A Gordon Shoemaker Reel

Says Gordon:

"This is a demo reel I made of some of my early films that I screened at The Haverford School Open Mic Night as part of a promo for the Main Line Student Film Festival on April 28, 2009 (7-9 P.M.) at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. The films shown are copyrighted."

TALES FROM THE DEAD - New York screening tomorrow!

Wednesday, January 28.

Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue at Second Street on the Lower East Side.

Shorts start at 7 PM, Features start at 8 PM.

See the films, then stick around for Q&A with the filmmakers after.

Admission for the whole night is $6 at the box office.

Need more information? Click here.

TALES FROM THE DEAD screens in NYC!

Our man, filmmaker Jason Cuadrado

New Yorkers! Mark your calendars and begin plotting out your routes to the Lower East Side!

Wednesday, January 28 brings you the rare opportunity to enjoy a one-night-only screening of Queens native Jason Cuadrado's Tales From the Dead.

It's being shown as part of an evening of films presented by Latin Horror at the Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue at Second Street.

See the film, then stick around for Q&A with Jason after.

A selection of shorts will be screened at 7 PM, followed by Tales From the Dead at 8 PM.

Admission for the whole night is $6 at the box office.

Remember, Tales is NOT available on DVD, so don't miss out. For more details, click here.

To catch up on what Tales is all about, click here. And be sure to visit the film's official website here.

Jason Cuadrado's MONSTROUS NATURE!

Jason Cuadrado, director of Tales From the Dead, returns! Check out the site for his new short film, Monstrous Nature.

This time it's werewolves, nuns, handcuffs and firearms. In other words, our kind of picture.

Visit the official site here to watch the trailer NOW.

Jason Cuadrado Chats with Aviva Press

Destri Martino's PHLEGM wraps!

from Destri Martino:

"So, we had this random Russian kid at the Phlegm shoot who was determined to do a behind-the-scenes film of us... Fingers are still crossed that we don't end up in some sort of Eastern European human trafficking sex ring thing (I know, I watch too many crime dramas)...

"In the meantime, here's a quick teaser he put together. Gives you a taste of what the shoot was like...We got Phlegm in the can! WOOHOO!!"

TALES FROM THE DEAD NY Premiere Friday!

Lest you forget...

Jason Cuadrado's Tales From the Dead will premiere at the New York International Latino Film Festival tomorrow, Friday, July 25. As previously mentioned, Tales is the first horror film the festival has ever screened. It's also the first Japanese-language film in the festival's nine-year history.


Writer/director Cuadrado will also be participating in a festival panel on "Latin Horror" on Saturday the 26th.

Our congratulations in advance to Jason on this historic occasion.

To purchase tickets for both events, visit the NYILFF website:

http://nylatinofilm.com/index.html

Kind words are also due writer Robert Hood, who's joined us in spreading the good word about Tales via his blog, Undead Backbrain. You can read his thoughts on the film here.

TALES FROM THE DEAD to premiere at New York International Latino Film Festival

Jason Cuadrado's Tales From the Dead will premiere at the New York International Latino Film Festival on July 25. Incredibly, it's the first horror film the festival has ever screened. It's also the first Japanese-language film in the festival's nine-year history.

Writer/director Cuadrado will also be participating in a festival panel on "Latin Horror" on the 26th.

To purchase tickets, visit the NYILFF website:

http://nylatinofilm.com

And because it was good of them to mention it, click here to read Fangoria's piece on the film at NYILFF.

No Doofus Mutha

When Melvin Van Peebles is talking, I'm listening. And you should, too.

Click the link below to view a new video interview with the man himself:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1519681735/bctid1527780014

TALES FROM THE DEAD on Fangoria

Our friend Jason Cuadrado has made it to Fangoria, just in time for his birthday today. Congratulations, Jason!

To read Fango's piece on Jason's movie Tales From the Dead, click the screenshot above.

New Media Now part 2

At the risk of overstaying my time on the soapbox (more fiction coming soon, I promise), I'm going to expand a bit on my previous post regarding the current state of independent movies. Bear with me through a brief diagnosis of a problem in the current system before I get to the rainbow...

Currently, film festivals have become the de facto conduit by which most independently produced movies reach the audience. While festivals are terrific opportunities to present curated rosters of new or rare work, they've proven to be completely insufficient as a means of distribution.

The volume of quality work produced far exceeds available spots in festivals, creating a severe bottleneck and gumming up the works.

Quality is, of course, subject to taste. Specifically, the tastes of festival programmers, and many in the Industry believe that a curatorial component is critical to distribution.

This is a flawed notion.

While individual exhibitors will naturally want to choose product based on their audience, too often the curatorial process has the effect of choking off new voices and modes of storytelling and encouraging homogeneity in the marketplace.

The danger is that large sectors of a potential audience become alienated. For example, does anyone who isn't a post-collegiate twentysomething care about Mumblecore? (Sorry. No knock on the filmmaking or the filmmakers, but I live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and if I wanted to watch a bunch of tragically semi-articulate hipsters puzzle over a doorknob I'd look out the window.)

By allowing only works that they like, or that adhere to a trend or 'movement,' exposure to the market, festival programmers have, unfortunately, come to represent the same obstacle to the circulation of feature-length movies that the old-line corporate studios and broadcast networks have.

As I said last time, in order for markets to function optimally, goods need to be able to get to the marketplace.

The stated fear seems to be that lowest-common-denominator business realities could squeeze out serious or challenging works. (What's worse? A bunch of Jackass wannabes or a bunch of Juno wannabes? Depends on who you ask. And those audiences aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.)

But if media-makers are able to find their audience and an apparatus exists to reach them, odds are that more good and interesting work will be made as more talented people are able to work.

I guess I believe that independent movies should be made for more people than just festival programmers.

Another danger of the festival system as it exists is the dead-end effect. Say a movie plays at a festival and three hundred people in the audience love it and put the word out to their social circles. Where can they see it? The next festival it plays, wherever that may be?

And be honest, have you ever watched a movie because it won the jury prize at the Bumblefork International Film Festival?

(I was a little hard on Netflix last time. They pushed the Puffy Chair pretty hard and it did well for those guys.)

Alright. Enough complaining. Time for some constructive thinking...

One model that I find interesting is the regional theatrical distribution of independently produced movies in the 1950's, where small local companies would take on the regional promotion and distribution of independents, mostly genre pictures, booking screens, hanging posters, wrangling local press and generally working to get asses in the seats.

Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. was in the regional distribution business, and with funds raised from pre-sales to other regional distributors financed what I think was the first indie blockbuster -- 1958's The Blob.

Granted, the model doesn't translate exactly because, at the moment, the primary markets for independents are small-format. Emerging Pictures seems to have a toe in the water with this model, but it's not yet enough.

I mentioned in my last post that I believe in indiepix's model for small-format distribution. (Shameless plug: Don't forget to pick up your copy of Every Dog's Day today!)

All this said, I'm honestly excited by the number of genuinely talented people making movies these days, and encouraged by the increasing number of them whose works are being made available by various means, and I urge everyone who happens to read this to get out there and explore what's going on.


copyright, © 2008 Andy Biscontini

Cough it up for Destri - and PHLEGM

You might recall a post in this space a short time ago about filmmaker Destri Martino's efforts to raise funds for her film, PHLEGM.

Here's an update from Destri. Now show the lady behind the camera some love - and some greenbacks!

Hello Generous Friends!

I'm just about a month away from shooting my short film PHLEGM and I still have a lot of money to raise. If you've been planning to donate, now is the time. I'm still $10k away from my minimum estimated budget of $15k, so anything you can give will help immensely! (And if you haven't been planning to donate, maybe you could reconsider? ;-)

WHY GIVE WHEN THERE ARE PEOPLE DYING IN AFRICA?
That's a good question! I certainly support your desire to help those in Africa and other areas in need, but if you could help us both out, that'd be really fantastic, too.

As most of you know, it's hard to break into film directing—and even harder for women. Typically only about 3-5% of the top 100 films are directed by women each year. With more balance behind the camera, we hope to see more balanced portrayals of women on the screen (anyone tired of the mother/whore characters, yet?).*

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE AN ART PATRON?
By donating to my short film, you're helping me make a big leap toward establishing a career as a filmmaker. You are being a direct patron of the arts! And you're not only helping me, you're helping the filmmakers of Filmmakers Alliance, my fiscal sponsor, who receive 3.5% of all donations I collect.

Since I plan to use this project as a calling card for my writing and directing ability, it's very important that the production value (i.e., the look of the film) is solid. And, although I will be calling in a few favors, there are some things that just don't come cheap—camera cranes, steadicam and locations, to name a few. These are the things that make a film stand out. Your donations will help me secure these important elements for my film. Don't forget, donations made to the production of PHLEGM are tax-deductible**, thanks to FA.

HOW TO DONATE
There are now easier ways to donate! If you lost your checkbook and/or can't remember the last time you actually used a stamp, you're in luck. You can now make donations via PayPal: Go to your existing account at Paypal.com and choose 'Send Money', enter this email address: destri@alumni.usc.edu and follow the prompts. Please include your address, so I can send you your tax receipt.

If you're a Facebooker, you can also use the PayPal badge on my profile to give. All previously mentioned donation incentives still apply, see www.destrionline.com/donate for details. If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE and mail to:

Destri Martino
4470 W. Sunset Blvd., # 407
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for all your support so far! I look forward to sharing the finished product with you. Hope this finds you well!

Sincerely,

Destri Martino
destrino (at) gmail.com

* If that reason is too simplistic for you, you're welcome to read my dissertation on the subject-- Just wanted to save space here. ;-)

** For those of you paying U.S. taxes at least. Check with your accountant to make sure it will work for your tax situation.

Hack up some funds for Destri!

Destri Martino is one of my favorite people.

We met when we both were struggling to survive our jobs at Warner Brothers years ago, and I don't think I've met anyone before or since who has been as supportive both in word and deed to the cause of independent film and filmmaking.

Incredibly organized and ridiculously generous with her time, energy and expertise, Destri has been there for independent filmmakers time and time again, whether on the set, in the office, or in the screening room. Now it's her turn.

Destri's making her own film, and she could use a little help. But I'll let the talented and charming Ms. Martino explain herself, her film, and her proposal, via this email she sent to her friends, family and potential investors.

Whaddaya say you join me—even if it's just a couple of bucks—and let's all get our names in the credits?

As you know, I've been quietly going after this little dream called directing for many years now. And, after honing my craft with several small, micro-budget productions, I'm very happy to tell you that I've arrived at where I am now—a real, fully-budgeted, fully-crewed short!

That's right, I'm finally making that short film I've been talking about for years. It's called Phlegm and it's about a shy 9-year-old girl who takes a sick day at her aunt's flower shop and eventually finds her voice in the form of a phlegm-globber. Recently, I participated in the Filmmakers Alliance Short Film Lab which allowed me to develop Phlegm to its full potential and ready it for production under the guidance of experienced filmmakers. In fact, it was so well-developed and well-received that it was recently named as a finalist for the Los Angeles Short Filmmaking Grant!

So, the script is ready to go and I'm ready to take the leap and challenge myself with a bigger crew and bigger expectations. Of course, all these big things mean that I need a bigger budget—one that goes well beyond my own personal savings. The current estimated total budget is $20,000 - $30,000. Yeah, that's a lot of money.

Enter, Fundraising. Not only am I writing this letter to ask for your vote of confidence (which honestly means a LOT to me on this journey) but I'm also writing to ask if you could make a monetary donation to the production of Phlegm, which is scheduled to shoot in early April.

I know it's a lot to ask, especially at this time of year, but there is a reason I'm sending you this request now. Since Filmmakers Alliance has agreed to be my fiscal sponsor, donations made to the production of Phlegm may count as a tax-deductible charitable donation (do check with your tax person to confirm that it'll work for your situation). So, if you've been looking for an end of year write-off, here it is. In exchange for this service, I give FA (a wonderful independent film organization, and 501(c)3, that I've been involved in for years) 3.5% of everything I raise. But most importantly, I give you the incentives listed below.

Thank you in advance for considering a donation. I have a long road of fundraising ahead of me, so any amount you can give is VERY much appreciated.

Checks made payable to FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE can be sent to the following address:

Destri Martino

4470 W. Sunset Blvd., #407

Los Angeles, CA 90027

I hope this email finds you well and I look forward to catching up with you soon!

Sincerely,

Destri

P.S. If you'd like to learn more about me or my project, Phlegm, check out my new website: http://www.destrionline.com/ , I'd love to hear from you.

Tax I.D. # 95-444-9125

To show my gratitude, I'm offering the following incentives to my generous donors.
For cash or in-kind donations totaling:

$20,000 - $30,000 +
- Executive Producer credit – Opening Titles
- Full-Access set visits throughout shoot
- Free event photography (2 Events)
- Floral arrangement valued at $100
- Listing in end credits "This film could not have
been made without…"

$10,000 - $19,999
- Co-Executive Producer credit – Opening Titles
- 2-day set visit
- Free event photography (1 event)
- Floral arrangement valued at $100
- Listing in end credits "This film could not have
been made without…"

$5,000 - $9,999
- Associate Producer credit – End Titles, split
- Free event photography (1 event)
- Listing in end credits "Very Special Thank
You to…"
- Floral arrangement valued at $50
- Free house, pet or baby sitting

$1,000 - $4,999
- Free event photography (1 event) or free house,
pet or babysitting
- Listing in end credits "Very Special Thank
You to…"
- Floral arrangement valued at $50

$500 - $999
- Free event photography (1 event) or free house,
pet or baby sitting
- Listing in end credits "Thank You to…"
- Cut flowers valued at $20

$100 - $499
- Listing in end credits "Thank You to…"
- Free event photography (1 event) or free house,
pet or baby sitting

$1 - $99*
- Listing in end credits "Thank You to…"

*I really appreciate any amount that you can give— it all helps!
______________________________________________________

The following notes apply to all giving levels (Can you tell I work at a law firm?):

- Free photography incentive does not cover the cost of
film and developing.
- Floral arrangement incentive is designer's choice, but
you pick the color— unless, of course, you give me gobs
of money, then you can have whatever you want!
- Free babysitting covers 1 day/night while free pet or
house sitting covers the duration of a vacation.
- Sorry, photography, floral and sitting incentives only
available in Greater Los Angeles area.

Tales from TALES FROM THE DEAD

We have some catching up to do with our friend Jason Cuadrado, whom you'll recall from a previous post as the fearless indie writer-director responsible for TALES FROM THE DEAD.

A lot has happened since we last checked in. Jason and TALES were invited to participate in the Independent Feature Project's prestigious Independent Film Lab, and as of just under two weeks ago, he's wrapped post-production on TALES.

Now he's written an essay for the IFP Independent Film Lab about the final leg of TALES' journey to completion, chronicling his "adventures in post."

Click here (or on the pic of Jason) to read one horror filmmaker's advice on surviving the terrors of post-production.

Tales From The Dead

My most excellent friend Jason Cuadrado - writer, editor, producer, director - has launched a website for his independent feature directorial debut, TALES FROM THE DEAD. It's an omnibus-style horror film inspired by some of the best in Asian horror from the last sixty years or so, with an equally strong nod to The Twilight Zone.

Aside from walking away from the security of a very cushy gig (working in my office) to make a film in a town where he only just moved from New York and knows almost no one (not to mention working with no budget and a punishing shooting schedule), this superfreak elected to shoot the entire film in JAPANESE - a language, I should mention, he does not speak a word of. Why? Well, he likes Japanese movies.

Still, using little more than the twin cyber magic of Craig's List and MySpace, he managed to pull in a full, dedicated crew and land a phenomenal cast, many of whom had just come off shooting the highly acclaimed Oscar contender LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA for director Clint Eastwood!

And damned if he didn't managed to pull it off. It's a real life dollar-and-a-dream story, and hopefully it'll be also be a rags-to-riches one.

Check out the teaser trailer, then be sure to sign up for the mailing list so you can follow the film's progress. Don't worry - you won't get flooded with email spam, and no one's going to sell your address. All it'll do is keep you in the loop so you can to follow this amazing story as it unfolds.

And if you know someone in the industry, why not drop them an email and pull their coat to this incredible project?

Jason is a great guy, and what's more he's been a big help to me and all the folks at www.NewTexture.com ; so will you trust me on this and allow him the opportunity to scare the pants off you?

Now go check out the site - and spread the word!

My Friend Andy

My friend Andy Biscontini and I grew up together in Delaware County, PA. Since then he's lived all over the world, but he loves New York. In fact, he loves New York so much, he's even got a soft spot for sides of the city most people don't much care for - the small time chiselers, three card monte hustlers, rent scammers, strippers on the make, illegal immigrants trying to keep one step ahead of the INS... You know, the kind of people you have to warn visiting friends about.

EVERY DOG'S DAY is his offbeat valentine to the men and women who eke out an existence on the short con. It's sorta like IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD made for peanuts and directed by Jim Jarmusch, with assists from the ghosts of Robert Altman and Frank Tashlin. It's loose and fun, surprisingly sweet and charming and well worth your time. What's more, the thing is an ensemble piece with a (uniformly excellent) cast so large, chances are if you've ever spent any kind of time in the city you probably know someone in there. Or, more likely, been swindled by them.

I'm sharing this information because aside from my liking the film, I know Andy busted his ass making this movie, then busted it again trying to get it released so people could actually see the thing. Now IndiePix has done right by him and slapped it on a silver platter, making it available to the general public for $15. Then this week I got an email alerting me that as a promotional special this week, they're making the film available as a download for only eight bucks. Eight bucks! You can't even go to a movie in a theater for eight bucks these days! Unless maybe you're by yourself. And it's a third run release. And you like having your feet stick to the floor. And you're ok with the smelly guy in the seat next to you who keeps making eyes at you and touching your knee.

If this sounds like it might be your cup of stuff, what are you waiting for? Support the Arts. Support an independent. Support my friend Andy! Gamble eight bucks on the download and check out his movie. And if by some outside chance you have a sudden lapse of taste and actually don't enjoy the film, I'll buy you a coffee next time I see you and then you're almost coming out even. Hell, a lot of you owe me eight bucks already!

Follow the links below:

Buy a disc for $15: http://www2.indiepix.net/film/3126

Download for $8: http://www2.indiepix.net/film/3209

And if you're on MySpace, add the movie as a "friend" and say hello to Andy while you're at it: http://www.myspace.com/everydog