A New Year Begins

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!

Preparations, Screenings, and the IMDb

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)!

Reminder: DC Shorts This Weekend

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

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!

“Number One With a Bullet” Update

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!

Expanding the “Official” Catalog

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.)

Now We’re Official

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.

Becoming a Bit More Official

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.