A Barry Jenkins Film
A truly informative interview with Barry Jenkins (Medicine for Melancholy) on NoFilmSchool.com.
http://nofilmschool.com/2010/03/questions-with-barry-jenkins/
Archive for the ‘Internet’ Category
Found My Stalker
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
With some insightful help from some very good friends who’ve got my back I found out who my stalker was. In almost exactly 24 hours since this person first attempted to post some nasty vitriol on my blog, I now know who he is and why he did it.
It’s not a woman. Not an African American. Not someone who has the ability to buy ads in Ebony or Essence magazine.
It’s an actor, someone I once wanted to work with, but whose professionalism worried me. Then he exhibited behavior that forced me to no longer consider him. I moved on. I guess he never got over it even though this was over 2 1/2 years ago.
Even if I don’t consider the fact that I took this guy to lunch (and paid) and loaned him money, the deed is dastardly. Let’s call it what it is: it’s fucked up.
But now that I know who and what I’m looking for, there’s peace in the Bell spirit once again.
Testing Wordpress iPhone App
Friday, February 26th, 2010
Testing the process of writing blogs from my iPhone. Not sure how to add a thumbnail. My next blog will be a video update on “Resurrection of Serious Rogers”
Crowdsourcing-Crowdfunding: Should We Believe the Hype?
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Crowdsourcing/Crowdfunding: Should We Believe the Hype?
Except– The terms “crowdsourcing ” and “crowdfunding” have always annoyed me but until recently I wasn’t sure why the words made me cringe. Great sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter have created a fundraising portal for indie filmmakers to raise money for their films. But is that enough? Before I get into that let’s discuss what these terms actually mean.
An Article I wrote for Associated Content –
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2735117/crowdfunding_crowdsourcing_dont_believe.html?cat=40
Choosing the Right Genre Will Make or Break Many New Web Series
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Internet pundits and information portals like Mashable predict that will be over 10,000 new web series developed, produced and released this year. Like their predecessors, many of these episodic films that are made for the Internet will go unnoticed. Many series will be released under genres so vague it will be difficult to find the series when doing a Google Internet search…
Read the rest here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2728987/2010_resurrecting_the_neo_noir_web.html?cat=35
Neo Noir Resurrected by “Serious Rogers”
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
What is Neo Noir?
Neo-noir (from the Greek neo, new; and the French noir, black) is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilizes elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.
Simplifying this, in this writer’s opinion there are several elements associated with a neo noir film that are similar to film noir:
- A crime or crimes are the central element of the film
- The crime is typically a crime of passion (anger, revenge, love)
- The film has a stylized lighting and shooting (cinematography) style
- A main character has a skewed sense of perspective about life, love and/or what’s right or wrong
This is why “Resurrection of Serious Rogers” is such a perfect fit to the neo noir niche genre. While the film follows a thriller format — and to a lessor extent, the action format – it was conceived, written, shot and directed as a neo noir film.
We also coined two new phrases during production. Considering the amount of bloodshed in “Serious Rogers” we have a new sub-genre:
“Vicious Noir” — it’s your basic neo noir film with lots of angre killing and bloodshed
“Metal Noir” — it’s your basic neo noir film underscored by ass-kicking action-oriented heavy metal music (Trent Reznor style)
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Noir lighting and emotional context signify neo noir
Moody atmospheres, brooding people...neo noir
Some better-known neo noir films are Blade Runner, Memento, Sin City, Basic Instinct, L.A. Confidential, and Chinatown
AMC has a list of what it considers the 10 best Neo Noir films ever: http://blogs.amctv.com/photo-galleries/best-neo-noir-movies/introduction.php (opens in a new window – turn your popup blocker off)
These are the post 1980 films Netflix deems as Neo Noir: http://boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=neonoir.htm (opens in a new window – turn your popup blocker off)
Uncle Jack
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Most of you reading this realize how big a fan I am of Ink. Well, Uncle Jack is a Jamin Winans short film (produced by Kiowa Winans) on YouTube. It’s gorgeous, it’s funny, and it has that same air of “magic” that made Ink special.
Filmmaking Horizons
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Sling
It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged. I’ve been busy with my neo-noir action thriller series “Resurrection of Serious Rogers,” fighting the telephone company (Verizon Sucks), and working out a funding deal for a potential TV distro opportunity for the series. Oh, and I’ve been nursing a fractured wrist.
I’ve managed to maintain some momentum although lack of Internet access has left me feeling temporarily crippled — moreso than the broken wrist. The free time (limited access to social media) had given me time to think. I realized I’ve missed a few opportunities that I should hasve taken advantage of sooner. But all is not lost.
I’ve switched from Verizon and DirecTV to a bundled trifecta service from Charter: internet, phone and television. It should be installed tomorrow. Once it’s done my film “Broken Hearts Club” will be available as a digital download directly from this website and on the film’s official website, http://www.brokenheartsclubfilm.com
I have a few upcoming blog posts on the emotional roller coaster ride that is filmmaking. In this short time of being back in the game (see Don’t Call It A Comeback) I’ve experienced so much. When all is said and done, people either got your back or they don’t. They either see some value in what you bring to the table, or they don’t. If they don’t, move on. If they do, cherish and respect their support.
Making Resurrection of Serious Rogers has reaffirmed my belief that LA is full of great talent. This town is full of amazing actors, composers and potential crew who are eager to work with you. Similarly the town is full of folks who don’t want to work with you as much as they want to work for you — and get a paycheck. My suggestion is to weed them out, take your time and find an eager team. It’s worth it, even if you must find a team on project-by-project basis.
Now We Are Free
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Now, We Are Free.
This is the name of a song from the Gladiator soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerard. It’s also a fitting title to this blog entry because I just uploaded five of my short films to YouTube, and you can watch them in their entirety…for free.
Or visit http://www.youtube.com/hollywoodcity
