Coffee Break - Blue is the New Red Huge Roast of Links

Posted November 5th, 2008 at 2:16 pm by C47

So a while back I used to post cool links each Wednesday for a Coffee Break series. For many reasons (mainly time and laziness), I haven’t posted cool links in a while. But I still have a bunch saved up.

So in the spirit of new beginnings, I’m just going to offload everything I’ve had stored up and start fresh.

And just to recap why yesterday was one of the greatest days of my life: Voted in my first presidential election, free Starbucks, free Krispy Kreme, got an iPhone(!), ScottDobie thought my tweet “I feel like today is the day Frodo tosses the ring into Mount Doom” was wittier than both Leo Laporte and John Hodgman, watched the election results at the Democrat results party with all my friends, and the good guy finally won!

The best part - Obama robot at Disney’s Hall of Presidents!

Now enjoy the links.

The company now offers celebrity wannabe packages, including the A-List—Ariel’s choice—which gives clients four personal paparazzi for 30 minutes and a mock-up of a high-gloss tabloid magazine cover with their picture, for $730. The Superstar package ($990) lasts for an hour and the Megastar ($3,000) provides clients with six paparazzi for two hours, limo service, a publicist and a bodyguard. And for customers who hope to get into places like the Waverly Inn or La Esquina just because of the scene they’re setting, it’s priceless, says Drew Tinnin, Celeb 4 A Day’s New York manager. “We’ve gotten people past the velvet rope. Restaurants and clubs usually like the attention we get them when we show up with our clients.”

15 Minutes of Fame, On Sale Now | Page Six Magazine | The New York Post.

Objectified: A Documentary Film by Gary Hustwit - On seven years in the indie film business

From the director of my fav Helvetica on how he’s made a living doing small documentaries.

The Gentleman’s Guide to the Calling Card | The Art of Manliness (via Chic and Charming)

Documentary Club - If you like documentaries

Hi-Res Star Trek Comic-Con Posters - Movie News

Day 1, Chip Heath on Flickr - Very cool illustration explaining the must-read book ‘Made to Stick‘

Full List of Stuff White People Like « Stuff White People Like - Very funny. One of the fastest Blog-to-Book examples

indieWIRE: FIRST PERSON | Film Department’s Mark Gill: “Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling.” - I plan to write more about this, but if you haven’t read it - do so

Channel 4 recreates The Shining to promote its Kubrick season | Media | guardian.co.uk

2008 Design Trends - Very cool designs for inspiration

Metropolis « Finding Some Direction - The missing reels from Metropolis have been found. This is so amazing.

The Steady Approach Part 2 | B&H Photo Video Pro Audio (via Coudal) - Interview with Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam

The Media Equation - Little Movies, Big Problems - NYTimes.com - Indie films not doing so hot

Filmmaker Magazine | Spring 2008: NO VACANCY - The Visitor, the only indie film that did pretty good this year

Typeface - Documentary on Typeface. I have a feeling I’ll like this film. Helvetica and Typeface box set coming soon? Wingdings as a special feature?

The Simple Dollar » How To Write an Effective Thank You Note for Any Occasion

The Ira Glass Guide to Link Bait | Copyblogger

Cat got your tongue, follow these tips — Young Go Getter

What Does A Stylish Man Look Like?

Grocery List: Never Forget an Item at the Supermarket - These two links good for craft service shopping

grocerylists.org | FREE DOWNLOADABLE GROCERY LIST

Mastering the Informational Interview - Shifting Careers - Small Business - New York Times Blog

russell davies: how to be interesting

the media artist: Are You Interesting?

Prepping for Warren Buffett: The Art of the Elevator Pitch (Videos) | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

johnaugust.com » Scripting a short film

johnaugust.com » Rethinking motivation

From the Heart Productions :: The Roy W. Dean Film and Writing Grants

Ultimate Video Relay | How it Works

south by southwest festivals + conferences

The Best Places to Watch Documentary Movies Online | MakeUseOf.com

2008 Animated Shorts Nominees — OZOUX.COM

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Posted in Budgeting, Cinematography, Coffee & Celluloid, Equipment, Pre-Production, Preparation, Production | No Comments

20 Amazing Movie Posters

Posted October 26th, 2008 at 4:28 pm by C47

Movie posters are the main visual representation you have to get someone to see your movie. Most are safe. Some, however, push beyond a simple advertisement to a work of art.

These are 20 posters that dare to be different, all from films released in the past year or so. Be inspired and enjoy.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

IMDb

Bottle Shock

Trailer | IMDb

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Trailer | IMDb

More »

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Posted in Marketing, Movies | 10 Comments

The Visitor and Geoffrey Gilmore [4 of 5]

Posted July 10th, 2008 at 6:34 pm by C47
This is part four of a five part adventure that involves driving Geoffrey Gilmore (the Director of the Sundance Film Festival) around Tallahassee, Diet Cokes, private jets, The Visitor, tea, a 4 am flight, and of course, coffee. Part one and Part two, and Part three.

Friday felt a lot like Thursday. Geoffrey was going to screen the mystery film again, but this time for all the film students.

The movie was The Visitor, from Tom McCarthy, who also did The Station Agent. After The Station Agent, he got the usual studio offers to do films, but turned them down. When he decided to do The Visitor, he was adamant that the lead had to be Richard Jenkins. I thought he was a fairly known actor, mainly from watching him on Six Feet Under, but apparently not.

The original financiers  were going to fund the film as long as the lead was someone more famous than Jenkins. McCarthy was adamant that it had to be him, and he lost the investors. Eventually it was funded by one of the founders of eBay.

Like the casting in The Station Agent, Jenkins was great and perfect for the roll, and it touched on a lot of good issues (immigration, cultures, mid-life change). Afterward, questions were brought up about how to market this film. From the issues I mentioned, it covers a lot of topics and isn’t a straight ‘life changing story’ or ‘love story’ or ‘culture clash story.’

I feel like the trailer does a pretty good job of summing the film up, incorporating all the topics instead of just covering one and marketing it to different groups.

This is a crap year for independent films, and The Visitor will be one of the few indy films to get critical acclaim, be well received by audiences, and a decent box office.

Later that night, I drove Geoffrey and his entourage to the University President’s House for dinner. I went and got a Joey Bag of Donuts at Moe’s (I think I got the better deal, because the following day the Dean was sick with food poisoning).

It would have been neat to go inside the house, but apparently I didn’t miss much after it was noted that the interior design was kind of lacking1.

This night there was no after party, and I was successfully able to drop Geoffrey off at his hotel for the evening.

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  1. After checking out that video I see what was meant. They have a library with no books. ↩
Posted in Career, Film Business, Film School | No Comments

How I Used My DVR to Set My Career Goals

Posted July 8th, 2008 at 9:15 am by C47

With graduation looming closer and more people asking me what I want to do, I need to come up with a more concrete answer. Director or produce? Fiction or documentary?

With the way the summer’s been going, I’m leaning towards producing. As for fiction and documentary, I feel a certain loyalty towards fiction. It was the classics, such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Pulp Fiction, that got me into filmmaking, not Bowling for Columbine or