Today's guest is Stan Main, the Chairperson of Rochester Movie Makers. They are a local group who will have a screening of the submissions to their 72 hour Mind 2 Movie Challenge next Tues., March 2nd at 7pm at The Little. Tickets are $5.00. More about the challenge in a minute.
Hi Stan, Can You Tell Us—What is Rochester Movie Makers?
The RMM Mission Statement- to create, develop and promote filmmaking and
filmmakers in Rochester, NY.
RMM is a NY State Educational Cooperative 501(c)(3) designed to help connect
local film makers and persons interested in learning more about film making.
Attend meetings regularly to be exposed to other people in the Rochester
area that want to help and be helped executing the sometimes complicated,
time consuming but usually very fun and rewarding process called film
making. Learn by doing at RMM.
For more info on RMM visit www.RochesterMovieMakers.org.
Tell me about the 72 hour challenge.
The premise? Filmmaking teams have just one long weekend to make a short
film. All creativity - writing, shooting, editing and adding a musical
soundtrack - must occur in a 72 hour window beginning Thursday evening at
7:00 and ending Sunday at 7:00. The following week, the completed films are
screened to an eager audience.
For the whole poop on Mind2Movie-2010, visit
www.RochesterMovieMakers.org/m2m. You will find a FAQ on that page that
explains everything.
What's your take on the filmmaking community here in Rochester?
I think the talent for feature films is definitely available in Rochester.
Great actors, writers, directors and crew. The challenge is getting groups
here to work together and grow together better than they do in other
markets. We haven't been as successful as I would like in attracting
students from the big schools and some of the more high end film and video
maker pros in Rochester to meetings or to serving on the Executive Board.
What are some other events and ideas the group has coming up?
In March we have the RMM Summer Shorts Screenplay Contest where Screenplay.
Writers come with 10 page screenplays and we read them and vote for the top
3 best. Then we shoot as many as we can in the RMM Summer Shorts. More
info at http://www.rochestermoviemakers.org/summershorts/
How can people join?
Sign up for free 24/7 at www.RochesterMovieMakers.org. We meet at least
once every week. The complete list of meetings is on the homepage. Sign up
at the website for last minute changes to scheduled meetings.
What's the most important thing you see happening when a bunch of
filmmakers get together?
I think the most important thing RMM can do is continue to provide
opportunities to improve local skill sets through activities that get people
who don't know each other to work together. The best thing I see at
meetings is people discovering each other's potentials and making new
connections.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
February/March Music
February Music Schedule
March Music Schedule
Monday: Kevin DeHond
Wednesday: The Margaret Explosion
Thursday: Trio East
Friday: Madeline Forster
March Music Schedule
Monday: The White Hots (No music on 3/1)
Wednesday: AMP
Thursday: DjanGoners
Friday: The Bowties
The Last Station-Opens Friday Feb. 26th
About The Film (from the LA Times):
QUESTION: Now, I understand that one of the attractions for you to do Last Station was the fact that it had - within this passionate drama, a great sense of humor.
HELEN MIRREN: Yes. It does, it's funny. Most of all, it's funny. Without being gag-driven, or comedic in that sense. It's just very funny about real life. And that's the kind of comedy I always enjoy the most.
QUESTION: Could you identify at all with any facet of this character, or this marriage?
HELEN MIRREN: No, I mean, I'm so not like Sofya. I wish I was more like Sofya. Instead, I get quiet and resentful and cry and angry and sulk. You know, Sofya does not do that. She lets it all out immediately. And I wish I had more of her characteristics. I'm certainly not like her, in that sense. But I think that anybody who's married - of course, they're not confronted with the same kind of problems as Sofya and Tolstoy were at the end of their marriage. Those sort of massive problems. But every marriage goes through those moments of conflict and disagreement. Even quite fundamental disagreement. And - you know, you fight your way through it. One of the most wonderful lines in the film is when Tolstoy says to Sofya, you know, "Yes, I love you. But, why do you make it so hard?" And she says, "Of course it's hard. What do you expect?" She said, you know, "You are that - you're the work of my life. I'm the work of your life. That's what love is." And I think that's a wonderful description of love. Read the full interview here.
Under the accomplished direction of Michael Hoffman, who also wrote the script, "The Last Station" is well-acted across the board, but the film's centerpiece is the spectacular back and forth between Christopher Plummer as the great man, a count as well as a writer, and Helen Mirren as Sofya, his wife of 48 years and always a force to be reckoned with. For those who enjoy actors who can play it up without ever overplaying their hands, "The Last Station" is the destination of choice.
The notion for "The Last Station" came from writer Jay Parini, who was so fascinated to discover that numerous people around Tolstoy in the fatal year of 1910 kept diaries with their versions of events that he wrote a novel telling the story from six points of view. Hoffman's screenplay simplifies this a bit but keeps the story's fine sense of the complexities of human relationships, of the war in Tolstoy's household between the welfare of family and the welfare of mankind. Read the full article here.
QUESTION: Now, I understand that one of the attractions for you to do Last Station was the fact that it had - within this passionate drama, a great sense of humor.
HELEN MIRREN: Yes. It does, it's funny. Most of all, it's funny. Without being gag-driven, or comedic in that sense. It's just very funny about real life. And that's the kind of comedy I always enjoy the most.
QUESTION: Could you identify at all with any facet of this character, or this marriage?
HELEN MIRREN: No, I mean, I'm so not like Sofya. I wish I was more like Sofya. Instead, I get quiet and resentful and cry and angry and sulk. You know, Sofya does not do that. She lets it all out immediately. And I wish I had more of her characteristics. I'm certainly not like her, in that sense. But I think that anybody who's married - of course, they're not confronted with the same kind of problems as Sofya and Tolstoy were at the end of their marriage. Those sort of massive problems. But every marriage goes through those moments of conflict and disagreement. Even quite fundamental disagreement. And - you know, you fight your way through it. One of the most wonderful lines in the film is when Tolstoy says to Sofya, you know, "Yes, I love you. But, why do you make it so hard?" And she says, "Of course it's hard. What do you expect?" She said, you know, "You are that - you're the work of my life. I'm the work of your life. That's what love is." And I think that's a wonderful description of love. Read the full interview here.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Aspiring filmmaker, Ryan McPherson
Today we're talking with aspiring filmmaker, Ryan McPherson--a student at SUNY Brockport.
Ryan, tell us about how you develop a script.
What I have done in my short time writing, is taking an idea, an image, or even just a small detail, and trying to run with it. Generally I try to stick with things that are at least somewhat familiar only because I feel more confident in what I'm writing when I actually know what I'm writing about.
What kind of stories do you think translate well into film?
I have always felt that the stories that adapt best to film are ones with really strong and unique characters. I feel like good dialogue and good character development can make any idea into a decent movie. My favorite scene in film history is the beginning scene of Reservoir Dogs. The fact of the matter is that it really doesn't "do" anything for the film and it's not vital to the rest of the story, but it gives you some insight on who the guys are. After that scene you almost want to root for these guys. Without that scene the rest of the movie might have just been a typical gangster film that would easily have been forgotten.
You are currently in pre-production on a project, what are your next steps?
I have been trying to put together a film project for the past couple of years. I have found quite a few interested people in both acting and working as crew members on the film. I have been trying to accumulate funding for such a project. After finding funding I would try to push something right into production.
What do you think about the filmmaking community in the Rochester area?
I don't know as much about the filmmaking community in Rochester as I do about the film community. The film community seems to be a rich one. Every time I go to the theaters be it a megaplex or an independent theater there is usually a huge crowd. I think the filmmaking community is growing with the great programs at the area colleges and the new possibilities there are for independent filmmakers.
Any advice for other aspiring screenwriters or filmmakers?
I am quite new at this myself, so I would feel bad giving advice to people who aren't far behind me. I guess I would say read and watch films. Some great filmmakers never spent a day in film school. You can get a lot of experience with a movie rental and library card. See what people are doing and what their writing and making. I haven't gone to film school (yet?), but I have seen thousands of movies and read dozens of scripts and books about filmmaking.
You can contact Ryan at:
rmcpherson610@gmail.com
585-944-6480
Ryan, tell us about how you develop a script.
What I have done in my short time writing, is taking an idea, an image, or even just a small detail, and trying to run with it. Generally I try to stick with things that are at least somewhat familiar only because I feel more confident in what I'm writing when I actually know what I'm writing about.
What kind of stories do you think translate well into film?
I have always felt that the stories that adapt best to film are ones with really strong and unique characters. I feel like good dialogue and good character development can make any idea into a decent movie. My favorite scene in film history is the beginning scene of Reservoir Dogs. The fact of the matter is that it really doesn't "do" anything for the film and it's not vital to the rest of the story, but it gives you some insight on who the guys are. After that scene you almost want to root for these guys. Without that scene the rest of the movie might have just been a typical gangster film that would easily have been forgotten.
You are currently in pre-production on a project, what are your next steps?
I have been trying to put together a film project for the past couple of years. I have found quite a few interested people in both acting and working as crew members on the film. I have been trying to accumulate funding for such a project. After finding funding I would try to push something right into production.
What do you think about the filmmaking community in the Rochester area?
I don't know as much about the filmmaking community in Rochester as I do about the film community. The film community seems to be a rich one. Every time I go to the theaters be it a megaplex or an independent theater there is usually a huge crowd. I think the filmmaking community is growing with the great programs at the area colleges and the new possibilities there are for independent filmmakers.
Any advice for other aspiring screenwriters or filmmakers?
I am quite new at this myself, so I would feel bad giving advice to people who aren't far behind me. I guess I would say read and watch films. Some great filmmakers never spent a day in film school. You can get a lot of experience with a movie rental and library card. See what people are doing and what their writing and making. I haven't gone to film school (yet?), but I have seen thousands of movies and read dozens of scripts and books about filmmaking.
You can contact Ryan at:
rmcpherson610@gmail.com
585-944-6480
Friday, February 19, 2010
The White Ribbon
About the film
In a village in Protestant northern Germany, on the eve of World War I, the children of a church and school run by the village schoolteacher and their families experience a series of bizarre incidents that inexplicably assume the characteristics of a punishment ritual. Who could be responsible for such bizarre transgressions? Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, and Rainer Bock star in director Michael Haneke's Palm d'Or-winning period drama.
Interview with cinematographer Christian Berger
The White Ribbon is so different from the other films you’ve shot for Haneke. Why did you choose black and white?
It was our goal to make not black and white because it’s 1914, or to evoke a kind of nostalgia, or to fake something authentic. It was actually to create a strong abstraction. Michael Haneke said, of course all the photos and film of that time are in black and white. But we didn’t want to recreate that black and white. I hope it worked, because it’s a kind of modern black and white, even if I don’t know what it means. Read the full interview here.
In a village in Protestant northern Germany, on the eve of World War I, the children of a church and school run by the village schoolteacher and their families experience a series of bizarre incidents that inexplicably assume the characteristics of a punishment ritual. Who could be responsible for such bizarre transgressions? Leonie Benesch, Josef Bierbichler, and Rainer Bock star in director Michael Haneke's Palm d'Or-winning period drama.
Interview with cinematographer Christian Berger
The White Ribbon is so different from the other films you’ve shot for Haneke. Why did you choose black and white?
It was our goal to make not black and white because it’s 1914, or to evoke a kind of nostalgia, or to fake something authentic. It was actually to create a strong abstraction. Michael Haneke said, of course all the photos and film of that time are in black and white. But we didn’t want to recreate that black and white. I hope it worked, because it’s a kind of modern black and white, even if I don’t know what it means. Read the full interview here.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Film and music this week
There are tons of openings this week at The Little!
Openings
The White Ribbon
Shutter Island
2010 Oscar Shorts
Spotlight on Black History Month, including: Shadows of the Lynching Tree, Pressure Cooker and Heart of Stone (For Black History Month film descriptions, showtimes and other events, click here.)
Continuing
Crazy Heart
Music
Monday: Kevin DeHond
Openings
The White Ribbon
Shutter Island
2010 Oscar Shorts
Spotlight on Black History Month, including: Shadows of the Lynching Tree, Pressure Cooker and Heart of Stone (For Black History Month film descriptions, showtimes and other events, click here.)
Continuing
Crazy Heart
Music
Monday: Kevin DeHond
Wednesday: The Margaret Explosion
Thursday: Trio East
Friday: Madeline Forster
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Spotlight on Black History Month-Films & Schedule
Our Spotlight on Black History Month Series Returns to The Little for the 4th Year
A rich mix of documentaries and premieres headline this year’s offerings
From February 19th to the 25th we celebrate the fourth annual “Spotlight on Black History Month” here at The Little Theatre. This film series brings various aspects of African-American life to the big screen; including the drive to embrace the American Dream, the revitalization of a scarred community, and the ongoing struggles to overcome the dark sides of black history in America. The goal of the series is to present a varied range of film topics and to provide a forum for open discussion and education. We've been highlighting some of the filmmakers on our blog during the past few weeks. Tickets to all the films are $5.00. Here's everything you need to know about the series:
The films include:
Shadows of the Lynching Tree (Rochester Premiere), directed by Rochester native Carvin Eison. This movie explores the history of lynching in the United States and reveals an underlying ideology still alive today at some levels of American culture. His documentary, July ‘64, was a standout in 2007 at The Little. Talkback with the director following the 6:30 showing on Fri., Feb. 19th.
Pressure Cooker, a documentary about the lives of a strict, but loving teacher of culinary arts in an inner city high school in Philadelphia, and a half dozen of her students. In an area where most kids don't have a lot of opportunities, these kids are learning to be professional cooks and competing for a few scholarships to big name culinary schools around the US.
Heart of Stone, a documentary about a gutsy Newark high school principal's efforts to stave off gang violence and boost student morale. The setting is the city's once-famed Weequahic High, known for fostering more Ph.D.s than any other American high school from the 1930s-'50s. What makes this chronicle poignant is its illustration of how African-Americans and Jewish alum helped each other turn the school in a new, safer direction. The film won the Audience Award in Slamdance's documentary competition.
MVP Little Biddies Series, Bring the kids and enjoy a little light fun with Space Jam, where Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom.
“This year’s program takes a look at the darker side of our nation’s past,” comments Bob Russell, Executive Director at The Little. “But, also on the hope that creates the bright side of our future.”
The Emerging Filmmakers Series will highlight short films by African American filmmakers or films about the African American experience. This regular monthly program screens films produced by up-and-coming New York State filmmakers, regardless of age or educational status, or films shot in New York State.
Film Times:
Shadows of the Lynching Tree
Fri., Feb. 19, 6:30 pm (Followed by Talkback with Carvin Eison)
Sat., Feb. 20, 12:00 pm, 9:00 pm
Mon., Feb. 22, 6:30 pm
Wed. Feb. 24, 9:00 pm
Pressure Cooker
Sat., Feb. 20, 6:30 pm
Sun., Feb. 21, 9:00 pm
Wed., Feb. 24, 6:30 pm
Thurs., Feb. 25, 9:00 pm
Heart of Stone
Fri. Feb. 19, 9:00 pm
Sat. Feb. 20, 3:00 pm (Followed by Talkback with Rick Smith - Principle of John Marshall High School, Chris Cuby - President of Realizing Others Outstanding Talents,LLC, and Anthony Jordan - Assistant to Commissioner of City of Rochester Parks and Recreation)
Sun., Feb. 21, 6:30 pm
Thurs., Feb. 25, 6:30 pm
Little Buddies Series
Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan
Sat., Feb. 27, 10:00 am
Emerging Filmmakers Series
Mon., Feb. 22, 9:15 pm
A rich mix of documentaries and premieres headline this year’s offerings
From February 19th to the 25th we celebrate the fourth annual “Spotlight on Black History Month” here at The Little Theatre. This film series brings various aspects of African-American life to the big screen; including the drive to embrace the American Dream, the revitalization of a scarred community, and the ongoing struggles to overcome the dark sides of black history in America. The goal of the series is to present a varied range of film topics and to provide a forum for open discussion and education. We've been highlighting some of the filmmakers on our blog during the past few weeks. Tickets to all the films are $5.00. Here's everything you need to know about the series:
The films include:
Shadows of the Lynching Tree (Rochester Premiere), directed by Rochester native Carvin Eison. This movie explores the history of lynching in the United States and reveals an underlying ideology still alive today at some levels of American culture. His documentary, July ‘64, was a standout in 2007 at The Little. Talkback with the director following the 6:30 showing on Fri., Feb. 19th.
Pressure Cooker, a documentary about the lives of a strict, but loving teacher of culinary arts in an inner city high school in Philadelphia, and a half dozen of her students. In an area where most kids don't have a lot of opportunities, these kids are learning to be professional cooks and competing for a few scholarships to big name culinary schools around the US.
Heart of Stone, a documentary about a gutsy Newark high school principal's efforts to stave off gang violence and boost student morale. The setting is the city's once-famed Weequahic High, known for fostering more Ph.D.s than any other American high school from the 1930s-'50s. What makes this chronicle poignant is its illustration of how African-Americans and Jewish alum helped each other turn the school in a new, safer direction. The film won the Audience Award in Slamdance's documentary competition.
MVP Little Biddies Series, Bring the kids and enjoy a little light fun with Space Jam, where Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom.
“This year’s program takes a look at the darker side of our nation’s past,” comments Bob Russell, Executive Director at The Little. “But, also on the hope that creates the bright side of our future.”
The Emerging Filmmakers Series will highlight short films by African American filmmakers or films about the African American experience. This regular monthly program screens films produced by up-and-coming New York State filmmakers, regardless of age or educational status, or films shot in New York State.
Film Times:
Shadows of the Lynching Tree
Fri., Feb. 19, 6:30 pm (Followed by Talkback with Carvin Eison)
Sat., Feb. 20, 12:00 pm, 9:00 pm
Mon., Feb. 22, 6:30 pm
Wed. Feb. 24, 9:00 pm
Pressure Cooker
Sat., Feb. 20, 6:30 pm
Sun., Feb. 21, 9:00 pm
Wed., Feb. 24, 6:30 pm
Thurs., Feb. 25, 9:00 pm
Heart of Stone
Fri. Feb. 19, 9:00 pm
Sat. Feb. 20, 3:00 pm (Followed by Talkback with Rick Smith - Principle of John Marshall High School, Chris Cuby - President of Realizing Others Outstanding Talents,LLC, and Anthony Jordan - Assistant to Commissioner of City of Rochester Parks and Recreation)
Sun., Feb. 21, 6:30 pm
Thurs., Feb. 25, 6:30 pm
Little Buddies Series
Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan
Sat., Feb. 27, 10:00 am
Emerging Filmmakers Series
Mon., Feb. 22, 9:15 pm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)