Please vote for the logo you like the most. The X Gene is a video agency: we work with brands and companies to create online web content that integrates social media marketing. I'm going for a super-science feel - the science of video down to a fine art. I'm curious to know what you think!
Go to 99designs, #1 for Logo Design
Dec 6, 2011
Nov 24, 2011
The Many Flavours of Suburban Theatre
I'm making a lot of calls and sending more than the usual billion emails this week, trying to secure venues for BULLET: A Superhero Comedy. We're going to tour the show to outer-city suburbs like Melton, Cranbourne and Whittlesea. The differences in expectations and interaction are interestingly varied.
The joyful calls are when the venue manager gets very excited about the project. The idea of a show for youth, where otherwise there is none, really gets them revved up. An original idea (not a re-staging of a licensed show) that started in the city but is delighted to come out to the 'burbs gets these venue managers going on how much more they'd love to see out their way. They love the cultural injection, the family friendly nature of the show, and how easy our show is to run. They're all too happy to make accommodations for our ticketing system (trybooking.com) and their venue prices are reasonable. They're also happy to have a hire! These managers are warm, encouraging and really care about giving their community events to enjoy.
Then there's the 'insiders only' groups. They see anyone beyond their shire or council as outsiders. It's an odd kind of reluctance, or more an indifference to what we're doing. All venues in the area are booked up by local amateur theatre groups, no, sorry, there's no leeway to squeeze in between rehearsals. The managers aren't interested in giving me alternative locations, and the Events and Facilities co-ordinators in the councils find my enquiries a tiring hassle. Probably the worst offenders in these groups are the ones that simply don't return my calls. I give up on these areas with a sour taste in my mouth.
Third are the prohibitively expensive, charging over $1000 for a 100-200 seat venue with minimum use times of 4-8 hours. These places are flat out unfeasible, usually none too keen to negotiate, and in some cases, snobby. They must be getting regular concert or high-end productions and don't need our little radio play. I hope so, otherwise that's a lot of expensive, empty space.
Last are the really sweet, lovely people and places who just can't accommodate our needs or costs for perfectly legitimate reasons, like, "Our chairs are erected by a nice old man who has to be paid more than you can afford" or "Oh, we don't have a PA system, you'd need to bring your own."
It's a strange and varied mix out there. Costs range from $50 per hour to $2000 with a minimum of 8 hours only. Some demand we use and pay their front of house, an usher, a stage manager and a techie, each with a minimum 4 hour call, with $5 per ticket going to their booking fees. Some ask only for a techie. Some just ask for a bond and that you don't smash the windows. Some of the managers are great people, happy to chat and keen to have original, interesting theatre. Some couldn't give a toss and find the whole concept of a phone conversation the most gall inducing thing they've ever encountered.
Good luck out there, Producers! If you find a good venue, stick with them.
The joyful calls are when the venue manager gets very excited about the project. The idea of a show for youth, where otherwise there is none, really gets them revved up. An original idea (not a re-staging of a licensed show) that started in the city but is delighted to come out to the 'burbs gets these venue managers going on how much more they'd love to see out their way. They love the cultural injection, the family friendly nature of the show, and how easy our show is to run. They're all too happy to make accommodations for our ticketing system (trybooking.com) and their venue prices are reasonable. They're also happy to have a hire! These managers are warm, encouraging and really care about giving their community events to enjoy.
Third are the prohibitively expensive, charging over $1000 for a 100-200 seat venue with minimum use times of 4-8 hours. These places are flat out unfeasible, usually none too keen to negotiate, and in some cases, snobby. They must be getting regular concert or high-end productions and don't need our little radio play. I hope so, otherwise that's a lot of expensive, empty space.
It's a strange and varied mix out there. Costs range from $50 per hour to $2000 with a minimum of 8 hours only. Some demand we use and pay their front of house, an usher, a stage manager and a techie, each with a minimum 4 hour call, with $5 per ticket going to their booking fees. Some ask only for a techie. Some just ask for a bond and that you don't smash the windows. Some of the managers are great people, happy to chat and keen to have original, interesting theatre. Some couldn't give a toss and find the whole concept of a phone conversation the most gall inducing thing they've ever encountered.
Good luck out there, Producers! If you find a good venue, stick with them.
Nov 17, 2011
An Auto-Eligible Health Care Card For Chronic Illness Is Crucial
$422.15. That's how much the bill for my last batch of medicines is. I opened a box delivered to me today and yelled when I saw the price. This is for three months worth of medication, and doesn't even cover all the medication I take over that period. If we added them all, including my pancreatic ezyme supplement Creon (I use about 18 tubs in a month) and Pulmozyme, a gene therapy treatment, we'd be at about $1000 every three months. $4000 a year. $108,000 over the course of my life so far.
With a health care card, currently supplied at bare minimum via a mobility allowance ($80 per fortnight) from Centrelink, that $422.15 would become about $50. I can afford $50.
We need Centrelink to create or change their rules so that certain chronic illnesses are automatically eligible for a health card card. Currently, you must be approved for a certain allowance or benefit - a cash payment - in order to get the card. Centrelink, or the Dept of Human Services, are constantly changing their rules to become more confusing, but last I looked into it, there's no way to simply get a health care card on its own.
Here's the dumb bit. Say you have CF or Down's Syndrome. Your illness isn't going anywhere. You have it for life. However, every year, you'll be sent a fairly exhaustive, 20 or so page form that asks you, essentially, to confirm you still have your illness.
"Yes, I still have my genetic mutation, the one I had at birth, of which there is no cure."
If you don't get that form in on time? Suspended. Payments cut off. Pharmacy no longer recognises your health care card. Miss the next 14 day deadline? Cancelled. You have to start again. Do you think Centrelink can just dip into your existing file, see the past form that state you have CF or Down's and say, "Oh, right, well, let's reinstate him?" NOPE! You have to tell them the same info all over again!
Without going into my suspicions that Centrelink's ethos is to establish a series of impediments, designed to frustrate claimants in a war of attrition, here's what we can do to fix it:
http://goo.gl/gLQjT - A GetUp campaign suggestion from Samantha Durrant (CF patient and receiver of double lung transplant), titled
'EVERYONE WHO HAS A CHRONIC ILLNESS SHOULD HAVE A HEALTH CARE CARD'.
Go on in and vote for this to move up the chain. You can do it via your Facebook or Google account. Write to your member for Health and Caring. As I commented on the site:
With a health care card, currently supplied at bare minimum via a mobility allowance ($80 per fortnight) from Centrelink, that $422.15 would become about $50. I can afford $50.
We need Centrelink to create or change their rules so that certain chronic illnesses are automatically eligible for a health card card. Currently, you must be approved for a certain allowance or benefit - a cash payment - in order to get the card. Centrelink, or the Dept of Human Services, are constantly changing their rules to become more confusing, but last I looked into it, there's no way to simply get a health care card on its own.
Here's the dumb bit. Say you have CF or Down's Syndrome. Your illness isn't going anywhere. You have it for life. However, every year, you'll be sent a fairly exhaustive, 20 or so page form that asks you, essentially, to confirm you still have your illness.
"Yes, I still have my genetic mutation, the one I had at birth, of which there is no cure."
If you don't get that form in on time? Suspended. Payments cut off. Pharmacy no longer recognises your health care card. Miss the next 14 day deadline? Cancelled. You have to start again. Do you think Centrelink can just dip into your existing file, see the past form that state you have CF or Down's and say, "Oh, right, well, let's reinstate him?" NOPE! You have to tell them the same info all over again!
Without going into my suspicions that Centrelink's ethos is to establish a series of impediments, designed to frustrate claimants in a war of attrition, here's what we can do to fix it:
http://goo.gl/gLQjT - A GetUp campaign suggestion from Samantha Durrant (CF patient and receiver of double lung transplant), titled
'EVERYONE WHO HAS A CHRONIC ILLNESS SHOULD HAVE A HEALTH CARE CARD'.
I have cystic fibrosis. I was born with it, I'll have it until I die. WIthout a healthcare card i would be looking at about $1000 every three months for my ongoing drugs. I can't have saved up for this "rainy day" because I wasn't born yet. Similarly, my parents couldn't have saved up, as they'd have had to have saved $108,000 so far, just for my meds. This doesn't cover 3 monthly specialist check ups, surgery (I've had 7 on my bowels alone), equipment and the various other joys of a chronic illness.
The current system is ridiculous. Centrelink are constantly throwing up roadblocks that result in recurrent reviews and changes, the ability to keep up with which would require superhuman bodyparts, not just a regularly working body. For certain diseases and illnesses that the sufferer will have to tend to for their entire lives, it just makes sense that they should be given a simple health care card, even if it is without any sort of money or stipend, just to keep the costs of living manageable.
When Cystic Fibrosis Victoria can't afford to keep essential services running, as is the case right now, then who else can we turn to when the broken health car card system is constantly waging a war of attrition against those who need a card.
Nov 12, 2011
48 Hour Film Project - Melbourne
I just saw the 48 Hour Film Project, Melbourne awards night. The twelve best films, each made in 48 hours. Participating teams were given a prop (earrings), a line (I never thought I'd say this) and a character (Jenny the Pharmacist), and an individually drawn genre (ranging from horror to musical to film de femme).
It was immediately apparent that the event was by filmmakers, for filmmakers, when the opening video was a showcase of the RED 4k playback device, using references to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I felt bad for the people in the audience who weren't filmmakers, as they'd have no interest - then I realized that was maybe five people. My frustration is that these events don't really help us get any closer to building an industry based on audience appeal and commercial success. To put it bluntly, it felt like one big circle jerk. The category-sweeping winner was a meta-film that crunched eight different genres into a story about a writer who is living a delusion of his own script and has to be as random and convention-crossing as possible. Yup. As Shirley says in Community, "That sounds very appealing to filmmakers."
I was there hoping to see some of this new anti-auteur, pro-commercial aspiration filmmaking we're apparently starting to see more of in this country, that Screen Australia's new head is all about.
For me, the stand outs of the night were:
Touched, a webcam dating site video with a great pace that held one shot. I loved this (full disclosure: Ben McEwing and Hannah Moon are good friends of mine, but that wouldn't stop me tearing it apart) because the team spent some 80% of their time on story and concept, so that they could create a script that really worked. There was a good rhythm to the jokes, and attention paid to the interplay between anxious sincerity for a final pay-off punch line. The AWG bang on about how important a script is as the fundamental base for any project. The team of Touched took this on with admirable strength. For once, it was great to watch an Aussie film that didn't spend all it's time wanking off over cameras, lenses and cinematography, and just let acting and story star. A lot of the audience as I moved about were muttering how great the performance was, with the lady beside me exclaiming her glee to me immediately after.
The One Up was a sexy, slick short about a group of girls who ensure women have the upper hand in relationships by faking the male's adultery. The idea is the guilt will always keep the guy in check, while the girl knows nothing ever happened. The plot got a little convoluted, but the gags were sharp and the pace was quick. The acting again strong, and although there were some character idiosyncrasies that didn't hit the mark, there was a confidence and sexiness that an adult audience could appreciate.
It's The 90s was a sitcom set in 90s Australia, with a trio of boof head twentysomethings riffing on nostalgia. This one was a little loose, but it had a bit of a punk Young Ones vibe, in that the cast didn't give much of a shit, they were just having fun. That came through. The camera work was a little off, but that seems to be the trade-off for good concept. It felt like if the writers were given more than 48 hours, they'd polish up a great script. Apparently YouTube is already serving that purpose.
Last, I liked Two Minutes, a straight up comedy of errors about a guy at the edge of sex, who needs to journey to find a condom. It was easily the roughest, with lots of out of focus shots and some pretty messy audio, but it had heart, goddamnit. A cross dressing prostitute with more status than the protagonist showed me they weren't after too cheap a laugh. And the visual humour, relying on no words, showed they had some sophistication as far as applying comedy to film.
These four were films that audiences outside of the little theatre at Palace Kino might like. Incidentally, they also received the least amount of kudos from the judges. Based on the feedback we heard from the judges, it seems the gatekeepers are just as clueless as the rest of the industry. I hope the filmmakers of my four picks show their work to a broader audience, and that the teams spend some proper time on some more scripts.
As for the event, you could really tell that almost everyone in the room knew all the teams and that it was a very filmmaker-heavy event. It was a soft, easy audience. Great for them, not good for the rest of us.
It was immediately apparent that the event was by filmmakers, for filmmakers, when the opening video was a showcase of the RED 4k playback device, using references to 2001: A Space Odyssey. I felt bad for the people in the audience who weren't filmmakers, as they'd have no interest - then I realized that was maybe five people. My frustration is that these events don't really help us get any closer to building an industry based on audience appeal and commercial success. To put it bluntly, it felt like one big circle jerk. The category-sweeping winner was a meta-film that crunched eight different genres into a story about a writer who is living a delusion of his own script and has to be as random and convention-crossing as possible. Yup. As Shirley says in Community, "That sounds very appealing to filmmakers."
I was there hoping to see some of this new anti-auteur, pro-commercial aspiration filmmaking we're apparently starting to see more of in this country, that Screen Australia's new head is all about.
For me, the stand outs of the night were:
Touched, a webcam dating site video with a great pace that held one shot. I loved this (full disclosure: Ben McEwing and Hannah Moon are good friends of mine, but that wouldn't stop me tearing it apart) because the team spent some 80% of their time on story and concept, so that they could create a script that really worked. There was a good rhythm to the jokes, and attention paid to the interplay between anxious sincerity for a final pay-off punch line. The AWG bang on about how important a script is as the fundamental base for any project. The team of Touched took this on with admirable strength. For once, it was great to watch an Aussie film that didn't spend all it's time wanking off over cameras, lenses and cinematography, and just let acting and story star. A lot of the audience as I moved about were muttering how great the performance was, with the lady beside me exclaiming her glee to me immediately after.
The One Up was a sexy, slick short about a group of girls who ensure women have the upper hand in relationships by faking the male's adultery. The idea is the guilt will always keep the guy in check, while the girl knows nothing ever happened. The plot got a little convoluted, but the gags were sharp and the pace was quick. The acting again strong, and although there were some character idiosyncrasies that didn't hit the mark, there was a confidence and sexiness that an adult audience could appreciate.
It's The 90s was a sitcom set in 90s Australia, with a trio of boof head twentysomethings riffing on nostalgia. This one was a little loose, but it had a bit of a punk Young Ones vibe, in that the cast didn't give much of a shit, they were just having fun. That came through. The camera work was a little off, but that seems to be the trade-off for good concept. It felt like if the writers were given more than 48 hours, they'd polish up a great script. Apparently YouTube is already serving that purpose.
Last, I liked Two Minutes, a straight up comedy of errors about a guy at the edge of sex, who needs to journey to find a condom. It was easily the roughest, with lots of out of focus shots and some pretty messy audio, but it had heart, goddamnit. A cross dressing prostitute with more status than the protagonist showed me they weren't after too cheap a laugh. And the visual humour, relying on no words, showed they had some sophistication as far as applying comedy to film.
These four were films that audiences outside of the little theatre at Palace Kino might like. Incidentally, they also received the least amount of kudos from the judges. Based on the feedback we heard from the judges, it seems the gatekeepers are just as clueless as the rest of the industry. I hope the filmmakers of my four picks show their work to a broader audience, and that the teams spend some proper time on some more scripts.
As for the event, you could really tell that almost everyone in the room knew all the teams and that it was a very filmmaker-heavy event. It was a soft, easy audience. Great for them, not good for the rest of us.
Oct 10, 2011
I'm Back, Baby! A BULLET Recap.
Oh man.
Time has passed! Bullet was a roaring success for the week it was on. My producing partner Sean Fabri and I were pleased on many fronts, but key was how many goals we accomplished with this bitch.
We wanted:
-to make a story that was entertaining and funny.
-bums on seats.
-to showcase cartoonish voice talent.
-a publicity campaign that showed we weren't head-in-the-clouds creators.
-to give a talented director a chance to show it.
-to write something good, that you could tell had effort put into.
We did those things. Three sold out nights, 75% fill, glowing reviews and requests for cast to do further voice work. The reviews stated that the writing was tight. The cast were all so good, it was simple personal preference as to who stood out. The direction was deliberate, focussing on the cast and the sound, and people noticed.
We ran a tight ship.
I got to showrun.
Bullet was our opportunity to put into action in the creative world, theory we've been discussing and applying in the corporate world. Even though this was a theatre piece, I wanted to treat Bullet with the US TV showrunner model. The writers set the vision for the piece. The director translated that, added to it, and brought it to full strength through his cast and crew. The writers were the producers, and they sat in on audio creation, gave notes after key rehearsals (while making sure never to meddle beyond maintaining vision) and we all trusted one another. Our publicist, Lisa Purnell, wasn't some afterthought addition. She addressed the cast and gave media tutorials on our key messages. Lisa was crucial to the design and face of the show and its marketing campaign, designing a lot of it herself and overseeing the competition to create more advanced artwork. It paid off with a sold out opening night. Considering no-one had really heard of us as a team in the theatre world, that was incredible.
I'm glad we met our goals, because this is just the beginning. We established a framework that easily adapts to larger projects, and is ready-made to accept commercial input and growth. We can show brands the audience we're already reaching via our carefully maintained visitor metrics. (We reached thousands of 25-35 year old males as our primary audience). We can not only bring in audiences, but give them what they want and have them leave satisfied.
We met our commercial goals, and that excites me as a producer.
Creatively, we built a workplace that fed our cast and crew's desire for professionalism within a fun industry. Funfessionalism. Our director, Ben McEwing, established early on that he expected dedication and work. In auditions, we weren't just looking for talent, we were looking for workmates we could get along with. Anyone who might cause unnecessary friction most likely didn't get the role. If a friend auditioned, they were run through the gauntlet like anyone else. We all weren't paid much, but what Ben did offer the cast was a chance to work at a professional level that required they bring it. All this was planned, discussed among the director and producers long before we put out the call for cast. We want it spread that a set or rehearsal room with our team is somewhere you want to be if you want to take your skills up a level.
With this success, we know who's good and can now get real money to pay them all. That's the next level for us: to provide this service called Show to paying customers, be it audience or brands or business.
This was some professional shit! Thanks for coming to see it, those who did. For those who missed it, don't worry: we're already in the war room planning the next run.
Time has passed! Bullet was a roaring success for the week it was on. My producing partner Sean Fabri and I were pleased on many fronts, but key was how many goals we accomplished with this bitch.
We wanted:
-to make a story that was entertaining and funny.
-bums on seats.
-to showcase cartoonish voice talent.
-a publicity campaign that showed we weren't head-in-the-clouds creators.
-to give a talented director a chance to show it.
-to write something good, that you could tell had effort put into.
We did those things. Three sold out nights, 75% fill, glowing reviews and requests for cast to do further voice work. The reviews stated that the writing was tight. The cast were all so good, it was simple personal preference as to who stood out. The direction was deliberate, focussing on the cast and the sound, and people noticed.
We ran a tight ship.
I got to showrun.
Bullet was our opportunity to put into action in the creative world, theory we've been discussing and applying in the corporate world. Even though this was a theatre piece, I wanted to treat Bullet with the US TV showrunner model. The writers set the vision for the piece. The director translated that, added to it, and brought it to full strength through his cast and crew. The writers were the producers, and they sat in on audio creation, gave notes after key rehearsals (while making sure never to meddle beyond maintaining vision) and we all trusted one another. Our publicist, Lisa Purnell, wasn't some afterthought addition. She addressed the cast and gave media tutorials on our key messages. Lisa was crucial to the design and face of the show and its marketing campaign, designing a lot of it herself and overseeing the competition to create more advanced artwork. It paid off with a sold out opening night. Considering no-one had really heard of us as a team in the theatre world, that was incredible.
I'm glad we met our goals, because this is just the beginning. We established a framework that easily adapts to larger projects, and is ready-made to accept commercial input and growth. We can show brands the audience we're already reaching via our carefully maintained visitor metrics. (We reached thousands of 25-35 year old males as our primary audience). We can not only bring in audiences, but give them what they want and have them leave satisfied.
We met our commercial goals, and that excites me as a producer.
Creatively, we built a workplace that fed our cast and crew's desire for professionalism within a fun industry. Funfessionalism. Our director, Ben McEwing, established early on that he expected dedication and work. In auditions, we weren't just looking for talent, we were looking for workmates we could get along with. Anyone who might cause unnecessary friction most likely didn't get the role. If a friend auditioned, they were run through the gauntlet like anyone else. We all weren't paid much, but what Ben did offer the cast was a chance to work at a professional level that required they bring it. All this was planned, discussed among the director and producers long before we put out the call for cast. We want it spread that a set or rehearsal room with our team is somewhere you want to be if you want to take your skills up a level.
With this success, we know who's good and can now get real money to pay them all. That's the next level for us: to provide this service called Show to paying customers, be it audience or brands or business.
This was some professional shit! Thanks for coming to see it, those who did. For those who missed it, don't worry: we're already in the war room planning the next run.
Jul 25, 2011
BULLET and MACHINE
The Awesome Report's going into production mode now, chums.
A short film called MACHINE and a live-read radio play called BULLET have been taking up my time and I couldn't be more proud of either of them.
MACHINE is a sci-fi short film about what it is to be a person and protect your family. In the not-too-distant future, an android breaks into a high-tech facility and makes away with a power source. The facility's security guard, a family man who loves his job, goes after the thief. When he discovers what the power source is for, he's forced into a terrible position.
Written and directed by Mark Inducil, a very cool dude I went to RMIT with and who shares my passion for genre, this short's got a hefty budget attached already. The script is void of dialogue (except for a background news report) and brings together a lot of talented people I've already worked with, and some I haven't. We're at the stage of signing our crew on, with everyone having given their support. David brand is our production manager, and he and I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow. We'll sort out the details of our first big round-table production meeting.
BULLET: a superhero comedy, is a live-read radio play about a hero who loses everything. Bullet is the hero of Settlement City (an analogue of Melbourne if superpowers were real), but when he loses his powers, his secret identity is discovered, his wife is killed and his city's stolen. He ventures out to try and regain his powers, meeting the strange inhabitants of this supervillain-plagued Australia who try to help or hinder his hero's journey.
We've been chomping this one up at rapid pace. Sean Fabri and I have been writing the script and writing it HARD, going draft over draft to do it right. None of that first draft shitness for us. Ben McEwing is directing, and this weekend we cast our cast. Five actors playing 15+ characters. Melbourne Fringe is going to explode with our awesomeness.
I intend to nab a brand update for this blog to suit simonjgreen.com, and please Like Bullet at www.bulletradio.net and stay tuned as we swing into gear. Full promotion kicks in once tickets go on sale in August.
Oh, and I registered a new company. The X Gene. Coming soon...
A short film called MACHINE and a live-read radio play called BULLET have been taking up my time and I couldn't be more proud of either of them.
MACHINE is a sci-fi short film about what it is to be a person and protect your family. In the not-too-distant future, an android breaks into a high-tech facility and makes away with a power source. The facility's security guard, a family man who loves his job, goes after the thief. When he discovers what the power source is for, he's forced into a terrible position.
Written and directed by Mark Inducil, a very cool dude I went to RMIT with and who shares my passion for genre, this short's got a hefty budget attached already. The script is void of dialogue (except for a background news report) and brings together a lot of talented people I've already worked with, and some I haven't. We're at the stage of signing our crew on, with everyone having given their support. David brand is our production manager, and he and I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow. We'll sort out the details of our first big round-table production meeting.
BULLET: a superhero comedy, is a live-read radio play about a hero who loses everything. Bullet is the hero of Settlement City (an analogue of Melbourne if superpowers were real), but when he loses his powers, his secret identity is discovered, his wife is killed and his city's stolen. He ventures out to try and regain his powers, meeting the strange inhabitants of this supervillain-plagued Australia who try to help or hinder his hero's journey.
We've been chomping this one up at rapid pace. Sean Fabri and I have been writing the script and writing it HARD, going draft over draft to do it right. None of that first draft shitness for us. Ben McEwing is directing, and this weekend we cast our cast. Five actors playing 15+ characters. Melbourne Fringe is going to explode with our awesomeness.
I intend to nab a brand update for this blog to suit simonjgreen.com, and please Like Bullet at www.bulletradio.net and stay tuned as we swing into gear. Full promotion kicks in once tickets go on sale in August.
Oh, and I registered a new company. The X Gene. Coming soon...
Jun 22, 2011
First Article on The Punch Hits 300 Comments
http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/I-might-be-an-elite-tosser-but-at-least-I-can-spell/
Lots of people seem to think I'm an absolutely terrible writer, but there are also some out there who think this is pretty damn funny.
See what you think, then viciously assault me!
Lots of people seem to think I'm an absolutely terrible writer, but there are also some out there who think this is pretty damn funny.
See what you think, then viciously assault me!
Jun 17, 2011
Film Victoria Sent Me A Package
I completed a producer's survey for Film Victoria. As thanks, completely unsolicited, they were kind enough to send me a notepad with built in pen holder and thin post-its and a deck of playing cards with locations and Victorian-shot films on them.
I'm not ungrateful, but in the wake of the $45k dinner party, I have to ask two questions:
1. Was this provided via in-kind or heavily discounted support?
2. If not, what was the spend, and was it necessary?
Anyone know anything? Sound off in the comments.
I'm not ungrateful, but in the wake of the $45k dinner party, I have to ask two questions:
1. Was this provided via in-kind or heavily discounted support?
2. If not, what was the spend, and was it necessary?
Anyone know anything? Sound off in the comments.
Jun 4, 2011
Film Victoria Responded: Short Films and Emerging Filmmakers
Film Victoria called me. Sort of.
I tweeted my post about Film Victoria seemingly giving up on short films and asked Film Vic is they cared to respond. I got a DM asking me to give a certain someone at their office a call.
I called, and was put onto a nice lady from the investment area. She admitted she hadn't read the article and wasn't particularly sure what I was talking about. Their twitter feed is maintained by their marketing co-ordinator, who hadn't forwarded my concern on. I was going in fresh, so I let her know my concerns.
The ma'am at Film Vic, who I don't want to name just in case, was lovely. She sympathised with the difficult nature of coming up form the bottom, having come from publishing into film being told she may as well swim in lava for all the chance she'd have of staying afloat (I'm paraphrasing).
She told me about Raw Nerve, Springboard, Internships and Propellor Shorts, all programs made to cater for the emerging filmmaker. Some of them aren't always running, some come and go. Some I was aware of, some I wasn't. Hopefully I can make you all more aware too, and we can flood these fuckers with quality material that's been gone over with a fine-toothed comb and keeps the audience front and centre.
I was also made aware of 37°South, the sales market for our kind. This is for features only but still useful.
I tweeted my post about Film Victoria seemingly giving up on short films and asked Film Vic is they cared to respond. I got a DM asking me to give a certain someone at their office a call.
I called, and was put onto a nice lady from the investment area. She admitted she hadn't read the article and wasn't particularly sure what I was talking about. Their twitter feed is maintained by their marketing co-ordinator, who hadn't forwarded my concern on. I was going in fresh, so I let her know my concerns.
The ma'am at Film Vic, who I don't want to name just in case, was lovely. She sympathised with the difficult nature of coming up form the bottom, having come from publishing into film being told she may as well swim in lava for all the chance she'd have of staying afloat (I'm paraphrasing).
She told me about Raw Nerve, Springboard, Internships and Propellor Shorts, all programs made to cater for the emerging filmmaker. Some of them aren't always running, some come and go. Some I was aware of, some I wasn't. Hopefully I can make you all more aware too, and we can flood these fuckers with quality material that's been gone over with a fine-toothed comb and keeps the audience front and centre.
I was also made aware of 37°South, the sales market for our kind. This is for features only but still useful.
May 24, 2011
I Want A Music Video For Free
Dear music industry,
This is a break-up. Neither of us is to blame: It's just worked out this way. You wanted something great as cheaply as you could get it, I wanted to make something great and be paid appropriately for my time. That's cool. We're living in a capitalist society, baby. I need to eat and build my business, you need to perform and build your profile.
I thought that if I made a few music videos for free, then cheap, I'd be able to build my way up to decent budgets. You were kind enough to work with me. We were gentle at first. Passionate. We'd stay up late, wrapped in each other's ideas. All too quickly, I noticed your enthusiasm start to wane. Was it because I wanted to invite all those extras in to our special thing? I couldn't help but feel that you were scared: scared of losing your precious cred, or whatever image you'd built for yourself (even though your fans were as numbered as the amount of comments on a blog post).
But we stuck together. You'd pull out of projects, leaving me to start all over again. Money was always an issue. I'd forgive you for not emailing or answering back for weeks at a time. I felt like a fool, but slowly, we made progress. Budgets got a little bigger. Remember that happy time I re-cut a video for you because the over-priced international director botched the shoot? We were so happy then, the result of our union filled us with pride. We'd finally made it: you, now a major international record label, me a talented producer with so many more great ideas.
Imagine my surprise, then, when I discover you want an entire music video for free. You, a major international record label, telling me how well your client is doing, then asking for a music video, pre- to post- for free. I shouldn't be surprised. It's my fault. I'd conditioned you to treat me this way by being cheap, free when you need me. I'm the whore, but at least I can leave this abusive relationship.
I'm sorry music industry, there's just no money in you. Maybe if you can prove you consider me worthwhile, we might one day get back together. For now, I'm afraid we have to break up.
Warm thoughts,
The film industry.
May 21, 2011
May 12, 2011
The Budget for the Poor Middle Class
A quick examination of the Herald Sun's coverage of the budget, because I'm not sure if kids are being taught about bias in school.
Here's the front page:
Let's start with the agenda. The Herald Sun generally don't like the Labor party, or perhaps prefer the Liberal party (I purposely did not say the Coalition). You can find evidence of this when you look at their coverage of past budgets under Howard and Costello, when Costello would be posed as a Superman of finance, literally shown wearing blue and red tights and cape.
The paper's aim is to make you dislike Labor's budget. The headline clearly sets out the mission statement, evoking 'unfairness' by reducing the entire budget into a snappy one-liner. After that, you might notice the brightly colored graphic:
What the hell does this have to do with anything, you might ask? Admiral Akbar would reply, "It's a trap!" The idea is to ask a question that most of us will answer, 'of course not!' to, warming up our blood because it's all so unfair. You'll notice they don't specify what rich might be, allowing our imaginations to form images of besuited CEOs and stuffy snobs in manors, sliding down money piles: the horrible moneybags we love to hate. Compared to 'the rich', a $150k family seems normal, regular, just like us.
From there, it's a full assault on the budget in relation to this $150k family. The paper shows only the downsides, costs and losses, none of the benefits like the car write off for tradies or small business owners. They run stories about struggling, suffering and scrimping families, but nothing about lower wage earners, students, pensioners or childless families. They unleash Miranda Devine from the opinion page.
Finally, they wrap up their coverage with a bookend graphic, this time showing overwhelmingly that YOU won't be better off with this budget. Never mind that they have no idea who you are, and that the voters in the poll make up only a small subsection of the populous who read the Herald Sun and are thus inclined to agree with it in the first place. (Note: below is the online version, which varies slightly from the print version above)
By now, we've been shown enough of an attack on this $150k family, the family that compared to the Monopoly guy, is full of saints and battlers, seemingly being ravaged by an unfair budget. The stuff the Herald Sun doesn't run keeps us from seeing the bigger picture. The budget affects THE NATION, not just one demographic slice of the population. The Herald Sun are trying to manipulate you, dear reader, by showing you the side of the story that benefits the paper the most. Their readers are generally this $150k family. Their owners prefer pro-business, conservative governments and consumers. Whether you agree with the budget or not, remember to look at the whole picture, not just one side's framing, before you judge.
Here's the front page:
Let's start with the agenda. The Herald Sun generally don't like the Labor party, or perhaps prefer the Liberal party (I purposely did not say the Coalition). You can find evidence of this when you look at their coverage of past budgets under Howard and Costello, when Costello would be posed as a Superman of finance, literally shown wearing blue and red tights and cape.
The paper's aim is to make you dislike Labor's budget. The headline clearly sets out the mission statement, evoking 'unfairness' by reducing the entire budget into a snappy one-liner. After that, you might notice the brightly colored graphic:
What the hell does this have to do with anything, you might ask? Admiral Akbar would reply, "It's a trap!" The idea is to ask a question that most of us will answer, 'of course not!' to, warming up our blood because it's all so unfair. You'll notice they don't specify what rich might be, allowing our imaginations to form images of besuited CEOs and stuffy snobs in manors, sliding down money piles: the horrible moneybags we love to hate. Compared to 'the rich', a $150k family seems normal, regular, just like us.
From there, it's a full assault on the budget in relation to this $150k family. The paper shows only the downsides, costs and losses, none of the benefits like the car write off for tradies or small business owners. They run stories about struggling, suffering and scrimping families, but nothing about lower wage earners, students, pensioners or childless families. They unleash Miranda Devine from the opinion page.
Finally, they wrap up their coverage with a bookend graphic, this time showing overwhelmingly that YOU won't be better off with this budget. Never mind that they have no idea who you are, and that the voters in the poll make up only a small subsection of the populous who read the Herald Sun and are thus inclined to agree with it in the first place. (Note: below is the online version, which varies slightly from the print version above)
By now, we've been shown enough of an attack on this $150k family, the family that compared to the Monopoly guy, is full of saints and battlers, seemingly being ravaged by an unfair budget. The stuff the Herald Sun doesn't run keeps us from seeing the bigger picture. The budget affects THE NATION, not just one demographic slice of the population. The Herald Sun are trying to manipulate you, dear reader, by showing you the side of the story that benefits the paper the most. Their readers are generally this $150k family. Their owners prefer pro-business, conservative governments and consumers. Whether you agree with the budget or not, remember to look at the whole picture, not just one side's framing, before you judge.
May 2, 2011
Osama Bin Laden? Wasn't he dead already?
A real conversation I just had.
Nurse: Have a good ride over?
Me: Yep! Was listening to the news.
Nurse: Tut tut, that's not very safe.
Me: Nah, it's all right. It was big news.
Nurse: *blank look*
Me: Bin Laden's dead. The President announced it.
Nurse: *blankness persists* Another one, was it?
Me: Sorry?
Nurse: Didn't they get the sons and cousins last week? Is this another one?
Me: Oh, no that's Gadaffi. Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda? September 11.
Nurse: Aw yeah. I was in the right area, different person. Didn't they get him already?
Me: No, that was one of his underlings. A while ago.
Nurse: Oh. Well what happens now?
Me: Probably not much. There's always other leaders who'll step up.
Nurse: So it doesn't really matter, does it.
Me: Well...
Nurse: I thought you had big news about Prince Will and Pip, what's her name, Pippa?
Me: You mean Will and Kate?
Nurse: Oh yes, that one. Any news on them?
Me: God no, er, I don't know.
Nurse: Mmm. Just lie back for me, darl.
Nurse: Have a good ride over?
Me: Yep! Was listening to the news.
Nurse: Tut tut, that's not very safe.
Me: Nah, it's all right. It was big news.
Nurse: *blank look*
Me: Bin Laden's dead. The President announced it.
Nurse: *blankness persists* Another one, was it?
Me: Sorry?
Nurse: Didn't they get the sons and cousins last week? Is this another one?
Me: Oh, no that's Gadaffi. Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda? September 11.
Nurse: Aw yeah. I was in the right area, different person. Didn't they get him already?
Me: No, that was one of his underlings. A while ago.
Nurse: Oh. Well what happens now?
Me: Probably not much. There's always other leaders who'll step up.
Nurse: So it doesn't really matter, does it.
Me: Well...
Nurse: I thought you had big news about Prince Will and Pip, what's her name, Pippa?
Me: You mean Will and Kate?
Nurse: Oh yes, that one. Any news on them?
Me: God no, er, I don't know.
Nurse: Mmm. Just lie back for me, darl.
Location:Clayton Rd,Clayton,Australia
Apr 16, 2011
Nominated for Best Blog. Care to Vote?
I hate when friends ask me to vote for them. Instead, then, I'm asking for you to consider whether you think my blog is good enough, and if you believe so, then kindly click the image above and commit that thought to more clickage... only if you'd like to.
Apr 14, 2011
Disability, Carers and The Good Fight
I didn't realise there's antagonism between carers and the disabled, at least politically. That seems silly to me. Counter-productive. Shouldn't we be on the same side? In such a difficult section of activism, where our opponents to reform consider us drains on society, how does factionalism help? Without a united front, we crumble.
The Internet has been buzzing like a vuvuzela these past few days, with the NDIS, disability, carers and Centrelink being bandied about and debated by all-comers. It's great to see so much interest in we poor crippies and our loved ones, but if talk is the only thing to come of it, then what good? Stay a team!
Here are some links:
Right Royally Pissed Off | bit.ly/evpHZA | @heikefabig 's response to @toddocracy 's column in The Punch yesterday, via @AngryOzCripple
I’m not a dole bludger, I just want to work by @Carl Thompson | bit.ly/gUkMS6 via @AngryOzCripple
Carers: Step off and let people with disabilities speak | http://bit.ly/gMDVnS | Todd Winther's now infamous article
Dear Tony, Let Me Tell You About My Disability | http://bit.ly/f8OV1t | via Stella Young
The Internet has been buzzing like a vuvuzela these past few days, with the NDIS, disability, carers and Centrelink being bandied about and debated by all-comers. It's great to see so much interest in we poor crippies and our loved ones, but if talk is the only thing to come of it, then what good? Stay a team!
Here are some links:
Right Royally Pissed Off | bit.ly/evpHZA | @heikefabig 's response to @toddocracy 's column in The Punch yesterday, via @AngryOzCripple
I’m not a dole bludger, I just want to work by @Carl Thompson | bit.ly/gUkMS6 via @AngryOzCripple
Carers: Step off and let people with disabilities speak | http://bit.ly/gMDVnS | Todd Winther's now infamous article
Dear Tony, Let Me Tell You About My Disability | http://bit.ly/f8OV1t | via Stella Young
Apr 12, 2011
Apr 8, 2011
Has Film Victoria Given Up On Emerging Filmmakers?
I'm not one to cast aspersions (ha!) but I have a pressing feeling Victoria is not the place to be if you are an emerging filmmaker who wants state government support.
I'm not a massive fan of government bodies as sole funding mechanisms for film, but I do understand that as an emerging filmmaker with an unconfident private sector, finding money to get that first project off the ground can be hard. If you can scrape together some money from business, matched funding from government can be useful to push the film further. Over all though, there aren't many choices for young ducks. Thus, I've been exploring funding opportunities through Film Victoria.
I was at the Australian Writers Guild conference at the start of the year. They had breakfast speed-dating. We moved from table to table, getting in 10 minute chats with officers from places like Film Vic, Screen West, Channel 10 and Sticky Pictures. QLD and WA's reps were super keen to get us younglings over to their state and fund emerging projects. New people. Fresh blood. I moved over to Film Vic's table for the home-ground advantage.
Last year, Film Vic ran an initiative called Catapult. Writers could submit feature films that had no producer attached. No previous experience (two hours of nationally broadcast TV or a theatrically released feature film) was necessary. The initiative simply aimed to uncover new raw talent. I had missed the deadline last year, so I asked about it for this year. I was told they probably wouldn't be running it, but maybe next year in a different format, we'd get something else. I asked why they weren't running it this year. Was it not successful? "Oh no," she replied. "We got over 100 scripts. It was just too many." So they won't be running it again this year because they had too high a response? I was very disappointed by this answer. Surely getting a huge response is a good thing? Doesn't that mean there's a lot of budding talent out there, who could stand to be nurtured by the state body established to do exactly that?
I went back to the Screen West table and started thinking about stories I could tell in Perth.
Fast forward to now. We have a short film that's at an advanced stage of development. The script is tight, a slick animatic with sound effects has been done up by our director. There's funding interest from the private sector. As producer, maybe I can find further funds from Film Vic to help realise this puppy? I go to their site and click 'Funding'. Hmm, no short film funding there any more. OK, let's type 'short film' in their search bar. Nothing? What the hell? I could not find a single stream dedicated to shorts. The best I could see was the slate funding option.
Short films are odd. They're difficult to sell and make money from, but can be a useful tool to get seen and promote talent. As a product, they're difficult. As a marketing device, they're brilliant. The private sector struggles to see the value in dropping $30,000 on a project that has few tangible financial benefits. If any one understands the value of a short, it should be Film Victoria. I swear I remember a time when Film Vic were about short films. Am I wrong, or have they abandoned this important stepping stone?
Please, tell me I'm wrong and point me in the right direction.
I'm not a massive fan of government bodies as sole funding mechanisms for film, but I do understand that as an emerging filmmaker with an unconfident private sector, finding money to get that first project off the ground can be hard. If you can scrape together some money from business, matched funding from government can be useful to push the film further. Over all though, there aren't many choices for young ducks. Thus, I've been exploring funding opportunities through Film Victoria.
I was at the Australian Writers Guild conference at the start of the year. They had breakfast speed-dating. We moved from table to table, getting in 10 minute chats with officers from places like Film Vic, Screen West, Channel 10 and Sticky Pictures. QLD and WA's reps were super keen to get us younglings over to their state and fund emerging projects. New people. Fresh blood. I moved over to Film Vic's table for the home-ground advantage.
Last year, Film Vic ran an initiative called Catapult. Writers could submit feature films that had no producer attached. No previous experience (two hours of nationally broadcast TV or a theatrically released feature film) was necessary. The initiative simply aimed to uncover new raw talent. I had missed the deadline last year, so I asked about it for this year. I was told they probably wouldn't be running it, but maybe next year in a different format, we'd get something else. I asked why they weren't running it this year. Was it not successful? "Oh no," she replied. "We got over 100 scripts. It was just too many." So they won't be running it again this year because they had too high a response? I was very disappointed by this answer. Surely getting a huge response is a good thing? Doesn't that mean there's a lot of budding talent out there, who could stand to be nurtured by the state body established to do exactly that?
I went back to the Screen West table and started thinking about stories I could tell in Perth.
Fast forward to now. We have a short film that's at an advanced stage of development. The script is tight, a slick animatic with sound effects has been done up by our director. There's funding interest from the private sector. As producer, maybe I can find further funds from Film Vic to help realise this puppy? I go to their site and click 'Funding'. Hmm, no short film funding there any more. OK, let's type 'short film' in their search bar. Nothing? What the hell? I could not find a single stream dedicated to shorts. The best I could see was the slate funding option.
Short films are odd. They're difficult to sell and make money from, but can be a useful tool to get seen and promote talent. As a product, they're difficult. As a marketing device, they're brilliant. The private sector struggles to see the value in dropping $30,000 on a project that has few tangible financial benefits. If any one understands the value of a short, it should be Film Victoria. I swear I remember a time when Film Vic were about short films. Am I wrong, or have they abandoned this important stepping stone?
Please, tell me I'm wrong and point me in the right direction.
Apr 7, 2011
REVIEW: I&J Frozen Cheese Burger
The Disclaimer: I have cystic fibrosis. CF affects the body in many ways, but for these reviews, we're concerned about my digestive system. In short, it's fucked. As a result, I don't absorb anywhere near enough fat and nutrients from what I eat. I have a dietician and a respiratory specialist, both of whom encourage me to eat fatty foods to keep my weight at a decent level. CF patients enjoy a unique relationship with food. There's no link between 'bad' food and morbidity for us. So I'm reviewing anti-health-foods. Food that requires a disclaimer. Greasy, fatty, rich, delicious, disgusting, enviable food. You normies should avoid these foods whenever you can save the occasional treat. Be jealous, it's OK.
I&J have a range of frozen, microwavable food. We're talking the sort of stuff you'd find in 7eleven, but available for you at home. My consumption of those service station burgers or salmonella buns is legendary. I may as well be eating babies for the disgust it generates in my friends. I was overjoyed to see them in the Coles freezer fridge.
The frozen burger is convenient. I like to leave one or two in the freezer for those days when a chunky soup or bowl of cereal just won't do, and I can't be arsed putting on pants to go out. I&J also have a bacon and beef burger. Tonight I gobbled down the plain cheeseburger.
The method for heating is a little different. You open the box and take out the burger. It's covered in a paper bag. Leave it in the bag and put it upside down on top of the box, then microwave for a minute. Turn the burger over, leaving it on the box, and nuke it for another minute. Open the bag and let some of that heat dissipate. Ready!
The first thing I noticed was the bun. One of the problems with these microwave burgers, oh sweet slabs of convenience, is that the bun can come out stiff and stale. Usually it's only a few portions of the bun, so you'll get a somehow sloppy crunch when you bite. I&J's little guy is nice and supple. The bread bounces back like fresh dough. The sesame seeds are evenly spread and plentiful: too often we filthos are gyped by a tight-fisted sprinkling. The meat (should I call it meat? 33% of the patty is beef) is springy and a little bit like soft plastic, but the beefy flavour manages to come through, complemented nicely by the tangy ketchup. The cheese wasn't memorable, sadly, which is a shame when a cheeseburger can so easily get away with a lot of cheap, crappy cheese.
I wolfed this down, burning my mouth a few times and requiring a nice glass of cordial. I recommend it for anyone who likes a simple, classic burger ready to eat in three minutes. Look forward to the bacon variety.
Two out of five creon.
I&J have a range of frozen, microwavable food. We're talking the sort of stuff you'd find in 7eleven, but available for you at home. My consumption of those service station burgers or salmonella buns is legendary. I may as well be eating babies for the disgust it generates in my friends. I was overjoyed to see them in the Coles freezer fridge.
The frozen burger is convenient. I like to leave one or two in the freezer for those days when a chunky soup or bowl of cereal just won't do, and I can't be arsed putting on pants to go out. I&J also have a bacon and beef burger. Tonight I gobbled down the plain cheeseburger.
The method for heating is a little different. You open the box and take out the burger. It's covered in a paper bag. Leave it in the bag and put it upside down on top of the box, then microwave for a minute. Turn the burger over, leaving it on the box, and nuke it for another minute. Open the bag and let some of that heat dissipate. Ready!
The first thing I noticed was the bun. One of the problems with these microwave burgers, oh sweet slabs of convenience, is that the bun can come out stiff and stale. Usually it's only a few portions of the bun, so you'll get a somehow sloppy crunch when you bite. I&J's little guy is nice and supple. The bread bounces back like fresh dough. The sesame seeds are evenly spread and plentiful: too often we filthos are gyped by a tight-fisted sprinkling. The meat (should I call it meat? 33% of the patty is beef) is springy and a little bit like soft plastic, but the beefy flavour manages to come through, complemented nicely by the tangy ketchup. The cheese wasn't memorable, sadly, which is a shame when a cheeseburger can so easily get away with a lot of cheap, crappy cheese.
I wolfed this down, burning my mouth a few times and requiring a nice glass of cordial. I recommend it for anyone who likes a simple, classic burger ready to eat in three minutes. Look forward to the bacon variety.
Two out of five creon.
Mar 30, 2011
Dead Space 2 Cinematic: Previously in Dead Space
I'm playing Dead Space 2. It's awesome. I'm loving it. Thank the Nine we can re-tool our nodes.
One cool thing they did was through a 'Previously in Dead Space' video that sums up what happened int he first game. More developers should do this! It's so simple but cool, and I got a real thrill reliving the first game.
Here's the video:
And here's some photos I took from the first game 'cause I like the lighting. NEEEEEEEEEERRRD!
One cool thing they did was through a 'Previously in Dead Space' video that sums up what happened int he first game. More developers should do this! It's so simple but cool, and I got a real thrill reliving the first game.
Here's the video:
And here's some photos I took from the first game 'cause I like the lighting. NEEEEEEEEEERRRD!
Mar 22, 2011
Spies and White Lies
I just made a video with Xtranormal.
It's called Spies and White Lies, a little comedy that features a couple who aren't what they appear, sidetracked by a rather delicate question.
No doubt you've seen the litany of vids made with this online software, most of them featuring fuzzy rabbits and bears taking the roles of creative and client (designer and client, production manager and director, SEO agent and client), and then getting more and more frustrated with one another, until expletives pour out of their mouths like confetti. Confetti fired from a mouth cannon.
The neat thing about this software is that you can type in a script with a two or one-hand scenario, and then pick the shots, the movements and the facial expressions. It's a cheap, easy way to play around!
WATCH IT!
Feb 22, 2011
Tropfest 2011 Winner Animal Beatbox
Tropfest has been and gone and no doubt scores of rejected filmmakers and critical fans are grumbling on message boards, comment sections and social media. The winner is Animal Beatbox, a kind of music video for a tailor-made beatboxing score, using paper cutouts of animals gathering around a cellophane river. Watch it here:
So what's being said about the winner? Some say this is an addition to the badger badger mushroom genre of flash animation popular online. Some say so lovingly, others derisively. One comment one YouTube suggested this was a good video for the web, but as a short film didn't make the cut. That's very interesting to me.
As a writer predominantly for the web, I've found that penetrating the holy duo of film and TV is a whole different game. There's a very large divide between what writers and creators do online and what's done in the 'legitimate' creative world of those staid institutions. I think it's to the credit of Tropfest, whose judges included an institution of his own, Bruce Beresford, that a very webby video was selected as the winner. For good or ill, the sort of odd, rather narrative-less video we silly buggers make for cheap and through online has been recognised by a significant figure in the industry.
The great masses have also been pointing to the cheapness and supposed low technical and production value of the winner. Done in a garage with maybe two lights and jerky stop-motion, the film certainly isn't a series of lush lighting set ups, crane and dolly movements, incredible performances by actors with current TV roles (well...), all shot on a RED or an Arri.
Then, who says it has to be? When it comes to this, neither side is ever really happy. People who spend (their parent's) small fortune on their shorts, using DPs from AFTRS or working in the film world; who manage to make gorgeous, deeply visual films, will inevitably feel cheated when a low-budget oddball makes it through. Of course, when a slick high-budget piece wins, those with less experience cry out, "But how are we supposed to get a break in and make something like that."
The outcry might also be, "Production values don't matter if you've got a great story." Interstigly enough, Animal Beatbox doesn't really have any story. People might try and stretch out that our trip down the river is the linear progression of narrative, with the weaving animals acting as sub-plot, but I'd call those people wankers and tell them to shush. Animal Beatbox doesn't have a story. It's a music video or viral video, built on a jokey premise of using vocal and visual depictions of animals to make music and video through repetition.
Where does that sit in what we've been taught as storytellers? Should winning films have a great story? Does it say anywhere that Tropfest is about great story, or great short films? What's the difference, and what's more legitimate? A lot of filmmakers see Tropfest as a launching pad. Wilfred, the SBS series, started as a Tropfest winner. The winner this year will be flown off to meet industry big-wigs. How does Animal Beatbox show off his ability to create something bigger like a series or feature?
Animal Beatbox is a divisive choice. Should it be lauded as a brave recognition of experimental comedy in a medium much maligned by the establishment, or derided as a cheap gimmick that slights dedicated filmmakers creating story? Sound off in the comments section!
UPDATE: http://www.popsugar.com.au/Damon-Gameaus-Winning-Tropfest-Movie-Animal-Kingdom-Accused-Ripping-Off-Eustus-Comedy-Dog-Cat-Video-YouTube-14330103
So what's being said about the winner? Some say this is an addition to the badger badger mushroom genre of flash animation popular online. Some say so lovingly, others derisively. One comment one YouTube suggested this was a good video for the web, but as a short film didn't make the cut. That's very interesting to me.
As a writer predominantly for the web, I've found that penetrating the holy duo of film and TV is a whole different game. There's a very large divide between what writers and creators do online and what's done in the 'legitimate' creative world of those staid institutions. I think it's to the credit of Tropfest, whose judges included an institution of his own, Bruce Beresford, that a very webby video was selected as the winner. For good or ill, the sort of odd, rather narrative-less video we silly buggers make for cheap and through online has been recognised by a significant figure in the industry.
The great masses have also been pointing to the cheapness and supposed low technical and production value of the winner. Done in a garage with maybe two lights and jerky stop-motion, the film certainly isn't a series of lush lighting set ups, crane and dolly movements, incredible performances by actors with current TV roles (well...), all shot on a RED or an Arri.
Then, who says it has to be? When it comes to this, neither side is ever really happy. People who spend (their parent's) small fortune on their shorts, using DPs from AFTRS or working in the film world; who manage to make gorgeous, deeply visual films, will inevitably feel cheated when a low-budget oddball makes it through. Of course, when a slick high-budget piece wins, those with less experience cry out, "But how are we supposed to get a break in and make something like that."
The outcry might also be, "Production values don't matter if you've got a great story." Interstigly enough, Animal Beatbox doesn't really have any story. People might try and stretch out that our trip down the river is the linear progression of narrative, with the weaving animals acting as sub-plot, but I'd call those people wankers and tell them to shush. Animal Beatbox doesn't have a story. It's a music video or viral video, built on a jokey premise of using vocal and visual depictions of animals to make music and video through repetition.
Where does that sit in what we've been taught as storytellers? Should winning films have a great story? Does it say anywhere that Tropfest is about great story, or great short films? What's the difference, and what's more legitimate? A lot of filmmakers see Tropfest as a launching pad. Wilfred, the SBS series, started as a Tropfest winner. The winner this year will be flown off to meet industry big-wigs. How does Animal Beatbox show off his ability to create something bigger like a series or feature?
Animal Beatbox is a divisive choice. Should it be lauded as a brave recognition of experimental comedy in a medium much maligned by the establishment, or derided as a cheap gimmick that slights dedicated filmmakers creating story? Sound off in the comments section!
UPDATE: http://www.popsugar.com.au/Damon-Gameaus-Winning-Tropfest-Movie-Animal-Kingdom-Accused-Ripping-Off-Eustus-Comedy-Dog-Cat-Video-YouTube-14330103
Feb 9, 2011
Two Posts on Cystic Fibrosis
Ahoy there! I've been busy as a hack.
Here's two articles on different elements of cystic fibrosis. Feel free to share these links with CF-ers, doctors or people with peculiar interest in disease. You know who you are...
The second relates the harder effect of the common cold on CF patients, and what to expect. Also good for parents of young CF-ers.http://www.helium.com/items/2086733-is-a-cold-worse-for-people-with-cystic-fibrosis
One discusses vitamin supplements and how I find they help CF.http://www.helium.com/items/2087730-do-vitamin-supplements-help-cystic-fibrosis
Also, please visit these suckers to bump the hits and help me earn a little from freelance writing.
Here's two articles on different elements of cystic fibrosis. Feel free to share these links with CF-ers, doctors or people with peculiar interest in disease. You know who you are...
The second relates the harder effect of the common cold on CF patients, and what to expect. Also good for parents of young CF-ers.http://www.helium.com/items/2086733-is-a-cold-worse-for-people-with-cystic-fibrosis
One discusses vitamin supplements and how I find they help CF.http://www.helium.com/items/2087730-do-vitamin-supplements-help-cystic-fibrosis
Also, please visit these suckers to bump the hits and help me earn a little from freelance writing.
Feb 7, 2011
Flood Levy Supported By Gen Y & X
“@MissBaileyWoof: Newspoll on flood levy. Voters back Gillard tax. Support 55 Oppose 41. Strongest support among 18-34s, most against are over 50s.”
All this generational bullshit saying generation Y aren't responsible and that we're selfish and lazy...yet here we have older people deciding they'd rather not give their money to flood rebuilding. Is it because they have more money to lose? Who cares? The generational wedge is rubbish and crap. But the next person who writes an article about it can use these figures to arm themselves one way or another.
All this generational bullshit saying generation Y aren't responsible and that we're selfish and lazy...yet here we have older people deciding they'd rather not give their money to flood rebuilding. Is it because they have more money to lose? Who cares? The generational wedge is rubbish and crap. But the next person who writes an article about it can use these figures to arm themselves one way or another.
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