SXSW, March 13-22, 2009AFS Screenings & Special Events During SXSW

1. SXSW PANEL: GET THE MOST OUT OF SXSW (3/13)
2. AFS SXSW Member Showcase 1 & 2 (3/14, 3/15)
3. SXSW PANEL: A CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD LINKLATER AND TODD HAYNES (3/17)
4. SXSW PANEL: TEXAS FILMMAKERS PRODUCTION FUND MINI-MEETING (3/17)
5. SXSW PANEL: SURVIVING THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT (3/17)
6. AFS/Austin Studios @ SXSW Film & Interactive Trade Show (3/14-3/16)
7. AFS Documentary Tour: THE EYES OF ME (3/15)
8. AFS Co-Sponsored Screening: THE 2 BOBS (3/16)

Friends of AFS and Program Alumni Screen at SXSW:

1. ALONG CAME KINKY… TEXAS JEWBOY FOR GOVERNOR – Directed by David Hartstein
2. FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM – Directed by Gerald Peary
3. THE LEAST OF THESE – Directed by Clark & Jesse Lyda, Produced by Marcy Garriott (former AFS Board President)
4. LOVE, SADIE – Directed by Naiti Gamez
5. THE OVERBROOK BROTHERS – Directed by John Bryant
6. OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY – Michel Orion Scott
7. SKIP AND LESTER: HERE’S THE STAPLER IF YOU NEED IT – Directed by Lance Myers
8. ST. NICK – Directed by David Lowery
9. SUNSHINE – Directed by Karen Skloss
10. SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO – Directed by Bradley Beesley
11. TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP – Directed by Alex Karpovsky

See ticketing information at the bottom of this message.

AFS Screenings & Special Events During SXSW

1. SXSW PANEL: GET THE MOST OUT OF SXSW FILM (3/13)

WHEN: Fri March 13, 2-3 PM
WHERE: Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez)
COST: SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum Badge-holders only
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/talks/schedule?acti…

Created for SXSW Interactive attendees, but useful for everyone, here’s an introduction to SXSW’s film conference and festival. Learn how to make meaningful connections with all the movie professionals in town for the event.

Moderated by Agnes Varnum, Communications Manager for the Austin Film Society

2. AFS SXSW Member Showcase 1 & 2 (3/14, 3/15)

WHEN: Sat Mar 14, 2 PM & Sun Mar 15, 12 PM
WHERE: Hideout Coffeehouse & Theatre (617 Congress)
COST: $10/Free for AFS members with current membership card, SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum badge-holders & Film Pass Holders
INFO: http://www.austinfilm.org/film/2009_sxsw…
 http://www.austinfilm.org/film/2009_sxsw…

SPANISH LESSONS WITH CHUPACABRA VOLUME 7: CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH by Bob RayThe Austin Film Society will present two programs of exciting, funny, eye-opening new short films from some of our 500-plus Filmmaker-Level Members at The Hideout during the SXSW Film Festival.

Program 1, Mar 14, 2pm:
SPANISH LESSONS WITH CHUPACABRA VOLUME 7: CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH by Bob Ray
BI DEFINITION by Kai Salim
TINKER TOY by Jabbar Raisani
REMAINS by Allison Cook
TYMPANIC by Benjamin Slamka
BLADE THROWERS by Mark Mederson
HEADCHEESE by Laura Android

Program 2, Mar 14, 12pm:
HEARTBREAKS by Avram Dodson
MARTHA by Katja Straub
SUNLIGHT by Alex Harder
JUNIOR by Allison Cook
VITULA ARCUS by Benjamin Slamka
DUPLEX by Cristina Salinas
SLEET/SNOW by Daniel Laabs

3. SXSW PANEL: A CONVERSATION WITH RICHARD LINKLATER & TODD HAYNES (3/17)

WHEN: Tue Mar 17, 1-2 PM
WHERE: Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez)
COST: SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum Badge-holders only
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/talks/schedule/?act…

Writer/directors Todd Haynes and Richard Linklater hardly require introduction. As two of modern cinema’s great standard-bearers, they’ve spent the last couple of decades forging filmographies as aesthetically rich as they are thematically diverse. Join us at SXSW Film Conference to witness a rare discussion between these fierce independents as they discuss their influences, inspirations, their innate sensitivity to actors, and their working methods; both within and outside the system. We can’t wait, and hope you can’t either!

Moderated by Richard Linklater, Artistic Director, Austin Film Society

4. SXSW PANEL: TEXAS FILMMAKERS PRODUCTION FUND MINI-MEETING (3/17)

WHEN: Tues March 17, 11 AM-12 PM
WHERE: Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez)
COST: SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum Badge-holders only
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/talks/schedule?acti…

Since 1996, the Austin Film Society’s Texas Filmmakers’ Production Fund has supported Texas filmmakers by giving out $930,000 in cash, goods and services to 265 film and video projects. The deadline for the 2009 cycle is June 1st and if you are a filmmaker who has resided in Texas for at least one year, you are eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in funding for your project. At this workshop, the Austin Film Society’s Director of Artist Services will take you through the application process step-by-step.

This workshop is open to SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum Badge-holders only, but AFS will host more TFPF workshops, free and open to the public, in April & May in Austin and other Texas cities. Stay tuned to www.austinfilm.org for dates, times & venues.

5. SXSW PANEL: SURVIVING THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT (3/17)

WHEN: Tue Mar 17, 3-4 PM
WHERE: Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez)
COST: SXSW Film/Gold/Platinum Badge-holders only
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/talks/schedule?acti…

Nowadays it seems like nearly every city has its own film festival, eager for your entry fees. Navigating the field can be a confusing, expensive, and nerve-wracking experience. Join experienced festival programmers and filmmakers for a discussion of the ups and downs of today’s film festival circuit and a look forward to how new technologies and new expectations will shape the circuit in the future.

Moderated by Bryan Poyser, AFS Director of Artist Services

6. AFS/Austin Studios @ SXSW Film & Interactive Trade Show (3/14-3/16)

WHEN: Sat Mar 14 – Mon Mar 16, 12-6 PM (ends at 4 PM on Tues)
WHERE: Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez)
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/trade_show/exhibito…

Austin Studios opened in the year 2000 as a unique public/private partnership between the City of Austin and the Austin Film Society. The centrally located 20 acre film/video facility contains 10,000 square feet of production office space (the ‘Red Building’) and over 100,000 square feet of production space.

The newly renovated Austin Studios’ five stages include full soundproofing and air-conditioning for two stages, improved security and safety, and state-of-the-art digital infrastructure including 3 wall hard cyc – largest in Texas (23x87x23) – ideal for photo, commercial and visual effects shoots. With the upgrades, Austin Studios will be a competitive draw for commercial, gaming and feature film production, bringing increased economic activity to Austin.

Attendees must be SXSW badge holders or iF! pass holders.

7. AFS Documentary Tour: THE EYES OF ME (3/18)

WHEN: Thu Mar 18, 7:15 PM
WHERE: Alamo South Lamar (1120 S Lamar Blvd)
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…
 http://illegalfilms.net/

The AFS Documentary Tour and SXSW present Keith Maitland’s THE EYES OF ME, an extraordinary look at 4 blind teens. The parallel stories of 2 freshmen and 2 seniors unfold over the course of one dynamic year at the Texas School for the Blind in Austin. THE EYES OF ME was a 2008 TFPF recipient and screened as part of AFS’s Docs-in-Progress program.

Other screening times for THE EYES OF ME:
7:15 PM, Wednesday March 18th – Alamo Lamar 1
11:30 AM, Friday March 20th – Alamo Lamar 3

8. AFS Co-Sponsored Screening: THE 2 BOBS (3/16)

WHEN: 6:30 PM, Monday March 16th
WHERE: The Paramount Theater (
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Just as they finish their groundbreaking violent video-game masterpiece, the two gaming legends known as “The Two Bobs” discover that their precious game-software has been stolen… and with it, their livelihoods, genius reputations, everything they own. Directed by former AFS Board Member Tim McCanlies.

Other screening time for THE 2 BOBS:
6:45 PM, Friday March 13th – Austin Convention Ctr

Friends of AFS and Program Alumni Screen at SXSW:

The following films and filmmakers have been supported through AFS’s filmmaker programs like the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund (TFPF), fiscal sponsorship and our Docs-in-Progress and Narratives-in-Progress series. See ticketing information at the bottom of this message.

Along Came Kinky…Texas Jewboy for Governor by David Hartstein1. ALONG CAME KINKY… TEXAS JEWBOY FOR GOVERNOR – Directed by David Hartstein
Screening in Lone Star States. 2006 TFPF recipient, Docs-in-Progress alumnus
AFS Fiscally Sponsored Project
Documentary Feature
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

This documentary chronicles singing Jewish cowboy Kinky Friedman’s 2006 independent gubernatorial campaign in Texas.

7:30 PM, Thursday March 19th – Paramount

2. FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES: THE STORY OF AMERICAN FILM CRITICISM – Directed by Gerald Peary
features appearances by AFS Artistic Director Richard Linklater and AFS Advisory Board Member Harry Knowles
Documentary Feature, Spotlight Premiere
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

The first documentary to dramatize the rich, fascinating history of American film criticism.

8:00 PM, Monday March 16th – Alamo Ritz 2
12:00 PM, Wednesday March 18th – Alamo Ritz 2
4:00 PM, Saturday March 21st – Alamo Lamar 3

3. THE LEAST OF THESE – Directed by Clark & Jesse Lyda, Produced by Marcy Garriott
Documentary Feature, screening in Lone Star States
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Detention of immigrant children in a former medium-security prison in Texas leads to controversy when three activist attorneys discover troubling conditions at the facility. This compelling film explores the role – and limits – of community activism, and considers how American rights and values apply to the least powerful among us.

11:00 AM, Monday March 16th – Alamo Ritz 1
7:00 PM, Wednesday March 18th – Alamo Lamar 3
11:00 AM, Friday March 20th – Paramount

4. LOVE, SADIE – Directed by Naiti Gamez
Narrative Short, screening in Texas Shorts
2006 TFPF recipient
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Sadie and her high-school friends struggle to escape the banality of everyday life. Her friends search for approval, and answers about life, from Sadie, the one confidant who can’t articulate her own reality.

4:30 PM, Tuesday March 17th – Alamo Lamar 1
7:30 PM, Wednesday March 18th – Alamo Lamar 2
11:00 AM, Friday March 20th – Alamo Lamar 2

THE OVERBROOK BROTHERS by John Bryant5. THE OVERBROOK BROTHERS – John Bryant (2007 TFPF recipient)
Narrative Feature. In Competition
Narratives-in-Progress alumnus
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Jason brings his girlfriend home for Christmas… and bad things happen.

4:15 PM, Sunday March 15th – Alamo Ritz 1
9:30 PM, Monday March 16th – Alamo Lamar 3
10:00 PM, Saturday March 21st – Paramount

6. OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY – Michel Orion Scott
Documentary Feature. Screening in Lone Star States
2007 TFPF recipient, Docs-in-Progress alumnus
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

This documentary chronicles the journey of the Isaacson family as they travel through Mongolia in search of a mysterious shaman they believe can heal their autistic son.

11:00 AM, Tuesday March 17th – Paramount
1:30 PM, Thursday March 19th – Alamo Lamar 2
7:00 PM, Friday March 20th – Austin Convention Ctr

7. SKIP AND LESTER: HERE’S THE STAPLER IF YOU NEED IT – Directed by Lance Myers (2001 & 2005 TFPF recipient)
Animated Short, screening in Animated Shorts
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

It’s Lester’s first day on the job at Copy-O’s copy shop and his manager has given him one very important directive: don’t let the customers use the big paper cutter in the back.

2:00 PM, Sunday March 15th – Alamo Lamar 1
11:30 AM, Tuesday March 17th – Alamo Lamar 1
1:30 PM, Wednesday March 18th – Alamo Lamar 1

8. ST. NICK – Directed by David Lowery
Narrative Feature. Screening in Emerging Visions
2007 TFPF recipient, Narratives-in-Progress alumnus
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

A stark, haunting portrait of childhood following the adventures of a runaway brother and sister as they try to survive, all on their own, out on the wintry plains of the great southwest.

12:00 PM, Sunday March 15th – Alamo Ritz 2
2:30 PM, Tuesday March 17th – Alamo Ritz 2
12:30 PM, Friday March 20th – Alamo Ritz 2

9. SUNSHINE by Karen SklossSUNSHINE – Directed by Karen Skloss
Documentary Feature, Screening in Lone Star States
2003 & 2004 TFPF recipient
AFS Fiscally Sponsored Project
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

In 1975 rural Texas, the local mayor’s daughter grapples with an unplanned pregnancy finally deciding to have her baby in secret before giving her away in a hidden adoption. Twenty-three years later, the adopted child also has an unplanned baby out of wedlock. The film tells the intimate story of these two single mothers, while exploring the times and circumstances that afforded them very different options.

3:00 PM, Saturday March 14th – Alamo Ritz 2
9:15 PM, Monday March 16th – Austin Convention Ctr
2:00 PM, Friday March 20th – Alamo Ritz 1

10. SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO – Directed by Bradley Beesley (2004 TFPF recipient)
Documentary Feature, Special Screening
AFS Fiscally Sponsored Project
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Amidst stories of murder, hardship, heartache and redemption, the film follows the convict cowgirls of the Eddie Warriors Correctional Center in their preparation for the only rodeo where female prisoners compete rough-stock and as equals against male prison teams.

11:00 AM, Saturday March 14th – Paramount
1:30 PM, Tuesday March 17th – Alamo Ritz 1
4:30 PM, Friday March 20th – Austin Convention Ctr

11. TRUST US, THIS IS ALL MADE UP – Directed by Alex Karpovsky
Documentary Feature, Screening in Emerging Visions
Docs-in-Progress alumnus
INFO: http://sxsw.com/film/screenings/schedule…

Immortalized in the world of improv comedy, Second City veterans TJ Jagodowksi and David Pasquesi explore the unique partnership and transcendental forces that govern their legendary performances.

9:15 PM, Friday March 13th – Alamo Ritz 2
6:30 PM, Tuesday March 17th – Alamo Ritz 1
8:00 PM, Friday March 20th – Alamo Ritz 2

SXSW Film Festival Admission Policies:

* Free admission for SXSW Platinum, Gold, and Film Badge holders and SXSW Film Pass Holders.
* Individual tickets are $10 and go on sale 15 minutes prior to screenings at the theatre box office, if space is available.
* SXSW Film Passes are $70 and are available at Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas.

For the official SXSW website, please visit http://www.sxsw.com

TIME: 7:15am

LOCATION: The South Steps of the Capitol Building

WARDROBE: Wear Red. Look nice.

AGENDA:

· 7:15am – CALL TIME! Be on the South Steps of the Capitol Building in
your snazzy red outfits! There will be a table set up where you can get
information, pick up a Rally Fan, and be directed to the Rally area.

· 7:30am to 8:30am – Governor Rick Perry and other film bigwigs will
address our group while we RALLY and make a big show for the press

· 8:30am to 9:15am – Skits based on popular Texas films will be
performed for our entertainment and encouragement

· 9:15am to 11:15am – Rally on the steps OR walk the halls of the
Capitol wearing your red and carrying a sign or fan

· 11:30am to 1:30pm – Form a receiving line into and out of the lunch
tent so we can thank the legislators for their time and attention to our
issue (NOTE: Lunch is being served only to the legislators, their staff,
and TXMPA members who are taking meetings with them, not all in attendance!)

You are not REQUIRED to stay for any length of time for the Rally, but
we’d love to have the largest group possible earlier in the day to make
the best impression on the Governor and the press. If you can only come
for an hour or two, plan to be there right at CALL TIME!

My agent, Heather Collier sent out the following email to her clients today to urge participation in the upcoming TXMPA legislative days. It’s a little long, but I think you’ll get a sense of the urgency of the situation. The email also contains instructions on how all of us who value Texas film business can get involved.

================

Hello everyone!

So I really need your help. Actually, the Texas Film Industry needs your
help. Here is your call to action!!!!!

I know, you all are tired of the emails. But let me tell you, you may not
have anything to audition for anytime soon if these incentives do not pass
with funding! I’m serious. There are very few projects on the horizon.

You would start to miss my crazy emails…no really, you would!

Please read this entire email. You do not have to email me back.

I need to you to show up at the Capitol for the Alliance Rally on 7:30am
SHARP on the TXMPA Lobby Day on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 and I need you to wear red.

If you can’t show up in the morning before work or school, you can
show up anytime during the course of the day wearing red.

We NEED to show the governor and the legislators how many people in Texas support the film industry. Things are so slow here right now…that should be a HUGE motivating factor.

There will be coming in from all over the state to descend on the Capitol. Most of you live in Austin so you don’t have to
travel far!

The Alliance told TXMPA we would have at least 1000 people at the Rally at
7:30am on the 4th. Please don’t make liars out of us : )

You don’t need to talk to any legislators…you just need to come dressed in
red!!!

So here is what you need to do…

1) Go to this website…
 http://www1.mysignup.com/lobbydayrally

Sign up for the Rally. You can add “Collier Talent” to your name too.

2) Show up for the Rally between 7:15am-7:30am. Get there early to find
parking.

3) Bring friends, family, ANYONE that you know who supports the film/media
industry here in TX. Tell them to wear red!

4) If you are not in town, please, please, please contact friends, family to
come in your place.

5) If you can’t come in the morning, come sometime during the day. Lunchtime
would be great. TXMPA is buying lunch for all of the legislators, so it
would be great to have lots of bodies outside the Capitol wearing red
showing support for the industry as the legislators make their way to lunch.

6) Visit http://www.txmpa.org/. If you haven’t joined already, please join.
If you can’t afford to join, sign up for the newsletter so you can receive
updates on what is going on! If you want to participate in Lobby Day on
behalf of TXMPA and go in to the Capitol to talk to legislators YOU MUST
SIGN UP THROUGH THE TXMPA WEBSITE. You will also have to attend a mandatory
training the night of March 3rd before Lobby Day on March 4th.

7) Spread the word to your fellow actors and people in AND outside of the
industry!!!!! Seriously, now is the time to act!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this : )

Heather

FROM: Drew Mayer-Oakes, TXMPA Legislative Committee

We are fast approaching the Texas Motion Picture Alliance Lobby Day
for 2009. Thank you for your participation last session – we need
your help again. If you are able to volunteer again, the TXMPA needs
you! Lobby Day is March 4th, with orientation and training for new
team members the evening of March 3rd, in Austin. This year we are
signing up on a fantastic volunteer management system, so please take
a moment to register at http://txmpa.volunteerhub.com . Once you sign
up on this system, we will make assignments based on your home
address, so be sure to include that. The form is really
self-explanatory.

And if you are already planning on coming, please SIGN UP so that we
can communicate with you directly about your legislative assignments.

Here are the details:

Lobby Day Sign-up!

Time to get off the mark, get on the bus, get your act together and
let your voice be heard. Time to sign up for LOBBY DAY!

Click here http://txmpa.volunteerhub.com) and sign up for training and
assignments on March 3 and 4!

We’ll ask you where you live and assign you to a team that will
visit four or five members of the Texas Legislature on March 4.

TXMPA LOBBY DAY AGENDA:

Tuesday March 3rd – Volunteers arrive in Austin
Check in at Austin Studios, 1901 E. 51st Street, 78723
7:00 PM – Welcome
7:30 PM – Training/orientation for volunteers

Wednesday, March 4th -
7:30 AM – Lobby Day Rally at the Capitol – south steps
Join members of the Austin Alliance  http://www.theallianceaustin.com)
and show support for competitive incentives. Wear something red!
9:00 AM – 11:30AM – Capitol office visits
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM – Break
1:30 PM – 5:00 PM – Capitol office visits

Make your hotel reservations 2/13 at the special $89 rate!

Clarion Inn & Suites Conference Center
2200 IH 35 S.
Austin, Texas 78704
512-444-0561, 877-424-6423

Tell them you are with the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA) to get
our group rate.

Sincerely,

Drew Mayer-Oakes, TXMPA Legislative Committee
TEXAS MOTION PICTURE ALLIANCE

December 04, 2008
By Mark Dundas Wood
Recently, Drew Barrymore directed and starred in a feature called Whip It!, set in Austin, Texas, and based on a novel by a former Austinite, Shauna Cross. The film was shot in…Ann Arbor, Mich.

Say what? Why would a town with a rich film culture and at least two major favorite-son film directors — Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater — miss out on hosting a project that’s such an obvious fit?

As usual, it’s a money thing. Michigan — along with such states as New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Louisiana — currently offers producers hefty incentive packages to shoot on its soil. As Gary Bond, director of the Austin Film Commission, points out, the 8.25 percent sales-tax exemption and other incentives that Texas offers to filmmakers don’t add up to the same breaks available elsewhere.

Nevertheless, last January, Austin was named the No. 1 American movie city by MovieMaker magazine, beating out such incentives-rich locales as Albuquerque, N.M., and Shreveport, La., not to mention Los Angeles and New York. Austin may not be getting the same kind of commercial projects as other states, but apparently it is doing some things very well.

A (Lone) Star Is Born
The first Hollywood-size project that lensed in Austin, says Bond, was 1977′s Outlaw Blues. In subsequent years, a handful of TV movies and occasional theatrical features (1982′s The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, for instance) shot in the area, but no cinematic stampede to the city ensued. Things began to change in the mid-1980s when the first sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the Jeff Bridges-Kim Basinger vehicle Nadine were shot back to back in Austin, with both films employing many of the same personnel. Gradually, says Bond, local crew — especially members of art departments — amassed impressive production credits and reputations.

At the same time, Austin was becoming a major music hub. The city’s famous South by Southwest (SXSW) festival actually began as a music event in 1987 but soon incorporated film and other media. “We were sort of a two-headed calf,” says Bond. “People wanted to come here and see what this buzz was all about.”

Filmmakers venturing to Austin found a city surrounded by a wide range of physical terrains: hills and lake chains to the west, rolling prairie to the east. “It’s always been an excellent place to do a road movie,” says Bond, noting that the bulk of the cattle-drive miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989) was shot within 30 miles of Austin, with the countryside standing in for Canadian and Mexican locales.

In the 1990s, the scene grew, especially with the emergence of Linklater and Rodriguez and the latter’s then wife, producer Elizabeth Avellan. Other Austin-based filmmakers include Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions) and Mike Judge (Office Space).

Rodriguez and Avellan developed Troublemaker Studios at the site of Austin’s former municipal airport. Meanwhile, Linklater had founded the Austin Film Society. What began as a film-appreciation organization eventually expanded, assuming management of Austin Studios: other refurbished, city-owned airport property that became “production central” for projects coming into town.

The Actor Factor
But what about human infrastructure? What does Austin provide to filmmakers in the way of an actor workforce?

Beth Sepko, who operates Beth Sepko Casting, as well as an affiliated company, Third Coast Extras, began her career as an agent in San Antonio, returning to her native Austin in 1994. Sepko has worked on several films with Rodriguez. She also casts Austin’s first major network series, NBC’s Friday Night Lights, for which she won a 2007 Emmy. “We have a really strong talent pool,” she says, “but it’s sort of shallow. If I have a film project that has, like, 90 roles on it, then I definitely have to pull from other markets.”

Read the FULL BACKSTAGE ARTICLE HERE.

Friday, December 5, 2008
New action in local film sector
No. 1 ranking in movie magazine lures producers

Brady Anderton and Ben Hurst of Fueld Films based the relocation of their company on two things: a spreadsheet and a gut feeling.

Fueld Films, a commercial and film production company, moved from Denver to Austin four months ago. But before the company moved here, the duo put together a spreadsheet that looked at factors like livability and infrastructure. Then, they compared the city to other top film production markets from Los Angeles to Chicago.

“Austin outscored everybody,” Anderton says. “And it looks like additional infrastructure is coming as far as studios, additional crew and additional talent.”

“We also got a feeling,” Anderton adds with a chuckle.

Fueld Films is among a handful of film or video companies that have gotten a good feeling about Austin in the last year. Independent film and video production company Publik Pictures LLC also relocated to Austin a few months ago from the East Coast.

Many of these filmmakers are pointing to Austin’s first-place ranking in MovieMaker magazine’s list of best places to live, work and make movies. Austin outranked New York and Seattle, along with up-and-coming locations like Albuquerque, N.M., and Shreveport, La., according to this year’s survey.

And it’s not only small production companies making the move.

This week, four Hollywood veterans debuted Wildfire Films Co., an Austin-based film production company that has received the green light for close to $86 million in film projects.

Wildfire Films’ first project is a $25 million feature film, “16 Minutes,” about Hispanic civil rights leader Gustavo “Gus” Garcia. It is co-producing the film with Fred Roos of Overture Films.

Wildfire Films Producer Mark Hacker says the company selected Austin because of the availability of production talent and the concentration of “new media” companies.

“We came here because of the people and the artistic community for filmmakers,” Hacker says. “Now there is also a resurgence with new media that’s flourishing in Austin.”

Click Here for Garcia’s Full Article in the American Statesman

As movie production scrambles to New Mexico, Louisiana, Michigan and New York, where filmmakers enjoy generous tax incentives ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent, Texas’ once-robust movie and television industry is hemorrhaging. Insiders are hearing a chilling “sucking sound,” as Austin filmmaker Robert Rodriguez puts it, and are taking up political arms to stanch the bleeding.

The Texas Motion Picture Alliance was formed in late 2006 to lobby the state Legislature for tax incentives on behalf of the film, video, television and gaming industries. The group won a 5 percent incentive, but it’s not enough — “just a foot in the door,” Rodriguez says…

…We recently conducted a casual round-table discussion at the Austin Film Society with Jeannette Scott, an Austin-based set decorator and the Central Texas representative of the alliance, and honorary alliance chairs Rodriguez, Avellan and Rebecca Campbell, director of the Austin Film Society. The conversation veered from hard numbers to focus on anecdotal evidence of what has become a dire talent-drain from Texas to other states.

…Considering that the state Legislature convenes only every two years, “This is a critical time,” Rodriguez says.

Chris Garcia: Is the state of Texas filmmaking worse than ever? Ten years ago, it seemed so flush.

Jeanette Scott: It’s absolutely grim. Local animal wrangler Bobbi Colorado tells me that they’ve had their best year ever, and it’s all been in Shreveport, La. She just finished two movies there and she’s going back. I’ve been working in Texas film for almost 25 years, and I used to turn down jobs. I watched the industry in Austin grow with this wonderful excitement and energy. Now it’s just gone. It’s so alarming. Lots of my friends in the business have sold their homes and moved to Santa Fe, N.M.

Robert Rodriguez: I go to Los Angeles a lot and studios and producers don’t even look at the details of your movie anymore. They hear that Michigan is giving 40 percent incentives, so everybody flocks to Michigan. And Michigan doesn’t even have crews. People run out there like lemmings because it’s more savings.

Rebecca Campbell: They won’t even look here. Like Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It!,” which is about Texas roller girls in Austin. She didn’t even scout Austin. People didn’t want her to see (Austin), because they knew they weren’t going to be able to say yes to it. They went straight to Michigan and only came to Austin to shoot exteriors for about five days. It’s heartbreaking.

…..

Avellan: Robert and I have spent years training people to become great crew, but now there’s a huge brain drain. It is so sad to see our guys leave….

……

Campbell: Austin proper is doing its part by upgrading Austin Studios , but without the state doing its part in matching the incentives, one city can’t stand up to Michigan, New Mexico and Louisiana.

Avellan: If they would pass something that can compete, all of Texas would be working, because films that were supposed to be in X, Y or Z would arrive all over Texas. People would rather come here. I just know that. There are too many producers who have shot here and want to come back. Our rates for equipment rental are much lower than other areas.

Scott: What’s outrageous is that we’ve spent 25 years building up this industry and good will and getting our name out there. And now we’re just letting it dissolve. It’s a viable industry; it’s not a fluff industry. People come from somewhere else with tens of millions of dollars and they put it into your economy, and then they go away, all in a very short time. It’s a great business. It’s great for Texas.

SPEAKERS: A Panel of Speakers from THE ALLIANCE
* Donise Hardy, President, Talent Works-USA
* Veronica Kelly-Albiez, Vice President, DVA Talent
* Liz Atherton, TAG Talent
* Heather Collier, Collier Talent
* Gabe Folse, State Theater

Our September 24 Mixer will feature the panel of Speakers listed above from
THE ALLIANCE, a cooperative of Casting Directors, Talent Agents and Acting
Coaches that provides insights into the needs and concerns of the acting
community. SEE: http://www.theallianceaustin.com/index.h….

This is a very important Mixer and all actors, and those in the film community in general,
are encouraged to attend.

Please pass on information about our Mixers to your friends and associates
in the film/media industries, and if you have a website associated with
those fields, please post our website - www.networkaustinmixer.com

————————————

To: My fellow TEXAS film workers, from the Red River to the Rio Grande, from the piney woods in the east to the dusty rolling hills in the west.

On many of my countless trips between Austin and Shreveport, I often think about what Texas film workers are doing with their lives. I wonder how they are supporting their families, how the strain of working out of town is affecting them and whether or not we will see Texas rise up to be the industry destination it once was and we know it can be.

A few weeks ago Jeanette Scott, local Set Decorator and Austin Film Society board member, visited my office to discuss ways to raise funds for The Texas Motion Picture Alliance , a nonprofit organization founded to become the legislative advocate for the film, video, interactive, and digital media production industries in the Lone Star State. Many people have worked tireless hours without compensation to raise funds and support this movement. Tom Copeland and numerous others have also donated many hours to the same cause. Elected officials are consumed by the thousands of bills that are proposed each legislative session. Getting our bill passed requires the hard work of an experienced lobbyist. The main goal of TXMPA is to raise funds to pay for a lobbyist so the Texas State Legislature can hear our demands to increase the film incentives.

Those of us familiar with the movement to raise the incentive package to bring films home to TEXAS (not just Austin but all of TEXAS!) know that in the last Legislative session Film Fleet and its sister companies donated thousands of dollars to this cause. Jeanette assured me that the money was well spent, but now they need more!

This led us to the brainstorming of additional groups to talk to. My question for Jeanette was this: Aren’t the TEXAS crew members behind this? Let’s get their support!

When each and every one of us is on the set, if you need sun block – see the medic; if you need a snack – go to Craft Service; if your car had a flat that morning – see Transpo; need some tape – go to Camera. We all know the drill. Now there is another department “on set” to take care of us. It is none other than the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. The TXMPA will secure the right people to help raise the incentive package, but they need YOU behind them so that we all can bring films home to TEXAS!

I propose that each and every one of you join this organization. The membership fee is $50.00 per year. Fifty dollars is less than one tank of gas, less than one dinner out and less than my yearly latte budget.

Film Fleet and its sister companies will pledge an additional $10.00 for every new paid TXMPA membership. I will take it one step further. If there any film crew member that cannot afford the membership fee right now, e-mail your story directly to me. The address is  phil at filmfleet.com. Instead of a crew t-shirt on the next project, I will assist you in paying your membership.

Not only am I asking crew members to join, I am soliciting all industry related vendors such as Longhorn Car & Truck Rentals, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Capps Truck & Van Rental, Crocker Crane Company, Omni Hotels, Rush Truck Centers, Play-Mor Trailers, Southwest Airlines, Raco Leasing, Hope Lumber Company, SWW Production Rentals, Juan In A Million and more! If you think a vendor could benefit from the efforts of TXMPA, forward me their information. I will contact them directly.

Like all of you, I do not want to work out-of-state. I want to work at home, in Texas, with my family and friends by my side.

Do the right thing. Join TXMPA today. You are just a click away… www.txmpa.org!

I, Phil Schriber, wrote and approved this letter.

All my best,

Phil Schriber

by Craig Berlin
Founding Board Member (Retired)
Texas Motion Picture Alliance
 http://www.txmpa.org

Acting is something close to my heart. Talent does not guarantee
success and even though I did a lot of acting in high school and
college, I opted to go behind the camera as a career because it felt
safer (hah!) So, the plight of the production industry in Texas
touches me both from a business and personal standpoint on more than
one front.

Recently I was asked to address the Alliance, a network of Austin
casting directors, agents and acting coaches in order to keep them
up-to-date on the state of the industry but most importantly to help
them reach out to their clients, the myriad of actors we have in
locally. I’d like to pass along the information I shared with them
statewide and specifically address what I understand to be some of
the specific concerns actors have about TxMPA.

You may have heard that the Texas production business is hurting,
making it harder for actors and crew to find work and generally
impacting the state’s econcomy in a negative way. The alarm bells
being sounded regarding production business in Texas are from real
numbers, not just protectionist fear. Texas used to be considered
the “Third Coast” but that has changed. Producers who want to come
here no longer can because the money people won’t allow it. To be
frank, who can blame them? After all, as an industry of “artists” we
spend much of our time trying to convince the traditional business
community that film, music and the arts are “business” too, so we
can hardly expect the business decision-makers of production to
behave substantially differently in regard to “the bottom line” than
other bean counters would.

The truth is, production incentives work and a lack of them hurts.
In 2002, pre-incentive Louisiana had about $20 million/year in
production business. Since the advent of incentives, their business
had grown to over $640 million by 2005. Similar figures exist for
New Mexico. Michigan is currently building the second largest
production studio in the state as a direct result of new business
brought in by incentives, according to the mayor of Lansing. The
list of migration and infrastructure growing elsewhere goes on.

By contrast, Texas is DEAD LAST on the list of states with
incentives. As a result, our business has correspondingly shrunk. We
are now into the billions of dollars in lost revenue. Prison Break
left Dallas and even Robert Rodriguez is likely producing his next
feature in Michigan. We were barely able to hang on to Friday Night
Lights and that had a lot to do with help from the local support and
there are MANY more examples.

As the Third Coast, Texas offered talented and plentiful crew and
actors as well as varied locations, good facilities and of course,
Texas charm. While the charm and locations may remain, the rest of
our infrastructure is eroding due to lack of business. Some studios
are not being built because we lack incentives; others are not
getting badly needed upgrades. Our crew and actors are working
out-of-state more than they are working locally and that makes it
difficult to keep your roots here. As of now, the local crew labor
union IATSE reports they have more crew working out of state than in
Texas. While talent agents typically do not report specific numbers,
a SAG survey included alarming information as well. One talent agent
reported nearly 100 performers, or 75% of the agency roster, had
found work in Louisiana or New Mexico in the past year. Another
agent cited 36 film and television projects in Louisiana employing
75 of the agency’s Texas performers and five projects in New Mexico
employing 9 Texas performers in the past year. A third agent
reported total gross earnings from out of state in 2007 comprised
27% of the agency’s film/tv gross and increased to 28% in 2008,
whereas five years ago there were not measurable out of state
earnings. With the possible exception of commercial business in
Dallas, we simply cannot be satisfied with the status quo and expect
to have any kind of industry left in this state.

It is widely believed by those in the trenches that we have about 9
months to get our act together (no pun intended) and make something
happen or our a signficiant portion of our industry will be dealt
such a severe blow that it will literally wither and any opportunity
for regrowth will be years down the road. It is imperative that
actors join the cause individually and both JOIN the TxMPA and
participate in the grass roots effort by writing their legislators –
ESPECIALLY the naysayers such as Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden
in Williamson County.

While Bob Hudgins, Texas Film Commisioner, is an amazing advocate
for our industry, he is not in a position legally to take an
official stand and furthermore, his office is underfunded and
understaffed to do all the marketing we need to bring more business
to the state. Once we have successfully achieved better incentives,
the TxMPA needs to have a long-term mission of helping to solicit
business for our state and help improve our infrastructure, as well
as making sure that the “total package” we offer stays attractive
and competitive with other states.

It is often difficult for even the most talented actors to get jobs
when business is plentiful. Just imagine how it will be when
business is virutally nonexistent. Personally, I hope to do some
acting again in the future and my daughter is interested as well.
Beyond that, my job depends on a healthy production community.
Production business is not only good for the entire state but is
also significant part of what makes Texas “cool,” much as is live
music is for Austin. More importantly, we and our friends and
colleagues may have a mass exodus if we aren’t able to turn things
around.

As a local vendor, it has been difficult enough to compete with
internet companies to supply a local clientele made largely of
transplants from California and elsewhere who do not share the “Buy
Local” mentality of old in regard to their current home. With the
local business migrating elsewhere, it is likely that what remains
of local producers and potential location shoots may very well be
left with few options when the number of local suppliers left to
serve them shrinks even further. Just last week I learned that the
mobile HD editing facility Confidence Bay is moving to L.A. so they
can sustain their business until the industry climate is better
here, at least they have the ability to come back, if and when we
fix things. They are not alone.

A fair number of actors seem to have a particularly difficult time
believing in the issues or supporting TxMPA. There has been
concerned expressed by some regarding where the TxMPA money ends up.
As the first treasurer for TXMPA I can vouch for the fact that at
least 90% of the money raised goes to lobbying expenses. It case it
hasn’t been made clear, with over 5000 bills in front of a
legislature which only meets every other year, NOTHING gets passed
in Texas without a lobbyist. Most of the remainder of the money goes
to fundraising and promotional expenses. There are no paid board
members, employees or other gravy trains and most expenses such as
travel are absorbed by individual board members. As Chairman of the
Membership and Fundraising Committee our first year, if I went to
other cities to promote the organization I paid my own way.

Any way you slice it, our first priority must be to pass better
incentives to put Texas back on the list of viable choices and that
is the TxMPA’s prime directive. We can’t do it without the financial
and grass-roots support of the entire community, including actors.
Please let me know if you need help with specifics about how to get
involved beyond joining the organization; otherwise please visit
 http://www.txmpa.org and sign up. It’s an investment in your future
and we need you.