CONNECTICUT
WORST CASE SCENARIO, a new
reality-TV series is shooting some scenes in New Milford.
New Milford has been a hot spot since the Adam Sandler
/ Winona Rider starrer, DEEDS, shot there earlier
in the year, says Guy Ortoleva, director of the Connecticut
Film, Video and Media Office
Connecticut-based Captured Time
Productions' LOOP DREAMS, a documentary about
the making of a low-budget feature, screened to audiences
at the Brooks Pharmacy Rhode Island International
Film Festival where it also won an award, as did G-SPOT?
with Sandy Duncan from Bagelfish Productions.
A new generator rental company has
come to the Nutmeg State. United Rental, based out
of West Haven, heard that Connecticut is a hot-bed
of production activity, which is great news for the
area.
Come November, Budweiser will shoot
a live up-linked commercial from a night club / bar
still to be announced. And there has been some studio
feature scouts happening in the state.
And last but not least, keep your
eyes peeled for more information about the Connecticut
Consortium of Independent Filmmakers, which will be
holding seminars and opportunities for networking
to help the growing community of film professionals
in the state.
MAINE
"We have been scouting for three
major features and have been helping several big commercial
projects," says Greg Gadberry, assistant director
of the Maine Film Office. Crews for Mercedes-Benz
shot two ads in the Bar Harbor area in late July,
while a crew for the Nordstrom's dept. store completed
a catalog job in the south coast at that time as well.
The 4th Annual Maine International
Film Festival (MIFF), held in Waterville, was a huge
success, according to Gadberry. The festival "drew
a number of Maine-made features, short films and student
works," he says. In fact there were so many locally-made
films that, for the first time, the festival hosted
a special Made-In-Maine program. "The program featured
the Maine Student Film and Video Awards, a collection
of new works by Maine artists and a panel discussion
on Maine movie-making, moderated by Lea Girardin,
director of the Maine Film Office," explains Gadberry.
IN THE BEDROOM had a special
sneak preview at the MIFF. The film, starring Sissy
Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Nick Stahl, was shot in
the Rockland area last year. The only other public
screening of the film was at Sundance earlier this
year where it was awarded a special jury prize. "The
MIFF screening of IN THE BEDROOM was especially
nice," says Gadberry, because the fest gave its Mid-Life
Career Award to Sissy Spacek. She and her family attended
the screening along with the film's writer and director,
Todd Fields. The film received a standing ovation
after the showing. Miramax plans for a limited release
of the film on October 5th, as a possible Oscar push
platform.
The Maine Film Office traveled to
Washington, DC, last month for meetings with Maine's
Congressional staffers and with film folks from across
the nation. "We are working with Film US and other
American film commissions in hopes to getting new
federal tax incentives for American film projects,"
says Gadberry. "This would help us better compete
with Canada, which offers multi-million dollar incentives
already."
On tap for the film office is a
party at this years IFP Market in New York. Slated
for October 2nd, Maine and six other film offices
and commissions (including Vermont) are planning the
event. "The party will be a new thing for the IFP
Market," says Gadberry. "We hope it will prove a good
way for film offices and film commissions to meet
and help producers and directors."
MASSACHUSETTS
"Our film festivals are also moving
forward in strong fashion," explains Tim Grafft, deputy
director of the Massachusetts Film Office. "The Provincetown
Film Festival was a great success, and at the Nantucket
Film Festival, five Made-in-Massachusetts movies were
screened: UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, DINNER AND
A MOVIE, ORPHAN, THE GENTLEMAN FROM
BOSTON, and the premiere of Brad Anderson's thriller
SESSION 9."
The 10th annual Woods Hole Film
Festival was held July 28 - August 4, and was a great
success. The ten-year anniversary featured numerous
screenings, including many locals, like Eric Poydar's
ABOUT BARBERS, Ziad Hamzeh's SHADOW GLORIES
(winner: Best Feature), and the documentary UNFINISHED
SYMPHONY (winner: Best of the Festival) by Bestor
Cram. To see more winners, check out www.woodsholefilmfestival.com
.
The feature film PASSIONADA,
helmed by Dan Ireland (THE VELOCITY OF GARY),
wrapped around mid-July in the New Bedford area. The
family drama stars Jason Isaacs (THE PATRIOT,
SWEET NOVEMBER), Theresa Russell (WILD THINGS)
and Seymour Cassell (RUSHMORE, 61*).
OSMOSIS JONES, the latest
Farrelly Bros. pic, opened August 10th. The live-action
portion of the Bill Murray starrer was shot on the
South Shore, in and around Plymouth last year. The
other part of the film is animated.
The 8th Annual MFO Screenwriting
competition is well underway with the winner being
announced in September.
RHODE ISLAND
News from the Ocean State front
is plentiful, as always. The Brooks Pharmacy Rhode
Island International Film Festival ran from August
8-13. This year, Blake Edwards received a life-time
achievement award, with Julie Andrews also in attendance.
Of particular note to local filmmakers was the two-day
Providence Film Festival, a "festival-within-a-festival"
that highlights regional talent both in an out of
competition. For more information on the winners and
plans on next years fest, visit their website at www.film-festival.org
.
"[In July we] did a statewide Chrysler
commercial that was here 22 days," says Rick Smith,
director of the Rhode Island Film & TV Office. There
was also a two-week shoot for the Discovery Channel
about Egypt with Providence Pictures.
PROVIDENCE has been renewed
for another season and will "shoot here in the fall,"
says Smith. And just when you thought PROVIDENCE
was the only prime-time show to focus on Rhode Island,
MAYBE IT'S ME, a family comedy set in the state,
will air Fridays at 8:30pm on the WB.
Paul Madden of Madden Media recently
announced the website for an historical television
series, GILDED CAGE, that is set at the Mansions
in Newport. "He has begun the final stages of pre-production
and financing," according to Smith. You can visit
the website at: www.yacht-TV.com/gilded_cage/
.
VERMONT
Still shoots abound in the Green
Mountain state, one of the state's marketing bread
and butter, especially in the late summer and early
fall as the leaves starts to turn. Catalog and magazine
shoots make up for most of the still shoots in the
state.
"In addition, Vermont film maker Jay Craven (A
STRANGER IN THE KINGDOM, WHERE THE RIVERS FLOW
NORTH) is running a summer camp for fledgling
filmmakers" says Jeannette Wulff, deputy executive
director of the Vermont Film Commission. The fledgling
filmmakers are actually teens that attended the summer
camp/institute from July 7th-27th, learning all aspects
of the filmmaking process. To date, over 15 narrative
shorts have been shot on location in Vermont through
the institute. "The kids love it!" exclaims Wulff.
For more information on the Fledgling Film summer
camp, visit www.kingdomcounty.com.
Carl Hansen
is a writer and location coordinator based out of
Los Angeles. If you have any production news, comments,
or questions, please e-mail him at: fhansen1@netzero.net
