Controlled Chaos

The Tohubohu News Site Has Moved...

2011-03-26T11:06:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that the Tohubohu news site has moved to the official Tohubohu Productions website, Tohubohu.tv. Be sure to visit and bookmark the site to keep on top of the latest Tohubohu Productions announcements!

48 Go Green Screening Details

2011-02-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Less than 24 hours to go before we’ll be busily hammering away at our official 48 Go Green competition entry (wish I could say I’m all rested up, but... not so much). But while our attention is pretty exclusively focused on getting that rolling, I do have a couple of quick updates I wanted to pass along as soon as possible.

First of all, we have our official 48 Go Green screening time set: Tuesday, February 22, at 7:00 p.m. As is traditional, the screening is at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and tickets are now on sale at the official website. Grab ’em before they sell out! (There’s also a second screening of films immediately following our set, starting at 9:30, in case you’d like to check out some of the other entries.)

And second, the dates have been locked for this year’s (regular) 48 Hour Film Project contest: April 29–May 1, 2011 (pretty much exactly what we’d figured). If you’d like to join us, be sure to block off your calendars and drop us a line. (Um, but probably not until after this weekend — we’re a little busy to really deal with that just yet.)

That’s it for now (probably one of our shortest newsletters to date). Be sure to check out our official Twitter feed (yes, we’ve got one now: @TohubohuFilm) and Facebook page for the most up-to-date info!

Tohubohu Goes Green

2011-02-03T09:23:00.000-05:00

First of all, welcome to the new Tohubohu newsletter mailing, Controlled Chaos. Pretty much the same update I send out every month or so, but with a snappy new look. And a name. Makes it feel more official, somehow. (I’ve done a bit of browser testing here, but if anyone has problems viewing this message, please say so — I may not be able to fix it with my rudimentary html skills, but I’ll do what I can.) The newsletter also showcases the new Tohubohu logo in the header — and to commemorate the occasion, I’ve put together a little compilation of the opening logo animations we’ve used over the years — starting all the way back with “Loose Ends” in 2004 and featuring a sneak peek at our latest. If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic, you can give it a look at our YouTube channel, where “Likes” and comments are always welcome. (You may also notice that we’ve taken to promoting the Tohubohu.tv address over the TohubohuProductions.com one — still the same site, but we’re hoping the shorter address will be easier for people to remember. Assuming they can spell “Tohubohu,” of course.)

Speaking of material on outside sites, I’m trying to get better about updating the Tohubohu Facebook page. We initially had a Facebook group, but that didn’t really take off, and now that the page model is becoming more standard, I figure we’ll have another go. So head on over, give it a “Like,” and say hi. (No Twitter feed yet — that may be coming at some point, but I can’t even get around to updating my personal feed all that reliably — except, of course, over our filmmaking weekends.)

The big item on the agenda this month, of course, is preparing for the 48 Hour Film Project's “48 Go Green” competition, which is now just two weeks away. (Wait, just two weeks? That can’t be right... Hmm, guess it is.) Looks like we’re getting down to the wire here — if you’re available the weekend of February 18–20 (with the big shooting day being on Saturday the 19th), please let me know as soon as possible. We’ve got a lot of our basic team assembled, but as always, there are some things we can’t get enough of. Locations being a big one; we’ve got a couple on tap, but would love to have multiple options. So if you’ve got a great idea for somewhere to shoot —remember, the theme is the environment, in case that gives you any ideas — please pass it along. And hey, if the environmental angle is what inspires you to join in with our motley crew, then I’m not above pushing that. (I do have to throw out my usual caveat that casting for these types of projects is always a crapshoot, as we don’t know what parameters we’ll have, so we can’t promise anything.)

Otherwise, it’s been a pretty busy month. I spoke at a panel discussion for TIVA on the subject of awards and promotion, and we had a really great turnout — I was glad to step up (or sit down, as the case may be) and represent, not only for Tohubohu but for the whole DC independent film community (no pressure or anything). I was able to attend the premiere of Saint Elizabeths Hospital: Voices From Within, which had a packed house and a fantastic audience reaction (some fantastic event photos are up at their Facebook page). Jabberwocky Audio Theater’s Rogue Tyger debuted its inaugural episode, “The Pilot, Part 1,” with many more to come across the next several months; be sure to check it out at the official site or subscribe via the iTunes directory (no such thing as too much promotion). Genesis completed its run at the Warehouse Theater — but if you missed the show, you can still see a sampling of the video work I contributed at our YouTube channel (probably the most disturbing piece I’ve done to date; not for the kiddies). And of course, we’re laying the groundwork for this year’s (regular) 48 Hour Film Project, which we think (judging by past years’ dates) is going to be over the weekend of April 29–May 1 (though it could also be the following weekend — nothing’s locked down yet).

As a bit of a side note, if anyone is interested in volunteering to provide subtitle translations for any of our films, I’d certainly appreciate it. It would go a long way toward helping our prospects for international festival distribution. I’ve had this guy Google doing it, but he’s not all that reliable...

And with that, I’ll go ahead and sign off for now. We’ll be sure to let everyone know when we have any updates or screening info for the “48 Go Green” film (again — no such thing as too much promotion), but otherwise I expect things will be a little quiet in terms of communication until we get through the weekend. Talk to you then, and hope to see a lot of you soon!

A New Year Begins

2011-01-10T17:10:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a nice holiday season! While I know it’s been a couple of months since my last message, it really feels like just yesterday that I was recapping the TIVA Peer Awards (and our jaw-dropping recognition therein). But now it’s time to get back to work, and I’ve got a few quick updates for everyone.

First of all, speaking of the Peer Awards, I’ve been asked to participate in a panel discussion — along with Andrea Kalin of Spark Media and Adam Hurst of Interface Media Group — to provide a sort of wrap-up to this year’s awards. Mike Sobola, the 2010 Peer Awards Chairman, will moderate, and the plan is to cover why one should enter competitions in general (and the Peer Awards in particular), selecting both categories to enter and works to submit, the importance of technical competence, and suggestions for next year’s awards. There will also be audience Q&A and screenings of clips from 2010 award competitors. The event is $10 for TIVA members (and full-time students) and $20 otherwise. I’d love to see some friendly faces in the crowd... maybe get a few softball questions.

(I’m also hoping to have a few copies of the “Number One With a Bullet” DVD — chock-full of bonus features — finished and on hand for cast & crew, so let me know if you’re planning to be there and I’ll bring you a copy.)

Next, a quick heads-up that Tohubohu is planning to join in on the 48 Hour Film Project’s “Go Green” competition, which runs across the weekend of February 18th through the 20th. Pretty much like the regular 48 Hour Film Project (which we’re also planning to do in a few months, of course), but with an environmental theme. While this is an international competition, DC is one of eight cities hosting a live in-person event — which means that we will get a local big-screen premiere. So if you’re interested in joining us for a little extra challenge, drop me a line soon!

And finally, I wanted to give a few quick notices about projects that are at least tangentially Tohubohu-related. One, Jabberwocky Audio Theater — spearheaded by Tohubohu’s own Bjorn Munson — has officially launched, and its first serialized radio drama, Rogue Tyger, will debut later this month; behind-the-scenes interviews have already begun airing (including ones with Tohubohu performers Nick DePinto and Neil Conway — and one with yours truly is coming soon). Check out the official site for more information, or search the iTunes directory for “Jabberwocky Audio Theater” to subscribe!

Two, Genesis, winner of the “Best Drama” award at the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival, is having a limited return engagement at the Warehouse Theater from January 20–30. Written by Evan Crump and directed by Tohubohu performer John C. Bailey, this is a truly compelling piece, and I was honored to be able to provide some videographic support for the produciton. Tickets are available online at www.cityartisticpartnerships.org.

And three, the Saint Elizabeths Hospital: Voices From Within video diary project — put together by Joy Haynes and Ellie Walton (with some editorial assistance from Tohubohu veteran Ginny Filer and myself) — is having its premiere screening on January 29. The event is invitation-only and seating is limited, so be sure to check out the official site or email seh.voicesfromwithin@gmail.com for details. This is an extraordinary project, and well worth checking out!

And that just about wraps it up for this newsletter. Best wishes to all, and I hope to hear from several of you with regard to “Go Green” very soon!

Wow, Just...Wow

2010-11-14T19:18:00.002-05:00

So I’m finally (well, mostly anyway) recovered from last night’s festivities at the National Press Club for the 2010 TIVA (Television, Internet, and Video Association of DC) Peer Awards... and to say that the awards ceremony was a success would be a huge understatement. Not only was it a fantastic opportunity to rub elbows with some of the most innovative, dedicated and creative people in the DC visual-production community, but in what seemed at times like a comically extended procession, the Tohubohu films “Liability” and “Number One With a Bullet” took home a grand total of eight awards across the course of the evening:

Bronze Award: Editing — Fiction, “Number One With a Bullet” (William R. Coughlan and Ginny Filer, editors)
Bronze Award: Independent Short, “Liability” (Pam W. Coughlan, producer, and William R. Coughlan, executive producer)
Silver Award: Screenwriting — Fiction Short, “Liability” (Robin Brande and William R. Coughlan, screenwriters)
Silver Award: Directing — Fiction Short, “Liability” (William R. Coughlan, director)
Silver Award: Independent Short, “Number One With a Bullet” (Joy Haynes, producer, and William R. Coughlan, executive producer)
Gold Award: Editing — Fiction, “Liability” (William R. Coughlan, Brad Hartland, and Colin Heichman, editors)
Gold Award: Screenwriting — Fiction Short, “Number One With a Bullet” (William R. Coughlan and Bjorn Munson, screenwriters)
Gold Award: Directing — Fiction Short, “Number One With a Bullet” (William R. Coughlan, director)

And as if that weren’t enough, “Number One With a Bullet” was also one out of just four nominees in the prestigious “Best of DC” award! (My jaw was nearly on the floor when they made that announcement.)

All of this is doubly amazing in that we hadn’t planned on submitting “Number One With a Bullet” at all this year — but a mad-scramble dash to finally get the picture locked allowed us to slip it in at the last possible moment for consideration. We figured that it might generate some small amount of buzz around the project, but honestly had no idea that it would be anything approaching this scale. (And yes, we’ll be sure to let everyone know when they can see the finished product on the big screen!)

The ceremony didn’t allow time for individual acceptance speeches (though there should be pictures later), so I just wanted to take a moment here to congratulate everyone involved in both of these projects — filmmaking is far from an individual endeavor, and there’s honestly no way we could have had this success without the dedicated efforts of all of you. We truly couldn’t be happier!

Tohubohu Autumn Update

2010-10-18T14:54:00.002-04:00

Just a few quick notes, and then we’ll let you get back to work (or Facebook viewing, which may be more likely).

We recently attended Stonehenge XII, held at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson in Baltimore. Saw a whole bunch of great audition pieces (including some stellar showings from several Tohubohu veterans), and are really hoping to work with some of those actors in the future. Stonehenge is on hold for the winter, but keep an eye out at Team Jabberwocky for details on next year’s events.

The TIVA Peer Awards are coming up on November 13, and Tohubohu has not one but two films in consideration for awards — “Liability” and “Number One With a Bullet.” Tickets for the award ceremony at the National Press Club are still available, but going fast. We’d love to have a great turnout, so please consider joining us there. (And hey, drop us a line to let us know you’re coming!)

After a lot of hard work, all fourteen of the Tohubohu short films are now represented at the IMDb! All the way back to our inaugural pieces, “Loose Ends” and “Schlimmer.” We’ve done our best to make sure everything’s accurate and up to date, but if you worked on any of our films, give the pages a quick look and note any errors or inconsistencies. If you’ve got an IMDb account, you can request the changes yourself, or just pass them along to us and we’ll get repairs under way.

A quick notification for any of our younger readers — NASA is promoting a video contest for third through eighth graders. Videos will showcase how NASA technology is “transformed” into everyday use (yes, there’s a Transformers theme). Might be an interesting opportunity.

Otherwise, there are a few special projects in the works, but unfortunately nothing ready for promotion just yet. So that’s it for now — hope to see you soon!

Back-to-School Update

2010-09-03T13:06:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the long absence — it seems like only a couple of weeks have passed, when in reality it’s been quite a bit longer than that. In looking back I realized that we haven’t sent out a group update since before our 48 Hour Film Project screening back in May — so it’s effectively like we took our own little summer vacation (alas, if only we had really taken such a holiday...). But now with Labor Day upon us, it’s time to head (metaphorically) back to school...

Speaking of the 48 Hour Film Project, our screening at the AFI Silver went very well, and the audience really seemed to love it. Unfortunately, we lost out on the audience award to the Eastern Avenue Films entry, “Quelques Instants” — so (since we were out of the running for the other awards due to our late submission) that was the end of the road for “Liability” as far as the competition went.

But that wasn’t the end as far as we’re concerned — we are actively submitting “Liability” (and some of our other films) to festivals around the country, so we’ll be sure to keep everyone posted about any upcoming screenings!

Along those lines, because of our active festival submissions, several of our shorts have now joined our list of IMDb-listed films (bringing our total up to 12). As of right now, the films that have been newly inducted into the Internet Movie Database include:

“Liability”
“Uncertainty Principle”
“Close Quarters” (our 48HFP entry from 2006)
“Loose Ends” (the very first film in Tohubohu’s library, from 2004)

The IMDb transfer process is a gradual one, and invariably introduces a number of errors and omissions (such as inadvertent duplication of people’s pages, mixing up of people with similar names, leaving off particular credits, etc.) I’ve been working to correct errors as I see them, but — particularly since it takes up to a couple of weeks for changes to be approved and made — there are no doubt still several mistakes. So if you see anything amiss, please drop me a line and let me know. (You can always create an IMDb account and make changes yourself, but I’d just as soon avoid duplicating any requests we’re making of the IMDb editorial staff.) A special congratulations to anyone who’s now listed for the first time!

We’ve also submitted some of our work for consideration in the 2010 TIVA Peer Awards — though given the rigorous judging process, I’m trying not to get my hopes up for anything. Still, fingers crossed...

In other news, the latest Stonehenge mass auditions (hosted by our cohorts at Team Jabberwocky) are coming up on Sunday, September 26, at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson in Baltimore. Tohubohu will be in attendance, so this is a great chance for the actors among you to shine — not just for us, but for a whole slew of area filmmakers. Registration is now open, so hurry over and sign up — especially since there are a limited number of audition slots. Those slots will be allocated by lottery, so (though there will be more applicants than slots available) don’t worry that other actors have already gotten in ahead of you — just make sure you’re signed up before September 11 and you’ve got an equal shot at one of those coveted positions. (As a side bonus, check out the Team Jabberwocky News Blog for Stonehenge-specific tips and tricks.)

And finally, I wanted to give a quick notice that “Number One With a Bullet” is finally in the can! With everything else going on, this one ended up spending a lot more time in postproduction than we’d planned. Not that we waited around — we’ve been sending it out to festivals even with temporary scoring and effects — but now we can say that it is officially complete! I’d love to do a formal cast-and-crew showing, so if anyone has an “in” with any promising screening venues, please let me know!

That’s it for now — hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

“Liability”

2010-05-04T17:23:00.002-04:00

Once again, Tohubohu has ventured into the waters of the 48 Hour Film Project, and once again, we have succeeded... Well, in a manner of speaking.

The reality is that while we did produce a great little short horror film, “Liability,” we were late in making it to the final drop-off — and five minutes late is still late. Unfortunately, this means that while we will still screen at the AFI Silver Theatre tomorrow evening (and be eligible for the “Audience Favorite” award), we will not be eligible for consideration in any of the judged categories.

While most certainly a disappointment, I am comforted (at least somewhat) by the fact that every year we strive to do something more than the year before, to stretch our boundaries, to try new things. In a way, if we succeeded every time, then we wouldn’t really be challenging ourselves.

And the horror genre was definitely a challenge. But at every step in the process, everyone on the team worked like mad to make it a success. The individual stories of going above and beyond what I had any right to expect — from both cast and crew — are too numerous to mention.

(I did manage to keep tweeting our progress — though my tweets were understandably a bit sparse during the shoot itself — and I suspect that I’ll continue that tradition in the future.)

In the end, I’m really happy with the film itself. We had committed to producing a PG-13 film, which meant we weren’t going to go for a conventional slasher picture. So instead, we went with more of a creepy ghost story, a tale of justice and supernatural vengeance, of secrets, lies, and lawyers...

But of course, you can judge the results for yourselves: Tickets are still available for our debut screening tomorrow evening — Wednesday, May 5, at 7:00 p.m. You can purchase advance tickets at the AFI Silver website (and given the likelihood that they will sell out, I strongly recommend taking that course). Given that the only award we’re still up for is the Audience award, I really want to make sure we’re stacking that audience with as many friendly faces (or, more accurately, votes) as possible. And since all films in that screening fit within the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, you can feel free to bring younger viewers (thereby increasing our potential audience size).

Also worth noting are two special screenings coming up later this month. First is the Best of the 48 Hour Film Project on May 27, where the top films from this year’s competition will be shown, and the prize winners announced. (There is a different selection of films at each screening, so you can safely make a whole evening out of it.) And on May 28th, you can see the Best of 10 Years of the 48 Hour Film Project, showcasing the best films in the competition’s history — sure to be a memorable event. Tickets for both are also available at the AFI Silver website.

Thanks so much, and I hope to see you tomorrow evening!

Less Than Eight Hours...

2010-04-30T11:54:00.001-04:00

Well, it’s almost go time for this year’s 48 Hour Film Project! I wish I could say that I’m rested and ready, but the reality is that I’ve barely slept all week. So this weekend will be... interesting.

That said, just like last year, I’m going to try to tweet our progress via my (personal) Twitter feed, twitter.com/coughlan (or @coughlan, for you Twitter regulars). I’m not going to even pretend that I’ll be blogging or sending emails out across the next several days, so if you want more than just the eventual recap (and no promises as to when I’ll get around to posting that), the Twitter feed is the place to find it.

Okay, call to action time: We do have our screening night set — Wednesday, May 5, at 7:00 pm, at the AFI Silver Theatre. Tickets are now on sale — so go to the AFI site and place your order. We’d really like to have some friendly faces in the crowd! (And since ours is officially designated a “PG-13” screening, you can bring the younger viewers as well.)

Well, that’s about all I have time for now — I’ve still got paperwork to fill out, gear to load up, a cooler to clear out, messages to send, phone calls to make, potential locations to sift through, actor lists to assemble, and more than a little last-minute shopping to do (so glad I decided to take today off from the day job). So I’ll sign off for now, and look forward to seeing (many of) you at the screening.

Off to make a movie!

Three Weeks Until 48!

2010-04-10T17:40:00.000-04:00

Just taking a moment to remind everyone that there are just three weeks until we once again jump into the 48 Hour Film Project: April 30th through May 2nd. We do have the core of our creative group set, but if you’d like to join in on the fun (well, the chaos, anyway) and haven’t already let us know, now would be a good time. As is routinely the case, we’re supremely interested in any locations you may have at your disposal — the more unusual the better, of course, but frankly even the mundane (but available) is a big help. And, of course, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask (rest assured, there is a human being at the other end of this message).

On another note, we recently received word that “Uncertainty Principle” will not receive commercial distribution (in fact, the distributor opted to pass on the International Shootout films entirely). The bad news, of course, is that you won’t be seeing our little film (or any of the other competitors’) on DVD any time soon — but the good news is that you can watch it online right now! That’s right, we have put the movie on our site for the world to enjoy. So go to the site, watch — and be sure to tell your friends!

That’s it for today — just a short update, in light of all the work we’re doing (or trying to do) in advance of our next creative outing. (Please, hold your applause.)

We’re Back...

2010-03-17T10:24:00.001-04:00

Long time, no speak. I had hoped to have news on the distribution prospects for “Uncertainty Principle” (which will, in turn, affect our ability to post the film online), but alas, we are at the mercy of distributors’ schedules. So no word on that front just yet.

But as the time for our next filmmaking outing approaches, I couldn’t wait any longer to send out the call — yes, we are participating in this year’s 48 Hour Film Project! The event will take place from Friday, April 30, through Sunday, May 2 (and unlike the recent International Shootout, for which we technically had an extra day, this event will run just 48 hours). For the most part, our shooting will take place on Saturday the 1st — though given last year’s down-to-the-wire scramble to get in under deadline, I would really appreciate some additional postproduction support on Sunday (not to mention that having help there will allow us to clean things up some more, or experiment a bit).

Space on the team is naturally limited (which is my CYA way of saying I can’t promise anything), so please let me know as soon as possible if you’d like to join in. Hope to see you there!

(On a minor housekeeping note, because of some administrative changes at Blogger, we’ve had to migrate our news blog to a new address: tohubohunews.blogspot.com. You can still navigate there from the main Tohubohu site — and the old address should redirect to the new. Same great news archive, less intuitive URL.)

This blog has moved

2010-03-17T10:03:00.001-04:00

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“Uncertainty Principle”

2010-01-13T07:31:00.000-05:00

Thought I’d send out a quick (and long overdue) note about our latest short film, “Uncertainty Principle,” produced as part of the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout, and let you know about a special local screening this Saturday evening. (Nothing like giving you plenty of advance notice, eh?)

The competition itself — open to the top 100 48 Hour Film Project teams worldwide — saw 55 teams turning in finished films over the weekend of December 4–7 (we get an extra day in there to account for the need to mail the films in to the “central office”). Five local teams were in the mix — us, Integral Arts, WIT Films, DC Dogs, and Red Hat Memory.

The competition itself proved a bit unusual, as we found out Friday evening when we received our “required elements”... or, rather, when we didn’t receive them. That’s right — no required character, prop, and line, and no randomly assigned genre. All we had was a theme: The End of the World.

I’d say that we agonized for hours about what to do, but in reality we hit upon a basic idea early on (well, Robin did), and we were off and running. We were pretty limited in terms of available locations this time around, so that helped define the scope of what we were able to tackle. But thanks to a great script, a stellar cast (including John C. Bailey, Anna Coughlan, Erin Rose Coughlan, Linda Gabriel Deutsch, Belén Pifel, and Stuart Scotten), and a dedicated crew (both Saturday and Sunday were pretty exhausting shooting days), we were able to deliver a really solid entry, and one I’m personally really proud of.

Here’s the official “summary”: Dire warnings of immminent disaster have proven justified, as global destruction begins raining down from purple-hued skies. A Washington family struggles to cope with the advancing armageddon until a lone physicist proposes an unorthodox course of action.

Unfortunately, because the judging is still under way (the plan is to distribute the top 10 films commercially), we can’t post the film online, or even show you a trailer. (At the earliest, we won’t be able to show you anything until March.) But you will have one chance to see the film this weekend, along with entries from the other local teams.

There will be a special screening — a free screening, no less — of all five DC-area films at CDIA in Georgetown (where the old Foundry Theater used to be) on Saturday, January 16. The screening starts at 7:00 PM and is expected to run about an hour; the films will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A afterward (and having worked with several of these filmmakers before, let me say that they can be an entertaining bunch). This promises to be a fairly packed event — remember, these are entries from the top teams in DC — so be sure to get there early. (Directions are available at the CDIA site, and feel free to get back to me with any questions.)

Hope to see you there!

Shawn Felty

2009-12-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

It is with a heavy heart that I pass along the news that Shawn Felty — or “Felt” as we were wont to call him on set — passed away this afternoon, after a long struggle with colon cancer. While it seems all too clichéd to describe someone’s battle as “courageous,” in Shawn’s case it certainly seemed apt, as he never stopped remaining positive, never fell into self-pity or victimhood, even when his illness was at its worst (the title of his blog — “All It Takes Is Guts” — speaks volumes).

From our first meeting — on the night before we were to shoot “Schlimmer,” Tohubohu’s inaugural entry in the 48 Hour Film Project — Shawn showed himself to be not only talented, but creative and extraordinarily dedicated to his work. Following quickly with his starring turn in “Screening Process,” he cemented his position as a regular in front of the camera, appearing in nine of the thirteen short films we’ve produced. But his contribution never stopped there: We rapidly came to depend on his assistance in the postproduction arena, where he would jump in on everything from researching to organizing to editing (earning him the official title “Switch Hitter” on the Tohubohu board). When his health wouldn’t permit him to take a more active role, he would help in any way he could — on “Number One With a Bullet,” he took a turn helping coordinate the auditioning process, a task that he leapt into without a moment’s hesitation. And then, when his health improved, he was right back in the thick of things with “All Roads Lead Away” and “Please Forward.”

But more than all of that, Shawn was a good and valued friend. He never ceased to make the often arduous process of filmmaking a fun experience for everyone involved. His upbeat attitude, positive outlook and unbridled enthusiasm were truly unparalleled, and he routinely made friends everywhere he went; seventy people came by to see him in the hospital yesterday. And while I consider myself fortunate that I was able to be one of those visitors (where despite his weakness, his infectious smile was as wide as ever), that small feeling is overshadowed by the larger recognition of the tremendous impact he has had — and will continue to have — on my life. The world is measurably poorer for his passing.

Thanks, Shawn, for leaving the world a little brighter than it was before you entered.

Bill

Service arrangements are still being made, but Shawn’s family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer.

Counting Down... Again

2009-11-30T16:31:00.003-05:00

Less than a week to go before we jump in on the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout, but we still have some final details to get ironed out. Most significantly, just where to shoot. Turns out we don’t have a lot of our regular haunts available this time around, so if you’ve got any suggestions to offer up, please pass them along ASAP. The more interesting the better, of course (I have a fantasy of shooting in an abandoned steel mill), but even an ordinary apartment, office, bar, restaurant, school, or park will be helpful. We’ve got a couple of intriguing options out of the city (in some cases way out of the city), but I figure if we can shoot closer in there’s a greater chance that we’ll be able to keep everyone on board. (Yes, as a confirmed suburbanite, I’m used to driving, but not all of our city-dwelling brethren share my comfort level with distance travel.) Our main shooting day will be Saturday, but (since we’ve got the extra day for editing) we may do some additional scenes Sunday morning.

(And remember, if you’re going to be watching from the sidelines this time around, be sure to follow the weekend’s progress on my Twitter feed.)

On another note, I wanted to congratulate Erik Synnestvedt on winning a Silver Award for Acting on Camera – Dramatic, Male at the 2009 TIVA Awards for his work in “Please Forward.” So... congratulations!

Okay, that’s it for now — hope to see a lot of you in just a few days!

48HFP International Shootout

2009-11-11T10:07:00.002-05:00

I suppose I should start with an apology for being effectively incommunicado for the past three months. Wish I could say that big film projects were afoot, but the reality is that this fall’s been a perfect storm of work, personal, and family obligations that occupied the vast majority of my personal time and mental energy.

That said, there’s nothing like a new project to get me out from under my rock, and it looks like we’ve got one: Tohubohu has just been invited to participate in the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout! The good news is that this gives us the excuse we’ve been looking for to get another film in before the end of the year. The bad news (and there’s always bad news) is that the competition is the first weekend in December, which gives us very little prep time. Still, after talking to a few key folks and making sure we at least had our basic needs covered, we’ve decided to go ahead with it.

The competition works very similarly to the regular 48 Hour Film Project, but with a few variations. First, because this is a simultaneous international event, the drawing and submission processes are done remotely — we’ll receive our elements via email, and submit our finished film by mail (much like in the National Film Challenge); if you’re thinking ahead, you may realize that this effectively gives us an extra day to get everything wrapped up. Second, there won’t be a big-screen AFI Silver premiere — though the winning film will screen at Filmapalooza and at the Cannes Short Film Corner. And third, there will be other thematic elements besides the genre and the traditional required elements; because they’re looking to distribute a selection of the finished films as a package, the plan is to have some commonality connecting the films in the series.

Unfortunately, there’s no SAG waiver this time around, so alas, that means that our SAG-actor contingent will be unable to participate (well, not in front of the camera, anyway). Which is certainly a disappointment — particularly as our invitation to participate in this contest is due in no small part to all of the fantastic work you’ve done for us of late. But this will give others a chance to shine, and rest assured, we’ll have more opportunities soon!
Given the comparatively short prep time, we’ll naturally be giving preferential consideration to those with whom we’ve worked before (particularly on our most recent projects, “Number One With a Bullet,” “All Roads Lead Away,” and “Please Forward”). But — especially since several of our regulars are otherwise committed — if you’re interested in joining in, drop me a line ASAP! (And yes, I’m planning once again to tweet our progress across the weekend on my Twitter feed.)

Time to start shooting!

Quick Bits

2009-08-10T06:51:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to take a moment to give everyone a few updates (only one of which is strictly Tohubohu-related, but I figure that at this stage I can be forgiven a little digression).

First of all, the “director’s cut” of “Please Forward” is now up and available for viewing at our official site. Not a whole lot different from the original 48 Hour Film Project version, but just a couple of minor alterations that we hope will give it a little life beyond the 48 Hour audience. Give it a look and let us know what you think! We hope to start sending this out to festivals shortly.

Second, a sort of follow-up shout-out to Barry Gribble and the Integral Arts team for their independent TV pilot, “Dog.” Last time I mentioned that it had been accepted into the Independent Television Festival in LA (and, of course, dropped the little fact that I did a little production design work on it). Well, as it so happens, the pilot took home the Best Overall TV award! The pilot should be viewable at the festival site soon, so be sure to check back — it’s definitely worth seeing (as if the fact that they won the top award didn’t give you a little clue). Congratulations!

Edited to add: Actually, the pilot won’t be viewable at the ITV Fest site right away — because it’ll be screening at the New York Television Festival in September! And as a special bonus, you can check out the trailer for “Dog” right here! (It’s kind of NSFW, though the language is muted. Use your own judgment.) And if you look carefully, you’ll see one of my poster designs in the opening shot. Just sayin’.

Third, a call to arms for fellow filmmaker Francis Abbey, of Boxing Day and video blog “Running Commentary” fame (or notoriety, depending on your point of view). His latest feature, 6 Nonsmokers, is looking for background actors right now. As in this week — Wednesday and Friday, to be specific. It’s a non-union shoot (and not a paying gig), but does promise to be a fun time. You can check out the official site for details on the film — a comedy about conflict resolution — but as for the pertinent practical details, here goes: On Wednesday, they’re looking to shoot a big crowd scene at the Oxon Hill Public Library, and need to fill an auditorium with journalists and academics. And on Friday, they’ll be staging a college party along with some bar gatherings (a regular bar, country-western bar, and a club). If you’re interested, you can contact casting director Laura Carlson at lauracarlson74 [AT] hotmail [DOT] com. Preferably sooner rather than later.

And finally, I just wanted to call attention to some promising new web series for your entertainment (as if my ramblings weren’t entertaining enough). First is “Shrinkage,” starring Gia Mora as an online advice columnist with a less-than-traditional therapy style (written and directed by the aforementioned Barry Gribble). Next is the ever-popular “Appletinis with Ken,” starring Ken Arnold as... well, Ken Arnold — not exactly a “new” series, but I haven’t mentioned it here before, and it has featured a few Tohubohu veterans in the guest chair. And finally, there’s “ParaAbnormal,” a show about dysfunctional paranormal investigators, featuring Ken Arnold and “All Roads Lead Away” star Joe Hansard. So give ’em a look-see and spread the word if you’re so inclined — gotta do what we can to expand the audience for the DC indie production community!

That’s it for now — thanks for listening (or reading), and we’ll be back in touch soon!

Rosebud Film & Video Festival 2009

2009-06-24T15:19:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that the Rosebud Film & Video Festival Nominee Showcase is this Saturday at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre (1611 North Kent Street in Arlington — just two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station)! The (twenty-film) screening runs from 12:30 p.m. until about 5:30 p.m., but (for those of you who may not be inclined to stay for the entire event), “All Roads Lead Away” will be showing at 2:00. That said, there are some really great films in the lineup — be sure to check out the official site for details!

Tickets for the all-day event are just $8.00, and include an invitation to the Rosebud Awards ceremony at the Clarendon Ballroom on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 703-524-2388.

Hope to see you there!

Oh, and while I’ve got you here, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Barry Gribble and the Integral Arts production team, whose independent pilot “Dog” (for which yours truly made a very small production-design contribution) was just accepted into the Independent Television Festival in LA. Congratulations!

The Results Are In...

2009-05-24T18:00:00.002-04:00

“Please Forward” has taken home the Audience Award for screening group G in the 2009 48 Hour Film Project! (We’ve got a nice little certificate and everything.) And given that there were four films from our screening group represented in the “Best Of” screening, that’s no small feat. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who helped make this effort such a success. The screening itself went great, and was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate with a veritable Who’s-Who of the DC filmmaking community.

The full listing of results are posted at the official site, but I thought I’d point out a few personal highlights. (Just my own opinion, of course, but I like to think my opinion’s pretty significant. It is to me, anyway.) Fellow Audience Award winners included Dobler’s Pen entry “He Drove,” Card Sharque’s “Cry Guy,” and River Run’s “Happy Hour.” Cinematography and Editing honors went to Dead City Films’ “The Imperial.” The WIT Films entry “Rakirovka” took home the Best Directing award (as well as Best Sound Design). And our frequent collaborators (co-conspirators?) Integral Arts took home Best Costumes, Best Special Effects, Best Writing, and Best Film awards for “Gwendolyn Dangerous and the Great Space Rescue.” (Whew!) I also want to give a quick shout-out to The Quest for their film “Stonking,” Cavegirl Productions for “Motivation,” and Star Wipe Films for “Like It’s Your Last” — all worth a look.

That’s it for today, but I’ll sign off with another reminder to keep your calendars open (not to mention passing the news along to anyone who might be interested) on June 27 for the Rosebud Film & Video Festival, where “All Roads Lead Away” will be screening. And in the meantime, I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on any other showings or events to come!

Best of the 48 Hour Film Project 2009

2009-05-18T11:52:00.006-04:00

Well, it’s official — “Please Forward” will be screening as part of the Best of the 48 Hour Film Project this Thursday evening. We’ll be showing with the 7:00 show, and in glorious HD, no less. (I dropped off an HD master with the editor last Friday.)

If you’d like a recap of the big shooting weekend, Pam posted one earlier, so I won’t go into detail here. But I will say that everything came together fantastically. The writing (from “You Pay Your Dues” scribe Robin Brande) was spot-on, the crew was totally gung-ho (a big help given the daunting number of setups we had), and the cast (including a couple of very talented young newcomers) was enthusiastic and extremely dedicated.

Here’s the official listing of films (with links where available):

Screening 1 — 7:00 p.m.

Eastern Avenue Films: “American Institution” (Mockumentary)
Roadside Productions: “Cirque d’Amour” (Comedy)
Unfinished Productions: “Decidophobia”
South County United: “From Behind the Corn Hole” (Buddy Film)
River Run: “Happy Hour” (Surprise Ending)
Two Meter: “Looking for You”
Hugs Productions: “Make a Difference Day” (Holiday Film)
Cavegirl Productions: “Motivation” (Thriller/Suspense)
Bad Media: “Nowhere, Man” (Historical Fiction)
Tohubohu: “Please Forward” (Holiday Film)
WIT Films: “Rakirovka” (Foreign Film)
Woge Sloth: “’Za” (Stoner Film)

Screening 2 — 9:30 p.m.

Card Sharque: “Cry Guy”
Second Minute Films: “Family Outing”
Integral Arts: “Gwendolyn Dangerous and the Great Space Rescue” (Film de Femme)
Dobler’s Pen: “He Drove” (Comedy)
Ad Infinitum: “Ivan Pagoda: A Feel Good Story” (Comedy)
The BetaMacks: “Janice and Jonas” (Silent Film)
Cardiff Giant: “Life Is Super”
Star Wipe Films: “Like It’s Your Last” (Sci Fi)
Loud Noises: “Pipe Dream” (Fantasy)
Dusty Negatives: “Propagation 8” (Sci Fi)
The Quest: “Stonking” (Mockumentary)
Dead City Films: “The Imperial” (Detective/Cop)

I’ve actually seen quite a few of the other films screening on Thursday, and if the ones I’ve seen are any indication, it promises to be an entertaining show. (Be sure to get your tickets soon, as they will likely sell out.)

Beyond that, be sure to mark your calendars for the Rosebud Film & Video Festival on June 27, where “All Roads Lead Away” will be showing. And we’re scrambling to finish up music for “Number One With a Bullet” so we can start shopping that around to festivals in earnest (though we have already made one submission). More news as we have it!

“Please Forward”

2009-05-04T08:56:00.000-04:00

It’s fair to say that the idea for Tohubohu’s newest short film, “Please Forward,” came to me in a dream. Seriously.

In the days before the 48 Hour Film Project, Bill and Robin were joking about chain emails and then thinking how that concept would be interesting for the movie. But with our genre and required elements still not established, they didn’t want to go too far down that road. (In the 48 Hour Film Project, you pick your genre out of a hat and there is a required prop, character, and line of dialogue.) However, that night as I slept, I took that germ of a concept, mixed it with The Office, and a parody video, “Flutter.” I dreamed about a mockumentary about a business that starts all of those obnoxious chain emails. When I told Bill in the morning, he laughed, but not knowing what we’d have to use when we wrote our film, it didn’t make sense to work up the idea. We thought about writing it up afterward for our own film.

When Bill went to the kick-off party and drew the Holiday Film genre, the idea came back into play: What if we went with the mockumentary, but it was at the office Christmas party? On Friday night, Bill and Robin started off the brainstorming and script writing while I finished up the Drama Club performance with my fourth grader (she did an amazing job as a chicken). Back at home, Robin wrote up the script as Bill and I made suggestions, selected our cast, and made phone calls. I ran around the house finding Christmas decorations.

Saturday morning, we headed into Bill’s old office building, where he had gotten permission to film. It was a great set-up for us, offering lots of spaces for scenes, but also lots of room to wait around. Even with only one day to film, there’s a lot of waiting around in the movies. Both of the girls came to be in the Research & Development scenes, and also to help with the clapper board, set decoration, and general gofer jobs. I took calls from our cast and crew, made sure everyone was where they needed to be, picked internal locations, decorated and took down sets, made sure everyone had plenty of food (very important), arranged the order of filming for scenes, walked the actors through some parts, and made sure all the paperwork was in order. Bill just directed the movie. Slacker.

We had a great time during the day, with a pretty relaxed feel considering our tight schedule. The actors gave us some stellar performances. Really top notch. I may be biased, but my favorite scene is with my fourth grader, where the marketing woman is trying to get some ideas about the next generation of chain email users, but is having trouble working with a kid. I also love my seventh grader as a typical teen, texting instead of thinking about the marketer’s questions. The party scene was the most fun to film, and I do make an appearance there as an employee.

We wrapped up at 10:00 p.m. and Bill went into the office to work with the preliminary edit. In the wee hours of the morning he came back to the house for a few hours of sleep, and then went back to edit the film and add sound effects, music, and credits. Oh, and play with sound levels and color correction and technical film kind of stuff. I saw a rough cut at 2:00 and loved it. I reminded him to temper his technical perfectionism and get the film turned in early — no last-minute run for the doors at 7:00.

He did turn the film in with time to spare. Robin has seen it and really liked it. Bill went off with a couple of other directors for a mini-showing at someone’s house and got great feedback and lots of laughs. I can’t wait to show it to you... but it will have to wait until after our screening at the AFI Silver Theatre, Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The 48 Hour Film Project takes place in cities all over the country, so if you’re interested you might check the upcoming dates. While we work with a set team, many other groups need to fill positions in the weeks and days leading up to the competition. On the website, you can indicate your interest in joining a team, and there are often meet-and-greet events to help fill positions. It can be exhausting, but it’s a blast.

Preparations, Screenings, and the IMDb

2009-04-28T12:39:00.001-04:00

Just a few days away from the 48 Hour Film Project now. We are still looking for anyone who’s interested in makeup and guitar or keyboard work — otherwise we’ll likely have to go for the wild card if we draw “Western or Musical” or “Horror.” Please get back to me ASAP if your skills fit these categories!

If you’re not working on the film (and that includes most of you on this list) but are inclined to follow our progress, we’re going to try providing at least semi-regular status updates via Twitter, which you can follow at twitter.com/coughlan. No guarantees we’ll make it through the whole weekend, but we’re optimistic.

Our official screening has been set — Friday, May 8, at 7:00 p.m., once again at the beautiful AFI Silver Theater. Be sure to get your tickets as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss out!

In other news, “All Roads Lead Away” was accepted as a Nominee in the Rosebud Film and Video Festival. The screening will be at the Rossyln Spectrum Theater on Saturday, June 27. Stay tuned for details, but be sure to mark your calendars!

And one final notification — the Internet Movie Database now has dedicated pages for “Homemade Hero” and “You Pay Your Dues,” and both “Screening Process” and “Number One With a Bullet” will be following shortly. While not all of the details are up there yet, be sure to check out the pages to make sure all of your personal info is correct (and congratulations to anyone who’s earned their IMDb page with these additions)!

Two Weeks’ Notice

2009-04-19T11:02:00.007-04:00

No, nobody’s quitting anything. But in just two short weeks, we’ll be kicking off our sixth year (and our seventh short film) with the 48 Hour Film Project! (Well, technically, as of this writing — Sunday morning — we'll be deep into the editing process.) A lot of elements are coming together, but we still have plenty to work out (as always) before the big weekend.

With that in mind, I’ve got a couple of quick questions for everyone:

One, are there any makeup artists out there (established or aspiring) who’d like to join in? While making our actors look their best is a real concern, my greater interest is in gauging our ability to pull off something in the horror genre. I’m not talking Rick Baker effects work, but at least dressing up a ghostly apparition or two.

And two, I wanted to know who we had out there with quick-working musical skills, should we draw the dreaded “musical or western” genre card. Nepotism accusations aside, both of my daughters are actually really good at writing music and lyrics, but we don’t have any quality recording capability. Assuming we could cobble together some kind of “click track” to work from for the shoot, do we have any guitar players, keyboardists, or even GarageBand experts who could lend their skills to our efforts? (In fact, even if we don’t make a musical, it’d be a real bonus to have an original song or two. We’ve done it before.)

Speaking of genres, here’s the list of genres for this year’s competition:

Buddy Film, Comedy, Detective/Cop, Drama, Fantasy, Film de Femme (i.e., film with strong female protagonist), Holiday Film, Horror, Mockumentary, Musical or Western, Romance, Sci Fi, Superhero, and Thriller/Suspense.

Should we opt not to go with our assigned genre, we can go for a “wild card” pick. Potential wild card genres are:

Fable, Family Film, Foreign Film, Ghost Movie, Historical Fiction/Period Piece, Martial Arts, Silent Film, Stoner Film, Surprise Ending, and Tragedy.

Once again, the competition has worked out an agreement with SAG so that we can use union actors. (I’m glad, ’cause we were kind of counting on it.)

And finally, I’m toying with the idea of Twittering our progress on the big weekend — if so, updates will be at my Twitter feed, @coughlan. No promises (don’t know if I’ll have time), but it certainly seems like a possibility. Maybe we’ll have a designated Twitterer...

Springtime Update

2009-03-27T14:52:00.002-04:00

Spring’s finally here, which (hopefully) means the weather will be brightening up a bit soon (though admittedly, the forecasts for the weekend aren’t looking particularly promising). But in my own attempt to raise spirits a bit, I thought I’d throw out some quick positive notes.

One, we’re now just about a month away from the 2009 48 Hour Film Project, and we’re actively working on assembling our team. If you’d like to join in and haven’t gotten back to me with that decision, now would be a really good time. We can use everything from actors to crew to offers of interesting or unusual props and locations — so if you think you may be able to offer a contribution, drop me a line ASAP!

Two, our short film “The Big Lie (That Solves Everything)” has joined “Quite Contrary,” “Machinations,” and “All Roads Lead Away” in being listed at the Internet Movie Database! So when you get a chance, head on over, check the page out, and submit your own rating for the film (and if you worked on it, take a second to make sure your listing is correct).

And three, “All Roads Lead Away” will be screening on Friday, April 3, as part of the 2009 Heritage Film & Video Festival. Check out the site for details as they become available, and I hope to see you there!

Okay, so maybe the sky’s still a little overcast — but I think I see the sun poking out from behind a cloud up there. Cherry blossoms can’t be too far behind...

Tales of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

2009-02-11T06:59:00.004-05:00

No, we haven’t dropped off the face of the Earth — though lately it may seem that way. In all honesty, I think this may be the longest we’ve gone between updates in... well, a long time, anyway. Things are moving forward, if a bit more slowly than we (and no doubt many of you) would like. Alas, outside commitments have been a little more daunting than in times past, but there has still been some progress of note. Postproduction is moving ahead on “Number One With a Bullet”; the edit of the film is fairly well locked, we’re doing some cleanup work on visual effects, and we’re working on the score (and trying to license some other music). And, of course, we’re gearing up for this year’s 48 Hour Film Project; no date has yet been announced, but we’re planning on the first weekend in May (the usual weekend).

In the meantime, we’re working on several collaborative projects with the folks from Integral Arts, Team Jabberwocky, and the 48 Hour Film Project. Not a whole lot we can talk about just yet, but as soon as we can announce anything, you’ll hear about it here.

Honest.

Edited to add: The dates for this year’s 48 Hour Film Project have just been announced: May 1–3. Be sure to mark your calendars, and let us know if you’d like to join in the production festivities!

Reminder: DC Shorts This Weekend

2008-09-09T14:31:00.007-04:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that the DC Shorts Film Festival opens this Thursday, with a gala opening night party on the rooftop terrace at Carroll Square (open to anyone with an opening night ticket). And “All Roads Lead Away” is screening as part of Showcase 3 — be sure to pick up your tickets before they sell out. And don’t forget to tell all your friends and neighbors; let’s generate some prescreening buzz! (Drawing attention to our MySpace page and our Facebook group would be a good start.)

Remember, our screenings are:

Friday, September 12, 7:00 p.m. (with Q&A afterward — this one I’ll definitely be attending)
Saturday, September 13, 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14, 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 16, 4:30 p.m.

And then we can all celebrate at the closing night party at Bar Louie on Saturday night! Hope to see you all there!

P.S.: On a side note, I’m just about finished with the first full cut of “Number One With a Bullet” (except for some pickup/establishing shots we still need to get in there). From here, we’ll be showing it to a select group of people to gauge reactions, and then polishing the edit and diving into cleanup, scoring, etc. If you’d like to be an early viewer, drop me a line (no promises — offhand, I’d say this is limited to cast and crew — but I’d just as soon have people who want to offer critiques).

P.P.S.: If you’re not going to be in the DC area this weekend, I suppose we’ll be missing you this time around. But if, on the other hand, you find yourself in New York, be sure to catch the first public screening of the pilot for “Saving Corporate America” at the New York Television Festival. Produced by our friends over at Integral Arts for Fox Television Studios, the screening — at the New World Stages — is free (though space is limited), and will be followed by a Q&A from creators Barry Gribble and Kevin Good (as well as Fox exec Caitlin Foito). Click here for details. (After all they’ve done for us lately, the least we can do is give ’em a little plug. Though for the record, I have seen and loved the pilot, so it’s not an empty endorsement.)

Summer Progress Report

2008-08-14T10:01:00.001-04:00

Okay, so summer slowed things down a bit. But I did want to give everyone a quick progress report, and to let you all know that tickets to the DC Shorts screenings are now on sale!

Editing on “Number One With a Bullet” is proceeding fairly well; we’re about two-thirds of the way toward a true “first cut” of the film. In truly nonsensical fashion, I’ve been working my way in from both ends — so right now, we’ve got scenes 1 through 9 cut together, and scenes 28 through 32, but nothing in the middle (other than a rough stringout). We’ll still have loads of work to do in terms of audio leveling, color correction, effects finalizing, scoring, etc., but once we get that middle portion finished, we’ll have something that we can show to people. Cast and crew get first dibs, of course, but after that, I’ll be sure to let people here know.

Individual screening tickets have gone on sale for the DC Shorts Film Festival. Generally speaking, you can just go to the DC Shorts website, then click on the “Films” tab to find either a particular film or browse through the schedule; then you’ll be able to buy tickets to a particular screening. A reminder that “All Roads Lead Away” is screening as part of “Showcase 3,” and we’ve got four screenings throughout the festival (you can direct-link to our screening schedule here). The first screening will also feature a filmmakers’ Q&A afterward — definitely the preferred option.

For the record, our screenings are:

Friday, September 12, 7:00 p.m. (with Q&A afterward)
Saturday, September 13, 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 14, 9:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 16, 4:30 p.m.

It’s also worth noting that thanks to the DC Shorts screening, “All Roads Lead Away” now qualifies for inclusion in the Internet Movie Database (joining our earlier entries “Quite Contrary” and “Machinations”). You can find the dedicated page for “All Roads Lead Away” here — go give it a visit, add your ratings and comments, etc. (Do note that last I checked, they were still adding some of the information, so there might be some gaps in the crew listing; if you notice anything missing, let me know and I’ll investigate further.)

And I’ll also put in a reminder to visit our MySpace page and our Facebook group; we’ll be posting occasional updates and information there as well (though we’re not abandoning the email list just yet).

That’s all for now — hope to see you all at DC Shorts in September!

DC Shorts 2008

2008-06-18T16:02:00.000-04:00

We just got word that “All Roads Lead Away” has been accepted into the 2008 DC Shorts Film Festival. As one of the premier short-film festivals in the country (they received more than 630 films and screenplays for consideration this year), this is a great honor. And on top of that, it’s a great festival experience to boot (both for viewers and filmmakers)!

I just took a quick glance at the official selections list, and with the exception of “The Bad News Bearer” (winner of this year’s 48 Hour Film Project for DC) and “Attack of the Hot Female Alien Man-Eaters” (starring Tohubohu vets Joy Haynes and Kevin Good, and directed by my occasional Integral Arts co-crewmember Janine Sides), there didn’t seem to be many I was familiar with (though I could easily have missed something). But there’s definitely a lot of variety there, and if past years’ festivals are any indication, there’ll be a lot of great films to see. We’ll be screening in high definition (we submitted the film into the HD Short Film competition), so if you missed seeing it in HD before (our premiere was just in standard definition), this’ll be another great opportunity to see it in all its HD, big-screen glory.

The festival runs from September 11th through the 18th of this year (the main events being from the 11th through the 14th, with additional screenings through the 18th), and there will be film screenings, screenplay readings, and meet-and-greet parties. We’ll know more as the date approaches, but I wanted to get this little tidbit of information out as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!

“Best Of” Wrapup and a Special Request

2008-05-30T11:20:00.010-04:00

Well, last night was the “Best of the 48 Hour Film Project” screening, and I have to say it was a blast. Seeing “All Roads Lead Away” up on the big screen in high definition was an awe-inspiring experience. Once again, we were shut out of the major awards, but regardless, I’m immensely proud of our movie and extremely grateful for all of the hard work everyone put into making it.

I’m sure they’ll post the award-winners on the official site soon, but I thought I’d go ahead and let you all know directly. They should all be viewable on 48.tv sometime in the not-too-distant future, but I’ll post links to the ones that are already viewable online (as near as I can tell, anyway).

Audience Favorite, Group A: “The End” (Flat Feet Films)
Audience Favorite, Group B: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)
Audience Favorite, Group C: “Fairy Bust” (3mm Films)
Audience Favorite, Group D: “Skip to the End” (JSC Productions)
Audience Favorite, Group E: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
Audience Favorite, Group F: “Get Closer” (Dead City Films)
Audience Favorite, Group G: “iLoveU2” (WIT Films)
Audience Favorite, Group H: “Mementos” (Integral Arts)
Best Use of Character: “The End of the Rainbow” (Musky Adventures)
Best Use of Prop: “Spy, Gina, Spy!” (The Quest)
Best Use of Line: “The Loins of America” (Has Been Productions)
Best Sound Design: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
Best Graphics: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
Best Editing: “May Day” (Oozing Sarcasm)
Best Acting: “Mementos” (Integral Arts)
Best Directing: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
Best Script: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)
Best Cinematography (tie): “American Revolution” (Roanoke) and “Get Closer” (Dead City Films)
Second Runner-Up, Best Picture: “The Mark” (oops! Productions)
First Runner-Up, Best Picture: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Everyday Astronaut)
Best Picture: “The Bad News Bearer” (Sprezzatura)

Now for a request: As many of you are aware, we had to cut a lot of material (more than two minutes’ worth) from “All Roads Lead Away” in order to keep our running time under the seven-minute limit. And while normally I’m a big fan of that forced editing — it almost always makes for a tighter, better-paced film — in this case I fear we may have trimmed a bit too much. With that in mind, I’ve posted both the original 48 Hour Film Project cut and a somewhat longer cut that reincorporates some (but not all) of the lost material on the official site.

And I figured what better “test audience” to provide honest feedback than this group?

So if you get a chance, take a look at both versions with a critical eye. Do the new and extended scenes add to your understanding and appreciation of the story, or do they drag the pacing down? Do they add genuine character moments or are they mere directorial self-indulgence? Consider this a “director’s-cut-in-progress,” and one in which your reactions may have an impact.

For our final “archival” cut (i.e., the version we’ll be submitting to festivals) we may go with the full extended edit. Or we may keep to the original shorter cut. Or something in between. So go ahead and let your opinion be heard — at the very least you’ll be getting a glimpse into the filmmaking process.

Best of the 48 Hour Film Project

2008-05-23T16:57:00.001-04:00

Straight from the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner (where several 48 Hour Film Project films — including “The Kumbio Takedown” — screened this week) comes word about the upcoming “Best of the DC 48 Hour Film Project” showcase.

And “All Roads Lead Away” is in, one of 24 films selected for the honor. As was the case last year, there will be a separate slate of films shown across the two screenings (one at 7:00 and another at 9:30), and our film will be part of the second (i.e., we’ll be at 9:30); all shows will be on Thursday, May 29th, again at the AFI Silver Theater.

Furthermore, we’ll be screening in high definition; we’ve been working with the 48 Hour production team to get them our full-HD files (rather than the standard-definition version that was shown at the premiere screening). If you’re at all able to make it, this is going to be worth seeing. In fact, tickets are available (or, as of this writing, soon will be) for both shows, and there are some strong offerings in both screenings (judging by what I’ve seen so far). And after the second screening, there'll be a wrap party at McGinty’s Pub — so do plan on sticking around!

Congratulations to everyone who pitched in on this little picture. I’m so proud of the efforts you all put in, and I hope to see you next Thursday!

P.S.: Here is the full screening lineup — unlike last year, there are no duplicates this time around. (My understanding is that the judges’ final decisions are not yet locked down, meaning there’s no way to pick the “front-runners.”) And I’m just listing these in alphabetical order by team name; we don’t know the screening order yet.

Screening 1 — 7:00 p.m.

Actors With Strings: “The Chair” (Historical Fiction)
Butch’s All-Stars: “Commitment”
Dead City Films: “Get Closer” (Spy)
Double Deuce Films: “The Hauntening, Part 3”
Flik Productions: “Road to Greenwood”
Flat Feet Films: “The End” (Fantasy)
Habitual Offenders: “Recalculating”
The Quest: “Spy, Gina, Spy!”
Roadside Productions: “Sales of a Deathman” (Road Movie)
Roanoke: “American Revolution” (Historical Fiction)
3mm Films: “Fairy Bust” (Fantasy) (behind-the-scenes video)
WIT Films: “iLoveU2” (Sci Fi)

Screening 2 — 9:30 p.m.

Elbow Productions: “al-Kinda”
Everyday Astronaut: “I’ll See You in Hell” (Comedy)
Faisonfilm Productions: “The Invisible Werewolf” (Comedy)
Integral Arts: “Mementos” (Drama)
JSC Productions: “Skip to the End” (Road Movie)
Musky Adventures: “The End of the Rainbow”
oops! Productions: “The Mark”
Oozing Sarcasm: “May Day” (Holiday Film)
Revolver Films: “Dick and the Vault” (Historical Fiction)
River Run Films: “The Dinner Party”
Sprezzatura: “The Bad News Bearer” (Comedy)
Tohubohu: “All Roads Lead Away” (Road Movie)

Grab Some Popcorn

2008-05-11T16:33:00.001-04:00

Just thought I’d send out a quick little notice to let you newsblog readers know that our latest short, “All Roads Lead Away,” is now available for viewing.

The audience reception at Friday night’s premiere was phenomenal, and really gives me hope that we’ll make the “Best of the 48 Hour Film Project” screening on May 29th. (And we’ve already submitted the film for consideration to the DC Shorts film festival. No guarantee that it’ll get in, of course — they receive hundreds of submissions each year — but I’ve got a good feeling about it.)

So sit back, grab a tub of popcorn (or maybe just a bag — it’s not all that long a film), and give it a viewing. And if you like it, don’t forget to let us know (and spread the word)!

48 Recap

2008-05-09T12:49:00.005-04:00

Hard to believe this is our fifth year participating in the 48 Hour Film Project (and our sixth film — what were we thinking doing two films at once in only our second year?). And every time I’m reminded that this really is film school; as far as I’m concerned, we’d better take advantage of that and try something new each time.

So if our big “add-on” last year was bringing in a professional author to write our script (well, and pushing the envelope with noir-styled lighting — no small feat given our meager lighting kit), then this year had a few new elements. We brought in another professional author (Barry Lyga), worked with two great SAG actors (Joe Hansard and Jennifer Massey) as our leads, shot in HDV, and even managed to use a homemade car mount for our “road movie.”

With a lot of our regular troupe (both in front of and behind the camera) unavailable this time around, we’d be a little leaner than usual. But there’s something to be said for keeping things small — and coming right off of “Number One With a Bullet,” we’d honed our workflow pretty well. Of course, the time we’d spent on the earlier shoot also meant we hadn’t prepared as much as usual, so we’d be winging things a bit.

So, about the weekend. After the kickoff event, I spent the drive home brainstorming with Barry (and some really wild ideas got tossed around at that stage), so that by the time I’d arrived at our “base of operations,” we already had a good handle on the story, and Pam and I could begin working out casting and logistics (including borrowing a neighbor’s beat-up old car — as Pam says, the “third star” of our movie). It was still a late night, but we were in great shape to start shooting first thing Saturday morning.

Saturday was (as usual) a loooong day, but we managed to remain pretty flexible. We did have to switch the timing for one location (which meant we lost an actress for that scene and had to recast at the last minute), but we still managed to finish everything by around midnight. And we got some really great performances — and shots — in the process. Then it was time to get the overnight editor (Jacob Cremer, back in town for the weekend) set up and grab a couple of hours’ rest before the big scramble on Sunday.

We did run into a few snags at that point. We weren’t able to get in touch with the artist whose music we’d originally wanted to use (he was out of town without phone or email access), so that was out. (Fortunately, the 48 Hour Film Project organizers had worked out a music licensing deal that gave us a few options.) Jacob wasn’t able to get as far as I’d hoped (we had a lot of material there), which meant I still had to string out a lot of footage before I could start polishing anything. And our initial cut — once we reached that stage — came in at more than nine minutes. The upper limit being seven. Whoops.

So as unfortunately happens at that stage, you make tradeoffs. And in our case, that meant sacrificing color and audio correction for really taking the time to look at the piece and make intelligent cuts. So while it may not be as technically polished as I’d like, it’s a lot more creatively rewarding. And that “second choice” music really ended up complementing the story perfectly.

And most importantly, we got it finished. (Just one copy, though — no time for a backup.)

Oh, and the title? “All Roads Lead Away.”

Will there be a “director’s cut”? Probably — but that’ll mostly be just to correct those technical issues. The old mantra about editing holds true — the forced necessity of cutting it down really does improve the flow of the story. So while I may add a couple of shots (and maybe one scene) back in, it certainly won’t be going back up to that nine-minute version.

Now I can’t wait to see it up on the big screen; it promises to be a great capper to the whole experience. (And for the record, I’ve also gotten a sneak peek at the Integral Arts entry — so I can say that attendees at tonight’s 9:30 screening will not be disappointed. Do you have your tickets yet?)

Hope to see you all there!

“All Roads Lead Away”

2008-05-05T08:50:00.001-04:00

I’m still tired from the 48 Hour Film Project, and I wasn’t even that involved in yesterday’s work. The experience of making a film in two days is so intense that it takes a lot out of you. Our script by Barry Lyga was ambitious, and our filming went from our Saturday 8:30 a.m. call time until almost midnight. It was a very long day for the crew and our two lead actors, who really carried the piece. Well, three lead actors if you include the beat-up car which we considered the third star of the movie.

Barry gave us an amazing script, dramatic and contemplative. Bill and I selected two strong actors (Jennifer Massey and Joe Hansard) who could pull off the emotion of the film. We got to test the new camera car mount, to the delight of the cameraman. I kept asking for reassurance that the expensive camera was not, was NOT, going to fall off the hood of the car. After a last-minute location change, I was slotted for a small part in the movie — which ended up on the cutting room floor in the interest of meeting our seven-minute running time requirement. I’m still in the background helping a customer, and my hair is in a later office scene. Oh, the glamour.

Bill spent Sunday editing the film at his workplace, while I searched for music at home. I found the piece that we ended up using within a few minutes. Unfortunately, I then spent almost two hours continuing to search for music, finding almost nothing, and deciding to stick with my first choice. After Bill was forced to make some difficult decisions about editing, he sent me the film online so I could look at it. With my fresh perspective — having not spent the last six hours putting it together — I was able to suggest different places to cut, allowing some great moments to fit back in (though not my scene, alas). For later festivals, we may look at putting in a lost scene where the couple fights outside the car. It was a crew favorite as Jennifer screamed, “GET IN THE CAR!!!” with pure fury.

Our screening is Friday at 9:30 at the AFI Silver Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland. We’re really proud of it, and I can’t wait to see it on the big screen. If you’re in the area, you can order tickets online — but do so soon, because the shows always sell out. If you can’t get to the show, the film — “All Roads Lead Away” — will be available on our website sometime after the screening.

The Adventure Continues

2008-05-02T15:18:00.003-04:00

One last message to everyone before we bury ourselves in this weekend’s filmmaking frenzy. Tickets to our 48 Hour Film Project screening — we’re part of Group H, showing next Friday, May 9, at 9:30 pm — are now on sale online or at the AFI Silver Theater box office. The show is expected to sell out, so if you’d like to attend (and for the record, I’d like to see as many friendly faces in the audience as possible), be sure to pick up your tickets sooner rather than later.

And as an aside, I’ve recut the trailer for “Number One With a Bullet” slightly — mostly just adding in a few extra shots to help explain the plot a bit better. (It’s amazing what another eight seconds can do.) Go ahead and give it a look-see.

P.S.: If you’re on this weekend’s production team, expect to hear from us with more info tonight. And if you want to be on the team and haven’t said so before now... well, talk fast.

Less Than One Week to Go!

2008-04-26T08:52:00.002-04:00

In the frenzy of activity surrounding the finish of principal photography on “Number One With a Bullet,” it’s easy to forget that we’re shooting another movie in just one week. And at this stage, we’ve still got some pretty big holes to fill. So I’ll keep this message short (for me, anyway) and to the point.

We still need actors; a lot of our regular troupe will be unavailable this time around. As always, we can’t promise anything (since we won’t know what we’ll have until we write our script Friday evening), but if you’ll be available, please let me know — and if you’ve got any questions, please ask. Soon.

We need locations; I haven’t had time to do all the legwork I usually try to do beforehand here. At a minimum, we could use a house and/or apartment, an office, and some kind of recreational location (cafe, bar, restaurant, lounge, etc.). We’ll be shooting (mostly) across Saturday, so if you’ve got access to such a place, or have any contacts who can help us reserve some of these places, please let me know ASAP.

And we could still use some help on the editorial end, if only to alleviate some of my own impending exhaustion. Any availability overnight Saturday or during the day Sunday would be a big help.

Okay, that’s it for now. But as a special reward for listening, I’ll direct you to the brand-new trailer for “Number One With a Bullet,” now available for online viewing at www.onewithabullet.com. Okay, so it’s not the full movie, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do before that’s ready. Enjoy!

Not Slowing Down

2008-04-17T14:28:00.000-04:00

I wanted to let everyone know that we officially wrapped principal photography on “Number One With a Bullet” this past weekend. And I’m only now starting to get back up to fighting strength. Which is a good thing — since we’re only two weeks away from this year’s 48 Hour Film Project. (I don’t know what I was thinking with this back-to-back scheduling.)

The shoot was intense, but hugely successful. We had the usual bumps along the way (not to mention more than our share of unusual bumps), but the whole team was running on all cylinders, both in front of and behind the camera. I’ve been looking at the footage, and some of it is absolutely amazing. Performances, look, sound, everything. My enthusiasm for this project has been wholeheartedly rekindled. I’m scrambling to cut together a full trailer for the film, so that we’ll have at least something to show everyone who put in so many long hours bringing this little idea to fruition. I’ll send out a note when it’s up for viewing, but just in case, be sure to check out the official site, onewithabullet.com, for updates. And then we’ll be diving full-on into the editing and postproduction process; there’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re definitely on track.

Which brings me to our second item on the agenda — putting together our team for this year’s 48 Hour Film Project, taking place over the weekend of May 2–4. We’re losing quite a few of our regular contingent this time around, so we do find ourselves in need of participants, especially in the editorial arena. So if you want to pitch in, drop me a line — and if we can use you, we’ll make sure to put you on the roster. (In keeping with our largely accidental tradition of never keeping the same writer twice, we’ve managed to ensnare... I mean, acquire the services of novelist Barry Lyga, author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl and Boy Toy, so I want to make sure we can all live up to that standard.)

Of course, I may not be answering my email right away, since I’m on my way to Disney World with the family for a few days — I figured we could all use some quality time together after I effectively abandoned them for the past month. But I’ll be back next week, ready to go!

Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Lock and Load

2008-04-03T12:57:00.000-04:00

Well, folks, we’re now less than 48 hours away from the commencement of lensing on “Number One With a Bullet,” so it seems like an opportune time for a news-blog update. It feels like I haven’t slept in two weeks, and it certainly doesn’t look like I’ll be getting any real rack time for the next couple of weeks either. I never thought I’d be one to espouse the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” philosophy (I like sleep — sleep is good), but lately it seems like I’m getting closer to that.

Of course, it looks like the big items (at least for the first weekend) are all in order. SAG paperwork, insurance, equipment, locations, shooting schedule... but it’s the nagging little details that seem to eat up most of my attention right now. Like, say, food. (Seriously — if anyone wants to handle making sure people are fed, please let me know ASAP. I’ll even send you a shopping list.)

And then there’s the stress of realizing that we’ve set ourselves a schedule that’ll make the 48 Hour Film Project look like a walk in the park.

But on the plus side, I have to admit that a big part of my insomnia is caused by my sheer excitement at the prospect of tackling a project this big. Sure, it’s still a short, but it’s twice the length of anything we’ve done before, and the production effort we’re putting forth dwarfs that of any of our past projects. I’m happy with the script, inspired by the crew, ecstatic about the cast, and relishing the adrenaline rush that comes with stretching our capabilities just beyond where I would have placed the breaking point only a few short months ago.

This past year has been a positive whirlwind of learning, and I think it’s only by forcing us to make the leap that we’ll really see if we’re ready to advance to the next level.

For those of you helping out with the production, I’ll be seeing you this weekend. For those eager to jump in on the 48 Hour Film Project (May 2-4), drop me a line (but please understand I may not respond in all that timely a manner). And for those who just want to watch and enjoy, I’m optimistic that we’ll have something truly worth your while in the very near future.

“Number One With a Bullet” Update

2008-03-14T15:20:00.002-04:00

Well, things are moving quickly. Casting is complete, and we’ve got a phenomenal bunch of people on board! We had somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 submissions, and saw close to 120 different actors. The selection process was brutal — we had so many great candidates — but in the end, I think we’ve made the best choices for our little ensemble. Kudos to Bjorn Munson for organizing our casting, and thanks to Barry Gribble for letting us use the Integral Arts offices. And a special thanks to all the actors who came out and gave it a shot. I was truly humbled by the efforts you all put forth, and hope to see you again for future projects.

Preproduction is proceeding apace; with just three weeks to go before the cameras roll, we’re right about on schedule. And while I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stressing just a bit (okay, more than a bit), I’m also getting more and more excited as the day grows closer. In fact, I’ve gone ahead and cut together a little “teaser trailer” that I’m hoping will get people psyched for the big shoot. You can view it at the film’s official website — onewithabullet.com — or via YouTube or MySpace as well. It really is just a teaser (since we obviously haven’t shot a frame yet), but I’m hoping it at least sets the stage for our little venture.

We’re still locking down some locations, so if anyone has any leads (preferably in or very near the city), please let me know as soon as possible; while we’ve got our main location (the office) all set, we still need a large house exterior and driveway, a walk-in-freezer (or wine cellar), and a well-apportioned study. And we’re also in the process of filling out our crew roster; if you want to join in, drop me a line ASAP.

And as if that weren’t enough, we’re also signed up for the 48 Hour Film Project, scheduled for the first weekend in May. So if you want to help out there, be sure to let me know as well.

Okay, enough talk. Go watch the trailer and have a nice weekend!

Official Casting Notice for “Number One With a Bullet”

2008-02-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

All right, folks, here’s the official casting notice. We’re looking forward to hearing from some of you soon!

Tohubohu Productions, makers of multiple popular and award-winning short films, are set to cast “Number One With a Bullet,” a fast-paced black comedy short shooting in April of 2008. The film is being shot in HD in the Washington, DC, area, and will be produced under the SAG Short Film Agreement; both SAG and non-union actors are welcome to audition. Under the agreement, payment is deferred, but credit and copy are provided. On top of that, you’ll have a chance to work with an eager and dedicated team, have some great festival exposure, and very possibly get a pony.*

Principal photography will be over the weekends of April 5–6 and April 12–13, 2008

Please visit http://www.tohubohuproductions.com/bullet.html for background on the story, descriptions of the roles, and the audition sides.

Auditions are by appointment, and will be held in mid/late February to early March, with the first auditions being held this Sunday, February 17th. Interested actors may email their headshots (please keep file sizes below 300 KB) and résumés to casting-at-tohubohuproductions-dot-com for consideration. Please be sure to indicate your availability during the shooting dates and the role for which you would like to read.

* Or not very possibly, as the case may be.

Something Old, Something New

2008-02-04T14:54:00.000-05:00

Just so nobody starts thinking that our older projects just sit on a shelf somewhere, I thought I’d pass along the news that “Machinations” has just been selected for the SFF-rated Film Festival in Athens, Greece — our first international screening. The festival’s in March, though we don’t have a specific date just yet (so you may want to hold off on booking your tickets for the moment).

Then there’s the matter of our newest project, “Number One With a Bullet.” Well, folks, we’ve been working like mad on the script, nailing down some key locations (and clearances), and trying to get the paperwork rolling. It’s been a much longer process than we had anticipated, though I think it’s been worth the wait. But finally, in the interests of getting our butts in gear, we’ve locked shooting dates: the weekends of April 5–6 and 12–13, 2008. We’re working backward from there — which means it’s time to start booking our cast and crew. As to the former, we expect to have a casting call out soon. Very soon. We’re looking for two leads, seven supporting actors, and three or four day players (plus assorted extras), and we’re planning to produce the film under a SAG short-film agreement (deferred payment).

As for the latter? Let us know ASAP if you can help out. We’ll need help pretty much across the board — starting with a dedicated production team. And department heads. And lots of equipment. Okay, so really everything.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the project (or who’ve forgotten in the many months since our last communication), here’s the skinny: “Number One With a Bullet” is a fast-paced black comedy short that we’ll be shooting in HD and submitting to the festival circuit. The story follows Jack Reade, a mild-mannered academic who finally has a chance to publish his own Great American Novel. But just as he thinks his tome will see print, Pete Willoughby, a smug and influential editor, informs Jack that the book will remain locked in publishing purgatory. After an accident befalls Pete, Jack forges a desperate alliance with Carrie Singer, a disgruntled employee who also happens to be the book’s number-one fan. Together, they concoct an insane scheme to cover up Pete’s death and greenlight the book. Unfortunately, the publishing process is chock full of approvals and before long, other denizens of Dennison Publishing may fall prey to “accidents.”

Speak quickly — the ball’s rolling...

“You Pay Your Dues” Screening and More

2007-11-12T21:02:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to post a quick note that our latest outing, “You Pay Your Dues,” will be screening along with the rest of the “Best of DC” 48 Hour Film Project entries, at the Government Video Expo this Friday, November 16th. Entry to the exhibit floor is free, and the films will be screening from 1:30–2:30; if the screening order we received is correct, we’ll be screening last. That said, given some of the other films screening beforehand (including WIT Films’ remarkable single-shot effort “Seasonal Disorder” and Burning Toast’s webcam-style “While You Still Can,” among some other great entries), you won’t want to be late.

In fact, if you can, you might want to get in on Thursday’s screening, which includes “DeLeon Crossing,” directed by our own Bjorn Munson, and “The Kumbio Takedown,” winner of the overall DC competition and featuring a number of people apt to check these updates (and a crew with whom I’ve happily worked on not one but three recent productions). Schedule permitting, I’m going to see if I can get out to as much of the expo as possible (particularly given the digital asset management content, Apple’s presentations on Final Cut Server and Panasonic’s P2 workflow talk), but I do know I won’t personally be able to attend Thursday’s screening (as I’ve got an unbreakable meeting commitment). But if anyone’s planning to go, please let me know and maybe we can coordinate.

As I said, entry to the exhibit floor is free, but you do need to register at www.gvexpo.com.

In other news, I also want to note that development is proceeding on “Number One With a Bullet,” though we’re looking at early 2008 before we begin actual production. We had hoped to get working before the end of the year, but we’re happy enough with the script that we really want to do this right rather than forcing it too early. We’ll be polishing it (i.e., sending it to a couple of knowledgeable critics and asking, “Where are we going wrong?”) and doing budget breakdowns first, and then looking at doing auditions as soon as we have our ducks in a row (and since I know we’ve got a lot of actors reading, rest assured — you’ll get first notification).

On a largely unrelated side note (it’s my news blog and I’ll say what I want to), I’d like to mention that comedy troupe Crisis Lab’s effort at the New York Television Festival’s “PGP Comedy Show” is finally available for online viewing. I’m still kicking myself for not being able to attend the big show itself, but this is at least some small consolation. Speaking purely for myself, I still say they were robbed. Danny “Buddy Jackson” Gavigan, Danny “FunnyDanny.com” Rouhier, Casie “Just Met Her This Weekend But Still Think of Her as Junie B. Jones” Platt, and Kevin “Yes, I Can Do Everything” Good are in top comedic form, even if they weren’t commensurately rewarded. (And as a special bonus, you can see a large Codeword Secret contingent sitting right behind the judges during the final live show. Almost makes you think the audience was stacked. Which it was not. Unfortunately. Dammit, I should have gone.)

You can watch the show (it’s broken down into three parts) here, see the group’s original audition video, “David Beckham in LA,” here, and another sketch series from the group, “Doctors & DJs,” here. (I want to make it absolutely clear that I had nothing to do with this group’s work — I’m just a fan, and thought it worthy of commendation. Kind of like how I keep plugging Buddy Jackson.)

All right, I’ve rambled on long enough. I’ll let you get back to your nachos.

Upcoming Tohubohu Production Plans

2007-10-03T12:44:00.000-04:00

Well, it’s been a while, so I figure it’s way past time I sent out an update with our latest production plans. I’ll try to keep this brief, but those of you who’ve been reading for a while will know that my definition of “brief” differs substantially from most others’.

The first thing to note is that we will not be participating in the National Film Challenge this year. While we’ve had a good run at it in years past (and won two awards), we’ve decided that we’re better off producing something over which we’ll have more control, and that we can produce on a schedule we’re happier with. (And furthermore, I’m committed to working as a production designer on another short film this month — from some of the creative team behind Codeword Secret, “The Kumbio Takedown,” and Buddy Jackson.)

Which brings me to the second thing, and that is what we will be producing in the short term: the long-delayed short “Number One With a Bullet.” This story has been kicking around for more than two years now, and I think we’re finally ready to commit to making it. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, “Number One” is a dark comedy about a struggling writer whose debut novel is about to be scuttled by his unscrupulous editor. That is, until the editor suffers an untimely accident — and the writer decides to turn things to his advantage. But what starts as a simple (if morally questionable) cover-up rapidly escalates as others in the publication chain get a little too close to the truth.

Bjorn Munson and I are still hammering out revisions to the script (from a story by me and Lauren Walsh), but we’re far enough along that I feel confident in starting preproduction. I’ll be directing, and there will be plenty of opportunities for help on this one, as the script is fairly ambitious. If you’d like to offer your services, it’s never too early to throw your hat into the ring; while this will be put together on a tight (i.e., practically nonexistent) budget, we are looking at ways to extend our professional “footprint,” so to speak. We’re targeting a November or December shoot date, though we’ll have some firmer details once we get the preliminary paperwork rolling.

Beyond that, we still have the script for “Some Kind of Hero” (a darker crime drama) and the Tohubohu.tv series Quorum on the horizon (along with any other scripts that may fall into our laps), but I’ll keep those details under my hat a bit longer. Well, except for the fact that I just announced them here...

We are also a step closer to incorporation as a nonprofit, in that our attorney (who leads a secret double identity as my brother Ken) has just sent me the latest versions of the paperwork (well, he sent them a while ago, but I’m just getting around to dealing with them). Ideally, we’ll get those filed before too long, so that “Number One With a Bullet” can be produced under that framework.

And that’s all for now. I’m looking forward to working with many of you again soon — take care, all!

Side Project Alert: “Codeword Secret”

2007-09-05T15:43:00.000-04:00

This isn’t strictly Tohubohu-related, but it’s worth a mention anyway. As I mentioned before, I had the opportunity to work as a production designer on the latest project from DC 48 Hour Film Project winner Integral Arts: the independent action/comedy pilot “Codeword Secret.” It was an absolutely phenomenal experience (you can see some behind-the-scenes photos here), and directly informed some of our own purchasing decisions (let’s just say that Tohubohu will be going hi-def from now on). And on top of that, the show itself turned out great (in my oh-so-humble opinion). Developed by the same team behind the web sitcom sensation Buddy Jackson (you have been watching, haven’t you?), the show premieres this weekend at the New York Television Festival; if you’re in the area, be sure to catch it!

You can see a trailer for the show at the official site (and if you look carefully, you can see yours truly ducking in panic as a background extra). If all goes well, the pilot may be picked up for production — but whatever the outcome, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this story...

Quick Updates

2007-06-29T15:46:00.001-04:00

Just thought I’d let everyone know that while we did submit “You Pay Your Dues” to the 2007 DC Shorts festival, it was not chosen for inclusion. We are continuing to submit to other festivals, though, so I’ll be sure to let everyone know about any future screenings.

We’re also working on a few script ideas for production this fall, as well as a fairly large-scale undertaking to launch under the Tohubohu.tv banner (the details of which we’re keeping pretty much under wraps for now).

And this weekend I’m serving as a production designer for the first episode of the follow-up to Buddy Jackson. Partly it’s because I’m a fan of the show itself (and if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to head over and give it a look), but mostly because it’s a chance to work with Barry Gribble and the award-winning team at Integral Arts — and with an luck, learn a few things and make a few contacts along the way.

Screening Wrap-Up

2007-05-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

Well, beyond the selection as part of the “Best Of” screening, “You Pay Your Dues” didn’t take home any additional honors. A disappointment, to be sure, but not one we can really begrudge anyone — particularly given the representation of Tohubohu alumni among some of the winning entries. Veteran contributor Bjorn Munson’s Team Jabberwocky took home Best Cinematography honors for “DeLeon Crossing,” and Ryan “Machinations” Mulkay worked with Integral Arts’ “The Kumbio Takedown,” which won not only the Best Acting award, but also Best in City for Washington, DC. Congratulations!

Other notable winners were Best Directing for WIT’s “Seasonal Disorder” (which also won the Audience Award for our screening), Best Original Music for the musical “Leon!” and Best Special Effects for “Urine Cake.”

Thanks to everyone for your help and support — and I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted about upcoming opportunities!

Tonight’s Screening/Wrap Party

2007-05-24T13:46:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the official 48 Hour Film Project wrap party tonight will be held at McGinty’s Pub, located at 911 Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring. Basically, it’s right around the corner (well, a couple of corners) from the AFI Silver Theatre. There will technically be two parties, one after the 7:00 screening, and one after the 9:30 screening. However, since Pam and I will be staying through the second screening, I can tell you right now that we’ll probably only be at the second party. Which will be the cool one.

They haven’t said anything about when they might be announcing awards, though my instinct is that it’ll be after the second screening (i.e., after all of the films have been shown). So while our film will be shown as part of the 7:00 show, you may want to pick up a ticket for the second show as well. Your call.

As far as parking goes, I’ve found the Town Square garage to be convenient (go North on Colesville past the theater, then take your first right and then turn left to enter the garage; there’s also the Wayne Avenue garage, just another block away. My understanding is that parking is free after 6:00, but don’t quote me. You can find a little parking map at the AFI Silver’s “directions” site.

This has been a phenomenal experience, and I just wanted to thank everyone who made “You Pay Your Dues” such a success. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Hope to see you tonight!

Best of the 48 Hour Film Project

2007-05-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

Better late than never, right?

We just received word that “You Pay Your Dues” is one of 22 films (out of 93 completed films) selected as the “Best of the 48 Hour Film Project” for Washington, D.C. — and as a result, we will be screening this Thursday evening at the AFI Silver Theatre. Because of the number of films selected in this round, the films will be shown in two separate screenings, one at 7:00 and another at 9:30. Our film will be showing as part of the first screening — that is, 7:00 p.m. (as will Tohubohu veteran Bjorn Munson’s directorial effort, “DeLeon Crossing”).

Right now, it looks like tickets are available for both the 7:00 and 9:30 screenings (I suspect they may have opened up a second screen), so if you’d like to come out, be sure to pick your tickets up right away. We’re waiting to hear more details about awards presentation and the after-party, but as soon as I know more, I’ll pass along the info.

Congratulations to everyone who helped make this film the success it has been. I’m immensely proud of you all! Hope to see you Thursday!

P.S.: Here is the full screening lineup — there are some duplicates in there (specifically “Inquisito Libellus,” “Seasonal Disorder,” and “The Kumbio Takedown”), presumably to fill out the schedule (though I don’t think it’s a stretch to assume that they’re the front-runners for the top awards).

Screening 1 — 7:00 p.m.

3mm Films: “Urine Cake” (Comedy)
Team Diamond: “Cult of the Groove” (Comedy)
Integral Arts: “The Kumbio Takedown” (Detective/Cop)
Tohubohu: “You Pay Your Dues” (Detective/Cop)
FAYM Productions: “When You Wish Upon a Fish” (Fantasy)
Roadside Productions: “Inquisito Libellus” (Fantasy)
Team Jabberwocky: “DeLeon Crossing” (Fantasy)
The Quest: “Holy Saturday” (Holiday Film)
WIT Films: “Seasonal Disorder” (Holiday Film)
Everyday Astronaut: “Leon!” (Musical/Western)
Burning Toast Productions: “While You Still Can” (Romance)
Oozing Sarcasm: “3027” (Sci Fi)

Screening 2 — 9:30 p.m.

The Beta-Macks: “A.P.E.” (Animal Film)
Cardiff Giant: “Wing Woman” (Buddy Film)
ReelLight Films: “Semi Sweet” (Buddy Film)
Integral Arts: “The Kumbio Takedown” (Detective/Cop)
Agile H Productions: “C.O.P. 2000” (Detective/Cop)
Ningen Manga Productions: “Posi+ive” (Drama)
Gaucho Pictures: “Rooster.com” (Fantasy)
Roadside Productions: “Inquisito Libellus” (Fantasy)
Unknown Penguin Pictures: “Rochambeau Kid” (Ghost Movie)
WIT Films: “Seasonal Disorder” (Holiday Film)
Two Jews, a Goy and an Asian: “Helpful Cowboys” (Musical/Western)
Kiss Productions: “A Bus Story” (Romance)
Elbow Production: “E.T.R.I.P.” (Sci Fi)

“You Pay Your Dues” Now Online

2007-05-13T23:32:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to make sure everyone knew that Tohubohu’s latest entry in the 48 Hour Film Project, “You Pay Your Dues,” is now viewable online. It will require QuickTime version 7, and is not downloadable (in other words, you’ll have to be connected to watch it).

Our assigned genre was “Detective/Cop,” and the required elements were: Roosevelt (or Rosie) Adams, president; a bracelet; and “That’s what I’m talking about.”

Thursday night’s screening went extremely well — got to say we’re really excited about this one (and we’ve already submitted it for inclusion in this year’s DC Shorts festival — they issued an extension through this weekend for 48 Hour Film Project shorts). Thanks to everyone involved in this project; I truly think we’ve outdone ourselves this time.

Share and enjoy!

Screening TONIGHT at 9:30 p.m.

2007-05-10T15:06:00.000-04:00

Just a reminder to everyone that our latest filmic exercise, “You Pay Your Dues,” will premiere TONIGHT at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring. As of my last check, tickets are still on sale — so be sure to grab them while you can!

Hope to see you there!

You Pay Your Dues

2007-05-07T09:55:00.001-04:00

Whew! I was going to post yesterday about our movie-making experience with the 48 Hour Film Project, but I was too tired to successfully string words together. Here’s how it went.

Bill went to the kick-off event and drew our genre literally out of a hat. The required elements were given out to the hundred participating teams. And we were off.

Bill and I talked about our genre, “detective/cop,” and what he wanted to do with it. I wasn’t surprised when he wanted to go for a film noir feel. But I was a bit scared. We tossed around a few basic concepts, including placing some actors in the roles, and then called author and blogger Robin Brande.

Our call was the briefest of hellos — no small talk for this chick — and down to business. We told Robin our genre (she groaned) and the required elements. (The character: Roosevelt or Rosie Adams, President; The prop: A bracelet; The line: “That’s what I’m talking about.”) We talked about some things we’d been thinking in terms of style, actors, and settings. She said, basically, “Okay, I’ll call you back in an hour.”

After we hung up, Bill and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves. We’ve always had to help the writer brainstorm or actually write it ourselves. This... this... freedom was a little unnerving. We did have to make some calls, coordinate some logistics and such, but having time to do it was just... wild.

Robin checked in with the script, and she was right on track so she kept on going. We got a full script about 10:30, and we loved it. LOVED IT! Very sharp, very creative, very witty. We needed to make a couple of changes to keep with the locations we had, so she retooled that and we had an absolutely amazing script by midnight. A new record for us. Bill and I talked about the film schedule, costuming, call times, and needed props. Bill sent out an email to the team, and we went to bed.

We had the crew meet at our house at 8:00, but it was more like 9:00 when we had everyone we needed. We decided to film an office scene at my in-laws’ home. The set dressing and camera set-up took much longer than we thought, so we really didn’t start filming until 10:30. Not a stellar beginning. We were also filming some of the harder scenes, which also made it difficult.

But we’ve got great people on our team, and got through those scenes before a late lunch at 2:00. The crew took turns eating and setting up for the living room scene, which we also did at my in-laws’ house (they had taken the kids to the zoo by now). I ran the actors through their lines while the crew worked on lighting, and then Bill came in to direct that scene.

We left the house by 4:00 to do scenes closer to my home. My friend provided the front of her house when one of my locations fell through, and we did a few things there. Then we used the front of my house for a long scene involving five actors and finished just before it got dark. It was supposed to be a gardening scene, but since it was cold and lightly raining, we had to make some adjustments.

We sent home most of the team, and went inside to do voice-overs until about 10:00. It was a more leisurely session, though, involving pizza and joking. When the rest of the team went home, we sent our composer some music ideas and then went to bed.

Sunday was reserved for editing the film together, doing color and audio correction, adding the music and credits, putting in the title, and probably ten other things I don’t even know. This was mostly Bill’s show, with me there for moral support and to lend another set of eyes and ears to the film. We dumped out a backup tape at 5:30, so we’d have something, and Bill worked until 6:45. We arrived at the drop-off location a whole five minutes early, and turned in the final product.

I think you know a film is great when you’ve watched the same scene twenty times in editing, and it still cracks you up. That’s the case. The script was wonderful, we have some knock-out performances, and interesting camera work. We’re very happy with the results.

Our screening is this Thursday (Group F, 9:30 p.m.), and after that the film it will available online at our website. Let’s hope it’s a winner. The title for our film — involving a hardened detective, a sultry lady, a homeowners’ association, and self-help books — is You Pay Your Dues.

Weekend Update

2007-05-06T09:19:00.000-04:00

Still deep into the edit of “You Pay Your Dues,” a detective/cop picture.

But I wanted to let everyone know that tickets are now on sale for our Thursday night screening — grab ’em while you can!

Screening Slot: Group F, 5/10 at 9:30 p.m.

2007-05-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

Okay, so one more pre-weekend message for everyone — our screening has been scheduled for Thursday, May 10 at 9:30 p.m. (i.e., Group F) at the AFI Silver Theatre. The tickets are not yet on sale, but once they do become available, they will sell out. I’ll try to let people know when they’re available, but in the meantime, you may want to check back at the screening website for updates.

The Home Stretch...

2007-04-29T17:34:00.000-04:00

The 2007 48 Hour Film Project fast approaches. Just one week from... well, right about now, we will be dumping our finished film out to tape for the mad cross-town rush to drop it off at the Warehouse Theater. We’ve got a pretty great team returning this time around, but I did want to draw your attention to a couple of welcome additions. First, we have Robin Brande, author of the upcoming YA novel Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature, who has graciously stepped in as our writer. And second (thanks to a last-minute agreement between SAG and the 48 Hour Film Project organizers) is actress Mary Lechter, founder of A Class Act: Acting for Young People & Adults. We are extremely honored to be working with them both, and eagerly anticipate our best entry yet.

No pressure or anything... ;-)

From this point forward, we’ll be switching production-based communication over to a smaller, dedicated mailing list, so that casual fans won’t be bombarded with every little detailed announcement. So if you want to come aboard (and haven’t let me know already), please be sure to speak now!

I also want to make one final plea for locations — we want to get as wide a variety of potential shooting spots as possible, and we’re trying to assemble a complete list of potential assets for Robin to work with. So if you’ve got anything that we can use, please let us know ASAP. Unusual is great, but ordinary is still necessary.

So for those of you on the team, we’ll be chatting more soon. For the rest of you, we’ll be in touch about screenings once we catch our collective breath!

The Hour Fast Approaches...

2007-04-19T14:04:00.000-04:00

I know I, for one, am surprised at how quickly the 48 Hour Film Project has come. Yes, for those of you who haven’t checked your calendars lately, the competition is in just two weeks — May 4th through the 6th. And as usual, it seems like we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then.

I’ve already heard from several of our regulars regarding their availability, but many others either have not yet responded or were tentative in their commitments. If you fall into one of those latter categories (or if your plans have changed), please let me know as soon as possible if you’ll be able to join us this time around. The big shooting day will be Saturday the 5th, but we could also use some editing and postproduction help through Sunday, if you’re so inclined.

In addition, as always, we are on the lookout for interesting or unusual locations, props, or other quirky components you may be able to contribute to the effort (or, frankly, regular locations, props, or components). So please pass those along so we can start assembling our list of potential “assets”; we’ll want to have a fairly complete inventory of our capabilities for the writers to work with — no sense writing in a 1955 Chevy if we don’t actually have one (and if we do have one, we’d be crazy not to write it in).

More details on the specifics to come across the next two weeks, so stay tuned!

“Machinations” Takes Best Sci-Fi Award

2007-03-13T09:10:00.000-04:00

At the Filmapalooza event this past weekend, “Machinations” was just awarded Best Use of Genre (Science Fiction) for this year’s National Film Challenge. Thanks and congratulations to everyone involved!

Seattle Debrief

2007-02-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

I’ve got to say, the Science Fiction Short Film Festival was an amazing experience. The trip itself was nightmarish — there’s nothing like having your travel agency neglect to actually book the ticket, and then try to stick you with an additional $480 charge if you actually want to make your flight. And neglect to inform you that the cost of your hotel room will unexpectedly skyrocket for the second night of your stay.

But despite all of that, the festival itself was fantastic. First, I participated in a special teachers’ session at the Science Fiction Museum; basically a live director’s commentary and Q&A session. (It’s kind of nice to know that Seattle-area teachers are going to be using “Machinations” to teach students about visual composition in film.) And I got a free pass to the museum and the Experience Music Project — not a bad way to kill a couple of hours before the festival proper.

(Speaking of commentaries, I should take a second to note that we have finally added a new entry to our long-neglected podcast: A commentary on “Machinations” with me and D.P. Adam Young. Enjoy.)

As for the screenings themselves, I couldn’t have asked for a better venue. The Cinerama Theatre is a surprisingly well-kept, 800-seat theater with a huge curved screen. And a good old-fashioned balcony. The filmmakers had prime reserved seats, of course — and we needed them, as the theater sold out both screenings. And that’s an audience of regular filmgoers, not a crowd stacked with the filmmakers’ friends and family.

The quality of the films varied, as one might expect. In some cases the concept was intriguing but the execution lacked. In others those two factors were reversed. A few films missed on both counts. And some were right on the money. Some personal favorites of mine were “Transgressions” (which ended up taking home the Grand Prize), “The Un-Gone,” “Maklar, Anyone?” (the Audience Favorite winner), “Singularity,” and “TV Man.” I also enjoyed “Haunted Planet” and “Face Machine,” and got a real kick out of the animated romp “The Tragical Historie of Guidolon the Giant Space Chicken.” The space effects in “Mizar” were absolutely asonishing (and on full 35mm film, no less). And I want to make special mention of “Agnieszka” and Douglas Trumbull award-winner “13 Ways to Die at Home”; I definitely enjoyed both of them, but they both fall firmly into the category of “What the hell was that?”

We didn’t take home any awards — not that we expected to, given the quality of the competition and the fact that there really weere only three awards given. But the audience really seemed to love our little picture; and in that theater, that was really some reaction. Talk about a rush. And even beyond the films, the experience of being to able to interact with other filmmakers and film fans was priceless.

Of course, lest I leave the experience thinking all was well with the world, I was brought back down to Earth on the return flight, where I had what was supposed to be a four-hour layover at Midway airport. Which kept on creeping later and later, until it reached nearly the six-hour mark. Sure, I was able to sit and watch the Superbowl (or at least the first three quarters) in an airport bar in Chicago, but that novelty wore off pretty fast. Didn’t manage to crawl out of a largely-abandoned National airport until one in the morning. Lost the whole day just trying to get home (and had to get up for an early meeting the next morning).

It was so worth it.

While I’m rambling, I might as well add a few quick news bullets:

Thanks to the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse screening, Tohubohu has taken in its first appreciable revenue; at just over $100, it doesn’t really begin to cover the amount we’ve spent on production (and the even greater amount we’ve since spent on promotion), but it’s still a really nice feeling to get that check in hand.

Still no news on any potential awards from the National Film Challenge, and we probably won’t know anything until Filmapalooza in March. And that’s assuming they post any announcements immediately: While we’d certainly like to have a representative in attendance, our budget is pretty much spent after the aforementioned Seattle trip...

The Internet Movie Database now has reasonably complete listings for both “Quite Contrary” and “Machinations” — so if you worked on either of those films, be sure to give those entries a look to make sure you’re credited properly (and even if you didn’t work on either of them, go give them your ratings and comments)!

The 2007 48 Hour Film Project for Washington, D.C., will take place over the weekend of May 4th through the 6th. Clear your calendars...

Expanding the “Official” Catalog

2007-01-30T11:02:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to mention that “Machinations” has joined “Quite Contrary” in being included in the Internet Movie Database. No details yet (they’re coming), but the film’s there (thanks to its acceptance into the Science Fiction Short Film Festival).

And while we’re on the subject, more details have been added to the “Quite Contrary” page, meaning a lot more of the folks who worked on it have been recognized (and there are still more additions to come). Congrats to all!

Oh, and when you get a chance, you may want to head over and make sure your details are correct. And vote for the films! (Rate “Quite Contrary” here and “Machinations” here.)

Baltimore’s Battle of the Films... and DAVE

2007-01-25T22:31:00.000-05:00

Right on the heels of our screening at the Science Fiction Short Film Festival next weekend, we will have one — and possibly two — screenings at the inaugural Battle of the Films in Baltimore. The first screening — on Thursday, February 8 — will feature “Screening Process,” and if we make it to round two (only five films will move on), the second screening — on Thursday, February 15 — will feature “Quite Contrary.” Now, as befits a true “battle,” these are all about viewer reaction — how we do is measured by the rigorously tested and eminently scientific method of audience applause volume.

In other words, we need people to show up. Preferably loud people.

The screenings will be hosted by The Cinema Lounge at Gardel’s, located at 29 South Front Street in Baltimore, and they’ll start at 7:30 pm. So please come if you can!

I also wanted to take a moment to give a quick shout-out to Tohubohu alumnus David Seitzinger, who just finished a program of grueling work at The DAVE School (as in Digital Animation and Visual Effects) in Orlando, Florida. His class’s final project, “Creepers,” is up for viewing on their website. Give it a look — some pretty remarkable stuff! Congratulations, David!

Bicoastal Machinations

2007-01-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

We’ve got not one but two screenings to highlight today.

First, “Machinations” has just been accepted into the Science Fiction Short Film Festival, taking place February 3 in Seattle, Washington. We’re pretty damned proud of this little accomplishment, and are really excited about the opportunity to showcase all of our hard work to an appreciative audience. If anyone wants to fly out — or if any of our West Coast contingent wants to give it a look-see (not to mention giving us the chance to catch up) — let us know and we can get tickets and coordinate schedules!

Congratulations — and my personal thanks — to everyone involved in our achieving this honor.

And more locally (well, for our DC-based contingent anyway), the film will be screening at 4:00 p.m. on January 13 at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. This screening will be a showcase of locally-produced films for the National Film Challenge, and we’re really happy to have this venue in which to host it (sure beats the hell out of my office’s common room). Tickets are only $5 apiece — and since it’s a restaurant to boot, there’ll be plenty of food and drink available as well. We really want a big turnout for this one — especially since theater revenue (well, once we recover the amount we paid to get the theater in the first place) will be divvied up by which film attendees are there to support (you’ll have a chance to express your preference upon entry). Frankly, it’d be nice to make back some of our expenses for a change... So while we’ll understand if you can’t make it all the way out to Seattle, this one there’s no excuse for missing...

Well, unless you’re a left-coaster, of course.

Save the Date!

2006-12-14T11:39:00.000-05:00

“Machinations” will be showing as part of a special screening of locally-produced entries in the National Film Challenge on January 13 at the Arlington Cinema ’n’ Drafthouse. And frankly, I don’t think we could have asked for a better venue. Dinner, drinks, and movies. Tickets will be only $5 — and remember, you’ll be supporting us in the process: Revenue will be split according to which movie you’re there to support. So it’s vital not only that you come out and enjoy yourself, but that you tell all your friends and neighbors about it.

We’ll have more details as the date draws closer, but for now, be sure to write it in on your calendars. In ink — none of this “pencil” crap.

New Viewing Options

2006-12-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

After seeing the sheer number of NFC films that are available via third-party distribution sites, we’ve gone ahead and joined the pack. We have finished uploading our entire film catalog to both YouTube and MySpace; not only does this expand our potential audience, but it also provides viewers with a chance to rate our films and provide feedback (something we really haven’t had time to build into this site).

So head over to those sites (via the preceding links), watch the films, and let us know what you think! And while you’re at it, go ahead and subscribe to our films at YouTube (and make us your friend), and add us as a friend and make us one of your favorites at MySpace!

It’s all about promotion...

NFC Finalists Announced

2006-12-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

I have to confess that I didn't expect to be writing this, but “Machinations” did not make the cut of the top 15 films in this year’s National Film Challenge. What this means is that — while we are still eligible for individual awards (cinematography, best in genre, editing, acting, etc.) — we are out of the running for the Best Film and Audience Favorite awards. In other disappointing news, it also appears that voting for the Audience Awards (i.e., the posting of the eligible films on the NFC site) will now not occur until December 22, and the full slate of awards will not be announced until the Filmapalooza event, March 8-11 of next year. (Talk about dragging out the timeline...)

I do have to say that I’m still extremely proud of what we all accomplished, and am continuing to submit this and other films in our catalog to appropriate festivals, as well as exploring other distribution and promotion avenues. We are still planning to have a screening of locally produced films in the contest, and will let everyone know when we have the details locked up. And we are also planning to produce at least one non-competition film in the immediate future.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us to date, and I look forward to our next opportunity to work together!

For the record, here's the list of the top 15 films (and, where possible, a link to where they can be viewed online):

“Yukai” — Austin Militia, Austin, TX (Horror)
“The Silence” — Brain Child, Nashville, TN (Silent Film)
“Foxxy Madonna vs. The Black Death” — Cinephreak Pictures, Indianapolis, IN (Spy)
“The Make-Up of a Man” — Drop Deuce, Philadelphia, PA (Comedy)
“Ashes to Ashes” — The Hi-Def Chefs, Minneapolis, MN (Holiday Film)
“Rub Out” — The Isotopes, Los Angeles, CA (Drama)
“The Exorsister” — Minefield Entertainment, Chicago, IL (Mockumentary)
“Aw, Crap! It’s a Musical?” — Precision Post, Los Angeles, CA (Musical or Western)
“All I Wanted Was A Beer” — PunchBelly, Valley Village, CA (Musical or Western)
“All Sales Final” — Team CPR, Eugene, OR (Comedy)
“Decision 2006” — Team Midas, Albany, NY (Mockumentary)
“Everyday” — We Don’t Know Yet Productions, Philadelphia, PA (Holiday Film)
“It Happened In Your Neighborhood” — Weary Films, Little Rock, AR (Silent Film)
“Showdown at Root Canal” — What’s In A Name Studios, St. Louis, MO (Musical or Western)
“Dante’s Massage” — Year of the Rooster, Sherman Oaks, CA (Horror)

Photos from DC Shorts

2006-11-28T09:36:00.000-05:00

This is a little late, but I thought a few people might be interested in some photos from this summer’s DC Shorts festival, from the opening night party at Drinx, to the screening Q&A sessions, to the closing brunch at Clyde’s.

Photos by Tom Kochel: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/kochel.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Bill Coughlan, Nello DeBlasio, Arvi Gowda, Brian Grundstrom, Karen Hutchinson, Bjorn Munson, and Emily Skelton. Not to mention a whole bunch of other filmmakers, as well as DC Shorts organizer Jon Gann and “Close Quarters” character inspiration Tim Tate, gay glass sculptor extraordinaire.)

Photos by Moshe Zusman: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/zusman.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Bill Coughlan, Nello DeBlasio, Bjorn Munson, and Emily Skelton. Again, among others.)

Photos by Mia Faith: http://www.gannagency.com/dcshorts/gallery/faith.shtml
(Featuring Tohubohu contributors Nello DeBlasio, Arvi Gowda, Brian Grundstrom, Bjorn Munson and Emily Skelton. Et al.)

Now We’re Official

2006-11-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, one of our films is anyway. All of the production details (cast, crew, company info, etc.) are still pending, but “Quite Contrary” now has an official entry at the Internet Movie Database. So while you’re thinking about it, everyone head over and cast your vote for it (rating it highly, of course). And add your comments, if you like. Let’s start the buzz on this one!

With any luck, all of the supplemental info will be addded soon, and we’ll have a chance to add things like an official one-sheet poster. Speaking of which, anyone want to take a stab at designing a decent one? All we’ve got right now is a pretty basic black with the title and a still shot from the film...

(In fact, that request goes for any of the films in our catalog.)

Edit: Looks like Tohubohu has its own entry as well, though it’s not much more than a placeholder at the moment.

Georgetown/Adams Morgan Screening and NFC News

2006-11-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, as much as we were looking forward to the Georgetown/Adams Morgan festival, I do have to say I was a little disappointed. The audience for our screenings was... somewhat smaller than I’d expected. As in absolutely nonexistent. Well, not including me, Brian, the people running the show, and a couple of people who meandered in. I did get a chance to meet and chat with organizer Eric Sommer, and saw a really interesting ukelele-rapper, and a couple of interesting films, so it wasn’t a total loss. But really not what I’d hoped for.

In other news, the current schedule has the first round of judging for the National Film Challenge wrapping up on November 30th, with the announcement of the first-round selections shortly thereafter. Just thought people would want to know.

Slight Schedule Change

2006-11-13T11:26:00.000-05:00

For the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival showings this Friday, “Quite Contrary” will still be screening as part of the 1:30 Film Block (now dubbed the “Bazooka” block), but the start time for the “Machinations” screening (now called the “Dada” block) has been pushed back to 4:30 p.m.

Everyone make sure to adjust your calendars!

Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival 2006

2006-11-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pass along the news that both “Quite Contrary” and “Machinations” will be screening with the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Film & Music Festival on Friday, November 17th. “Quite Contrary” will be screening as part of the 1:30 block, and “Machinations” will be with the 3:30 block.

All screenings are at the DC Arts Center Theater in Adams Morgan (2438 18th Street, NW), and tickets and passes are exclusively available at the Idle Time Bookstore (located right across the street). Tickets for a film block are $5 apiece, day passes are $50, and all-access passes are $100.

Congratulations to everyone involved, and I hope to see some of you there!

Becoming a Bit More Official

2006-11-07T16:35:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that we have finally gotten around to submitting “Quite Contrary” to the Internet Movie Database, in light of its official selection as part of the DC Shorts Film Festival.

The approval process usually takes a few weeks, so we’ll hopefully have some more information as to whether or not it’s been accepted then. Once it’s in (hey, I’m optimistic), we can go about making sure everyone’s name is correct and so on. But for right now, it’s just another waiting game. Kind of par for the course for us.

A Little Facelift

2006-10-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

Well, we’re trying out a new website design — probably just a stopgap measure until we get our ideal site up, but since we’ve been tweaking that “ideal” for more than a year now, I think it’s way past time we put up something that seemed at least reasonably respectable. So check it out, run it around the block, and let us know if anything else needs fixing.

In other news, I just received the official word that “Machinations” was received and is considered eligible for awards. Now it’s all a matter of waiting.

“Machinations” Is Now Online!

2006-10-29T00:37:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to drop everyone a quick note to let you know that our latest short film, “Machinations,” is now available for online viewing (at least in its “Large” and “Medium” incarnations — still working on the version for those with slower ’net connections).

We (that is, I) also did some minor tweaking of the site — mostly behind-the-scenes stuff, but I did try to more prominently feature our shorts toward the top. If anyone wants to take a moment to check it out — kick the tires, so to speak — I’d appreciate it. (In fact, if anyone wants to redo the site a bit, make it look less like something that was slapped together by a rank neophyte, I wouldn’t turn that down either.)

In other news, after its successful run at the DC Shorts festival, we are submitting “Quite Contrary” to the Cleveland International Film Festival, as well as the Georgetown/Adams Morgan Festival. And given the positive reception of “Machinations” so far, I think it’ll be hitting the festival circuit as well.

That’s all for now — hope everyone’s having a nice weekend (don’t forget to set your clocks back).

The Tapes Are On Their Way

2006-10-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

Oh, I forgot to mention the final, definitive title of our little film: “Machinations.”

And by the way, thanks to some technical glitches, I did not make the 6:30 dropoff at the nearby FedEx place. Still (after an interminable stream of profanity far more explicit than anything in “Quite Contrary”), I was able to work those out, and had plenty of time to dump a couple of copies out to tape and get them to the central FedEx facility by its 8:00 closing time. Or so I thought. I’ll spare you all the details, but after seemingly innumerable delays, I ended up in the door just before 8:00 (and, in fact, someone coming up a couple of minutes later was denied entry).

As a little capper, the attendant’s receipt printer wasn’t working, so she said she’d just have to give me the handwritten receipt. Hey, I’m sympathetic, but as this is a competition entry, I’m going to need an officially printed and dated receipt. They had to run the thing three times before it’d work (and change paper rolls twice), but work it did.

Time-stamped 8:02 p.m., but the time’s not the critical thing — it’s the date: October 23, 2006.

Our work is officially done.

Thanks again, everyone. Now I’m going to grab something to eat, have a drink and go to bed.

And despite all that, I can’t wait to do it again. But next time I’ll try not to cut it so close.

Good night, all.

The Home Stretch...

2006-10-23T16:48:00.000-04:00

Well, we’re not exactly done yet, but we’re getting closer.

Yesterday’s editing session went really well, and it was great to know that (even though we had today to make adjustments) we had a good, solid piece to work with. Which is a good thing, ’cause even though I thought today was going to be just an exercise in perfectionism, I’ve been working just as hard as yesterday to get this picture in shape to ship it out this evening. And believe me, this picture is worth the effort; I’m really not exaggerating when I say this may be one of the best pieces we’ve ever done. Great performances, amazing technical quality, tight editing, and some graphics that are absolutely astonishing. I do want to give a special shout-out to those who weren’t as visible on the shoot — Larry Contratti, our writer and editor, Mike Gower, graphics genius extraordinaire, and Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, who has been working with me all through yesterday and today to polish up the music (which will be the most tightly-integrated bit of scoring we’ve had to date).

I’ll spare you the gory details — the postproduction process isn’t the most dramatic of undertakings (which is why it always got such short shrift on Project Greenlight). But suffice it to say that with every little addition or alteration, we could see the quality of this thing substantially improving. Right now, I’m doing a final rendering of the picture to disk so we can start the output process; at that point, we’ll run it out to tape and double-check the tape (lesson learned after the “Quite Contrary” experience). And at this rate, we should have plenty of time to make the 6:30 FedEx dropoff (and if not, we can travel a bit further to hit an 8:00 deadline elsewhere).

Beyond that, we’ll work on getting the film ready for posting online, but we’re hoping to put together a real-world cast and crew screening first. We’re thinking Friday evening — which would give us the opportunity to go out for a celebratory drink (or two) afterward. I’m checking into using my office’s common room (which has a widescreen TV and DVD player), but if anyone has any other suggestions, please pass them along (and soon). If all goes well, we’ll have the online version up and viewable soon after.

I’ve got to get back to work, but if anyone has any additional suggestions or comments, please pass ’em along. In the meantime, I just want to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone for an outstanding effort, and I look forward to being able to show off the fruits of that labor soon!

They’ll Love It At Sundance

2006-10-22T21:34:00.000-04:00

The first time you produce a short film, you’re so stoked. Afterwards, it’s all old hat.

Okay, not really.

This weekend, Tohubohu Productions participated in the National Film Challenge. Actually, I should say is participating, since we (we meaning my husband) will be tweaking the movie all day tomorrow. While the 48 Hour Film Project gives you, well, 48 hours, the National Film Challenge gives you one extra day. Imagine the luxury of writing, filming, editing, and scoring a movie in three days. I don’t know why we didn’t get two films done.

We got our genre and the group’s character/prop/line on Friday at 7:00. In the National Film Challenge, the required character/prop/line is divided by area (at least I assume that is still the case). Our genre was Science Fiction. The required elements for the East Coast were Bobbie Soxer (Candidate)/oil/“If it doesn’t work, give it a shake.”

Bill and I worked with the other producer and our writer to brainstorm the plot. When we felt like we had a good start with Act 1, our writer worked it up while we took care of other movie-making business. Then we talked about the changes we wanted, and he wrote out the next parts. More changes, finishing up at 3:30 in the morning. Bill added the scene headings and some other notes to the script at home and went to bed after 4:00.

Alarm goes off at 7:00. That was a lovely three hours of sleep we had. Or didn’t have, since we were both too worked up to sleep well. We gathered our supplies, loaded the car with equipment, and headed for the creative team’s call at 8:00. Or 8:00ish, since we, along with our camera guy, represented 3 out of 5 of the creative team — and one was at the Metro. We went over the script in general and then met the crew at 9:00 at the location.

A good friend of ours had volunteered the use of his shop for the filming. Since they design upscale kitchens, we had some great places to film to keep the background interesting. There was the showroom, with several different mock kitchens, and a warehouse with high ceilings. We also used the front, side, and back of the building. We would probably have gone under the building if we could have figured out how to do it.

The filming went great. A little rocky in the beginning, with the combination of a tough camera setup and some missing cast members. Next time we will stagger the call times and start with a simpler shot, so lesson learned in any case. But other than getting a slow start, everything went extremely well. The actors were all fantastic in the characters we had assigned them. They had a lot to contribute to the dialogue and to the charaterization. Excellent cast. Our crew was totally on the ball, getting things done quickly and accurately. I worked mostly with the Assistant Director, preparing actors for the next scene while Bill was filming the current scene. Our prep work saved a lot of time, since Bill didn’t have to rehearse the actors, but still could change things that didn’t work for him. We finished filming about 8:30 and were packed up and out by 9:00.

Today I’ve been home while Bill edits the film and adds the music and graphics (we had people working on both as we were filming). I’ve seen the rough cut, and it looks pretty good. There are some shots we could have done better if we had more time, but that’s the “challenge” part of the National Film Challenge.

I’ll let you know when it’s up on our site, in case anyone is interested. I think we did a good job with it, but most importantly — clichéd as it is — we had a great time.

By the way, if any of you writers are interested in putting together a short film script, we’d be happy to give it a look. We’ve wanted to do a non-competition film (i.e., a film not thrown together in one weekend), but don’t have any script ideas. We won’t, y’know, pay you for it, but it could hit it big in the indie market. You never know.

Principal Photography Has Wrapped

2006-10-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that at about 8:00 this evening, principal photography on Tohubohu’s NFC entry for 2006 wrapped. We had a great time, and I think we really got some phenomenal material.

I’m going to try to catch a few winks before the big edit tomorrow. Good night and sincerest thanks to all!

It’s Time

2006-10-20T16:58:00.000-04:00

Oh, crap.

I’ve gotta go direct a movie.

The National Film Challenge Is Upon Us!

2006-10-11T17:44:00.000-04:00

Well, just a little more than a week to go, folks. Time to get serious.

Okay, so the time to “get serious” was probably a while ago now, but now we’re really getting serious. I mean it.

Tohubohu is officially entered, and we’re in the process of finalizing our team roster. And that’s where you come in.

If you haven’t gotten back to me with a definitive yea/nay, please do so as soon as possible. The big shooting day is the 21st, but we may also need production assistance on the 22nd, and postproduction help on the 22nd and 23rd. And just about everything’s up for grabs!

Feel free to check out the NFC’s official site for the contest specifics — or just drop us a line with any questions. Which I would prefer, because that means I’m hearing from you. Which is the whole point of this post.

Can’t wait to get started, and to hear back from all of you soon!

Festival Wrap-Up

2006-09-19T15:45:00.000-04:00

Well, the DC Shorts film festival is over — though you can still catch one of the “Best of DC Shorts” screenings across this week, something I would highly recommend. No, “Quite Contrary” isn’t part of that show, but there are some really fascinating films that are. Some are viewable elsewhere, but not all, so you really won’t want to miss this.

The festival itself — apart from the screened content itself — was truly a remarkable experience, and hats off to Jon Gann and everyone involved in the DC Film Alliance for putting together a truly memorable weekend. Next year I will definitely be submitting again, and even if we’re not in the show, I’ll likely be springing for a VIP pass. Yes, it was that good (the nonstop stream of free beer probably didn’t hurt either).

As for the content itself — other than our own, of course — there were some personal highlights (and even this is by no means a comprehensive list):

“Available Men” — just plain funny, without going too far into caricature
“Bone Mixers”* — a surprisingly engaging documentary
“The Cell-Phone” — a pretty damned amusing bit of animation
“Checkout” — this could have been a one-gag bit, but the characters make it a lot of fun
“The Cole Nobody Knows” — I may be biased by my affinity for the music, but this was a compelling documentary
“Full Disclosure”* — a really funny first-date film starring Arrested Development’s Judy Greer and Deadwood’s Brent Sexton
“Fumi and the Bad Luck Foot” — some absolutely hysterical animation
“Hairlady” — an intriguing experimental film, and some absolutely amazing time-lapse, steadicam, and editing work
“Ignotus” — an Italian period piece, weaving an artistically speculative tale
“Jesus Beer” — a funny (if verging on blasphemous) gag commercial
“Karma Café” — a fun (and funny) little treatment on self-improvement mantras
“The Leeward Tide” — a remarkable story, but also fantastically shot... and on MiniDV, no less
“Multiverse” — the Washington Improv Theater’s award-winning HD 48 Hour Film Project entry
“Olyver Brody” — really dark, but a great story and performances
“The Package” — a dramatic tale of money, self-interest and betrayal
“Victoria”* — a spec music video that tells a truly moving story
“Zombie-American”* — The Daily Show’s Ed Helms is a zombie just trying to fit in

Once again, thanks to everyone involved — and I can’t wait until next year. Maybe this’ll finally get me off my ass to finish my next (non-contest) film...

* Screening as part of the “Best of DC Shorts.”

Double Reminder

2006-09-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

First of all, I just want to remind everyone that the DC Shorts screening of “Quite Contrary” will be THIS FRIDAY at 4:00 p.m. at the Landmark E Street Cinema. Tickets are still available!

Yes, I know that’s during the afternoon on a work day. Alas, we didn’t have a say as to our screening slot. But for those of you who can make it, it should definitely be worthwhile.

Furthermore, all ticketholders are invited to attend the opening night party at Drinx on Thursday at 9:00. All you need is a ticket! Whether or not you can make our screening, I do hope to see as many of you as possible there.

Secondly, I can officially announce that we are signed up for the National Film Challenge, taking place over the weekend of October 20-23. We’re already talking preproduction at this point, so clear your calendars and get back to be ASAP regarding your availability, your preferred job function (which we’ll do our best to accommodate, but we can’t promise anything), and any other special information you may have to impart. We’re going to try to be even more organized than usual this time around, so the more we can nail down the better!

Tickets Available!

2006-08-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that tickets for DC shorts are NOW ON SALE. Remember, our screening (at the Landmark E Street Cinema) is part of Screening 2, on Friday, September 15 at 4:00 pm.

Hope to see you all there!

Save the Date

2006-08-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

First of all, we have not yet received word about individual screening tickets being available for the DC Shorts festival. Rest assured, as soon as we know, you’ll know. (Once they do become available, you should be able to get them either via Moviefone or the Landmark E Street Cinema box office.)

And second, we have just learned that the dates for this fall’s National Film Challenge have been decided — it’ll be over the weekend of October 20-23, 2006. Mark the date on your calendars...

Website Back Up and Running

2006-08-07T18:34:00.000-04:00

Howdy, folks. Just wanted to post a quick note to say that the Tohubohu website should be back up and running now. If anyone gets a chance, go give it a look, check it out, kick the tires, make sure everything’s working the way it’s supposed to be.

“Quite Contrary” screening with DC Shorts!

2006-07-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

Announcement time, folks!

“Quite Contrary” has been picked up for screening as part of this year’s DC Shorts Film Festival. Our film will be screening at the Landmark E Street Cinema as part of Screening 2, on Friday, September 15 at 4:00 pm. Come on, you know you’re just looking for an excuse to leave work early on a Friday afternoon...

There’s also an opening party Thursday night at Drinx from 9:00 to 11:00 (open to all ticketholders), where you’ll have a chance to meet and greet many of the filmmakers from around the country who have films screening. And if you get a chance, take a look at the rest of the screenings as well — there are a lot of really good shorts being shown (a couple of personal favorites are “Jesus Beer” and WIT’s “Multiverse,” both screening Friday night at 10:00).

Tickets will go on sale mid-August, but — as filmmakers — we should be getting a day’s advance notice over the public at large, so we’ll be sure to send out a group message then (so pay attention).

Congratulations to the entire creative and technical team for “Quite Contrary,” and I can’t wait to see the audience’s reaction.

P.S.: You may have noticed that our website has been down for some time. Alas, this isn’t because of anything related to the long-developing redesign, but something much more mundane. We’ve been having some billing problems with the host and are trying to resolve them — as soon as we get it back up and running, we’ll let you know. We want to make sure everything’s hunky-dory before the big show.

48 Hour Film Project Post Coverage

2006-07-03T09:44:00.001-04:00

Thought some of you might be interested in seeing this — one of the teams in this year’s 48 Hour Film Project was the subject of an article in this week’s Washington Post Magazine.

Sure, it’s no Burke/Springfield/Fairfax Station Times, but it’s something, anyway.

“Best Of” and Baltimore

2006-06-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of quick updates, folks.

First of all, there’s an article in today’s Post about the real-life “Tim Tate, gay glass sculptor extraordinaire.” Just thought it might be of interest to some of you.

At the end of the article, they mention a (free) “Best Of the 48HFP DC” screening at the Warehouse Theater on June 22 at 7pm. Haven’t heard anything directly about this myself, but if it’s true (it’s on their schedule, but no mention of price), it’ll certainly be worth a look-see.

And I also received word that, contrary to earlier reports, the 48 Hour Film Project will in fact be heading up to the Charm City. Unfortunately, it’s over the weekend of July 14–16th, during which I will be at a long-planned family wedding. But far be it from me to demand that my participation be the deciding factor. If you’re interested in joining in, let us know and we’ll see if we’ve got enough interest to field a team.

(And on a housekeeping note, I’d also like to collect short bios and head shots for both our website and DVD editions of our work. So if you think you’re likely to be so featured (use your judgment — though if you’ve delivered a line on screen or had “director,” “producer,” or “writer” appear next to your name, it’s probably a good bet), you may want to pass along your best photos and brief bio paragraphs. Otherwise, we’ll pick out the most unflattering screen capture and just make up some crap about you.)

We All Like To Have Friends...

2006-05-29T10:53:00.000-04:00

Hmm... there’s always a rub somewhere.

On the one hand, I want to promote our MySpace site as much as possible. On the other, I kind of think it’s something akin to cheating to accept the continual stream of thinly disguised porn sites that keep making friend requests. Sure, they’d get our numbers up, but I’m not that obsessed with shameless self-promotion.

So for now, I think I’m going to have to amend my earlier post. Yeah, we’re acccepting just about anyone who wants to join. But there is a human being looking at the actual profiles of our requestors; if all I’m seeing is a bunch of provocative poses and links to your webcam, then sorry, but I’m going to have to say no.

(And for my personal MySpace page, I’m probably going to have to actually have some idea who you are.)

Staying (Somewhat) Current

2006-05-22T10:41:00.000-04:00

In our continuing effort to keep up with what the kids are doing nowadays, Tohubohu Productions has gone ahead and set up a MySpace account. We may end up cross-posting blog entries there, uploading videos, and what have you, but for starters, we’d definitely like to see if we can get a few “friends.”

So if you’ve got a MySpace account (and if not, it’s easy to sign up), you can go to Tohubohu’s profile and send us a friend request. We’re not picky, so unless there’s something freakishly abhorrent about you, we’ll accept your request; we like to be as inclusive as possible.

(And on a personal note, I’ve also got my own profile page up, and I’m also desperate for the personal validation that only a whoppingly huge list of friends can bring. I’m also fairly lenient in my friend-accepting practices — though probably just a bit more discriminating. But probably not much, come to think of it.)

We’ll keep you posted on further developments!

The Shoe Drops

2006-05-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, “Close Quarters” did not garner a slot in this year’s “Best of the 48 Hour Film Project” screening. Disappointing, yes, but hardly a reflection on all of the hard work that went into this production. Thanks go out to everyone who made this a remarkable experience, and we look forward to working with you again in the near future!

And finally, for those of you who’ve been waiting anxiously, the movie is now available for on-line viewing. The large-size version is ready now, and the smaller versions should be available in the near future.

So give it a look, and let us know what you think!

Who Knew? Well, Somebody Did

2006-05-12T15:59:00.000-04:00

Turns out that the required character for D.C.’s 48 Hour Film Project is a real person: Tim Tate, Gay Glass Sculptor Extraordinaire.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And here we were criticizing that selection as being an unrealistic caricature rather than a credible character.

To our credit, we did change it to Tina Tate (as permitted by the contest), and I don’t think we were harmed by our lack of knowledge in the creative process.

To our detriment (or, rather, to the credit of our competitors, which amounts to the same thing), it looks like 2004 contest winner Jon Gann (“Signs”) actually knows the guy. They’re next-door neighbors. Can’t help thinking that might have given them a bit of a head start (nice when you can use a piece of the artist’s actual work — which you happen to have at home).

In all seriousness, I’m not griping — more power to ’em. This contest isn’t meant to start from a “level playing field” for anyone. Our team may not have had actual glass scluptures, but we did have an unfairly creative and dedicated bunch of contributors.

So there.

Tonight’s the Big Night

2006-05-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

Remember, tonight’s the big theatrical premiere of “Close Quarters.” As of this writing, tickets are still available.

It’s at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, at 9:30 p.m. The theater’s at 8633 Colesville Road (at the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue), and there’s parking available for only $3.00 behind the Lee Building (pretty much at that same intersection).

We’ll try to get the movie up online at some point on our website, but it’ll be a while — we’ve got some technical hurdles to overcome with the 24fps shooting speed versus the 30fps speed of the video. For those of you more technically inclined, we shot in widescreen 24p (23.98fps) with a basic 3:2 pulldown (rather than the advanced 2:3:3:2 pulldown), and (in the interests of speed) edited in 30i (29.97fps); for the archival copy we’ll want to do a reverse telecine to restore the 24p footage, and reedit at that frame rate (and in 16:9 widescreen).

I think I can safely assume that that explanation meant absolutely nothing to 98 percent of you, so just trust me when I say that tonight’s premiere is the single best way to see this movie for the foreseeable future.

See you there!

Tohubohu’s Latest: “Close Quarters”

2006-05-08T17:34:00.000-04:00

I have to say, we’ve learned a lot every time we’ve done this, and this weekend probably resulted in our smoothest work yet. Not that it wasn’t without some significant bumps. We drew “Drama” — a tough category for a group whose talents certainly fall more into the comedic vein (though you can feel free to debate our success in that arena). Still, as Drama was a new category this year, it was somewhat rewarding to be one of the “inaugural groups” to give it a go.

On the flip side, we’d lost our writer mere days before. So I, our producer (and my wife) Pam, and a few of our actors all hammered out our script, finally winding up around 4:00 a.m.

A quick catnap (not to mention a much-needed shower) later and we were up and shooting bright and early Saturday morning. We hadn’t had time to work out a detailed production schedule the night before (and several of our actors — being in other shows or rehearsals — had time restrictions), so Pam ordered shots on the fly. A last-minute discovery was that a construction crew was working a few doors down from our location, but at that point it was too late to move — we just scheduled our outdoor shots for the lunch break and hoped the noise wouldn’t carry inside.

Our editor was working on-site, grabbing tapes (and the very detailed notes from our script supervisor) and putting together rough cuts of scenes right there. We finally wrapped around 8:00 p.m. — the earliest we’ve ever finished one of these shoots — and I took over shot-logging and capture so our editor could grab a quick rest. But by about midnight, we had all of our footage captured and a rough cut of everything but two complicated scenes put together.

Unfortunately, we also discovered that we had some story problems. We ran the rough cut past a couple of test audiences (okay, past some coworkers I was able to shanghai to watch it), and there was a lot about the character relationships that wasn’t coming through. So we (i.e., Pam) hammered out a quick prologue scene and sent her, our D.P., and a couple of actors out to shoot it while the editor and I kept at the cutting. Our “second unit” finished shooting by 2:00, and we folded the new scene in, color-corrected and scored the film, rendered a letterboxed version (an agonizingly slow process), and dumped it out to tape.

At 7:28 p.m. — just two minutes before the final deadline — I ran through the doors of the Warehouse Theater, two copies of Tohubohu’s official entry, “Close Quarters,” in hand. Which will screen this Friday night, May 12, at the AFI Silver Theatre, at 9:30 p.m. (tickets are available via their website, hint, hint).

All in all, an extraordinary weekend, a thrilling experience, and something I’m likely to keep doing for as long as I possibly can. It’s just great to have a chance to do this — and most importantly, to have a finished product to show for it.

Thanks all for participating, and congratulations to everyone who gave this a go!

“Close Quarters”

2006-05-08T11:39:00.000-04:00

How was your weekend? Did you, for example, MAKE A MOVIE?

I will start at the beginning, for all those who wish to know how a group of ragtag cast and crew put together a short film in two days for the 48 Hour Film Project.

Bill (our director, not to mention my husband) and I went to the kickoff meeting at 7:00 on Friday night; Kori (who had flown in from Chicago just to participate in this) met us there. When all the teams were present, we drew our genre out of a hat (literally). Each set of teams (ten to twelve per showing) drew a unique genre from a single group — so there would be one (and only one) of each kind during the screening. Each time “Musical or Western” was drawn, everyone cheered — either in support of the poor team that drew it, or in relief that it was now out of the hat for the rest of that set’s screening. As we talked during the drawing (we were in the “H” set), we talked about how the only one that would be really hard for us was “Drama.”

So, of course we drew Drama.

The “required elements” — all of which must appear in your finished film — for the D.C. contest were: A fire extinguisher (prop); “This is absolutely the last time.” (line); Tina or Tim Tate, Gay Glass Sculptor Extrordinaire (character). The audience groaned at that last one — the character is usually a little more conventional, like a photographer or rock star. We left the facility saying “What if it is the glass that’s gay, not the character? Like, ‘Doesn’t that glass sculpture look gay to you?’” Politically incorrect, perhaps, but probably no more so than sticking a caricature up on screen. We were off and running.

The three of us went to dinner, meeting up with “Felt” to write out the story. Unfortunately, our team had lost its original writer a few days before the event, so we had to team-write it.

Writing a seven-minute drama as a team is hard.

We were joined by Nello at 11:00, and we were not nearly as far as we had hoped we would be. The five of us hashed out the story, and then the script until 4:00 in the morning. We went home to bed, only to get right back up at 7:00 to start filming at 9:00.

First problem Saturday morning: We were going to film the first scene outside, but there was loud construction going on two doors down. I made my first producer decision to film another scene inside and come back outside when the construction workers were at lunch. I walked over the construction site to confirm their lunch break. As soon as we finished that scene, I had everyone get set up outside and do run-throughs so we would be ready to go the minute the construction noise stopped. As our actors arrived, I briefed them on the scenes and background story, and I stood in for actors in scenes before they arrived. I went over their lines when they weren’t sure we were getting our point across. I made suggestions to the director about acting choices or additional lines (we were still rewriting on the fly). I kept track of which actors were arriving at what times and which actors needed to leave sooner. I made sure the sets were ready (we filmed in Felt’s townhouse and it needed some “girling up”). I kept us on schedule, making sure the actors were rehearsing their next scene while another scene was being filmed. And, of course, I did the only two jobs Bill was able to pin down for me as a producer — get the release forms signed and make sure we had lunch.

The previous paragraph was all about me (because I had expressed concern that I wouldn’t know what to do), but I don’t mean to imply that I was the only one keeping things together. Far from it. The actors were top-notch, bringing the emotion to the film that we needed from them — including some very hard... well, dramatic scenes. Our actors were incredible. Our crew was totally on the ball, knowing what we needed before we even realized that we needed it. Adam, our director of photography, had our vision in mind for every shot, and framed it all flawlessly. As we did different takes, Ginny and Katie, our script supervisors, made detailed notes, so that in editing we could just go back to the best take right away and/or incorporate excellent pieces from other takes. Larry, our editor, started logging and capturing footage the moment it was available, and even started cutting together preliminary versions of the scenes. And, of course, our director knew the vision from the start and gave the actors positive feedback and constructive suggestions to get the absolute best out of each scene.

Our long night in writing the script turned out to be a crucial investment in the filming the next day. With three of the six actors there for the writing, they knew exactly what to do when we started filming. They knew the back story. They knew the point each scene was trying to make. They had made up half the lines themselves. The actual filming, which we had thought could go late into Saturday night, was over by 8:00. The actors went home, the crew went home, and Bill went to the office to put together a rough cut of the film to have ready for the morning’s editing. As everyone left, some at different parts of the day, I was pleased and proud to hear every one of them say how much fun it was. Because it was fun. Given our limited filming time, things never seemed frantic. And while there were disagreements about dialogue, it never came to the point of real conflict. The whole thing was so calm and pleasant and fun.

On Sunday it was down to Bill and Larry to put the piece together. Oh, and add sound effects, music, credits, and a title. As Bill and I drove in, we worried that we had lost the storyline for one character (thanks to the continually evolving script) and that it might be difficult for an audience to know who everyone was. When some people turned up in Bill’s office (where we were doing the final edit) first thing that morning to actually work, we ran the film by them to get some opinions. People liked it, but weren’t nailing the relationships like we wanted them to. I suggested another scene that took place at the beginning, that would help set up the story and recreate a little of the lost storyline. Bill was afraid it was too obvious, but was willing to give it a try. So at 11:00 on Sunday morning, we scripted a new scene — that would also set up the so-far elusive title — and went out with Bjorn, Christine, and Adam to shoot it. I was now, by default, a director.

(Just as I was directing my first scene, there was a little child-care crisis. Do you think Steven Spielberg has to put up with that crap? It was resolved, thanks to some very helpful friends, allowing me to see the film through to the very end.)

We added the new scene to the beginning, amidst some controversy among the team. It was a little “on the nose,” but in the end, we decided that was better then having the audience confused at the end of the movie. We realized that in a full-length drama, you have time to subtly establish the characters and back story. But in a seven-minute drama, not so much.

After the scene was filmed, my job was mostly supportive. Checking in on the process, looking at the cuts for a second opinion, and keeping track of the time. Most important was keeping track of the time. We had said that we were going to pretend the movie was due at 7:00 so we wouldn’t have a last minute rush, but we needed every minute and did end up making a last-minute rush to get the film turned in by 7:30. We made it, with a couple minutes to spare, and toasted each other with a beer before heading home to get some rest.

This morning, as I caught my reflection in the mirror, I realized two things. One, that my left eyebrow was a little over-plucked. But two, that I was looking at the face of a real producer. And it felt good.

The film is “Close Quarters” and will be available on the Tohubohu Productions website after the screening (at the AFI Silver Theatre) on Friday, May 12th. (Of course, if you’re in the area, and would like to see it sooner, you can always come out to the premiere itself — we screen as part of the 9:30 show. The more the merrier!)

Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It...

2006-05-01T17:53:00.000-04:00

This’ll be the third year that Tohubohu Productions will be entering the competition, and I think we’ve really got it down to a science now. Oh, we’re far from ready to roll (especially since I’ve got to fly out to Monterey for a video shoot on Thursday), but things are starting to gel.

This time around, my wife Pam, of MotherReader fame, will be stepping in to produce as I take the directorial reins for the first time since last year’s “The Big Lie (That Solves Everything).” We’ve got a strong roster of support folks (both cast and crew), and I am really excited about what we’re going to be able to do. I had hoped to have another podcast episode (available now in regular or iTunes varieties) ready before the big event, but as I mentioned, I’m going to have to fly out to Monterey for a video shoot on the day before the event. On the other side of the friggin’ country. I’ll be shooting all day Thursday, then hopping on a redeye that night to make it back in time to do all of our last-minute prep for Friday’s big kick-off.

My thinking is that if I can just sleep on the plane (I figure three Scotches ought to do it), then my circadian rhythms will be all messed up and actually be completely in sync with the production schedule.

Our official premiere screening will be at the AFI Silver Theater on Friday, May 12, at 9:15 p.m. And sure enough, I may be stuck at a video shoot in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but I’m still doing everything in my power to get back in time (or make somebody else go on the shoot).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the contest... I’ll direct you over to the official site for the specifics; I don’t have time to explain it all (again) here. But as for this weekend’s schedule from our perspective, here’s the (basic) rundown.

The kickoff event is Friday evening, from 6:00 until 7:00. A representative or two from each team heads over to the Warehouse Theater, finalizes registration, and draws a film genre out of a hat (literally). Then the event producers draw a character, a prop and a line of dialogue for the entire group (they’ve got 100 teams in the competition this year). Then, at 7:00, we’re off.

Friday night is reserved for the writing and scheduling groups. The first time we did this, we thought that’d be a great excuse to have the whole team get together, but boy was that a mistake. Efficient scriptwriting dictates that we keep that group as small as possible. We write until the wee hours, then email everyone with the script (or at least a synopsis thereof) and Saturday’s call times (we plan to start the first-shot crew call at around 8:00 or so, with an eye towards shooting by 9:00... or, to be completely honest, closer to 10:00).

Saturday is our big shooting day. And it’s a loooong day. We’ll be based in the city, but depending on our shooting needs, we may be venturing out into suburbia. It’s basically a whole lot of sitting around and doing nothing punctuated by brief moments of frenetic activity.

Sunday may see a couple of pickup or second-unit shots, but for the most part, this day will be dedicated to editing, cleanup, and output. If we were... fortunate enough to draw the dreaded “musical,” then we'll likely be working up until the last possible minute recording music and cutting it into the picture. And then we dump the whole thing out to tape and race like mad across town back to the Warehouse Theater for the official dropoff. They usually have a little happy hour (attended by a bunch of people who look like the Red Bull-enhanced zombies that they are), and then it’s off to bed.

Sound simple? On paper, maybe.

We’re still looking for a sound mixer and an editing assistant, so on the off chance that anyone reading this knows a good candidate, let me know. Otherwise, let the countdown begin...

This Is All I’m Sayin’

2006-03-24T12:14:00.000-05:00

There’s a must-listen episode this week on Rob Long’s “Martini Shot” podcast. Rob comments on how the power of the entertainment gatekeeper may be diminishing thanks to the advent of the self-publishing of video entertainment (and, as always, he does so in an exceedingly humorous fashion — after all, he is a professional comedy writer).

Kind of the model we’ve been working from for a while now.

So while you’re at it, go back and watch the movies again. Maybe watch “Loose Ends” while listening to the commentary track...

(And if you’re so inclined, say something nice about us at iTMS.)

Following Right Behind the Pack

2006-03-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

Never let it be said that I’m not willing to jump right onto a bandwagon once it’s gained irresistable momentum.

We have officially started a podcast for Tohubohu Productions. For now, the idea is to chronicle our upcoming 48 Hour Film Project venture, and pass on what we’ve learned about no-budget filmmaking* along the way.

Details about the podcast (well, what details there are, anyway) are available on the main podcast page, though you can also find it at the iTunes Music Store (which, frankly, I just find too cool for words).

So you too can hear me ramble on (my delivery making Quentin Tarantino seem like he’s on quaaludes) about making movies.

* Yes, I know digital video is not film. So what I’m doing is not technically “filmmaking.” But in the jumping-on-the-bandwagon spirit, I’m going with the crowd on this one. I think I can safely acknowledge that I’ve lost that argument.

The Results Are In...

2005-12-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, “Homemade Hero” did not make the cut of the top 15 films in the National Film Challenge. We’re still technically eligible for a “best in genre” award, as there were no “superhero” movies in the final 15, but we’re out of the running for both the grand prize and the audience award.

I’m torn. On the one hand, I want to be a good sport and offer my sincerest congratulations to those teams that did make the cut (and I do mean that). But on the other, having now watched most of the films in question, in several cases I have to say WTF? Our film is so much better than some of them. And not just in any one respect (creativity, originality, performances, technical execution, etc.), but across the board. Don’t get me wrong — there are some decent offerings, but nothing that makes me think our film didn’t absolutely belong in that group.

I suspect that’s just the nature of distributed judging — with any one judge seeing only a few films, it’s hard to develop any sense of comparison. This is basically what happened with the Project Greenlight script judging — you wind up with judges who can only compare an entry with the other entries they’ve received, without any way to judge how they compare with the bulk of the films in competition.

But in the end, we didn’t make this to win a prize (no, really). I think we made a damn good movie, and I’m still just as proud of it as I was before.

“Homemade Hero” is still available for online viewing at the main site, and the NFC films can be seen in their screening room. Give them a look, and let me know what you think.

And in the meantime, we’ll get cracking on our next planned short, “Some Kind of Hero”...

15 Minutes Are Up

2005-11-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

Well, Sarah got voted off... I mean, “fired” on this week’s Apprentice: Martha Stewart. (I gave it a day or so so that those of you who TiVoed the show would have a chance to watch before I blew the secret.) I suppose I could have checked as to whether she was going to be out of the office yesterday (when she’d have to be doing the post-firing interview circuit), but I’m not quite that obsessive. (For those of you just tuning in, we produced Sarah’s audition video.)

For the most part, I can’t say I’m a big fan of the show. As far as I can tell, it’s a pale shadow of the Donald version (for which we also produced an audition video a while back). Martha’s trying to reconcile her hard-nosed businesswoman persona with her gracious TV face, and it just ain’t working. Donald’s an oversized asshole, and doesn’t try to hide it. Makes for a better “villain.” And let’s be honest — that’s what he and Martha are: the antagonists.

Another shortcoming of Martha’s show is that the goal is so nebulously defined — exactly what job is it they’re applying for again? With Donald’s show, the goal is clear: They’re hiring for a specific position running a specific operation within the Trump empire. With Martha, it’s just some job somewhere at the company. Hard to know what you’re working toward, what characteristics you need to accentuate, and so on. But worse than that, that vagueness completely destroys the illusion that this is any kind of “job interview,” as the contestants are repeatedly admonished to call it. No, it’s not an interview. It’s a television show. That’s it. Decisions are being made for good television, not any sort of good business sense.

Will I keep watching now that Sarah’s off the show? For a while, maybe, but probably only to see what happens to loose-cannon Jim (who, if real business entered into the picture at all, would have been let go long ago). After that? Can’t say I really care what happens.

Did Sarah deserve to get fired after this week’s performance? Judging by the way things looked on television (which is no doubt radically different from the way things actually happened), then probably so. Her team never developed a coherent idea for the task, and as project manager, she was ultimately responsible for the team’s performance (Sarah’s second-in-command Carrie was also fired). But I will say that I was heartened to see that, for probably the first time on the show, a project manager actually stepped up and accepted responsibility for the loss rather than trying to deflect blame onto someone else. Did she say that she deserved to be fired? No. But she made the argument for her continued participation based on her overall performance and potential rather than pretending that this loss was someone else’s fault. Hell, when asked who the hardest worker on the team was, she came right out and said it was Jim — someone whom she certainly had no desire to keep around.

So even in defeat, she handled herself graciously and honorably. A lot more than can be said for most reality-show competitors. And since she now has to keep working out in the real world (in fact, my team is working with her on a company video project this month), it’s nice to see she didn’t do anything to tarnish her reputation... or the reputation of those she represents (I suppose that’s me playing the role of “company man” there).

Oh, Yeah... We Made Another Movie

2005-10-31T16:01:00.000-05:00

In the hectic pace of the past couple of weeks, I completely neglected to mention that yes, Tohubohu Productions did in fact complete and submit a film in this year’s National Film Challenge, written by Julia Montgomery, directed by Nello DeBlasio and produced by yours truly.

Our randomly selected film genre? Superhero.

Yeah, try doing that on a nonexistent budget. Oh, sure, it can be done (and I have seen at least one successful effort), but it’s way too easy to fall into the crappy satire category — which may sound good on paper, but almost always comes off as little more than a glorified home movie, in which watching produces more embarrassment than amusement.

But what if...? Yeah, that might actually work... But we’d need... Okay... So let’s try...

Give the resulting film — “Homemade Hero” — a look over at the main site and see how our take on the superhero film came out.

Write This Down

2005-10-19T14:56:00.000-04:00

Tohubohu has officially assigned a writer for our National Film Challenge entry, and we couldn’t be happier:

Julia from the award-winning Tequila Mockingbird.

I have been singularly impressed with her writing for the past couple of years (since Fray Day 7), and once we started considering bringing in an experienced outside writer for our team, I thought, “What the hell — doesn’t hurt to ask.” And — to my surprise — despite our providing practically no advance notice, she thought it sounded like fun (and a more thorough examination of both our site and the NFC site did nothing to dissuade her from this impression).

We just had lunch today to go over any last-minute explanations, make sure there weren’t any glaring omissions or deal-breaking issues, and we are a go. As with any creative enterprise, there are no guarantees, but I think we just dramatically increased the odds of putting together our best show to date.

Now I’m off to Indianapolis for a work video shoot, but I’ll be back on Friday. My plans to blog the 48 Hour Film Project last spring went absolutely nowhere (it seemed like I didn’t have a spare moment to sit down and write), and since I don’t think that’s likely to change this time around, I was toying with the idea of recording some real-time comments for a podcast of the event. No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.

Go Time!

2005-10-13T15:34:00.000-04:00

Following on our award-winning effort in last year’s National Film Challenge, Tohubohu Productions will once again be doing the whole madcap movie-making weekend. And this time, we’re absolutely determined to take it all.

Unlike last year, I won’t be directing this time; while directing is certainly my first love, I am absent an experienced producer for this go-around. So I’ll be stepping into that role, and handing the directorial reins over to Nello DeBlasio, who proved his abilities with the 48 Hour Film Project entry “Quite Contrary.” (In the end, probably the biggest thing this means is that I get to unapologetically play “bad cop.”) We haven’t locked down a writer yet (we’ve decided to get away from the “writers’ bullpen” model we’ve used in the past), but I sent out a letter to an experienced and wonderful local writer yesterday — sort of a last-minute, thinking-outside-the-box choice — and I’m cautiously optimistic that it’ll work out. No details yet (don’t want to jinx it) but if this comes together, I will be seriously psyched about our chances of producing an exceptional film.

We’re also going to be taking a step up on the technical side of things — I just reserved a Canon XL2 for the weekend; we got a fantastic rental rate that we just couldn’t pass up. I don’t know that we’ll be able to master all of the new features of the camera in the brief time we’ll have it, but at the minimum, we’ll be able to shoot in native 16x9 mode, take advantage of the camera’s built-in “cine look” options, and — here’s the real kicker — shoot at 24 frames per second. Not that we’re likely to have an opportunity to transfer to film, but for the first time, we’ll have the option of doing so. And since Final Cut Pro can edit and output in 24fps natively as well, it’ll be a seamless process.

Okay, so the XL2 is no XL H1, but it’s still a big step up for us (not to mention the fact that we’re not geared up to edit in high-def just yet, which is kind of a critical step in the production process).

Things are really starting to come together. Which is a good thing, since there’s just one week to go before production time. So if anyone out there wants in, speak now. Or find yourself waiting for a screening after the fact, saying to yourself, “Man, if only I’d spoken up sooner...”

Breaking Silence

2005-08-18T16:46:00.000-04:00

Ahhh, finally! Anybody who knows me well knows I don’t do well with secrets. But back in February, Tohubohu Productions made a little video, about which I had to keep my big yap shut. And somehow, I managed to do so. Until today, that is.

NBC just announced the cast for the upcoming show The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. And one of the contestants (Sarah, the 25-year-old event planner) is a coworker of mine. But back in February, of course, she was just another hopeful.

So in a bizarre revisiting of past events — we had previously made an (ultimately unsuccessful) audition video for a prospective contestant on the Donald Trump edition of the show — we got behind the camera for yet another Apprentice audition.

Only this time, the contestant made it.

Don’t get me wrong — our part in this accomplishment is exceedingly minor; we could have made the greatest video in the world, and it wouldn’t have gotten an unexceptional candidate in the door. But still, it’s nice to feel like we’re progressing just a bit, from merely garnering a follow-up interview before to getting a competition slot.

And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited at the prospect of potentially seeing even a few frames of our work show up on NBC (or conceivably on the eventual DVD edition of the show).

(Oh, and before anyone asks, I have no idea what happened on the set, or what Martha’s much-debated “catch phrase” will be. Beyond what I’ve just revealed above, I’m as much in the dark as anyone else.)