(Cine)Vegas, Baby. (Cine)Vegas

In a couple weeks, I, your loyal narrator and guide, will be heading to the CineVegas Film Festival. While there will be some major releases in the program (Get Smart, The Rocker, Choke), I'm also looking to catch some smaller films, which is really what going to festivals is all about. Right now, the ones looking good are Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson, Visioneers, and The Wackness (I've heard nothing but great things about this film) but the beauty of a festival is basically writing up a schedule that allows you to spend your entire day in a theatre watching films and trying to find the gems that no one else knows about yet.

If anyone has any recommendations for films showing at this festival, please post them in the comments section!

Quiet on the Set!

So last week I did my very first set visit. I went down to New Orleans to watch some filming on Final Destination 4. Aside from what you'd expect to see on Final Destination movie set (lots of extras experiencing a case of shrapnel-face), I also saw and experienced a lot of the cool 3-D effects they're planning to use.

"Pshaw. 3-D. Enjoy the gimmick, sucker." I hear you scoff. That's right: I HEARD YOU THROUGH THE INTERNET.

But before you dismiss my experiencing, know that no other film has attempted Digital 3-D on location. I really hope they do an in-depth featurette on the DVD where producer Craig Perry (a highly knowledgeable and entertaining fellow) explains how they pulled off some particularly difficult shots, like putting the 3-D camera in a car that's filling up with water but making sure that no water gets on the mirror that allows for the 3-D picture to come together.

I'll have more on this once I finish writing up my full report for the site that sent me, Collider.com

The Weekly Website - FindSounds

Welcome to our new feature that will be a huge part of our redesign: The Weekly Wesbite! Wouldn't it be awesome if instead of trekking across the vast expanse of the Internet looking for useful websites that can help you in your filmmaking goals, someone just did that for you? Someone did! We someone! That someone is we! Our grammar is good!

But even better than our grammar are the sites we'll be providing. And don't worry: you're not just going to get one site a week and that's it. We're not going to hold out on you. But on C-47 2.0, you're definitely going to want to bookmark our resources page so you can find stuff like this site:

http://www.findsounds.com/

You can lock someone in a specially-designed acoustic room and force him or her to make various noises you can later use when dubbing your film in post, but we wouldn't recommend it. Either you have to let them go, feed them, or explain that weird smell to you neighbors AND get a new foley artist. Better you just visit FindSounds which can take care of your Sound FX needs.

Film School in a Box

Film School is expensive. Like, thousands of dollars and stuff. And even trying to teach yourself filmmaking will probably cost hundreds of dollars on cameras and editing software (although there are programs that allow you to edit video online...more on this tomorrow). But for only tens of dollars, there are DVDs out there that not only have the films you know and love, but the special features are so robust that you can learn a lot without ever leaving the comfort of your sofa. And at most film schools, you usually have to sit at a desk in an uncomfortable chair rather than on a comfy sofa.

So without further ado, here are a few DVDs you may want to check out:

Pearl Harbor (Three-Disc Vista Series) [yes, I know the film is terrible but these special features are top-of-the-line]
The Alien Quadrilogy
Clerks X
Fight Club (Special Edition)
Brazil (The Criterion Collection)
Die Hard (Special Edition) [There's a feature on this disc that actually lets you edit a scene from the film your own way!]
Hellboy (The Three-Disc Director's Cut)
Hot Fuzz (Three-Disc Collectors Edition)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Extended Editions)

Basically, there are a handful of directors you can count on to give you a robust special edition: Michael Bay (I know, I know), Terry Gilliam, David Fincher, Robert Rodriguez (his book Rebel Without a Crew is a must-read for any indie filmmaker) who actually has a "Ten-Minute Film School" extra on almost all of his films.

You don't have to buy all of these but these are features beyond fluff and you should break out your notepad if you want to learn some valuable lessons without having to pay for an application fee.

The Weekly Buy - April 17th

As we continue to redesign our website, we want stay in touch with our readers and so we'll be providing weekly recommendations on what movies deserve your hard-earned cash. This week, there are two DVDs that deserve your attention and one film opening in theatres.

The first DVD you need to buy is Juno. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Juno was an indie smash at the box office, making over $140 million dollars. The film received almost universal acclaim, especially for its star, 21-year-old Ellen Page. Juno is whip-smart and if you can get past the first 15 minutes (which are good but uneven), you're not going to regret having this in your collection.

The other DVD that warrants your attention is Lars and the Real Girl. A premise that could have quickly been too quirky for its own good, Ryan Gosling and an excellent supporting cast create a heartwarming film about finding love in the most unconventional of ways. It's a funny, sweet, and lovely film and was one of my favorites of last year.

If you're heading out to the theater this weekend, you should catch Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Billed as a "Breakup Disaster Movie", Forgetting is like a lot of the other films from Lord Judd Apatow, who was also behind Knocked Up and Superbad. It's raunchy but honest and it's a date movie that guys will actually enjoy and so will their girlfriends if their girlfriends are cool. If she doesn't like Apatow's films, then she wasn't the one for you.

Three Must-See Films at the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival

Festivals can be tough on the wallet and on the clock. There's so much to see and not enough time and money to see it all. So if you're overwhelmed by the amount of choices, I recommend any of these three:

American Teen (Friday, April 11, 7:30 PM at Landmark Midtown Art)
Son of Rambow (Friday, April 18, 7:00 PM at Landmark Midtown Art)
Nerdcore Rising (Saturday, April 12, 10:30 PM at Landmark Midtown Art)

Of course, the beauty of a film festival is that there are so many fascinating films and it's your chance to be part of a select group of those in the know and in a way to be an investor in a film. Your word-of-mouth and support is invaluable to these filmmakers and in the good festivals, you'll find the movies that don't have ten-million-dollar marketing campaigns but rather a lot of heart and creativity. This isn't to bad-mouth Hollywood films nor is it to deify independent filmmaking. But film festivals provide a unique opportunity and I hope that you'll take a chance and try to see a film or two at this year's Atlanta Film Festival. And if you don't want to take a chance but still want to go to the festival, the three films I've listed above are the closest suggestions I can provide for a "sure thing".

SON OF RAMBOW Filmmakers Contest

Yesterday I saw Son of Rambow and I would be very surprised if the film wasn't in my Top 10 of 2008. It's funny, heartwarming, and honest. Just a really beautiful film that I can't wait to see again. It will be playing on Friday, April 18th at the Atlanta Film Festival and you definitely should check it out.

The directors "Hammer & Tongs", are holding a contest for filmmakers. To enter, you will need to submit an original short film about anything, literally anything! Submissions can be up to 5 minutes max. Films must be submitted in one of the following formats: AVI, QA, MOV,
MPG, MPG4, WMV

The Grand Prize winner will have their short film placed in the Special Features section of the Son of Rambow DVD. Three runner-ups will receive framed movie posters signed by the director and producer.

The deadline for submissions is May 12, 2008. Filmmakers must be 13 years of age or older to enter.

Check out http://sonoframbow.filmmakingfrenzy.com/ for more information and be sure to see Son of Rambow!

IMAGE Salon - Atlanta Film Groups - Day 5

The Who: Jimmy Lee Smith, FILMAtlanta Meetup Group

The What: "We make films. We have individual projects and FILMAtlanta group projects. We network to build crews and casts to get projects done. We have a set of scripts we plan to do this year. We hope you will join us in collaborating on films in the Atlanta area."

Click here to learn more.

IMAGE Salon - Atlanta Film Groups - Day 4

The Who: Tracy Martin, Women's Angle Project

The What: The Woman’s Angle is a short film project specifically designed for the new or established woman director that desires an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding and appreciation of her voice as a filmmaker. Over the course of the project, participating filmmakers will create a short film (10-15 minutes in length, depending on the number of participants).

Click here to learn more.

IMAGE Salon - Atlanta Film Groups - Day 3

The Who: Chris Shambis, Dailies

The What: Dailies, in association with PushPush Theater, unites filmmakers to explore their craft through community and creation. We challenge film artists of all disciplines to focus on process as the result. Great work evolves from experimentation, practice, and finally understanding. By creating a safe place to fail, and focusing on process over product and collaboration over isolation, Dailies is where one finds a voice - not simply to display it, but to nurture and develop its existence.

Click here for more information.

IMAGE Salon - Atlanta Film Groups - Day 2

The Who: Melissa Randle, Women in Film & Television Atlanta

The What: Women in Film and Television Atlanta (WIFTA) is a Georgia-based non-profit organization affiliated with other national and international Women in Film chapters and is dedicated to improving the status and portrayal of women in film, video, and other moving images media.

With an emphasis on education, advocacy and networking, we support the work of women in moving images media and encourage high standards of professionalism.

Click here for more information.

IMAGE Salon - Atlanta Film Groups - Day 1

The Who: Martin Kelly, The Atlanta Screenwriters Group

The What:

Founded in 1998, The Atlanta Screenwriters Group has become one of the largest screenwriter groups in the Southeast. Though based in Atlanta, the group boasts members from neighboring areas including Tennessee and South Carolina.

The mission of The Atlanta Screenwriters Group is to help local screenwriters develop their ideas, give support, swap industry stories and give constructive feedback for their work. We are also interested in supporting and developing a relationship with local area filmmakers and provide a forum for them to talk about their projects and help find support for them.

Click here for more information.

What to look for next week...

Last week, IMAGE held a Salon on various cinema groups in Atlanta. All next week, we'll be doing a profile on each of the five groups: Atlanta Screenwriters Group, Women in Film and Television Atlanta, Dailies, The Women's Angle, and Meetup.com-Atlanta Films.

So check back daily to learn about these great groups and the great services they provide.

HORTON HEARS A WHO Contest

Downtown Decatur Market Accepts HORTON HEARS YOU Hometown Challenge



WHAT: Twentieth Century Fox and DR. SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO!
challenged communities across the USA to the HORTON HEARS YOU HOMETOWN
CHALLENGE. The Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces has accepted the
challenge and will host the event at the Downtown Decatur Market. SHOUT
IT OUT! The public is invited to join us to raise our voices to
proclaim "We Are Here!" - just as Who-ville's Whos do in the film's
climax.



Fox will measure decibel levels with special sound meters and the
loudest "Who-ville" will win a special hometown screening of DR. SEUSS'
HORTON HEARS A WHO! on March 13.



USAToday.com / USA Today, The Nation's Newspaper will announce the
winner on their website and in the paper on March 12.



WHEN: Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 12:00pm - 12:30pm



WHERE: Downtown Decatur Market

777 Commerce St.

Decatur, GA 30030



HORTON HEARS A WHO! - A "who's who" of comedy, led by Jim Carrey, Steve
Carell and Carol Burnett, bring to life DR. SEUSS' beloved children's
story. www.hortonmovie.com DR. SEUSS'
HORTON HEARS A WHO! opens in theaters March 14.

Do You Have The Crazy?

This weekend, The Signal arrives in theatres and if it’s playing in one near you, I highly recommend you see it. Some have compared the premise to Stephen King’s 2006 horror novel Cell. I didn’t know people still read Stephen King books. What I do know is that The Signal is the evolution of the zombie flick and it’s scary as hell. There’s loads of gore but a strong undercurrent of psychological horror at work that will make you incredibly uncomfortable (although if you’re from Atlanta, this will be interrupted by shouts of “Hey! I know that place!”). I interviewed the three directors of the film yesterday and they were really nice and intelligent gents. I also spoke briefly with two of the film’s stars (although not in an official-interview capacity) and they were also very cool folks.

So today I’m plugging The Signal not only because it’s a great film out of my hometown, but because it’s a small little film that I believe is destined for cult greatness. I think Magnolia hasn’t done right by the movie with their poor marketing but if you tend to agree with me about movies, please see The Signal. If you don’t, accept that you’re wrong and see The Signal.