Featured Filmmaker: Lisa Cortes

FEATURED FILMMAKER LISA CORTES!

Lisa Cortés has had a rich and varied career in entertainment, working with such groundbreaking companies as Def Jam Records, Rush Artist Management and Lee Daniels Entertainment. Her passion and strength lies in identifying, and then giving light to expressive voices not often heard, and stories not often told.

Lisa’s most recent producer credit is Precious (based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire), which won the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at Sundance (2009) and competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Heralded as “a disturbing masterwork of human survival” by the Hollywood Reporter, the film was also praised by Variety, The New York Times and others. “I learned a lot from the experience, says Cortés. Precious was perhaps one of the most challenging and complex projects of my career. It’s a deeply textured period film with
intricate visual effects and musical content.”

WATCH TRAILER HERE

A veteran of both the film and music industries, Lisa Cortés has proven herself a maverick in the entertainment field. From her early days working at premier hip-hop label Def Jam Records to Producer/SVP, Production at Lee Daniels Entertainment Lisa has become known for finding innovative solutions to various production challenges.

“Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to have positions that are as exciting as they are engaging,” Cortés says. “I really enjoy the dynamic of working with artists and business people.”

With production credits that include such respected films as The Woodsman (2004) and Shadowboxer (2006), Cortés began her journey with Lee Daniels Entertainment shortly before the firm’s debut film Monster’s Ball (the movie that won Halle Berry an Academy Award in (2002) went into production. “Post music business I met Lee Daniels after I graduated from film school
at SVA (The School of Visual Arts) and New York Film Academy,” Lisa remembers. “I had only produced student films, electronic press kits and music videos, but Lee took a chance on me.”

During the making of Monster’s Ball, Lisa assisted Daniels and director Marc Forster on location in New Orleans. The three-month experience turned out to be a crash course in the fine art of filmmaking, and an excellent training ground for the budding producer. “It all came together for me after an exhaustive night shoot when I realized the similarity of working with musicians and filmmakers to bring to life their voices, and the intense joy it
gave me to be a part of that process.”

A native of Milford, Connecticut, Lisa also spent a fair amount of her childhood with family in Harlem. A graduate of Yale University, where she majored in American Studies, Cortés broke into the music industry during the 1980’s golden age of hip-hop music. Working under label chiefs Russell Simmons, Rick Rubin and Lyor Cohen to launch the Def Jam brand, she worked with a roster that included rap pioneers Run DMC, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J.
“These days hearing rap records on the radio or on television is taken for granted,” Lisa says. “But, in those early years we were breaking new ground.” The production and groundbreaking collaborations engineered by Cortés laid the foundation that introduced hip hop music, as well as hip hop culture to an international audience.

“At Def Jam and Rush, it didn’t matter what your title was, it was just about getting the job done. In the morning I worked with our European partners on behalf of Rush Artist Management and in the afternoon with Columbia on behalf of Def Jam artists. I learned the art of handling difficult problems and the day-to-day troubleshooting skills needed to complete various projects on time.” Wearing many hats, Cortés also represented music producers
as CEO of Rush Producers Management, the company she founded with Russell Simmons. Leaving Def Jam in 1990, Cortés went on to become Vice President of Artists and Repertoire at Mercury/PolyGram Records. After spearheading a number of projects that included Vanessa Williams, Black Sheep and the soundtrack for the Tony award-winning Jelly’s Last Jam, Lisa was soon awarded her own label, Loose Cannon, a subsidiary of  Polygram/Island Records.
Following her tenure at Loose Cannon, Lisa took time off to travel extensively throughout India, Africa and the Caribbean. “After working over a decade in such a frenzied environment, I needed to re-evaluate what I really wanted to do,” she says. “In addition to gaining a new perspective, travel allowed me to see the power of film as a universal visual language that transcends linguistic limitations.”

Surprisingly, the transition from music to film was seamless for Cortés.” “For me, the process was the same,” she explains. “It is about finding and creating projects, having the relationships to develop and produce them, and then delivering them on time and on budget.”

In addition to collecting folk art from around the globe, Lisa has also lectured at various universities including New York University and Yale on cinema, hip-hop culture and aesthetics. She also serves on the board of two not-for-profit organizations, Yaddo and Trajal Harrell Dance Style.

1986-1988
Def Jam Records/Rush Artists Artist/Label Management

1988-1990 Rush Producers Management CEO/Co-Founder

1990-1994 Mercury/Polygram Records VP, Artists and Repertoire

1994-1997 Loose Cannon/Polygram Records President

1997-2000 Magic Lantern Productions President

Sangam (2001) Producer

2000-2009 Lee Daniels Entertainment SVP, Production

Monster’s Ball (2001) Assistant to Marc Forster and Lee Daniels

The Woodsman (2004) Co-Producer

Shadowboxer (2005) Producer

Tennessee (2008) Executive Producer

Precious (2009) Executive Producer

From fan to STAR!

Received this post from Member Kristina’s Hughes Group, PerformerForums.

Battle Cry: “Don’t waste your time collecting other people’s autographs. Rather, devote it to making your own autograph worth collecting.” — George Bernard Shaw
Fighting Words: Oh yeah! What a wonderful suggestions. When I ask most people what networking means, the inevitable response I get is that it means ‘getting out there and meeting people’. Nice try, but that’s lame. Networking does not mean meeting people; networking means becoming the type of person other people want to meet. Doesn’t that make so much more sense? Stop trying to ‘meet movie stars’, or ‘meet influention people’ or ‘meet casting directors’ or ‘meet producers’ or ‘meet the man’. Your mission should be to get your reputation to such a point that they want to meet YOU. ‘Cause this put you in the power seat. Get it? You absolutely must make this mental switch in your head. The moment you stop trying to collect other’s autographs, and start working to make your autograph something worth collecting, you’ll have made the transition from ‘fan’ to ’star’. Once you do, everything changes, and you’ll notice the difference. You’ll be welcomed into the world of the superstar.

(Excerpted from Monroe Mann’s book, “Battle Cries for the Underdog”)
Thanks for sharing Kristina!!!

WOW is all I can say! This came right on time as I am planning a new program to launch for you REEL Ladies. We will be launching our program to help you and equip you for setting your career goals.
And not only setting the goals but turning them into REALITY. Using the resources and the women right in front of you to achieve your goals. And most importantly, discussing what’s holding you back. What is your attitude behind the goal.

Put yourself in the power seat, making the mental switch in your head and transition from FAN to STAR! Isn’t that powerful? So let’s brainstorm ladies and state our goals and plot out how to go about achieving them. BUT NOT STOPPING THERE! Of course not. Because you can have a set plan but if you are not held accountable then it doesn’t matter. With intense brainstorming sessions, this program will hold you accountable to break down your goals step by step and set realistic dates set to accomplish them!

I am curious to what you think.
What is your take on putting yourself out there and building your reputation so that the industry wants to meet YOU? How are you putting the info out there about yourself, your films, your projects, your talent?

What do you think about having a supportive group of women that will help you to do that by accomplishing set career goals and using the resources and women at your disposable?

Member Spotlight: Diana Hart

REEL LADIES MEMBER – DIANA HART

Diana is currently developing and starring in an “Untitled Webseries,” (a Sex and the City-esque series about women [and men] creatives living and loving in Los Angeles ) in association with Arcana Films (VIEW TRAILER HERE)

In the Spring, she wrapped working on the faux-documentary, “22
lbs”, written and directed by real-life doctor, David Renaud. The film explores the devastating effects of bulimia and anorexia on pregnant women and the men who love them. And on the family movie, “The Sweetest Heir” directed by Zelie Dember-Slack. For fun, Diana appeared in her first music video for U.K. artist, Findlay Brown, “Everyone Needs Love”. (find out more on www.dianahart.com )!

Going on hiatus August 13th after a 15 week stint in radio for kclafm.com, is Diana’s creation, “MovieMusic NMore” – combined the fun of movie soundtracks and trivia! You can listen to past shows archived on her website on the ‘Radio Show’.

In February 2009 at the Pan African Film Festival in Culver City , CA , the feature film “Family” about lesbians in Hollywood directed by Faith Trimel had its world premiere. And will have an encore screening/fundraiser on August 29 @ 7pm at the Ed Gould Theatre in Hollywood .

Originally from Maine , after college Diana spent three years, traveling and living in London , Europe and New Zealand . She is passionate about hiking and golf!

Diana studied with director, Katt Shea (www.kattshea.com) who’s worked with
Drew Barrymore, Leo DiCaprio, Christina Applegate and Amy Irving
and with Sharon Chatten (www.sharonchatten.com coach to
Cameron Diaz, Scott Speedman, and Kate Walsh.

**VIEW HER REEL LADIES PROFILE**

Featured REEL Lady: Irma P. Hall

REEL Radio features Actress Irma P. Hall!
Missed the radio show with Irma on REEL Ladies? LISTEN HERE

ABOUT IRMA
In 1972, Raymond St. Jacques was in Texas to produce and star in his film “Book of Numbers”. Irma worked as interim publicist for the movie, and when Mr. St. Jacques chanced to hear her reciting one of her poems to some writers and artists who’d gotten together, he asked her to audition for a part in the film. Irma (then a 36-year-old teacher and single mother of two) got the role as “Georgia Brown”, and that was the “Sweet” launch to Irma’s starting her “Second Career” in acting.

Irma’s acting career gained momentum in 1978, after acting as Tilly the Housekeeper in a number of episodes of the TV series DALLAS, and in two Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders TV movies (1 & 2), and in director Ron Howard’s telefilm Skyward.

In 1984, for medical reasons, Irma retired from teaching in the Dallas Independent School District. Three years later, she returned to living in Chicago to help care for her ailing parents. During that time, she appeared as a nurse in Ron Howard’s highly-regarded film Backdraft filmed in Chicago, and accepted numerous other film and stage roles.

In 1996, Irma was proud to win the Chicago Film Critics Award as “Best Supporting Actress” for her performance in A Family Thing as the tough but lovable blind Aunt T. (with James Earl Jones and Robert Duvall).

Two years later, she won the NAACP Image Award for “Best Supporting Actress” for her 1998 work as Big Mamma Jo in the memorable film Soul Food, and was nominated for another Image Award in 2001 when she reprised her role in the Showtime TV series based on that film.

Since then, Irma has appeared in more than 50 theatrical and TV films and guest appearances including: Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil, Nothing To Lose, Patch Adams, Beloved, A Lesson Before Dying, Something to Sing About, Collateral, the Coen Brother’s The Ladykillers with Tom Hanks (earning a coveted Special Jury Award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival), and numerous other unforgettable roles.
**VIEW IMDB**

LadyKillers (2004)
Irma P. Hall and Tom Hanks

AWARDS
Irma has been honored to be the recipient of several nominations and awards for her career, including: Cannes Jury Award, Image Award, Chicago Film Critics award, Induction into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in Austin, Texas in March of ‘07 (where she was introduced by Ethan and Joel Coen) and into the Spindletop Film Hall of Fame in her hometown of Beaumont; honored by the Chicago Int’l Film Festival and Chicago and Dallas chapters of Women in Film; having a theater festival was named in her honor in 2007, and MORE!

VISIT IRMA’S WEBSITE

The “Business” of Show

Ihave been thinking. How does one stay focused in this industry of creativity? How do you find your balance of being creative and being a BUSINESS WOMAN? Would love to hear your thoughts and what works for you.

Part of the business is Pitching. Talking about your projects. Being concise, being clear so that whether you are pitching to a Studio Exec, to Producers, everyone walks away wanting to hear MORE! I had a great time at the REEL Ladies Pitching Workshop with Ilyssa Goodman. We heard some great pitches from Anya, Donald and Laura. Learned some do’s and dont’s. How to get meetings, the elevator pitch and so much more
The event took place at the Mondrian Hotel and afterwards we went upstairs and hung out at Skybar, WOW what a view!!
So if you missed the event, we have PICS POSTED HERE.

Mark your calendars for the next workshop, BUSINESS ESSENTIALS FOR ENTERTAINERS. October 17, 2009. This seminar will be with Isha Edwards (Epic Measures LLC) and talking about key points for Entertainers. Many of us get so caught up in the creativity of our jobs and forget this is a BUSINESS. A few topics we will be discussing:
Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing, Law Information Systems/Technology and Economics PLUS one key activity, NETWORKING as a foundation for the seminar.

This is going to be a good one and hopefully helps you to be more aware of the business side of what we do.

So we have our SCRIPT CLUB EVENT this Friday. Featuring Courtney Franklin’s Script “French Witch of Jamaica”. Courtney was our Script Club launch last year so I am looking forward to having her back and reading something else of hers. We are still taking submissions, so if you want your SCRIPT FEATURED make sure to submit and get feedback on your writing!

In the meantime, just for fun and hanging out, we’re putting together a NETWORKING MIXER at the Roosevelt Hotel. Just a night out at the infamous Hollywood spot to chit chat and spending time to get to know each other. Let’s talk about your projects and make connections!

Tanya Kersey had a great guest on her radio show recently, Anna Marie Gillen. She talked about FILM FINANCING PROJECTIONS which I thought was really interesting. Again, you have to think BUSINESS and numbers when it comes to your film projects. She made some wonderful points. Wonder if I could get her out for Producers Corner??!! Hehe!

Speaking of Producers Corner, we just posted a Sample Cast Letter of Intent and Sample SAG Agreement (Modified Low Budget and Low Budget). DOWNLOAD FORMS, You ladies have been kind of quiet in the participation in the group. I hope you are getting what you need out of it. Feel free to post your own discussions and questions and needs. We are currently arranging our October speakers and telecalls, so details will be coming soon.

We did book Producer Lisa Cortes for REEL Radio next Monday. Lisa was the CoProducer on The Woodsman (starring Kevin Bacon) and her most recent project is Precious, which she is one of the Executive Producers. PRECIOUS is a Lee Daniels Film set to hit theatres in November. Can’t wait for this film, been hearing great things about it!

Think that will be a good time to do a Movie Night?

Anywhoo, make sure to join us in the CHAT SESSION tonight as we talk about writing your Press Releases for your films. When to write them, making them professional etc…

I am now about to catch up on my TiVo and watch my Season Premieres from this week. Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Grey’s Anatomy (which I already watched, but warrants a second viewing!! LOL). Any new shows that you would recommend??

Featured Filmmaker: Tonya Holly

REEL Ladies Presents Writer/Director/Producer Tonya Holly
“The Story of Bonnie & Clyde”
**LISTEN LIVE to Tonya on REEL Radio!**

Cypress Moon Studios to Produce All-New Movie ‘The Story of Bonnie and Clyde’ Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers, two of the hottest young stars in Hollywood, will be portraying two of the most notorious fugitives in history in the new feature film The Story of Bonnie and Clyde to be produced by Cypress Moon Studios. Production is slated to begin this summer in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, a new character-driven adaptation (not a remake), tells the thrilling story of the notorious duo. Set during the 1930’s Depression, the film uncovers many aspects of their lives that have never before been seen on the big screen.

Duff, who will play Bonnie Parker, first gained worldwide recognition in such popular TV shows as Disney’s Lizzie McGuire as well as feature films including Cheaper By the Dozen and Raise Your Voice. Duff is also an accomplished singer whose top selling albums include her latest “Most Wanted.” Kevin Zegers will star as Clyde Barrow. Zegers is an accomplished young actor steadily proving the range of his talent. He has starred in such popular films as the Air Bud film franchise and MVP: Most Valuable Primate. Zegers recently starred in the Academy Award-nominated Transamerica and The Jane Austen Book Club.

ABOUT TONYA
Tonya S. Holly, owner of Cypress Moon Studios, will direct the film that she also wrote based on her early fascination with the lovers turned fugitives, and her years of extensive research. “I have lived with The Story of Bonnie and Clyde in my mind for years,” said Holly who was first intrigued by the historical legacies after finding old newspapers with articles about their exploits in an abandoned house on her families property. “It started as a research paper in high school and grew over the years as a story I had to write and share with the world.”

Tonya is one of the busiest executives in the entertainment industry. In just four short years, she has established Cypress Moon as a fully operational state- of-the-art film production and recording studio.

Her goal is for Cypress Moon Studios is to become one of the most active independent companies producing film, television and music. Located in Sheffield, Alabama overlooking the Tennessee River, Cypress Moon was initially formed to focus on the development and production of feature films, and is now rapidly expanding with a slate of new productions to include both homegrown and acquired projects.

Production Inquiries:
Tonya S. Holly, OwnerCypress Moon Studios
1000 Alabama Ave.Mbr
Sheffield, ALA 35660
(256) 381-5745
www.cypressmoonproduction.com

Featured Member: Carrie Richard

REEL LADIES MEMBER – Camera Operator Carrie Richard

CARRIE RICHARD is a jack-of-all-trades and master of one. She’s a results-oriented and creative professional with over 13 years experience in the television production industry working primarily as a studio pedestal camera operator on live, live-to-tape, features, game shows, talk shows, news, sports, music, and entertainment shows with additional experience in commercial operations and as a Jib operator, A2, and Utility.

She began her career as a Studio Technician at ESPN in Bristol, CT before returning to her home state of California to pursue freelance work. Since then, she has worked with over 26 production companies such as E! Entertainment, Fox, The Game Show Network, AMC, The Food Channel, CNN, and PBS to name a few.

Carrie possesses a BA in Media Arts from the University of Arizona as well as an MA in Literature and Creative Writing from Loyola Marymount University. Her extensive knowledge of storytelling coupled with her creativity behind the lens offers a unique perspective as a camera operator.

WEBSITES
http://www.camerachick.vpweb.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2200887/

**READ BELOW CARRIE’S Q&A WITH REEL LADIES!**

RL: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE ENERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?

CR: Funny you should ask! I’ve always been, and continue to be, interested in a multitude of areas. I could literally be just as at home running my own boutique, working in politics, teaching, etc., as I am behind a camera. I started out as a Political Science major as an undergrad at the University of Arizona, switched my degree first to Nutritional Science, and then to Media Arts. I recall listening to a classmate of mine talk about how great it was that he got to watch movies during class…and well, that sure sounded a lot more exciting than Anatomy and really appealed to my creative side! So toward the end of my Sophomore year in college I up and switched my major that third time, picked up a few classes I was lacking, and jumped head first into the world of entertainment. I was hooked!

RL: WHAT DREW YOU TO THE TECHNICAL SIDE?

CR: I actually fell into the technical side. Back when I graduated college, we didn’t have all of the websites around that we now take for granted. Such sites as Media-Match.com and Mandy.com weren’t around, so basically, I had to hit the pavement and send resumes and cover letters via snail mail. I grabbed a copy of the Hollywood Creative Directory, sat down and highlighted the Production Companies I was interested in and started making calls (expensive calling from Arizona!). I asked for a name to address a resume to for any entry-level work and then sent out my info to about 120 television and film studios as well as to various magazines. Out of the 120 only ten were for print, fifteen for television, and about fifteen were out of state…the rest were all film and in the state of California. Low and behold, after a few interviews in Los Angeles, I ended up back east in Connecticut working for ESPN of all places. I was hired to work as a Studio Technician and they trained me on set in various aspects of production from camera to audio to commercial operations. I was given creative license to create my own “bump” shots for paid advertisers and enjoyed the hands-on experience of being on set. And when I moved back to Los Angeles, all of my connections lead me to a life of being a freelance Camera Operator. That is what I knew…that was where I could make money.

RL: CAN YOU TELL THE AUDIENCE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAMERA OPERATOR AND A CINEMATOGRAPHER IS?

CR: Generally, I think a Cinematographer is synonymous with a Director of Photography (DP). I believe the two names only come into play on a set if the DP is also the Camera Operator.
The hierarchy on a film set in terms of the camera personnel would be as follows: Director> DP (interprets Director’s vision) > Camera Operator (follows the DP’s direction)> First Assistant Camera (1st AC) (responsible for keeping the camera in focus)> Second AC (Clapper/Loads the camera).
I primarily operate a studio pedestal camera for live and live-to-tape television programs on which I am the sole person with relation to my camera. There’s a Director who tells me what to do, but no 1st or 2nd AC. I am all…the DP, CO, 1st and 2nd. If I was on a film set I’d be more apt to frame the shot and set it up with aid from the 1st and 2nd whereas on a news type of set for television, I am responsible for framing, focusing, trucking, dollying, and pedding…all by myself.

RL: WHAT ARE SOME KEY ELEMENTS OR SKILLS THAT CAMERA OPERATORS NEED TO DO THEIR JOB WELL?

CR: Knowing what makes a good shot composition for one. You need to know what looks good and what doesn’t in terms of framing. You know those people you ask to take your picture and it’s basically ALL headroom and they cut you off at the waist? BAD. No one wants to see the ceiling; they want to see YOU. You are the focal point. Knowing how much headroom, nose-room (you shift the talent a tad to the left of the frame if they happen to be looking left, otherwise it will appear as if they are talking to the side of the frame and not to another person), and room for graphics is imperative.
Being able to understand a Director or DP’s vision is also important. The more I work with a Director or a DP, the more I become an extension of his or her arm. They know that I “get them” and what they are trying to do, thus making their life that much simpler on set.
I’d say that on hand-held cameras, knowing focal length is very important. Knowing this in the studio is equally important when you need to rack your focus from one element to another. Going the wrong direction for instance can make your subject out of focus, which definitely won’t help in getting you more work!

RL: ARE THERE MANY WOMEN IN YOUR PARTICULAR FIELD?

CR: In my 13+ years working as a Camera Operator, I’ve only really come across about five or so other women doing the same job. With that said, I believe there are more women working in film as operating camera in that realm tends to, as mentioned previously, have more positions with regard to the camera crew. In fact, I worked on some “Burger King” and “FedEx” spots recently and there were a few women: myself as an operator, a Camera Assistant, and a DIT (Digital Imaging Technician). Generally I’d say the technical side is male dominated, but slowly more and more women are making their mark!

RL: WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE PROJECT TO WORK ON?

CR: While each production has its pros and cons, I’d have to say the documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Everyone involved with the project worked for a relatively low, set fee and worked their tails off for a cause. At the time, Global Warming was just a blip on the radar and I remember thinking, wow, what a great project to be involved with in getting the word out. The Director wasn’t used to shooting with multiple cameras so that was a definite learning experience on my part in terms of capturing his vision. VP Al Gore gave a 2.5-hour presentation three different times and we had two cameras, a jib, and a hand-held. For each presentation, my camera was the only one that physically switched positions. I was responsible for following Al all over the stage, all while keeping an extreme close-up IN FOCUS! My camera was also set on a not-so-stable platform so while I had my camera on an extended lens to get the shots, every shift of my weight would translate on screen with a wobble. So I had to be pretty still the entire time and with very little blinking as so to properly rack the focus. Challenging but well worth it!

RL: WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON CURRENTLY?

CR: Currently I am freelancing here and there as the economy goes through its “hiccup.” I was fortunate to have had not one but three stable and continuous gigs for a few solid years. Unfortunately, due to the runaway productions and the recession, one show moved to New Jersey, one cut a Camera Operator (me!), and the other has scaled back on freelancers in lieu of staffers.
I recently shot a round of commercials for “Burger King” and “FedEx” with Bob Industries (helmed by Bob Odinkirk of SNL). I also freelance once or twice a week on “Larry King Live” for CNN, am booked to shoot “Blizzcon” at the Anaheim Convention Center in late August and am in the works as well to shoot two pilots for E! Entertainment.

RL: YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY FOR A WHILE NOW, LOOKING BACK OVER YOUR CAREER, WOULD YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY?

CR: I would do a lot differently! I’m realizing with the recent aforementioned “hiccup” that I’m extremely pigeonholed in what I do. While I have worked on an Oscar-winning Documentary and for over 26 production companies, what I do is very specific. I wish I had a bit more to flesh out on paper…even though I’m more than capable of doing a variety of positions within the entertainment industry, it’s difficult to convey that on a resume!
While I absolutely LOVE what I do and know that I’m great at it…I often feel that there’s even more I could be doing. As an operator, you are limited in that you do what others tell you to do. If I could go back, I’d probably go more into the development or producing side…an area in which I could showcase all of my talents and not get entirely stuck behind a camera. I’d love to be in a position in which I could take control of the reigns and move UP with hard work, rather than laterally. Don’t get me wrong, you move up monetarily as a Camera Operator for sure…but it’s the same position, different projects. Sometimes I think it’d be nice to work for one company but in a variety of ways, spice it up a little!
In terms of camera…I’d learn about all of the various types of equipment out there as the field and technology keeps changing so it’s good to know more than just one type of camera.

RL: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE INTERESTED IN PURSUING THIS PARTICULAR FIELD AS A CAREER?

CR: I’d say just blanket production companies with your resume…seek out an entry-level set PA position and watch. Be persistent. Take note of everything that’s happening around you…all of the different facets of the production. If you really want to do camera, start out as a PA or a Camera Utility on a television show. Or if you’re into film, begin as a PA and work your way up from a Clapper/Loader position to operating camera. Just pick the brain of the camera department and fiddle with the equipment when you get a chance. Also, there are plenty of classes you can take at various camera rental facilities…just get on the phone and ask. They have quite a few demos!
I worked on a set that had multiple positions and I just decided to learn camera. I practiced whenever I had a down moment and I’ve found that when I have taken the initiative to learn something, people have always given me an opportunity to shine.
Don’t feel that you have to join this union or that union to be an operator. It’s just not so. There are plenty of non-union gigs out there to get started on so don’t panic and think you have to shell out 7k to join right away. Once you gain the hours, then you can decide if that’s the route you want and need to take.

*VIEW CARRIE’S REEL LADIES PROFILE*

REEL Radio: Danielle Bisutti

REEL Radio features Actress Danielle Bisutti

Danielle Bisutti is currently starring opposite Keke Palmer as a lead of the Nickelodeon series “True Jackson, VP,” and she was recurring on both TNT’s “Raising the Bar” and CBS’ “Without a Trace.”

Danielle Bisutti was born in Los Angeles and raised in Simi Valley, California where she attended Royal High school and was actively involved in drama, choir, dance, volleyball, basketball, speech and debate, and leadership. In pursuit of a career in the Entertainment Industry, Danielle continued her studies of the dramatic arts and graduated with honors from California State University at Fullerton with a double emphasis in acting and musical theatre. Some of Danielle’s theatre credit’s include: Sheila in CSUF’s touring rendition of “Hair”, Reno Sweeny in “Anything Goes”, Maggie in “Boy’s Life”, Yelena in “Uncle Vanya”, Victoria/ Jane in Noel Coward’s “Tonight at 8:30″, Fastrada in “Pippin” and Ophelia in “Hamlet”.

Danielle’s feature film credit’s include her debut leading role in “Tropix”, “Venice Underground”, “The Neighbor”, a featured role in Warner Brother’s upcoming comedy “Get Smart” starring Steve Carell and the leading female role in Coram Deo Studio’s feature film debut, “No Greater Love”.

She has recently snagged the adult leading role in the Nickelodeon TV series “True Jackson V.P.”, where she plays the comically snide fashion diva, Amanda Cantwell. (Season premiere on November 9th 2008) Danielle has also recurred on some of television’s most popular series: “Teri Long” on Without A Trace and “Joan” on The O.C.; and has had notable guest starring appearances on Boston Legal; Cold Case; Two & a Half Men; Shark; Raising the Bar; Twenty Good Years; Miss Match, Courting Alex; Charmed; Less Than Perfect; The Wizard’s of Waverly Place; Dharma & Greg; Andy Richter Controls The Universe; King of Queens; Charlie Lawrence and Platonically Incorrect.

Danielle is also an accomplished singer-songwriter who has placed several of her original songs in such feature films as: “Venice Underground”, “April Moon”, and “In the Presence of”. Among her many accolades she has received a 2003 Los Angeles Music Award for “Best Female Singer-Songwriter”. “Glimmer” was nominated for “AAA Album of the Year” and her song, “In Passing” has received Unanimous Choice Recipient Award for “Independent AC Single of the Year. In September 2004 Danielle performed at the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival, where “In Passing” was selected for the TVIFF’s “Top Musical Artist Compilation CD” and Music Connection Magazine recently featured Danielle in its 2004 “Hot 100 Unsigned Artists” list.

* Danielle Bisutti’s 1-minute SpeedReel:
http://www.speedreels.com/talent/dbisutti

View demo reels at:
www.youtube.com/DanielleBisutti
www.speedreels.com/talent/dbisutti/dbisutti.html

Website:
www.DanielleBisutti.com

“True Jackson, VP” Show Website:
http://www.nick.com/shows/truejacksonvp/index.jhtml

*****************
LISTEN HERE TO DANIELLE ON REEL RADIO!

REEL News

CALL FOR ENTRIES

REEL Ladies is currently seeking scripts of all genres (excluding musicals) to feature for our upcoming Script Clubs. Looking for innovative writers to showcase and discuss their scripts.

FOR ONLY $20, YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR SCRIPTS
MEMBERS SUBMIT FREE!

WHAT WRITERS RECEIVE
~ Featured Writer Promotion on website & newsletter
~ Complimentary Script Coverage
~ Complimentary Script Consultation with TGC Entertainment
~ Group notes, feedback and insight from industry professionals

**SUBMIT HERE**

THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
~ REEL Chat “Show Business”
Business 101 for Actors/Writers/Producers/Directors
Whether you are an actress, writer, producer, makeup artist or set designer, you are in the BUSINESS of film. Filmmaking is a very complex business, whichever way you look at it. First there is the idea, then writing the script, then the financing, casting, crew, prep, shoot, post… the list seems to go on forever. Even experienced professionals struggle to understand how all the various parts of the filmmaking process fit together.

WHEN: TODAY August 3 2009
6pm – 7pm PST
MORE HERE

~ REEL Ladies Happy Hour
Members Only (Basic, Premium and Platinum)!
Join REEL Ladies for an evening of networking, cocktails and GREAT Happy Hour Prices! Come out and meet and greet one another in a cozy atmosphere. Bring business cards, discuss current projects, enjoy one another’s company, have a cocktail and so much more!

WHEN: Thursday, August 6, 2009
6pm – 9pm
MORE HERE

OTHER EVENTS
~Advanced Editing Workshop
3 day hands on advanced editing workshop!
August 7, 2009

~ Producer’s Corner Meetup: Head of Physical Production, Janice Williams (Groundswell Films)
“Getting the Greenlight”
August 16, 2009

~ Distribution Seminar
THE SECRETS TO DISTRIBUTION: Get Your Movie Distributed Now! A 2-DAY SEMINAR
August 22 – 23, 2009

~ Producer’s Corner Telecall: Producer, Suzanne Lyons (Snowfall Films)
“The Paperwork Behind the Film”
August 27, 2009

EVENT CALENDAR HERE

JOBS
Producers, Assistants, VP’s and more now posted!
JOB LISTING HERE

FEATURED FILMMAKERS

~ Member Spotlight
Camera Operator, Carrie Richard
READ HERE her interview with REEL Ladies

~ “The Ugly Truth”
Screenwriter, Karen McCullah Lutz
READ HERE her interview with REEL Ladies

~ “Begging Naked”
EPK Producer, Karen Gehres
LISTEN HERE

MEMBERSHIP
REEL Ladies will be taking Membership Application until August 31, 2009! Don’t Miss Out!
DETAILS HERE

PRODUCERS CORNER
Sample Product Placement Agreement now posted!
READ HERE

Want to join the corner? FIND OUT HOW!

Featured REEL Lady: Karen McCullah Lutz

REEL Ladies Presents Screenwriter Karen McCullah Lutz

“The Ugly Truth”

ABOUT THE FILM

Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a
romantically challenged morning show producer whose search for Mr.
Perfect has left her hopelessly single. She’s in for a rude
awakening when her bosses team her with Mike Chadway (Gerard
Butler), a hardcore TV personality who promises to spill the ugly
truth on what makes men and women tick. Bristling at first sight,
the contentious co-workers make a bet: if his tips on how to land
and keep a guy don’t work, he’ll quit the business. But while Mike
coaches Abby through a fledgling romance, can he avoid falling for
her — and can she avoid falling for him?

PRODUCED BY

Karen McCullah Lutz (executive producer), Katherine Heigl
(executive producer), Kimberly di Bonaventura (producer), Andre
Lamal (executive producer), Gary Lucchesi (producer), Deborah Jelin
Newmyer (producer), Eric Reid (executive producer), Steven Reuther
(producer), Tom Rosenberg (producer), Kirsten Smith (producer)

CAST

Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler, Eric Winter, John Michael Higgins,
Nick Searcy

WRITTEN BY

Karen McCullah Lutz & Nicole Eastman

WATCH THE TRAILER

Q&A WITH KAREN

RL: Tell us about the film The Ugly Truth.

KML: IT’S A RATED R ROMANTIC COMEDY. IMAGINE A HEPBURN/TRACY
MOVIE WHERE THEY HAVE FOUL MOUTHS.

RL: What was the writing process like for this film?

KML: THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT WAS WRITTEN ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO.
KIRSTEN AND I WERE BROUGHT ON TO REVAMP IT. WHEN THE PRODUCERS TOLD
US TO MAKE IT RATED R, WE HAD A BLAST.

RL: How long did it take to shop the script around?

KML:THE SCRIPT WAS SET UP AT LAKESHORE AND AFTER WE TURNED IN
OUR DRAFT, THEY SENT IT TO SONY WHO PARTNERED WITH THEM TO MAKE
IT.

RL: This is the 2nd film you came on board as the Executive
Producer on your projects, how do you juggle both roles?

KML: FOR THIS MOVIE, IT WAS MORE OF US HAVING A ROLE IN CASTING.
WE HELPED GET KATHERINE HEIGL ATTACHED BECAUSE WE KNEW HER.

RL: How is this film different from your other comedies?

KML: IT’S R RATED, SO IT’S A LOT MORE TRUTHFUL TO THE WAY WE
SPEAK AND THE THINGS WE FIND FUNNY. IT’S QUITE BAWDY AND BECAUSE OF
THAT, IT’S MORE ADULT THAN OUR OTHER MOVIES. IT’S ALSO MORE OF A
TWO HANDER. THE GERARD BUTLER ROLE IS EQUALLY AS STRONG AS THE
KATHERINE HEIGL ROLE. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN FOR US TO WRITE A MALE
CHARACTER LIKE THAT.

RL: What is your favorite scene from the movie?

KML: PROBABLY THE VIBRATING UNDERWEAR SCENE

RL: What is next for you?

KML: I HAVE A SOLO PROJECT CALLED “PERMISSION” THAT’S GOING INTO
PRODUCTION AT THE END OF THE YEAR AND KIRSTEN AND I ARE WRITING A
NEW SCRIPT FOR ANNA FARIS CALLED “GOLDDIGGING 101″ AT
PARAMOUNT.

RL: What advice would you give to upcoming screenwriters?

KML: KEEP WRITING AND WRITING AND WRITING — DON’T STOP AND
OBSESS ABOUT REWRITING THE FIRST SCRIPT, JUST KEEP WRITING NEW
ONES.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Karen McCullah
Lutz co-wrote the movies Legally Blonde starring Reese
Witherspoon, 10 Things I Hate About You starring Julia Stiles and
Heath Ledger and She’s the Man starring Amanda Bynes and Channing
Tatum. She currently has movie projects in development at
Paramount, Columbia, Universal, New Line and Intermedia.

Her newest film, The Ugly Truth, is set for release July 24, 2009.
Starring Katherine Heigl & Gerard Butler.

“It’s a bit more adult than my past films. I think it’s my funniest
one to date. It tested at a 92 and most romantic comedies test in
the 60s, so i have high hopes for it and if it’s a hit, I’ll get to
keep writing rated R movies, which would make me very happy as i am
a raunchy, foul-mouthed girl”! ~ Karen McCullah Lutz

Karen is a graduate of James Madison University in Virginia. Before
becoming a screenwriter and novelist, her careers included
marketing for an investment firm, public relations for
environmental non-profits, painting furniture that she sold in
galleries in New Mexico, travel writing, and teaching creative
workshops to teen gang members.

Karen has lived in the Philippines, Maryland, Japan, New Jersey,
Virginia, New Mexico, and Colorado. She moved to Los Angeles nine
years ago after the sale of her first script and currently resides
in the Hollywood Hills with her husband Walter and her dog Millie.
When not writing, she hikes, surfs and travels. She also wastes
several hours a day checking her email and watching soap
operas.

HER FILMS

10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, Ella Enchanted, She’s
the Man, House Bunny, Long Time Gone, The Ugly Truth

VIEW IMDB

_____________________________________________

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

www.theuglytruth-movie.com/

Featured REEL Ladies: Suzan Crowley & Gwen Wynne

REEL Ladies Presents Suzan Crowley & Gwen Wynne
“American Primitive”

ABOUT THE FILM
1973, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Harry Goodhart, the British widower father, has come to Cape Cod to begin a new business and begin a new life where he can be accepted and live the life he wants. Recently widowed, he struggles to withhold a secret from his two teenage daughters that risks tearing their family apart.

The year 1973 is central to American Primitive’s story. The film’s path parallels a country’s loss of innocence and a time period in which American society was redefining its national identity as well as its personal views. Gender and sexual identity preoccupied the citizens of America.

Like many in the country, our heroes, Madeline and Harry, daughter and father, find themselves tackling ideas of sex and identity — topics that seemed to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the early 70s but were actually still taboo in both traditional familial and personal settings.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
GWEN WYNNE
Writer/Director/Producer

Gwen Wynne, a filmmaker and theatre director, began her career on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre scouting for new plays. From there she co-founded and served for six years as Artistic Director of The No-Neck Monsters Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.; its mission was to challenge audiences with the essential questions of our time. Funders of her company included The National Endowment for the Arts, D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Comic Relief, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Annenberg Foundation and many others.

Presently, Ms. Wynne is leading Cape Cod Films, LLC and Cape Cod Films Ltd; these companies have been created to champion emerging filmmakers and tell stories that are often suppressed in our culture. She is producing Pam Tom’s Brushstrokes in Hollywood: A Portrait of Tyrus Wong and Turning The Map about Col. Andrew Croft, famous Arctic explorer, WW II hero and spy that Ian Fleming based his character James Bond upon. Ms. Wynne is also producing and directing American Primitive, short listed as a finalist for the Sundance Feature Film Program in 1996 and 1997. Ms. Wynne graduated from Brown University, receiving degrees in Literature & Society and Theatre Arts. She also received her M.F.A. in Film and Video Production at the USC’s School of Cinema-Television.

As a film-maker Ms. Wynne has served as Development Director and 2nd Unit Director for the ABC network documentary film, The Story of Mothers and Daughters, which aired in the Spring, 1997. One of her primary responsibilities was to oversee ancillary product creation for the network documentary. She worked with Hallmark Cards, HarperCollins Publishing, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

SUZAN CROWLEY
Producer/Actress

Originally from Great Britain, and enjoying dual citizenship, Suzan now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, fellow actor, Anthony Armatrading. Moving to Los Angeles from London in order to be more involved behind the camera, Suze first co-produced the short film: The Ingrate starring Kathy Bates and then with Anthony went on to produce short film: Crime Scene.

Using her extensive knowledge and passion Suzan was able to lend a tremendous amount of insight to American Primitive which is the first feature film she has produced. Based on the overall experience it is a safe bet to say it will not be the last feature on her increasingly impressive body of work.

Not only does Suzan enjoy dual citizenship she also enjoys being a dual threat on films as she is comfortable behind and in front of the camera. Part of what makes her such a talented producer is that she has extensive experience acting. As an actress Suzan starred in the films Born of Fire, In The Year of the Bodyguard Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract and Dante’s Inferno, Jerzy Skolimowski’s Success Is The Best Revenge all for Film Four. Suze uses her talents to beautifully play Gertie Sears in American Primitive.

_____________________________________________
MISSED REEL RADIO WITH SUZAN AND GWEN??
LISTEN HERE

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
www.AmericanPrimitiveMovie.com

REEL Spotlight: Casting Director Bonnie Gillespie

REEL Spotlight: Bonnie Gillespie

Casting Director (Cricket Feet)

Come out and hear Casting Director, Bonnie Gillespie’s journey in the industry and her career advice to performers. VIEW IMDB.

 

Also, learn how to turn your Industry Contacts to Connections with a Career Presentation by Performer Track!

 

Bring your headshots and submit them to Bonnie DIRECTLY!

*Available to Platinum Members ONLY*

 

Sunday, July 19, 2009

3pm – 7pm

 

EVENT DETAILS HERE

REEL Q&A: Karri O’Reilly

REEL Ladies Presents Producer Karri O’Reilly

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Karri O’Reilly has been involved with over 100 features, short films, commercials and television programs during her fifteen years in the entertainment industry. She received her degree in Motion Picture Production from Wright State University, and worked on several feature films in Ohio and as an associate news producer for the local ABC affiliate before moving to Los Angeles in 1995. In LA, she jumped back into film production, working on such films as Boogie Nights, Nothing to Lose, and Double Dragon.

Most recently, she produced the Cuba Gooding Jr. drama Linewatch, and co-produced the 3-D feature film The Dark Country for Sony’s Stage 6 Productions. She also recently produced the Romania-lensed sequels Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud, and line produced the family film Saving Shiloh, which is the third installment of the critically acclaimed “Shiloh” films based on the Newberry Award winning books. Also in the family genre, she produced a popular series of children’s films (Clubhouse Detectives in Scavenger Hunt, Clubhouse Detectives in Search of a Lost Princess, and Clubhouse Detectives in Big Trouble), and a family film Ghost Dog: A Detective Tail which aired on PAX in January 2003. Karri also served as the line producer for the 2002 Sundance hit Blue Car, which was released theatrically by Miramax in May 2003 and nominated for 2 IFP Independent Spirit Awards, and in the winter of 2004 she line produced the Sci-Fi channel feature Black Hole.

A member of the Directors Guild of America, Karri has worked all over the US and internationally on such films as A Love Song for Bobby Long, Something the Lord Made, Hollow Man 2, Freddy Vs Jason and Wedding Crashers. Some of her work outside feature films includes production managing a 70mm music video directed by Vincent Gallo for the Sony Japan group L’Arc-en-Ciel, and wrangling the 120 foot inflatable brassiere that took over the San Fernando Valley (for a Japanese department store commercial she production managed).

Karri also knows more “How many producers does it take to screw in a lightbulb” jokes than a nice girl from Ohio should, and has been known to say things that make the teamsters blush.

_______________________________________
READ HER Q&A WITH REEL LADIES!

RL: TELL US ABOUT THE BEGINNING STAGES OF YOUR CAREER

KO: I was attending Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio as a computer engineering major, and hated every minute of it. In order to get a break from my core classes, I took a film theory class, and learned that the university had a film school.

I don’t think I even knew there were film schools – I had made some video projects in high school but never knew you could realistically study film, much less make a living working on films. Wright State University has a nationally recognized film program, so I was extremely lucky to have been there already.

After that first film class, I changed my major – which required talking to three guidance counselors because they were all convinced I was making a huge mistake. No one in my family worked in anything remotely artistic, so my parents were not too happy about this change either, but to their credit they did continue to pay my tuition.

As soon as I was in the film program, I started working on films – student films, independent films in the area, and ultimately professional films that came into Ohio to film. I got a lot of hands-on experience at school, and was very comfortable with using the equipment by the time I was looking for professional work. It took 7 years to get my BFA because I kept taking time off to work on features.

I worked professionally as a grip, assistant camera, some TV news, a little bit of PAing, but pretty early on found that I was most drawn to production, and starting working as a production coordinator.

I moved to LA in the early 1990’s and continued working in the office on films including Boogie Nights. From there, I moved up to production managing, then line producing, then producing, and also moved up to larger budget projects.

RL: YOU HAVE WORKED ON FILMS AS A PRODUCTION MANAGER, PRODUCTION COORDINATOR, LINE PRODUCER AND PRODUCER. EXPLAIN BRIEFLY TO THE READERS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE ROLES.

KO: The Production Coordinator is a department head and not, as many seem to believe, the secretary of the production. The Production Coordinator manages the off-set production arm of a film – they handle all the shipping, travel, distribution of production paperwork, and keep the files of the show.

Production Managers and Line Producers have similar responsibilities. Both positions oversee the physical production of the show and are charged with keeping the production on schedule and on budget. I have found that the general breakdown is that Line Producers create the budget, and the Production Managers help make deals which adhere to that budget. Also, Line Producers may interact more directly with the producers (and the studio), whereas the Production Manager would deal more often with the below the line crew.

Good luck defining what a Producer is. I am a “spend the money” not “find the money” kind of producer, so what I do is basically line producing with the additional responsibility of overseeing the creative decisions being made on the shoot (and in often in post) are in line with what the studio or financiers expect. This can encompass casting (particularly local casting), dealing with script revisions, and hiring creative department heads. I also often help determine where is the best place to film a given project, taking artistic, financial and very often incentives offered in various countries or states into consideration in making that choice.

Other producers I work with are “find the money” producers, and very versed in how much a project is worth with any given set of attachments, and the ins and outs of financing. Some of them set up the project and don’t want to hear about it until it is done – that’s why they hire me. Others want to be involved in the day to day production. It depends.

If I have a day to day producer on set helping, I’ll often have a Co-Producer title rather than Producer. If I am alone out there, I fight for the Producer title because I earn it. On international projects I sometimes have had an Executive Producer credit for tax incentive reasons.

RL: WHICH DO YOU ENJOY DOING MORE?

KO: I don’t coordinate anymore other than short term pick ups or reshoots for large studio features. I like the exposure to the higher budget crew and vendors, but otherwise it is just not that fulfilling anymore.

My heart is in producing, and each show I focus more on the producing and jettison more of the production managing duties to my long time production coordinator/supervisor John Goodwill, as he is ready to take on more of those tasks.

RL: WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISTAKES THAT BEGINNER PRODUCERS SHOULD AVOID WHEN BUDGETING FOR THEIR FILMS?

KO: I wish I had a dime for every time I’ve had to break the bad news about FICA and employer-side fringes to someone. That’s about a 22% overage on all your labor costs if you are not aware of that reality.

This myth that you can 1099 everyone and make them work as an independent contractor has also bitten more than one producer who didn’t heed IRS guidelines – the fact is that it only takes ONE disgruntled person with ONE call sheet to bust your whole production months after your shoot is over. The fact is the disgruntled person will win no matter what you had them sign, and then you are facing a production-wide audit. Maybe you’ll get away with it, but for me it is just not worth the risk.

Also, for some reason A LOT of people think the SAG day rate is a flat rate – but it is only for an 8 hour day, and most days are 12 (which is over 40% more than the day rate).

Delivery is another area where producers need to educate themselves on costs. Having a print does not mean you can deliver your film to buyers – there are multiple sound, video and legal elements you must prepare to deliver the project – and they are not cheap. Quality control checking the elements alone can set you back several thousand dollars.

The best advice I can give is to advise producers to at least hire a professional line producer to review their budget prior to fund raising or taking the budget out. It would save a lot of heartache and embarrassment with your investors down the road.

RL: FILMMAKERS ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO “FIND THE MONEY”. WHAT HAS WORKED FOR YOU IN THE PAST IN SECURING FINANCING?

KO: I don’t fundraise. At all. Ever. I don’t have the requisite skills to effectively shake down dentists.

I am transitioning into finding homes for some projects I really like, but that is more about a negative pickup scenario or setting it up at a studio or company that self-finances than raising the money myself.

RL: WHAT DRAWS YOU TO A PROJECT?

KO: I like the process of physical film production, and working on different scales and genres of projects. Not all films can be art, but they all should aspire to being well crafted.

I also like projects that allow me to learn a new skill – like working internationally with multiple currencies and tax codes, or with new technologies like 3D.

I’m really happy to have been associated with Blue Car, not only because it is a great film, but because it did many great things for the film community in Dayton, Ohio where it was filmed. I am always on the lookout for a project I can bring to Ohio to film, especially now that it looks like we may finally have a film incentive program starting July 1st.

RL: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PROCESS FOR OBTAINING CAST FOR YOUR FILM “LINEWATCH”, STARRING CUBA GOODING JR. AND SHARON LEAL.

Cuba was attached prior to my involvement – one of the other producers (Brad Krevoy) has a relationship with him from past films they have done together.

I knew Chadwick Struck, our casting director, from some work I had done on Starship Troopers 3, and hired him for Linewatch.

Kevin Bray, the director, had very specific casting ideas and worked with Chadwick to come up with the list of casting choices for the studio’s approval. Together, Kevin and Chadwick came up with an excellent and interesting supporting cast – Sharon Leal, Omari Hardwick, Evan Ross, Malieek Straughter, Dean Norris, and AMG.

The awesome Reuben Liber at MPCA helped make the deals for the supporting cast. It was really fast as we had only about 3 weeks to cast the whole film due to an accelerated prep and shoot schedule due to Cuba’s limited availability.

I was also really thrilled with some strong local cast in Albuquerque, New Mexico – particularly Chris Browning who is also in Dark Country.

RL: WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

KO: I have been active in lobbying my home state of Ohio to enact a film incentive, which looks like we may finally get on July 1, 2009. I’m working on bringing some smaller projects here to film and take advantage of the new incentive.

RL: WHEN YOU LOOK BACK OVER YOUR CAREER, HOW HAVE YOU GROWN AS A PRODUCER?

KO: Every show I do I learn something. I think I have become better at understanding the big picture of production and how it relates to the film industry as a whole – making the film is a small part of the whole process. Understanding this makes it easier to help out the rest of the producing team and the studio, and helps me be able to troubleshoot post and distribution issues before they get out of control.

Personal skills-wise, I have gotten better at delegation and giving up the notion that I can control all the details. I like the notion of the “presumption of competence” as a management philosophy – where treat everyone as qualified professionals and just let them do the job you’ve hired them to do (with vetting and proper controls of course).

This last year, I’ve been working on my time-management and ability to focus on one thing completely. I should also work on swearing less.

RL: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO PRODUCERS OUT THERE?

KO: I’m assuming you mean newbie producers – so I would say the two biggest things would be focus on a good, realistic plan for the distribution of your film, and keep your costs as low as you can so as to best ensure your investors getting their money back.

Hoping to get into Sundance is not a distribution plan. You should be talking to distributors who distribute movies in the genre and budget level your film aspires to.

Ask them what kind of cast they would need to help sell your film, and ask what they think the budget level should be to give you at least a 50% shot of getting your investor’s money back. Treat it as a business venture – not a non-profit one.

I know you are trying to shake cash out of unsophisticated sport stars and dentists, but at least do some real homework, and have a remotely feasible business plan.

Please give us all a break from business plans for indies which use Blair Witch Project as the bar for projected box office. How about a RECENT example – in the genre of your proposed film?

The new “Blair Witch” for proposals seems to be Fireproof. Fireproof is not such a great comparative model for your $500,000 torture porn slasher film. If you have Kirk Cameron attached – then go right ahead – but otherwise ask yourself what the draw to your film would be that would equal a target audience specific draw like Kirk Cameron was for a faith based film.

RL: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?

IKO: I would like to see women stop taking it as a given that it is harder for women to succeed in this industry. It’s hard for everyone, and all you can do is push forward in your own career.

That said, I think it is the responsibility of every person in charge of hiring crew of all levels to actively seek out and give consideration to a broad base of applicants – women, minorities, GLBT people, people over 50 – you get the point. Hire based on qualifications and who is right for the job, but get all sorts of candidates in the room.

I often hire white male department heads because they are the best and most experienced for the job at hand, but there is nothing wrong with letting them know you’d like to see them have some diversity in their department. If they know you are looking at that, they are more inclined to also make the effort.

Women also would be wise to actively look for a mentor for themselves and for someone to mentor. You need to do it both ways.

I’ve been very fortunate to have people who believed in me and helped me to develop my career. I try to give that back through work with students at Wright State, through the non-profit group FilmDayton, and just by being available to those who are ballsy enough to ask for a moment of my time. It’s not hard to find me
_______________________________
For more on Karri O’Reilly, visit her website at www.karrioco.com

Producers Corner: Christine Coggins

REEL Ladies Producers Corner features Director of Development, Christine Coggins (Escape Artists)

Producers Corner helps women producers take their films and Production Companies to the next level! Get key advice and pointers from industry experts on how to develop and package your material, find funding, negotiate contracts, gain distribution and MORE!

CHRIS COGGINS (Co-Producer) marks her first produced feature film with The Back-Up Plan. She first read the screenplay penned by Kate Angelo and earmarked it as something that Escape Artists should produce.

A graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts, Coggins began her career as an assistant, working under Producers Tood Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, partners at Escape Artists.

She has since gone on to become Director of Development at the well known Production Company and has worked on such films as The Weather Man, The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds, Knowing and The Taking of Pelham 123.

Escape Artists currently has over 10 feature films slated for production and most recently produced The Taking of Pelham 123 (starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta), Knowing (starring Nicholas Cage) and more!

What we will cover:
Developing your film
Mistakes that filmmakers can avoid
Escape Artists Production Company

Cost:
Members Free ~ Producers Corner Participants Free
General Public $20
REGISTER HERE

*Details provided upon registration*

MEMBERS/PRODUCERS CORNER PARTICIPANTS
ENTER HERE FOR DETAILS

WANT TO JOIN THE CORNER?
SIGN UP HERE $75 Sign Up Fee

*PLEASE NOTE: the free filmmakers profiles are SEPARATE from Membership and Producers Corner*

June Script Club: YUGO Girl

JUNE SCRIPT CLUB

Join REEL Ladies in our NEW OFFICE SPACE for our monthly meetup & discussion of women filmmakers to discuss the latest scripts around town. We give screenwriters feedback on their script, plot, characters, format and more!

Moderated by Producer Ilyssa Goodman who will facillitate a “Pitching Exercise”, showing screenwriters how to effectively pitch their scripts.

For more information about Script Club and upcoming Featured Scripts, CLICK HERE
***************************************

June Script Club
Featured Writer: Pat Branch
Moderator: Ilyssa Goodman
(Former Studio & Broadcast Executive. Producer – Cinderella Story, starring Hillary Duff & Chad Michael Murray)

Script: YUGO Girl!
Genre: family action adventure
Tag Line: It’s a good thing she can fly because her car keeps breaking down.
Log Line: She was an ordinary girl on the threshhold of an ordinary life when a sudden bolt of
lightening changed her life into something extraordinary.

Synopsis: Vanessa Gains drives a YUGO, has just received a Masters Degree in journalism, and starts work at KVLA-TV, LA’s #1 local news station, on Monday morning. It’s the Saturday morning before and she’s getting her hair done. It’s raining. Stormy. Thunderclaps. Lightening. A bolt hits the beauty shop as her hairdresser’s electric curling iron adds finishing touches to a lovely fresh do. The bolt knocks the power out and streaks Vanessa’s black hair with white plus turns her brown eyes ice blue. Very soon, it’s also obvious that Vanessa runs way faster than her personal best when she ran for UCLA in the Olympics. She’s also unusually strong, has bulletproof skin, and can see through things if she wears those 2 x-ray specs sold on the back page of old comic books. Then-
YIKES!-she eventually realizes that she can fly.

Her nemesis, Victor Crosius, is a cocky serial bank robber turned incidental murderer. Actually, it’s YUGO Girl who’s more of his nemesis, than he hers, as she foils his bumbling assistants, George, Robert, and their cosmetically challenged bomb expert, Pinto-who resembles the horse and drives many versions of the car. Their job is to raise illegal capital so they can blast Victor out of the courthouse during his right to a speedy trial.

Meanwhile, when she isn’t YUGO Girl, Vanessa lives her life as any young woman in this sudden and unexpected role must. She dons her subtle disguise, dates a hunky news cameraman, Jaime, and uses her entry-level broadcast news position to get the jump
on the everyday mishap and routine tyrant, villain or mayhem maker in her City of Angels.

**YUGO Girl! SCRIPT**
Click link to download script

When:
Saturday June 13, 2009
1:00pm-4:00pm

Location:
Blank Spaces
5405 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Cost:
Free for Members
$5 NonMembers
Light snacks and beverage provided or bring your own!

What you will receive:
Tips on how to pitch your script
FREE article on how to write a successful query letter
Participation in group discussion on feedback to the writer

____________________________
MISSED OUR LAST SCRIPT CLUBS?
VIEW SCRIPT CLUB VIDEOS HERE

Missed it? “Night of Reels”

I had a BLAST yesterday at the “Night of Reels” Demo Reel Showcase! Thank you so much to those that came out.

We had Fantastic Speakers:
*Actress/Booking Coach, Amy Lyndon (The Lyndon Technique)
*Casting Director Sherrie Henderson (Dream Big Casting)
*Casting Director Twinkie Byrd (Twink of An Eye Casting)
*Talent Agent Kathleen Schultz (Kathleen Schultz & Associates)
*Talent Agent Sharon Morris (Actors LA Talent Agency)

We had fantastic selected demo reels submitted by great actresses:
BLove Orr, Dana Hanna, Danielle Arnold, Gabrielle Eubank, Kristina Hughes, Jamie Burke, Nikki Love, Rose Sias, Sonja Fisher, Susan Shearer, Vikki Gurdas

Here are a few QUICK TIPS about Demo Reels that our speakers shared with us:

“I would rather see one line in a scene with a known actor, then a 1 minute scene of you as the lead” – Casting Director Twinkie Byrd (Twink of An Eye Casting)

“Have 2 demo reels. One dramatic, one comedic. It might be expensive, but you can’t afford NOT to invest in your BUSINESS especially if you expect others to invest in you!” – Talent Agent Kathleen Schultz (Kathleen Schultz & Associates

“Make sure the scene is about YOU, not the other performer in the scene with you!” – Booking Coach Amy Lyndon (The Lyndon Technique)

“CLOSE UPS! Can’t say it enough. Try to start with a close up shot of just YOU” – Talent Agent Sharon Morris (LA Actors Talent Agency)

“If your reel doesn’t wow me in the first 30 seconds, then I won’t finish watching!” – Casting Director Sherrie Henderson (Dream Big Casting)

VIEW OUR SLIDESHOW

READ BELOW WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

* “Nikki, I just wanted to say “THANK YOU” for having me be a part of such a wonderful evening. You did a wonderful job and presented some very talented people that I hope to get to know better!” – Talent Agent Sharon Morris (LA Actors Talent Agency)

* “Made some nice connects & a re-connect with Twinkie! Thank U!” – Actor Edwin Morrow

* “I learned that you don’t have to have a LOT of scenes on your reel. Sometimes just one will do the trick! And that is so helpful” – Actress, Producer Rhonda Morman

* “I enjoyed the Demo Reel Showcase yesterday. I thought you did a great job creating and hosting a quality event. The panel gave great information, and they were entertaining too! Thank you!” – Deirdre Wagner

MORE HERE

REEL Radio: Producer Laura Bickford

REEL Ladies Presents Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award Winner Laura Bickford

Producer LAURA BICKFORD is the Academy Award® nominated producer of the critically acclaimed film “Traffic,” which was her first collaboration with Steven Soderbergh and Benicio Del Toro. Soderbergh received the Best Director Academy Award® for the film while Del Toro was honored with an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor. In addition, the film earned four out of five Oscars® for which it was nominated.

One of the film industry’s leading producers with numerous studio and independent projects in development, Bickford recently collaborated again with Soderbergh and Del Toro, producing the two part epic, “Che”, which garnered award acclaim internationally including Plam D’or for Best Actor at Cannes and The Spanish Academy Goya Award for Benicio Del Toro.

Laura Bickford Productions was based at Universal Studios for two years following “Traffic” where, among other projects, she developed “Duplicity,” with Tony Gilroy, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.

Laura Bickford Productions merged with River Road Entertainment for two years during which time they financed the multi-award winning film “Brokeback Mountain”; as well as “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus,” starring Nicole Kidman; and Robert Altman’s last film “A Prairie Home Companion” with Meryl Streep heading a stellar ensemble cast that included Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline, Tommy Lee Jones, Virginia Madsen, Lindsey Lohan and John C. Reilly among others. She also served as executive producer on “Chicago 10,” a documentary by Brett Morgen and Graydon Carter.

Bickford made her producing debut in 1995 with “Citizen X” for HBO Pictures. Based on the true story of Russian serial killer Andrei Chikatila, the film was written and directed by Chris Gerolmo, and starred Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland and Max Von Sydow. “Citizen X” received a Cable Ace Award for Best Picture and earned multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations. For his performance, Sutherland won Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

After studying filmmaking and various subjects in a Liberal Arts concentration, Bickford earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She then began work as a production manager on political commercials in New York City. Shortly thereafter, she moved to London where she lived for five years. While there, Bickford produced music videos (over 50 in the United States and Europe) and developed feature films for Luc Roeg and Jeremy Thomas’ Vivid Productions.

After returning to the U.S., Bickford settled in Los Angeles where she produced “Playing God” with Beacon Pictures. Directed by Andy Wilson and starring David Duchovny, Timothy Hutton and Angelina Jolie, the film was released by Touchstone Pictures in 1997.

Also in 1997, Bickford produced “Bongwater,” starring Luke Wilson, Jack Black and Brittany Murphy.

LISTEN TO LAURA ON REEL RADIO AS SHE GIVES POINTERS TO BEGINNER FILMMAKERS!

Featured Member: Jo Mani

REEL LADIES MEMBER – Actress Jo Mani
This beautiful Utah native may be best known for her sultry singing and acting chops, but it is Jo Mani’s recent stab at stand up comedy that is getting Hollywood’s attention. Jo is one of four female comics who recently took the stage on the “Dee Undaground”comedy tour. She specializes in “Crazy” as they say. She has demonstrated her bizarre gift for comedic timing through her characters and spontaneous, outrageous physical comedy. “She’s Jim Carrey and Jamie Foxx rolled up in one..only with breasts“.

Entertaining has been Jo’s passion since she was a child, her love for the performing arts was ignited after playing the lead role as “Danielle” in her Middle school Musical “Coming of Age”. After graduating college, Jo started her professional acting career in the early 1990’s doing background work for TV’s “Touched By An Angel“. Jo was fortunate to work with the likes of Della Reese, Louis Gossett Jr., Kadeem Hardison, Holly Robinson Pete, Corbin Bernson, Jennifer Lewis, Sherman Helmsley, and Loretta divine just to name a few..

A former member of the local R&B musical group “Total Efekt”, Jo’s diverse and multi-cultural background has allowed her to expand her musical repertoire. Simply saying, the girl can sang. Proving over and over she can blow the roof off with some Patti, then bring it down with a good Ole’ Barbara show tune, and then shock you with some Barry… Manilow that is.

Jo’s recent recognition on the comedy stage has catapulted her film career helping her carve out a permanent place in Hollywood. Blessed with a unique and “Ethnically Ambiguous exterior’ this increasingly sought-after actress continues to thrive in the entertainment industry. Jo has been seen live on stage at various venues, such at the World Famous Laugh Factory. Jo was also applauded for her recent performance as the lead in Del Shores highly acclaimed play “Daughters Of The Lone Star State”. Jo took on the supporting role of “Lakota” in the comedy film, “Four 1 Liberation Front“, as well as the schizoid reporter in “Behind the Seams”. Then on to the role of sexy seductive “Sera” in the greatly anticipated dark comedy “Absolute Debauchery”.

Catch Jo in the upcoming BET/EVE comedy feature “The Tune Up“, set to shoot early 2009‘. Jo then takes on the role of clueless and frumpy “Agness” in the forthcoming All-star film “Fiesta” based on the NY Times Best selling Novel “Azucar Morena” By Shelley Hallima.

Notorious for her humor, Jo flexes her dramatic muscles with a minor role in the Starz/Ghost House Productions upcoming dramatic series “The Resistance” Set in a Post apocalyptic war torn era. You can also see her as the adoring Mrs. Brooks in the chilling Suspense Thriller “Next To Die”.
This talented triple threat continues to develop her craft and blossom as a working actress, while residing in the greater Los Angeles area…

RECENT UPDATES
-Landed a pilot with a recurring role also staring Jean-Claude Lamarre who writes and directs(seen in Dead Presidents, Malcom X) , Clifton Powell, Sherri Lee Ralph, Paula Jai Parker(Hustle N Flow), Trina McGee.

-Just wrapped HITMEN” where she plays the role of a crackhead

The Indie Dark Comedy film Absolute Debauchery is being screened in LA on May 14th at the Elevate Lounge.
HOSTED BY: http://www.rawartists.org/

VISIT PERSONAL WEBSITE
IMDB

Producers Corner Telecall with Jane Kosek

JOIN REEL LADIES & PRODUCER JANE KOSEK FOR AN INFORMATIVE TELECALL!

Producer’s Corner is an ONLINE INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY of women producers that will discuss their film needs, exchange ideas, information and resources. Get key advice and pointers from industry experts on how to develop and package your material, find funding, negotiate contracts, gain distribution and MORE!

NEED TO REGISTER??
GET THE INTRODUCTORY OFFER TO JOIN PRODUCERS CORNER FOR $40!
REGISTER HERE
Offer expires June 1, 2009
Regular price $75

DATE
Thursday, May 21, 2009

TIME
5pm PST – 6pm PST

TOPICS
“A Producer’s Worth”
How much should our fees be for producing our films?
Can the production afford to pay them at all?
If not, how much should we defer out and when should we get paid that deferment — before or after the investors get their money back?
Finding & Managing Money and MORE!

COST
Members Free
Producers Corner Members Free
General Public $10
REGISTER HERE
Details provided upon registration

PLEASE NOTE: The filmmaker profiles are FREE and separate from the REEL Ladies Paid Membership

***REEL LADIES MEMBERS AND PRODUCERS CORNER PARTICIPANTS***

ABOUT JANE KOSEK
Jane Kelly Kosek is an independent film producer and co-founder of Wonder Entertainment. Jane produced her first feature-length film, STRAIGHT LINE, with writer/director Sean Ackerman. Filmed in eight countries, this drama took two years to make and premiered at the 2005 South by Southwest Film Festival. This production launched Jane’s career as a producer of emotionally charged, character-driven motion pictures.

In 2007, Jane produced the romantic drama NOT SINCE YOU in Athens, Georgia. This story of a group of friends reuniting at a Southern wedding features the ensemble cast of Desmond Harrington, Kathleen Robertson, Christian Kane, Jonny Abrahams, Sunny Mabrey, Will Estes, Sara Rue, Elden Henson, Barry Corbin, and Liane Balaban. In addition to overseeing the production, Jane was a co-writer on the script, secured the financing, and attached the talent. NOT SINCE YOU marks the first achievement of Wonder Entertainment in which the co-founders are helming the three key areas of producing, directing and line producing as a team. The film is currently wrapping post-production.Also in 2007, Jane executive produced TENNESSEE, a script by Russell Schaumburg that she had been passionately pushing to get made for three years. She partnered with Lee Daniels Entertainment (Monster’s Ball, The Woodsman) on TENNESSEE, which stars Mariah Carey, Adam Rothenberg, and Ethan Peck. TENNESSEE is schedule to be released in the United States in June 2009.
Jane is currently producing Sam Jaeger’s feature directorial debut TAKE ME HOME. Sam starred in 2006’s CATCH AND RELEASE (opposite Jennifer Garner) and the ABC show ELI STONE; he stars in the upcoming NBC show PARENTHOOD.
In 2001, Jane relocated to LA where she assisted Academy Award-winning screenwriter and producer Akiva Goldsman for three years at his production company Weed Road Pictures, located on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, CA. With Akiva, she worked on A BEAUTIFUL MIND, CONSTANTINE, STARSKY & HUTCH, and MR. & MRS. SMITH.

STAY TUNED FOR OUR SUMMER MEETUP WITH JANE!

Emmy Award Winner Cristina Perez on REEL Radio

REEL Ladies Presents Emmy Award Winner Cristina Perez
Join us May 11, 2009 for our REEL Radio Program with Cristina!

In 2006, Cristina made her English-language television debut on Twentieth Television’s first-run syndicated court show “Cristina’s Court.”In its debut year, the show became the second highest-rated new show in U.S. syndication. “Cristina’s Court” airs Monday through Friday on the FOX Network, FOX’s MyNetworkTV and its affiliate stations.

In 2008, “Cristina’s Court” won the first ever Emmy Award for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program. The show’s win was the first ever for a FOX daytime show.

Cristina was the first television Judge-Host to crossover from Spanish-language to English-language television. As the FIRST FEMALE to have a nationally syndicated Spanish-language network court series, Cristina presided over “La Corte de Familia” (Family Court). Enormously popular in the U.S., “La Corte de Familia” was Telemundo/NBC’s number two daytime show for four straight seasons. The program also aired internationally in 15 countries. Prior to that, Cristina made her television debut as the Judge-Host of “La Corte Del Pueblo” (The People’s Court) (Telemundo/NBC).

Cristina brings a fresh way of connecting with people. She is considered the ultimate crossover host, who while being a hip, professional, multicultural woman, always seeks to introduce traditional values into the lives of people young and old. Cristina does not wear “rubber gloves” in her courtroom which allows her the unique ability to connect with her litigants on a very warm and personal level by sharing her wisdom, background, and moral beliefs with everyone who stands before her. Consequently, she appeals to young and old audiences everywhere.

Simon & Schuster/ATRIA
Cristina is currently the Los Angeles County Bar Association Spokesperson for its Lawyer Referral and Information Service — a position formerly held only by The People’s Court Judge Wapner. In 2007, Cristina was named as one of “America’s Ten Most Inspirational Women” by Siempre Mujer magazine (special introduction by Hillary Clinton). In 2005, Cristina was selected as a California’s “Woman of the Year” for her community service and activities and was named one of “America’s Top 10 Latina Advocates” for making the world a better place for women and Latino’s rights, by the national magazine Latino Leaders.



VISIT CRISTINA’S COURT TODAY
www.cristinascourt.com/

Producers Rep Page Ostrow

REEL Ladies Presents Page Ostrow
Producer’s RepresentativeOstrow and Company was founded by veteran entertainment industry executive Page B. Ostrow who has arranged financing and or negotiated distribution for over 150 feature films and numerous documentaries working initially on behalf of numerous international distributors until 2000 when inspired by a vision to protect the interests of independent filmmakers, Page Ostrow shifted the company focus to representing films and projects on behalf of filmmakers and producers requiring distribution and financing. Ostrow’s background includes working under contract for Initial Entertainments Graham King distributor/producer of Oscar winning films such as ‘The Departed’, ‘The Aviator’ and ‘Blood Diamond’. These days, in order to find, negotiate track and collect on deals for independent filmmakers and producers Ostrow relies on her extensive relationships and the previous distribution expertise developed during the ten years she spent providing distributors with global sales support, licensing and pre-sales for their film projects and libraries to international buyers at all the film markets. As a result Page Ostrow maintains her contacts with key executives who have a shared vision toward launching quality films into the marketplace.
IMDB PAGE

READ HER EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH REEL LADIES HERE!
Page talks to REEL Ladies about key elements filmmakers need to know when looking for a Producer’s Rep, what Ostrow & Company looks for in submissions, and what she would like to see from women filmmakers!

STAY TUNED FOR OUR JUNE PRODUCERS CORNER EVENT FEATURING PAGE!!!
**SIGN UP FOR PRODUCERS CORNER NOW!**

___________________________
Ostrow and Company is located on the old Warner Hollywood Studio Lot on ten acres at the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Formosa Avenue in West Hollywood. The history of the studio dates back to the 1920’s when it was owned by Charlie Chaplin who sold it to Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, later joined by Samuel Goldwyn to form United Artists prior to the Warner Brothers sale in the 1980’s. Among the famous movies filmed here were classics like ‘Some Like It Hot’ and ‘Westside Story,’ along with recent hits such as ‘Basic Instint,’ ‘Green Mile,’ and the current HBO series “True Blood.”

MISSION AND COMMITMENT
Ostrow and Company believes in supporting the creative process behind a motion picture that begins with a compelling story and ultimately changes the way people think globally. The thoughtful execution of the story in a feature film or documentary is what makes it entertaining to watch. The skillful navigation through the Hollywood landscape is what allows the film to arrive and be seen by as many people as possible.

Ostrow and Company has arranged financing and or negotiated distribution for over 150 feature films and numerous documentaries. Our commitment is to good story telling that is compelling and entertaining. Our passion is to negotiate the business of film distribution and finance for producers and filmmakers who want to make a difference by delivering films that raise the consciousness of the viewer.

Ostrow and Company handles all aspects of the business of film so that the creative team can focus on what they do best- Create! Hopefully, the result is that the world is a better place.

FOCUS
Ostrow and Company focuses on three main areas of business for the filmmakers, independent producers and production companies:
* Find and negotiate distribution and licensing in all platforms for completed films
* Arrange financing for film projects in development
* Raise finishing funds for films stuck in post-production
Ostrow and Company negotiates deals for international and domestic distribution for all rights including theatrical, television and home entertainment. We strategically roll out with a film or project. We also follow up to track sales and handle collections on behalf of our clients.

Ostrow and Company provides a constant flow of quality films to the marketplace by scouting all the major film festivals, television and film markets. We are steadily building our staff of creative executives who attend film festivals, screenings and events. We aim to connect with the creative community who deliver the type of films we believe in and who see the benefit in engaging us to provide the kind of business support we offer as producers representatives.

STRATEGY
We role out wide with a film or project in order to provide the opportunity for the executives to simultaneously experience the product at the studios, mini majors and independent international and domestic distribution companies. Creating a sense of urgency and ‘buzz’ is something we are known for and allows us to leverage interest from the various distribution platforms in order to create bidding wars. A specific strategic game plan is designed for each new completed film we have been engaged to represent in or out of the festival circuit.

__________________________________
For more about Producer’s Rep Page Ostrow (President, Ostrow & Company)
Company Website: www.OstrowandCompany.com

1041 North Formosa Ave.
Formosa Building, Studio Lot
West Hollywood, Ca., 90046
To read more press on Ostrow and Company please visit
http://www.ostrowandcompany.com/inthenews.php

For film library press or submission policy visit www.ostrowandcompany.com

**SIGN UP FOR PRODUCERS CORNER NOW!**

“Night of Reels” a Demo Reel Showcase!

REEL Ladies is proud to present “Night of Reels!”
A Demo Reel Showcase for Actresses

Join us for an Industry Cocktail Party and Demo Reel Showcase! REEL Ladies is providing a platform for actresses to showcase their demo reels in front of a panel of professional and established Casting Directors, Talent Agents, Talent Managers and renowned Acting Coaches! Come and listen to feedback on what works and what doesn’t. Find out what Industry Professionals REALLY think of your reel and how to enhance it! Looking for representation? Find out what these ladies are looking for!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
*Keeping your career going despite the economy
*How to enhance your demo reel
*How to use your demo reel as an effective marketing tool
*The do’s and the dont’s of preparing your demo reel
*What agents, managers and casting directors REALLY look for in a reel
*Getting your reel in front of the right people

DATE
Sunday, May 31, 2009
4pm-8pm

LOCATION
McCormick & Schmicks
206 N. Rodeo Dr
Beverly Hills, CA. 90210
Valet Parking & Garage Parking Available

INCLUDES
Cocktail Reception
Dungeness Crab Cakes, Smoked Salmon Mousse, Bruschetta with Bay Shrimp, Artisan Cheese & Tropical Fruit Platters, Gourmet Dessert and MORE!
*Cash Bar*

“Demo Reel Tips” Presentation by Performer Nation

Panel of Industry Speakers of Casting Directors, Agents, Managers and Acting Coaches

Selected Demo Reel Evaluation (15 Max)

Industry Networking

Raffle giveaways

SPEAKERS TO DATE
*Actress/Booking Coach, Amy Lyndon (Lyndon Technique)
*Casting Director Sherrie Henderson (Dream Big Casting)
*Casting Director Twinkie Byrd (Notorious, Stomp the Yard)
*Talent Agent Kathleen Schultz (Kathleen Schultz & Associates)
*Talent Agent Sharon Morris (Actors LA Talent Agency)

COST
$35 Members
$45 NonMembers
Not yet a member? READ MORE HERE

RESERVE YOUR SEAT NOW
*Seating is limited*

Tickets MUST be purchased in advance!

SUBMISSIONS
Submission Deadline Sunday May 10, 2009
Demo reels selected in advance (15 MAX!)
FREE for Members
$10 Submission Fee for NonMembers

**SUBMIT HERE** make sure to include a link to your reel!
*PLEASE NOTE: Submission DOES NOT guarantee acceptance into the showcase. We will contact you to notify you of your demo reel acceptance.
______________________________
PARTIALLY SPONSORED BY

REEL Member Spotlight: BiBi DeAngelo

BiBi DeAngelo was born on June 25th, and was raised in the Washington, D.C. area. She died (and came back to life) at age 5 in an accident; being impaled by an object that left a 5 inch scar on her chest. Throughout elementary school BiBi loved to perform in school plays. BiBi had a deep desire to travel, and has in fact lived on 3 continents. Upon returning to America, December 1990, she settled in the Los Angeles area in California. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, a moment of “fate & destiny” occurred when her friend Gunnar Keel (son of legendary singer and actor Howard Keel) introduced her to internationally known Astrologer, Linda Goodman’s longtime business associate Philip di Franco. Linda was best known for her books “Sun Signs” & “Love Signs”. It was Philip di Franco who introduced BiBi to Linda Goodman. In 1995, on Fathers Day, BiBi appeared in her girlfriend, Linda Goodman’s national TV commercial – with Larry King and Jeff Stearn. Please visit You Tube Interview with Philip di Franco

BiBi has been assisting and guiding entertainment Professionals from every faucet of the Entertainment business. She has observed her clients win their Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy, and SAG Awards – which she has said were some of her most cherished moments in her career. She uses the Science of Astrology to select casting, and to hire professionals so the entire production is one big compatible group that creates the best film shoots. She specializes in negotiations with A-List Stars, Producers, Directors, Managers & Agents so a win-win situation arises – to ascertain what all parties need – and to deal with resolution settlements. She charts out everyone’s Astrological Psychological Profiles sheets so all parties know how to effectively communicate with each other, and how NOT TO treat and talk to each other to trigger ego and drama during productions hours. She has also been quoted saying she loves to assist souls in obtaining their fame so they can turn around and take that fame to make a difference on the planet. Her Website is: www.bibideangelo.com She has appeared on numerous Cable TV shows from 1996 to 2006. BiBi has also consulted behind the scenes on: Fire Down Below, The Patriot, Fern Gulley: The Last Rainforest, American Me, Rising Sun, Mortal Kombat, Virtuosity, Starship Troopers, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, Multiplicity, Executive Decision, Glimmer Man, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, The Art of War, Monster’s Ball, Die Another Day, Catwoman, Lackawanna Blues. She has consulted behind the scenes in the following TV Series: Space Rangers, Nash Bridges, Everyone Loves Raymond. In Spring of 2007, BiBi was accepted into the entertainment organization “Women In Film.” She owns her own Production Company “A Stars Production” and has now branched out into Production work. She started as Production Executive for a Documentary “Metaphysia” now in post-production. See trailer at: www.metaphysia.net

She just Casted Stefanie La Rue in the Women In Film Public Service Announcement (PSA) for Breast Cancer for young women. The SLAM Advocacy Movement PSA was produced by WIF, and released on Cable Channels in the Los Angeles area initially. BiBi served as the Los Angeles Liaison for the 22nd Nappa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival – which she secured the Documentary on Clint Eastwood to be screened. BiBi is also enjoying Radio Appearances. She was just interviewed on November 10, 2008 on LA Talk Radio Show with Eddie Conner & Psychic Dave, LISTEN HERE. She is schedule to appear in more radio spots.

You may visit BiBi’s website and obtain more insight from the various Website Profiles on her at: Gaia, ZoomInfo, Linkedin, Xing, Hollywood Omnibook, Eentv, Women In Film, Imdbpro.com, and she will be posting her new profile for Reel Ladies. When you visit BiBi’s website you can also learn the various other Spiritual & Transformational Media groups she is a member of in the Los Angeles area. BiBi’s has attached herself a one of the Producers in the Documentary “Gandhi Peace Walk” in which several celebrities from all walks of life are being interviewed on their thoughts regarding Peace and Green ECO communities, to learn more about this project watch below

**Visit BiBi’s REEL Ladies Profile HERE**

Short FilmShowcase

REEL Ladies in association with JNL Media is proud to present the Spring ‘09 Short Film Showcase!

REEL Ladies vision is to provide a platform for women in film and entertainment to showcase their work in a creative, fun, supportive environment of fellow filmmakers. “Our goal is to create a COMMUNITY of women in film & entertainment. These women are the future of Hollywood!” – REEL Ladies Founder, Nikki Love (www.nikkilove.com)

These innovative filmmakers are changing the face of Hollywood! From comedy & drama to horror and mystery, this is going to be a FABULOUS showcase of women in film.

Award Winning – Amy Lyndon
The Last White Dishwasher – Claudia Duran
The Shake Down – Courtney Franklin
Weigh Money – Joy Sudduth
Breaking News – KMarie Walters
The Lure – Elisia Harkins
Worth – Kathi Carey
Game Master – Kimberly Townes
I Can’t Pretend – Landi Maduro
Rendezvous – Laura Black
Scrapbooks – Nikki Love
Tomoko’s Kitchen – Shawna Baca

READ MORE ABOUT THE FILMS AND THE WOMEN BEHIND THEM HERE!

COST:
$7 Members
$12 General Public in Advance
$15 Door
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

LOCATION
Bungalow Club (Upper Level)
7174 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA. 90046

Food, Drinks, Cocktails, Valet Parking all available at your own cost

TIME
4pm-8pm
4pm Doors Open
4:30pm Film Showcase
7pm Filmmaker Q&A
8pm Closing

PLEASE NOTE: This is not a festival or competition but an Evening of Films, Filmmaker Q&A and Networking!
REEL Ladies Membership is SEPARATE from the FREE filmmaker profiles. Not yet a member? CLICK HERE for more info!

REEL Lady: Producer Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay is an
American filmmaker and marketer. In 2006, she made her screenwriting and directorial debut with the festival award-winning
short, “Saturday Night Life,” starring Melissa DeSousa. The film was selected for national broadcast by Showtime in February 2007
through the network’s Black Filmmaker Showcase.

Her feature script “The Middle of Nowhere” was a finalist for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Nicholls Fellowship, and was selected for IFP’s No Borders program in 2006. According to IMDB, Sanaa Lathan and Ruby Dee are attached in lead roles, with Oscar winner Ed Saxon producing.

In 2007, DuVernay made her feature directorial debut with the self-financed documentary, This is the Life, which offers an insider’s view of the underground urban music movement in Los Angeles. The film won audience awards in Los Angeles, Toronto and Seattle, and was invited to screen at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta in the summer of 2008.

DuVernay has worked in the world of film as a marketer and publicist for more than 14 years, forming The DuVernay Agency in 1999. The company is currently known as DVA Media + Marketing. Her award-winning firm has provided strategy and execution for more than 100 film and television campaigns by directors such as Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, Robert Rodriguez, Bill Condon, Raoul Peck, Gurinder Chadha and Reggie & Gina Bythewood.

Through DVA, she also owns and operates the nation’s largest urban
retail promotional network, Urban Beauty Collective. She launched
Urban Beauty Collective in 2003.

DuVernay created and launched the African-American blog center,
UrbanThoughtCollective.com, in 2008. She self-distributed her documentary This is the Life in 2009 through her Forward Movement banner.

***READ HER INTERVIEW WITH REEL LADIES IN PRODUCERS
CORNER!***
Ava chats with REEL Ladies about her journey from Publicist to
Producer, her film This is the Life, Self Financing and Self Distribution!!

*Visit the Official Website for This is the Life!*
What the press is saying:
(Click logo)

Global Distribution for your film

Going Global 2-Day Boot Camp:

Do You Want Global Distribution For Your Film?

Attend Stacey Parks’ Boot Camp where you’ll learn the most effective ways to get your projects made, seen and distributed worldwide!

April 25 & 26, Viceroy Hotel, Santa Monica, CA
SPACE IS LIMITED, SO CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

Whether your have a completed film, or a project you are trying to get off the ground, this 2-day Boot Camp will show you how to take your project to the next level, no matter what stage of production you are in.

Let’s face it, getting your project up and running, or getting distribution for your completed film is no easy task, especially in this economy.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it is entirely plausible to get your project going, and your completed film sold all over the world…EVEN in this economically challenged environment. And me, and my team of guest experts are going to show you HOW, at the GOING GLOBAL BOOT CAMP!

At this Bootcamp you’ll discover:

• Exactly what you need to do to move your script or completed film forward to the next stage
• How to get the best deal for your competed film
• How to avoid nasty pitfalls when dealing with sales agents and distributors
• The benefits/drawbacks of working with sales agents vs. going directly to distributors
• How to find the right sales agent
• How to negotiate the best possible deal with sales agents
• What to look out for in sales agent and distributor deals
• A breakdown of distribution deal structures
• ‘Outside the box’ international financing and distribution models
• How to project revenue for your project
• How to launch and market your film competitively in the global marketplace
• How to effectively leverage international film markets at all stages of production
• How to cast and package your project to gain the attention of investors, agents, and financing partners
• How to prepare your script for raising money
• How to prepare a realistic business plan
• How to create a great package to present to potential investors
• How to get international financing and international co-production partners on board
• How to create a strategy for your film’s distribution, specific to YOUR film and YOUR audience, at any stage
• WHY a new way of looking at old distribution models is the way for you to retain control of your films, and your career
• How to nail down a system that you can apply to each and every project in your production slate

REGISTER NOW!!

Film Distribution Strategies Lunch

JOIN REEL LADIES AND FILM DISTRIBUTION EXPERT STACEY PARKS!“Filmmaker’s Global Distribution Strategy!”

Stacey Parks will be joining REEL Ladies for a Saturday Lunch to discuss her Going Global Bootcamp.
This will be an Open House Preview for her 2 day Distribution Bootcamp taking place April 25th and 26th in Santa Monica. Stacey and her team of experts are going to show filmmakers how to get their films made, seen and distributed WORLDWIDE… in any economy!

This is for SERIOUS PARTICIPANTS ONLY who are interested in attending the distribution bootcamp.

READ HERE the interview w/Stacey about what filmakers should know about distribution and the upcoming Going Global Bootcamp Event.

Join us for lunch as we talk about Getting a Global Distribution Strategy!
****NEW OFFER****
Attend the lunch and receive $100 OFF the Going Global Bootcamp!

WHAT WE WILL COVER

• The shifting paradigms in distribution
• The realities of the current marketplace
• Solutions for dealing with and circumventing current marketplace realities
• Why approaching distribution with no strategy in place is the WORST thing you can do
• The five biggest mistakes filmmakers make when working with sales agents and reps
• Distribution-minded financing: the three elements you’ll need in place to consider financing your film via an international co-productiion

This will be a great lunch and opportunity to chat with Stacey EXCLUSIVELY in a casual environment and to sign up for the Going Global Bootcamp!

DATE
Saturday, April 11, 2009

LOCATION
McCormick & Schmick’s
206 N. Rodeo Dr
Beverly Hills, CA. 90210

TIME
12pm-1pm Going Global Preview
1pm -2pm Lunch

FREE TO ATTEND!
*This is a pay your own way event.
Menu options $30 and under.
*This event has a minimum order requirement of $10, please bring cash*

**RSVP REQUIRED!!**
Serious Participants ONLY!
Email REELLadies@yahoo.com to reserve your seat. Please put “Going Global Lunch” in the subject line

Della Reese

Della Reese is an American actress and singer. She started her career in the late 1950s as a jazz singer, best known for her 1959 hit single “Don’t You Know”. She subsequently became an actress and today is also an ordained Minister.

At the age of thirteen, she was hired to sing with Mahalia Jackson’s Gospel group. Afterwards, she formed her own gospel group called the Meditation Singers. Reese recorded regularly throughout the 1960s, releasing singles and several albums. Two of the most significant were The Classic Della (1962), and Waltz with Me, Della (1963), which broadened her fan base internationally.
She recorded several jazz-focused albums including Della Reese Live (1966), On Strings of Blue (1967), and One of a Kind (1978). She also performed in Las Vegas for nine years, as well as touring across the country.

In 1969, Reese began a transition into acting work which would eventually lead to her greatest fame.
In 1970, Reese became the FIRST BLACK WOMAN to guest host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

She is best known for her role as Tess in Touched By An Angel. Reese appeared in several TV movies and miniseries’ including The House of Yes and Roots: The Next
Generations. Reese also did voice over for the animated series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. In 1989, she starred alongside Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor and Arsenio Hall in the theatrical release movie Harlem Nights, in which she was seen doing a fight scene with Eddie Murphy.

She has since gone on to appear in Beauty Shop, That’s So Raven and MORE! She was also honored in 2006 by Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball! VISIT HER IMDB PAGE HERE

**READ HERE the featured article about REEL Ladies and Della Reese!**
_______________________________________

MISSED THE SHOW??
REEL Radio – featuring Della Reese LISTEN HERE

REEL Member Spotlight: Ilyssa Goodman

REEL LADIES MEMBER – Producer Ilyssa Goodman

Along with more than ten years experience as a studio and broadcast executive, Ilyssa Goodman has produced a number of high-profile motion pictures and television series. Most notable among them is Warner Bros.’ A Cinderella Story, starring Hillary Duff, and the just released sequel, Another Cinderella Story. At this time, Ilyssa is in pre-production on the screen adaptation of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher for Universal Studios. In television, Ilyssa executive produced and was a creator of the teen reality series Moolah Beach for Fox and created the reality-based game show, Mall or Nothing for the E! Network. As a consultant, Ilyssa actively provides development, packaging, production and distribution guidance and has helped assemble numerous international co-production deals.
Ilyssa Goodman began her career with Miramax Films in NY before heading to Los Angeles for a development post with Universal Studios. Ilyssa transitioned into television as Vice President of Filmed Entertainment for Bonneville Worldwide Entertainment, where she oversaw the development, production and distribution of more than a dozen highly rated network television movies and several award-winning original films. Ilyssa left BWE for a position with the Animal Planet Network in development and production on several of the specialty networks original movies and television series. Additionally, Ilyssa held a post with a branch of the Canadian government to arrange international co-productions and now consults for a number of production companies.

_________________________________________________________

SIGN UP NOW for her upcoming “Pitching Workshop” in Los Angeles!

Now Offering Limited Enrollment In A Unique 3 Hour Workshop

Saturday April 4, 2009 12:00pm – 3:00pm in our convenient Los Angeles location
Class Size is limited.
New Lower Rates: $65.00 Or $55.00 prior March 27th
Mention Reel Ladies and save $5.00.

• Develop and sharpen the pitching and presentation techniques.
• Extract the most marketable elements from you idea.
• Passionately communicate your idea and excite the listener.
For more information and to register: Contact
ilyssag2k@aol.com or call (310) 709-7063
FURTHER DETAILS HERE

LAUNCH: Producers Corner

Producer’s Corner is an ONLINE INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY of women producers that will discuss their film needs, exchange ideas and resources.

This new program will be available to women across the globe providing informative telecalls, online chat sessions, message boards and meetups to help producer’s take their films and/or production companies to the next level. Because of it’s online accessibility, you don’t have to be in LA to participate!!!

Participants receive FREE downloads, articles, sample forms and contracts as well as telecalls with producer’s reps, distribution agents, entertainment lawyers and fellow producers.

*FOR WOMEN PRODUCERS ONLY*

Upcoming Chat Session:
Entertainment Lawyer Toni Long

Upcoming Meetup:
Producer Carol Ann Shine
Sunday, May 3, 2009

Members FREE
Non-Members $40
ONE TIME Sign up Fee

GET STARTED HERE

REEL NEWS & EVENTS

FEATURED REEL LADIES!

**Missed REEL Radio Last Night?
Featuring Producer Mary Aloe!
Producer Mary Aloe is one of Los Angeles’ most prolific female producers. Aloe Entertainment specializes in developing/producing independent studio features, television series, network and cable event movies. Mary is currently working on a major studio film with MGM Studios, “Mary, Mother of the Christ”, the prequel to “The Passion of the Christ“. This film has an all star cast with Jessica Lange, Camille Belle, Peter O’Toole and MORE!
VIEW IMDB PAGE

LISTEN HERE

**REEL SPOTLIGHT: MARA SANTINO (Luber Roklin Entertainment)
Enjoy a Sunday Lunch with REEL Ladies and Manager Mara Santino
Mara has cultivated the careers of many young actors, and loves to scout new talent. She has also groomed actors for huge studio films. Most notably, Mara put Brandon Routh in the title role “Superman Returns” and has discovered/developed the careers of three of the lead actors in “Twilight.”

We will be discussing Mara’s journey in the Entertainment Industry, the relationship between Managers and performers, what Managers REALLY look for and MORE!

Sunday, April 5, 2009
3pm – 7pm

$20 Members/ $30 NonMembers
Only a few seats left!

REGISTER HERE

**GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION STRATEGY: FILM DISTRIBUTION EXPERT STACEY PARKS!
Stacey Parks will be joining REEL Ladies for a Saturday Lunch to discuss her Going Global Bootcamp.

WHAT WE WILL COVER
• The shifting paradigms in distribution
• The realities of the current marketplace
• Solutions for dealing with and circumventing current marketplace realities
• Why approaching distribution with no strategy in place is the WORST thing you can do
• The five biggest mistakes filmmakers make when working with sales agents and reps
• Distribution-minded financing: the three elements you’ll need in place to consider financing your film via an international co-production!
Saturday April 11, 2009
EVENT DETAILS HERE

**PRODUCER’S CORNER
Producer’s Corner is an interactive community of women producers that will discuss their film needs, exchange ideas and resources.

This new program will be available to women across the globe providing informative Telecalls, Online Chat Sessions, Message Boards and Meetups to help producer’s take their films and/or production companies to the next level. Because of it’s online accessibility, you don’t have to be in LA to participate!!!

Upcoming Chat Session with Entertainment Lawyer Toni Long
Upcoming Meetup with Producer Carol Shine

WOMEN PRODUCERS ONLY!
DETAILS HERE:

Members FREE
Non-Members $40 (ONE TIME Sign up Fee)

*PRODUCERS ONLY*
Details will be provided ONLY upon registration

VISIT REEL LADIES TODAY!
http://reelladies.ning.com

Film Resources

**REEL Membership
REEL Ladies is currently reviewing Membership Applications from
March 1 – April 31, 2009. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to become a member!
 
JOIN NOW and receive a COMPLIMENTARY Screening Ticket for the hit film “disFIGURED”!  EVENT DETAILS HERE

For less than $8.50 a month you can join a COMMUNITY & ORGANIZATION of like minded women in film and entertainment, promote your projects, increase your visibility amongst other filmmakers and MORE!

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS
$8.50/month ~ $100/year
DETAILS HERE

**HBO Documentary Films
Film Independent is currently accepting submissions for the HBO Documentary Films Fellowship, a program linked to the Fast Track market at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The deadline is 30 March 2009.

The HBO Documentary Films/Film Independent Fellowship carries a production grant of $10,000, and inclusion in Film Independent’ s Fast Track program, a financing market that takes place during the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival. This Fellowship was established to provide direct support to one exceptional documentary filmmaker selected for Film Independent’s Fast Track program by giving him or her the necessary resources to help complete his or her film.

READ MORE HERE

**Women’s Film Finishing Fund
The Women In Film Foundation’s Film Finishing Fund (FFF) annually provides cash and in-kind production services to deserving filmmakers needing help to complete their film projects. The only program of its kind in the industry, the projects submitted have a broad range of subject matter and are judged by a committee of top industry professionals.

Since the inception of the Fund in 1985, the Foundation has awarded more than $2 million in cash and in-kind services to 170 films. Cash awards range from $1,500 to $5,000, with the number of grants varying from year to year. The in-kind grants include post services such as online editing, sound mixing, color correction, and closed captioning, among others.

READ MORE HERE

Make sure to check out the updates, new trailers, pics and blogs on REEL Ladies!

REEL Lady: Stacey Parks

REEL Ladies chats with Film Distribution GURU, Stacey Parks!

ABOUT STACEY
Stacey Parks is an expert in the area of independent film distribution, with over 13 years experience working with independent film producers. As a Foreign Sales Agent she has secured distribution for hundreds of independent features and programs worldwide. She has sold independent films and programming to HBO, Showtime, Starz, PBS, A&E, BBC, SkyTV, NHK (Japan), RTL (Germany), Canal Plus (France), and countless others.

Her clients films have premiered at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, SXSW, San Sebastian, and other major film festivals. Her clients include Sundance and SXSW award-winning filmmakers and producers who have secured studio and mini-major distribution.

Stacey is the author of ‘The Insider’s Guide to Independent Film Distribution” (2007 Focal Press), the founder of Film Specific, the educational resource and community for independent filmmakers focused on helping independent filmmakers get their works distributed, and she is an adjunct professor in the Entertainment Studies department of UCLA.

Stacey has been profiled and interviewed in MovieMaker Magazine, Student Filmmakers Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor and the Los Angeles Business Journal. She has spoken on numerous panels including the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, the American Film Market, Slamdance and the Alliance of Women Directors, has presented lectures or workshops at the British Film Institute, UCLA, Women In Film, and the Raindance Film Festival, and frequently writes articles for MovieMaker Magazine, MovieScope Magazine, and Student Filmmakers Magazine.

READ BELOW her interview with REEL Ladies!
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RL: How did you get involved in Distribution?

SP: I STARTED OUT AS AN AGENT ASSISTANT AT WILLIAM MORRIS BACK IN THE EARLY NINETIES. I ALSO WANTED TO BE THAT PERSON WHO WAS TRAVELING THE WORLD TO ALL THE FILM MARKETS AND FESTIVALS – SO I WENT INTO DISTRIBUTION AND BECAME A FOREIGN SALES AGENT!

RL: As a sales agent, what were some things that you were looking for in a film?

SP: THIS SOUNDS SILLY BUT ‘SALEABILITY’. WHAT MAKES YOUR FILM MARKETABLE AND SALEABLE? ARE THERE RECOGNIZABLE CAST ATTACHED? IS IT A GENRE THAT SELLS? IS IT BASED ON A POPULAR TOPIC? AND FINALLY – WAS IT EXECUTED WELL. DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT WAS DONE PROFESSIONALLY AND SHOT IN A HIGH QUALITY FORMAT? IS IT JUST DIALOGUE, DIALOGUE, DIALOGUE, OR IS THERE A LOT OF ‘ACTION’ IN THE FILM? THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE THINGS I LOOK FOR WHEN CONSIDERING WHETHER OR NOT I CAN SELL A FILM.

RL: Tell us about your company Film Specific and its conception.

SP: I GOT FRUSTRATED BEING A FOREIGN SALES AGENT AFTER A WHILE BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF INFORMATION OUT THERE TO ACTUALLY TEACH FILMMAKERS HOW TO MAKE A FILM THAT SELLS! SO I LEFT THAT PART OF THE BUSINESS AND WROTE “THE INSIDERS GUIDE TO INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION” WHICH LATER GOT PUBLISHED BY FOCAL PRESS. I STARTED DOING A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER FOR FILMMAKERS OFFERING THEM TIPS ON DISTRIBUTION, AND KEPT GETTING REQUESTS TO POST ALL THE TIPS IN ONE PLACE. SO FILM SPECIFIC WAS BORN AS AN ONLINE RESOURCE BANK…A ONE STOP SHOP FOR FILMMAKERS TO GO AND LEARN ABOUT FINANCING, MARKETING, AND DISTRIBUTING THEIR FILMS.

RL: What is the VERY FIRST thing a filmmaker should do when looking for distribution?

SP: DO THEIR HOMEWORK! RESEARCH THE COMPANIES YOU WANT TO APPROACH BEFORE APPROACHING THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE RIGHT FOR YOUR FILM!

RL: Tell us about the Going Global Bootcamp.

SP: I CREATED GOING GLOBAL AS A 2 DAY BOOT CAMP, HELD APRIL 25 & 26 IN SANTA MONICA, WHERE FILMMAKERS CAN COME GET A ‘POSITIVE’ DOSE OF REALITY WITHIN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIENT. THERE’S SO MUCH DOOM AND GLOOM OUT THERE – ME AND MY TEAM OF GUEST EXPERTS ARE GOING TO SHOW FILMMAKERS HOW TO GET THEIR FILMS MADE, SEEN, AND DISTRIBUTED WORLDWIDE…IN ANY ECONOMY!

RL: Why should filmmakers invest in this workshop?

SP: BECAUSE IF YOU CAN GET JUST ONE NEW IDEA OR PERSPECTIVE, OR MEET ONE NEW PERSON WHO CAN HELP YOU, THE BOOT CAMP WILL PAY FOR ITSELF MANY TIMES OVER. LOOK – YOU WANT TO SPEND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OR EVEN MILLIONS MAKING YOUR FILM, IF YOU’RE SERIOUS ABOUT MAKING A FILM THAT GETS DISTRIBUTION, YOU CAN’T NOT AFFORD TO INVEST IN THIS BOOT CAMP.

RL: You talk a lot about filmmakers having a strategy, how important is it?

SP: LET ME PUT IT TO YOU THIS WAY – IF YOU DON’T HAVE A ROAD MAP (IE: A STRATEGY), HOW DO YOU PLAN TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO? YOU NEED A STRATEGY BEFORE YOU EMBARK ON MAKING YOUR FILM – OTHERWISE YOU’LL END UP IN THE SITUATION WHERE YOU’VE SPENT ALL THIS MONEY TO MAKE A FILM AND FIND OUT LATER, IT’S COMPLETELY UNSALEABLE.

RL: What would you like to see from women in film & entertainment?

SP: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WOMEN STEP UP AND START INVESTING IN THEMSELVES AND IN THEIR CAREERS THE SAME AS MEN DO – AND TAKING THEMSELVES AND THEIR CAREERS SERIOUSLY AND TREATING FILMMAKING AS A REAL BUSINESS. IN MY EXPERIENCE WITH FILM SPECIFIC, MEN ARE THE ONES WHO ARE OUT THERE TAKING RISKS AND REALLY INVESTING IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE, AND THEREFORE ARE SUCCEEDING AT A MUCH HIGHER RATE THAN MY FEMALE CLIENTS. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH MORE FEMALE CLIENTS!
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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE GOING GLOBAL BOOTCAMP!

Going Global 2-Day Boot Camp: Don’t You Want Global Distribution For Your Film?
Attend the weekend Boot Camp where you’ll learn the most effective ways to get your projects made, seen and distributed worldwide!

April 25 & 26, Los Angeles, CA
Early-bird discount in effect until March 15 – Save $75
GET STARTED NOW

At this Bootcamp you’ll discover:

• Exactly what you need to do to move your script or completed film forward to the next stage
• How to get the best deal for your competed film

• How to avoid nasty pitfalls when dealing with sales agents and distributors

• The benefits/drawbacks of working with sales agents vs. going directly to distributors

• How to find the right sales agent

• How to negotiate the best possible deal with sales agents

• What to look out for in sales agent and distributor deals

• A breakdown of distribution deal structures

• ‘Outside the box’ international financing and distribution models

• How to project revenue for your project

• How to launch and market your film competitively in the global marketplace

• How to effectively leverage international film markets at all stages of production

• How to cast and package your project to gain the attention of investors, agents, and financing partners

• How to prepare your script for raising money

• How to prepare a realistic business plan

• How to create a great package to present to potential investors

• How to get international financing and international co-production partners on board

• How to create a strategy for your film’s distribution, specific to YOUR film and YOUR audience, at any stage

• WHY a new way of looking at old distribution models is the way for you to retain control of your films, and your career

• How to nail down a system that you can apply to each and every project in your production slate

Stacey will be covering all of this, and much more, in painstaking detail at the Going Global Bootcamp and placing clear emphasis on practical and pragmatic solutions for getting your films distributed globally.

REGISTER HERE

REEL Screening Series – “disFIGURED”

REEL LADIES IS PROUD TO PRESENT “DISFIGURED”!
www.disfiguredmovie.com

Prism Award Nomination – “Mental Health Category”
deadCenter Film Festival – WINNER, Grand Jury Prize
Official Selections of: Santa Barbara Film Festival, Cinequest San Jose Film Festival, DC Independent Film Festival, AFI Dallas Int’l Film Festival & Florida Film Festival

REEL Ladies is bringing audiences an EXPLOSIVE Film Screening, Filmmaker Q&A and Round Table Discussion to discuss not only the issue of women & weight, but the issue of women & weight in Hollywood.

MEET THE FILMMAKERS!
Filmmaker Q&A immediately following with Emmy Award Winner Glenn Gers (Fracture, Mad Money), Distributor Tracey Morris (CinemaLibre), Actress Deidra Edwards (Women’s Film Critics Choice Award “Courage in Acting”, Actress Staci Lawrence (Fun With Dick & Jane)!

**CLICK HERE for Film Details!**

DATE/TIME
Sunday March 29, 2009
4pm-8pm

LOCATION
Busby’s (Upper Level)
5364 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

**REEL LADIES PROMO**
SIGN UP FOR REEL LADIES MEMBERSHIP AND GET YOUR TICKET FREE!! JOIN HERE

COST
Due to a HUGE BLESSING, REEL Ladies has cut the prices by $10!!!

$10 Members
$15 Non Members in advance
$20 Door
Purchase Tickets HERE!
INCLUDES: Complimentary Parking, Complimentary Appetizers, Film Screening, Filmmaker Q&A, Industry Networking and MORE!
Tickets will not be mailed, but your name will be added to the guest list.

Congrats Filmmakers!

Congratulations Filmmakers!

REEL Ladies Short Film Showcase Selections

 

REEL Ladies is proud to present the selected films for the Spring 09 Short Film Showcase!

Award Winning – Kathleen Sharkey

Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves – Andrea Janakas

The Last White Dishwasher – Claudia Duran

The Shake Down – Courtney Franklin

Weigh Money – Dana Hanna

Breaking News – K Marie Walters

The Lure – Kristian Alexander

Worth – Kathi Carey

Game Master – Kimberly Townes

I Can’t Pretend – Landi Maduro

Rendezvous – Laura Black

Scrapbooks – Nikki Love

Tomoko’s Kitchen – Shawna Baca

 

MORE HERE

Proud Mary!

MARY, MOTHER OF CHRIST

From key members of The Passion of the Christ creative team, comes “Mary, Mother of Christ”

Aloe Entertainment, along with Producer Mary Aloe and Executive Producer Mike Dolan are pleased to announce the epic event movie “Mary, Mother of Christ.”

The global search was on for “Mary”, as fierce competition heated up around the world among both well-known and unknown actresses. Camilla Belle (‘10,000 BC’, Push) was chosen for the coveted role.
The film also stars Golden Globe winner Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Match Point, August Rush) as Gabriel and Lucifer, Golden Globe winner Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia) as Symeon. Producers are in
talks with Academy Award winner Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface) for the role of Herod, and two time Academy Award winner Jessica Lange (Blue Sky, Tootsie) for the role of Anna the Prophetess.

“This is not a Christmas movie,” says Aloe. “This is a part of Mary’s life that has never been shown on the big screen before. It takes us through Mary’s youth, young love, her life as a new mother, and the triumph through the absolute terror of Herod the Great’s reign. It is truly a story of real female empowerment.”

Key members of the creative team from The Passion of the Christ come together, including the writer, technical script advisor, costume designer, PR and marketing team. The picture is directed by award winning Argentinean director Alejandro Agresti (Valentin, The Lake House). Carla Hool (Apocalypto, Man on Fire) and associates have been at the helm of casting. Other producers are executive producers Mauricio Sanchez and James Volk, producer Rodrigo Berlanga, line producer Tim Van Relim and co-producer Scott Putman. Aloe’s production partner is Dune Films (Hildago, Prince of Persia,
Babel) in Morocco where the film starts principal photography in May.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Pictures will distribute the film wide in 2,000 plus theaters with a 2010 release date. “We are looking forward to releasing a film that will lift spirits and inspire,” commented Erik Lomis, Executive Vice President International Theatrical and Home Video, MGM. Media 8 Entertainment will handle international sales and distribution for the film, and will debut the project for its buyers at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

In developing the official website, Aloe is working with a cutting edge, live HD portal patent company, with a full screen web streaming capability that has not yet launched publicly. This technology provides live stream progress/behind the scenes content and live streaming of faith based events worldwide. The portal will be donating generous portions of the e-commerce model to organizations and provide a virtual social network for those interested in the film/faith based communities.

About Aloe Entertainment

Aloe Entertainment is the umbrella corporation for Proud Mary
Entertainment and is run by Mary Aloe. The groups recent film
accolades include Battle In Seattle (Directed by Stuart Townsend,
with an ensemble cast including Charlize Theron, Woody Harrelson,
Martin Henderson, Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Ray Liotta,
Connie Neilsen and Channing Tatum), While She Was Out (starring Kim Basinger and Lukas Haas), Tortured (starring Laurence Fishburne and James Cromwell) and When A Man Falls In The Forest (starring Sharon Stone and Timothy Hutton.) Mary Aloe’s vast funding experience and successful track record enable Aloe Entertainment and PME to develop/produce independent and studio features, television series, network/cable event movies. Her corporate alliances assure significant theatrical releases which give the company a powerful advantage in distribution negotiations and enhanced ancillary revenue.

Aloe Entertainment website: www.proudmaryent.com

REEL Lady: Margie Haber

REEL Ladies features Margie Haber!

About Margie Haber
For the past 30 years, Margie Haber has taught many of Hollywood’s rising stars and working actors. Her clients have appeared in hit movies, TV shows, and cult classics and in a variety of media.
Here are a few names on her list of growing clients: Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Halle Berry, Heather Locklear, Kelly Preston, Kyle Chandler, Eric Close, Kristin Davis, Laura Innes, Stephen Collins, Traylor Howard, Haaz Sleiman, Vondie Curtis Hall, Sophia Bush, Amy Smart, Jeri Ryan, Traylor Howard, Mariska Hargitay and Molly Sims.

What is it that Margie teaches? She’s an acting coach, but the real answer to that question is the title of her book. Margie teaches actors How to Get the Part Without Falling Apart. Based on her 30 years of experience as an actress and teacher, Margie takes away the three P’s of pain, panic and performance anxiety from the cold reading process and gives back the big P, POWER, to the actor. She teaches actors how to get out of their own way in auditions, how to break down the scene for the best approach, and how to use her unique technique in breaking down the phrases in a scene or script.

A highly respected acting coach on both coasts, as well as internationally, Margie is perhaps best known for her development of a successful audition technique that has helped hundreds of actors prepare and succeed.

The demand to learn Margie’s technique has grown so much over the years that she has opened her doors to actors all over the country and the world with her International Studies Program. This is a program that runs 3-4 times per year wherein 12 actors from all over the world come to study for one month with Margie and her coaches at her studio in Hollywood.
COMPLETE BIO HERE

 

READ BELOW her interview with REEL Ladies!
______________________________________________

RL: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?

MH: Since I was a little kid singing in my under parking garage, Judy Garland songs!

RL: HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT PURSUING YOUR DREAM?

MH: I moved here in the 70s, 20 living with my best friend from the Supremes, Mary Wilson. Then did my first tv show Mod Squad.

RL: HOW DID YOU HANDLE YOUR AUDITIONS WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED?

MH: I always say that I wish I had Margie Haber to help me when I was auditioning. I didnt have any idea what I was doing except that I was really good at jumping out of my box.

RL:  WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON HOW THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED FOR ACTRESSES FROM THEN TO NOW WITH “NEW MEDIA”? 

MH: I think that actors are better trained now. We only had a few network channels. Now there are so many opportunities but so many actors wanting to get the part

RL: WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE THE TRANSITION FROM ACTRESS TO COACH?

MH: I am a born teacher. I started teaching in the 70s at the same time that I was acting. It was an easy transition because I truly love to teach and I am really passionate about it.

RL: WHAT ARE SOME COMMON MISTAKES THAT ACTRESSES MAKE WHEN AUDITIONING?

MH: They tend to memorize and not be present . There goal is to learn the lines, not live the life of the person. They work hard on their homework and play the idea instead of letting it go and be available to go in a different direction.

RL: WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT ACTRESSES SHOULD BE DOING TO HELP THEIR CAREERS? 

MH: Go to the right classes. Keep themselves involved with life. Be enthusiastic about everything you do so that you bring in your passion. Do theatre. Find the representation that is excited about you.

RL: TELL US ABOUT YOUR CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS.

MH: At the Margie Haber’s Studio, we have all different levels .

For the beginning actors, we have basic acting classes that is a 3 month committment where we introduce the concept of stop acting and live the life of this person. We specialize in auditioning but at this level, start you off with basic acting skills – listening, reacting, making the person in front of you more important than yourself and then introduce the audition process.

Then they can go into the intermediate audition technique on camera 4 weeks , 8 class workshop for actors who have studied, done theatre and are starting to go out for tv and film.

The advanced workshop is an intense on camera 3 day weekend workshop, 8 hours each day, for those actors who are not booking enough. Its an amazing opportunity to grow both as an actor as well as a human being.

We also have on going classes that keep you in shape like a gym once a week. The actor may stay in that for as long as they want. It becomes part of your working life style – go to New York for a broadway show, come back – shoot a film for three months, come back – go to work in London, come back. Its a safe but challenging place to work out.

All of our classes focus more on relationship than intention. You have to know who the person is you are connecting with before you know what you want to do to them. Please check my website for more info www.margiehaber.com

RL: WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

MH: I will be teaching in europe this summer. We also have an international studies program that we is one month going on now and will be happening in 3 more months again.

RL: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM WOMEN IN FILM & ENTERTAINMENT?

MH: A network of actresses that help each other in this difficult business.

 

________________________________________________
To find out more about Margie, her books, classes, workshops and MORE, make sure to visit her site!
www.margiehaber.com

REEL Radio: Melissa Stubbs

REEL Ladies chats with Stunt Coordinator Melissa Stubbs!

If it is possible to be born for a particular profession then Melissa Stubbs clearly was…

Born and raised Vancouver, Canada by british immigrant parents, her mother recalls that “..at the age of six months she worked out that if she banged hard enough and long enough on her crib then she could unlatch the side and reach her destination – our bed.” This determination would help when she embarked on a career which, even for the most accomplished performer, can involve injuries or evenworse, death. Melissa admits to watching “way too much TV” as a child and her favorite shows like Charlie’s Angels and Bionic Woman were action-packed and starred strong, physically adept female leads.

Determined to become a stunt performer at 17, she began showing up wherever there was a TV show or movie being made in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver, BC – regardless of time of day or weather. She would simply turn up and offer to help the stunts team or to find work as an extra Betty Thomas, a pioneer BC stunt woman, now an owner of ThomasFX Group and a director/producer recalls, ” She was always turning up on set and I used to wonder, ‘isn’t this girl going to leave us alone?’ She had a mission and wasn’t going to give up no matter what. I admired her tenacity, and knew that she was going to succeed.”

The long nights and dawn expeditions to movie locations paid off. It wasn’t long before she landed her first stunt job. She was to double for actress Kelly Hu in the B-Movie classic Friday the 13th. Part 8. Her perfectionism and rigorous schedule of training which includes working out, kick boxing, pounding up the Grouse Grind, horse riding, jetskiing and motorcross, are essential in keeping her body ready to take the knocks. Melissa was confident she had the physical abilities and hard knuckled determination but also realized she needed to excel at particular skills. So early on she learned to drive like a stunt performer and she sunk her money into buying expensive equipment to train on.

Her investment paid off. She became the only stunt woman capable of doing particular stunts. Teamed up with colleague and friend Mike “Mitch” Mitchell, together they formed M&M Stunt Rentals and M&M Studio Services which grew faster than they expected. Her ambition to become a stunt woman spawned the company, not a desire to make money.

“I am what I do,” says Melissa and she couldn’t be more content. Melissa has gone on to work on films such as Final Destination, Along Came a Spider, The Last Samurai, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Shooter, Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and MORE! VIEW IMDB PAGE HERE

LISTEN LIVE to Melissa’s journey on our FEATURED Talk show!

Monday, Feb 16, 2009
7pm PST
Listeners can call in and ask Melissa questions!
347-945-7529

REEL Lady: Director Roberta Grossman

REEL Ladies Features Director Roberta Grossman
“Blessed is the Match”

THE FILM: BLESSED IS THE MATCH
Narrated by Joan Allen, Blessed Is the Match is the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter and modern-day Joan of Arc. With unprecedented access to the Senesh family archive, and through interviews, eyewitness accounts and the prolific writings of Hannah and Catherine Senesh, Blessed Is the Match recreates Hannah’s mission and imprisonment. The film explores Hannah’s childhood against the backdrop of significant historical events resulting in a rich portrait with several interlocking strands.

THE FILMMAKER: ROBERTA GROSSMAN
An award-winning filmmaker with a passion for history and social justice, Roberta Grossman has written and produced more than forty hours of documentary television. She was the series producer and co-writer of 500 Nations, the eight-hour CBS mini-series on Native Americans hosted by Kevin Costner. Grossman’s feature documentary, Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action, premiered in February 2005, and has screened and won awards at more than forty festivals worldwide. Other writing and producing credits include In the Footsteps of Jesus, a four-hour special for the History Channel; Hollywood and Power: Women on Top, a special for AMC; The Rich in America: 150 Years of Town and Country Magazine for A&E, The History of Christianity: the First Thousand Years, a four-hour special on A&E, Medal of Honor, a six-part television series produced for U.S. News and World Report, and Heroines of the Hebrew Bible and Judas for the A&E series Mysteries of the Bible.

RL: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE FILM INDUSTRY?

RG: When I was graduating from U.C. Berkeley with a degree in history, I had no idea what to do with my life. I saw Bonnie Raitt (my musical idol) in concert with classic blues great Sippie Wallace and I thought, “let’s do a film about Sippie Wallace!” A friend and I got a grant from NEH Youthgrants and made that film. I went on from there.

RL: WHEN YOU REFLECT ON THE BEGINNING OF YOUR CAREER, WOULD YOU HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY?

RG: No. I have been very fortunate to make a living as a documentary filmmaker. I’m not rich, have no nestegg, but what I do have is a lifetime of experiences learning and telling stories from history and exposing contemporary issues that I felt needed attention, so it’s been a rich career.

RL: HOW DID THE FILM, BLESSED IS THE MATCH, COME ABOUT FOR YOU AND HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THIS WOMAN, HANNAH SENESH?

RG: I read Hannah Senesh’s diary in junior high and was very taken with Hannah’s high-minded idealism, her writing and poetry. I became a filmmaker right out of college and I started trying to make a film about Hannah immediately —but I was never able to get the funding. Finally, everything came together about three years ago. I’m very happy it took decades to get to make this film. By the time I was able to make the film, I had the experience to give me some confidence to take on this iconic figure. I was also a mother, closer in age to Hannah’s mother Catherine than to Hannah – and working with the film’s writer, Sophie Sartain, I realized that the way to tell this story was through Catherine’s eyes, as a mother-daughter love story. To me this made all the difference in the film – changed it from a story of a hero, which no one can relate to, to the story of a family which, hopefully, everyone can relate to.

RL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE FILM?

RG: My favorite part of the film is when Hannah and Catherine find each other, for the first time, on the yard together. Hannah’s finds a way to drop out of line and re-emerge in the line next to her mother. For a few precious moments, mother and daughter hold hands as they walk in circles around the prison yard.

RL: WHAT IS THE MAIN THING THAT YOU WANT AUDIENCES TO WALK AWAY WITH AFTER VIEWING THIS FILM?

RG: I simply want audiences to know the story of Hannah Senesh, her life and her writing and her conviction to the things she believed in. If people are inspired by Hannah, as I hope they will be, I also want them to think about what we can do today, as individuals, to address contemporary genocides such as the one occurring today in Darfur.

RL: WHAT WAS THE MOST DIFFICULT THING IN SHOOTING THIS PROJECT?

RG: The most difficult thing in making this film was letting go of all the aspects of Hannah life, editing out people and diary entries, poems and incidents in her life.

RL: HOW DID YOU GET PAST IT?

RG: I worked with a brilliant writer who found a way to concisely synthisize vast amount of material and still convey Hannah’s character.

RL: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO COMPLETE?

RG: Three years.

RL: WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

RG: I’ve been so passionately involved in making Blessed Is the Match and in now self-distributing it, that I haven’t really had the mental space to dream up the next project. I’m ruminating on what to do next. But I look forward to being seized by an idea.

RL: WHAT IS IT ABOUT DOCUMENTARIES THAT DRAWS YOU?

RG: I love telling stories that I think might otherwise not be told, or forgotten. I love talking to scholars and reading history. I get chills talking to eye-witnesses to history.

RL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FILM?

RG: Reds.

RL: ANY ADVICE FOR UPCOMING FILMMAKERS?

RG: Best to have a trust fund if you want to be a documentary filmmaker! I missed that memo and foolishly thought I could make my way in the world by doing what I loved. Turns out I was right. Or lucky. Or both.

RL: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM WOMEN IN THE FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?

RG: More credits, more opportunity to make movies, more recognition for the films they do make.
______________________________________________
Blessed is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh will open in New York on January 28, 2009 and additional markets in February and March 2009.
Visit www.blessedisthematch.com for more Info & Screening Schedule!

Monday’s With REEL Ladies

REEL Radio

Actress Terri Vaughn,

Terri J. Vaughn has entertained us on television for eight seasons as a series regular on hot shows such as The Steve Harvey Show & All of Us. MORE INFO HERE

Monday, Jan 26

LISTEN LIVE TONIGHT!

Listeners can call in and ask Terri Questions

Actress Justine Bateman
Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Justine was best known for her acting on shows like “Family Ties” and “Men Behaving Badly”. Emmy Award Winning and Golden Globe Nominated Actress chats with REEL Ladies! INFO HERE

Monday, Feb 2 at 7pm
LISTEN LIVE

 

Call For Entries!

REEL Ladies Short Film Showcase

Deadline Feb. 20, 2009
DETAILS HERE

 

 

Filmmakers Directory!

REEL Chat

2nd AD Courtney Franklin
FREE ONLINE CHAT SESSIONS WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
Feb 4, 2009 6pm
DETAILS HERE

REEL Chat

“Ask Amy
FREE ONLINE CHAT SESSIONS WITH INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS
Feb 12, 2009 7pm
DETAILS HERE

Featured Videos of the Week 

 

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The FIRST extensive directory for women filmmakers available online!

Georgia Hilton’s “Child Within” Trailer
T. Chyna’s “It Wasn’t For Love” Trailer
VIEW HERE

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Visit REEL Ladies TODAY!
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Script Club!

Missed it??

With over 25 Women & Men in attendance,
Script Club was a HUGE SUCCESS!

 

Script Club is a monthly meetup of women (and men) to discuss the hottest scripts around town! Script club gives the writer feedback on their scripts as well as teaching writers how to effectively pitch their scripts!

 

January’s Featured Writer: Lena Waithe

Featured Script: “My Mother, Myself”, a 30 minute pilot recently optioned by FOX

Featured Moderator: Producer & Former Studio & Broadcast Exec, Ilyssa Goodman of TGC Entertainment

Award-winning Producer and Entertainment Consultant, Ilyssa Goodman, draws upon years of film & television success as a producer, creator & studio executive to help clients polish their screenplays, hone their pitching skills & to implement the most effective strategy for success in the entertainment industry.  www.tgcentertainment.com

 

Missed the Script Club?? VIEW VIDEOS HERE

 

 

Want your Script Featured??

Email Synopsis and Logline to REELLadies@yahoo.com

DO NOT Email Entire Scripts until notified!
Scripts MUST be registered and/or have copyright!

 

We feature short films, feature films and pilots.

Submissions are ONLY accepted by Women Writers!

SUBMISSION IS FREE until Feb!!

 

Haven’t signed up for your FREE Filmmaker Profile yet???

Visit http://reelladies.ning.com

 

REEL Lady: Ashley Fester

Canadian Filmmaker, Ashley Fester, formed her own independent production company, Breed Productions to produce, Celluloid Horror and Reel 33 Releasing to distribute it.

Celluloid portrays “horror critic/enthusiast and programmer Kier-La Janisse; the founder of CineMuerte, Canada’s first and only International Horror Film Festival.

“An absolute must see for all horror film aficionados.” (CBS)

“… teasing glimpses of obscurities from around the globe.” (VARIETY)

“Celluloid Horror is riddled with enough deliriously satisfying fan-boy moments to leave horror fanatics and festival fans salivating.” (RUE MORGUE)

READ BELOW as Ashley talks about her film project, being a woman in the Horror Genre and Kier La-Janisse!
___________________________________________________

 

 

RL: TELL US HOW THE PROJECT, CELLULOID HORROR, CAME ABOUT FOR YOU?

AF: It’s quite funny actually, I was asked to create a promotional video for CineMuerte (Cinema of the Dead) Canada’s first International Horror Film Festival, because Kier-La the producer of the fest was having a challenge locking down sponsorship and a larger theatre to host the event.

The people of Vancouver were too scared, due to the unfamiliarity of the horror genre and the vastness it offers through its many sub-genres — especially off shore in Europe & Asia. People literally envisioned her audience members ripping the seats right out of the cement floors!

In fact, a few of these titles were banned in Canada, namely British Columbia, which is known for its quiet coastal and mountain retreat lifestyle. There within creating the need to discuss censorship, another topic covered in the Doc.

Once I started filming and sharing the work with my colleagues they found themselves falling in love with Kier – La, her friends and festival volunteers and wanted to see more. They wanted to know: Will she succeed? What are these rare titles she’s programming from overseas? and Who are these directors and cult actors she speaks of?

RL: NOT TOO MANY WOMEN ARE IN THE HORROR GENRE OF FILMMAKING, WHAT DREW YOU TO THIS FILM?

AF: My first camera operating job was on a film entitled, In the Belly of the Beast by director Alex Chisholm, out of Montréal. There I met many filmmakers through FantAsia, Canada’s largest Asian/Fantasy/Horror festival. So when I met Kier-La I had already befriended some of the same filmmakers she wanted to bring in & feature at CineMuerte. This coupled with Kier-La’s drive, unique ability of fearing nothing and never taking no for an answer was a dream come true… I guess one could say it was love at first sight!

RL: WHO IS KIER – LA JANISSE?

AF: Kier-La (pronounced Kayla) grew-up in Windsor, Ontario, the daughter of two horror fan parents, who by fifteen was sent to a series of foster homes, lock-ups and treatment centers in Winnipeg, Manitoba. At seventeen she was awarded independent living and set out on her own.
Kier-La dropped out of high school four times before finally graduating with the Governor General’s medal for academic achievement.
While in university she published Cannibal Culture Magazine later renamed CineMuerte Magazine to coincide with CineMuerte. Kier-La produced and programmed the fest single-handedly for seven years without the help of government funding or corporate sponsorship.
After CineMuerte IV Kier-La moved to Austin Texas where she worked her way to head programmer of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Simultaneously, she founded BIG SMASH! Music-on-Film Festival and Bloodshots 48hr Horror Filmmaking Challenge. She has written for Filmmaker and Fangoria magazine and is the author of A VIOLENT PROFESSIONAL: THE FILMS OF LUCIANO ROSSI, published by FAB Press in 2007.

RL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THIS FILM?

AF: My education was in the 4 year film studies program at Concordia University in Montréal – so it came naturally for me to structure the documentary in the same way. It’s like attending your favorite university course with film clips that will knock your socks off! We learn what these films mean to her, what she hopes the audience will take away with them and works to broaden our definition of the genre.

I love the live element of the doc as well. I recorded the festival happenings in its third year, the year that determines the success or collapse of a business. People faint, demand their money back, and a film even shows up in the wrong language – incurring a live translation of the entire film by Euro Cult star Udo Kier! Priceless.

RL: WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU RUN INTO MAKING CELLULOID HORROR?

AF: Firstly, the main challenge was getting clearances for over 30+ film clips from over 9 counties, of which all had different definitions of “fair use”.

Secondly — music. No one could give me straight answer to the laws within the documentary medium, my music supervisor advised cutting out scenes with music playing in the back ground even if it was only 20 seconds and in a store which defined a part of the subject’s flavor. One day I will release a director’s cut!

The best part is the most challenging became the most rewarding – I have already used this knowledge to help other productions in town.

RL: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT?

AF: The project took 7 years to get to the DVD release stage. About 1 year of filming, 2 years of editing (4 editors) 3+ years of clearances and 1 year for DVD design and creation. All partly due to me paying for the project myself. I would take jobs as a Production Coordinator and invest the money for different stages of post production; color correction, transfers from PAL, sound design, entering festivals, and building the special features section for the DVD – who knew how laborious that would be!

RL: WHAT’S THE STATUS OF IT NOW?

AF: It had a great run through the North American festival circuit, gathered generous reviews and is now ready for purchase on DVD on my website: www.breedproductions.com. I am seeking further distribution and would like to see it play in Asia and Europe – both places love seeing what we think of their films. No doubt they’ll get a kick out of it.

RL: WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU NEXT?

AF: My other documentary subject, Eric Solomon, a musician who seeks representation with a major label, has been keeping me employed with directing live music videos – which I enjoy greatly.

Having said that, this year is a year of completion – starting with “Soulmate” a Fantasy/Horror I directed last year that must enter post production.

RL: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM WOMEN IN THE FILM & ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY?

AF: I’d like to see women with strong self-worth, fearlessly jumping into projects even if they do not know how or what they are doing. Men do it all the time. That is precisely how they get & stay in the game.

RL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HORROR FILM?

AF: The Shinning. A seamless, masterpiece. Ahhhhhh Kubrick – what a genius!

To find out more about Filmmaker Ashley Fester and Celluloid Horror, CLICK HERE

REEL Lady: Mia Goldman

REEL Ladies talks to Mia Goldman, director of the film Open Window.

The intense, intimate drama revolves around Izzy (Robin Tunney), a struggling photographer, Izzy’s fiancé, Peter (Joel Edgerton), and how their relationship unravels after she is raped by a man who enters her studio through an open window.

Both Izzy and Peter are devastated by the rape: “I wanted to show how the act violates not only the woman, but also the man — and how it creates circles of pain that may extend to the entire family,” Goldman says.

________________________________________

RL: WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE FILM INDUSTRY?

MG: When I was ten years old I saw a film called the SHOP ON MAIN STREET. It was directed by Ján Kadár, who was a great Czech director, the film won best foreign film in 1965. I left the theatre weeping, as I had never been so moved. I think it was at that point that I wanted to make movies. Theatre was in my blood, because my father, Bo Goldman, was a playwright at the time. He later became a screenwriter.

RL: HOW AND WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BE AN EDITOR?

MG: Once again, nepotism comes into play. After I graduated from the United Nations International School, we didn’t have enough money for my first year of college. My father was working as a writer and producer at WNET in New York City and had a friend, Vicky Hochberg, who was an editor he was working with who offered to teach me the basics and gave me a job as her apprentice.
I went to college planning to go to law school, but after that year in NYC working first for Vicky and then for the great Dede Allen, by the time I graduated from Vassar it seemed as though a path in film was more suited to me than law. Those women inspired me by their commitment, intelligence, creativity and drive.

RL: AS A WOMAN, DID YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR?

MG: No, I didn’t. Editing is one area of film where women are well represented and respected for their history of artistry and collaboration with directors. I think their quiet attention to detail and fearlessness when it comes to chaos has something to do with it.

RL: HOW DID YOU ESTABLISH A NAME FOR YOURSELF AS AN EDITOR?

MG: I was lucky enough to begin my career after college working with Carol Littleton. Her career took off when I started as her apprentice in Los Angeles. At the time, Carol was cutting a feature, FRENCH POSTCARDS, for Gloria and Willard Huyck (STAR WARS) and then she did ROADIE for Alan Rudolph and following that, BODY HEAT for Lawrence Kasdan.
After doing BODY HEAT, which was Larry’s first film, her career continued to climb, from E.T. to THE BIG CHILL and SILVERADO, etc. I benefited from her success and she promoted me on each film that we did together, later suggesting me to Alan Rudolph as his editor on CHOOSE ME.

RL: YOU HAVE A POWERFUL STORY BEHIND THIS FILM, OPEN WINDOW. CAN YOU SHARE THAT WITH US?

MG: I was raped on location in 1989 on a film called CRAZY PEOPLE. It changed the trajectory of my life. I was a successful film editor at the time, but had always wanted to be a writer-director. The experience of being raped nearly killed me. As the philosopher Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” I made a short film 2 years after the incident and then wrote a screenplay and was invited to the Sundance Writers and Directors Lab. The film was called TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, and it had nothing to do with the rape. But it did prepare me for writing OPEN WINDOW, which had been coalescing in my mind. Going back to the SHOP ON MAIN STREET, I had always been taken by human tales with a moral tale at the center.

RL: WHAT WAS THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS LIKE FOR THIS FILM?

MG: Hell. It took 10 years. Rape is not your most commercial subject.

RL: WHAT WAS YOUR VISION FOR THE FILM?

MG: Coppola, Bergman, Kieslowski, Louis Malle and Woody Allen – these are the directors that have always inspired me. I love films that catch the intimate details of people’s faces and emotions — character driven pieces that make an audience reflect on their own lives. I’ve always felt that there is no landscape more interesting than the landscape of the human face — how it can reveal, surprise, terrify, redeem.

RL: BEING YOUR FEATURE FILM DEBUT, WERE YOU NERVOUS AT ALL?

MG: I don’t think I was nervous, but I was anxious. I wanted the film to really stand out and be as good as it could be. So often the dream doesn’t match reality.

RL: WHAT WERE SOME CHALLENGES FOR YOU IN MAKING THIS FILM?

MG: No money, scheduling, getting great actors, and the hell of marketing.

RL: HOW DID YOU GET PAST THEM?

MG: My producers, Tom Barad and Midge Sanford, the support of my extraordinary cast and crew…determination and the belief that somehow OPEN WINDOW would help heal other people who may have experienced irrevocable trauma.

RL: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE OF THE FILM?

MG: After Peter and Izzy have broken up and we think there is little hope of them getting back together there is a scene where Izzy comes back in a surprise visit to their old house. Peter reveals the secret of his own sense of guilt and Izzy admits her responsibility in the break up of their relationship. I love scenes with undercurrents and revelations.

RL: WHICH DO YOU ENJOY MORE; EDITING, WRITING OR DIRECTING?

MG: Directing. Because you have so much help realizing your vision. But I love editing and writing in different and equal ways.

RL: AS A WOMAN TO HAVE BOUNCED BACK FROM SOMETHING SO HORRIFIC, WHAT HELPED YOU ALONG THAT JOURNEY?

MG: Hardcore psychoanalysis and the love of my husband.

RL: WHAT IS NEXT FOR YOU?

MG: I am writing an adaptation of a novel by Cheryl Mendelson entitled “Anything for Jane”. It’s the third in a trilogy, which begins with “Morningside Heights” and is followed by “Love, Work, Children”. I feel so lucky to have found this author, her sensibilities resonate with my own.

For more information about the film Open Window, visit www.openwindowmovie.com

CALL FOR ENTRIES – Short Film Showcase!

REEL Ladies in association with JNL Media presents Spring 2009 REEL Ladies Short Film Showcase of new and emerging film and video work by women. REEL Ladies provides a platform for women filmmakers in all industry fields to share their stories, showcase their work and network with like minded women in the film and entertainment industry.

We are currently taking submissions for our Spring Short Film Showcase to be held in Los Angeles, CA. We are looking for innovative and thought provoking films by women, for women. Selected short films will be screened in a supportive environment of fellow filmmakers with a Reception and Filmmaker Q&A immediately following. Selected films will also be featured on our weekly Newsletter, Press Releases and Web Sites.

Submissions are accepted by any women that have participated in making that particular film with their name included on the credits. Submissions from Writers, Directors, Producers, Actresses, Script Supervisor, Makeup Artist, Location Scout, Post Production, Editor, etc… are ALL accepted. The submitting filmmaker will be the one introducing the film and participating in the Filmmaker Q&A.
PLEASE NOTE: Name must be included in the film credits and MUST have written consent from the Producer(s) to showcase the film.

Submissions are NOW OPEN!
Deadline: Feb. 20, 2009
Notification Date: March 1, 2009

DETAILS, APPLICATION AND ENTRY FORM HERE

AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women Submission Deadline!

DIRECTING WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN 2009
AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) has been a major force in training women in narrative filmmaking since 1974. Over 200 women have been given the opportunity to participate in this innovative and unique training program for tomorrow’s directors.

The schedule for the 2009 Directing Workshop for Women is:

January 5 Application deadline (postmark)
By February 16 Finalists notified
February 16 – 26 Finalists interviewed
By March 10 Participants notified
May 4 – May 22 Training Workshop
June – July Production Shoots
July – September Editing
THREE-WEEK WORKSHOP

Monday, May 4 — Friday, May 22, 2009
The three-week Workshop focuses on the development and production of a short narrative project. Participants enter the program with a short screenplay, which they develop within the Jessica Kaplan Screenwriting Series at the Directing Workshop for Women. A revised draft of the script is required at the end of the three weeks.

Upon acceptance into the program, it is crucial that participants begin immediately to fundraise and interview producers. It is recommended that each project have two producers and a line producer prior to the start of the three-week workshop. Participants are also required to have raised $2,500 in support of their productions by the first day of the May workshop. Fundraising information and support will be provided shortly after acceptance.

Classroom attendance during the Workshop is mandatory and critical to participants’ success. Attendance and participation in class demonstrates a commitment to the program, to the projects and to classmates.

At the end of the three-week Workshop, pre-production begins in earnest. Participants will have the opportunity to select production dates from a list of available times. Production is then permitted only during the specific dates assigned each project.

READ MORE HERE