Find your inner Spielberg this summer at California Film Workshops in Modesto. In just five weeks you’ll get hands-on training with professional motion picture equipment, learn the complete production process from concept to distribution, and be ready to start making your own films. More information at California Film Workshops.
Hailee Steinfeld, left, Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges in the Coens' remake of True Grit
Interesting article in USA Today about the success of True Grit and some of the new Western content coming soon. Actually the movement is already started with AMC’s series Hell on Wheels filming in Alberta since last summer and two Western-themed movies coming out very soon: the animated Rango and the Spielberg-produced Cowboys & Aliens. Some will even point out the movement started with the raw, visceral HBO series Deadwood. If these efforts show success the floodgates just may open up for the genre, though one comment in this article rings true: “For 50 years, it seemed like it was enough to have pretty horses, big stampedes and Indian attacks. If one is to hope for the return of the genre, there really has to be an effort made to make it fresh for new fans.”
The LA Times reports Movie chains AMC and Regal are planning a joint venture to acquire and release movies. This would be a colossal shift in the way the industry works. Today the major studios also serve as distributors, picking up independent films and placing them in theaters along with all the other channels (DVD, PPV, Cable, Network, etc). The theaters, once all-important and now threatened, are looking to take out the middleman and get a bigger cut of revenue. It’s a touchy situation as they’ll still want the blockbuster films the majors provide, so at this point they look to focus on indies that may be overlooked by traditional distributors. So local filmmakers, take heart: there’s another chance to get your film on the Big Screen!
California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Valencia)
California Assemblyman Cameron Smyth (R-Valencia) recently wrote in support of the California Film and TV Tax Credit. In it he explains how the damage done by “runaway production”, the economic impact of the film industy, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that rely on the industry. You can read the full article at Fox & Hounds Daily.
A great discussion and look at how digital effects are done. Dave and James Codeglia of Ghostlight did our promotional video “Experience Tuolumne”. Their parents live at Pine Mountain lake.