Chris Valenti is another friend/filmmaker of mine (also a great musician and comic) and he has some really great comedy movies online and I just wanted to turn you on to his blog.
In 2009 he vowed to do a short film each month and he succeeded and I think that by setting a goal that is both a stretch and something that he can track, he made a great choice, and he achieved his goal! YAY!
It was a lazy Thursday yesterday when I shot this. I stayed in all day editing and was in the middle of working and thought “I should post a vlog update.”
If you like any of the following videos, please give them a “Funny” rating (by clicking on the word “funny” below the screen) on Funny or Die.
Hiring Pundits: I directed, wrote and edited this one.
Wide World Of Bowling
(My comments) Good job on Graphics and greenscreen. Might want to stand a little further away from greenscreen next time. The outline around the actors will be better.
Sometimes people used to writing for theater don’t realize that people are used to watching video with a lot of different shots, so it would have been cool if they had cut to “The Bulldozer” bowling or something like that… Especially if he was drunk when he bowled or other physical comedy. This would have added to the comedy and also made it more visually interesting. I’m very impressed with the ambitious use of graphics, though. Very cool, and most of them looked good!
VEGAS 1404 News
(My Comments) I like that they are shooting downtown Vegas. Very interesting area… I’m not involved with this but if I was, i would be highlighting the positive stuff going on… The artists, the new businesses to improve the area, something about themselves (Vegas 1404), First Friday, new theaters…
Everyone knows that Vegas has pimps and hookers and druggies… but why is that news? I think they’re still testing out this genre and it will get tighter as they go on. And I have a tendency to look for the up-side of things, and that may not be what they are going for which is cool. All voices are necessary in the world of art and flimmaking. Good job, guys!
Not going to comment on the content, winners, dresses, etc… But just wanted to alert you to the Oscars website, which is super-interactive and really fun!
It covers everything… not just the winners, but pre-show interviews, dresses, presenters, “thank you cam” (great idea for those that get cut off by the music), surveys and other great info.
My only dissatisfaction is that the official Oscars website asked who, in ceremonies past, did you like the most in terms of wardrobe, and I was not able to select Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s lovely dresses and wigs…
Trey Parker & Matt Stone at the Oscars 2006
I think that tops them all!!!
And the one kudos I would like to give is the director of The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow. FINALLY, a female director wins Best Picture and Best Director! YAY! Well Deserved… And for a war movie, no less… Double YAY!
Katheryn Bigelow
(If you want to see the Oscar winners without the http://oscar.go.com/ hooplah, you can also go to IMDB.)
One of the questions I often get when asked about how to become an actor is whether or not to go to Sundance, the big film festival that happens in Utah every January.
I’ve never gone.
I get invitations to parties and to roommate with people every year, but I’ve been to Salt Lake City other times of the year and the idea of a large portion of Los Angelenos descending upon that tiny town every year makes me hyperventilate from claustrophobia.
I mean, should the opportunity come when my schedule is free, then I might check it out, but I don’t personally think it will benefit most actors and there are better ways to network.
Sundance started as a way for the indie filmmaker to get the word out about his or her film, but it has gotten so big that it has become a celebrity stomping ground, complete with schwag tents and photo-ops if you are on the A-list.
What does that mean for the beginning or intermediate actor?
It means that you could probably meet some interesting or even powerful people at the event, and see a lot of great movies premiere and attend some awesome parties, but it won’t do much for your career.
As a filmmaker, the advice I’ve gotten regarding Sundance is that you should go if you have something screening, otherwise it’s kind of a waste of resources. A fun waste, but a waste.
My advice would be to seek out smaller film festivals. If you are from LA, go anywhere in the nation that has a film festival and you will find filmmakers from Los Angeles. YAY!
If you are not from L.A., go to the festivals that are local to you. The reason is that most festivals favor local filmmaking talents and encourage them to apply. This means that you will be networking with filmmakers in your area, which means you have a good chance of being cast in their next project (or at least auditioning.)
And don’t forget to go to the galas at these smaller festivals. Sure, you may have to pay a bit of an entrance fee, but it’s like an automatic set up for you to talk with people. Tables are shared typically (awesome!) and lots of mingling ensues. Congratulate the people that win awards and follow up after the event with an email. Ideally, you got to see their project during the festival. Tell them what you liked about their work and that you would like to get involved in their next project if there is an appropriate roll.
Finally, if you do go to Sundance, go to the workshops. Great place to meet people. And also waiting on lines for standby tickets for films. But really, you’ll meet people everywhere when you go. After all, it is Sundance and a majority of the industry people go just to chat it up with other industry people.
They focus a lot on the business of art and I had the pleasure of going to one of their free artists info days which they hold approximately every 6 months.
The topics at that even ranged from legal assistance to doing your own PR to getting yourself organized (called “Getting Your S**t Together”), and while CCI tends to be more geared toward visual artists, I found it to be extremely valuable for other artists, such as actors, filmmakers, musicians, etc…
I received this invitation from my friend Ruby Lopez. She and I did several Flash Forwards (along with a number of other Suzanne Lyon’s workshops).
I will not be in Los Angeles on the 15th, so I will not be able to attend, but I figured I would pass it on to you, my readers.
I think a lot of Flash Forward alums are going to show up, and if so, this is definitely worth going to. All the people I met through FF are wonderful and very good at networking and being strategic about their careers.
If you go, have fun and post your experiences here in the comments section!
DATE: TUESDAY, DEC. 15, 2009
LOCATION: THE BUNGALOW CLUB — MELROSE
7174 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles CA 90046
Six Degrees is about networking with other professionals in the Film, TV, Music and New Media industries. Everything in entertainment is interrelated. You could be a director looking for an actor, agent or composer for your movie. Or a producer looking for a web marketing expert for a webisode. Or a screenwriter looking for an agent or manager. Come and join us in our monthly meetup events and meet other industry professionals in a fun, casual setting.
FYI: There’s street parking if you get there early. Otherwise, there’s valet.
Looking forward to seeing you there! Please rsvp and bring as many guests as you want.
Thank you! Happy Holidays!
FYI: I’ve extended the invitation to two additional industry related meetup groups. So, it’s sure to be a great turnout!
(The following post is by Suzanne Lyons, a friend of mine and a brilliant coach, mentor and producer. Click Here if you would like to join her newsletter. I highly recommend it!)
TEN STEPS TO SUCCESS IN HOLLYWOOD
(Or any Business)
1. SET A GOAL – Do a one year goal. For example, “By December 1st, 2010 I will _________________________ _________________________________________. Then break it down into monthly milestones: January 1st, February 1st, March 1st, etc.
2. DESIGN YOUR PITCH – Do a FANTASTIC logline for your project or yourself depending on whether or not you are selling your script or yourself. Then prepare a two minute pitch to expand on the logline. If you are pitching yourself be sure to design your pitch drawing from highlights from your career and your personal life. I usually make a list of 5 to 10 highlights from my career and personal life and then I choose the ones I want to use in my pitch. As producers you should always have a great pitch ready that is about you because you will constantly be enrolling people in YOU, whether they be financiers, agents, directors, etc.
3. CREATE A DISPLAY OF WHO YOU KNOW (MAP OF RELATIONSHIPS) – Categorize the names of everyone you know in the industry, ie. producers, writers, casting directors, directors, entertainment attorneys, etc. Call everyone on your Map and tell them what you’re up to.
4. NETWORK – Continue to expand your Map. Network, Network, Network. Get out there and meet people. Sometimes to push myself a little I will set a goal like “I will meet 10 new people this month”. See my October Newsletter for some great tips on Networking and creating Relationships.
5. MAKE REQUESTS AND OFFERS – Make requests (not favors) of people on your Map. For example, “I’m really committed to meeting 3 new directors for my film project. Do you know any directors you could introduce or refer me to.” Also, end every call and conversation with “Is there anything I can do for you”. We all to often forget to do this and it means a lot to the person on the other end of the phone.
6. CREATE A HITLIST – Target who you need to talk to or meet with. RESEARCH. Read the trades. Make a list of 10 to 20 names and start calling. This could be one of the requests that you make to people on your Map. For example, “I am looking to set up a meeting with John Doe, Casting Director. He is on my Hitlist as someone I really want to meet. I know you have worked with him before and was wondering if I could use you name when I called him.”
7. BRAINSTORMING – Get ideas outside of what you alone can come up with. So often we try to do it alone and it’s crazy. In the Flash Forward workshops over the years we had a built in one-hour exercise called “Brainstorming” where we divided into teams of six or eight people and then divide up the time equally. Then one person would state what they needed and then they would be quiet and just listen and take notes as everyone threw ideas at them. They were not allowed to comment on the ideas at all. They just wrote everything down and then took from the ideas what they wanted. It was extremely successful.
8. KEEP STATS – I know this doesn’t sound like fun and we all get a bit squeamish when we think about statistics. However, it is such a great wake up call to what actions you are really taking as opposed to what you are just talking about. Make a list of 3 to 5 categories you want to track and then add up the actions you have taken on a weekly basic. In the workshops I have led I always include this as part of the program. People are always shocked at how few calls they have made compared to what they thought they had. Categories could include: Number of production companies contacted about my project; number of meetings set; number of auditions; number of scripts sent out; number of new relationship made, etc.
9. GET A MENTOR – No matter what level you are at. Make it easy for them. Request only a little of their time over a very specific period of time. For example, three ten-minute conversations over the next four weeks, or a half-hour coffee meeting, or a lunch together. Also, please be prepared with your questions ready and it is important that you generate the conversation. It is not your mentor’s job to generate it. Remember it is a business relationship so always acknowledge them for their time.
10. CREATE A SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR YOURSELF – It is extremely important to be held accountable for your promises! We’re only human after all and sometimes when the going gets tough the tough get going. Don’t let that happen. Be held accountable for your word and your actions. Every Tuesday morning a group of 6 of us get together to talk about our goals and what actions we are going to take that week. On Friday we email in what we have done so far, and what is still left to do before we meet the next Tuesday. It really helps keep us focused and on target, and the coaching and brainstorming we do with each other is priceless.
A BONUS TIP: HAVE FUN AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOURSELF DAILY! We are here to have fun (no matter what business you’re in) so keep that in mind at all times. The more you take on having every action, every milestone and every goal as FUN, the more people will want to play with you and the more you will attract into your life everything you want. Also, don’t wait for others to acknowledge you. Acknowledge yourself. In the Launching the Future workshop I lead I include a page where people list what they want to be acknowledged for, just to get them in the habit of acknowledgment.
I have been going through a number of director reels right now and I have a sample of three reels that I would like your feedback on…
The first belongs Jake Barsha of Right Hook Films. I have worked with Jake and I really love his reel… especially the visual quality of it… It’s sexy and has great visual quality (reminds me of a music video). The thing is that we never hear the actors interacting (except for the very end), which is a big part of directing.
The second reel belongs to my friend Jeremy Feig. His reel mostly contains clips with dialogue. I like this because you get a sense of the story and the transactions between the actors.
Third, is my reel. It’s been a “rough cut” for the last year, but now that I have a bit more access to better editing programs (and have become a better editor myself) I’m feeling compelled to redo this…
I would love feedback on how to make my director reel better… (and I’m sure my readers would like that, too!)
Do I add more music? Keep it with dialogue only? Make it more flashy? Playful?
I’ve been tempted to “front” the reel myself… shoot a “hello” intro… What do you think of that idea?
A lot of actor reels do this, and I like it because it puts a face to the material (something that most director reels don’t have).
But is that unnecessary?
Dunno.
I also didn’t add the “Grey Street” music video. I feel it is actually one of my best productions, but it is also a bit violent and I don’t want to repel anyone (Jake’s video is awesome but it’s also a bit violent for me at the end).
Additionally, do I jump genres too much? I know I go from commercial to comedy to drama. I’m really most interested in comedy, so I don’t want to give the impression that I’m aiming for horror or drama (not that I can’t do that, but I have a luke warm feeling toward drama and horror down-right repels me now. I won’t take jobs that are for horror movies.)
Soooo………..that’s why I’m asking you for feedback.
I encourage you to leave comments below. And please add links to YOUR film website, blog and especially to your own director or acting reel.
If I get one or several cool reels, I will maybe do an entire post to highlight them.
I was fascinated and thought it would be a good post to add after the three-part series from the South Park guys, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (with Lloyd Kaufman interviewing).
It makes me feel very drawn to this program (Internet Marketing for Filmmakers) because not only do you get to keep creative control of your film (something that most filmmakers – even big time filmmakers working with the giant studios – don’t often get), you also are given a technique to market your movie and make money from your hard work.
This program will get you thinking of the selling of your movie many stages before you get to the distribution stage.
I like that because while it is important to follow your passion and your heart with your subject matter, it is also important to balance that with an audience that will want to watch what you have created.
I just found Internet Marketing for Filmmakers, so I have yet to try it out. I will probably try it in the next few months, but right now I’m back in school and I’m not really thinking about producing any major film projects for at least 6-12 months.
But I thought it would be cool to pass on, since this seems to be a major question that filmmakers have when they set out to practice their art.
This would also help those asking how to become an actor, because often it is not the most technically skilled actor that has the superstar career… it is the one that can create the most heat and the most buzz on a consistent basis. It looks like this program will help you do that with the films that you create.
If you do try it out, please let me know how you like it. Leave comments below!
than he did with any of the movies he and Trey made with the big studios.