Film School Online | "Utah Business Board Approves Film Incentives"

By: uthapulse.com
Source: http://utahpulse.com
Category: Film School Online

Members of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Board of Directors have approved film incentives from the Motion Picture Incentive Program for eight films that will be shot in Utah, the most projects the board has ever approved in a single meeting.  The projects range from the feature film The Lone Ranger, Silver Bullet Productions, Inc., part of the Walt Disney Company, to an independent local production, Back Door to Heaven, Back Door to Heaven LLC.  The MPIP offers film companies up to 25 percent of the dollars left in the state in the form of a post-performance tax credit or cash rebate.   

“We are excited to welcome these film projects to Utah because they will create jobs for our talented film crew and benefit Utah businesses,” said Spencer Eccles, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED).

“Utah’s film industry will have a number of projects to work on in the coming months, thanks to the hard work of the Utah Film Commission staff, the Motion Picture Advisory Committee, and the Motion Picture Association of Utah,” said Leigh von der Esch, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism and Film, an agency of GOED.  “These films will generate increased interest in the state as a tourism destination when moviegoers see stunning images of the state’s beautiful scenery on the big screen.”   

 “The quantity and quality of these projects directly correlate to the clarity and stability of the Utah Motion Picture Incentive Program, in addition to the support of the Utah Legislature and Governor Gary Herbert,” said Marshall Moore, director of the Utah Film Commission. “The projects, including in-state and out-of-state companies, demonstrate the depth of film talent in the state.”

Source: http://utahpulse.com/bookmark/17836983-Utah-Business-Board-Approves-Film-Incentives

Film School Online | "High school film festival submissions due"

By: merrimack journal
Source: http://www.cabinet.com
Category: Film School Online

The New Hampshire Film & Television Office is now accepting submissions for the 2012 New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival.

All submissions must be postmarked on or before March 31, or arrive at the Film & Television Office at 19 Pillsbury St. in Concord by 4 p.m. on that date.

Now it its fifth year, the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival fosters interest in filmmaking and rewards future members of the industry for their craft.

The festival is open to students currently enrolled in grades 9-12 at New Hampshire public or private high schools. Submissions do not have to have been created as part of a school project.

A panel of judges made up of New Hampshire film industry professionals will review all submissions and then select films to be shown at the festival itself, which starts at noon June 16 at New Hampshire Technical Institute’s Sweeney Hall Auditorium in Concord.

Winning films will be screened on New Hampshire Day and Night at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth in October and at the SNOB (Somewhat North of Boston) Film Festival in Concord in November.

In addition to providing students with a public venue for showing their work, the festival is also a great way for students to build their resumes and make their college applications stand out.

Rules and guidelines, film submission forms and other information about the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival can be found online at www.nhstudentfilm.com.

For more information about film and television production in New Hampshire, call 271-2220 or visit www.nh.gov/film.

Source: http://www.cabinet.com/merrimackjournalmerrimackreadersubmitted/952974-308/high-school-film-festival-submissions-due.html

Film School Online | "Mississippi commitment big enough to attract film festival"

By: KAREN NELSON
Source: http://www.sunherald.com
Category: Film School Online

A film festival is coming to the Coast in early November and it is projected to attract some of the industry’s A-list.

Sun & Sand will be a state film and music festival and is inviting film producers and directors to see what Mississippi has to offer.

It also will be a trade show, said Wes Benton, with Red Planet Entertainment, one of the sponsors and driving forces behind the festival.

“We will bring in vendors to educate the state to support the industry,” Benton said in an interview with the Sun Herald last week. “Invitations are out.”

People in the industry are invited to submit a film, others to reserve a festival pass or be a sponsor.

It will be Nov. 7-11 on the Coast with about a half-dozen venues for movies, including the Saenger Theater, Hard Rock Casino and Beau Rivage in Biloxi and the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center in Ocean Springs.

Beach concerts are also in the plans.

It’s designed to connect film and music enthusiasts around the United States in “an emerging destination for filmmaking: Mississippi.”

Sun & Sand will screen both new and previous releases of major motion pictures as well as independent films, according to publicity information.

But it also plans to unveil some of the latest concepts, equipment and technologies in the field of film and digital effects.

Music concerts will “fuel the creative energy” at venues each night.

Catering and Southern cuisine will hold a prominent spot because food is important to a film production and selling Mississippi to filmmakers includes showing its ability to handle versatile catering needs, Benton said.

“The catering aspect, feeding 150-160 people a variety of food three times a day, is big,” Benton said. “It’s a huge cost for the film industry. And can be a boost for the local economy.”

Passes to the Emerging Technology aspect of the show won’t be included in the general festival admission and will have to be acquired separately.

“With the casinos, fishing and golf this area stands out,” he said, “so we can bring in A-list people.”

And get the word out about Mississippi’s commitment to film, he said.

Where is Mississippi in establishing a healthy film industry in the state?

“It’s already started,” Benton said.

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/10/3809652/mississippi-commitment-big-enough.html

Film School Online | "Always wanted at least one National Award in career: Vidya"

By: Press Trust of India
Source: http://movies.ndtv.com
Category: Film School Online

Actress Vidya Balan, who recently won a National Award for her performance in The Dirty Picture, says she always wanted at least one national award in her career.

Vidya, who took everyone by surprise with her bold portrayal of southern siren Silk Smitha, was announced the winner of the best actress national award on Wednesday.

"I am very happy and speechless, don't know what to say. I had always thought of getting at least one National award in my career. I am just seven years old in this (film) industry and I have got one," Vidya told reporters here.

Vidya made her debut in Bollywood with Vidhu Vinod Chopra's Parineeta (2005). She has given back-to-back hit films starting from R Balki's Paa (2009) alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Vishal Bharadwaj's Ishqiya (2010) opposite Nasseruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, Raj Kumar Gupta's No One Killed Jessica(2011) alongside Rani Mukherjee and Milan Luthria's The Dirty Picture (2011).

"I feel I have got much more than I had expected. I am content," Vidya said.

Her recently released film, Kahaani, in which, she essays the role of a pregnant woman, is also getting good response.

Source: http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20120196404&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=184648

Film School Online | "Mesa man’s movie ’12 Princesses’ is $1 million winner"

By: David Rookhuyzen
Source: http://tucsoncitizen.com
Category: Film School Online
Rob Gardner’s fairy tale movie just won a happily ever after ending.

Last month Amazon Studios named the Mesa resident’s submission “12 Princesses” as the first winner of its Annual Award in the best test movie category.

In addition to a $1 million cash prize, Gardner’s musical recounting of a classic Grimm Brothers’ tale has a chance of becoming a major motion picture by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Gardner, who wrote, directed and scored his movie, won against 10 semifinalists and five finalists who submitted test movies to Amazon Studios over the past year. Test movies are full-length but low-budget films meant to demonstrate the movie’s potential for development.

It was the catchy music and script of Gardner’s family friendly tale that made it rise aboce the rest, said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios.

“’12 Princesses’ won for the imaginative, magical world that Gardner was able to create and share with his audience,” Price said.

The movie is based on Gardner’s play of the same name that was commissioned by Mesa Community College for summer 2004.

After the show’s run, Gardner considered turning it into a movie himself, but in the pre-production stage decided it was beyond him. That’s when he heard a story on NPR about Amazon Studios.

“Amazon’s premise is that movie making has changed. It’s better to do a test movie,” Gardner said.

The original version was submitted in June and won the monthly test movie prize. After talking with Amazon Studios and getting feedback on how to improve the script, Gardner submitted a new test movie incorporating the suggestions.

Still, Gardner said he wasn’t expecting to win.

“It was mind blowing. I didn’t let myself think that this was something that could win,” Gardner said.

Gardner is no stranger to performance. In addition to the stage version of “12 Princesses” he wrote “Blackbeard,” a play that ran at the Herberger Theater for four weeks in 2008. He is the president of Spire Music, a non-profit business that produces sacred and inspirational music. At Westwood High School he was a founding member of the seven-man a cappella group 259, which released five albums.

This month he’ll fly to London to record some of his own compositions with the London Symphony Orchestra for the second time in his career.

Gardner majored in business at Brigham Young University in Utah and did graduate work in film music at the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts.

Now he will be sitting down with representatives of Warner Bros. to talk about “12 Princesses” as part of a “first look” deal with Amazon Studios. The movie will also continue to be shown on Amazon Studio’s website for feedback.

Price said Amazon Studios will work with Gardner to make tweaks to the movie and test it with audiences. If the development process proves fruitful, Amazon would develop “12 Princess” into a feature film, Price said.

Gardner said he’s not getting his hopes up too high about seeing “12 Princesses” on the silver screen.

“In the film world, there’s no such thing as committed,” Gardner said.

Amazon Studios holds the rights to “12 Princesses” for 18 months from the time it was submitted. After that, if it does not renew the option or buy the script, the rights go back to Gardner, Price said.

Amazon Studios is a division of online shopping destination Amazon.com. Price said the division was formed because the Internet can improve the way movies are developed. By having filmmakers and screenwriters collaborate online, Amazon Studios hopes to transition great ideas to the big screen, he said.

“It’s now easier than ever to create a test movie to see how your movie will play out on its feet and then share that test movie for feedback,” Price said.

Since opening in November 2010, Amazon Studios has received more than 700 test movies and 7,000 scripts and awarded $1.9 million in prizes.

Source: http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/03/10/mesa-mans-movie-12-princesses-is-1-million-winner/

Film School Online | "Try your luck at tracking down Irish ancestors"

By: SHARON TATE MOODY
Source: http://www2.tbo.com
Category: Film School Online

Summer school isn't just for kids who performed poorly in the regular term or those who want to get extra credits. It's also for genealogists who want to study their Irish ancestors.

The Ulster History & Genealogy Summer School will run from June 20 to 26 on the Belfast campus of the University of Ulster. Those attending will be enrolled as part-time students at the university.

The school is run by the Ulster Historical Foundation in partnership with the university, and it includes talks, tours, presentations and genealogy-related events. Emphasis will be placed on students researching at archives and libraries such as the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

For those who have their ancestors across the pond, this will make a great summer vacation. Full details are available online at www.ancestryireland.com/summerschool.

Source: http://www2.tbo.com/lifestyles/life/2012/mar/11/banewso4-try-your-luck-at-tracking-down-irish-ance-ar-367550/

Film School Online | "Teenager petitions to change R rating for ‘Bully’"

By: SANDY COHEN
Source: http://www.registercitizen.com
Category: Film School Online
LOS ANGELES  — Katy Butler hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be bullied in the seventh grade, when a group of boys surrounded her, taunted her and broke her finger by slamming it into a locker.

Now 17, Butler has become the face of a campaign to change the rating of “Bully,” a documentary that tracks victims and perpetrators of bullying in American schools. The film, set for release this month, has been rated R for its language content.

Butler, along with distributors the Weinstein Co., wants the rating changed to PG-13 so more young people can see it.
“This could change bullying and save lives,” the high-school junior from Ann Arbor, Mich., said.

The Weinstein Co. appealed the R-rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America, which oversees movie ratings, declined to change it. That inspired Butler to start an online campaign on Change.org, a website that publishes community petitions and funded Butler’s trip to Los Angeles.

The teenage activist collected more than 200,000 signatures in just 10 days and delivered them Wednesday to the MPAA’s headquarters in hopes it might reconsider its decision.

Among the signatories is Ellen DeGeneres, who discussed the film on Wednesday’s episode of her talk show.

“I can tell you after seeing this movie, the lessons that the kids learn from this movie are more important than any words they might hear — and they’re words they already know anyway,” DeGeneres said.

She introduced Butler, who was sitting in the audience, and told the teen: “Good for you. I’m proud of you.”

So far, more than 224,000 people have signed Butler’s online petition with the headline: “MPAA: Don’t let the bullies win! Give ‘Bully’ a PG-13 instead of an R rating!”

Source: http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2012/03/10/entertainment/doc4f5c177b19e2f066719584.txt