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ABC series ‘The Deep End’ films in Dallas
November 8th, 2009Two-week Turnaround Tour coming to Austin May 15th
May 6th, 2009
I received an email a couple of days ago and forgot to post this information. Sorry Jamie. Check out the Two-week Turnaround Tour web site at the link below. This looks like something that the Austin filmmaking community will embrace:
My name is Jamie Blankenship. I am working on a community filmmaking project called the Two-week Turnaround Tour, or T3. Thousands of aspiring and professional filmmakers will come together in 14 US cities over 7 months to write, shoot, and screen a short film in the span of two weeks in each city.
We’re coming to Austin next and would love it if you could help us spread the word. All levels of experience are welcome. We believe everyone has something to offer the collaborative art of filmmaking! Austin will be our 4th city! We will be kicking off T3 Austin May 15th. For more information, you can visit our site at http://filmblazer.com/t3 and feel free to contact me anytime at Jamie at filmblazer.com
Sincerely,
Jamie Blankenship
Here’s some info I copied from the really cool T3 site. This is just a tease…there’s lot’s more to see on the T3 site, so please check it out. Looks like fun to me.
What is the Two-week Turnaround tour?
The Two-week turnaround tour or T3 is a community filmmaking project. Filmblazer will visit 14 cites over 7 months. We will write, shoot, and screen a short film in each city in just two-weeks.
How does it all work?
Josh and Jamie get in an RV with all their Film equipment. We show up to a city and are greeted by our City Leader. We then have a kick off event, bringing together everyone who wants to help with the film. We work together to write a sweet film, shoot it, edit it, export it. We take a nap. We premiere the film, broadcasting live. We get in RV and drive to the next city. Repeat 14 time.
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What is a City Leader?
The city leader is the local liaison for each city and will be our go-to person throughout production. The city leader needs to be a motivated, organized, film enthusiast that will help us build the city teams, scout locations, plan the premiere event, and basically be responsible for making sure Josh and Jamie get to keep their sanity. If you are interested in being a city leader please contact us!
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What can I do to help make a short film?
This is a wide open question. Do you have access to a coffee shop? Do you have a ton of junk aka props? Can you make costumes? Are you really good with makeup? Do you like feeding people? We want everyone to bring something to the film because everyone has something to offer. Join a city and tell us what you can do. Plus we welcome people that can write, edit, act, light, you know normal film stuff 
Current SAG Signatory Film Productions for Texas and Louisiana
March 27th, 2009The productions on this list have all contacted SAG about the possibility of becoming signatory productions but some may not eventually go SAG. So caveat emptor, SAG members.
Once again the list of POSSIBLE SAG signatory productions for Louisiana and Texas show that Texas is playing in the rough, with one arm tied behind our back without a competitive film incentive program.
Happily HB 873 passed this week by a vote of 139-6. Now we await the vote on the Senate version of the bill, SB 605.
Passage of these bills is critical, of course, but there is still the matter of funding. Keep an eye out for directives from the AMPTP on when it’s time to contact your representatives about funding for the enhanced film incentive program.
In the meantime, look at how many Theatrical contract productions are slated for Louisiana. The Theatrical SAG agreement is for the larger budgeted films. Bigger budgets mean more local jobs for actors and crew. More jobs that extend for longer periods of time. More money into the local and state economies.
We are glad to have so many low budget and ultra low budget films shooting in Texas. We want those projects. But to survive as an industry, and surely to actually make a living in the film industry, we MUST have larger budgeted productions shooting on a regular basis in Texas.
Louisiana
Caged Innocence #00226166
United Spirits LLC – Theatrical
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: April 30, 2009
Champagne Society #00239437
Champagne Society, LLC – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, LA
Start Date: May 1, 2009
Dead of Night #00234500
Long Distance Films, Inc – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: To be determined
Dead Whisper #00231285
Dead Whisper Pictures, LLC – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA; Big Bear, CA
Start Date: To be determined
Disconnect #00235354
Triumphant Pictures – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: March 10, 2009
Expendables, The (aka Barrow) #00233317
Alta Vista Productions, LLC – Theatrical
Location: Shreveport, LA
Start Date: March 28, 2009
Jonah Hex #00240540
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc
Location: Louisiana (non-specific location)
Start Date: April 13, 2009
Casting: Tiffany Little Canfield, CSA – (212)868-1260 x29
Leonie #00238888
Leonie Productions, LLC – Theatrical
Location: New Orleans, LA
Start Date: April 12, 2009
Little Murder #00239911
Little Murder, LLC – Theatrical
Location: Detroit, MI; New Orleans, LA
Start Date: April 20, 2009
Wrong Side of Town #00237651
WSOT Productions 1, LLC – Low Budget
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Start Date: February 3, 2009
Texas
Apparition #00233593
Firestorm Pictures – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Houston, TX
Start Date: To be determined
Basement, The #00237744
T.L.P., LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Dallas, TX
Start Date: To be determined
Casting: Shawn Griffith shgriffith at earthlink.net
Beyond The Farthest Star #00233502
Pathlight Entertainment, LLC – Modified Low Budget
Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Start Date: October 1, 2009
Casting: Benjamin Dane
Broken Promise, A South Texas Story #00210652
Que Tal Productions, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Brownsville, Mercedes, TX
Start Date: February 15, 2009
Mario Torres – (956) 227-1933
C.A.B. #00239396
Tom Proctor – Low Budget Modified
Location: TX, AZ and Los Angeles, CA
Start Date: May 16, 2009
Carried Away #00238361
Carried Away, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Start Date: TBD
Location: Fort Worth
Casting: James Johnston
Earthling #00239014
The Abductors, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Start Date: April 1, 2009
Location: Dallas
Casting: Josh Ridgeway earthlingprods at yahoo.com
Iron Horses #00237421
Curveball Films, LLC – Low Budget
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: August 1, 2009
Letter H, The #00233247
GCP Film, LLC – Theatrical
Location: Houston, El Paso, TX
Start Date: June 1, 2009
Casting: Rodney Acevedo
Love and the Texas Sky #00238741
Dust Bowl Pictures – Low Budget Modified
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: April 1, 2009
Love Thy Neighbor #00238949
Nail Scarred Films, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Keller, TX
Start Date: April 25, 2009
Casting: Zach Smith (817) 938-9971 or zachsmithkeller at yahoo.com
Maybe, Maybe No #00239585
Red Rider Films, LLC – Ultra Low Budget
Location: Wylie, TX
Start Date: June 12, 2009
Casting: Ryan Paige
Minority Western #00220674
FAD Productions – Ultra Low Budget
Locations: AZ & Dallas, TX
Start Date: December 30, 2009
Nerveracker
Troublemaker Studios
Location: Austin, TX
Start Date: June 2009
Casting: Beth Sepko
Player’s School #00238898
Nexus Entertainment and Greg Carter
Location: Houston, TX
Start Date: To be determined
Shadow Play #00236154
Silvatar Media, LLC – Low Budget Modified
Location: Waco, TX
Start Date: April 11, 2009
Austin Film Society SXSW Film Guide
March 9th, 2009
Below is a reprint of an email received from the Austin Film Society. Hopefully this will be useful to those who are not on the AFS email list.
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 (23×87x23) – 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
Texas Legislators See Red at TXMPA Lobby Day 2009
March 4th, 2009
TXMPA Lobby Day 2009 was a long day that began with a 7:30 AM rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol.
What a sight! Hundreds of film industry professionals and business people who benefit from a thriving film industry, many dressed in red, answered the call of the TXMPA and showed up for lobby day.
According to the Bob Hudgins of the Texas Film Commission,
7000 film jobs and $500 million in film industry revenue have been lost in the state since 2003. That’s when states like Louisiana and New Mexico began their programs that aggressively court film producers with tax incentive programs. Louisiana and New Mexico have been offering incentive and/or rebate programs that amount to roughly 25% of a film’s expenditures if shot in their respective states. Michigan is now drawing productions with its 40% incentive.
In 2006 in a ‘better late than never’ reaction to the well documented downturn in Texas location filming, the Texas Motion Picture Alliance (TXMPA) was born. After securing lobby firm Hillco Parters, TXMPA led the way and Texas produced its own film incentive package in 2007.
Unfortunately that legislation, with a 5% incentive and a cap of $20 Million spread over two years, just wasn’t competitive with the other states’ programs. The 2007 bill did produce some dividends in commercial and video game production but the feature film work that was a primary target of the legislation did not materialize.
The classic example of the failure of the 2007 legislation to stem the tide of lost feature film production is Drew Barrymore’s film, WHIP IT!. That film story is set in Austin, Texas and was scheduled to shoot in Austin. But that was before the state of Michigan implemented their whopping 40% film incentive program. Suddenly Ann Arbor, Michigan started looking a lot like an acceptable substitute for Austin, Texas. Goodbye Texas, hello Michigan. Goodbye jobs, etc. etc.
During today’s Lobby Day I was on a team that visited with four different legislators. All were open to the new legislation and passage of the bill looks like a good possibility. However, passage of the bill is only the first step. The program goes through a separate process to receive funding. If the bill passes but is not funded, it would be a completely hollow ‘victory’.
Late in the day I sat in on a committee meeting for House Bill 873 and listened to testimony by people like director/writer Richard Linklater and producer/director Garry Brown (Prison Break).
Linklater told the committee that he has a $17Million film that is set in Texas and is ready to go. He wants to shoot in Texas but he may end up shooting in Shreveport, LA if Texas doesn’t get an improved film incentive package passed this session.
Similarly, Garry Brown, who was responsible for bringing PRISON BREAK to Dallas for its second and third seasons, offered the committee the insight of a producer who has shot many projects in Texas and wants to shoot more. In fact, Brown announced that he has a TV Pilot for Twentieth Century Fox that he wants to shoot in Dallas. Once again, the selection of a shooting location will be heavily influenced by tax incentives.
The new proposed legislation (HP 873 / SB 605) seeks an increase in funding from $20Million to $62Million and gives the Texas Film Commission office much greater flexibility in negotiating the incentive rate on a project by project basis.
The tact that supporters were urged to take with legislators was to underscore that this is not a giveaway bill but a job creation bill and a bill designed to let Texas once again compete with other states on a more level playing field. No rebate money is distributed until after production money has already been spent on in-state moving picture projects.
The progress of these bills (HB 873 / SB 605 ) through the legislative process over the next couple of months will tell the story of the future of the Texas film industry.
TEXAS FILM INDUSTRY LOBBY DAY IS HERE
March 3rd, 2009DATE: Wednesday, March 4th
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!
PUT UP OR SHUT UP TIME FOR TEXAS ACTORS
February 18th, 2009
In case you don’t think the loss of film work in Texas is at the critical point, read on. If you just haven’t been paying close attention to the situation so far, read on. If you’re trying to figure out what little ‘ol YOU can do to help change the situation, read on.
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
RESCUE THE PERISHING – TXMPA TARGETS LEGISLATIVE ACTION
February 11th, 2009
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
TXMPA Legislative Rally and Mixer In Austin
January 20th, 2009Attention TXMPA Central Region members, potential members and friends. Do you care about the moving image industry in Texas?
Our legislative rallying cry/ kickoff mixer & information session will be Monday, January 26 from 6-9 at:
Roux Restaurant
214 E. 6th St, Austin 78701
512 479 0474
just a couple of doors down from the Alamo Ritz.
Special Guests:
Bob Hudgins, Texas Film Commissioner
Brandon Aghamalian, TXMPA lobbyist with Hillco Partners
Come early for networking Happy Hour (till 7) with great food & drink
This is a very important meeting for all of us.
WE HAVE A BILL. WE HAVE BILL SPONSORS IN HOUSE & SENATE.
We have a new speaker of the house. The legislature is in full swing, and we will know who all the power players are- committee chairs, etc. The past few months have been about raising money & membership numbers (which we do still need.) Now we turn our focus to action. At this meeting we will talk about what to do when to whom. Brandon & Bob can answer questions about our legislation, and best tactics for getting it passed & funded. We’ll talk about lobby day. Bring ideas you have for how to make our message heard. We’ll have volunteer assignments, letters to sign, etc. As most of you know, there has been a lot of bad press lately regarding incentives.
Now more than ever, WE NEED EVERYONE TO COME TOGETHER. We’ll have special guests & plenty of networking time, so we promise it will be fun as well as informative. If you are concerned about the state of the moving image industry in Texas, COME TO THIS MEETING! NOW IS OUR MOMENT! BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK & NEXT.
1. Recruit 5 new people. An antique dealer, a film buff, an aunt, your neighbor, or anyone else you can get to care. If you can get them to join, great. If not, at least get their emails, go to website, & add them to email list. 20 seconds total. We need to build outreach so when it’s time for letter avalanche we reach as many people as possible.
2. FIND OUT WHO REPRESENTS YOU. WRITE THEM.
Go to this link to find your legislators. http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us Scroll down to your Texas State Senator & Representative. Then, write them.
It can literally be done in 2 minutes. You just check email, fill in your information, and then enter a brief message. Please support the Moving Image Industry Incentives. Add a brief personal comment like “Thanks for your support. I’m an actor. We need this legislation! Our jobs have left the state. We have families too.” You get the picture.
If you are concerned about the state of the moving image industry in Texas, COME TO THIS MEETING! NOW IS OUR MOMENT!
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
The Mellow Pros of Texas – Article From Backstage
January 16th, 2009Here’s another good article about the Texas film business that touches on the lack of a competitive film incentive program. Time to nudge your legislators. The wheelin’ and dealin’ has begun in Austin
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.
