribute to profound social change. Entries are judged by highly qualified professionals in the film industry. Information about The Indie Fest and a list of recent winners can be found at www.theindiefest.com.

In winning an Indie, One Way or Another Productions joins the ranks of other high profile winners of this internationally respected award. Thomas Baker, PH.D., who chairs the Indie Fest, had this to say about the latest winners, "'The Indie' is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world. 'The Indie' helps set the standard for craft and creativity. The judges were pleased with the exceptionally high quality of entries. The goal of 'The Indie' is to help winners receive the recognition they deserve."

For more information email Lena at info@1wayoranother.net or visit One Way or Another Production's website.
---------------

On behalf of One Way or Another Productions we'd like to congratulate the production team of Uptown, it's director Brian Ackley, and Meissa Hampton for this award!

- Lena

Meet Our Latest Backers!

2011-11-15T09:57:00.000-08:00

Here are the latest backers of The Butterfly Chasers on Kickstarter!

Eldonie S Mason, Esq. is a native of the Caribbean island of Antigua. She graduated magna cum laude from New Jersey City University in 2002 with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Political Science. In 2005, Ms. Mason earned her Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. After law school, Ms. Mason worked as an Associate in a Florida law firm, where she primarily handled contractual and civil litigation matters. Since establishing Mason Firm, LLC in 2007, Ms. Mason has represented an array of clients including small businesses, artists, DJs, actors, directors, producers and promoters.

Website: www.masonfirmllc.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mason.firm.llc

Also we want to send a special thank you to Joe Fiorillo, Clint Schneider, Debbie Menzel, Dorene Cink, Jeff Ericson, Emily Law and Sue Ann Skinner!

The support of these people is greatly appreciated!

Butterfly Chasers on Kickstarter

- Lena

Meet Our Last 7 Backers!

2011-11-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

We have another fantastic group of backers to announce this week! All of them were pleasant surprises!

First there was Stewart Aaron, the president of the New York County Lawyers Association. The organization is over 100 years old.

NYCLA Website
Stewart's Twitter
Stewart's LinkenIn

The amazing Linda Zises, is an independent PR professional based in NYC. She also contributes to the blog Critical Women, and heads the blog Ladies Film Club, at which she wrote cool, honest reviews for Cookies & Cream and Uptown.

Linda's Blog

Corey Hibbert is a professional actor who has appeared in films like Analyze That, Pride and Glory, and Delirious.

Brittny P. Bacon is an accomplished attorney based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Glenn H. Mason is an accomplished artist/graphic designer based in New Jersey. His firm, Eight Creative which he founded, is dedicated to making their clients happy with multi-disciplinary graphic design specializing in Illustration, branding, and website design. View some of their striking and effective work via their website below.

Glenn's Company Site
Eight Creative's Facebook Page

We also want to give a big shout out and thanks to Markeeta Smith, and Don and Leonie Wilson from Adelaide, Australia.

We want to thank these wonderful people for their support and belief in our project!

To make a pledge to our campaign for our upcoming feature film "The Butterfly Chasers," visit HERE.

- Lena

Rochelle Aytes Dishes About "The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-11-08T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here is video of Rochelle Aytes discusses her role in The Butterfly Chasers.

There are less than 10 Days left in our campaign to finally get this film shot. For a $10 pledge you will receive a FREE dvd of Princeton Holt's debut feature film Cookies & Cream, and Brian Ackley's award-winning debut Uptown.

PLEDGE NOW!

- Lena

Princeton Holt Reveals How He Feels About Actors

2011-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

The Butterfly Chasers Writer/Director Princeton Holt reveals how he feels about actors - working with the same ones again, and what he feels about working with new ones.

For a LIMITED TIME, 10 bucks gets you a FREE Special Edition, retail DVD of Princeton's first feature film 'Cookies & Cream', and the company's 2nd feature film 'Uptown' (directed by Brian Ackley).

Make your PLEDGE now, and get your FREE DVD!

The Baltimore Examiner's Piece About "The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-11-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool piece from The Baltimore Examiner about our campaign for Princeton Holt's 3rd feature film, the relationship comedy called "The Butterfly Chasers."

Dont't forget that now with a simple $10 PLEDGE, you can receive Princeton's first feature film "Cookies & Cream" on its retail, special edition DVD! You can also get Brian Ackley's debut feature film "Uptown."

Here is it below, after the jump:

Maryland actors Jace Nicole and Meissa Hampton are ready to add sparks and energy to their roles in Princeton Holt’s upcoming independent film “The Butterfly Chasers”. Writer/Director Princeton Holt likes that his film is “about seven different people that are connected without knowing it”. Their connections are their exes. Diana (Rochelle Aytes) ex is Dante (James Parris), who is now beginning a relationship with Quinn (Jace Nicole). Before he meets her, Quinn was having an affair with Michael (David Vaughn), who is married to Brooke (Meissa Hampton). In “The Butterfly Chasers”, a few characters knowingly and unknowingly decide to finally break the cycle, and in some ways, their methods may be a little controversial.

Princeton Holt actually wrote this film to be his first feature. But when it got so large because of name actors, SAG, etc, it took a little while to fund. Princeton didn’t wait; he immediately made “Cookies & Cream” and “10 Commandments of Chloe”. Production will begin from November to December, and will finish up about eight days in the early spring when it gets warmer.

Read the full piece HER E.

To those that have already pledged, we send a huge THANK YOU!
For those that have yet to get their FREE DVD, Go NOW and PLEDGE! Help us make this film!

Thank you!

- Lena

Meet Our 9th and 10th Backers!

2011-11-04T07:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had some more lovely energy on our page - the campaign for The Butterfly Chasers. These 3 latest backers are all in some way connected to the film industry. Here is a little about them:

Alan Majerol: NY-based Writer/Director.

Here's a link to Alan's work.

John Greer: LA-based Actor/Producer

John has done indie film work in Nashville, where he has roots. During that time, he appears in Princeton Holt's last film 10 Commandments of Chloe (finishing post-production), and Holt's follow up short Delivery, where he plays the lead role. John is now based in LA where he has been working on more independent films. John's pledge matched our highest pledge to date.

You can follow John on Twitter.

Rene Leonard: Director of PFI All-Sports

Rene heads up a NY-based media company that showcases the talents of high school athletes using video productions. He has worked as a director of photography and co-producer. He and our partner Brian Ackley have formed the foundations of the company together early on.

Visit Rene's website.

We want to thank these wonderful people for their support and belief in our project!

To make a pledge to our campaign for our upcoming feature film "The Butterfly Chasers," visit HERE.

- Lena

Meet Our New Backers!

2011-11-02T16:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great day today in our campaign for Princeton Holt's 3rd feature film The Butterfly Chasers. We had 3 backers in one day - sometimes it happens that way in the crazy world of crowd-funding!

We have to first back up and show some MAJOR love to our fantastic 4th backer Cliff Moskowitz, our largest backer to date! Cliff lives in NYC and is a principle at Tailwind Capital.

Cliff has been with Tailwind since 2007. A former consultant at Bain & Company and private equity professional at Saunders Karp & Megrue, Cliff began his private equity career at The Beacon Group. He is a graduate of Princeton University, and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Today, our 1st backer was accomplished music producer Cy Melchor from Los Angeles. Also a composer for film and TV, he has won both a CLIO and AICP for his composing work on Coca-Cola's "Parade" commercial. His production includes work with acts like Massive Attack, Blood of Abraham and Bel Biv Devoe. He recently finished production on Naama Kates' debut record "The Unexamined Life" which is receiving good reviews. We are also really lucky to be having Melchor composing the score for Mr. Holt's 2nd feature, The 10 Commandments of Chloe. Check out Cy's cool website including his full discography HERE.

Our 2nd backer today was Roxanne Julien, a Trinidad native now working at the New York Stock Exchange in NYC. Roxanne pledged our 2nd highest amount so far, and we thank her for her generosity and belief in our project!

Our 3rd backer today was actress Eleanor Wilson from Australia. Eleanor is now working in NYC and loving it! Wilson can be seen playing a rebellious pastor’s daughter in The Sleeping Bear, a troubled mental medium in Episode 50 and a prissy but well-meaning girlfriend in The Confabulators.

The Butterfly Chasers lead actress Meissa Hampton calls Eleanor, "a beautiful actress and individual. Talented and dedicated to her craft and her character creation. She clearly approaches her work humbly and honestly. I'm lucky to have worked with her and honored to know her."

Here is a really cool interview with Eleanor here, and make sure to hire her by visiting her website to see some clips of her doing really great work!

Thank you to these highly accomplished, wonderful and generous backers. And to our future backers, we love you in advance!

Become a member of the family by making PLEDGE, or help us by spreading the word to your friends!

- Lena

Free Screening of Brian Ackley's "Hostage Person"

2011-11-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

Catch a free screening today of Brian Ackley's crime short "Hostage Person" on LiveStream.com. We are thankful to our distributor who is allowing us to screen this film free, despite the fact that the short is currently included in the special features of Uptown's national retail DVD release. The free screening is in promotion of our ongoing kickstarter campaign for Princeton Holt's next feature film The Butterfly Chasers.

"Hostage Person" follows the comedic and sometimes suspenseful journey of an inept criminal who ends up with the responsibility of managing a hostage that results from a deal he set up. Ackley himself plays the criminal. The film was photographed by DP Roy Nowlin Jr.

There are 3 free screenings this evening at 7:30pm, 830pm, and 930pm.

Catch the first screening at 730pm, the 2nd screening at 830pm will feature live commentary with director Brian Ackley, and the 3rd screening at 930pm will feature live commentary from director Brian Ackley and Cookies & Cream, Uptown, and The Butterfly Chasers producer Princeton Holt.

RSVP HERE!

- Lena

Pulp Movies' Article About "The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-10-31T07:56:00.000-07:00

The guys at Pulp Movies have written a very cool article about our "The Butterfly Chasers" project, as well as about our growing history as a production company! Here is some of it below:

"Princeton Holt is a producer/writer/director well worth watching. Cookies and Cream, which he wrote and directed, was a genuinely moving drama about a group of people with whom you don’t normally expect to identify. The film was one of my high points of 2009. Through his production company, One Way or Another, he has also managed to pull together a community of very talented film-makers with some fascinating stories to tell. This has led, over the past few years, to a catalogue of films all of which are well worth seeing."

Read the full piece HERE!

Meet Dante' Brown

2011-10-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Character interview of Dante' Brown (played by James Parris) from The Butterfly Chasers.

To find out more about this film, click the link below, watch the video and learn about our cool perks and gifts!

"The Butterfly Chasers"

- Lena

My 7 Best Memories As a Filmmaker

2011-10-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

I really am looking forward to the opportunity to engage once again in the collaborative act of making my 3rd feature film, The Butterfly Chasers, which we are in the middle of campaigning for via Kickstarter. I feel very lucky to be able to work with some of our people again, as well as some new people. I look forward to learning from them, not necessarily the other way around.

I also had a chance to do some reflecting last night, while hanging out with some of the cast & crew of Uptown, at our reunion. This recent memory is now one of several, stand-out memories. Here are 7 more:

7) A Call from Kent Sutton:

As the director of our short film Miranda, Kent was the only one who attended the far-from-home premiere screening in Bryan, Texas at the Red Wasp Film Festival. I knew he was there alone - alone to graffiti the town with posters and flyers, alone to get out and talk about his film, alone to answer the Q & A questions thrown at him afterwards. This seemed to me to be the best way to "break" a new, first-time filmmaker. Put him out completely on his own - with little support besides a cell phone to call back to his company (us), and his friends and family. He called from the lobby about how well the screening went, about the lady who was touched by his domestic violence short, and how being the only person of color in not only the theater but the entire town made him feel (he found it hilarious). I told him to keep his hopes small as they read the award-winners, and that he had already done the film well by screening it to a receptive audience. I wanted to keep a fragile, first-time filmmaker's expectations low. It would be safer that way, less painful. 5 minutes later, he called back with, "We just won the Audience Award." I flipped out on the phone - I was so besides myself. I remember it being so late, because of the time zone difference, and I still hopped up, gliding around the room, laughing to him on the phone. I was proud and very happy for him as my director and as my friend.

6) Discovering New Retailers:

I would get a rush when I would awake and stumble on a new retailer stocking our first 2 features. Although we signed with a distributor that we knew could get us into some cool retail spots, there were others that I had never seen them place in the locations that they placed ours in. I wasn't surprised to be stocked in Blockbusters, Best Buy, Barnes & Nobles and Amazon - that's what we signed up for. I was surprised to see us stocked in Walmart, Target, FYE, and Turner Movie Classics. I remember that for one month straight, early in their release, I woke up every single day to a new retailer carrying our titles. For 2 films made under the disadvantages of DIY scrambling, it was a surreal time for me to witness.

5) The 10 Commandments of Chloe party scene:

My co-writer/co-producer Naama Kates and I somehow put together a rather large group of actors that we cast for this sequence, a party scene where everyone is intoxicated, and having separate conversations at an apartment after-party. With the help of our associate producer, actress W end y Keeling, we assembled the most eccentric, hilarious group of actors (including Naama) to each construct their own stories, create their own characters, names, and scenarios. I gave each set of actors a certain amount of time to do this, and then I turned on the camera, started rolling, and went around the room. Each actor pulled off funny, genuine moments in one single take each. Easily one of my favorite memories as a director so far.

4) Cook ie s & Cream preview screening:

We first screened a preview version of my first feature Cookies & Cream at the Helen Mills Theater on West 26th street in Manhattan, thanks to the very generous and always supportive Jason Turley, head of the Sexy International Film Festival . It was our idea to bring together everyone who hadn't yet met but who had worked on our first 3 titles, to at one time finally meet, hang out and talk shop. It would also be the first time many of these people would see our first intro film, Cookies & Cream. This event also sparked several future movie collaborations - something I had fantasized about for a while. The film opened with the trailers for Uptown and Carter, with both directors and their nearly all of their cast & crew in attendance. Afterwards we took pictures, had drinks and a great time.

3) The Case of the Actors' Writing Credits:

I will never forget when we were on our 2nd or 3rd day of shooting Uptown in the middle of Central Park, and Brian Ackley, Uptown's director approached me after watching his incredible actors perform another take. It was the scene where Meissa Hampton as Isabel tells Chris Riquinha as Ben that she is less than happy in her marriage. Her fingers linger alongside a fence that reveals several buildings from our skyline. Brian uttered "cut," then glided over to me and whispered something like, "I've been watching and listening to these two very closely, as I know you have. They are contributing so much and the dialogue is basically their own. What do you think about us giving them both writing credits?" My heart melted instantly. I smiled and replied, "Absolutely." I think I skipped home that night. It was the epitome of the self-less, collaborative method of filmmaking we had always strived to engage in. And it simply made me happy. I don't know how else to put it.

2) Cookies & Cream in Idaho:

I will never forget what is still my best film festival experience ever, and that was premiering Cookies & Cream in Idaho at the Idaho International Film Festival. They flew me out and put me up in top notch, 4 star hotels for 6 days and 5 nights. I met so many filmmakers that I still keep in contact with from time to time, including guys like John Gavin, Joe Sorrentino, Paul Osborne,Todd Giglio and Chris Springer. Former programmer Bruce Fletcher is the best programmer ever - and I'm not saying that because he selected my film. The whole team was on time, helpful, professional, and enthusiastic, and the owner of the festival Lyle Banks saw my film personally and volunteered to conduct my Q & A! After screenings, there were always the best parties and bars on the main strip full of patrons of the film arts and a cool, fun, college crowd.

My first screening was a disaster - I learned the hard lesson that filmmakers sometime learn about not pre-testing your film before your screening. I shot Cookies on mini DV, which means most of the time it had to be adjusted for contrast pre-screening. Feeling that my digi-beta master copy would suffice, I foolishly did not test it, and before you know it, way-too-dark images of my first film began screening to (thankfully) a very small audience. I apologized to everyone that attended and urged some of them to attend my next "main" screening which was on a prime night (Saturday), and one I promised them would be pre-tested. Most of them did, and the film screened to a packed house of people I had never met before. That was also the night we got our first couple of distribution offers.

The most life-affirming memory I have of this was the night after Cookies screened for the last time. I went around the town collecting my (very expensive) movie posters that I used to promote it. As I was taking down the last one, the woman who owned the place asked me if I directed it. I told her I did, and was I taking the posters back to NY with me. She proceeded to tell me that a young, fragile woman named Natalie had asked her to save it for her just in case I never came back to get it. Apparently Natalie shared a lot in common with Cookies & Cream: the film being about a single mother who accepts an adult industry job to take care of her daughter rang true for her. She was the daughter, and some of the words that Carmen says to Candace in the movie are some of the exact same words that Natalie's mother said to her. I reacted with surprise. I was very touched, and moved. I immediately took a Sharpie and signed my name on it, "To Natalie. We're honored to have made this for you." Then I gave it to the lady, and followed up when I got back in town to see if she gave it to her. She did.

1) Calling actors Chris Riquinha and Meissa Hampton:

My favorite memory ever is another producers' memory. It was when I first heard from the LSU Cinema Club's Outhouse Film Festival director that both Chris Riquinha and Meissa Hampton were nominated for Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress for their performances in Uptown. It felt good not only because they are now some of our favorite actors and personal, good friends of mine, but because I really felt they deserved it. The icing on the cake was calling Meissa to inform her that she had won. It made my day, and I would bet that it made my day even more than hers. I gloated all day, I was so happy for her, and for Brian.

These are the types of memories one can get addicted to, and I can't wait to relive some of these moments in new ways, while creating new ones.

Help me make some new memories, by pledging anything you can towards our campaign for The Butterfly Chasers. You won't be charged unless we make our goal. Here is the LINK.

Thank you for reading,

- Princeton

Jace Nicole Interviewed about "The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-10-26T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a cool interview with acclaimed actress Jace Nicole from our upcoming relationship comedy "The Butterfly Chasers."

Go HERE to see how you can be apart of this experience with us!

Meet Our 4th Backer!

2011-10-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

Our campaign for our next feature film The Butterfly Chasers started with early pledges from the Los Angeles area. Yesterday we received our first New York-based backers. One of them is The Indies Lab's own Rosebud Baker: Professional actor, and producer.

Rosebud Baker is a New York City actress working in film, television, and stage. She earned her Bachelors in Acting from Emerson College in 2006, then completing a two-year conservatory training program at The Esper Studio, studying with William Esper directly. Rosebud is also an alumna of the LAByrinth Theater Master Class, where she workshopped LAByrinth Co. member, Rebecca Cohen’s “Into The Sunset” on the stage of The Public Theatre.

In Summer of 2010, Rosebud decided to tackle production; in the most ambitious project she had done in NYC, she produced five different one acts, by different authors, with five different directors and casts. She and her producing partner presented the night of One-Acts under the title, “Clandestine”. Rosebud originated one of the roles, ‘Lily’ in Alex Goldberg’s award-winning play, Lying Naked, which garnished her awards for her work as an actress and as a first-time producer. Rosebud took home the award for “Best Actress”, as well as an award for “Best Overall Production”, in Planet Connections Theatre Festival in the Summer of 2010.

Rosebud then plundered the world of reality television without a drop of shame, and starred in The Sundance Channel’s “Girls Who Like Boys*Who Like Boys” alongside of Lisa Kudrow’s critically acclaimed HBO series “The Comeback”, by “Sex and the City” writer, Michael Patrick King.

In the FALL of 2010, Rosebud was invited to become a member of The Indies Lab in NYC, Founded by the award-winning actor and unstoppable artist George Katt. Through The Indies Lab, Rosebud has produced and starred in the ensemble feature film “Miracles of The Misfitted” (directed by Mr. Katt), as well as The Indies Lab’s evening of one-acts, “Face Divided” by Edward Allan Baker , and “The Mutilation of Saint Barbara” by Mark Borkowski.

Ending 2011 with two different independent feature films, Rosebud has been cast in the role of “Nikki” in the dramatic comedy, “The Maladjusted” and has also been cast in “Turnabout”, a drama, directed by Eric B. Hughes, shooting in December of 2011. She is preparing to start work on a new short film called The Kids Are Awake.

Here are Rosebud's links: Personal Website, Facebook Page, Twitter

A sincere thanks to Rosebud for her support!!!

Make your PLEDGE today!

- Lena

Meet David

2011-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Character interview of David (played by Chris Riquinha) from The Butterfly Chasers.

To find out more about this film, click the link below, watch the video and learn about our cool perks and gifts!

"The Butterfly Chasers"

- Lena

My Favorite Movie Scores

2011-10-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I have contributed something to our blog here - and even longer since I contributed something "original." But I had a few thoughts that I thought would be good to share here.

When writing a film script, I am usually at a handicap if I am not listening to music to write to. Especially for my current movie, a relationship comedy, music was essential to the contruction and rhythm of the script as a whole.

When reflecting on my process this time around, I couldn't help but think of some of my all-time favorite film scores. Here is my list:

10) "8 1/2" - Nina Rota

A film that played with the line between fantasy and reality, "8 1/2" was unanimously praised by fans and critics as Fellini's magnum opus. One of the greatest films of all time, along with La Dolce Vita and Amarcord, its essence is captured in the soundtrack of Nino Rota, one of Italy's most prolific and acclaimed composers. Rota is perhaps most widely known, however, for his soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's first two Godfather films.

9) "Pursuit of Happyness" - Andrea Guerra

The true story of a struggling salesman who takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional endeavor. Andrea Guerra's beautiful score is at times both subtly heartbreaking and optimistic, propelling an already epic story about the human experience to heightened proportions.

8) "Cast Away" - Alan Silvestri

This score was very sparingly applied, as most of the film takes place on a very lonely island. The scoring was mostly reserved for Hank's escape. I still get choked up when Hanks, while rowing his handmade paddle boat, takes a final look back on the island he struggled for years to leave.

7) "Mo Betta Blues" - Bill Lee

The last and final film to be scored by Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee (who I have had the pleasure of meeting and collaborating with). Some of the score was arranged and/or performed by The Branford Marsalis Quartet, along with one of my favorite composers ever, Terrence Blanchard, who would go on to be Spike's primary composer. For those of you who already know the theme title song to the film, this opening credit sequence variation (beginning at the 40 second mark) is simply breathtaking.

6) "American Beauty" - Thomas Newman

I'm no musician, but I would assume that this film would be any composer's dream gig - a fully financed studio picture that had real heart and was about real people, that featured moments when nothing but an image is seen, and the only thing left to bring it home was music. It sounds like a musician's playground. And boy did it pay off here. It was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe, and won Newman a Grammy.

5) "Friends with Money" - Craig Richey

Craig Richey's wonderful score to Nicole Holofcener's amazing 3rd feature reminds us that composers don't always need to tell the audience what to feel. Richey's interpretation of the film and its characters leads him to a "middle" ground - its melancholy yet hopeful. Just like the film itself. Couldn't find an example of it other than the trailer below, but you can find Craig Richey's website through Google.

4) "Punch Drunk Love" - Jon Brion

Jon Brion may be most famous for the "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" film score, but for those that have seen this movie you may recall the music was fantastic. Could be my favorite "from beginning to end" score. At times to me, this film felt like 50% score, and 50% narrative.

3) "Magnolia" - Jon Brion

Here is the coolest clip ever of Jon Brion actually conducting the live taping of the orchestra for the score he composed. A young, genius PT Anderson looks on.

2) "When the Leeves Broke" - Terrence Blanchard

I included this film's score for the famous dead body montage that appeared towards the end of either Act 2 or Act 3. Here's another example of his work on this film.

1) "Malcolm X" - Terrence Blanchard

I can't think of a better example of a great choice by a composer than this, my favorite scored scene - maybe of all time. Try this out with me: at around the 6:51 mark, take a look at the two men on screen, what real life characters they represent. Think about what their persona was at the time (and still till this day), and the myths surrounding the nature of their relationship as well as their characters. But while watching the exchange and dynamic between the two, listen to Blanchard's score choice. That should reveal to you all you need to know about the nature of these two men and their relationship, at times, to each other. (stick around to the very next scene if you want to also see one of the best acting choices I have ever seen too! ;)

- Princeton

Read all about my next film HERE!

Meet Michael Green From "The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-10-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here is our first character interview of Michael Green from "The Butterfly Chasers."

To find out more about this film, click the link below, watch the video and learn about our cool perks and gifts!

"The Butterfly Chasers"

- Lena

BC - Our First-Day Backers

2011-10-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Lena here, with an update:

Today we kicked off our page - the campaign for The Butterfly Chasers and it started off with pledges from Los Angeles. It's also pretty cool that the first 2 people to donate to this campaign today are both film producers. Here is a little about them both:

David Bianchi: Professional Actor and award-winning Producer.

As an actor he's landed roles in major films including Elizabethtown, Priest, Filly Brown and Politics of Love where he co-starred with the likes of Paul Bettany, Orlando Bloom, Karl Urban, Maggie Q, Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Ann Lynn McCord.

His producing career starting with an Award Winning Film called David Bianchi's Soldier, which was selected by 24 domestic festivals including Palm Springs, Los Angeles. It won Best Short at Queens, Rochester, San Tan and was voted the #2 best film not seen in 2006 by Film Threat Magazine.

Here are David's links: Personal Website, Production Company Site, Twitter

John Paul Rice: Indie Film Producer

John has produced three films with his company No Restrictions Entertainment. The critically acclaimed indie feature One Hour Fantasy Girl, written and directed by Edgar Bravo. The following year, they teamed up with Ten Thirty One Pictures to produce The Magic Stone and returned as a duo for Mother’s Red Dress. All three films deal with challenging social issues while telling an entertaining and original narrative story. Mr. Rice is currently preparing for his fourth feature in four years, Monster Killer, a supernatural, psychological thriller to shoot in 2012.

You can actually help John make his next social issue film by renting Mother's Red Dress HERE

Here are John's links: Production Company, Mother's Red Dress, Twitter

Thank you both for your early support!

To make a pledge to our campaign for our upcoming feature film "The Butterfly Chasers," visit HERE.

- Lena

"The Butterfly Chasers"

2011-10-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

So, after launching on Monday this week, our campaign page has finally been made public. Hopefully you guys have been keeping up with the announcements and free online screenings we are hosting in celebration of this campaign for "The Butterfly Chasers."

Our readership of this blog has been steady - 40,000 views is nothing to sneeze at. Therefore we encourage you loyal readers to help us - spread the word, donate, or do both!

Here is the video, and the campaign link below it for more details and great, GREAT GIFTS!

More info & GIFTS on our Kickstarter PAGE!!!

Free Online Screening of Brian Ackley's "UPTOWN"

2011-10-18T23:37:00.000-07:00

After having such a great time experimenting with the free streaming of "Cookies & Cream" this past Monday night, we are hosting a free online screening of our 2nd feature film "Uptown," on Monday, Oct. 24th, at 1PM, 4PM, 7PM, and 9:30PM (EST). The free public screenings are in conjunction with our kickstarter campaign for our next feature "The Butterfly Chasers."

RSVP HERE.

Nearly a year and a half after it's release date, our distributor has granted us permission to show the film on this day only. Uptown received numerous positive reviews, as well as awards for Best Actress for lead Meissa Hampto n, and the Honorable Mention Award from the Twin Rivers Media Festival in North Carolina. The film, as well as Chris Riquinh a's and Meissa Hampton's performances also appeared on Sonic-Cinema's list for "Favorite Performances of 2009." Now is your chance to finally catch this film in it's entirety!

Go here at any of these times and begin watching -- you don't need to sign up or register for anything unless you'd like your name to appear while instant messaging.

Actors Chris Riquinha, Meissa Hampton, director Brian Ackley, and producer Princeton Holt will be sharing our commentary throughout each screening. You could tune us out by watching the film in full screen, or join our conversation and ask questions during the movie.

See you online!

Here is the trailer:

- Lena

Tom Reviews "Green Lantern"

2011-10-18T23:22:00.000-07:00

Tom's Corner:

Green Lantern
(2011, Martin Campbell, dir)

Ryan Reynolds, if broken down into percentages, would be about 45% abs, 35% sarcasm, 15% bright white teeth and maybe 5% acting ability. I have been trying to figure out how, aside from Van Wilder, he keeps getting cast. This movie is no exception. But he's not the only problem with Green Lantern. Journey with us, to the center of the universe (or at least the center of this movie), to attempt to figure out just what went wrong.

I think the first thing that needs to be pointed out is that just as too many chefs spoil the soup, too many screenwriters spoil the script. This movie feels like two different movies: Hal Jordan, smarmy test pilot, and Green Lantern, guy with awesome power ring. Reynolds “turns off” during the scenes he's using the power ring for heroic deeds, becoming a humorless cipher (though I'm not sure if this is the fault of the actor or the script). Also, why does the script call for GL to wait so long to react? Things are being destroyed, people are dying, and you, Mr. Reynolds, have a costume that appears on you with a thought, yet it takes you about a minute of ho-hum CGI for you to do anything about it. Also, Parallax. You all knew I was gonna go there, if you've read a GL comic. Comic book crash course time! Parallax is a fear entity. He possesses you and makes you his host, utilizing the powers of the yellow fear energy (I've always assumed fear was yellow because when you're really afraid you piss yourself) to make you stronger and tougher than you were, and you can shoot energy. It's possible to fight an entity like this in the flesh, and it IS powered by fear, but come on, a giant space octopus? Is it wrong of me to assume they could have done better? It wasn't scary looking, it was just...cheesy.

The inclusion of Hector Hammond was just to give Hal something to fight on Earth. In the comic, Hector was a big ole head with a teeny little body, thanks to meteorite fragments. It looked like they were trying to go there, but it just didn't work so well.

There was some good. The special effects, at least when they pertained to the Lantern constructs, were well done. The other members of the Corps were wonderfully diverse and I saw a few of my favorites in the shots. They were also voiced well, with Michael Clarke Duncan and Geoffrey Rush turning in excellent performances. Blake Lively turns in a decent performance as Carol Ferris, but she really isn't given enough to do (if there's a sequel, she will, but that's another story). Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett turn in wonderful performances, but both could have been better utilized.

Unless you're a big Green Lantern fan, you'll want to give this one a pass. Apart from the awesome Lantern special effects and alien CGI, the movie was just missing something. It feels disjointed, like two movies mashed up...badly.

DVD SPECIAL FEATURES:

Preview: Justice League #1 Digital Comic
Preview of Green Lantern: The Animated Series

THREE DISC BLU-RAY/DVD COMBO SPECIAL FEATURES:

Same as above, plus:
Theatrical Feature & Extended Cut Films
Maximum Movie Mode with PiP
Ryan Reynolds becomes Green Lantern
Universe According to Green Lantern
Deleted Scenes

Rick Borgia Wins Best Actor Award

2011-10-18T14:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rick Borgia, who just won the award for Best Actor in a Feature for his performance in Twists of Fate! The award was presented by the Downbeach Film Festival in Atlantic City, NJ.

Rick was also featured in a cool press write up in Atlantic City newspaper, who wrote about the festival. Congrats to you, Rick!

Here is Rick's updated reel:

- Lena

"Cookies & Cream" Free Screening

2011-10-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Live Stream is streaming Princeton Holt's Cookies & Cream FREE of charge all night. The last screening is 9:30pm and may include lead actress Jace Nicole and others. The online event is in celebration of the kickoff campaign fundraiser for "The Butterfly Chasers."

Watch live streaming video from onewayoranotherproductions at livestream.com

Follow our channel for FREE screenings during this campaign!

- Lena

Great Stills from Upcoming Indies Lab Feature

2011-10-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

Check out these cool stills from the production now entitled "Untitled Indies Lab Feature."

The collective of artists from NY-based The Indies Lab have a cool group of stills from their work-in-progress feature film that stars many gifted NY actors including Meissa Hampton, Rosebud Baker, and George Katt (who also is directing).

If these are some of the stills, we can expect more really interesting images and performances. Hopefully these will still be in the movie, when its finished!

Follow the adventures of this production at their FB page.
Also give them a LIKE on their main Indies Lab page.

- Lena

New Film "The Descending" Stars Danny Doherty

2011-10-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here is the theatrical trailer for the feature film "The Descending" playing in selected film festivals on November 4th 2011. It stars Danny Doherty!

The Descending Theatrical Trailer from Red Flight Pictures on Vimeo.

For more information:

Official Film site - thedescendingmovie.com
Official Website - redflightpictures.com
Director's Twitter Page - twitter.com/kylebthompson

- Lena

Great Press for Naama Kates' Debut Record

2011-10-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

Here is some cool, recent press for the debut record from the very talented Naama Kates! Her album "The Unexamined Life" has been getting some great reviews. Here are a couple:

About the record, John Payne writes:

"Kates' songs are inside/outside things, often ruminative tunes when played solo on piano and delivered in a soulful and artful yet refreshingly unmannered vocal style. With her small ensemble　she lays into complexly structured pieces whose violin, cello and trombone ornaments bring a cabaretlike charm and mystique to the proceedings. The songs stop and start again, thoughts and impressions intrude; they accelerate and explode and collapse and fall to the floor to　catch their breath and reassess. What she’s doing, you could say, is viewing scenarios from multiple angles ––the moods ebb and flow like a tempest in her mind, in her heart, in　her soul. Naama Kates makes a pleasingly accessible music that tries to mask yet invariably spills over with　raging passion and quirky intelligence and　sheer spunky, idiosyncratic imagination. Her songs are like mini-films, never merely personal sentiments sung aloud but experiences in sound and word and energy that can take you to faraway places…and right back home again.”

-John Payne, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Bluefat Music

About her live show, Ricky Fitz writes:

"...every preconceived idea and judgement I had would be checked at the door with my bleeder. As soon as I prepared myself for an elongated emotional love ballad, Naama would look at her bassist/producer Cyrus Melchor, nod, and with one flick of the wrist completely change the tone to one of a short, angsty punk song. With every new song the pleasant "rug out from underneath you" musical surprises would continue... ....influences from everything from Bat For Lashes to Gogol Bordello. One of the most respectable parts was Naama's presence. Never up front stealing the show, but always distinctly heard. A dynamic I believe to be a dying breed..."

- Ricky Fitz, http://www.takearecord.com/

Hear some songs from the record at Naama's Official ReverbNation Page
Or hear and "see" some music at her Official Website.

- Lena

Gabrielle Archer in "Agnes of God"

2011-10-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our very own Gabrielle Archer, the hard-working actress from Miranda and One Hour 2 Live is in the NJ-based stage performance of "Agnes of God."

(Word on the street is that Gabrielle also fantastic in Kent Sutton's upcoming web series Abandoned).

The performance dates will be announced and will take place at Mary Burch Theatre

At Essex County College

303 University Ave, Newark, NJ

Stay tuned for more details!

- Lena

Ryan Gosling's Advice: Go DIY

2011-10-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

The great Ryan Gosling sympathizes with actors about the audition process and empowers actors to create their own projects that are tailor made for them. Recorded at The Ides of March Q&A with George Clooney, Marisa Tomei & Evan Rachel Wood, los angeles 9/ 2011

- Lena

3 Simple Rules For Nailing Your Auditions

2011-10-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

Shari Shaw of NoHo Arts District has some great advice for actors. Here is her piece below:

3 Simple Rules For Nailing Your Auditions

Acting and Auditioning are two very different experiences which require two very different disciplines. Acting is fun! Auditioning isn’t! So you have to work twice as hard at it because if you don’t nail your audition, you won’t get the chance to do any acting.

When you are acting, you are living the part, experiencing moment-to-moment, giving and taking, playing off the other performers, expressing your creativity and passion. You break down a script scene-by-scene, line-by-line, to understand what is being said and how your character contributes to the story and moves it forward.

Auditioning demands something entirely different. You have to create an essence of the life of a character and inspire confidence in others that you are the right actor for the job. Auditioning is not really acting; it is a sales job, the business end of acting. You are attempting to sell a product (yourself) to a buyer (casting director, producer, agent, whoever). And you’ve got three minutes to do it, in a room with people who are often not on your side and don’t really care if you succeed. If you’re lucky, you get a day to prepare your scene, sometimes just a couple of hours prior to the audition, sometimes you go in cold with no more than a few minutes to read the scenes over once or twice.

So, how can you be relaxed, specific, confident and special to those judging you during your scant few minutes in the audition room AND properly sell yourself? Here’s three simple rules:

RELAX. There are numerous types of relaxation techniques. I have my students imagine they are in a soothing shower with hot, steaming, water cascading over them. They breathe deep, smelling the soaps and scents, feeling the steam that envelops them from head to toe. This will ground you to the Earth, center you and take away your tension and anxiety.

MAKE SPECIFIC CHOICES. Know your intention; determine who you are, what you want and how you’re going to go about getting it within the scene. This defines your character, brings what you say to life and makes you interesting thus distinguishing you from hoard of other actors parading in and out of the audition room. Making specific choices tells the casting people you are a serious, seasoned, actor who can be trusted with a part. If they don’t buy what you’re selling this time, they’ll remember you next time around.

Finally, and most importantly, CONFIDENCE IS EVERYTHING. You can’t be commanding in the room if you don’t believe in yourself and exude confidence. Have a little story to tell to introduce yourself, the key word being “little”. Over-talking will kill your audition. A little story about a recent trip, job or event that can be organically worked into the conversation. Funny is always good but definitely keep it upbeat and positive. No complaining or whining! It breaks the ice, showcases your personality, distinguishes you from everyone else, helps you grab the psychological advantage and builds confidence by making them your audience instead of you being theirs.

These simple tips will help you take control of your auditions and make every read a great one. Acting is subjective. So, take chances, give it your very best and let go. Celebrate being an artist.

Shari Shaw Studios teaches four classes per week in Studio City, three with emphasis in audition technique; Advanced Sit-Com, Intermediate Drama & Comedy and The Basics which also includes scene work, character breakdown and development and script breakdown. Shari’s Thursday Night Advanced Scene Study goes into greater depth for character development and breaking down scripts. Please visit www.sharishawstudios.com for more information or call 818-505-1225 to sign up for on-going classes or to schedule a private coaching session or introductory consultation.

Darren Aronofsky Offers His Advice

2011-09-30T15:26:00.000-07:00

Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Black Swan, The Wrestler) discusses making his first no budget film, how he works with actors, and offers his advice to up and coming filmmakers.

Seven NY Casting Calls

2011-09-28T00:54:00.000-07:00

The following films are casting. They were originally posted through sites that include ExploreTalent.com and FreeCastingCall.com. They are based in the NY tri-state area.
Here they are below:

“Pain, Love, Passion”
Web Series
Audition dates: Sept 30
Types: Male, Female, 20s
Union: No
Paid: No
Details

“Our World”
Web Series/Voice Over
Audition dates: on-going
Types: Male, Female, 30s, Teens
Union: unknown
Paid: No
Details

OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)
Promo/Short
Audition dates: submissions
Types: Male Lead, 50s
Union: No
Paid: Yes
Details

“Reel Pitchers”
Feature Film
Audition Dates: Oct-November
Types: 2 African Americans, 1 Caucasian, 1 Asian, 1 Latina
Notes: Sexual Nudity required
Union: unknown
Paid: unknown
Details

"Lily and Lucille’s Hip Creature"
Feature Film
Audition Dates: submissions
Types: Male or Female, 30s; Female, 19-25
Union: both
Paid: no
Details

"The Reiss Disorder"
Feature Film
Audition Dates: submissions
Types: Males, Females late 20s, early 30s; Females, Males 40-50
Union: no
Paid: no
Details

Bonnie & Clyde-Type Love Story
Short Film
Audition Dates: submissions
Type: Male, James Dean-type, late 20s, early 30s
Union: no
Paid: no
Details

- Lena

WOO Films' "Dangerous Love" Event

2011-09-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

As part of our Miranda Film Campaign, WOO Films will be hosting a reading of their upcoming film about Teen Dating Abuse called, "Dangerous Love," on Thursday, October 27th at Bluestockings Bookstore in the Lower East Side.

Written by "Uptown" director Brian Ackley, the film will be a challenging look at various forms of domestic violence in a high school setting.

A beloved high school teacher introduces his students to a video contest designed to bring awareness to Domestic Violence while struggling with abuse within his own developing relationship. A senior athlete, a junior musician, a sophomore artist, and a freshman writer enter the contest by developing projects based on people and events within their own conflicting lives.

The multiple storylines will be directed by a multitude of filmmakers. Florens Fanciulli, Ade Richardson, Rik Burns, and Brian Ackley will each helm a portion of the film.

The "Dangerous Love" event will consist of a dramatic reading of the script, as well as 4 short films- one from each of the filmmakers (Fanciuilli, Richardson, Burns, Ackley). Admission is free but seating will be limited so come early and browse through books or visit their Fair Trade Cafe.

Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
Between Stanton & Rivington
7-9pm
Free

WOO Films is an extention of Windows of Opportunity, a NYC-based non-profit that offers young people (6-24) a wide range of programs and workshops that focus on individual diversity and provides empowering services, leadership training, support, guidance and assistance to those who seek it, with the sole intent of preparing our youth for a healthier transition into their future. WOO offers programs and workshops that deal with eating disorders, HIV/AIDS awareness, teen dating abuse, bullying, substance abuse, and many other issues.

For more information on this event or our Miranda Film Campaign, contact Brian@1wayoranother.net

Wynn Reichert in Funny or Die's "Office Trip"

2011-09-26T18:14:00.000-07:00

One of our hardest working friends, Wynn Reichert, shows his incredible versatility and outragious sense of humor in this Funny or Die short called "Office Trip."

What happens when a few employees decide to spike the boss' drink with LSD during a Christmas office party?

Office Trip - watch more funny videos

Directed by Chase Kuertz and Produced by Max Nolen

- Lena

"The Social Cure"

2011-09-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Award winning actress/writer/producer Meissa Hampton has launched her own production company and the first project out of the gate is The Social Cure - a documentary that investigates and heighten awareness of the HIV/Aids epidemic in South Africa. She is exploring how each of us can affect change to our communities by influencing the networks we navigate.

We’ve become aware of how we can use current technologies to drive the expansion of our social networks and self-promote, publicize, even defame….but what other changes can our hyper-connected, network-oriented relations affect?

We are proud to be officially joining Meissa and One Pair of Shoes on this important and innovative production. For more info, see this links:

The Social Cure
One Pair of Shoes
Meissa Hampton

- Lena

"Four Eyed Monsters" Still Free on Youtube

2011-09-25T17:46:00.000-07:00

We are bringing back our weekly feature Throwback Sundays!

This week instead of a trailer to a classic film or interview, we remember this monumental achievement in self distribution (which hasn't been rivaled yet by more than a handful of filmmakers).

Four Eyed Monsters was a collaborative feature film shot with a DVX-100 and financed on credit cards. It's highly inventive co-directors Susan Buice and Arin Crumley created the film from the story of their then still-in-progress romantic relationship.

After following "protocol" by premiering at a film festival (Slamdance), they failed to get any good distribution offers, and went to creating webisodes of the ordeal and their personal love story on Youtube. They took to crowd sourcing their audience and having them demand to see the film theatrically in their town. Not long afterwards, the film was the first feature to premiere exclusively on Youtube. Four Eyed Monsters actually mixed self distribution with traditional distribution by completing their grassroots campaign and signing a pick up deal with IFC for theatrical and VOD release. Best of both worlds.

Here is a 2007 Cinema Tech article documenting their first $23,000 made from this online streaming release, and here is the full feature film!

- Lena

Reel of the Month: Gus Sacks, DP

2011-09-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

This month's 'Reel of the Month' belongs to New York-based Director of Photographer Gus Sacks.

To contact Gus or see more of his work visit his official website.

- Lena

Maffew Ragazino's "Black Sheep"

2011-09-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

"Black Sheep" is the first single off of Maffew Ragazino's dope, debut hip hop album "Rhyme Pays" which drops today (9-21-11). The video features up and coming Comedian Young Jack Thriller. This fun, energetic video was directed by Andre Ward and produced by Harry Fraud. It features lots of clothing by our good friends at Oh My I'm Fly, who also produced some records on the album including co-producing the intro to this video.

Here the entire album here, and check out this video below!

Oh My I'm Fly
ABMuzic
Maffew Ragazino

- Lena

David Vaughn in "The Lashman"

2011-09-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

Cameron McCasland's The Lashman

Our very own David Vaughn (Butterfly Chasers, 10 Commandments of Chloe, Delivery) has a cool new genre film being released. The Lashman, a horror film about 5 friends that set out for a weekend camping excursion, only to find that their camp fire tales have turned into their worst nightmares.

The movie was filmed on location in Western Kentucky and is written, produced, and directed by Cameron McCasland, marking his debut as a feature film director, after a number of music video and television directing work.

Check out the trailer below:

Follow The Lashman on Twitter.
Like The Lashman on Facebook.

- Lena

Tom Reviews "Thor" DVD

2011-09-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

Tom's Corner:

Thor
(2011, Kenneth Branagh, director)

Of all of the major Marvel Comics characters, Thor has always felt the least accessible to me. Maybe it's the faux Shakespearean speech patterns, or the overwrought drama, I do not know, but Thor (with the exception of a brief period in the late 90's/early 00's) never captivated me. I just couldn't relate to a god. In fact, the only storyline I really enjoyed was the “Ragnorak” story that effectively killed off the Asgardians (they got better). Upon seeing Kenneth Branagh's Thor, I may have to reevaluate my opinions.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the arrogant son of the all-father of the pantheon of Norse Gods, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). After a raid on Jotunheim, realm of the Frost Giants, that breaks the peace between the two realms, Thor is stripped of his power and banished. Odin enchants Thor's uru hammer, Mjolnir, with a ward that only one truly worthy of Thor's power can lift it. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's half brother, has plotted to reach this very moment. However, Loki has discovered that he may not be fully Asgardian...

Crashing to the ground on Midgard (Earth), Thor meets Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Dr. Erik Selving (Stellan Skarsgard), and their intern, Darcy (Kat Dennings). In attempting to regain his power, he finds he cannot lift his hammer. After getting in touch with what it means to be humble, Thor resigns himself to a mortal life. However, unbeknownst to Thor, but know(nst) to us (because we watched the movie), Odin has fallen into the Odinsleep.

An aside here, since the movie failed to explain this. Odinsleep is a state which Odin enters to rest and replenish his powers. It lasts juuuuuust until the moment when all hope seems lost in the storyline, and Odin wakes up to save the day. Also, sometimes Thor drives a carriage pulled by two large goats named Toothgrinder and Toothgnasher. This is apropos of nothing, but I just wanted to mention it, as I have to make a comic book reference every few minutes.

Anyway, Loki is acting king, and Heimdall (Idris Elba), guardian of the rainbow bridge that leads out of Asgard, is ordered to bar anyone from leaving. Through a bit of loophole, he allows the Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander) and the Warriors Three, Fandral the Dashing (Josh Dallas), Hogun the Grim (Tadanobu Asano) and Volstagg the Voluminous (Ray Stevenson) to pass on to Earth. So, Loki, being a calm, level-headed sort of fellow, unleashes the Destroyer on them. The Destroyer, folks, is an indestructible suit of animated armor that, in the comics, must be animated by someone's soul. Unless the person is extremely strong-willed, the Destroyer will dominate their will, and they will be driven to...well, destroy.

So, the Warriors take on the Destroyer and...but that would be telling. Will Thor regain his hammer? Will Loki's plots be defeated? Will Odin awaken? Watch to find out.

In other cool news, Hawkeye makes a cameo. Jeremy Ritter will be playing Clint Barton, my favorite Avenger, in the Avengers. Why do I like Hawkeye? Well, look at the Avengers. You've got a god, a guy in a high tech suit of armor, and the world's most perfect soldier. And who is a smart ass to all of them? The guy with the bow and arrows, Hawkeye.

I liked Thor. It had moments of comedy interspersed with tender moments and action. It ain't Shakespeare, but for what it is, it is damned good.

- Tom

SPECIAL FEATURES:

4 Deleted Scenes

Road to the Avengers featurette

Commentary by Kenneth Branagh

Naama Kates in "Eden"

2011-09-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

Naama Kates has landed and recently wrapped a supporting role in a new independent feature called Eden, shot primarily in Seattle.

EDEN is a new film inspired by the true story of human trafficking survivor Chong Kim. It is directed by Megan Griffiths (THE OFF HOURS) and produced by Colin Plank (THE HUMAN BEEING) and Jacob Mosler (MEAN CREEK). Principal photography is scheduled to begin in August in Seattle and Eastern Washington.

In 1994 a Korean-American teenager, Hyun Jae, went to a bar in New Mexico where a handsome young man posing as a firefighter bought her drinks and offered her a ride home. At that point she was abducted, thrown into the trunk of a car and smuggled into Las Vegas, where she was imprisoned in a storage facility-turned-brothel for two years. During her captivity, Hyun Jae (dubbed Eden by her captors)... ensured her own survival by steadily carving out power and influence within the very organization that imprisoned her. Inspired by the complex and harrowing true story of human trafficking survivor Chong Kim, Eden peers into the darkest corners of America and attempts to discover the humanity within.

Catch updates on the film at their fan page.

- Lena

Tom Reviews "Super"

2011-09-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Tom's Corner:

Super
(2010, James Gunn, director)

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Lately, very few movies have impressed me. I'd watched a few and they had so little meat that I couldn't say much about them. That all changed tonight, when I watched James Gunn's “Super.” This was quite possibly one of the best films to come out of the U.S. in a long while. This also marks what I believe is the first superhero action/dark comedy EVER.

Our cast is well known to movie and TV fans. Rainn Wilson plays Frank D'Arbo, alias the Crimson Bolt. Wilson is just brilliant in this role. I never watch “The Office” but I loved Wilson in “The Rocker,” however, this role is so odd and different that I wasn't sure he'd be able to pull it off. I am so happy to be proven wrong. Frank is that quintessential weird guy who never fit in anywhere in life, until he meets Sarah (Liv Tyler), a recovering addict. She falls for him, and the two marry. Later, she leaves him for drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Have I mentioned recently how much I love Bacon as a villain? Oh yeah, I have. Bacon plays the best villains; he can go from logical and plotting to maniacal and unpredictable in seconds, and you'll completely buy it. His “minions” are somewhat cookie-cutter, but Michael Rooker plays one (and who doesn't love to hate the man who played Mr. Svenning in “Mallrats?”).

Later, after falling into a depressed stupor, Frank has a vision in which christian television star the Holy Avenger (Nathan Fillion) tells him he's been touched by the hand of God. Frank decides to become the Crimson Bolt, a superhero. After a few humorously pathetic attempts and one crushing defeat, Frank goes to his local comic shop and Libby (Ellen Page), a clerk there, helps him research non powered superheroes. Now armed with a pipe wrench, Frank goes out to kick a little ass. And lo, ass is kicked!

Of course, Frank tries to go too far too fast and rescue his wife, which leads to his being shot and having to go to Libby for help. She decides to become Boltie, his sidekick. There are some moments between them where you can cut the sexual tension with a knife. After a few hilarious hits and misses (and a truly disturbing scene which I will not even hint at), Frank and Libby go to rescue Sarah from Jacques' mansion. But does she want to be rescued?

This movie amazed me. The violence was realistic, to the point of being unexpectedly so. You feel sort of bad for Frank's victims...well, not really, but damn, a wrench to the skull must hurt, and in some scenes, you can almost feel it. Also, you begin to wonder if Frank is really being given visions, or is he just insane? The movie hits you in the gut with emotion, and this is due in no small part to the smart, witty dialogue and Rainn Wilson's clipped, grim and gritty comic style narration. We witness Frank go from a directionless loser to a man with a mission and a purpose. The entire cast deserves high praise. Go and see this movie. It will leave you thinking long afterward.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Trailer

TV Spot

Deleted Scene

Behind the Scenes

Making of the Main Titles

“How to Fight Crime” Featurette

Commentary by James Gunn and Rainn Wilson

Tom Reviews "X-Men - First Class"

2011-09-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Tom's Corner:

X-Men First Class
(2011, Matthew Vaughn, director)

This past Friday brought us the release of X-Men First Class, Marvel Entertainment's attempt to show us how the X-Men got started (note for comic fans: no, not at all like the comic, I know...did anyone really think it would be?). Was it successful? Read on.

Let's talk about casting. Well done. James McAvoy as Charles Xavier aka Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Magneto aka Erik Lensherr (the comics have recently revealed that his real name is really really we're serious this time Max Eisenhardt. Guess it...sounds more Jewish? Jewish readers, please chime in!) drive the movie as two men who want the same goal of mutant acceptance (well ok, Magneto also wants dead Nazis, and we can all agree that dead Nazis are a good thing, right?) but disagree about how to achieve that goal. Facing off against them is the six degree superstar himself, Kevin Bacon (I'm sort of one degree away myself; we share a birthday) as Sebastian Shaw. Shaw was vastly different in the comic, and what they have here really should have been Mr. Sinister. Anyway, both groups end up surrounding themselves with young mutants to work with.

Xavier and Magneto's group include Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence this time around (previously, she was portrayed by Rebecca Romijn). She does a good job and plays the part different than Romijn, with a more innocent air about her. Zoe Kravitz plays Angel Salvadore, a winged mutant who first appeared in Grant Morrison's acclaimed New X-Men storyline. An interesting choice, and played far less bitchy than the character was originally written. Nicholas Hoult (Tony Stonem from the first two seasons of the UK's superior version of Skins) plays Beast better than Kelsey Grammar ever could. Caleb Landry Jones plays Banshee, without much of the Irishness of the printed character. Seriously, he's not at all Irish in this. Edi Gathegi plays Darwin (another interesting choice, as the character first appeared in 2006 and was believed dead for a while...remember that when you watch the sequel and don't be surprised if they bring him back), who has the power of reactive evolution. Lucas Till plays Alex Summers, AKA Havok, who in the comics is Cyclops' brother. Rose Byrne plays CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, who is a geneticist in the comic.

Shaw's side consists of Azazel, played by Jason Flemyng (here's another spoiler, since I love you all so much. Azazel is Nightcrawler's father, and Mystique is his mother. Also, in the comic, he's a demon, not a mutant. This'll get interesting in the sequel) a teleporting mutant. Riptide (Alex Gonzalez) is a wind controlling mutant who has completely different powers in the comics, and also looks like a pink glass sculpture. Neither gets much of a personality, nor too many lines to speak. Shaw's last team member is January Jones playing Emma Frost AKA the White Queen. Frost has been a long time anti-hero, and I would have liked to see more of her in this.

Ok, going into this, we all know how it's gonna end if you saw any of the other X-Men movies, or any of the cartoons, or read the comics. That being said, it's about the journey man, not the destination. And this journey through mutants and the swinging sixties is well done. My only complaint is that some of the characters (especially the villains) deserve much more characterization.

This is a great popcorn movie. Cool powers, great one-liners, a surprise cameo, it's a summer blockbuster.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Children of the Atom and Second Genesis featurettes

X Marks the Spot (Blu-Ray Only)

Composer's Isolated Score (Blu-Ray Only)

Cerebro: Mutant Tracker (Blu-Ray Only)

Deleted Scenes (Blu-Ray Only)

- Tom

Jace Nicole in Black Angel Down Video

2011-09-13T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the new Black Angel Down music video for the song "Wind," featuring a cameo from Jace Nicole:

- Lena

Jin's Journey with Janelle Nicol

2011-09-13T08:47:00.000-07:00

As we come closer to our campaign launch in mid-October, so too does the deadline for our "How Did Your Man/Woman Propose" Video Contest. Top prize is a private dinner for two cooked by Janelle Nicole of Jin's Journey.

Culinary Artist, food activist, health coach & Brooklyn native Janelle Nicol also known as Jin from jinsjourney.com creates simple, yet elegant recipes with a focus on keeping the ingredients fresh, local & in season. She currently teaches cooking classes for two youth programs in NYC. She teaches youth alternative options to unhealthy fast foods, and demonstrates the ease of cooking healthy good food.

Jin caters small dinner parties & events and is also the creator and host of the web based cooking show "Cooking with Jin". Her show follows her concept of fresh, local eating and the ease of preparing beautiful, tasty and easy to cook meals.

Jin also has a passion and life's purpose to educate communities throughout Brooklyn about healthy eating. She partners with organizations in low income areas of Brooklyn, also known as "food deserts" and educates the community on the benefits of healthy cooking. She touches on how to shop for food, urban agriculture and shares healthy recipes that are affordable, quick and easy.

You can learn more about Jin and can catch episodes of "Cooking with Jin" at http://www.jinsjourney.com/.

For more information on our video contest click HERE

Celia C. Peters' "Rethinking Beauty"

2011-09-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here is the full version of Celia C. Peters' short documentary Rethinking Beauty. Celia also produced and directed the short doc Editing Uptown: A Tale of 2 Scenes that appears on the special edition DVD for Brian Ackley's debut film Uptown.

Rethinking Beauty was produced in association with Brian Ackley and Hal Eisenberg of WOO Films. It highlights Shortstack, a NYC-based modeling organization that embraces girls of all shapes and sizes. Shortstack uses non-traditional modeling to drown out negative and exclusionary messages about beauty and body image that bombard women in this country and instead build confidence and self-esteem in girls and young women. Celia served as Producer, Director, Writer and Cinematographer on the film. Here it is below:

Check out Celia's official website HERE
Check out Woo Films website HERE

What NOT to do in an Audition

2011-09-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Casting Director Marci Liroff gives professional auditioning tips and advice. She also goes on about what NOT to do!

Legendary casting director Marci Liroff whose credits include: Mr. Popper's Penguins, Ghost of Girlfriends Past, Insomnia, Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, Footloose, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, E.T, and Poltergeist, spoke about the casting process, auditioning, what it means to book the room and not the part. Marci spoke passionately about her feelings about pay to play workshops for actors, the things actors can do to advance their careers, as well as how a good casting director will help them succeed.

You can follow Marci on Twitter here: @marciliroff

Be sure to visit her website as well: http://www.marciliroff.com/site/

Stay tuned to the Filmnut by liking them on Facebook:
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http://twitter.com/#!/thefilmnut

Truffaut & Godard: "Two in the Wave"

2011-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

"No filmmakers were closer than Jean- Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, and no falling out was more bitter or more public.

The documentary “Two in the Wave,” available on DVD from Lorber Films, details what went right and wrong in the friendship of these great French New Wave directors who changed the face of cinema. The story, fleshed out with clips from more than 30 films and rare interviews with both men, is as galvanizing as any of their movies.

Though Godard and Truffaut shared an early infatuation with film, their backgrounds were starkly different.

Godard was the son of a doctor and a banker’s daughter. Truffaut grew up as a working-class truant, spending time in reformatories and prison for stealing.

He used the proceeds from one of his heists to pay off the debts of a film club he started at 16. Movies were more than a refuge for the lonely Truffaut; they were his salvation.

“Two in the Wave” includes a photo of Godard and Truffaut in 1949, when they were teenagers. It’s an extraordinarily evocative image because it seems so offhanded.

As young men they spent endless hours watching classics at the legendary Cinematheque Francaise in Paris.

They worked as maverick film critics for the seminal magazine Cahiers du Cinema alongside future New Wave directors Claude Chabrol and Eric Rohmer, and shared a passion to overturn the studio-engineered romantic realism of the day."

Full piece HERE.

Screenwriters: The Truth About Unsolicited Material

2011-08-31T07:10:00.000-07:00

Unsolicited Material – Don't Do It

You're watching a movie or a TV show and suddenly get a great idea for a plot line. Maybe the lead character should hook up with that mysterious blonde. Maybe the team should fight government corruption.

Whatever it is, you think “Hey, wouldn't it be cool if I sent my idea to the producers? Maybe they'll use it and I can get a job as a writer.”
So you type up a script/idea/your brilliant insight with a nice note inside. You get the mailing address, put the materials in an envelope and get ready to set out for the local post office or nearest mailbox.

Hold everything!!! You're about to send something that is a total waste of time & just happens to be a huge pet peeve among entertainment professionals (especially for the in-house legal department): unsolicited material.

What is Unsolicited Material?

Unsolicited material is the idea/script/logline, anything you send to someone that they didn't ask you to send. Most companies (including One Way or Another Productions LLC) have a clearly stated policy that says “we do not accept unsolicited material.”

Unsolicited material can also be sent in other ways such as sending an e-mail link to your fan fiction site or sending a new networking contact from a company your materials when the person never asked to see it or consented in some way to getting it such as belonging to the same writer's group as you.

Why is Sending Unsolicited Material a Bad Thing?

I could write a tome on this topic but sending unsolicited material is a bad thing to do for both legal and professional reasons. I will get to the legal reasons shortly but for now, let's talk about the professional reasons.

First off, professionals are EXTREMELY busy. They get bombarded constantly with requests for things. If you do not work in the entertainment business, let me ask you how you feel about people asking you for free work or giving special favors like plumbing services, legal services, medical services, computer help, etc. Those of you who are constantly asked for such things should know where I'm going with this. Producers, directors, executives, etc. don't appreciate it any more than you appreciate being asked to fix the neighbor's computer for the fifth time this month for free.

Second, when you send unsolicited material against a policy stating that it will not be accepted, you have just proven that you can't or won't follow directions. What that says to us or another company is either “I'm illiterate, so whatever I've written will stink to high heaven,” or “I'm superior to your rules and I don't have to listen to you.” Not the sort of person ANY professional company wants to work with.

Third, you are engaging in a form of extortion and entrapment. Smart companies know this and will never read anything sent by an unsolicited party for fear of being sued for even having had access to an idea even remotely similar to what was sent. People have filed such lawsuits over time with mixed results.

Because of these types of lawsuits, all people sending unsolicited material are seen as nefarious opportunists looking for a big payday. After all, the company has no way of knowing if you are a kindhearted (though misguided) person or someone trying to set them up for a future lawsuit. Guess what a company thinks of nefarious opportunists? Suing a company is another great way to get yourself permanently blacklisted.

The Legal Ramifications

When you write fan fiction or use someone else's characters for an idea, you are creating what is known in U.S. Copyright law as a “derivative work.” This means exactly what it says: your work is derivative of someone else's. The owner of a derivative work is the person/firm who owns the copyright.

Guess what? It's not you, author of the fan fiction. That would be the person or company who owns the show/movie/what have you. All you are doing is writing scripts/contributing ideas for the people who should be doing it to start with. Stop stealing work from the writers & development teams! Make them earn their paychecks.

I really find fan fiction a waste of time and from a legal standpoint, it is. If you want to write, how about coming up with your own ideas and creating your own characters? That way, YOU own the copyright and if you've registered your work with the U.S. Copyright Office, you could have a case for copyright infringement if someone steals your idea. You have no case at all if a show's producers turn your fan fiction into a script on the show. They will owe you nothing & if you try to sue to get anything, you will lose. Read up on the law concerning derivative works.

Conclusion

“But how do I get noticed in the business?” you may ask. “How do I get my materials to people?” Do what people have been doing in this business since the dawn of time: network. Get to know people. Make yourself distinct. Be respectful of people's time and have the confidence to say “Here I am & this is what I do. If you like it, great. If you don't, that's your prerogative.”

Then, back off. Let them come to you. If they don't, don't sweat it. Keep looking for other opportunities. The industry is partly a waiting game and if you want to work with the elites, you're going to have to prove yourself worthy of the task.

Just like anything else in life, the entertainment industry requires hard work and has protocols.

- Monica

Contact Monica for legal advice/representation at Monica@1wayoranother.net

Follow Monica's personal blog HERE.
Follow Monica on Twitter HERE.

(Monica C. Trombley is the in-house counsel/production exec at One Way or Another Productions. She is a licensed attorney in both NY and CT.)

The Truth About Taped Auditions

2011-08-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Stuart Aikins is a Vancouver-based casting director with 35 years of experience casting across Canada, including Vancouver casting for the hugely popular "Twilight" series (New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn). He is the recipient of an Emmy Nomination and a Casting Society of America (CSA) Award for Best Mini-Series Casting. In July 2011 he sat down with students at Biz Studio's Summer Intensive.

Q: How do taped auditions work for you?

A: Nothing beats being in the room, most directors/producers cast straight from the tape, directors don't know how you do what you do and most talk in results, most directors don't want to give direction in the room, actors are lazy they only learn the lines they don't prep the rest.

Q: What about self tapes?

A: Self tapes are fine, it has to be good work because you'll get frank feedback, the importance of having a good relationship with your agent so you can get honest feedback.

Q: So it's good to talk to your agent? Which you should do once a year?

A: You should talk to your agent at least every week or two so they know what to submit you for appropriately. If you self-tape then I'll notice. You have to take your career in your hands, agent or no.

Chris Raffaele's "Grasslands"

2011-08-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Chris Raffaele gets press in the Daily News about his new feature Grasslands, which stars our own Cookies & Cream actor Danny Doherty and associate producer Vincent Caiola. Here it is after the jump:

Chris Raffaele was sitting in the East Tremont Diner but he couldn't eat. He wouldn't even take something to drink.

"I can't...I'm too nervous," he told the waitress.

It was the day before his feature-length movie, a 17-year labor of love, was to be screened downtown Tuesday night, (and again last night) with small audiences including movie distributors and other industry types.

"The Grasslands," shot in black and white, is a dark, moody, slice of life, set to a subtle, haunting score.

It's also a collection of postcards from the Bronx - the waterfall in River Park, the monument in Pelham Bay Park, the skyline of rooftops at sunset. There are shots of E. Tremont Ave., and Westchester Ave. shadowed by the el.

He tried to make the Bronx itself a character, said Raffaele, 41.

"I wanted to make an old-fashioned, beautifully-shot film. I wanted something totally different," he said.

"No hand-held cameras...I had to find a cinematographer who would do it film noir."

Most of the movie is shot in black and white, with color scenes bookending the film.

He used anamorphic lenses to give it the wide-screen look of the old CinemaScope movies.

A Kodak person told him his film could be the last black and white feature, because the company is discontinuing the film.

Read the full piece HERE.

- Lena

Rick Borgia's "I Married a Mobster" Episode

2011-08-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

We got a hold of the full episode of Rick Borgia (Cookies & Cream, Twists of Fate), starring in Discovery Channel's ID Investigation episode "I Married a Mobster."

Rick's second episode as Greg Scarpa originally aired on a Wednesday night in July.

The ratings for that show came in at 2 MILLION viewers.

Here it is in 2 parts:

Part 1

Part 2

- Lena

Proposal Contest for Miranda Film Fundraiser

2011-08-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of our upcoming Miranda Film Fundraiser in October/November, we are announcing a video blog contest for married and engaged couples.

TELL US HOW YOUR MAN or WOMAN PROPOSED TO YOU!

Use your webcam to share your proposal story on Youtube and win unique prizes. The videos with the most hits win.

1st Prize: Private dinner for two cooked by culinary artist Janelle Nicole of Jin's Journey

2nd Prize: Two private personal training sessions by Jonathan Aragon of Aragon Fitness.

3rd Prize: Set of Champagne glasses with a bottle of Champaign and a copy of Miranda the short film.

Our 'How Did Your Man/Woman Propose' Contest runs from August 19th thru September 9th - winners will be announced on September 12th. Simply add a link to your video in our comments section on our youtube page - Miranda Film Campaign.

Share your story! We're looking forward to hearing from you.

For more information on our upcoming Miranda Film Fundraiser, click HERE.

Canon 7D Film Sells for $4 Million

2011-08-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

This story is only a few days old, yet we still think there are some folks that might have missed it. Like Crazy is a feature film shot on Canon 7D that recently won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was picked up for a whopping $4 Million.

There are some that site this as proof that traditional indie distribution is still alive and well. In this case, it seems to be a given that this particular film, a romance drama without name actors, did better with it's traditional distribution deal than with a self-distribution, social media-based strategy. Case in point, For Lovers Only, a film with the same genre, shot on a similar camera (the 5D), recently made news for making $200K on iTunes. That's their story - a no budget romance film with limited resources has made $200K. This is obviously a huge financial success. However the traditional distribution method, a $4 Million pick-up deal by Paramount (isn't that even more than they paid for Paranormal Activity?) potentially shatters any thing they could have hoped to make on their own. The point seems to be that each film has its own strategy, its own path to distribution. Whats good for one film, may not be good for another.

Congratulations to the filmmakers of Like Crazy! Check out this trailer and tell us what you think:

- Lena

Wynn Reichert's in "Living in the Dark"

2011-08-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wynn Reichert keeps up his good work ethic, and stars in this short film by Beau McCombs.

Living in the Dark from Beau McCombs on Vimeo.

Check out Wynn's cool website!

Rick Borgia in "I Married a Mobster"

2011-08-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Our own Rick Borgia (Cookies & Cream, Twists of Fate) recently starred in the Discovery Channel's ID Investigation "I Married a Mobster." He also appeared in the follow up episode titled "Daddy's Girl." Look for re-runs of the show on their network. Here is a trailer of his work on it:

Here is the show's site.

- Lena