Wednesday, February 25, 2009

3-13 CAmm Shorts!


Fri Mar 13
CAmm Shorts!


8pm, $10, $8 mbrs. Members’ Happy Hour 7pm w/ munchies, $2 drinks & priority seating. Free tkt if you join or shanghai a new member!

Local filmmaker Rod Lopez (Pizza Palace) presents two new stories in this cornucopia of fantastic short films from Baltimore and beyond. In Dating License, Lopez peeks into the near future of dating and international politics; Cleaning Law explores the romance between office cleaner and attorney. Carr Kizzier's music video Elle S'Appelle Jolie, features the fantastic guitar work of Courtney Eckler and the scenery of Fells Point, and NYC filmmaker Alex Johnson's Pickup & Return follows production assistants to the dead ends of their jobs. CAmm Slamm veterans RedStarKGB present their 2008 entry Anti-Pasta and CAmm Slamm 2008 champion Bryan Grasshopper Robinson screens his winning film BROKE.

Creative Alliance at The Patterson
3134 Eastern Ave
Baltimore, MD 21224
Info and tix: www.creativealliance.org 410-276-1651

Here's a preivew of BROKE:

Monday, February 23, 2009

3-2-09 CAmm Cine Lounge Meet & Greet

Next month, we're doing the CAmm Cine Lounge a little differently. We'll still screen your films, don't worry! Instead of an industry guest speaker, we're setting up the room for a Meet & Greet -- local production companies set up tables, actors and crew circulate the room - everybody meets & greets! Production companies -- we still have a few slots! Email Stacie to reserve your spot: stacie@blackinkfilms.com


Here are the poduction companies on the schedule so far:


OPENING ACT PRODUCTIONS: Upcoming Project-- The Fellowship (feature)

Contact Person: Ron Newcomb
Phone: 703-895-3681
Email: rnewcomb@thefellowshipmovie.com
Web: www.openingactproductions.com
www.thefellowshipmovie.com

Credits: My Turn (feature), Mr. Pratt (short), The Lord and The Ring (short), The Release (short)

Opening Act Productions, LLC TM (OAP)   is in business to produce theatrical motion pictures. We develop and produce high quality, innovative entertaining content that also is thought-provoking, and ultimately, inspiring. OAP will not focus on one style or genre, but remain sensitive to current trends. We believe that a compelling, entertaining story coupled with quality of craft (and the right mix of marketing) will attract a mass audience. Beginning with the feature film currently titled, The Fellowship, a coming-of-age, Lord of the Rings-inspired comedy.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Actors, Students (Internships Available)



ABSOLUTE INDEPENDENT PICTURES: Upcoming Project-- Several Features

Contact Person: Michelle Farrell
Phone: 410-440-1451
Email: mfarrellaip@mac.com
Web: www.absoluteindependentpictures.com

Credits: DP on 12 feature films, shorts, industrials, commercials, ten years in the business, gear rentals

Absolute Independent Pictures specializes in video and independent movie production. Based in Maryland, our wide range of services includes outstanding video and cinematography, lighting, crew, grip & electric, gear rental and post-production including visual effects. Absolute Independent Pictures (formally O’Ferrell Productions) produces videos for a variety of clients and does freelance work for a number of national television productions. Together with her partners, owner Michelle Farrell delivers projects from script to screen and includes a host of other freelance services.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Students (Training and Internships)


ARCTIC CIRCLE FILMS: Upcoming Projects-- Music Videos and A Normal Life

Contact Person: Andrew Sadtler, Timothy E. Roth
Phone: 443-413-6635
Email: Andrew@arcticcirclefilms.com, Tim@arcticcirclefilms.com
Web: www.myspace.com/arcticcirclefilmstoo
Credits: Laid To Rest, E-Preeti, Toe To Toe, and various music videos and commercials

Arctic Circle Films is a Baltimore based production company, producing music videos, corporate videos, short films, and feature films. There service includes all aspects from pre-production to post-production, including editing and color-correction. With production of any project, the client receives a full DVD-package, in which all the menus are designed as well as the DVD inserts and jackets. On staff they have one DP, two directors, one editor, two writers, two grips and electrics, as well as two gaffers.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Actors, Students (Training and Internships)



LOUD COMMUNICATIONS: Upcoming Project—US Lacrosse Hall of Fame

Contact Person: Michael Ivan Schwartz
Phone: 410-718-0344
Email: michaelivan@loudvideo.com
Web: www.loudvideo.com

Credits: Happy SAHD: A Documentary about 21st Century Dads (feature), variety on non- profit marketing videos

Loud Communications is a freelance video production company in Baltimore, MD. We specialize in short marketing videos for non-profit organizations. We have also produced a 30-minute national TV show, Behind Lacrosse for two seasons and recently finished our first full-length documentary, Happy SAHD. Currently we have a few projects for non-profits in production and several more proposals in process. We are considering a new full-length documentary.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Students (Training and Internships)


HERRON DESIGNS: Upcoming Project—The Fall of the House of Usher
Contact Person: Craig Herron
Phone: 410-664-6020
Email: craigh9557@aol.com
Web: www.herrondesigns.com

Credits: Variety of independent features, Shorts: Freedom Dance, A Fall From The Clouds

Herron Designs works on indie projects and commercials doing: Production design, Animation, Visual FX and matte paintings and also produces their own short films.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Students (Training and Internships)


THE RUMBLEY FILM STUDIO: Upcoming Project—The Author

Contact Person: Hunter Nesbitt
Phone: 410-651-4535
Email: hunter.nesbitt@gmail.com

Credits: Shorts: Ghostly Vacuum, Mary Swann, What Chance (Post-Production)

The Rumbley Film Studio is primarily me, Hunter Nesbitt, though I have a number of dedicated people helping me. I am interested in narrative film as art. Though I want to be able to tell a compelling story, I am less interested in entertaining than I am in exploring what can be ordinarily hidden. I am not interested in murder, mayhem, or torture, and using the medium for the kind of visceral effect that violence can produce. My aesthetic could be described as quiet, certainly not hip or witty. If you are interested, I can provide quicktime files of my last two projects, and you can see if my sensibility interests you. I cannot at this time pay either cast or crew. Nevertheless, it is important for logistical reasons that I have people helping me who are dedicated and responsible. I need people who will help for the love of the process and to learn, which are the reasons I do it. It would be nice to think that money will be made on my projects some day, but that may very well never happen. I want to do it anyway, and so I'm always on the lookout for help. I am especially looking for help in cinematography and sound, but I would like to meet anyone interested in any aspect of production.

LOOKING FOR: Crew, Students (Training and Internships)

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Take 6 Interview with CAmm Intern Angie Young!

Angie Young is a DC based activist and documentary filmmaker, and the newest intern in the CAmm Internship Program.

Angie recently went on a US tour with her first movie, The Coat Hanger Project, a documentary film about abortion and the current state of the pro-choice movement 35 years after Roe v. Wade. A trailer of her movie is posted below.

1. What's the last movie you loved and what was the last movie you hated?
I was very aesthetically impressed with Robinson Devor's film "Zoo" - I thought it was incredibly beautiful. I loved the lighting and the imagery and use of voiceover. He took a salacious and complex topic and was able to make it gorgeous and accessible. I was also really impressed with "Coraline" the new Tim Burton film. It's unbelievable what's being done with 3-D animation these days. I haven't seen anything that I have hated recently, but "Palindromes" by Todd Solondz definitely made my brain ache, and I still can't tell if it was in a good way or a bad way.

2. What's your guilty pleasure movie or TV show?
I don't watch a lot of TV but when I do it's usually Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, The Daily Show or South Park. If I'm with someone rich enough to have expensive cable, then I furtively devour Dexter, Weeds, Big Love, and The L Word. Guilty pleasure movies include pretty much anything from the horror genre. I also watch documentaries like they are going out of style and get tremendous pleasure from them (but I don't feel guilty about it).

3. What kind of films do you make?
So far I have made one documentary, "The Coat Hanger Project," that I completed in 2008 and am working on promoting. It's about the current state of the pro-choice movement and reproductive justice and why we need to fight to keep abortion rights for women. I am excited to make more documentaries in the social justice and activist realms, but I'm also hopeful about breaking into features.

4. How'd you get into filmmaking?
Kind of backwards. I did not have a film background when I started making The Coat Hanger Project, and had to teach myself everything along the way. I selfishly made friends with anyone I could find that was involved with film, and immediately sucked everything I could out of their brains like a parasitic alien. Now I am working as a video an intern at the Creative Alliance and still trying to learn absolutely everything I possibly can. I would say that I am currently pretty firmly obsessed with filmmaking.

5. What's your fave piece of gear?
I am still learning about cameras and gear, but after sitting in on one of Michelle Ferrell's lighting workshops, I would say that lights have definitely captured my creative imagination as a director.

6. Why did you decide to do an internship at Creative Alliance Movie Makers? What projects have you been working on here?
I decided to do an internship at the Creative Alliance because I was eager to be surrounded by the amazing and talented and creative people who work here, and it has been worth every second. I can't say enough about the incredible opportunities that the Creative Alliance offers. I have learned so much already. I am excited about my next project which will be to put together a string of short social justice documentary focused pieces for the new AV Cart to be on display this summer.




Friday, February 20, 2009

Mar 2009 // CAmm// FILM//VIDEO//DIGITAL //WORKSHOPS+PROGRAMS+MEETUPS//

1st Mondays: Mar 2, Apr 6
CAmm Cine Lounge
Hosted by Stacie Gentzler, Black Ink Films

See or bring new film or work in progress (max 15 min) and have a critical conversation with peers. Film industry guests share tips. Networking power hour, and the bar is open! 7pm. $8, $6 mbrs.

1st Wed & 3rd Mondays: Mar 4, 16, Apr 1, 20

CAmm Cage Orientation
A FREE workshop required to rent equipment from the CAmm Cage. Meet the staff, preview our gear, and get the low down on how to rent. Email cage@creativealliance.org. 7-8pm FREE!

Fri Mar 6
Call for Entries deadline: CAmm College Film/Video Bake-Off Screening and Contest
Students! Submit your latest short (max 10 minutes) on DVD or Quicktime. Accepted films screen at The Patterson Fri Apr 24 (see p. 3). All genres, all schools encouraged! Audience and jury prizes! FREE to submit! Info: kristen@creativealliance.org.

2nd Tuesdays: Mar 10, Apr 14
Mac Tour: Intro To Mac & CAmm Media Lab

Take a spin on the iMacs in the CAmm Media lab and learn basic Mac functions: effective file management, using external drives, burning CDs/DVDs, shortcuts and keystrokes, iLife and Pro software tour. Instr Nick Prevas. 7-8:30pm. $10, $5 mbrs Adv reg required.

3 Wednesdays: Mar 11, 18, 25
Intro to After Effects
Adobe After Effects is the software of choice for pro quality motion graphics and special effects for video. Instr. Craig Herron’s award winning shorts screened at Maryland and other fests.
7-9pm. Adv reg $125, $100 mbrs. Walk-in $170, $145 mbrs.

Sat Mar 14
Legal & Business Issues for Filmmakers

From permissions and copyrights, to getting the deal you want, straight talk from folks who know: Scott Johnson, entertainment atty., MD Film Office’s Kathi Ash, and Skizz Cyzyk, filmmaker and MD Film Fest programmer. Presented by MD Lawyers for the Arts. 2-4pm. Adv reg $15, $10 mbrs. Walk-in $20, $15 mbrs.

3rd Tuesdays: Mar 17, Apr 21
Dorkbot Baltimore

People doing strange things with electricity, hon. A monthly meet-up of diverse folks (artists, engineers, designers, scientists, etc.) working in electronic art. 7-9pm. FREE!

Sat Mar 21
HD Cinematography

Check out CAmm’s HVX200 and up your technical savvy. HD workflow options, camera do’s and don’ts. Setup for high impact shooting. Instr. Cucillo Consad. Get ½ off your first HVX200 rental! 10am-2pm. Adv reg $65, $55 mbrs. Walk-in $75, $65 mbrs.

4th Tuesdays: Mar 24, Apr 28
Baltimore Screenwriter’s Meetup

An informal meeting for professional and aspiring screenwriters! Coffee, networking, moral support, feedback on works in progress, peer advice and inspiration included! Good times, that make you want to WRITE! 7-9pm. FREE!

Sat Mar 28
The Animated Collage: 3D Layers in After Effects

Create an animated 3D collage: transferring layered Photoshop documents to After Effects, layer parenting, masks, camera movement, wiggle and lighting. Basic knowledge of After Effects and Photoshop layers req’d. Instr Drury Bynum. 10am-4pm. Adv reg $105, $90 mbrs. Walk-in $140, $125 mbrs.

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

CAmm Cage gets a new baby- a dolly! Thanks to a generous donation from filmmaker Sir Alvin Ecarma (Lethal Force) , and a little leg work from our handy intern Eric Gonzalez, we now have a hand crafted dolly! Rent it for your next shoot! ($75 for two weekdays, $100 for the weekend). SUPER SPECIAL INTRO DEAL ***RENT ANY CAMERA & DOLLY INCLUDED FOR FREE*** thru Mar 30! Email Jaimes for more info! jaimes@creativealliance.org

CAmm Cage & Media Lab
Gear rentals for your creative & documentation needs!
Open MWF 3pm-7-pm
Email jaimes@creativealliance.org, or give him a call! 410-276-1651 ext213


SOUND GEAR ON SPECIAL – MARCH 2009!
25% off all CAmm Cage Sound Gear!! MONTH OF MARCH ONLY!
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Dolly NOW AVAILABLE for rent!!

CAmm Cage adds a dolly to our gear list! Thanks to a generous donation from filmmaker Sir Alvin Ecarma (Lethal Force) , and a little leg work from our esteemed intern Eric Gonzalez, we now have a hand crafted dolly! Rent it for your next shoot! ($75 for two weekdays, $100 for the weekend). SUPER SPECIAL INTRO DEAL ***RENT ANY CAMERA & TAKE OUT THE DOLLY FOR FREE*** thru Mar 30!

Check it out!





Email jaimes@cretivealliance.org for details or to make your reservation!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Filmmaker Ras Tre Subira talks w/ Aaron Henkin on The Signal!

Hear the interview here!
http://www.signalradio.org/index.php?p=398


Black To Our Roots (Subira, 2008)
Presented by CA, BlackOut Studios & HABESHA

Photo of Event or Program Item
Fri Feb 27 Doors 7pm, Film 8:30pm
Adv tix $10, $8 mbrs. Door $12, $10 mbrs.

Award-winning Film Screening & Premier Black History Month Event
Frustrated by the violence and drug abuse which surrounds her in Atlanta, Sylvia Dorsey departs on a soul-searching mission to Ghana with a group of teenage travelers. Confronted with the challenges of the living conditions in Ghana, the teens challenge their misconceptions about both Africa and African-Americans. Tonight’s event features a marketplace with Diasporic cuisine and an Afrobeat DJ. Panel discussion with Ras Tre Subira, and live reggae by Proverbs and guests follows. Dinner sold sep.

Cut Paper Animation Workshop!


4 Mondays: Feb 23, Mar 2, 9, 23 7-9pm.
Adv reg $130, $110 mbrs. Walkin $150, $130 mbrs.

Award-winning French animator, Juliette Marchand breaks down the steps to creating a cutout paper short movie: story-telling, fabrication of characters, backgrounds, rhythm and techniques of animation, editing and sound. Come with magazines, images, anything on paper you like and get ready to cut and assemble! Finish with your own short animation movie! Note: No class Mar 16. 4 spots left! Register today!! http://www.creativealliance.org/events/eventItem1677.html



Friday, February 13, 2009

Monday, February 2, 2009

Indie Film Blogs

Live feeds from some of our favorite indie film blogs!

Citypaper.com Arts and Minds

Salon: Beyond the Multiplex

SpoutBlog

Film: Film blog | guardian.co.uk

IFC.com - Indie Eye

doc it out

Filmmaker Magazine

Citypaper.com CPTV