More SIMPSONS!

from left: Marty Langford, Atom Marotte, Warren Amerman, Jim Purchase, Joel Katon

Not a lot of time to blog, 'cause we're knee-deep in SIMPSONS production, but here's an image of some of the crew from our pre-light last night. The set looks GREAT!

First CNN, now ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

... and soon USA TODAY (who just announced a partnership with Fox on the SIMPSONS contest; the beginning of the SPRINGFIELD CHALLENGE was supposed to be in the Tuesday edition of USA TODAY, but now I guess it's been pushed back a day. Look for it Wednesday, I guess). But yeah, in the PopWatch section of the EW site, there's a story (and picture!) of our efforts toward the Simpsons vid we're producing. Now that's cool.

Hey, we're on CNN

The quality's craptacular, but if you squint just right you can see us. We're going national, baby.

THE SIMPSONS

The Simpsons are coming home, and we here at Glowing Screen are going to make sure 'home' is right here. Warren and I are key members of the red-hot Strike Force that is generating ideas, conceiving concepts, and think-tanking the BIG IDEAS behind Springfield, MA's bid to host the premiere of the THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, and forever be recongized as the "true" home to Homer, Bart and company.

20 Century Fox has organized a pretty sharp promotion around the July 27 release of the big budget feature film. They have contacted 16 different Springfields across the country and solicited a short film from each that makes the case for each city.

Warren, myself, Scotty Kittredge and other illustrious minds are working hard with Dave Horgan and the Mayor's office to develop a 5 minute short film that will insure our place in SIMPSONS lore.

Check out City Hall's official page here if you have big ideas of your own. We're expecting the offical rules and guidelines on Wednesday, May 16.

More info to come!!

ATTACK OF THE SPACE CHICKENS

After having the written the script a couple of years ago for another producer, I'm now pleased to announce that pre-production is in full swing for an '08 release of ATTACK OF THE SPACE CHICKENS. I'll be producing with director Scott Kittredge of Bowling Squirrel Films.

I'm currently writing a revised second draft of the screenplay, and I'm gonzo in love with where it's going. Scott and I have develeloped some new ideas that's making the script funnier, scarier, and more open to some super cool effects. We're hoping to utilize all sorts of processes for the extensive effects work, including stop-motion, in-camera practical, prosthetics, animatronics and CGI -- there's just no ONE way to bring a Space Chicken to life.

Please visit our MySpace page, which you can find here, and send us a FRIENDS request.

And remember this, never forget this:

When it comes to Space Chickens, it's either them... or us.

12 AND HOLDING

I had the pleasure of "moderating" an informal Q & A session with screenwriter, Anthony S. Cipriano yesterday in the two screenwriting classes I teach at Westfield State College. Anthony graduated from WSC in 1997, and now lives in LA making a living as a writer.

After the classes, he screened his film, 12 AND HOLDING, a 2006 release directed by Michael Cuesta.

It's quite a film.

Shot for $400,000, 12 AND HOLDING tells the story of three childhood friends, all aged twelve, who must all deal with a tragic event while also dealing with the trauma of being twelve years old. Anthony's writing is spot-on in this story of grief, a subject he felt was necessary to deal with after the events of September 11. His premise was consistent, even when the film seemed to deviate in tone -- a decision that Anthony consciously made in the screenplay, and that Cuesta maintained in direction. It was quite a bold choice to introduce seemingly inappropriate comedic moments and music cues in an otherwise dour narrative, but ulitimately I think they pulled it off, creating a world where angst, anxiety and the joys of "growing up" naturally coexist.

The performances are amazing for such a young cast, and the supporting adult roles are all filled out nicely with true pros (w/ Jeremy Remmer's Gus blowing my socks off).

The final moments, and indeed the final image, were a suprememly challenging choice to make. Anthony could have gone in several directions with the narrative, which is in itself a testament to the film's structure -- so often there appears an inevitability in movies, a natural conclusion to which it is building, but in 12 AND HOLDING's resolution, we really have little idea what decision Jacob will make, and what consequence it may have on the rest of his life. When the decision is made, and conclusion reached, we are left with many questions about this choice, and the subsequent impact it has on the lives of those involved. Heady stuff.

Anyway, a big thank you to Anthony, and a big recommendation to all for 12 AND HOLDING -- proof that great talent comes out of the backwoods of Western Mass. And that students in our little state colleges can go on to great success and compete in New York, Hollywood or whereever they decide to go

Mark Devin, Tripeg Studios, and Synthetic Cinema

Glowing Screen compadre Mark Devin recently launched his very own website: Go here to experience his world.

Mark, of course, shot MAGDALENA'S BRAIN, as well as the upcoming film, EXPOSURE. We've known Mark for years here at Glowing Screen, and have always consdiered him to be one of the best shooters around. I'm so happy to see him continuing to DP features and short films, as his talent is too good for him to exist only in the industrial/corporate world.

Go to his site, hire him for your film, and let the accolades come your way. Accolades such as:

DVDSavant: "Cameraman Mark Devin invests the visuals with atmospheric qualities unexpected in such a low budget effort."

Ain't It Cool News: "What was the most striking thing about the movie was the cinematography. Usually indie or amateur films look bad but this guy – Mark Devin – has got it going on. The shots are clear, crisp, and poetic."

And...uh, this one from 10KBullets.com: "Upon reflecting on Magdalena’s Brain, it’s my firm belief that the Director of Photography Mark Devin salvaged this production from becoming a complete disaster."

Thank God for Mark Devin!

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Glowing Screen buddy, Scott Kittredge and I swung by the Hampden, CT home of Tripeg Studios last Friday afternoon and spent a good two hours picking the brain of Tripeg's Synthetic Cinema's Andrew Gernhard, the executive producer of several successful, low budget genre films, including the upcoming Synthetic release, LYCAN.

Andrew was gracious with his time and his knowledge-base concerning low budget filmmaking, and Scott and I both heard what he had to say about the realities of the industry. According to Andrew, there does seem to be a "formula" for this type of filmmaking, and it's somewhat dependant on the popularity of the mainstream. THE WOLF MAN, starring Benecio Del Toro is coming out soon, so distributors are clamoring for werewolf movies. Makes sense. This attitude, however potentially successful it may be, scares me a bit, and I'm unwilling to blindly embrace it. I want to make good movies first, hoping that it translates into success later. Naive? Yeah, I'm sure it is. And though I don't think I'd have a hard time making a pretty good werewolf movie, I don't know if I'd risk making one just because I think the market would bear it.

Andrew was a great guy to meet and someone you can bet we'll be keeping in touch with, as his consultation skills could be a huge asset to any independent filmmaker.

All we need now is the world to clamor for killer barnyard animal movies, and we'll be all set.