More Shorts Stuff

Came across the trailer and some reviews of a new twenty minute short film entitled Remote that sounded good. It's from Canadian Marc Roussell, and just picked up "best short" at THRILLSPY Film Festival in Washington, D.C..

"On a cold February night, Matt loses his cable signal during a severe snowstorm. He's left with channel after channel of static, until he comes across a station that is the mirror image of his apartment, but 30 years in the past. He soon discovers that he can communicate with Justine, the young woman residing in the apartment on the television. As the two get to know each other, Matt discovers that Justine died on that very night 30 years ago. Does he have the power to change her fate?"

I haven't screened the entire film, but I like what I've seen so far...clean, simple, effective.

Reading about 'Remote' reminded me of Canadian director Vincenzo Natali's (Cube) short film effort , Elevated. Hard to believe that was like, 12 years ago...but it definitely got Natali noticed and even some TV series directing work.

Completed in 1997, the 17 minute film brought Natali and fellow Canadian filmmaker Karen Walton (Ginger Snaps) together to create a tense thriller that took place entirely in the confines of an elevator. More specifically, the film is about two people, Ben and Ellen, who are thrust into adventure when all of a sudden, Hank, the blood covered security man of the building rushes into their elevator, claiming that there's a dangerous alien-like creature in the building.

Relive the claustrophobia of 'Elevated' HERE.

The C Bump

Friday Fun with a remixed Mr. Stephen Colbert ladies and gentlemen! Gonna bump all night long...hit it!




Because it makes me smile.


ps last night's 'The Money Shot: Going Dow On It' -clip 1, and 'Mayo-lution' clip 2, were priceless.

I Don't Feel Like Dancing...

....after reading Uncle Jim's interpretation of the Canadian Media Fund industry consultation session in Toronto yesterday... ugh...read all about it HERE, though if someone had a different perspective of the proceedings I would love to hear your takeaway (as I'm sure Jim would too...he's a reasonable man).

Need a pick-me-up....I know, Stephen Colbert. He makes me feel like dancing.



Oh yes. Dancing now.

Short Film Writing 101

So many of the websites and how-to-do books out there focus on the writing or making of the feature length film. But truth be told, writing and making a feature is such a daunting and overwhelming undertaking first time out. So here are some resources for writing and making the short film.

From Karen Gocsik and Serguei Bassine, the writer and director of the short film, Because of Mama.

In a short film, there's no time to develop an elaborate plot structure. In fact, as we noted earlier, some short film makers fear time constraints and so eschew story entirely. They make films based on situation, not story. Generally, these films are ironic: they show characters in unusual situations that are resolved through some final "twist."

Story is different. Stories evolve when characters want something, are blocked from having it, and resolve the matter in some way. In a story, characters don't simply find themselves in ironic situations. They grow. They change. The structure of the film is based on this growth. However, in the short film, the character's desire has to be made clear very early in the film. The obstacles have to arise almost immediately. The road to resolution has to be well-plotted and well-paced. If you manage all of this, you'll have produced a successful short screenplay.

And a good place to start is HERE, a website devoted to the creating of and making of the short film 'Because Of Mama'. And after perusing the advice layed out by the filmmakers in the sidebar, you can read the STEP OUTLINE, then read THE SCRIPT, and then watch the finished production of the film HERE.

One caveat...I didn't think Because of Mama was a particularly stellar effort when all was said and done...but it's a decent short film, and a lot can still be learned from the film and the filmmakers.

Also worth checking out is The Lunch Date. Again, not a home run in my books, but still decent plus a transcript of the screenplay is HERE. And you can watch the finished film below:




I still think one of the best short films I've seen recently is The Black Hole.



Simple, clear, effective...a clever idea with a good ending not to mention nice execution and it looks great...all the necessary elements for a successful short film.

My Neighbour's Wife Has Been Kidnapped!

It turned into an Alan J. Pakula weekend for me for some reason....as in I ended up screening three of the director's mystery thrillers from the mid 70's; Klute, The Parallax View, and All The President's Men, 'the paranoia trilogy' as they've come to be known. And as much as part of me hates being an old fart and talking about the good ol' days of movies and how they don't make films like they used to...they really don't make films like they used to.

All three are open mysteries (more or less)...we know the ending or the killer or the bad guys from the beginning, yet they still 'thrill' to this day. All three have great scripts with fantastic cinematography (Gordon Willis) and terrific actors (Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Roy Scheider, Warren Beatty...c'mon!), but where they really shine is in the direction by Mr. Pakula. And the shine isn't because of the ways we've come to praise direction today: flash, bang, smash, boom, bang, razzle, dazzle...but rather Pakula's ability to exercise restraint; create tension and suspense and drama through pause, effect, understatement, and quiet; and the near absence of any music and/or film edits and cuts.

From The Parallax View, Warren Beatty suspects the worst is about to happen to a plane he's travelling on and quietly strives to resolve the situation without drawing undue attention to himself.




From Klute, Jane Fonda is confronted by her stalker and the movie's killer after he traps her in a dressmaking factory (SPOILERS + just a bit of that creepy score off the top - 'shiver')...




And one of my favourite movie scenes of all time, Redford catches a break in Woodstein's quest to uncover the puzzle of Watergate...while on the phone...filmed in a one-sided oner.



There's a beat, around 6 minutes into the scene, where Dahlberg tells Redford that he gave the money to Maurice Stans...and it must have been SO tempting to punctuate that moment with a big music sting. I mean, it was the payoff, the climax as it were, to the entire shot...c'mon! And yet, Pacula didn't. He just let it play. Perfect. And even though it's all one shot with a slow zoom in, it's still 'directed', albeit unobtrusively, with a split diopter lens keeping the left and right side of the frame (foreground/background) in focus reinforcing the motif of visual claustrophobia.

There's a quiet confidence in direction like this that you just don't see anymore. Or there are directors today capable of directing this way, but the companies and the studios won't let them or don't want them to. And that's really a shame, really.

Well, Will It?

Deirdre McMurdy had some fun this weekend and writes up a nice piece about the on-going battle between the Canadian Broadcasters and Canadian BDU's (Cable/Satellite Providers)...a battle that reached embarrassingly childish proportions on Friday with their dueling press releases (first the BDU's, then the Broadcasters).

So here's the 411: The broadcasters, who used to fight all the time, have now become frenemies. They've formed an awesome clique that's, like, totally ragging the cable companies that carry and distribute their programming. They say the cable companies like Rogers and Shaw and Videotron should pay them something for the programs they've been getting for free. The cable companies are LOLing that and have become BFFs to push back. They say they'll pass that new cost on to consumers directly. OMG!

The official name for this whole issue is fee-for-carriage, although the two sides have tried to put Lip Smacker on it and put it into a more consumer-friendly package. The broadcasters call it a "Save Local Television" campaign (because they can't afford to support local tv stations unless they get more cash). The cable folks say it's a "TV tax." And they're throwing down on each other all over Twitter and Facebook.

They've been fighting about it for years: This fall, the federal regulator, the CRTC, is going to hear them squabble over who started the fight for the third time. Every single time this happens, it costs the broadcasters (who say they're pretty much broke) and the cable companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal and lobbying bills. This time around, that tab includes the price of aggressive advertising and marketing campaigns as well. And it costs taxpayers in terms of the time and effort of the CRTC staff.

Read the rest of the article HERE. I enjoyed it's playful tone and nice recap of the state of all things Broadcaster/BDU...though she never really answers the question posed in the title of the piece: 'Will "TV Tax" Save Canadian Television?'

Well, will it?

What About Friday Night?

A Friday Fun special from Play It Again, Sam: Woody Allen on dating...including 'misreading the signs', 'drinking a quart of bourbon a day', and of course, "that's quite a lovely Jackson Pollock...what does it say to you?"




Because it makes me smile.


p.s. make your own Jackson Pollock painting on your computer screen HERE...pretty cool!

Good To The Last Frame

A lot of people thought the best part of The Hangover was the end credits, with its montage of photos depicting what really happened that night. For me, that montage was simply the right way to end the film...because wondering what really went down throughout was what made the movie work, but we still wanted to know the truth. Anyway, it got me thinking about cool closing credit sequences.

In the same way a cool opening title sequence can draw you in and set the tone for a film, a unique or clever closing credit sequence can be a perfect exclamation point on a movie-going experience. The Art of The Title Sequence has a great article HERE on the making of the closing credits of Pixar's WALL-E.

Jim Capobianco’s end credits to Andrew Stanton’s “WALL·E” are essential; they are the actual ending of the film, a perfect and fantastically optimistic conclusion to a grand, if imperfect idea. Humanity’s past and future evolution viewed through unspooling schools of art. Frame after frame sinks in as you smile self-consciously. It isn’t supposed to be this good but there it is. This is art in its own right. Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman’s song, “Down to Earth” indulges you with some incredibly thoughtful lyrics and, from the Stone Age to the Impressionists to the wonderful 8-bit pixel sprites, you are in the midst of something special.

Watch the sequence HERE and see for yourself...it is pretty remarkable.

I'm one of those 'stick around until the end of the credits' kinda guy anyway, but some faves that made it extra pleasurable to stay until the the lights came up include Apocalypse Now (they blow stuff up!) , The Matrix (they go swoosh!), Finding Nemo (they swim around!), This Is Spinal Tap (they be funny!), Se7en (they scroll down!)...

Big Honourable Mentions have to go to High Fidelity (they're so snazzy!):




And Almost Famous (they're so sentimental!):




But for me, Pixar's A Bugs Life still wins hands down. I mean, bloopers have been an end credits staple for like, ever (see Cannonball Run)...but bloopers with animated characters....pure genius.




Mmmm...good till the last frame. Did I miss any?

The Wilhelm Scream....It's Everywhere!!!!

I like useless little bits of TV and movie trivia, like this list of top 10 sound effects we all recognize, compiled over at Listverse, including the Wilhelm Scream.

The Wilhelm scream is a frequently-used film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film "Distant Drums". The effect gained new popularity (its use often becoming an in-joke) after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games. The scream is often used when someone is falling to his death from great height.

Watch, listen, and smile...



It's remarkable to me how I won't recognize recycled sounds in movies and TV shows, but will almost always notice a reused piece of music score in a trailer for a new movie or TV series and call *fail*.

Still don't know why its called the 'Wilhelm' scream though.

The Art Of Prank War

This one's been around a while, but only this week did I see the latest installment in the years long prank war between two CollegeHumor.com employees, Amir Blumenfeld and Streeter Seidell. You have to go to the link, and start at the bottom if you've never viewed the escalation from innocent office hijinx to stadium-sized humiliation before, but the Half Million Dollar Shot is priceless prankage. Friday Fun worthy for sure.

Go watch the fun unfold HERE.


Because it makes me smile.

We Must Be In Some Kind Of Sunspot Or Something...

A sunspot? Really?

I know this video has already made the rounds...in fact I WROTE SOMETHING HERE a while back about the cell phone dilemma for writers (along with fax and answering machines), but it's still a fun watch.

No signal!



As Beck sings: Cellphone's Dead ...for screenwriters at least.

One Take Wonder

In the good ol days of the blog, I would take this opportunity to write a piece on the pros and cons of the 'oner' (filming a scene or sequence in one take)...and discuss art vs. ego, story vs. 'look at me', substance vs. style and so on. But these days no one's reading magazines or newspapers anymore much less the blogs it seems, so I'll simply post this tasty morsel of one take video awesomeness by a group of students in Montreal and say you'll love it.

Trust me, I Gotta Feeling.




H/T Matt MacLennan

p.s. Over at his place, Matt wonders what doing a one take shot like this "gets you, really"...and when it comes to film school at least, I say it shows off your 'directing'. Note to students: wanna show off your writing, put together a good two-hander in a room with a couple of decent actors and shoot it simple...let the words and performances shine. Wanna show off your directing skills...film a wicked oner.


p.p.s. I Gotta Feeling lip dub reminds me of THIS CLASSIC from the College Humor offices.

All Her...Clothes Fall Off?

Sorry for the late post...busy day.

Patrick Stewart shows he gots some big-time comedy chops in this deliriously funny scene from Extras. "And I've seen everything. I've seen it all." Saucy Friday Fun.



Because it makes me smile.

Wakkanew...Whaa???

Matt MacLennan is another Canadian TV scribe willing to toss his hat into the blogging ring (even though, according to Mystery Man on Film - "Blogs aren't what they used to be...I'm looking to do something new.")...but Matt's blog is cool because it's all about posting fun weird mostly new stuff. Like not eating marshmallows, or Sony Television ads.




Go see a Wakkanew at Matt's place.

LPIF Redux

I'm going to repost my thoughts from last month on the Local Programming Improvement Fund as this blog's been swarmed over the past week via Google searches like:

What is this LPIF fee?
Why is there an LPIF fee on my bill?
What the hell is a LPIF fee?

And of course: LPIF WTF?

The reason for this sudden interest in the LPIF (Local Programming Improvement Fund) is that it's started showing up as a line item on people's September cable bills...as promised by the BDU's.

But there also seems to be a lot of confusion accompanying the apparent consumer anger with having to fork over yet another cable bill cost. You see, there's also the FFC or Fee-For-Carriage issue out there now and on people's radar....an issue that sparked a big fight between the Broadcasters and the Cable/Satellite Providers. Such a big fight that, as Grant Robertson reports, the government recently stepped in and gave fee-for-carriage its own special CRTC hearing in December to try to resolve the issue.

From the Globe & Mail:

In July, the CRTC opened the door for the networks to be compensated by the cable and satellite companies when it announced that it would allow negotiations between the two sides, and enforce an arbitrated solution if a compensation deal could not be reached.

However, the Conservatives are staunchly opposed to the proposal, which could be unpopular with some voters. Though the cable and satellite companies don't have to pass the cost on to customers, the major carriers such as Rogers Communications Inc., Bell Canada, and Shaw Communications Inc. have already said they will.

Yesterday's development (to hold another hearing in December) stems from a Canadian Heritage parliamentary committee hearing this summer, where the TV networks argued they need new funds to support struggling small market TV stations and to produce local programming.

Later in the article, the broadcasters chime in:

The big broadcasters were still optimistic, though, that the issue could go their way. CTV, CBC and Global are arguing their case together, arguing that the cable industry has been misinforming consumers with letters enclosed in bills that inflate the potential impact on their monthly invoices.

CanWest Global Communications Corp. said the hearings in December will be an opportunity to set the record straight on those figures. "I think what they're saying is consistent with what we're saying, which is that this is an important issue for consumers," said Charlotte Bell, senior vice-president of regulatory affairs at CanWest.

"I think it's important that consumers get the right information because this is about the future of local television. And the consumer is right in the middle of it."

"...this is about the future of local television. And the consumer is right in the middle of it."

"...to support struggling small market TV stations and to produce local programming."

And therein lies the confusion. This recent article is about FFC (fee-for-carriage), but it could just as well be about LPIF (local programming improvement fund). And most regular folks have been seeing it as such. As one commenter wrote: "Why am I paying a fee on my cable bill for improving local programming now when hearings won't be happening until December?"

Um. Because they're two different things. The broadcasters already received a fund to help local stations and local programming, the LPIF, and now they're seeking fee-for-carriage yet are still using the 'for local stations and local programming' argument (I'm guessing it gets more traction than the 'poor management and advertising dollars are down but we don't want to change our business model' argument).

Got it now? Make sense? I hope so, though I'm sure it won't make paying an extra cost on your cable bill (that wasn't supposed to be passed onto the consumer) any easier to swallow.

There's A Pipeline...

Dictionary. Actor = Daniel Day-Lewis

That's Sooooooo Unacceptable

Curb Your Enthusiasm has been one of my 'go to' shows for comedy over the past seven years. A new season premieres this Sunday...a season that will feature the cast of "Seinfeld" making a guest appearance beginning in episode 3. So it's only fitting that Friday Fun is Larry David going too far yet again in a NSFW way during poker night at Julia Louis-Dreyfus' house.



Because it makes me smile.

Assignment 1: Review Your Canadian TV Policy...Review

“We’ve played by the rules and waited for this moment to address the decline in Canadian drama and the broadcasters’ overspending in Hollywood. The monetary issue of fee-for-carriage is a fight between the broadcasters and the cable companies, with Canadian artists and Canadian audiences being held hostage.”
Maureen Parker, Executive Director WGC

Maybe we need to stop playing by the rules, hmmm?

There's a big Canadian TV policy review scheduled for this fall, but you might not have heard about it with all the headlines this summer dominated by the broadcasters warring with the BDU's (cable providers) re: local programming and fee-for-carriage.. And now that the CRTC has decided to include fee-for-carriage in the November TV policy hearings, there's big concern that the key issue of Canadian content and specifically drama will be pushed to the sidelines. Nevertheless, the Writers Guild of Canada filed its TV policy submission today to the CRTC.

The short strokes from the WGC press release:

The Writers Guild of Canada filed with the CRTC its position on TV policy in Canada and its ideas for a revised regulatory framework that will apply to the conventional and specialty broadcasters. This much needed policy review was supposed to take place in 2007, and we have been waiting patiently to redress the failures of previous TV policy adopted in 1999. The WGC has come together with ACTRA, the CFTPA and the DGC in proposing a plan to help the CRTC achieve its stated goal of “ensuring that the Canadian broadcasting system is distinctly Canadian in its content.”

To ensure that high-quality Canadian programming will be produced and in the volume necessary to provide audiences with real Canadian choice, the WGC is proposing a three-point plan. First, the WGC recommends a specific Canadian programming expenditure requirement for all conventional services. Second, it recommends the continuation of existing expenditure and exhibition requirements for specialty services. And finally, in order to address the serious decline in drama, true documentaries and children’s programming, the WGC recommends that the CRTC set ownership-group-based expenditure and exhibition requirements for drama, documentary and children’s programming.

“This three-point plan gets to the root of the problem,” says Maureen Parker, Executive Director, WGC, “by ensuring an overall Canadian programming spend for the conventional broadcasters and creating a minimum group-based expenditure requirement for drama. The plan expands on the Canadian Programming Expenditure (CPE) in use for specialty channels by adapting the model to the entire ownership group – this model has proven itself effective in generating high-quality, high-cost programs. The plan also recommends an exhibition requirement to ensure those shows are aired at least once on conventional broadcasters, where there is an opportunity to garner a mass audience. The history of Canadian broadcasting tells the tale: only with both expenditure and exhibition requirements do we get both volume and quality. This proposal gives broadcasters additional flexibility while ensuring they meet their obligations under the Broadcasting Act.”

Nice. And go HERE and read the long version submission to get the bigger picture. It includes a very informative 'history' of Canadian TV and specifically the path traveled by drama production to this point in time. It's a somewhat daunting document, but I strongly suggest all newbies and students and up-and-comers make this their homework for the day and go read now.

Other worthwhile reads....

The Story So Far: a review of past CRTC measures

A Survey of Priority Programming Trends

Analysis of Canadian Television Programming Economics

Proposed Framework for Greater Support for Canadian Programming through a Group based Approach to Television Licensing

Stakeholder Submissions for the Rebooted Canadian Media Fund

I know....ugh. But like it or not this is the system we are burdened with to try to make television in this country. So you gots to understand how it all works, and help fight for change...otherwise Cancon drama will just continue to slowly slip away like it has for the past ten years. Seriously. Read. With attention. There will be a test.


H/T Kelly Lynne Ashton and the WGC for putting together the majority of this invaluable info

The Foundation Shakes Quietly Into Your Living Room

I'd heard some quiet murmurs over the past several months that Showcase was launching a new original TV comedy series this fall, but was having a tough time finding out anything about it. And then today I read on Facebook that a Showcase series was premiering tonight entitled The Foundation...and guess what, turns out it's in fact the new show in question.

Philanthropy has always been something of a sacred cow, most likely because people have a hard time understanding how charity can be seen as a selfish pursuit. The Foundation, a brand-new half-hour comedy series coming to Showcase on Sunday, September 13th at 10:40pm ET/PT, aims to change that perception, offering an absurdly funny take on the motives behind the money.

The central character of the series is Michael Valmont-Selkirk, an irresponsible, corrupt man who holds the reins of The R.J. Selkirk Foundation, a powerful not-for-profit organization. His foundation has a mandate of supporting various funds and important causes, but it's clear that Michael’s primary motivation for helping anybody with anything comes down to the potential for personal gain.

Here's the trailer (which I must say I had a really hard time locating...couldn't even find the show on imdb.com):



Kinda hard to get a read on who it's targeting audience-wise or its comedy style exactly, but if you go to the Showcase channel homepage HERE and watch a preview clip, it sure looks 'Curby' or 'Officey' (main character also named Michael). But the cbc.ca's Jason Anderson gives series a positive write-up, though it's hard to tell whether Anderson even screened the program as there's not a lot of 'reviewing' of the pilot in the article.

Anyway, check out The Foundation...I know I will (Co-Creator Michael Dowse was behind cult fav flick Fubar). But a polite note to the marketing departments at Showcase and Canwest Broadcasting. Considering how difficult it was to find out anything about this new show, much less see any ads for it (and I watched PGA golf simulcast on Global today and saw like, a hundred commercials for the Weeds Season 5 premiere tonight on Showcase), you really needs to ups your promotions game a bit.

A Miracle! A Miracle!

No, I'm not referring to the recent CRTC decision requiring each of the Canadian broadcaster ownership groups to file/release the financial data (aka their programming spends) on behalf of the licensed broadcasting undertakings within their respective groups (aka each of the channels they own)...I'm referring to one of the 'holy grail's' of comedy.

"I was blind but now I can see!" Phwap!


Monty Python + "Life of Brian" = some saucy Friday Fun



Because it makes me smile.