Oz Magazine November/December 2016

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STAFF Publishers:

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016

CONTRIBUTORS Justin O. Cooper

Justin O. Cooper is a PR professional and award-winning creative talent based in LA. He’s currently the Marketing Communications Associate for the Association of Film Commissioners International where he’s secured media placements in top industry trades - Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Prior to his life in LA he was the former Film Liaison for Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, GA where he facilitated production logistics for film and television series that include - What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Ride Along, ‘Being Mary Jane’ (BET), Resurrection (ABC) and others. When he’s not working you can find him in his favorite spots, napping on the beach or star gazing in the middle of Wadi Rum in Jordan. www.JustinOCooper.com

Tia Powell (Group Publisher) Gary Powell

Editor-in-Chief: Gary Powell

Associate Editor:

Zachary Vaudo

Sales:

Kris Thimmesch Martha Ronske

Contributors:

Justin O. Cooper Andrew Duncan Allen Rabinowitz Zachary Vaudo

Andrew Duncan

Kelvin Lee

Production and Design:

Kelvin Lee Michael R. Eilers Ted Fabella (Oz Logo Design)

Cover Image:

Behind The Camera With Drewprops, p.50

Andrew Duncan, known in the motion picture industry as “Drewprops,” has been writing about the craft of filmmaking from the inside out since the mid-1990s. His confusing and often embarrassing stories from behind the scenes provide a unique insight into the craft of filmmaking from the perspective of the shooting crew, artists and designers who bring your favorite films to life on the big screen.

Creative Director:

Tran Nguyen

Cineposium 2016: Wrap-up Report, p. 42

Allen Rabinowitz

Feature Story: Startin’ ‘em Young, p.38

A contributor to Oz since 1993, covering advertising, cinematography, graphic design and photography. One of the first chroniclers of the Punk Rock scene in his native New York, Allen’s work has appeared in local, national and international media including Communication Arts, How, Photo District News, Shoot, Folio, Agence France-Presse and Georgia Trend.

Zachary Vaudo

Cover Story: Attack of the Fans, p. 32

Zachary Vaudo is a writer, filmmaker, and Oz’s associate editor, based in Atlanta. He enjoys long walks on the beach, comic books, and delving into the dark recesses of the human mind. His work has appeared in ReGen Magazine, Sanitarium Magazine, and YouTube.

www.ozmagazine.com www.facebook.com/ozmagazine www.twitter.com/ozpublishing

Tran Nguyen

www.instagram.com/ozmagazine

Tran Nguyen is a Georgia-based gallery artist and freelance illustrator. Born in Vietnam and raised in the States, she is fascinated with creating visuals that can be used as a psycho-therapeutic support vehicle, exploring the mind’s landscape. Her paintings are created with a soft, delicate quality using colored pencil and acrylic on paper.

(404) 633-1779 Oz Magazine is published bi-monthly by Oz Publishing, Inc. 2566 Shallowford Road Suite 104, #302 Atlanta, GA 30345 Copyright © 2016 Oz Publishing Incorporated, all rights reserved.

Reproductions in whole or in part without express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper.

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Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Cover Artist

Photograph by Jo McCune

Nguyen has worked for clients such as Playboy, Smithsonian, McDonald’s, Chateau St. Michelle Winery, and has showcased with galleries in California, New York, Spain, and Italy. She is currently represented by Richard Solomon and Thinkspace gallery. www.mynameistran.com

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016

CONTENTS

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50

Ozcetera

A compilation of recent news, hot projects, and a bit of gossip, from and about industry leaders.

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32

30

A Helping Hand From Local 479

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54 The Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival

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55 Way Down Film Festival 56 Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival

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38

Feature Story

60 Eat, Drink & B-Indie: Animation Industry Mixer

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Cineposium 2016: Wrap-up Report

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48

56

61 Fujinon Day at ARRI Rentals

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Let Me Give You My Card

55

How I Got Into The Business

59 SLAW Red Carpet Premiere 60 All 3 Coasts Festival & Conference

Startin’ ‘em Young

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54 Oz Scene

Cover Story

Attack of the Fans: The Rising Fan Film Industry of Georgia

Behind The Camera With Drewprops

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66

Next Generation

November / December 2016

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Beth Nelson Named Executive Director of Savannah Area Film Office

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he Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) has named Beth Nelson Executive Director of the Savannah Area Film Office, formerly known as the Savannah Film Office.

Nelson, who has served as interim director of the Savannah Film Office since December 2015, has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the entertainment production industry, working as a location manager for film, television, and commercials in the Savannah area for projects including The Do Over, Dirty Grandpa, Magic Mike XXL, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and Royal Pains.

Nelson has ser ved on the Savannah Film Commission since 2012 and is co-president and founding member of Savannah Women in Film and Television.

“Many people have worked hard over the last two to three years and the result is the exceptional growth Chatham County is experi-

Beth Nelson

encing in the entertainment production industry. Beth has proven that her leadership and expertise are the perfect fit for the Savannah Area Film Office,” said SEDA President and CEO Trip Tollison.

“I’m looking forward to the incredible opportunity to lead the Savannah Area Film Office. Over the past nine months in my role as interim director, I have witnessed a surge in requests, site visits and productions landing in Chatham County, and I expect this industry to continue to grow at a rapid rate,” said Nelson.

Earlier this year, the City of Savannah voted unanimously for SEDA to manage the film office, while the City retains permitting. Chatham County also voted to fund the Savannah Area Film Office. The Savannah Area Film Office is now located in the SEDA offices at World Trade Center Savannah, 131 Hutchinson Island Road.

AFCI Presents the 2016 Creativity Awards

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he Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI) announced the winners of the Creativity Awards on September 24, during the closing ceremony of the 40th annual Cineposium conference in Atlanta. Film Commission Chile received the overall award, as voted by an independent jury, while awards were granted based on the audience voting for Best Logo, Best Promotional Swag, Best Ad Design, Best Reel, Best Website, and Best Production Guide.

“We are excited by the level of engagement from both our AFCI Members and the general public across the globe that participated in the Creativity Awards on the heels of a

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three-year hiatus,” said Kevin Clark, Executive Director of the AFCI. “The friendly competition among our members highlights the best-inshow of what film commissions use to market their unique locations to appeal to and inspire media content producers.”

The contest received nearly 200 entries from 33 AFCI film commission and industry affiliate members. 7,516 total votes were cast in the best-in-show marketing competition.

AFCI par tnered with Montana-based The Audience Awards to host the global competition. Submission entries were received from June 6-July 31 and contest voting occurred between August 2-19.

Oz Publishing proudly accepts the Creativity Award for Best Production Guide

OZCETERA

SAG-AFTRA Strike: The Video Game

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AG -AFTRA called a strike for its voice actors against multiple video game producers on October 21. “SAG-AFTRA has gone to the negotiations table with serious concerns affecting voiceover and stunt performers,” said SAG-AFTRA Chief Contracts Officer Ray Rodriguez. “It’s time for video game employers to take our concerns seriously and negotiate a modern contract based on actor safety, industry precedent and best practices.”

Negotiations began with the 11 different video game employers subject to the strike

back in February 2015. The strike was authorized in October 2015, but negotiations continued for another year in an attempt to resolve the conflict.

“SAG-AFTRA doesn’t want to strike, who does? But we cannot stand by and watch our members suffer serious injury and put their careers at risk in the current environment,” said Keythe Farley, a voice actor, casting director, and voice director who chairs SAG-AFTRA’s Interactive Committee. “The time is now for a new contract for our members.”

The SAG-AFTRA film and TV pact generates over $1 billion a year for performers. By contrast, the video game contract generates significantly less for actors: the smallest of the union’s contract, it’s believed to put less than $30 million into the pockets of actors each year. The last time SAG made figures publicly available in 2010, guild members earned only $2.4 million under the contract.

Full details on the strike and its progress can be found on the SAG-AFTRA web site.

November / December 2016

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ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION

www.hollywoodtrucksllc.com

NVIRONMENTAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION

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November / December 2016

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Acuity Entertainment Management Acquired

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Largest Liquidator in the Southeast.

group of private investors recently acquired Atlanta-based Acuity Entertainment Management, a 13-year-old talent management company founded by Gail Tassell, and have rebranded the company Artist Entertainment Management (AEM). AEM will be the Southeast’s first full-service management and production company for actors, writers, producers/directors, musicians, dancers, authors and more, and will maintain its current offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York and Palm Beach, Florida.

Tassell, along with John Brooks Klingenbeck, (an industry veteran in entertainment investment and financing) and Kim Kreiss (an entertainment industry executive with more than 22 years of major market experience in production, casting and talent management), are the company principals.

“We saw a true need to launch a full-service management company, similar to those in Los Angeles or New York, based on the incredible talent here in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast,” said Klingenbeck. He adds, “Gail Tassell has a strong reputation in talent management, and her skills, coupled with my team’s background in more than $650 million in film investment and finance projects, will allow AEM to move into new areas, including production and content creation.”

Headquartered in the Atlanta Financial Center in Buckhead, AEM teams with talent agents to help build the careers of artists in Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York. AEM’s mission is to provide their talent roster - be it actors, musicians, writers, and more - with the high industry standards typically found at artist management and promotion agencies in Los Angeles and New York, while tapping into the $7+ billion film, video and television industry that continues to grow in Georgia and the Southeast.

“The acquisition will help us to not only build a stronger team internally, but also better meet our growing client demands within the rapidly changing entertainment industry,” said Tassell. “While we will continue to be selective in who we chose to represent, we are attracting and representing top-level talent.”

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omposer, sound designer & mixer, Ryan Peoples, joins the Atlanta branch of Company 3 after working in the local industry for over 7 years. After earning his MFA from SCAD, experimenting with a myriad of both comprehensive and odd instruments, and working directly with agency, film & industr y clients, Ryan will be combining all visions here in the Company 3 studios.

Ryan Peoples

“Ryan is very unique, captivating and diverse,” shared Kitty Snyder, Director of Creative Services. “I’ve seen him lead a sonic experiment at a large art event in the Oakland Cemetery, play as a musician in his multi-instrument band Oryx & Crake, and then tackle the sound design & mix on spots for Coca-Cola or Atlanta Hawks. And I just really like him as a person.”

Co -located near Lenox Square in Buckhead, Beast, Company 3 and Method Studios regularly partner with ad agencies, production companies, brands and studios on commercials, television series, music videos and feature films.

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November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Michael Lucker

Linda Sherbert

Writing for Stage and Screen

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he American Society of Journalists and Authors presented the “Dream of Writing for Stage and Screen” panel discussion in November as part of the ASJA Dream Bold Atlanta Conference, held at Agnes Scott College in Decatur.

Panelists included Michael Lucker and Linda Sherbert, who are both industry professionals as well as scriptwriting instructors, bringing decades of experience in stage and screen writing. Topics ranged from adapting existing books, articles, real-life events, and other source materials to a script for performance for the camera or a live audience; how to get your work adapted; how to get your script read by the right people; and how to negotiate your deal. Michael Lucker teaches at Emory University and the University of North Georgia, and Linda Sherbert teaches writing courses at the Alliance Theatre.

SurgeTV Launches

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ased in Atlanta, Surge Television will launch on Roku and Amazon in late 2016, poised to be the first global content creator owned television network. Operating as a co-op, Surge Television offers contributors a percentage of company profits during their participation time. Its mission is to create a community where artists feel empowered to explore their creative instincts with the support of a worldwide audience.

Surge will launch with four original content programs, UK-based programming, and a partnership with the Art Institutes of North America. The Art Institutes partnership is designed to give global exposure to young artists. Surge will work directly with the Art Institutes to support and promote the works of students attending their many campuses.

Tris Sicignano of Yupster Media was the first to sign with Surge and said, “I love that I can call on someone and bounce ideas off of them. Sometimes I’m too close to an idea and need another creative mind to give me feedback. Having this community means a lot.”

SurgeTV is the brainchild of author and internet radio entrepreneur Klarque Garrison. Garrison founded his online radio network Survival Radio Network in 2012 with the aim of providing top-notch programming to inspire, motivate and educate listeners worldwide. Surge aims to expand to more platforms in 2017.

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Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the MPAA, accepts the Georgia First Amendment Foundation’s Weltner Freedom of Information Award from Susan Weltner Yow

Free Speech Foundation Awards MPAA

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he Georgia First Amendment Foundation awarded the Motion Picture Association of America for its work this year to expand Georgia’s law against so-called SLAPP suits, also known as strategic litigation against public participation.

Former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, MPAA chairman and CEO, accepted the award for the group, stating that lawsuits are too often being used “to silence creative people.” He added that Georgia hosts more film and TV productions than any state other than California and New York.

As media lawyer Cynthia Counts describes it, a SLAPP suit “is intended to censor, intimidate or silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism.” Counts, a Duane Morris partner and board member of the First Amendment Foundation, worked on expanding Georgia’s law this year with the creation of House Bill 513, along with the Motion Picture Association’s Ben Sheffner; Peter Canfield of Jones Day; Tom Clyde and Lesli Gaither of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; Tom Harrold of Miller & Martin; Michael Wall of Comcast; and Arthur “Skin” Edge for Turner Communications.

HB 513, signed in April by Governor Deal, places a burden on plaintiffs who sue over “[a]ny … conduct in furtherance of the exercise of the constitutional right of petition or free speech in connection with a public issue or an issue of public concern.” At the First Amendment Foundation event, several speakers noted that the new law also forces the losing party in these cases to pay the other’s attorney fees.

VariCam Pure Unveiled in Atlanta

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anasonic and Codex revealed the all-new VariCam Pure at John Sharaf Photography in Atlanta on October 12. Using the same workflow as the ARRI 65 and SXT Cameras, the Pure integrates Thunderbolt Readers and Vaults, the original V35 Camera Head features, and a Codex V-Raw recorder for 4K recording.

November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Members of the ICG Local 600 at the Family Cookout

ICG Celebrates 20 Years

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he International Cinematographers Guild celebrated its 20th anniversary in three cities this year, with events held in Los Angeles, New York, and, for the first time ever, Atlanta.

The Emerging Cinematographers Awards marks ICG’s Atlantabased celebration, held at SCADShow.

The Local 600 already celebrated strong this year with its first annual Young Workers Family Cookout, hosting 170 attendees for food, music by Straight No Chaser, a raffle to raise funds for re:imagine/ATL, games, prizes donated by a slew of local businesses, and more. Representatives from Pinewood, Mailing Avenue Stageworks, ARRI, Keslow, PC&E, and Showcase were in attendance, connecting with fellow members and distributing swag. The Local 600 is already organizing its next cookout for 2017.

November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Chris Breen, Tim Smith, Ned Show

October Revelry for ACP

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PROFESSIONAL PHOTO RESOURCES

tlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) held its auction and gala for the 2016 ACP Festival on October 1, with Winston Eggleston (son of renowned photographer William Eggleston) representing the Eggleston Artistic Trust and Denise Bethel (former VP, Sotheby’s New York) serving as auctioneer.

October 8 featured the ACP Portfolio Walk, a showcase of photographers that attended the ACP Portfolio Review earlier this year.

The Photo Battle, an ACP collaboration with Photo Battle Atlanta, matched photographers in head-to-head competition, battling for audience approval over their works on October 14 at the Aviation Community Cultural Center.

ArtsATL collaborated with ACP for “It All Started with Thomas Askew,” a panel discussion on the life and work of Atlanta’s first African-American photographer.

ACP closed out October with the ACP Film Series presentation of Don’t Blink – Robert Frank, a documentary highlighting the accomplishments of the esteemed experimental director, at Midtown Art Cinema.

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Breensmith Has Chemistry

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reative shop Breensmith has merged with digital agency Chemistry and will operate under Chemistry’s name and out of its Atlanta office going forward. “It’s a merger in all the ways in which two organizations can come together,” said Chemistry CEO Ned Show. Even though the Breensmith name is going away and its staff is moving into Chemistry’s space, Show said the deal was not an acquisition and involved no financial exchange. Tim Smith and Chris Breen, co-founders of Breensmith, will serve as president and chief creative officer of Chemistry’s Atlanta office, respectively. They will report to Show.

Breensmith was recently named Ad Age’s Small Agency of the Year for the Southeast Region at their annual Small Agency Awards, held this year in Miami. “We’re thrilled that the work we do for our clients gets noticed. It’s a testament to our ‘Differenter is Betterer’ philosophy and the reality that, because of technology, agencies of all sizes can grab the spotlight and do smart innovative work,” said Smith.

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Breensmith’s Ad Age Award

This marks the third year running for Breensmith’s awards, with the agency receiving a Shorty Award for Best Small Agency i n S o cia l M e d ia i n 20 1 5 a n d num erou s Gold National ADDY’s at 2014’s American Advertising Awards.

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November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Brownieland Pictures sets up the shots for Every Opportunity

Brownieland Creates Every Opportunity

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rownieland Pic tures and The Atlanta Sp eech S chool’s Rollins C enter for Language and Literacy teamed up to produce Every Opportunity, a brief video on how small changes in adult behavior both in and out of the classroom can enhance a child’s ability to learn. The video has already garnered over one million views and has previously been reported on by Huffington Post.

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“We have been a partner with the Atlanta Speech School for almost six years and it has been amazing,” says Robyn Kranz and Randy Frostig of Brownieland. “When you work with someone that long, you truly understand the mission, and you buy into it personally and professionally. We have other partners we feel the same way about. It makes everything we do that much stronger.”

Every Opportunity was developed to introduce new programming for the Rollins Center’s Cox Campus portal, readrightfromthestart. org. Crawford Media Services conducted an interview with Kranz and Frostig on the importance of video storytelling, available in full on ozmagazine.com.

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November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Julie Roach, Deborah Gonzalez, Alex Speer, Trey Wakefield

Bob Rice Joins Pogo Pictures

Letterbox Legal Launches

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ogo Pictures welcomes its newest comedy director, Bob Rice. Rice joins Pogo after a long career beginning as an award-winning writer for Saatchi & Saatchi, which led to his role as creative director at Chiat-Day and several Cannes Lions. “For this reason,” states the Pogo team, “whenever Bob walks into a room, a dozen white doves are to be released.

However, our team at Pogo understands most budgets cannot accommodate such largesse.” Rice’s work can be viewed on the Pogo website.

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he D Gonzalez Law Group launched Letterbox Legal at 5 Seasons Westside this fall. Letterbox has developed pricing packages for actors, films, television shows, animation, screenwriters, and more facets of the entertainment industry.

Letterbox Legal aims to provide quality, affordable, and effective legal services to independent entertainment professionals. “We live in a time when many artists create their projects with their own money and resources

Festival founder Jim Farmer

and as a result, legal services tend to be overlooked or ignored,” says the Letterbox team.

“We realize that to convince many artists to seek appropriate legal help, attorneys must be willing to offer legal services customized to particular projects at reasonable rates. We see this project as an opportunity to address those needs, engage artists to protect their work, and provide opportunities for economic development and growth in the entertainment industries.”

A Q&A session following the Southern Shorts screenings

Out on Film 2016

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he 2016 Out On Film Festival, Georgia’s #1 LGBT film festival, convened for its 29th year at the Midtown Art Cinema from September 29 to October 6. Over 60 films and shorts were screened, including the classic

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Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, SCAD graduate Badar Shahid’s Last Lesson in the Southern Shorts category (premiering at the festival), Strike a Pose, the HBO documentary The Trans List, and many more. Q&A sessions followed

many of the films. Out on Film is one of the oldest LGBT film festivals in the country, curated

by Jim Farmer and supporting the exhibition of LGBT film and video art forms.

OZCETERA Atlanta Movie Tours guests on the Captain America: Civil War tour

Matthew MacCarthy

Fizz City Films Adds Matt MacCarthy Heroic Tours

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tlanta Movie Tours had quite an exciting few months, with numerous special tours lined up in the fall. A string of “Ant-Sized” Hero Tours ran over Dragon Con weekend, shuttling guests around Atlanta to the filming sites of The Hunger Games, Ant-Man, The Walking Dead, Robocop 3, Captain America: Civil War, and more. Hot on the heels of that weekend, AMT par tnered with Walt Disney Studios

Home Entertainment for an exclusive Captain America: Civil War tour, a three-hour tour of filming sites coupled with free swag and a digital copy of the film before the official release.

Rounding out October, AMT held back-toback Big Zombie Tours, with a Battle and Brew sponsored tour on October 23 and a special tour on October 27 hosted by IronE Singleton (The Walking Dead).

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izz City Films has added Atlanta director Matthew MacCarthy to its directors’ roster. “With his prevalent style, dry humor, and ability to create a striking image, Matt is an amazing addition to the Fizz team,” says Fizz City principal, Mark Simon, describing MacCarthy as “exceptional in his ability and youthful in his approach.” MacCarthy’s work includes music video “Feel Blue” by Four Eyes, multiple commercials, and serving as director of photography on numerous indie films and projects for Screen Gems and Columbia/ Tri Star.

November / December 2016

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OZCETERA Randall Franks

AFCI Gets a Talking-To from Officer Goode

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outhern actor/director Randall Franks, known for his role as Of f icer Randy Goode on the Atlanta-f ilmed show In the Heat of the Night, spoke recently on building networks at the AFCI Cineposium in Atlanta.

Franks spoke as a representative for Georgia Production Partnership. The appearance followed his hosting of the Grand Master Fiddler Championship at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, his involvement with the International Bluegrass Music Awards in Raleigh, and his tour in support of his new book, Encouragers III: A Guiding Hand while preparing his new CD, 30 Years on Radio and TV Volume One.

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Matchbook Wraps Funding, Looks for Growth Award-winning company opens new midtown offices, expands services.

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edia production and public relations company matchbook media + pr has partnered with the angel investing organization, Ritz Group, to launch new entertainment initiatives in Georgia and expand production

by Georgia-owned companies. The locally-owned firm is now offering complete production services alongside public relations and advertising, including pre-production, location scouting, permitting, government relations, crew staffing, union relations, casting, talent management, public relations, EPK production, equipment rentals, project financing, and distribution.

Matchbook media + pr also celebrates over five years in Atlanta this year by opening new midtown offices at Strongbox West. The office space includes access to thousands of square feet of event and creative work spaces.

Additionally, matchbook launched the IGNITE! business incubator program, providing oneon-one coaching, legal incorporation, operational planning, staffing, branding and marketing services.

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November / December 2016

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OZCETERA John Schneider

John Schneider brings CineFlix Fest to Georgia

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ctor, writer, and director John Schneider (Dukes of Hazard, Smallville, The Haves and the Have Nots) brought the independent film festival CineFlix Fest to Roswell, showcasing 24 films. Schneider, along with producer Alicia Allain, teamed up to create the festival as a way to highlight independent filmmakers and give them a platform for screenings. Atlanta was one of eight stops chosen for the CineFlix Fest tour.

SIEGE attendees try new VR systems and software

MAGICK LANTERN

Nick Laing, senior producer with Microsoft’s Turn10 game studio

magicklantern.com

Telling compelling brand stories

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10th Annual SIEGE Con

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he 10th annual Southern Interactive Entertainment and Game Expo convened October 6-9 in Atlanta, drawing over 1400 registered attendees for game development workshops, panels, investment conference, networking events, and a college fair. Speakers included Rand Miller (co-creator of Myst and Riven), Nick Laing (senior producer on the Forza Motorsports series), Thomas Holt (art director at Hi-Rez Studios), Molly Proffitt (CEO of Ker-Chunk Games), and more than 70 other presenters. SIEGE 2017 is scheduled for October 5-8.

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ON LOCATION Valdosta is a community that offers a variety of location possibilities. You can find historic architecture, lakes, pecan orchards, farmland, wineries, an olive oil farm, a championship golf course, multiple city parks, a railroad switching station, and the friendliest people in the South.

Getting to and from Valdosta is a easy with six exits off Interstate 75. Valdosta is in close proximity to Jacksonville International Airport, Orlando International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The Valdosta Regional Airport also offers connecting flights to Atlanta.

Contact Tim Riddle at the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority at 229-219-4403 November / December 2016 www.visitvaldosta.org

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OZCETERA Bill Lee, John San Miguel, Jeff Winter, Dr. Althea Sumpter

Farewell to MCA-I

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Rifleman The

Georgia's Premier Firearms Movie Rental Facility

fter 50 years as ITVA/MCA-I, the national organization has officially closed.

While many other local MCA-I chapters will continue on as independent organizations, including the Georgia Southern University Student Chapter (Film Club GSU), the Atlanta chapter of MCA-I held its final meeting at Manuel’s Tavern on October 26, after an established 44 years. Members shared memories and said their farewells over food and drinks.

“Since its inception as the old ITVA it brought tens of thousands of people together for professional education and inspiration to be the best in a highly competitive and ever-changing industry,” says MCA-I in its official statement. “The MCA-I is gone but fondly remembered.”

A t l a n t a P r o d u c e r a n d C i n e m a t o g r a p h e r B i l l Le e of MCA-I has made himself available to all former MCA-I m e m b e r s . A d d i t i o n a l l y, M C A - I m e m b e r B r a d G i l b e r t is launching Atlanta-Area Media Professionals (AMP) to take up the mantle in Atlanta, to be kicked off by the end of the year.

Bill Lee

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November / December 2016

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A guest demos Groove Jones’ Arcade Artist

Moxie Presents FutureX Live

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tlanta marketing agency Moxie premiered the flagship FutureX Live conference in October at its Northyards campus, hosted

by Moxie’s VPs of Future Experiences Jerry Hudson and John Rich.

With bookend keynotes by John Gaeta (Executive Creative Director at Lucasf ilm New Media) and futurist Jason Silva (Emmynominated hos t of National Geographic Channel’s Brain Games), FutureX hosted a full day of discussion, demonstration, and theorization in the realms of augmented reality (AR),

virtual reality (VR), 360 video, and mixed reality.

“From original research to the latest creations to prototypes of future experiences, our goal is to educate both our clients and the Atlanta community on all the ways they can leverage the new oppor tunities that Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality make possible,” said Moxie CMO Justin Archer, one of the producers of FutureX Live.

Topics included the history of VR and AR, VR in marketing and branding, storytelling across mediums, VR and AR’s use in and

effect on mental health, the technology’s integration into filmmaking. Presenters included experts from HowStuffWorks, Huffington Post, Ryot, USA Today, Meta, Discovery VR, [adult swim], The University of Georgia, Oculus, and more. Additionally, Allan Fowler announced Michael Isaza as the winner of the Kennesaw State University Game Jam. Demonstrations

by Groove Jones, Trick 3D, Microsoft HoloLens, and many more were available during the day and during the Moxie All Access after party.

Keynote speaker Jason Silva (Brain Games, Shots of Awe) enligtens the crowd on how all realities are virtual Paul Jenkins (Meta Studios) on the future of storytelling across platforms

AJ Giertych (Kennesaw State University) observes a guest demoing his VR Dan Ferguson (Groove Jones) on VR and branding

Shawn Moore (adult swim) and Anthony Alexander (Playwire) discuss VR Storytelling

Dr. Sun Joo (Grace) Ahn on VR & the Mind 30

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Drea Bernardi (Huffington Post) leads a fireside chat with Owen Vaccaro, star of VR film Miyubi

John Rich (Moxie) talks with keynote speaker John Gaeta (Lucasfilm New Media)

Jonathan Strickland (HowStuffWorks.com) on How Alternate Realities Work

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November / December 2016

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s K n C A a T T F A e h t of

eorgia G f o y r t s u d n Film In a F g in is audo R e Th

By Zachary V

W

hen fans think Hollywood can’t do it right, they do it themselves.

In this generation of online media, fan films and fan series have been on the rise: independent filmmakers tackle stories from existing sci-fi, fantasy, and comic book properties, adapting the mythos into their own media. Fan films are by no means a new concept, with the earliest instance dating back to the 1920s (Anderson ‘Our Gang, based on the Our Gang Little Rascals films), but the turn of the millennium and the advent of internet viewing platforms has given fan films the worldwide visibility boost needed to grow these projects from minor hobbies to full-fledged productions, funded by producers and crowdfunding, and often staffed with industry professionals, cast 32

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

ve really ha ’t n id d a t it n saw Atla ed to do id c e d I , "When I t e film mark reen a big fan ­ Eric G — ." n w o y on m

Eric Green directs Tory Steele (Rogue)

Keith Brooks instructs Trevor Garner (Deadpool)

and crew alike. Major Hollywood talent and producers even get in on the action, with Thomas Jayne and Ron Perlman starring in the 2012 fan film Punisher: Dirty Laundry (in which Jayne unofficially reprised his Hollywood role from 2008) and Adi Shankar (executive producer, Dredd, Lone Survivor) producing the unauthorized Power/Rangers fan film.

Now that companies like Disney and Marvel have moved into Georgia (with other major studios hot on their heels) and fan conventions are on the rise in the state, fans have galvanized, and films and series are always in production. Groups of Atlanta filmmakers and talent have banded together, creating short films and web series based off various science fiction and superhero stories. Some, like Eric Green, were brought into the filmmaking world due to their passion for such projects: “I was never the kind of person who wanted to be a filmmaker when I was young. I wanted to be an actor, but people weren’t making the kinds of things I wanted to be a part of, so I bought cameras and started filming with friends.

I then got introduced to actors and crew

already in the film industry, and those industry folks started helping me out in my films.”

Green, under his company Throwback Studioz, started with short original superhero-inspired films before tackling properties such as Tomb Raider, Marvel’s Blade, Spider-Man, and most notably the Uncanny X-Men series, which follows the comic and cartoon series of the Marvel mutant franchise. “I always wanted to make an X-Men movie when I was younger, or be in one. When I saw Atlanta didn’t really have a big fan film market, I decided to do it on my own.

It was very ambitious since I was still learning [filmmaking], but as soon as I wanted to do it, another friend wanted to do it and then another friend, and soon we had a small group of people to do it. We took on the Phoenix Saga story and did six episodes. It was a bit of a challenge, since we were learning everything, but we lucked out a lot: people liked it and wanted more, so we made about six more seasons of it.” The series boasts a team of producers and writers who have adapted fan favorite storylines as well as penning original X-Men adventures.

Uncanny X-Men started filming in 2011 and has cast hundreds of roles, with other fan projects spinning out of it by those involved, including a Black Panther short and the highly popular Deadpool: A Typical Tuesday produced by Bean Dip Productions. “I’ll give Eric Green a ton of credit,” says Bean Dip co-founder and director Keith Brooks. “While on set we started thinking, ‘We could do something like this.’ We had done an original film, To Wong with Kung Fu, and we wanted to do something else to teach us more about the process of filmmaking. It occurred to us to do something that crossed the gap from our already-explored comedy angle with the horror angle we wanted to eventually explore, and the character of Deadpool seemed like a really logical choice.”

Fan films not only give fans a chance to create a story in a world they love: they give filmmakers an opportunity to hone their art with an existing character roster and backstory, focusing more on the technical elements rather than the worldbuilding. Brooks and his production partner Trevor Garner, who also appeared

November / Decenber 2016

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The cast of Uncanny X-Men season 5

Kenny Smith and the cast of Star Trek First Frontier

Tyler Buckingham as SpiderMan. Melody-Joy Scimeca, Todd Scimeca, Alex DiTaranto, Tucker Moss, Jesse Scimeca down below

Tyler Buckingham and Nadine AlRemaizan

in Uncanny X-Men with Brooks, did just that with Deadpool. “When you work with material that’s already licensed and has its own world, you have a built-in understanding of who these characters are. For example, after ten seasons of House, they can do crazy things with that character on the eleventh season because there’s already a shorthand of who he is.

We knew who the audience for Deadpool was and who the character was, because he existed for years in the comics. Even the fan films we saw hadn’t done things that we knew we could do, and that was an exciting challenge.” Garner adds, “A lot of people who make fan films don’t explore as much as they could: you can take this character and do something with it that makes it your own.”

Since Deadpool, Brooks and Garner have worked on a number of fan projects, including (but not limited to) Batman: Retribution, Star Wars: Blackout, an in-development Mario fan film titled 1Up Yours, and the feature length fan film Star Trek: First Frontier. “Star Trek came about because a gentleman named Kenny Smith is the biggest Star Trek fan I’ve ever met in my life,” says Garner. “He wanted this to happen and he fronted it and directed it. He made it happen. But: he knew he wasn’t as experienced in filmmaking, so he brought us in along with Zeke Flatten as the producer. He brought the fan aspect: the passion, the drive, the vision, and then he pulled in working professionals—actors and crew—for the technical side. We had that background 34

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

in film AND fan film. We knew how that terrain was mapped out; it was easier for us to navigate. We’d already experienced the negatives and pitfalls that come with fan films, so we could say ‘No, don’t do that, that’s how you get in trouble.’”

Thou Shalt Not Profit With fan filmmaking comes miles of eggshell-walking: as the filmmakers do not own the properties they are shooting, the production sits effectively at the mercy of the rights-owners, be it the studios, the publishers, or the developers of the original content.

Many a fan film has vanished from the face of the internet without any warning, usually due to either a perceived misrepresentation of the property by the owners (such as explicit content or content otherwise not approved by the owners), a false claim in ownership (i.e. not crediting the original creators/owners and properly noting that the production company of the fan film retains no rights), or an attempt to profit off of the fan film. In some cases, the owners might pursue legal action against the fan productions, such as the ongoing lawsuit between CBS/Paramount and Star Trek fan company Axanar Productions.

Funding for fan films is typically the toughest element of production, as, by design, the end product cannot be sold. Unlike original products or big studio productions, fan filmmakers do not retain the rights to their works.

To work around this, fan filmmakers have to get financially creative to bring their dreams into production. “Unless the person behind the project is pretty wealthy, you have to penny-and-dime it and Kickstart or IndieGoGo it until you can do it,” suggests Green. “You may have to guerrilla shoot some things if you can’t get a permit worked out, sometimes you can’t get the best supplies and you have to get creative to make a solid wardrobe or make-up effect, whereas a professional set has that all taken care of because it’s all paid for.”

Fan films are typically funded by the filmmakers themselves, who—unlike major producers—often do not have the money for high-end equipment, large sets, and other elements that come with larger productions. Jesse Scimeca of madeLEGITmedia produced his Marvel Knights: Spider-Man project on a shoestring budget. “We did a short Spider-Man fan film with a budget of $20 and the help of friends and family just to see what we could do. At the time of pre-production for the web-series, it sat at 100,000 views and the fans let us know in the comment section that they wanted more content. That was good enough for

The cast of Batman Retribution

TJ Garland (crouched) instructs the crew of Batman Retribution

us to move forward with the Kickstarter and get together the funds.” The short film now sits at nearly 10 million views and is followed by a five-part episodic web series.

Crowdfunding can often offset the pesky cost of filmmaking for fan filmmakers, though it doesn’t work for everyone. Filmmakers like Scimeca benefited from it, while filmmakers like Green did in the early seasons of X-Men but not the later seasons. Garner and Brooks have never found success in it: “We are bad at asking for money from folks, it’s not who we are.”

That’s not to say that no compensation ever takes place: cast and crew are fed, travel expenses are sometimes paid, favors are exchanged, and in some instances people can be paid.

By nature of the fan film structure and rules set, though, the production as a whole does not profit. Because of this, things may flow a little differently on an indie fan film set compared to a larger production.

“Everyone has to take on several jobs,” notes TJ Garland, creator of the fan film Batman: Retribution, co-starring Garner and directed by Brooks. “We all wear several hats and work in other departments because you don't have the money to pay people, and everyone who's working on it is doing it because it's a labor of love. And love doesn't pay the bills. So you make things as flexible as possible. You have a backup plan for your backup plan, and you learn how to turn a dollar into $10! You're also working with lower budget equipment, and things take a lot more time. I've seen people make

movies with crazy money, using the most professional equipment money can buy, and flushed it right down the drain. I believe it's all about the people working behind it, the direction of it all, and the story. I had the best damn crew of people I could ask for working on this thing, and I can't thank them enough.”

A Heroic Passion The low-to-no-budget element, however, can be overridden by the passion of those involved in the project, as in many cases the cast, crew, and producers are all fans of the property they are filming. “A lot of times friends of the actors (or the actors themselves) or the crew will chip in themselves,” Green says. They may go out and get a piece of wardrobe that’s needed, on their own, to help the set out. On our Spider-Man set, Sharife (Jones) played the character Blade, and he was able to pull together the entire cartoon Blade look on his own.

They might volunteer for things like craft services. Everyone just chips in to make the project the best that it can be.

The funding is low, but the desire for the project to succeed is high.”

Like any good set, a fan film set can be more than a job. “When you make a film, you make memories,” says Garland. “You build new relationships and families. It reminds me of being in the Marine Corps. When a group of people spends so much time spilling their blood, sweat, and tears, you build a bond and a fellowship like no other line of work.

Everyone has a duty to perform, a task to fulfill, and it adds up to the completion of

Avengers Assemble (Left to Right): Miracole Burns, BJ Winfrey, Donna Wong, Chris Burns

the overall mission. And when one person fails, the others will pick up after it to see it through. It's humanity at its best, and I love doing it whether I'm paid or not.”

That passion, along with a willingness to help and be involved, is the most valuable resource on a fan set, as Chris Burns of Avengers Assemble: The Series will attest: “On an indie film or low budget film set, you're working with a much more condensed time table to get your footage shot, and you don't have the luxury to throw money at solving creative or logistical problems. Most people have other full time jobs, usually in the industry, sometimes not. Filmmakers will call in favors, ask people to work on a low salary or for free because it's for a friend, borrowing equipment or renting what is needed for as few days possible. It really comes down to pre-production and planning carefully what you are trying to do and having a good team in place to execute it.”

Burns created Avengers Assemble along with Brian Godleski, based on a skit by Godleski involving the Avengers and a discussion on new health care legislation. The series has expanded into three seasons with the help of numerous friends and contributors: “The most incredible and humbling thing about November November // December Decenber 2016

35

Steven K. Greer, Chrisopher Sailor, and Trevor Garner as Deadpool

this experience is that every single one of my friends and fellow artists who have graced the show with the generosity of their time and talents,” says Burns.

“They have gifted me the opportunity to create something I am very proud of. I am forever in their debts and can never thank them enough.”

With so many roadblocks, a question burns: why even make a fan film if you can’t make any money or retain any of the rights? For the fan filmmakers, it’s all about the passion and personal growth.

“This project took about two years of my life from conception to completion.

It was a passion project through and through, and a crazy amount of work for everyone involved,” says Scimeca. “But it was a blast. I got to create a world for my favorite wall-crawler to live in and on top of that, I got to do it with my friends.”

Burns agrees in regards to Avengers Assemble: “Filmmakers wait their entire lives to be able to tell stories with their favorite characters, and with the studio system so focused on profit, very few individuals get the chance to do so. That's why I have invested money, time, energy, and resources into Avengers Assemble; it's a look at these characters, with the voices I want to hear, the situations I want to see them deal with, and the way I want to present it to an audience with 100 % creative control. That's the tradeoff. You would never get that working with franchised characters in the studio system.” That passion has led to Avengers Assemble gaining the attention of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, who feature 36

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

Avengers Assemble (Left to Right): Kevin Spooner, Matthew Cornwell, Chris Burns

Photo by Doobious.org

cameoed in some episodes.

Beyond the passion, fan films give filmmakers an opportunity to grow their talent, fan base, and reputation.

Garner and Brooks spent $3700 on Deadpool with no monetary returns, but they gained other benefits. “We got a lot of subscribers for our channel, which boosts our other original films. We have something like 23 or 24 million views worldwide across different Internet platforms and in different languages, and we were contacted by Marvel to give them the rights to the film and the script [for adaptation to comic form and video game references]. They didn’t have to do that, but they did, and we gave it to them,” says Garner.

Green agrees on the potential for growth: “Depending on how you do the project, you can build a big audience of people who love your work. That can propel you to the next step of original films with a built-in audience, which means potential money and a fan base for the actors and production. You put yourself into a fan film that generates 50,000 views and you get 50,000 potential viewers for your other original projects if they like your style.”

“The big WHY for fan films for us is the accessibility of the pre-established universe and the fun it offers you with experimenting with it,” says Brooks, “and it’s a way to teach you more about filmmaking. We were presented with so many things that we didn’t know how to do, but it made us want to find out.

As a filmmaker, you have to push and challenge yourself, and each fan film challenges us. There’s a lot of growth and understanding that the words ‘fan’ and ‘film’ are important equally. You have to understand the passion aspect—that it

is a thing where you won’t make money— but you also have to bring a knowledge of film and how cinema works to really achieve your goal.”

Small Set, Big Bang This passion—both for the content and the filmmaking—drives industry professionals to dedicate their time and money to these projects. On the projects in this article alone, SAG-AFTRA actors, members of IATSE, ICG, Teamsters, and other film unions, and other film workers dive into these Georgia-based fan projects. They use it as a way to grow their abilities and practice their craft outside of work, giving the talent pool of the state the chance to create for a product they might not otherwise be able to work on in the industry. And while the money may not be the same on a fan film set as it is on a big budget set, the environment and the people working it can bridge that gap.

Keeping the big set feeling on the fan film level is important to Bean Dip Productions. “We try to make our sets the same thing with less money,” says Brooks. “What defines a professional set is not where the movie is being distributed or the budget, it’s how the individuals treat you. A film set is a lot of ‘sit and wait.’ That’s going to happen.

But it’s about how you are accommodated while that’s happening and how well a plan is laid out that makes the professionalism.”

Garner concurs: “The idea that a professional film set is ‘one that has money and an idea that tries to make money’ is wrong. A professional set is one where the people who are working are doing their job well because their skills can back it up. They don’t always LOVE what they’re doing, but they’re there for

a reason and competent in their areas and treating each other with respect. You can work on big budget sets that are NOT professional. If everyone’s there to work and are professional about it, then your product will be good. It may not be the best, but it will be good.”

Chocolate Syrup and Vegetable Oil On a less tangible scale, fan filmmaking brings the creators a sense of personal accomplishment and joy, in many forms.

For some, it’s reveling in the fun and sometimes surreal experiences with others one can only gain on a film set.

Burns recalls a series of experiences: “Vince Pisani…I've abused this poor man more than any one person should be. He's played three different characters on the show. He’s played Namor, who just swam through the BP oil spill, so not only was he wearing woman's green fish scale boy shorts and shaved his legs, but we covered him in chocolate syrup and vegetable oil which he stayed in for five hours. He also played Purple Man, who’s purple head to toe, so we tried to cover his hands and face…which didn't work; he looked like a grape version of Veruca Salt for a couple of days. And not only did we have him dressed as Spider-Man hanging upside down for hours in a strip club, but we had him appear as Namor in the green trunks doing a strip tease in the same episode.

He never complained, not once. He just smiled and made us all laugh with his great performances.”

For others, it’s what you can accomplish on a set. “For one episode of X-Men, we got to take over a whole medical school,” recalls Green, “and all my friends were heroes fighting a ridiculous number of bad guys (50 of them). One of the actors that day came up to me and said ‘You’re helping my childhood come true, too.’ That’ll

Vince Pisani as Namor, covered in chocolate syrup and vegetable oil

always stand out.”

For even more, it’s presenting the finished product, as with Scimeca’s premiere of the Marvel Knights: SpiderMan web-series at the Atlanta Midtown Art Cinema: “Everyone involved was there to support it, and so many others I didn't even know came to experience it on the big screen. I like to stand in the back whenever we show our work to people, and hearing the audience react to key moments of the film in the way we had hoped was a feeling I'll never forget.”

Beyond that, it’s a burning passion for the property adapted. Garland has been a fan of Batman since his childhood.

“I'm one of the biggest Batman fans on the planet, and all my friends know it.

I felt so let down by the Joel Schumacher films and the Christopher Nolan Batman still didn't make me feel like I was in that world. It was either silly nipple Batman [referencing George Clooney’s often ridiculed suit in Batman & Robin], or a Batman that was too grounded in the real world. I loved the Tim Burton films, and I love the comics because they engulf me into a different reality where Gotham is a place that could exist, but it's not like any city we've ever seen! And Batman is such a beyond limits character that even though he is a man, everyone that encounters him who doesn't know his secrets is forced to question if he is real, or just a myth. They question if he's a man or part metahuman. And they're frightened by him! Even the good guys are! I wanted to make a film that had that element in it. Batman doesn't have to be darker, and it's not like I wanted to do a darker Batman film. If you use the key elements that make Batman the feared vigilante he is, and show the audience that, it's dark enough already!

I remember when I saw people jump in the viewing at Dragon Con when he punches through the wall and I loved that reaction! Because it's exactly how the

to "Who doesn’t want orite fav eir th as dres s up to nd ete pr d an r te charac d an put be them on camera people it on the internet for ble at rri te to tell you you’re er it?" —Trevor Garn villain reacts. That’s what I wanted to show audiences.”

And for some, it’s just the connection you get with other fans, as Brooks recounts: “We were on a shoot, and Trevor was walking around like normal… and someone recognized his voice from Deadpool. You never see his face, so they heard his voice and went, ‘Oh, you’re the Deadpool guy!’ Someone recognized my voice from me playing Beast on Uncanny X-Men recently: I’m blue and covered in fur, so you don’t really get to recognize me by face. It’s insane. Even with Star Trek: when people hear about the film we’re making, they get excited because we’re going practical with the sets to keep the nostalgia of the 1960s sets.”

Filmmaking is a passion, and fan filmmaking especially so. “I mean,” offers Garner, “who doesn’t want to dress up as their favorite character and pretend to be them on camera and put it on the internet for people to tell you you’re terrible at it?” Adds Brooks: “Who doesn't want to experiment with what your icons of childhood mean to you? It’s a love letter and a way you can develop.”

Green agrees: “I love X-Men, and if I didn’t have the passion I wouldn’t have kicked it off. There were a lot of hurdles and challenges that should have made me say, ‘This isn’t worth it, I tried, oh well,’ but I kept going because of how bad I wanted it. When you have a passion for something, you’ll do anything it takes to make that dream come true.”

Keith Brooks as Beast, Erica Gray as Storm

Richard Cordero as Mister Sinister

November November // December Decenber 2016 2016

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Startin' 'em

Photo by Kelly Truitt

YOUNG

Brandon Ross, Taylor Graves, Hetty White, Alex Orndorf, Emad Ghbes, John Abdo, Lamar "LJ", Moore , LaManye Odom, and Chase Williamson

Programs for children and teens in Georgia who aspire to work in production.

G

Juliette Beckham, Taylan AyreeJones, Erin Cohen at CampFlix

eorgia is the number three production center in the country. With this growth comes a building boom in terms of facilities, along with a population explosion of both young filmmakers and the support staff required to make a vision become a reality. The hope is that the next Spielberg or Scorsese is currently in a Georgia school waiting for his or her shot at creating a magic movie.

Georgia has been through a hot production cycle before—going from the hot place to shoot a movie or television show to not a stitch of work to be found. There are many ideas of how to prevent this from recurring. To some, the answer to how to keep the work flowing is having a young, talented, trained and committed corps of filmmakers dedicated to remaining in their home state.

Many in the community are working to ensure that filmmaking in Georgia remains a viable industry through programs created and offered by film professionals, reaching students from third grade through middle and high school.

The Fulton County students gaining realworld experience at Atlanta's PBS station

Photo by Kelly Truitt

Gearing up with Brendan Trinkle, Candace Meredith, Jacob Bonner

To actually get that real exposure and experience at a young age is

INVALUABLE. 38

Oz Magazine - film. tv. entertainment.

By Allen Rabinowitz

Adult Supervision

NBC's Donna Lowrey with Sranee Bayapureddi, Jordan Lewis, Jelani Bailey, Anthony Hudson, Corey Brown, Dante Richardson, Josh Lee on Atlanta and Company

“I come from the industry, “says Josh Lee, who manages the Fulton County Schools Cable Television and oversees its filmmaking programs, “and I never planned on being an educator. I see a lot of relevance to gaining those professional skills.

You can learn only so much about working in the industry from reading about it in a text book. To actually get that real exposure and experience at a young age is invaluable. I still find a need to provide students with that professional experience.”

Lee taught video production for three years before stepping into his management role. In 2014, he started an internship program in the district where students from seven schools are given paid, professional experience. To get into the program, students have to fulfill some prerequisites, including two years of video classes and an interview process.

When there are requests for video work from county departments or from small businesses, Lee assigns the students. The students get paid for their efforts, and the work goes on their reels and résumés.

There is also a summer program where the students tour various media outlets, get to meet people in the industry and get to work on projects. Students at schools throughout the district gather in Lee’s studio over the course of the year, working on different tasks to improve their skills and abilities.

Although the program is only two years old, Lee says that students have already been accepted into prestigious film schools such as New York University and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Their videos can be seen on the Fulton County Schools main website, (fultoncountyschools.org), or on Comcast channel 24, the Fulton County Schools television station. In addition, Lee explains that a number of the county government departments and small businesses utilize these productions on their own websites and in-house presentations.

Like Lee, Tom Karsch came from a production background rather than an academic one. Karsch heads up CampFlix, which provides summer campers with a filmmaking experience on college campuses like Oglethorpe and Emory universities.

Karsch had been an executive at Turner Broadcasting for 16 years, eventually holding the top spot at Turner Classic Movies and Turner South, also serving as a consultant for the Atlanta Film Festival. About six years ago, with the idea for a film camp floating in the back of his head, Karsch met a man who was presenting a rock & roll camp called Camp Jam across the country. Karsch asked if ever he considered doing a filmmaking camp. Karsch partnered with him and launched CampFlix based on the Camp Jam model.

“It’s a matter of accessibility.”

says Karsch on why youngsters with an interest in a film career should consider CampFlix. “The tools today allow kids to do more exploration. What we provide is fine tuning for that passion, advancing their knowledge by working with filmmaking professionals.” Most of the young filmmakers are in their early teenage years, but Karsch believes that the younger the beginning student, the better. “When you’re a gymnast, you don’t start at 15 years old, you start at age six,” he explains. “We’ve had some talented kids in our camp who have gone on to college film programs. Some of the best kids are two or three years away from graduating high school. It’s scary how good they are.”

A typical session at CampFlix lasts five days, Monday through Friday. Firstyear campers typically spend Monday and Tuesday in workshops learning from working professionals about sound, lighting, and cinematography. The campers are divided into teams of seven and spend the next two days working on their project, usually shooting Tuesday and Wednesday, using Thursday to edit.

The completed project must be submitted by noon Friday, with a showing for the parents on Friday night. The films can also be viewed online after the camp. “We want the kids to see that filmmaking is a

Tom Karsch

Suzanna Spiccia

collaborative process,” explains Karsch.

“They come in wanting to be directors, but they get to see that the lighting and sound people are just as important as the screenwriter or director.”

When Karsch’s children were younger, he sought to enroll them in a film-oriented camp in Atlanta, but there were none to be found. Now, youthrelated film programs are on the rise.

Touting her organization re:imagine/ ATL as a strong platform for future film professionals, Susanna Spiccia promotes the mission of “empowering the next generation of content creators through in-school and out-of-school service.”

Spiccia’s group works at the high school level with existing video programs creating video content. They also have a music video camp in the summer: Green Room Camp, bringing in musicians to work with the campers on songs, some of which are created during the camp.

The kids create concepts for videos and work with the musicians to bring them to life. “All of our projects are clientbased,” says Spiccia. “Sometimes they’re paid, sometimes unpaid—but from start to finish, they’re working with clients.

They work with and are mentored by professionals in the entertainment industry.”

Although re:imagine/ATL doesn’t have a home base, Spiccia says that situation works to their benefit. “We really don’t have a consistent location, we’re pretty mobile. We work out of a lot of studios but are looking for something more centralized. We are a mobile resource hub that is also creative in the sense that we’re always coming up with projects.”

One of the many locations made available to Spiccia’s campers is Atlanta’s Spitfire Studios. Tripp Rhame, the studio’s creative director/ co-owner, first met Spiccia through the Metro Chamber of Commerce. Since several generations of Rhame’s family were involved in education, there was an instant affinity.

“When I saw what Susanna was doing, bringing kids together via video production,” Rhame explains, "it was a no-brainer. I asked ‘how can we help?’”

At first, Spitfire was just hosting the campers for weekend editing sessions, but a business decision by studio management ended up benefitting all: “We decided to buy equipment that November / December 2016

39

we had been renting for commercial productions and keep it in our inventory for the long term,” explains Rhame. “So, we had tons of gear that was not always working, and this group had a need.”

Rhame used Spitfire’s equipment as a teaching mechanism for the campers as well: “A lot of these kids shoot, edit and post from their phones. They have no concept of a machine that makes films.”

Spiccia says her program was designed with this technological acumen in mind. “Whether they were from an affluent background or homeless, disabled or refugees, we wanted a program that would draw on their comfort with using technology,” she declares. “They watch shows on television and listen to music all the time. To be honest, it can be intimidating for me because a lot of our teens are way better than me at social media, and they are coming up with ideas all the time about different ways of connecting with their generation. They know what’s up and they got a lot to say, but they’re not necessarily being asked.”

Rhame claims there are fewer challenges in working with kids than adults. “The younger kids were the first ones out of the gate,” he explains. “They really didn’t have anything holding them back. They weren’t afraid to throw out ideas and were completely transparent.

If it didn’t hold or stick, they just kept going. Older kids had a harder time getting projects together. Maybe they were just more shy or didn’t feel good about other people judging their ideas or comments. They wanted to be cool and worried about how they would be judged.

The younger kids just didn’t care or have any of that hanging over them. The older kids had the hardest time coming up with concepts and were the last to start filming.”

A number of the kids come into camp with prior experience doing podcasts or short films. “I could see how it could be intimidating to be in a group where two of them have created content for several years on their own and the rest are new to the game and learning the scenarios,” says Rhame. “However, it’s part of their education as a filmmaker to see that filmmaking is a team sport. I like to describe it as ‘blue-collar art.’”

In January 2016, the re:imagine/ATL kids had a special experience: as winners 40

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of a contest sponsored by Sixth Man Productions, they went on a cruise to a resort in Cozumel, Mexico where they had an opportunity to write and record music and shoot a video on a private island.

No matter what age they begin a filmmaking class or summer camp, Brandon Jolley, who founded the Kids TV program in conjunction with Atlanta Children’s Theatre, believes that many young people are eager to explore the world of content creation. “For some kids, it’s just a fun project,” he explains, “but many others are born filmmakers and artists, and they’ve never had an opportunity to express that in a trained setting. A lot of kids post to YouTube. The feedback I get from kids when they enter a class or go to summer school is ‘I do this with my friends, but I didn’t know there were other kids who were just like me.’

Now, they have a structured environment and they get to work with other kids.”

Young, Creative, and Unafraid Three campers who attended CampFlix in 2016 credit the program with sparking an ever-growing interest in a film industry career. Although from different backgrounds and parts of the metro area, the trio is aiming for the same goal.

Unsure of what she wanted to do for summer camp four years ago, Peri Barnard, age 15, took her father’s offer to attend the film camp. “I liked photography, but I hadn’t done much film work,” Barnard explains. “So, I tried out the camp and it was really fun! I enjoyed it and kept coming back.”

One of Barnard’s collaborations led to a screening at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival in 2016. Titled In Our Eyes, Barnard was the primary cinematographer on the project, made along with two other campers who shared the production credits. Barnard describes In Our Eyes as a short, abstract film about tolerance that shows how people can still identify with a cause or an experience, despite not directly experiencing it themselves.

Karsch pitched the idea about making a film on tolerance for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, and Barnard’s group made the only film to be selected. Although facing a time

Liam Lovette, Robin Tucker, McKenna Mooney, Terrell Triplett, and Isaac Gazmararian set up the shot, monitored by counselor Frank Mastrogiacomo

Peri Barnard with Cara Jenson and Zoe Falcon

crunch, she credits CampFlix and its staff for the guidance they provided: “The good thing about the camp is that the campers get to do pretty much all the filmmaking ourselves, but the counselors know so much and can help us, push us and keep us on task,” says Barnard.

While she hasn’t begun her quest for a college yet, Barnard, who attends the Weber School, says a film career may be on the horizon. “I’ve always planned to go into some artistic field when I grow up,” she explains, “but film was not something I thought about until CampFlix. I’m not set on what I want to do yet; it would be amazing to go to a film school.”

Like Barnard, Kiara Sanford was unsure of what do for a camp in 2012.

“My mom and I were looking over materials for film camps that first summer, we discovered CampFlix, and I decided to go there.” She recalls, “It was a decision that I don’t regret at all. I got hands-on experience and got to meet new people who are more like me. At the school that I go to, not many people are into entertainment as a filmmaker. Being around kids who are like me has opened my eyes to possibilities. The friendships you make there are long lasting ones.”

Sanford attends DeKalb High School of Technology South, studying Audio Video Technology and Film (AVTF). “I’m learning the hands-on fundamentals, so that along with what I’m learning in camp, I’ll be able to create a production I can be proud to show in a competition.”

Photo by Kelly Truitt

Sarah Spicer, Andrew Marlowe, Sandro Garcia-Ide, Akayla Thomas, Sebastian Peoples, LaJarvis Odom, Brandon Bell, and Daniel Martinez meet with Hero the Band

Summer 2016 was a busy one for Sanford, who appeared in four productions as an actor, screenwriter and director.

Writing, however, is her career goal.

“I like the idea of creating a story and inserting issues into it to make people aware,” she states.

Motivated by a desire to see what Week 1 with the 5th and 6th graders moviemaking from reimagineATL was like from the other side of the camera, Maddy Laing began attending CampFlix at age 11.

“When I decided to go to film camp,” she explains, “I wanted to make a really good movie there. But I learned that going to the camp wasn’t about coming out of it with a great product or film, but more practicing and learning from the process of making films. I like watching movies and trying to figure out how they were shot. I was inspired by the idea of seeing filmmaking as a puzzle and putting the pieces together. I liked the idea of understanding how people did that.”

Laing, now 16 years old, attends Lakeside High School in DeKalb County.

Though her school offers film classes Photo by Kelly Truitt

she chose not to take them. “The film program isn’t what I’d like it to be,” she declares. “It depends on the individual kid and what they’re looking for and what they want to learn about filmmaking. For me personally, a less formal structure of learning about filmmaking works better.”

Claiming she doesn’t want to make films that are more mainstream, madefor-TV safe or big box office blockbusters, Laing is interested in making films with an emphasis on dealing with social justice issues, like her short film Dear Drew, which deals with LGBTQ issues. “My future films might be more controversial films that open people’s minds,” she explains. Expressing a desire to become a director, Laing is exploring the possibility of attending Georgia State. “I’ve heard good things about their program, plus Atlanta is becoming a center for films,” she explains. “It would pay to go to college in Atlanta because of the great opportunities here.”

The Bigger Picture As important as the perfection of technical skills, the art of dealing with the business side of filmmaking is also stressed in these programs. “These students are learning skill sets beyond being just professional videography,” says Lee, “they’re also learning how to dress and communicate like a professional.”

We all have DIFFERENT backgrounds, and we all have something to share, contribute and learn from each other.

CampFlix brings in special guests as part of the curriculum, not to be instructors, but rather to talk to the campers about their path in the industry and their journey from when they were the kids’ age. “They take kids through the whole process,” says Karsch. “Marketing experts come in as an informal panel and listen as kids present marketing plans and designs for one-sheet posters promoting films.”

Spiccia agrees that the ability to talk to a potential client is a valuable talent for these young students to possess. “They learn everything from marketing their content to how to network,” she explains.

“You should be confident enough to stand

up and talk about your project—whether it’s to someone who has a lot of sway and influence like a rapper you respect or some bigwig at a company—and treat them with the same degree of respect that you would for the old woman from down the street in your neighborhood.

You have to make eye contact, shake their hand, listen and ask questions. That’s pretty much the mantra of respect we instill in our teens. We all have different backgrounds, and we all have something to share, contribute and learn from each other.”

Karsch says that the next step for his operation is an ambitious expansion program. “Both kids and parents have asked about after school program, winter break program, weekends etc.” The demand has grown to the point that a third week was added in 2016 and Karsch says he’s also thinking about bringing the CampFlix experience into other markets.

Campers have attended from as far away as Portland, Oregon. About 90 percent of campers learn about the camp through internet searches.

Jolley says he is also seeking to broaden the reach of his Kids TV program. Despite the challenge of cutting through red tape and battling bureaucracies, he’s working to get the concept into other school districts, Cobb County in particular. Money is often a barrier for his plans: “Certain school districts make it tough for after-school vendors, placing limits on what the vendors can charge the parents or putting limits on what vendors can get paid by the school,” he explains. “You can limit what you’re paying me, but I’m bringing in cameras and other equipment that might get broken; or I’m bringing in an acting teacher who would like to get paid for their services.”

No matter what the future holds, these educators, students, and campers all believe that the key to continued success is the continuation of the Georgia entertainment tax credit. “It’s great, and if the legislature keeps the tax incentive in place it’s good for the state because it brings jobs and money into the community, as well as awareness of the industry, which benefits ancillary businesses like myself,” says Karsch.

“There’s never been a better time or place to start honing these kids’ skills early on.”

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CINEPOSIUM 2016: WRAP-UP REPORT

“When you step back and look at the film industry’s presence in Georgia – and then to have AFCI select Atlanta for the 2016 Cineposium – it’s quite remarkable. In a handful of years, our state has become a top production destination, for both national and international productions.

We’ve created an environment with a talented workforce and we are very proud of what we have accomplished and the opportunities ahead.” — Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle

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Photography by Jeremiah Karr

PRESENTED BY

Pradeep and Pooja Tripathi, owners of the McPherson Mansion (film location)

KBz Strings

he Association of Film Commissioners International’s Cineposium 2016 brought 110 representatives from 22 countries—including Argentina, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia and Uganda—and 25 states to Atlanta for the 40th annual conference between September 22-24.

This year's event was hosted by Oz Publishing, Inc. and Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. The three-day “Building Your Business” focused conference gave special International guests listen to Lt. Governor Casey Cagle's opening remarks

attention to Production Infrastructure how to build it, maintain it and manage crew development to meet its needs.

“For four decades, Cineposium has served as the marquee event for film commissioners to provide education and training along with face-to-face access to industry leaders,” said Kevin Clark, AFCI Executive Director. “This year’s conference in Atlanta brought in 22 countries and over 25 US states to examine the state of Georgia as a model for AFCI Members and production industry professionals.”

On the first day of the conference, Thursday, September 22, more than 60 AFCI University students completed the “Film Liaisons” course facilitated by Lisa Strout, CFC (Massachusetts Film Office) and the “Locations Photography” workshop led by Don Gray (New Mexico State Film Office) at the InterContinental Buckhead.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle kicked off the evening’s opening reception at the expansive and luxurious McPherson Mansion in Roswell.

Front: Entertainment attorney Steve Weizenecker with the evening's sponsor, Joe Chianese (Entertainment Partners). Behind: musicians Tommy Sommerville (left) and Andrew Lastrapes (right)

Robert Bennett (Film Columbia County GA)

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Plants from Cinema Green and Bartenders from Figs & Honey Catering Million Dollar Infinity pool

Mimi Davis-Taylor (Utah Film Commission Office) and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle

Stephen Listfield (Rabbi) and Ryan Stewart (Minister) who gave an opening invocation before the evening started.

S

enator Christopher J. Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., provided the keynote address at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University on the second day of the conference. His keynote emphasized the economic impact of the film and television industry in Georgia and across the globe.

“A combination of strong incentives and a fantastic home-grown talent pool has catapulted Georgia into the top ranks of motion picture and TV production.

Motion picture and television production accounts for 25,000 direct jobs here in Georgia. Generating $1.7 billion in wages,” said Senator Dodd during his speech to conference attendees.

Dodd added, “For our international visitors here, I am delighted to report that international locations—staples in blockbuster feature films are increasingly a backdrop for certain American-made television series, too. There has never been a better time for us to make movies and

Chef Sonya (Sweet Auburn Bread Company) and actor Vesta Lugg

TV shows together—here in the USA and across the globe.”

The sessions opened with “Building Facilities,” moderated by Kevin Clark, AFCI Executive Director, with panelists Jeremy Hariton, SVP of The MBS Group; Mark Henderson, Owner of Get-A-Grip Atlanta; Steve Mensch, President and General Manager of Studio Operations at Tyler Perry Studios; and Nick Smerigan, Owner and Founder of Roadtown Enterprises, LTD. The panel discussed what it takes to build a production facility in a jurisdiction and provided discourse on the advantages and challenges that accompany building production facilities.

Karen Carberry-Warhola, CFC and Director of the Maine Film Office, moderated the “Building Crew Base” session that examined various approaches to building a knowledgeable and strong crew base that featured panelists Kevin Americk, Director of Education for IATSE Local 479; Dan Simmons, Head of Partnerships at Creative Skillset; and Nick

Kevin Clark AFCI’s Executive Director with Actor William Fichtner

Maniatis, Director of the New Mexico State Film Office.

Actor William Fichtner made a special appearance following the “Building Facilities” session, taking a break from his work on the film Finding Steve McQueen.

Fichtner shared his perspective on the importance of film commissions and shared his experience working with New York State legislators to increase film incentives in the state.

The always popular “How Would You Handle It?” session, this year titled “Building Bridges - How to Handle Crisis?” closed out the day and was moderated by Kevin Jennings, AFCI Chairman and CFC. Andy Edmunds, Director of the Virginia Film Office; and Stephen Weizenecker, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg, LLP, were also featured panelists.

Nick Maniatis (Director, New Mexico State Film Office), Dan Simmons (Head of Partnerships, Creatie Skillset), Kevin Amick (Director of Education, IATSE Local 479), and moderator Karen Carberry-Warhola, CFC (Director, Maine Film Office) Dr. Matthew Bernstein, Professor of Film and Video at Emory University

Panelists (L to R): Nick Smerigan (Roadtown Enterprises, LTD), Steve Mensch (President/GM Studio Operations, Tyler Perry Studios), Mark Henderson (Atlanta Filmworks Studio and Stages, Owner of Atlanta Get-AGrip), Jeremy Hariton (Senior VP, The MBS Group), and moderator Kevin Clark

Lunch break catered

by AVALON Catering & No Big Whoop! Bakery

Jerry Day, CFC (AFCI Director of Content) with Senator Christopher Dodd (Chairman/CEO, MPAA)

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Senoia United Methodist Church

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Grammy Award winner Ann Nesby

n Saturday, September 24, GRAMMY Award winning artist and actress, Ann Nesby opened up the final day of the conference at the historic Senoia United Methodist Church with an exclusive soulstirring musical performance.

Raleigh Studios-Atlanta President Scott Tigchelaar facilitated the day's first session, an exclusive case study examining the economic benefit of AMC Networks’ The Walking Dead production on the town of Senoia, at the historic Senoia United Methodist Church (as seen in The Fighting Temptations). Tigchelaar discussed the development of the town over the past 17 years; how they manage production demands while keeping the town functioning for its citizenry and that the area has now become a global film tourism destination.

Digital Chromatics CEO Stuart Huggins made an exclusive presentation

Certified Film Commissioner Graduates: Mimi Davis-Taylor (Utah Film Commission), Thomas Fuchs (Cine Tirol), Susan Stack (Oakland County Film and Digital Media), and Tim Clark (Buffalo Niagara Film Commission)

highlighting his company’s digital imaging and mapping system technology followed by Shawn Rafferty, Partner at Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. Rafferty Shawn Rafferty (Partner, Barnes & Thornburg, LLP) updates the attendees on drone regulations

Scott Tigchelaar (President, Raleigh Studios – Atlanta)

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discussed in detail the new FAA UAS Rule Part 107 and other regulations that effect the film production industry and what film commissioners should be aware of during the “Drones Update” session.

Lisa Day, Director of Sustainability at 20th Century Fox, facilitated the “Building Green” program session, discussing waste reducing methods including double-side printing, reducing carbon emissions and water use, and incorporating sustainable materials into set design and construction.

AFCI Director of Content and CFC Jerry Day moderated the final panel session, “Building Network,” that included Lisa Strout, CFC and Director of the

L to R: Moderator Jerry Day, Randal Franks (Government Relations Committee, Georgia Production Partnership), Cassandra Hesseltine (President, Film Liaisons in California Statewide), Lisa Stout (Director, Massachusetts Film Office)

Lunch break catered by Hanna Brothers Motion Picture Catering Services

Massachusetts Film Office; Randall Franks, Government Relations Committee Member with the Georgia Production Partnership; and Cassandra Hesseltine, President of Film Liaisons in California Statewide.

The four-member panel discussed the importance of the collaborative effort between film commissions, liaisons and legislators to up support film productions.

AFCI Board of Directors Chairman KJ Jennings (Executive Director, Film Otago Southland) with David Vashedze (Georgian Film Commission), winner of Best Marketing Video Digital Chromatics CEO Stuart Huggins Sponsor

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he conference closed with presentations of 2016 Certified Film Commissioner (CFC) designations: Tim Clark, Buffalo Niagara Film Commission; Susan R. Stack, Oakland County Film and Digital Media; Thomas Fuchs, Cine Tirol; Mimi Davis-Taylor, Utah Film Commission; Kevin Clark, Executive Director of the AFCI.; and Jessica Christopherson, Film Fort Worth.

Kevin Clark and Kevin Jennings also presented winners of The 2016 Creativity Awards, followed by a closing reception at Nic & Norman's in downtown Senoia. Clark also announced the 2017 Cineposium, to be held in Lost Angeles. A full list of topics and information on the speakers can be found at www.afci.org/cineposium.

AFCI Members on Walking Dead Tour sponsored by Atlanta Movie Tours

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THE 40TH AFCI CINEPOSIUM IS

A WRAP!

Oz Publishing, Inc and Barnes & Thornburg, LLC would like to thank AFCI for this opportunity and all who helped make this Cineposium a great success. These companies and individuals helped us show the world that Georgia's Film & Television industry "Means Business!"

SPONSORS:

Senoia Enterprises, Inc.

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OUR FANTASTIC EVENT PARTNERS Venues Yummies

Plants & Floral

Furniture

Transportation

Entertainment

Signage

Valet

Equipment Rentals

Optional Events

Coordinators / Advisors / Volunteers WE LOVE YOU!

Pam Swofford | Debra Bunkley | Cindy Southwell | Lindy Lucas | Monique McGlockton | Natalia Breslauer | Amy Garrison | Evan Valentine | Patty Tripathi | Scott Tigchelarr | Mike Smith

AV Technical Support

Volunteers

Security

Charles Lynch | Gene Kreeft | Deron Fish

Vesta Lugg | Cory Way | Keisha Richardson | Aneesah Bray | Andre Gates | Katie Southwell | Holten Filakosky | Katie Hombrook

Keith Roland

Music

(McPherson Mansion Courtyard location)

Tommy Sommerville | Andrew Lastrapes

And a very special Thank You to Melanie Fields, AFCI’s Events Manager an Amazing Woman who helped make this event a success!

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HOW I GOT INTO THE BUSINESS How did you get into the business?

Lauren "Ellie" Alexander Seamstress laurenevallen@gmail.com

I began as a seamstress over 16 years ago when my grandmother taught me how to sew. Much younger than that, on a trip to Disney World, I got to see them filming a TV show at Hollywood Studios back when it was MGM, and decided I wanted to do that when I grew up. My first film project was a half film/half live show production I did for an anime convention. I did a few more shows like that, and my first day on a feature set was a few years after. I had a childhood friend who was in film working in town and she needed a PA for the Hallmark Channel film Space Warriors. So I gladly went and helped out, did some extra work, and made a solid career choice.

What’s the best advice you can offer to young people in your profession?

If you don't see any opportunities, make them. If you don't have jobs or parts available, make those happen.

If you had it to do all over again, what would you change?

I would tell myself to start earlier. I let a lot of people tell me I was too young for film work, but I could've been doing so much at such a young age.

What do you love about your job?

Every single day is something new. Even if we're filming the same scene as yesterday there's differences and it's very exciting, even when you're exhausted.

Do you have a word or quote or mantra you live by?

"Don't quit just before a miracle." - Peter Tork

Past Three Projects: 1. Scratch Marks (LGBT musical web series) 2. The Blood Crow Stories (serial horror podcast) 3. “Strength Has No Gender" (Brawny paper towel ad campaign)

How did you get into the business?

T.J. Garland Boom Operator TJ Garland Audio tharry.garland@gmail.com

I started out doing sound for school projects/student films while I was getting my degree in Audio Production at AIA. I served in the Marine Corps for 4 years and was using my GI Bill benefits to pay my way through. While I was going to college, I was constantly doing background work to get on set experience and networking with others. It didn't matter if they were background people or part of the crew, I talked to everyone and picked everyone’s brain to see what I could be a part of. Eventually, doing sound for free, I worked on several indie films, and built a pretty extensive resume for someone just graduating. I booked my first professional gig with 1-800-TVCREWS doing an interview for Entertainment Tonight. They liked my resume and had me do a phone interview about my experience.

At the same time, I became a stand in on Vampire Diaries, and when I wasn't physically standing in, I was always shadowing the sound department and asking questions.

I kept doing this until I eventually started doing some work with some people in the union who trusted me. Shortly after that, I joined myself, and kept networking with the sound guys in 479. It was about a year after I had joined that I got my first union gig working with Chris Harris. After that, word got around with the other soundies in the union

How did you get into the business?

I’ve been making music since I was a kid. After building my recording studio I decided to go full time with my music. In 2009 I decided to stop the club circuit and start focusing on being a composer. Then I began teaching myself networking and marketing skills. After realizing the power of networking I started to introduce myself to music supervisors and producers. Putting all that learned into practice the doors of opportunity opened with placements of TV and commercials advertisements worldwide.

Mark Allan Wolfe Composer Wolfies Music markallanwolfe.com

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What’s the best advice you can offer to young people in your profession?

Surround yourself with people of the same mindset. Never quit, be humble always be willing to learn. Remember the only stupid question is the one not asked. Keeping your tools and techniques current as well as the music that is being used in today's multimedia is key to survival in this industry. Be willing to adapt, there are always going to be people whom will reject your ideas and your music so a tough skin and a teachable spirit is of the essence. Oh and one more thing: time management...

that I could be relied upon, and I’ve been blessed enough since to get a call here and there to work!

What do you love about your job?

I love that I get to do and see something different every single day! That, and besides the Marine Corps, I can't think of any other job out there that'd let me experience fully automatic weapons and blowing stuff up.

If you weren't doing this, what would be your dream job?

I also act. That's my truest passion. I love it, and constantly pursue it everyday. If I ever got huge, I'd gladly put down my boom pole, haha! So far, I've only had a few day playing roles on some reenactment shows such as Swamp Murders, and Homicide Hunter and such. But I still can dream of one day playing Batman.

Past Three Projects: 1. Atlanta (FX Series) 2. Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell (Cartoon Network's Adult Swim)

3. Keeping Up With The Joneses

If you had it to do all over again, what would you change?

Not a thing, everything I have done in my life prepared me for the person and the musician I am today. Living with regret or the would’ve-could’ve-should’ve only makes you second guess all the choices you make now by clouding your mind with fear...

Do you have a mantra you live by?

“Stay with what comes, follow through as it retreats, thrust forward as the hand is freed.”

What do you love about your job?

Being able to work from home and not having a certain schedule to adhere to. Meeting new people worldwide and knowing that my music is being heard globally. Not to mention, I’m free to spend the quality time with my wife and children and to follow my dreams.

Past Projects: 1. Music services 2. American Pickers (Discovery Network)

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BEHIND THE CAMERA WITH DREWPROPS

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his is my 20th year as a member of an international film union best known as IATSE, which is an acronym for a four-mile long run-on sentence describing what its members do and the incredibly specific places where they do them. It’s my theory that nobody actually knows all the words in the actual title of the organization and instead just make up something, hoping that nobody calls them out on their bluff.

Now, I’ve been meaning to make a post to commemorate this anniversary but it’s been a tough year for my family and my mind had been on other matters until this morning when I saw something on the internet that made me angry (which I firmly now believe is what the internet was originally intended to do).

The specific sentiment of the post that got my goat implied that our union was not instrumental in the creation of Georgia’s film incentives; that we simply assisted the state legislature, which is just a terrible lack of understanding of how the events unfolded.

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And I guess that’s what really motivated me to sit down and knock out my thoughts in my blog, because I want these younger members to have the truth in their hands when they speak about what went before them. So little information about the history of our local has been preserved in writing that something I still consider to be a recent event has already passed into the realm of legend, lore, speculation, and worst of all: misinformation.

First of all, let me explain how and why I joined the union.

I started as an intern for the prop department on Robocop 3. I kept the truck neat. I loaded blanks on gun days. I stacked swords. I made artwork for on-camera props. And most importantly, every Friday I would take a big folder full of cash and make a run with a teamster to the liquor store to stock up the giant beer cooler at the back of the prop truck for wrap beer. I also began learning things like set etiquette, and why we should all appreciate Teamsters.

I’m very fortunate to be able to say that by the end of that show I assumed the

job of third props assistant, thanks to the departure of my friend and mentor Dwight Benjamin-Creel, who had left to be prop master on a movie of his own. I would eventually leave Robocop prior to wrap to join Dwight on his show.

My resume had several film and television projects on it before the older folks on set urged me to join their union, Local 479. Together with Prop Master Joe Connolly I was sworn in, standing in the middle of North Avenue while shooting a never-to-be-seen pilot starring Danny Baldwin. I remember going to my first union meeting at some restaurant (maybe a Bennigan's?) with Joe. We didn’t recognize ANY of those people from the sets we’d been working. Not a one. And all of them were complaining about not getting work. I still remember the moment that Joe and I turned to look at each other like “who the hell ARE these people and why aren’t they working?” That was when I first learned that there would always be a group of people who might not get hired as much as others.

By the end of the 1990s work was growing scarce, even for those who had never had trouble finding jobs. Most camera department carts had stickers with a circle drawn around a Canadian maple leaf and a big strikeout drawn across the leaf with the words “Runaway Production” emblazoned alongside it. Canada was taking all our jobs.

In truth, Canada was mostly taking jobs from Hollywood, but we all supported keeping the business in the states because we were friends with people from Los Angeles and many of us aspired to work there someday. Some of our local crews already held cards in those California unions and California’s lost work was brought close to us because of our relationships with those men and women; our friends.

By the time Louisiana’s tax incentives were firing on all cylinders our work had trickled to a stop. Those who could find work outside the state began traveling.

Some moved from Georgia to Louisiana or to Los Angeles, like my dear friend and prop-brother Joe – he needed to take care of his family and it was the only move that made sense. I wish that I had followed suit.

But those of us who were unable or unwilling to move began getting part time jobs around town in order to remain solvent.

My old prop master friend Dwight was unable to negotiate with producers to bring me in as his second on these out of town shows and at that point I realized that I should never rely on one person for the security of my work and I learned to fend for myself. Since few people would be likely to need an out-of-state assistant prop master I began taking jobs as set designer and even as a double-secret art director. But these jobs were small and new work did not take their place quickly when the shows wrapped.

By 2003 it was apparent that our local was dying. Louisiana’s tax incentives were like a black hole that pulled in any projects bound for the southern states. It must have been a golden age for our colleagues in Cajun country, but the unfortunate side effect of their success was our certain demise.

General Membership Meetings were no longer filled with unknown whiners, they were filled with set dogs that I had worked with for years – people I had fought alongside in the trenches, from construction to wardrobe. And like me, they were all struggling, financially. I may write this more than once over the course of this blog post, but it was a painful time.

By this point we had been meeting in the North Room of Manuel’s Tavern for a number of years – the concept of owning

our very own union hall wasn’t even on our radar.

The door to the North Room would be closed when the meetings started, and the Sergeant at Arms actually had to guard that door from entry by drunken bar patrons, partying outside. The walls of the North Room weren’t thick enough to block out the noise of football games, birthday parties, or the occasional crash of breaking dishware. It sometimes sounded as if there were a saloon brawl happening out there, with cowboys breaking chairs over each other’s heads.

At some point our union officers began enforcing the rule that disallowed the consumption of alcohol during meetings, which came as a terrible blow for some of us. It was the first hint that civilization was coming to our wild and woolly proceedings, and I’m sure that there are a lot of union members today who would only attend our general membership meetings if beer were provided to soften the grinding deadly boredom of the endless proceedings, though if that were to ever happen there might need to be a warning that “union meetings may lead to alcoholism.”

Now: I need to say that our meetings had been contentious in the past.

In one meeting I yelled at our regional IATSE representative, Scott Harbinson, in a November / December 2016

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discussion about Savannah being awarded to Local 491 in Wilmington. Never mind that I had never worked in Savannah and that I did not understand the business decisions at play and did not know the politics involved, I simply felt that it was wrong for another state to control Georgia territory.

Note: yelling at somebody (especially an officer) in a meeting today will get you escorted out of the union hall. They’ve gotten all fancy like that.

A lot of us 20+ year members remember being incensed when Mike Akins moved us from an external company’s health/savings plan back to the International’s plans. It would take me more than a decade to look back with perspective to see that he probably made that unpopular move to repair our local’s estranged relationship with the International. Some have chosen to forgive Mike, some have not. It was a divisive issue with a lot more complexity than I’m prepared to write about today, and more senior members like Susan Van Apeldoorn are better suited to describe the events that had precipitated the initial move away from the union’s plans. But back to our dying local.

I still remember the meeting when Mike Akins and Bobby Vazquez began outlining the plan to form an alliance between Local 479 and the Georgia Production Partnership (GPP). This new entity would be named EDGE, which stood for Economic Development through Georgia Entertainment. (See Image 1) By uniting the forces of Atlanta’s film industry we would hire two lobbyists — one a Democrat, the other a Republican — in the attempt to get tax incentives passed for Georgia, to compete with Louisiana’s

Image 1

monster incentives. (And as meager as our local’s holdings were back then, I’m told that Local 479 was the primary financier of the first efforts of EDGE).

Email campaigns were organized and messages began flying out between the local and its members, and between friends in other organizations, from Greg Torre (the Georgia Film Commissioner at the time) to Oz Publishing to the Georgia Production Partnership and a variety of producers around the city. Our numbers were small, but we worked as a team – our spare time was spent on the telephone and writing emails.

One of the early mobilization emails implored us to voice our support of House Bill 1523 to the members of the Ways and Means Committee… On Monday, March 8, 2004 at 2:59 PM from Local 479: “URGENT! URGENT! Opportunity has presented itself again. We need to make calls to representatives and senators and urge them to support House Bill 1523. Send e-mails or telephone calls to members of the Ways and Means Committee to

"More than anything, I saw what a bazaar the capital is when the legislature is in full session. It’s crazy busy."

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please pass HB 1523 out of committee. We have only 4 (four) days left to get this bill out of the committee so that it can ten go to the floor and then go to the senate."

The body of that email listed contact information for all 18 committee members (which I’m not publishing here on the web because some of those contacts listed personal phone numbers and email addresses).

And then the bill changed numbers.

Another email arrived in my inbox two weeks later explaining that our bill had moved on to the Senate Rules Committee, and highlighted which legislators should be our top priority for making our case for our industry. (See Image 2) Our primary targets were identified as the Senate Pro Tem and the Chairman of the Rules Committee. This was of course all new to us, and most film crews are neither writers nor politicians, so some of them relied on canned messages prepared by the office.

On March 24, 2005 at 3:39 PM a message was sent from Local 479: “Our incentive bill (HB539) will come up for a vote in the full senate tomorrow, March 24.

If you have not yet contacted your senator

“Atlanta’s very unique collaboration between labor, government, and the studio system has garnered the attention of the world.”

Image 2 you should send them an e-mail and urge their support of this bill.”

Like everyone else I wrote emails to a lot of legislators. I still have some of those letters.

I also went to the capital a few times during the session to see the process in action. Mike Akins was there every time I went, following the lobbyists around the capital. He was always ready to step into a meeting to answer their questions about our industry, labor unions, and how important the film industry could be for the state’s economy. Every time I went I hoped to see the bill discussed down on the floor but I never did see that occurrence.

More than anything, I saw what a bazaar the capital is when the legislature is in full session. It’s crazy busy.

Ultimately, HB539 failed to pass However, it did get the attention of Governor Sonny Purdue, and the very next year a bill went forth into the legislature with the strong endorsement of a lot of our state’s legislators, and in ensuing years that same support for our industry transferred over to Governor Nathan Deal’s administration and those of other state legislators.

There was a big party to celebrate the win at Lab 601, Pete and Dave Ballard’s editing house.

Sadly, I was not able to hang on until the bill’s passage in 2005.Instead, I accepted a marketing position with an architecture/ development firm that I had been

consulting with on and off between shows since the mid-1990s and in the years since I have learned firsthand how investors tend to be “risk averse”, which simply means that they avoid investing into unstable environments.

Even if I had been able to hang on, the effects of the tax incentives would take several more years to fully kick-in and begin delivering a steady stream of work to our state.

The tax incentives I fought for now benefit a new generation of Atlanta film technicians. Some have blossomed from the new work and are always busy. Some struggle to put together enough days to make it worth the fight. We were never guaranteed of work prior to the incentives and to perceive them as a guarantee of employment now is a big mistake that no one should make. The only thing that the tax incentives do is to create an environment that is conducive to being hired. The final gap between potential and actual employee is up to each person’s personality, skills, and resume – and I hope you are all able to get a spark to leap that gap.

In the years since the implementation of the tax incentives our state and local leaders have proven themselves to be able to provide the kind of stability that attracts the big business of Hollywood.

The studios are not coming to Atlanta (as I once thought) because we are good and clever, they are coming here because we have been affordable and predictable, and our organized labor works hand-in-hand with a legislature that has been traditionally anti-union.

That’s some pretty crazy stuff right there – like cats and dogs living together.

There is some sentiment among some of my very best friends that they would like to see some sort of protectionism built into future editions of the tax

incentive, but as attractive as that idea may be to them, I’m quite certain that it holds the potential for dooming Georgia’s industry by limiting the flexibility of producers to assign the personnel they want to their projects.

I remain convinced that open source is the model that has proven most stable for the business and that the moment any of the elements slip too far out of alignment is the moment that a new generation of film crews will be forced to write letters to their representatives or to travel out of state to keep making movies.

Atlanta’s very unique collaboration between labor, government, and the studio system has garnered the attention of the world.

This September, Oz Publishing hosted the 40th Annual Cineposium right here in Atlanta. This event was organized by the Association of Film Commissioners (AFCI), who hold this symposium in a different country every year. This year they arrived in Georgia with the goal of understanding and replicating our success in their own home locations.

So, going back to the original online conversation that spurred this neverending post, the state tax incentives did not just have “help” from us, they were initiated by our community and realized with the guidance and the leadership of two Governors and a large group of Georgia legislators who understood our vision and acted to make it a reality, for which we should all be thankful.

I hope that folks who were here in Atlanta during the time when we stood on the brink of extinction will share this post to their preferred social media channels and that they will share their own stories about this period in our history.

This article has been printed with permission by Andrew Duncan, originally posted on the Drewprops blog: http://blog.drewprops. com/2016/10/the-time-we-saved-georgias-film-industry/

November / December 2016

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OZ SCENE Talynn Kell, Amanda Ray, Shafeeq Rashid and Leland Melvin post-Westworld screening panel discussion

October 7-9

The Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival

T

he Multicultural Sci-Fi Organization hosted the first annual Atlanta Sci-Fi Film Festival this year, sponsored by HBO, IMAX, Georgia Tech, The CG Brothers, and more. This year’s festival kicked off with a special Westworld mixer and episode screening, hosted by HBO at Atlanta’s SCADShow, followed by a discussion panel on the show, its morality, and the concept of robotics in the history and future of humanity.

Screenings of short live-action and animation films were held at the Georgia Tech Ferst Center, hosted by MCSFO’s Amanda Ray, with audience voting for the live-action sci-fi shorts.

Awards were presented at the Regal Atlantic Station IMAX theater, with awards for the Audience Choice for Best Sci-Fi Short (The Sweetening by Grace Rowe), Best CGI Sci-Fi short (Last Day of War by Dima Fedotov),

and the IMAX Big Picture In Focus Award (awarded to Atlanta filmmaker Tim Glover, for his film N-Touch). Special screenings included Sunspring, written by the artificial intelligence Benjamin (a name chosen by the A.I. itself) and directed by Oscar Sharp (who joined in the post-screening panel discussion with A.I. researcher Ross Goodwin), and Voyage of Time, written and directed by Terrence Malick and narrated by Brad Pitt.

ASCIFFF Westworld Reception Drs. James Sowell, Bethany Jacobs, and Tobias Wilson-Bates discuss the Voyage of Time screening

HBO Representative Jackie Gagne presents the Westworld screening Amanda Ray discusses the future of sci-fi in Atlanta

Remote Q&A with director Oscar Sharp and A.I. researcher Ross Goodwin on Sunspring

Grace Rowe, Kenneth McKinney, Amanda Rope, Tim Glover

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The costumes of Westworld on display at the ASCIFFF Westworld reception

Luna Strings

OZ SCENE Filmmaker Q&A

October 21-22

Way Down Film Festival

T

he inaugural Way Down Film Festival debuted as the first high-profile film festival in Columbus, showcasing over 30 short films on the main stage of the historic Springer Opera House, with filmmaker Q&As following each screening. Events included the VIP Sunset Champagne Reception, Morning Filmmaker Coffee Hour, network after parties, and a closing night awards ceremony gala.

Founded by Stacy Cunningham, Jacy Jenkins, and Cora King, WDFF was awarded a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund leading up to the festival. “Over time, we foresee Columbus as a film community hub, by offering an audience the opportunity to experience stories that otherwise would not be accessible,” says the trio.

Founders Cora King, Jacy Jenkins and Stacy Cunningham in front

Butch Anthony

Guest mingling outside of the Springer Opera House

Phillip Thomas, Víctor Inglés, and Luca Bertoluzzi

WTVM interviewing our Co-founder, Stacy Cunningham

November / December 2016

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OZ SCENE Grey Long, Margie Long, Audrey Thomas, Debra Chapmen, Sam Chapmen

October 7-9

Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival

T

he 9th annual Kingdomwood Christian Film Festival convened October 7-9, featuring over 30 films, educational workshops, awards, celebrity panels, a red carpet screening, and more. This year Rich Peluso, Senior Vice President of AFFIRM Films (a division of Sony Pictures), delivered the keynote address on the genesis and impact of faith-based filmmaking and its future in the industry. Featured this year was international

award-winning film Felices los que Lloran (Happy Those Who Cry), filmed in Paraguay and directed by Marcelo Torcida. Awards were presented for narratives, documentaries, screenplays, acting, and special categories.

Kingdomwood was founded in 2007 to allow independent filmmakers to screen films that promote and inspire Christian teaching and values.

Cailan Sandusky

Asher Segelken

KCFF 2016 Award Winners

Nisa Davies and Lee Adams

Senior VP Rich Peluso (Affirm Films, Sony Pictures) TCV at Kingdomwood Joel Gonzales

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OZ SCENE KCFF Red Carpet Interviews

Elizabeth Carroll, Ilsa Norman, James Carroll

Ben Davies, Audrey Thomas, Massy

Left to Right - Joe Williams, Auric Steele, Amy Sutherland, Nicky Scruz, Audrey Thomas, Tommy O'Brien, Zack Leffew

Screenplay Winners Elizabeth and James Carroll, Doc Benson, Maria and Kevin O'Bryan Filmmaker Winner Jameel Karim

November / December 2016

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OZ SCENE

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OZ SCENE The SLAW premiere crowd

October 12

SLAW Red Carpet Premiere

T

he horror-comedy feature film SLAW, a loose parody of the SAW film franchise, had its world premiere to a packed house on Wednesday October 12 at the Studio Movie Grill in Duluth, Georgia.

The film follows two “foodie” brothers who kidnap anyone who ruins their dining experience, forcing them to all “play a game.”

These games include a healthy helping of “Mama’s World Famous Coleslaw” (“it’s the best in the world, you know.”).

Headlined by Kevin Nash (as himself) and Gregory Alan Williams (as Commissioner Kelly), the film stars John Kap and Aaron Beelner as the foodie brothers, with the rest of the cast comprising a virtual who’s-who of

Georgia acting talent. SLAW is written by Kap and Richard Tavernaro and directed by Matt Green.

Currently being considered by several major platform distributors, SLAW aims for theatrical and/or cable broadcast release in the Spring of 2017.

David Haddad and Richard Hempton Ondie Daniel and Win Smalley Clockwise from left - Kenneth Israel, John Kap, Michael E. Sanders, Carlos Aviles, Aaron Beelner, Berna Roberts

DP Andrew Burn, John Kap, and Alpha Trivette Leo Darcariell

Larry Herring

Escalante Lundy

Jeff Rose and Brody Rose

Paul Lee and guest

November / December 2016

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OZ SCENE

October 5-7

October 18

All 3 Coasts Festival & Conference

Eat, Drink & B-Indie: Animation Industry Mixer

T

he All 3 Coasts Film Lounge convened at Joystick Gamebar this year during the A3C Festival, giving attendees a home base to mingle and network during downtime in the convention. Hosted by the Atlanta Film Society, Joystick provided a locale for Happy Hours, an 8-Bit Comedy Night on Wednesday, the Music Video Director’s Showcase, Throwback Television Marahton, and a screening of House Party.

Photos by Anasha Stevens

I

n celebration of National Animation Month, the monthly film networking event Eat, Drink, & B-Indie invited local animation organizations to pitch their roles in Atlanta animation and make themselves available to working animators and non-animators.

Filmmakers looking for an animator to assist in the production of a film, music video or web series found in EDBI a great place to make those connections. In addition to a few brief presentations by ASIFA-South, My Animation Life, the Atlanta Unity 3D Developers group, and ACM SIGGRAPH, a large portion of the night was dedicated to networking and portfolio flaunting.

Photos by Kevon Pryce

Guests mingle at the A3C Film Lounge

Attendees listen to animation pitches and presentations

Guests pitch their animation talents

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OZ SCENE

September 24

Fujinon Day at ARRI Rentals

A

Tom Fletcher, Fujifilm/Fujinon consultant, and guests

RRI Rental hosted Fujinon Day on September 24. William Wages (ASC) and ARRI Rental Atlanta technicians Radames Gonzalez and Mike Sippel took attendees through a day workshop in lens evaluation, exploring the different characteristics that can impact production, from flare to bokeh to pin cushioning and more, using a constant rotation of Fujinon Premiere Series and Cario Series lenses for study.

Arri Rental Optical Tech Radames Gonzalez

Bill Wages and guests

Cinematographer Bruce Lance (left) and Bill Wages, ASC (right)

Commander’s camera technician Samuel M. Chun at the camera, with John Pruner (left) and Arri’s Todd Marshall (right)

November / December 2016

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NEXT GENERATION

Vanya Liang Vanya Liang was born and raised in ChangSha, China. She is a freelance illustrator who has worked with several different magazines and publishers and is now studying illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Liang has always had a passion for drawing, and says it is the experience of daily life that enlightens her work. “A smiling face, an ordinary blossom, even the misfortunate man who has been selling his balloons for 20 years downstairs at my home, everything I see with my eyes, every feeling I experience across my mind is an aspiration of my illustration,” she says. “What I draw is what we all can see and feel through our lives, and that is the beauty of my illustration.” www.vanyaliang.com

Brandon Moultrie Brandon Moultrie is a young artist who creates artwork that explores social issues and personal experiences. Since 2013, his work has been featured in multiple exhibits and won several awards. He has been interviewed in the Valdosta Daily Times and honored at the Red Cross Minority Recruitment. Moultrie has just finished his B.F.A in graphic design and illustration at Valdosta State University and plans to continue his artistic career by attending artist residencies, where he can build his portfolio and begin working on his Masters. www.behance.net/johnlasalle

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