Universal Film Magazine Issue -7 0f 2012

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BLACKLISTED FILM-MAKERS - the saga continues P. 59

UNIVERSAL FILM www.ufmag.org

ISSUE 7 OF 2012

LIFE OF SCREEN LEGEND

MAUREEN O’HARA

ROME FILM FEST P.11 WILD & SCENIC FILM FEST

LIFE OF Pi

TARRANTINO DJANGO UNCHAINED

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP

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Issue 7 of 2012

About UFM The Universal Film Magazine is a free magazine that delivers passionate and creative coverage about the global film and festival communities. The publication differs from the competition because it is totally free. It is the mission of the Universal Film Magazine to uphold our uncompromising high standards in professional journalism with compelling stories that are unbiased and fact-based. We are committed to the advancement of the industry by providing the very best in-depth features and coverage that will have a positive impact in the world. We aim to give our readers motivational and inspirational stories that embrace the spirit of independent film and festivals and give them a voice in the media.

Universal Film Magazine Editor TYRONE D MURPHY Creative Director DOM MURICU Proof Editors TODD VOLZ MICHELLE GOODE KATE SPATOLA PAUL PASTOR Photographer KEVIN A MURPHY Marketing Director EV JOHNSON

Contributors PATRICIA J. PAWLAK PETER SHILLINGFORD ROY BENSON RON GILBERT KEVIN A MURPHY J R BEARDSLEY IESTYN B JONES ZOE MOON CORI BLAZE

Editor-in-Chief

Tyrone D Murphy

Front cover image SONJUSCHKA

Letters & E Mails Please Contribute Please send in your letters and stories editor@ufmag.org Universal film magazine

ISSN 2050-1293

Copyright Notice:

Questions and feedback: Universal film Magazine Email: info@ufmag.org Online: www.ufmag.org

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Contents FEATURED STORIES:

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WHATS IN A TITLE Richard Morrison has designed the title sequences for the greatest movies of all time AMMA ASANTE’S ‘BELLE’

BELLE is directed by BAFTA Award Winner Amma Asante

Django Unchained

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STREET PREACHERS 17 MANIC The Manic Street Preachers are a

Welsh alternative rock band

FOUNDER JOINS BAFTA COMMITTEE 19 UFFO Founder of UFFO, Tyrone D Murphy was voted

onto the BAFTA committee in the UK

3D STEREO MEDIA

21 3D Stereo MEDIA was held in Liège, Belgium on 3-6 December.

IN PARIS 27 AA MONSTER Monster in Paris is a French CGI and 3D ani-

mated feature directed by Bibo Bergeron.

THE GROUCHO CLUB CHILD ABUSE SCANDAL 29 The infamous article that exposed the

The Company You Keep P.23

Groucho Club child abuse scandal

33 ACTRESS - COLEEN MOORE

Interesting look at the the life and work of the silent era actress Coleen Moore

FILMS IN FILM COMMUNITY 37 DEVLOPING Filmcontact.com has launch Film Projects by

harnessing the collective talents

GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD 47 AGood Day to Die Hard is an upcoming

American action film directed by John Moore

INTERVIEW WITH PIXOVI CEO 49 Cori Blaze conducts an interview with PIXOVI CEO about the platforms future

Life of PI

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BLACKLISTED, THE SAGA CONTINUES 59 After blacklisting a filmmakers one festival

who took part plays the blacklisted film

MARSHALL NEILAN 62 DIRECTOR A look at the life and body of work of the

silent era movie Director, Marshall Neilan

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Maureen O’Hara P.39


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

by J.R. Beardsley

J.R.: Excellent story-telling and film-making, gentlemen. You present your ideas without forcing the thought. Your research and understanding of the subject is comprehensive. What inspired you to make this movie? DANNY: Gray State came from discussions about what the country will look like if it continues on its present course. I had been researching for over 5 years: Agenda 21, Martial Law, FEMA Camps, Government Black Ops, saying, “Even if this stuff isn’t true, it would make for one hell of a film”. J.R.: You show frightening events that are possible in the near future. Do you see this penetrating our normalcy bias? DANNY: Hollywood creates the illusion that everything is fine. If people watch Gray State, think ‘What if?’ and question their own values, then I feel we have accomplished something.

J.R.: What is the most important theme in Gray State?

the state has their best interests at heart.

DANNY: The overall theme is about free will. We allow the audience to discover through the characters facing hard choices.

J.R.: What do you need in the way of financial support to get this movie made?

DAVID: I use this as backdrop to explore human truth: the nature of the maturity necessary to embrace death as a part of life, to let go of the things you love, to have the depth to absorb coercion and chaos without revenge. J.R.: Do your personal experiences as martial artist and warrior affect your perspectives on our cultural? DAVID: Yes. The nature of violence cannot be appreciated by someone who hasn’t experienced it. Danny’s character in the film says, “Just because you have Stockholm Syndrome doesn’t mean they won’t kill you.” Our population does not recognize its own gradual enslavement and will vehemently deny there is a problem - even as the gallows door drops. DANNY: We’ve been conditioned this way since birth; our institutions reinforce this. Any honest information is mocked to the point where younger generations don’t even bother being informed. They blindly trust that

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DAVID: We met our initial goal $50k to get the project off the ground. DANNY: To see this film made on the scale that it deserves, we would need to have $10-15 million as working capital. J.R.: What message would you like to share with our audience? DAVID: I would like to issue my promise that I am making as realistic, terrifying and beautiful a film as possible. If you aren’t scared or offended by the film, we need YOU to make it happen: get the word out. DANNY: I want to give a very large Thank You to all the fans who helped us already by making it viral. This is only the beginning. There are a lot more exciting things in the pipeline and we want to keep our supporters engaged. . J.R.: I look forward to seeing the finished project.

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There is a hot little production company in the Twin Cities that has a story to tell. GRAY STATE has been a two-year effort by David Crowley, Mitch Heil, who are Hot Head Productions and Danny Mason. A trailer can be seen on YouTube. The interview that follows was conducted by J.R. Beardsley.


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

What’s in the title?... Richard Morrison – A Reel eye opener

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by Dean Wares

If like me, you love movies. Then you’ll have probably watched hundreds of them!

the design, but also to create something which complimented the style of the film, for both the main and end titles.

You’ll probably also know lots of great title sequences to many of those films. But what you’ll probably not know is that one man has been responsible for creating the titles, more likely for most of your favourites!

Richard says “Normally, the running of the front titles is a period during which the audience rustles popcorn, makes small talk with their neighbours, or simply explores their seat for long-range comfort.

During the course of a creative rich career for over more than 30 years, Richard Morrison has designed the title sequences for some of the greatest movies of all time. With over 150 in the show reel already from cult classics like QUADRAPHENIA, GHANDI and the KILLING FIELDS through to modern day blockbusters such as HIGH FIDELITY, VANTAGE POINT and THE GOLDEN COMPASS, Richard Morrison is the most prolific British feature film titles designer the industry has even seen. Richard started off his career under the guidance of great luminaries such as Maurice Binder, creator of the early Bond series and since, has worked for many of the industry’s most respected film directors and producers including Sir David Lean, Kenneth Branagh, Jean-Jaques Annaud, Sir Richard Attenborough and Ridley Scott.

When the movie itself begins, there is usually an initial ‘cold’ period.

“an initial cold period”

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Richard nearly 20 years ago and since I have had the great honour of working with him closely, on what has been an incredible journey so far. With the latest release of Tim Burton’s new 3D animated film FRANKENWEENIE, it is yet another one of Richard Morrison’s sequences to hit our cinemas. We completed Frankenweenie only a few weeks ago, hot off the foot of designing the titles for another Burton film DARK SHADOWS. The sequence is another collaboration between Tim and Richard, following SWEENEY TODD and the first BATMAN film and we were delighted to see Frankenweenie kickoff this year’s BFI Film Festival. Being involved on this particular film has been a thrill for us, knowing how special the project has been to Tim. While talking through ideas with him, it became clear we needed to embrace the simple look of the classic black and white horror genre in

However, a strong main title or sequence can be sufficiently provocative and entertaining to induce the audience to sit down and ‘look and listen’ as something is really happening and communicating with them onscreen. I believe at this moment it is possible to project a symbolic forecast of what is to come and to create a receptive atmosphere that will enable the movie to begin on a seamless and higher level of audience participation. The end of the movie when the credits start is again another chance to graphically communicate and reintroduce the visual style, which is unique to each movie. Like a book has a front and back cover.” Frankenweenie is one of an incredible 15 films we have created the titles for in the last year alone, including THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY for Mabrouk El Mechri, Kasper Barfoed’s THE NUMBERS STATION starring John Cusack, Eran Riklis’s ZAYTOUN, NOW IS GOOD for Ol Parker and WELCOME TO THE PUNCH for Eran Creevy starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong. We’re currently working on an exciting new HBO feature MUHAMMAD ALI’S GREATEST FIGHT for Stephen Frears, having already completed an HBO film PHIL SPECTOR BIOPIC starring Al Pacino for David Mamet earlier in the year. The Ali film is also the second film we have done for Stephen Frears this year, as we created the title sequence for the comedy drama LAY THE FAVORITE starring Bruce Willis. www.richardmorrison.wordpress.com www.richard-morrison.co.uk

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Django Unchained D

jango Unchained is an upcoming western film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. The film is scheduled to be released on December 25, 2012 in North America. Principal photography started in California in November 2011, Wyoming in February 2012,[4] and at the National Historic Landmark Evergreen Plantation in Wallace, Louisiana, outside of New Orleans in March 2012. Django Unchained is set in the Deep South, and follows Django (Foxx), a freed slave who treks across America with Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), a bounty hunter. The film is inspired by the 1966 Sergio Corbucci’s spaghetti western Django, with star Franco Nero having a cameo. Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave living in the Deep South after having been separated from his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). When Django is held for a slave auction, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

It was originally reported that Will Smith was Tarantino’s first choice for the role of Django, but in the end Jamie Foxx was cast for the role. Additionally, Franco Nero was rumored for the role of Calvin Candie. Kevin Costner was in negotiations to join as Ace Woody, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Kurt Russell was cast instead, but also later left the role. When Kurt Russell dropped out, the role of Ace Woody was not recast but instead the character would be merged with Walton Goggins’ character, Billy Crash. Jonah Hill was offered the role of Scotty in the film, but he turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with The Watch. On June 15, 2012 it was announced that Hill was available and joined the cast, but in an unspecified role. On April 4, 2012, Joseph Gordon-Levitt announced that he would be

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unable to star in the film because of a prior commitment to make his directorial debut on Don Jon’s Addiction. GordonLevitt explained, “I would have loved, loved to have done it. He’s one of my very favorite filmmakers.” Development In 2007, Quentin Tarantino, speaking with The Daily Telegraph, discussed an idea for a form of spaghetti western set in America’s Deep South which he called “a southern”, stating that he wanted “to do movies that deal with America’s horrible past with slavery and stuff but do them like spaghetti westerns, not like big issue movies. I want to do them like they’re genre films, but they deal with everything that America has never dealt with because it’s ashamed of it, and other countries don’t really deal with because they don’t feel they have the right to”. Tarantino finished the script on April 26, 2011, and handed in the final draft to The Weinstein Company. The film was shot in the anamorphic format on 35 mm film. Django Unchained was the first Tarantino film not edited by Sally Menke, who died in 2010.

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bounty hunter who uses his former profession as a dentist as a cover, frees Django from his vicious masters, the Speck brothers (James Remar and James Russo), and gives him the option of hunting down and killing the Brittle Brothers, a ruthless gang of killers whom only Django has seen. In return, Schultz will free Django from slavery completely and help rescue Broomhilda from the plantation of the charming but brutal Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

FIRST PRODUCTION STILL FROM THE SET OF AMMA ASANTE’S ‘BELLE’ RELEASED Photo credit - David Appleby

ugu Mbatha-Raw stars in the title role, alongside a cast which boasts an impressive ensemble of Britain’s finest actors as well as some of the most exciting up and coming international stars, including: Tom Wilkinson; Sarah Gadon; Miranda Richardson; Penelope Wilton; Sam Reid; Tom Felton; Matthew Goode; James Norton and Emily Watson.

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winning A Way of Life in 2004.

BELLE is directed by BAFTA Award Winner Amma Asante and produced by Damian Jones whose previous credits include the Academy Awardwinning The Iron Lady.

BELLE is a tale of passion and romance in the face of overwhelming adversity. Inspired by a 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle, and her life story, BELLE tells the tale of a mixed–race girl raised as an aristocratic lady in 18th Century England. Battling social prejudice against the backdrop of a controversial slavery case, BELLE brings to life the love story of Dido Belle (Gugu MbathaRaw) and John Davinier (Sam Reid), in a world where one of England’s most powerful men stands between them.

BELLE is Asante’s second film as writer/director following the award-

Filming on BELLE has taken place in The Isle Of Man, London, Oxford, as

well as Pinewood Studios, since 24 September, with the shoot due to wrap on 9 November. Bankside Films is handling exclusive worldwide sales, with CinemaNX on board to distribute in the UK. Presales concluded by Bankside include Icon in Australia, Benelux Film Distributors in Benelux, Rialto in Switzerland, Shooting Stars in Middle East, Bonton in Czech Republic, and Jaguar for World Airline rights. A DJ Films production, presented by Isle of Man Film, Pinewood Films and the BFI, in association with Head Gear Films and Metrol Technology.

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COMMITTED TO FILM “Committed” is an English-language feature film set on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It’s a comedy about a chance meeting between a man trying to escape the pressure of proposing to his girlfriend and a runaway bride. It’s a road-trip movie in the spirit of “When Harry Met Sally” with a big twist at the end. When government film funds were cut, South African Cypriot filmmaker Stelana Kliris decided to treat this as an opportunity to be really creative and resourceful. She wrote and designed “Committed” so that it would cost next to nothing without losing its artistic or technical integrity. This film will not only tell a good stroy, but it will also promote the film industry of Cyprus and the country of Cyprus itself. A heartfelt venture worth supporting. www.indiegogo.com/committed

ROME FILM FESTIVAL he 15th of december 2012 is the deadline for submitting to the 12th Edition of the RIFF (Roma Independent Film Festival) that will take place in Rome at Nuovo Cinema Aquila in Rome, from the 4th to the 12th of April 2013.

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This year as well, filmmakers from all over the world will be able to present their original works as a first-ever preview in the section “New Frontiers” dedicated to the first work of an artist. For the last 6 years, RIFF has collected and presented in prime time, works coming from all over the world, giving particular attention to Italian productions. Among the awards, the Distribution Prize, offered once again this year by Nuovo Cinema Aquila - the event’s venue - which consists in the possibility for the winning movie to be part of the regular cinema programming. The program of the RIFF 2013 will be enriched by retrospectives and seminars on different aspects of the Indie film industry. At the end of the Festival, the winners will be presented with RIFF Awards worth over 50.000 €. For further information +39 06 45425050 fabrizio@riff.it RIFF Via Po 152 00198 Roma Italy

Bollywood Hits On Demand celebrates Diwali by Tyrone D Murphy International Media Distribution (IMD) and Eros International announced today that the Bollywood Hits On Demand lineup for the month of November will include premieres of the summer hit Cocktail about friendship and love, and the critically-acclaimed English Vinglish about a woman coming into her own. Also included in the lineup is the record breaking hit of 2011, Ra One, and one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time, Dabangg. Diwali, also known as the festival of lights is the most important holiday of the year for Indian families. Diwali takes place on November 13, 2012. In celebration of Diwali, Comcast and Verizon are each offering customers free access to Bollywood Hits On Demand content for a limited time. Verizon will offer a free preview of the entire SVOD service, Bollywood Hits On Demand from November 8-16. STAR India PLUS and TV Asia signals will also be open as part of a South Asian network free preview for Diwali. Comcast will offer a special selection of movies, behind the scenes programming and music videos from Bollywood Hits On Demand to allow customers a free sampling in their “Top Picks” section ON DEMAND for a limited time, November 13-27. Comcast customers should go to Channel 1 > Top Picks > Bollywood Freeview to access this complimentary content. To view the complete SVOD service and subscribe, Comcast customers can go to Channel 1 > Premium Channels > Bollywood. “We are proud to share such an exciting lineup of movies and commend Comcast and Verizon for recognizing this special time of year by offering a free preview to their customers.” said Scott Wheeler, Senior Vice President, International Media Distribution. “We’re excited to celebrate Diwali with Bollywood fans by offering special access to popular Bollywood blockbusters the whole family can enjoy.” said Ken Naz, President of Eros International, USA. November highlights for Bollywood Hits On Demand include: Cocktail Available Until Dec. 16 Ra. One Available Until Dec. 16 English Vinglish Available Nov. 16 – Dec. 20 Dabangg Available Nov. 30 – Jan. 3

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Hawaii Movie Goes International By Jacek Adamski

MEDIAVOLT

The movie was written/directed by Brian Kohne and was his four year journey. Stefan Schaefer was the producer and he has had other releases in Europe. At the historic Iao Theater in Wailuku, Maui during the successful theatrical run Kohne said, “The movie was done in layers, people are going to be so surprised by the underground stories they discover behind all that laughter. We are showing a bit of local Hawaii tourists never see.” Associate producer Raymond Rolak was happy to see how well the soundtrack has been received. “The principals hit a giant homerun with the music and Brian Kohne used a team approach to bring it all to market,” added Rolak.

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“Get A Job” also had an international added twist with Polish Nationals as part of the sound design team. Kohne was pleased with the end result as the DVD and Movie Soundtrack CD will be coming to market in time for Christmas. Marcin Tyszka and Allan Zaleski were great additions to the sound tech and sound engineering efforts. Not only does the movie have a Pacificfusion feel, it is also culturally enriching with first nation and global reach. Even the ever polite Japanese tourist’s scenes that get featured bring forth giant audience laughs. In this movie besides the laughs, it is the music that really shines. Veteran island entertainers Willie-K and Eric Gilliom take the comedy to another heightened level with their special talents. They get some great cameo help from rockers Mick Fleetwood, Willie Nelson, and Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers. Pinoy comedian Augie-T is a riot as the overzealous Maui policeman. The Motion Picture Soundtrack by the Barefoot Natives also goes on sale in mid-November. Both products can be purchased online at www.GetAJobMovie.com in addition from select retailers.

Designed by industry experts, the Media Volt team strongly believes that the site acts as an essential tool for creative individuals to promote their skills and experience through the vital process of networking, which will allow them to enrich their professional lives within this tough industry. Media Volt allows members to build industry relationships, post and view upcoming events within specific localities, and keep up to date with the latest industry news by contributing to discussions and reading interviews with well-established media professionals. Members can also view and apply for employment opportunities, by searching for castings, acting auditions, and productions roles. Media Volt has been promoted by many recognized organisations as a valuable resource for those aiming to further their future career opportunities, by becoming the only site needed for development within the media industry.

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HONOLULU-The award winning comedy “Get A Job” with the giant soundtrack was filmed entirely in Hawai’i. Every state and province across America and Canada wants film production for their localities because of the economic impact. Hawai’i offers some tax incentives just like many other state do. It is an incentive for producers to bring production and post-production to their communities. The tax credits that “Get A Job” received are now helping the film come to market.

A new UK based website has launched to create networking and job opportunities allowing newcomers or well-established professionals in the media industry, to further their career prospects. Media Volt is an online social community for performers, actors, dancers, models and TV/ film production crew members, presenting them with the opportunity to find work, build up industry contacts, communicate with other like-minded people and create personalised profiles.


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Red Carpet at Gijon Film Festival Festival Internacional De Cine De GIJÓN pretty little festival in Spain this year celebrated golden jubilee 50 years Anniversary 16th to 24th of November in a great manner. The festival opened Spanish actress Leticia Dolera and during the ceremony the famous Asturian casting director Luis San Narciso has been awarded with the Nacho Martínez award for his whole professional career. Luis San Narciso has also been responsible for casting the actors for such films as By My Side Again (Gracia Querejeta, 1999), The Sea Inside (Alejandro Amenábar, 2004), Volver (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006) or The Counselor (Ridley Scott, 2012).

PITCH YOUR MOVIE IDEA TO HOLLYWOOD

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itching your idea to the Hol lywood elite just got easier. Record yourself pitching your movie or TV show idea, and upload it to iGottaPitch, established industry professionals will view your video, and connect with you. No more unattainable meetings. No stress. No closed doors. Just you in control of your career. The concept is simple enough and the technology is already there. It’s a matter of bringing the two together by attracting the “idea generators” and connecting them to movie industry executives. Today’s smart phone makes this accessible to nearly everyone. Uploaded pitches will only be viewable by producers, agents, and managers. The general public will not be able to view the pitches, nor will other individuals who have uploaded their pitch. iGottaPitch already has dozens of producers and managers who signed up for this service. iGottaPitch will become the premiere site that agents, managers, and producers go to when seeking new movie ideas.

SCREEN NATION GOES UNDER FOR 2012 by Tyrone D Murphy Recently UFM applied to Screen Nation for press accrediation to cover the event. We were informed that due to the high demant of press applicants on this occation they were unable to provide UFM with accrediation. A week or so later Screen Nation announced that the Screen Nation Awards 2012, listed to take place on the 11th of November, were postponed to a later date. This is appartently caused by severe difficulties faced by delays in receiving committed finance, late rejections of partnership approaches and finally an insurmountable major HR issue, it was felt that this was the only decision we could take at this time to protect the interests of the Screen Nation brand and reduce the negative effects that would be felt by the participants of the event. Nominations still stand and voting procedures will be revised to take account of this unexpected circumstance. Announcement of the winners of all relevant categories will be made at the future show. Charles Thompson, CEO of Screen Nation says: “On the very day the Guardian online publishes an article that I am quoted in posing the question ‘Do black actors still need the Screen Nation Awards’, I regret to announce this sudden untimely setback to the awards show. However I give my assurance to you that the extraordinary pool of talent that reside in the UK, will continue to be celebrated on a date to be set within the next few months. I sincerely apologise for the huge inconvenience this has caused many of you and take full responsibility for this difficult situation. Perhaps Charles Thompson CEO of the Screen Nation Awards should consider giving press accrediation to any and all industry publications that may help raise the porfile of such an event.

Scriptapalooza has nearly 20 years of experience dealing with the movie industry. By changing the rules of the game (and who can play), iGottaPitch has the potential of streamlining movie ideas and connections to the executives in the movie industry. www.igottapitch.com

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Wild and Scenic On Tour By Tyrone D Murphy

“The WSFF On Tour is not just a film festival. It is a community builder and a critical mechanism to build our movement to defend the earth.” says venue host, Cascadia Wildlands, Eugene, OR. The festival has been a great success for the non-profit SYRCL; so much so they decided to share it with other non-profits as a model event and means to fundraise for their organization or as a membership drive. Lori Van Laanen, the manager of the On Tour program, has increased the venues from 86 to 109 in the last two years, and expects to expand to 300 venues in the next three years. “Part of the reason that non-profits love our program is the amount of support that they get,” Van Laanen explained. Mentoring, a toolkit and the choice to pick their own films from the 55 available are part of the deal. “The tipping point for a shift from environmental apathy to responsible stewardship will be inspired by transformative experience. The Wild and Scenic Film Festival brings that powerful opportunity to audience members. It is creating a groundswell of inspired action one screening at a time!” The Nicholas School

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of the Environment, Duke University, Durham NC. Three hundred or more films are presented to Wild and Scenic every year, the Festival committee culls that down to about 100 that are shown at the home festival in Nevada City, and 55 are available for the on tour program. The aim of the Festival is to increase the groundswell for the environmental movement by using film to inspire environmental action. Each tour venue is an opportunity for an organization to reach out into their community and bring people together around community based activism. “Wild & Scenic continues to reinforce our core mission within the community and inspire our members. The event has become a terrific friend-raiser for the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy. We have surpassed our membership goal each year, and look forward to hosting next year!” Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, Ventura, CA The home festival returns to Nevada County in early January. January 13, 2013. The Festival will be featuring films, art and workshops on climate change, as well as highlighting the change makers who are helping rethink how we inhabit our planet. Festival Locations: Downtown Nevada City, CA: Headquarters TBA. Film Screenings at the Miners Foundry, Nevada Theatre, (Haven) Nevada City Elementary and Veteran’s Building. In Grass Valley: Del Oro Theater and The Center for the Arts. Tickets: Online at www.wildandscenicfilmfestival.org beginning Dec. 1st. In person at SYRCL office, 216 Main St., beginning Dec. 1; MondayThursday, from 12-5pm until January 10th.

Calgary Student Film Festival In September, we sat down and thought about how difficult it is to find other people interested in film production. There are teams in Calgary that make movies, sure, but there isn’t a wide reaching community, and especially not of youth. Enter the Calgary Student Film Festival, our attempt at solving this problem. The Calgary Student Film Festival is a new event in 2013 created by students for students which seeks to showcase student talent in high schools, promote competition between schools in the arts, and build a community of young filmmakers. Films no more than seven minutes in length will be created and submitted by students in Calgary and surrounding area representing their schools. The submission deadline for these films is April 5th. To work toward cultivating a talented network of young filmmakers, these films will be critiqued by industry experts in a workshop environment before being screened on May 11th at Cardel Theatre and juried for awards and prizes. Awards will be based on a combination of originality, writing, cinematography, and editing. Finally, a “People’s Choice” award will be included, as voted on by the audience.

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There is a movement underfoot that many in Northern California are unaware of. Hollywood might be the hub of entertainment, but Nevada City is the birthplace of activism via the lens of film. South Yuba River Citizen’s League (SYRCL) created the Wild and Scenic Film Festival 11 years ago. Today it brings thousands into downtown Nevada City and Grass Valley. And for the last six years Wild and Scenic has been touring the country, inspiring and motivating thousands more with screenings in museums, cinemas and colleges.


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

The New Screenwriter’s Survival Guide: Or, Guerrilla Meeting Tactics and Other Acts of War: EBook Now Available for Presale and Review

Are you looking for the secret decoder ring owned by all successful screenwriters? Or at least a map with a spot marked X? Sit down with Max Adams. The Screenwriter’s Survival Guide delivers 65 chapters ranging from “Don’t Write Batman” to “What You Really Get Paid.” Other topics include pitching, the screenwriter’s uniform, meetings, the etiquette of “getting read,” navigating social media, and the care and feeding of agents – along with lists of screenwriters’ directories and organizations, a generic release form, examples for cover pages and query letters, and other useful resources. Adams’s authority is unmistakable. After scooping up the prizes at a number of prestigious screenwriting contests including the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and the Austin Film Festival, Adams launched her Hollywood career with a big spec script sale (Excess Baggage). The book shines with Adams’s streetwise attitude. She shares her worst Hollywood memories — the cold calls to producers, the credit arbitrations, and the meetings, meetings, meetings — as well as her victories. Max Adams has the inside story on the writer’s life in Hollywood. Now, you will too. http://the-screenwriters-survivalguide.com

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

The Manic Street Preachers The Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band that was formed in 1986 in Blackwood, South Wales and consists of James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals and lead guitar), Nicky Wire (bass guitar and lyrics) and Sean Moore (drums and percussion). The band is part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s. They are colloquially known as “The Manics”, or simply, “Manics”. Originally a quartet, the band became a trio when primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards disappeared on 1 February 1995. In 1992, the Manics released their debut studio album, Generation Terrorists. Their combination of androgynous glam punk imagery and critical social lyrics about “culture, alienation, boredom and despair” soon gained them a loyal following and cult status. The band’s later albums retained a leftist politicisation and intellectual lyrical style while adopting a broader alternative rock sound.

“The band is part of the Cardiff Music Scene”

Following Edwards’ disappearance, Bradfield, Moore and Wire persisted with Manic Street Preachers, and went on to gain critical and commercial success, becoming one of Britain’s premier rock bands. Altogether, they have garnered eight Top 10 albums, fifteen Top 10 singles and have reached Number One three times— with their 1998 This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours album, the 1998 “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” single and the 2000 “The Masses Against the Classes” single. To celebrate the re-release of the ‘Manic Street Preachers’ album – ‘Generation Terrorists’, the iconic Welsh rockers have released ‘Culture, Alienation, Boredom and Despair’ documenting their rocky journey towards acceptance in the early 90’s. With their unique fusion of rock and politics, the Manics were never going to be the average band. If you ever

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wondered what their secret to success was this film will show what set them apart from the rest; their unbounded motivation and self propelled zeal to succeed. Stifled by a stagnant and fruitless music scene in the UK, Cardiff and Newport the motley foursome sell their rare indie records to fund their first ‘Pay to play’ gig in London. The film features an honest and frank running commentary from the current trio - they reminisce charming moments like the picnic in the park after reaching London too early, the pivotal gig at ‘The Horse and Groom’ and also recount how the late Richie Edwards obliviously played a fruit-machine as the other band members were being interviewed ... this timely memento is not only an exhibition of their vulnerabilities and their insecurities but also highlights their determination to win over their critics during this productive era. We learn about the endless, passionate letters they wrote about their inspirations and beliefs to potential labels and promoters. And then, after months of gigging and self promotion we see their efforts bloom into fruition as they grace the cover of NME for the first time, sign with ‘Heavenly Recordings’ and release ‘You Love us’ and ‘Motown Junk’. We then go on to share their joy and excitement as they reach the ‘Top 40’ for the first time and also have the pleasure of performing on ‘Top of the Pops’. One of the most likeable things about this documentary is the drama; The disappointment of failing to crack America, followed by the shock and surprise of being mobbed by hundreds of Japanese fans – this film invites you to experience that riotous time and place in welsh rock folklaw. After years of hard work the efforts of their labour are rewarded as they sign to Columbia and collaborate with producer Steve Brown to record a collection of singles. Unintentionally, the recording with Brown lasts up to ten weeks and in February 1992 – they release their timeless masterpiece. There’s no denying that ‘Generation Terrorists’ is the reason why the Manics transcended other groups during this innovative period and went on to become one of Wales’ biggest exports. Featuring the notable ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ ,the thrilling ‘You Love us’ and also the bonus track ‘Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless). Beautifully re-packaged and carefully re-mastered, this classic sounds as mind-blowing and exciting as it did in 1992. Happy Anniversary!! The double ‘Legacy Edition’ of Generation Terrorists featuring the mentioned DVD is out now.

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by Iesten B Jones


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UFFO FOUNDER JOINS BAFTA COMMITTEE he founder of UFFO, the Universal Film & Festival Organization, Tyrone D Murphy was voted onto the BAFTA committee unopposed. The appointment was announced at the BAFTA AGM on the 26th november. Murphy is also an award winning filmmaker and editor of the Universal Film Magazine. The Academy has a membership of 6,500 individuals in the UK and the US and celebrates excellence at its internationally-renowned, annual BAFTA Awards ceremonies. The Academy is committed to sharing insights into the crafts of the people who work in film, television and games by staging over 200 public events a year across the UK and beyond. This wide-ranging programme of events gives members, the industry and the public at large many opportunities to learn first-hand from the finest practitioners in the business. BAFTA online, at www.bafta.org

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

3D Stereo MEDIA

by Tyrone D Murphy

The European Forum on stereoscopic 3D

he fourth edition of 3D Stereo MEDIA, the European Forum for stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) for Science, Technology, and Digital Art, will be held in Liège, Belgium on 3-6 December.

This year, the Professional Conference welcomes over 40 international speakers, and three prestigious keynote speakers: Chuck Comisky (Avatar), Buzz Hays (Beowulf ), and Robert Neuman (The Lion King).

numerous projects from a dozen countries for a total budget of € 155 million. The jury selected 20 projects that will be pitched before a panel of eleven investors (sales agents, distributors, financiers, etc.). Producers and investors will interact during the pitching sessions and pre-organized one-on-one meetings. The panel will then select the best of these projects and the producer will be eligible to receive an award in the amount of € 3,000.

In addition to the professional and scientific conferences, and a training session for 3D filmmakers and students, 3D Stereo MEDIA also features a 3D Film Festival and the first 3D co-production Film Market in Europe.

The 20 selected projects of the 3D Film Mart and the 20 nominated films of the 3D Film Festival are presented in the press kit available on the website at www.3dstereomedia.eu/press.

This year, the international reputation of 3D Stereo MEDIA is bearing fruit. Indeed, the International 3D Society (Hollywood, California) chose our event to organize jointly their European 3D Creative Arts Awards. These prizes reward the best film and television productions in 3D in Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa.

The Royal Opera House will host the Awards Ceremony of 3D Stereo MEDIA, where prizes will be awarded to the best productions for the 3D Film Festival, the best scientific contribution, the best pitch for the 3D Film Mart, as well as the AWEX prize1. The first part of the ceremony will then be followed by the Lumiere Statuettes handed out by the I3DS European Committee. A random member of the audience will then be called onstage to receive a voucher for a trip for two to Hollywood. All those who which to participate simply need to visit the website www.hollywoodaliege.be and follow the instructions.

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For the fourth year, the 3D Film Festival will also be held in the framework of 3D Stereo MEDIA. This year again, Ben Stassen will be the president of the jury. Over sixty S-3D movies were submitted to the Film Festival. Twenty S-3D movies have been nominated in six categories. The now famous “Perrons Crystal” will be handed out to the winners of each category during the Awards Ceremony on 6 December at 8:30pm (Royal Opera House of Liège). The 3D Film Mart has been developed for 3D Stereo MEDIA by TWIST and peacefulfish. It is mainly funded by the regional government of Wallonia, and by the MEDIA Programme of the European Commission (EC) which gives it wide visibility and a significant notoriety in Europe and beyond. For this second edition, we have received

3D Stereo MEDIA is now recognized as the most comprehensive event dedicated exclusively to ALL forms of 3D imaging (stereoscopic, holographic, integral...). 3D Stereo MEDIA aims to encourage interaction between 3D artists, scientists, engineers and businessmen. Press kit : www.3dstereomedia.eu/press Contact: Alain Gallez – c/o Eventis +32 (0)4 233 62 97 – alain@3dstereomedia.eu

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THE COMPANY YOU KEEP 23

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Jim about the arrest. Billy is surprised and disappointed that Jim doesn’t want to take Sharon’s case, and he conveys this information to Ben when Ben questions him. Ben pursues Jim and tries to question him, but Jim tells him to get lost.

Redford plays Grant, the reporter is Shia LaBeouf (Ben), and Susan Sarandon and Julie Christie (Mimi) play former Weather Underground members. Terrence Howard and Anna Kendrick play the FBI agents on the case, and Brendan Gleeson is the retired Michigan Chief of Police who had first investigated the bank robbery. The film also features Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, Brit Marling, and Stanley Tucci, among others.

Spooked by the investigation, Jim takes his 11-yearold daughter, Isabel (Jackie Evancho), and drives to a bus station at the Canadian border; there, he buys bus tickets to Toronto. He tells Isabel that they are taking “a little trip”. A neighbor has filed a missing persons report. Ben tells the FBI about the report and that a middle-aged man matching Jim’s description bought bus tickets to Toronto. Ben has also found out that Mimi Lurie (Julie Christie), an accomplice in the Michigan bank robbery, was last seen in Canada.

The film premiered on September 6, 2012, at the 69th Venice International Film Festival and then played at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2012.Sony Pictures Classics has agreed to distribute the film in the United States, and StudioCanal has acquired the United Kingdom distribution rights. The film is expected to be released in the U.S. in March 2013. The story centeres on a recently widowed single father, Jim Grant (Robert Redford), is a former Weather Underground militant wanted for a Michigan bank robbery and the murder of the bank’s security guard (an off-duty police officer) in the 1970s. He has been in hiding from the FBI for over thirty years, becoming an attorney in Albany, New York. When Sharon Solarz (Susan Sarandon), another former Weather Underground member, is arrested, an ambitious young reporter, Ben Shepard (Shia LaBeouf ), is assigned to the story by his prickly editor, Ray Fuller (Stanley Tucci). Ben’s ex-girlfriend, Diana (Anna Kendrick), is an FBI agent. He presses her for information about the case. She tells him that Sharon came to town to visit Billy Cusimano (Stephen Root), an old hippie who runs an organic grocery. Billy, a friend and client of Jim’s, tells

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A private investigator tells Ben that Jim had no Social Security number prior to 1978. Ben tells the FBI to check Jim’s fingerprints against Nick Sloan, another fugitive from the robbery. Meanwhile, Jim and Isabel arrive at a New York City bus station. They go sightseeing and check into a fancy hotel. The manhunt for Jim is now national news. In early reviews from the Venice Film Festival, Variety called the film an “unabashedly heartfelt but competent tribute to 1960s idealism ... in its stolid, old-fashioned way, it satisfies an appetite, especially among mature auds, for dialogue- and character-driven drama that gets into issues without getting too bogged down in verbiage. ... Time wrote: “With a welcome mixture of juice and grit, the movie dramatizes the lingering conundrums of young people in the time of the Vietnam morass. ... [The film] is streaked with melancholy: a disappointment that the second American Revolution never came. ... Nonetheless, this is a pulsating drama of a man who goes on an intricate, often interior journey to outrun his past.”After seeing the film in Toronto, NPR’s Linda Holmes called the story “undercooked” and thought that “it all seems to have been a lot of noise and running for nothing”.

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he Company You Keep is a 2012 political action thriller, produced and directed by Robert Redford. The script was written by Lem Dobbs based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Neil Gordon. Produced by Nicolas Chartier (Voltage Pictures), Redford and Bill Holderman, the movie filmed in Vancouver in autumn 2011


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LIFE OF PI

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The film is about a 16-year old boy named Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, who gets stranded in a lifeboat after a shipwreck in which his family dies, with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The film received positive reviews from critics. Pi Patel, an immigrant from India living in Canada, is approached by a local novelist who has been referred to him by his “uncle” (a family friend), believing that Pi’s life story would make a great book. Pi relates an extended tale: He is named “Piscine Molitor” by his parents after a swimming pool in France. He changes his name to “Pi” when he begins secondary school, because he is tired of being taunted with the nickname “Pissing Patel”. His family owns a local zoo, and

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Pi takes a curious interest in the animals, especially a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker (after a clerical error); to teach him the reality of the tiger’s nature as a carnivore, Pi’s father forces him to witness it killing a goat. He is raised Hindu and vegetarian, but at 12 years old, he is introduced to Christianity and then Islam, and starts to follow all three religions (as an adult he states that he is Catholic-Hindu, and when asked if he is also Jewish, he replies that he lectures in Kabbalah at the university). When he is 16 (and experiencing first love), his father decides to close the zoo and move to Canada, transferring the animals in the zoo in the process. They book passage for themselves and their animals (to be sold in North America) on a Japanese freighter named the Tsimtsum. The ship encounters a heavy storm and begins to sink while Pi is on deck marveling at it. He tries to find his family, but is thrown overboard with a lifeboat, and watches helplessly as the ship sinks, killing his family and its crew.

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ife of Pi is a 2012 American adventure drama film based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Ang Lee, the film is based on an adapted screenplay by David Magee, and stars Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Gérard Depardieu, Tabu, and Adil Hussain. Visual effects are by Rhythm & Hues Studios.


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Monster in Paris (French: Un monstre à Paris) is a French CGI and 3D animated feature directed by Bibo Bergeron. The story begins by documenting the flooding of the River Seine of 1910, of which the film is also set. Emile, a shy projectionist, has a passion for film and romantic interests for his collaborator of the cinema, Maud, but has trouble admitting his true feelings. His friend, an exuberant inventor and delivery driver, Raoul, is picking him up from work to transport him in his crafted vehicle, named Catherine, to assist in retrieving a new belt for his projector, due to a mishap with him daydreaming. In the process of purchasing a new belt, he also gets himself a new camera. The story also introduces Lucille (Vanessa Paradis), a childhood friend of Raoul, and cabaret singer at the club L’Oiseau Rare (“The Rare Bird”). As Paris is diverse in the category of the rich and the poor, though she is a successful singer, her aunt Carlotta does everything to push her into the arms

of the Police commissioner, Maynott, a man devoured by pride and ambition. On a particular evening, Raoul, accompanied by Emile, is making a delivery to the Botanical Gardens. In the absence of the Professor who works there, the place is guarded by his assistant, a proboscis monkey named Charles. Appreciating the opportunity to browse through the laboratory, Raoul experiments with an “Atomize-a-Tune” mixture which temporarily gives Charles the voice of an opera singer and an unstable “super fertilizer” which grows a sunflower seed into a giant sunflower in the blink of an eye. Due to the enormity of the plant in a small amount of water, it starts to topple towards Raoul and Emile. In the ensuing chaos, an explosion occurs due to the mixing of the two chemicals. Everyone comes out unscathed, but Emile is convinced he has glimpsed a monstrous creature which is recorded on camera. The next day, the creature is featured in the newspapers

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A MONSTER IN PARIS


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LONDON CRITICS’ CIRCLE FILM AWARDS JOIN WITH MISSING PEOPLE ANNOUNCE 2013 DATE

ritain’s leading film critics have today announced that their 33rd awards ceremony will be held to benefit the charity Missing People. The awards will be presented on 20 January 2013 at BFI Southbank, with the event expected to attract a host of well-known British and international film talent. The awards are presented by the Film Section of The Critics’ Circle, which celebrates its centenary in 2013. This year’s ceremony will also launch Missing People’s 20th anniversary as a lifeline when someone disappears.

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Since the first edition in 1980, the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards have become an anticipated and respected fixture in the annual film calendar. The awards are unique in that they represent the opinions of the UK’s leading film critics and are held in aid of a charity. In recent years guests and award winners have included Daniel Craig, Quentin Tarantino, Cate Blanchett, Michael Caine, Sienna Miller, Martin Scorsese, Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet and Lord Attenborough. This year’s ceremony drew a star-studded red carpet with guests including Michael Fassbender, Jean Dujardin, Carey Mulligan, Kenneth Branagh, Olivia Colman and iconic filmmaker Nicolas Roeg, who was presented with the Dilys Powell Award by Donald Sutherland. Winning films included international hits The Artist and A Separation, both of which went on to receive further acclaim at the BAFTA and Academy Awards. British films were also strongly represented with other awardwinners including We Need to Talk About Kevin,Shame, Senna, Weekend, Tyrannosaur, The Iron Lady and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Chairman of The Critics’ Circle Film Section, Jason Solomons, comments: “I am delighted that we are working with Missing People to present this year’s ceremony and raise the profile of this charity, which does important work on behalf of missing children and adults and their families. “The London Critics’ Circle Film Awards stand out from the crowd – they are a part of the awards calendar and conversation

by Tyrone D Murphy

and they also highlight film achievements that may be overlooked by other awards events. And I am also delighted that our event will be staged at BFI Southbank’s legendary venue for a third year, cementing our awards’ position at the very heart of British film culture, heritage and industry.” Chairman of Missing People, John Reiss, adds: “We are immensely grateful to the Critics’ Circle for making us the charity beneficiary of their prestigious Film Awards, an occasion which will mark the start of our 20th anniversary. “Missing People is a 24/7 lifeline when someone disappears. We are a lifeline at 2am when a frightened teenager rings from the streets. We are a lifeline to the family of the elderly father who has not been seen since he went to the shops. We are a small charity but punch way above our weight in responding to situations such as these.” About The Critics’ Circle Established in 1913, The Critics’ Circle is the oldest organisation of its kind in the world, with more than 400 members who work in the UK media as critics of drama, art and architecture, music, film and dance. The Film Section has more than 120 voting members working as film critics, journalists and broadcasters, and has presented its awards annually since 1980. www. criticscircle.org.uk About Missing People An estimated 250,000 people go missing each year in the UK. The youngest of those can face physical and sexual abuse while 1 in 4 missing adults end up sleeping rough. Missing People has a team on hand 24 hours a day, providing a confidential free lifeline when someone disappears. The charity also coordinates a UK wide search network of volunteers, community and media partners. For every £1 donated the charity delivers £2 of value, enabling the safe reconnection of 1,051 missing people last year. www.missingpeople.org.uk

all contact - www.premiercomms.com

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Coleen Moore

STAR OF THE SILENT ERA

past the Howey residence (they occupied at least two residences between 1910 and 1916: 4161 Sheridan and 4942 Sheridan). In interviews later in her silent film career, Moore claimed she had appeared in the background of several Essanay films, usually as a face in a crowd. One story has it she had gotten into the Essanay studios and waited in line to be an extra with Helen Ferguson: in an interview with Kevin Brownlow many years later Ferguson told a story that substantially confirmed many details of the claim, though it is not certain if she was referring to Moore’s stints as a background extra (if she really was one) or to her film test there prior to her departure for Hollywood in November 1917.

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Born Kathleen Morrison on August 19, 1902 in Port Huron, Michigan, Miss Moore was the eldest child of Charles R. and Agnes Morrison. The family remained in Port Huron during the early years of Moore’s life, at first living with her grandmother Mary Kelly and then with at least one of Moore’s aunts.

The contract to Griffith’s Triangle-Fine Arts was conditional on passing a film test to ensure that her heterochromia (she had one brown eye, one blue eye) would not be a distraction in close-up shots. Her eyes passed the test, so she left for Hollywood with her grandmother and her mother as chaperones. Moore made her first credited film appearance in 1917 in The Bad Boy for Triangle Fine Arts, and for the next few years appeared in small, supporting roles gradually attracting the attention of the public.

Two great passions of young Moore’s were dolls and movies; each would play a great role in her later life. She and The Bad Boy was released on February 18, and featured her brother began their own stock company, reputedly Robert Harron, Richard Cummings, Josephine Crowperforming on a stage created from a piano packing ell, and Mildred Harris. Two months later it was crate. She admired the faces she saw on the silver followed by An Old Fashioned Young Man, again screen and on magazine covers. She had resolved with Robert Harron. Moore’s third film was Hands “Coleen at a young age that she would be not only an acUp! filmed in part in the vicinity of the Seven starred in tress, but a star. Oaks This was her first true western. The film’s over 50 scenario was written by Wilfred Lucas from a movies” Her aunts, who doted on her, indulged her other story by Al Jennings, the famous outlaw who great passion and often bought her miniature had been freed from jail by presidential pardon furniture on their many trips, with which she furby Theodore Roosevelt in 1907. Monte Blue was in nished the first of a succession of doll houses. Another the cast and noticed Moore could not mount her horse, one of her passions was to get married. She didn’t have though horseback riding was required for the part. Blue the best luck; Moore was married four times. Her first gave her a quick lesson essentially consisting of how to marriage was to John McCormick of First National Stumount the horse and how to hold on for dear life. He dios. Moore’s second marriage was to Albert P. Scott; also suggested she go out and get lessons. In a climactic this marriage was short. She married Homer Hargrave in scene she was locked in a closet and was able to scream 1936; he provided funding for her dollhouse. After Harher head off for the camera. grave died in 1964, Moore took many years to get over her grief. In 1982 Moore married her final husband, Paul On May 3, 1917, the Chicago Daily Tribune said: “Colleen Maginot. Moore contributes some remarkable bits of acting. She is very sweet as she goes trustingly to her bandit hero, The family summered in Chicago, where Moore enjoyed and, O, so pitiful, when finally realizing the character of baseball and the company of her Aunt Lib (Elizabeth, the man, she goes into an hysteria of terror, and, shriekwho changed her name to “Liberty”, Lib for short) and ing ‘Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!’ beats futilely on a bolted Lib’s husband Walter Howey. Howey was the managing door, a panic stricken little human animal, who had not editor of the Chicago Examiner and an important newsknown before that there was aught but kindness in the paper editor in the publishing empire of William Ranworld.” About the time her first six-month contract was dolph Hearst, and was the inspiration for Walter Burns, extended an additional six months, she requested and the fictional Chicago newspaper editor in the play and received a five weeks release to do a film for Universal’s the film The Front Page. Bluebird division, released under the name The Savage. This was her fourth film, and she was only needed for At the time, Chicago was the center of the motion picture two weeks. industry in America. Essanay Studios was within walking distance of the Northwestern L, which ran right Soon after, the Triangle Company went bust, and while

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Little Orphant Annie was released in December. The Chicago Daily Tribune wrote of Moore, “She was a lovely and unspoiled child the last time I saw her. Let’s hope commendation hasn’t turned her head.” Despite her good notices, her luck took a turn for the worse when Selig Polyscope went bust. Once again Moore found herself unemployed, but she had begun to make a name for herself by 1919. She had a series of films lined up: She went to Flagstaff, Arizona for location work on The Wilderness Trail, another western, this time with Tom Mix. Her mother went along as chaperon. Moore wrote that while she had a crush on Mix, he only had eyes for her mother. The Wilderness Trail was a Fox Film Corporation production, and while it had started production earlier, it would not be released until after The Busher, which was released on May 18. The Busher was an H. Ince Productions-Famous Players-Lasky production; it was a baseball film wherein the hero was played by Jack (later John) Gilbert. The Wilderness Trail followed on July 6, another Fox film. A few weeks later The Man in the Moonlight, a Universal Film Manufacturing Company film was released on July 28. The Egg Crate Wallop was a Famous Players-Lasky production released by Paramount Pictures on September 28. The next stage of her career was with the Christie Film Company, a move she made when she decided she needed comic training. This was in 1920, and it was a good move because it allowed her to work on her comic timing, and because the arrangement she had made with Al Christie allowed her to go out and look for other work while with the comic troupe. While with Christie,

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she made Her Bridal Nightmare, A Roman Scandal, and So Long Letty. At the same time as she was working on these films, she worked on The Devil’s Claim with Sessue Hayakawa, in which she played a Persian woman, When Dawn Came, and His Nibs with Chic Sales. All the while, Marshall Neilan had been attempting to get Moore released from her contract so she could work for him. He was successful and made Dinty with Moore, releasing near the end of 1920, followed by When Dawn Came. For all his efforts to win Moore away from Christie, it seems Neilan farmed her out most of the time. He loaned her out to King Vidor for The Sky Pilot, released in May 1921, yet another Western. After working on The Sky Pilot on location in the snows of Truckee, she was off to Catalina Island for work on The Lotus Eater with John Barrymore. While it is popularly believed the work on this film was done in Florida, it was in fact shot on location on Catalina Island. From there she was off to New York for more location work, then back to California where Neilan put her to work in Slippy McGee. In October 1921, His Nibs was released, her only film to be released that year besides The Sky Pilot. In His Nibs, Moore actually appeared in a film within the film; the framing film was a comedy vehicle for Chic Sales. The film it framed was a spoof on films of the time. 1922 proved to be an eventful year for Moore as she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star during a “frolic” at the Ambassador Hotel which became an annual event, in recognition of her growing popularity. In early 1922, Come On Over was released, made from a Rupert Hughes story and directed by Alfred E. Green. Hughes directed Moore himself in The Wallflower, released that same year. In addition, Neilan introduced her to John McCormick (1893–1961), a publicity man who had had his eye on Moore ever since he had first seen her photograph. He had prodded Marshall into an introduction. The two hit it off, and before long they were engaged. By the end of that year three more of her films were released: Forsaking All Others, The Ninety and Nine, and Broken Chains. Look Your Best and The Nth Commandment were released in early

1923, followed by two Cosmopolitan Productions, The Nth Commandment and Through the Dark. By this time she had publicly confirmed her engagement to McCormick, a fact that she had been coy about to the press previously. Before mid-year, she had signed a contract with First National Pictures, and her first two films were slated to be The Huntress and Flaming Youth. Slippy McGee came out in June, followed by Broken Hearts of Broadway. Moore and John McCormick married while Flaming Youth was still in production, and just before the release of The Savage. When it was finally released in 1923, Flaming Youth, in which she starred opposite actor Milton Sills was a hit. The controversial story put Moore in focus as a flapper but after Clara Bow took the stage in Black Oxen in December, she gradually lost her momentum. In spring 1924 she made a good, but unsuccessful effort to top Bow in The Perfect Flapper, and soon after she dismissed the whole flapper vogue; “No more flappers...people are tired of soda-pop love affairs”. Decades later Moore stated Bow was her “chief rival”. Through the Dark, originally shot under the name Daughter of Mother McGinn was released during the height of the Flaming Youth furor in January 1924. Three weeks later, Painted People was released. After that, she was to star in Counterfeit.” The film went through a number of title changes before being released as Flirting with Love in August. In October, First National purchased the rights to Sally for Moore’s next film. It would be a challenge, as Sally was a musical comedy. In December, First National purchased the rights to Desert Flower, and in so doing had mapped out Moore’s schedule for 1925: Sally, would be filmed first, followed by The Desert Flower. By the late 1920s, she had accomplished dramatic roles in films such as So Big, where Moore aged through a stretch of decades and was also well received in light comedies such as Irene. An overseas tour was planned to coincide with the releases of So Big in Europe, and Moore saw the tour as her first real opportunity to spend time with her husband John. Both she and John were dedicated to their careers, and the

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her contract was honored, she found herself scrambling to find her next job. With a reel of her performance in Hands Up! under her arm. Colin Campbell arranged for her to get a contract for her with Selig Polyscope. She was very likely at work on A Hoosier Romance before The Savage was released in November. After A Hoosier Romance, she went to work on Little Orphant Annie.. Both films were based upon poems by James Whitcomb Riley, and both proved to be very popular. It was her first real taste of popularity.


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hectic schedules they had kept them from spending any quality time together. Moore wanted a family; it was one of her goals. Plans for the trip were put in jeopardy when she injured her neck while filming The Desert Flower. Her injury forced the production to shut down while Moore spent six weeks in a body cast in bed. Once out of the cast she completed the film and left for Europe on a triumphal tour. When she returned, she negotiated a new contract with First National. Her films had been great hits, and so her terms were very generous. Her first film upon her return to the States was We Moderns, set in England with location work done in London during the tour. It was a comedy, essentially a retelling of Flaming Youth from an English perspective. This was followed by Irene and Ella Cinders, a straight comedy that featured a cameo appearance by comedian Harry Langdon. It Must Be Love was a romantic comedy with dramatic undertones, and it was followed by Twinkletoes, a dramatic film that featured Moore as a young dancer in London’s Limehouse district during the previous century. Orchids and Ermine was released in 1927, filmed in part in New York, a thinly veiled Cinderella story. In 1927 Moore split from her studio after her husband suddenly quit. It is rumoured that John was about to be fired for his drinking, and that she left as a means of leveraging her husband back into a position at First National. It worked, and John found himself as Colleen’s sole producer. Moore’s popularity allowed her productions to become very large and lavish. Lilac Time was one of the bigger productions of the era, a World War One drama. A million dollar film, it made back every penny spent within months. Prior to the release of Lilac Time, Warner Bros. had taken control of First National, and were less than interested in maintaining the terms of her contract until the numbers started to roll in for Lilac Time. The film was such a hit that Moore managed to retain generous terms in her next contract and her husband John as her producer. In 1928, inspired by her father and with help from her former set de-

signer, a dollhouse was constructed by her father, which was 9 feet square with the tallest tower 12 feet high. The interior of The Colleen Moore Dollhouse, designed by Harold Grieve, features miniature bear skin rugs and detailed furniture and art. Moore’s dollhouse has been a featured exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois since the early 1950s, where, according to the museum it is seen by 1.5 million people each year. Moore continued working on it, and contributing artefacts to it, until her death. With the advent of talking pictures in 1929, Moore took a hiatus from acting. After divorcing McCormack in 1930, Moore was briefly married (1932–34) to a prominent New Yorkbased stockbroker, Albert Parker Scott, one of her four husbands. She and Scott lived at that time in a lavish home in Bel Air, where they hosted parties for and were supporters of the U.S. Olympic team, especially the yachting team, during the 1932 Summer Olympics held in Los Angeles. In 1934, Moore, by then divorced, returned to work in Hollywood. She appeared in three films, none of which was successful, and Moore retired. Her last film was a version of The Scarlet Letter in 1934. She later married the widower Homer Hargrave and raised his children (she never had children of her own) from a previous marriage, with whom she maintained a lifelong close relationship. Throughout her life she also maintained close friendships with other colleagues from the silent film era, such as King Vidor and Mary Pickford.

cessful real estate broker in Chicago after her film career. Many of Colleen Moore’s films deteriorated but not due to her own neglect, after she had sent them to be preserved at the Museum of Modern Art. Sometime later, Warner Brothers asked for their nitrate materials to be returned to them. Moore’s earlier First National films were also sent, since Warners later acquired First National. Upon their arrival, the custodian at MOMA, not seeing the films on the manifest, put them to one side and never went back to them. Many years later, Moore inquired about her collection and MOMA found the films languishing unprotected. When the films were examined, they had decomposed past the point of preservation. Heartbroken, she tried in vain to retrieve any prints she could from several sources without much success. At the height of her fame, Moore was earning $12,500 per week. She was an astute investor, and through her investments remained wealthy for the rest of her life. In her later years she would frequently attend film festivals, and was a popular interview subject always willing to discuss her Hollywood career. She was a participant in the 1980 documentary film series Hollywood, providing her recollections of Hollywood’s silent film era.

In the 1960s, she formed a television production company with King Vidor with whom she had worked in the 1920s. She also published two books in the late 1960s, her autobiography Silent Star: Colleen Moore Talks About Her Hollywood (1968) and How Women Can Make Money in the Stock Market (1969). She also figures prominently alongside of King Vidor in Sidney D. Kirkpatrick’s book, A Cast of Killers, which recounts Vidor’s attempt to make a film of and solve the murder of William Desmond Taylor. In that book, she is recalled as having been a suc-

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Developing films within the Film Community by Kevin Murphy Filmcontact.com has just announced the launch of Film Projects, an innovative way to develop films by harnessing the collective talents of professional filmmakers to move projects forward as a community. Lilian Baksalevowicz, the founder of FilmContact. com, says that this fresh concept is based on the trend of crowd sourcing and aims to get the film industry involved to offer their services at a discounted rate that will take new projects to the level where completion finance can be attained from traditional channels. Filmmakers can add their film project to the system and specify the crew, equipment and services they need. In turn members can show their interest to the project with their offer of a special deal. Another source of income is product placement, where the project creator can specify which products in the film can be branded. For example, if a scene requires a hotel, establishments in the area of the shoot can invest in turn for brand exposure. “The embedded advertising possibilities are endless,” says Lilian. “The project creator just has to look through their script and every product can be bartered for fees or a film credit.” To view new projects, continue to www.filmcontact.com/projects This original concept fulfills the need to keep production levels stable in a slowing economy and at the same time bring new projects to the forefront with the professional support from the industry. “FilmContact.com has been the industry source for news and jobs for over eight years and we have the largest database of professional South African filmmakers to pull the resources together,” says Lilian. “We intend to promote the system on an international scale. We are most excited by the industry’s response in the last couple of days and look forward to bringing this collaboration as an innovative way to make films.” To add a new project, just login to www.filmcontact.com and ‘Add my Project’ for immediate exposure and awareness to the industry.

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

REAL LIFE STORIES OF STRUGGLE AND COURAGE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

To Say GoodBye by Matt Richards August 2012. I was working on a TV series in the UK when I received an excited phone call from my producer and co-writer, Izaskun Arandia, saying that our animated documentary “To Say Goodbye” had been accepted into the 2012 San Sebastian International Film Festival. What’s more, it was in competition for the prestigious Serbitzu Award. This was our first feature-film and our first Festival entry, so the news was fantastic, especially for Izaskun who is from San Sebastian and had been attending the festival for 20-years as a film fan.

THIS IS OMAR, A TEENAGE REFUGEE FROM SOMALIA.

A LIFE ON HOLD

IS A NEW FILM ABOUT OMAR’S LIFE IN A REFUGEE CAMP IN TUNISIA. WATCH AT AMNESTY.ORG/REFUGEES

CHILDREN OF THE JAGUAR

AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE TAKE ON THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND AN OIL COMPANY IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND THE RAINFOREST THEY LIVE IN.

WATCH AT BIT.LY/JAGUAR-TRAILER

However, my elation was soon tempered by the fact that the film was only two-third’s finished and work on the sound design hadn’t even started. We literally had six weeks to the Premiere and significantly less than that to satisfy the Festival’s entry demands. While Izaskun worked tirelessly around the clock to ensure everyone remained reassured – even if she wasn’t - I set about completing the film. Somehow, we managed to complete the animation by the end of August and in early-September I flew to San Sebastian to work on the sound. By this stage, Izaskun had managed to get a poster designed and printed, set up a website and managed to persuade key characters in our film to attend the Premiere. Not only that, she had employed a press team who had arranged interviews, photocalls and TV appearances for us during the Festival, and she had also secured a host of sponsors for our post-screening party – and had even invited Tommy Lee Jones and Ewan McGregor!

With barely a week to go until the Festival, our film was completed and delivered. But if we thought our work was done, then we were in for a surprise as, during the Festival, we were thrown into an intense period of screenings, speeches, interviews, functions, and media work as well as numerous meetings with exhibitors and distributors keen to learn more about our film. It was exhausting as we were shuttled between hotels to attend press conferences or hold TV or radio interviews. But this exhaustion soon disappeared when we discovered our three screenings had sold out within 24-hours. By the time our Premiere arrived, we were running on adrenaline alone. We had given the film all we could to get it made, publicized and promoted, and our Festival schedule had literally been 24-hours a day of work, work, work. But the whole experience, despite the stress and exhaustion, was fantastic and a real privilege and made us realize that Festivals are a crucial platform for getting feature films the exposure they need after so much hard work. We might not have won the Award, but to see a packed-out audience watch your film and hear their applause at the end as the real-life participants were introduced to the crowd made it all worthwhile and something we’ll both never forget. “To Say Goodbye” www.tosaygoodbyethemovie.com

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

MAUREEN O’HARA

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SCREEN LEDGEND...

Her mother, a former operatic contralto, was a successful women’s clothier. O’Hara was raised as, and still is, a Roman Catholic. Her siblings were Peggy, the oldest, and younger Charles, Florrie, Margot and Jimmy. Peggy dedicated her life to a religious order, the Sisters of Charity, and the younger children all went on to receive training at the Abbey Theatre and the Ena Mary Burke School of Drama and Elocution in Dublin. O’Hara’s dream at this time was to be a stage actress. She was first educated at the John Street West Girls’ School near Thomas Street in Dublin’s Liberties Area. From the age of 6–17 she trained in drama, music and dance, and at the age of 10 joined the Rathmines Theatre Company and worked in amateur theatre in the evenings, after her lessons. O’Hara’s father was a very practical man and did not entirely support her theatrical aspirations. He insisted she learn a skill so that she would have something to fall back on to earn a living in case her experience in the performing arts was not successful. She enrolled in a business school and became a proficient bookkeeper and typist. Those skills proved helpful many years later when she was able to take and transcribe production notes dic-

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tated by John Ford for the screen adaptation of Maurice Walsh’s short story The Quiet Man. She did well in her Abbey training and was given an opportunity for a screen test in London. The studio adorned her in a “gold lamé dress with flapping sleeves like wings” and heavy make-up with an ornate hair style. Reportedly, her thoughts concerning the incident were, “If this is the movies, I want nothing to do with them!” The screen test was deemed to be far from satisfactory; however, actor Charles Laughton later saw the test and, despite the overdone makeup and costume, was intrigued, paying particular notice to her large and expressive eyes. Laughton subsequently asked his business partner Erich Pommer to see the film clip. Pommer agreed with Laughton and O’Hara was offered an initial seven-year contract with their new company, Mayflower Pictures. Her first major film was Jamaica Inn (1939) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Laughton was so pleased with O’Hara’s performance that he cast her in the role of Esmeralda opposite him in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), which was to be filmed at RKO Studios in Hollywood that same year. After the successful completion of Hunchback, World War II began, and Laughton, realizing their studio could no longer film in London, sold O’Hara’s contract to RKO. That studio cast her in low-budget films until she was rescued by director John Ford, who cast her as Angharad in How Green Was My Valley, which won the 1941

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aureen O’Hara was born as Maureen FitzSimons on Beechwood Avenue in the Dublin suburb of Ranelagh. She was the second oldest of the six children of Charles Stewart Parnell FitzSimons and Marguerita Lilburn FitzSimons. Her father was in the clothing business and also bought into Shamrock Rovers Football Club, a team O’Hara has supported since childhood.


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Academy Award for Best Picture. Six years later, in 1947, she made what is perhaps her best-remembered film, starring as Doris Walker and the mother of a young Natalie Wood in 20th Century Fox’s Miracle on 34th Street, which, despite being released in May, has become a perennial Christmas classic, with a traditional network television airing every Thanksgiving Day on NBC. The film also helped to further establish O’Hara’s career after the film garnered several awards, including an Academy Award Nomination for Best Picture. In addition to her acting skills, O’Hara had a soprano voice and described singing as her first love. The studio heads never capitalized on her musical talent, as she was already big box office in other genres of film. However, she was able to channel her love of singing through television. In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, she was a guest on musical variety shows with Perry Como, Andy Williams, Betty Grable and Tennessee Ernie Ford. In 1960, she starred on Broadway in the musical Christine which ran for 12 performances. That year she released two successful recordings, Love Letters from Maureen O’Hara and Maureen O’Hara Sings her Favorite Irish Songs. Love Letters from Maureen O’Hara has been released on CD in Japan and is now out of print. She is often remembered for her onscreen chemistry with John Wayne. They made five films together between 1948 and 1972: Rio Grande, The Quiet Man, The Wings of Eagles, McLintock! and Big Jake. A clip of O’Hara’s radiant face as she waves from a gate in John Ford’s Academy Award-winning How Green Was My Valley, remains one of the most classic images preserved on film, and is often featured as a clip in montages and promotions. In 1939, O’Hara secretly married Englishman George H. Brown, a film producer, production assistant and occasional scriptwriter whose best known work is the first of Margaret Rutherford’s 1960s Miss Marple mysteries, Murder She Said. The marriage was annulled in 1941. Later that year, O’Hara married American film director William Houston Price but the

union ended in 1953, reportedly as a result of his alcohol abuse. They had one child in 1944, a daughter named Bronwyn FitzSimons Price. Bronwyn has one son, Conor Beau FitzSimons, who was born on September 8, 1970. From 1953 until 1967 O’Hara had a relationship with Enrique Parra, a Mexican politician and banker. She wrote in her autobiography; “Enrique saved me from the darkness of an abusive marriage and brought me back into the warm light of life again. Leaving him was one of the most painful things I have ever had to do.” She married her third husband, Charles F. Blair, Jr., on March 12, 1968. Blair was a pioneer of transatlantic aviation, a former Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force, and a former Chief Pilot at Pan Am. A few years after her marriage to Blair, O’Hara for the most part retired from acting. Blair died in 1978 when an engine of a Grumman Goose he was flying from St. Croix to St. Thomas exploded. She was elected CEO and President of Antilles Airboats with the added distinction of being the first woman president of a scheduled airline in the U.S. Later she sold the airline with the permission of the shareholders. For her contributions to the motion picture industry, O’Hara has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7004 Hollywood Blvd. In 1993, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2004, O’Hara released her autobiography ‘Tis Herself, co-authored with Johnny Nicoletti and published by Simon & Schuster. In the same year, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Irish Film and Television Academy in her native Dublin. In 2006, O’Hara attended the Grand Reopening and Expansion of the Flying Boats Museum in Foynes, Limerick, Ireland, as a patron of the museum. A significant portion of the museum is dedicated to her late husband Charles. O’Hara donated her late husband’s seaplane (a Sikorsky VS-44A) “The Queen of the Skies” to the New England Air Museum. The restoration of the plane took 8 years and time was donated by former

pilots and mechanics in honour of Charles Blair. It is the only surviving example of this type of plane. In 2011, Maureen O’Hara was formally inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame at an event in New Ross, County Wexford, receiving letters from Mary McAleese and Bill Clinton. O’Hara remained retired from acting until 1991, when she starred in the film Only the Lonely, playing Rose Muldoon, the domineering mother of a Chicago cop played by John Candy. Now retired, and living mainly in Glengarriff, County Cork. In June 2011 she participated at the Maureen O’Hara Film Festival in Glengarriff. She was named Irish America magazine’s “Irish American of the Year” in 2005, with festivities held at the Plaza Hotel in New York. She was given the Heritage Award by the Ireland-American Fund in 1991. In September 2012 O’Hara flew to the US after being given permission to fly by a doctor, and is now living with her grandson, Conor Beau Fitzsimons, in Idaho. Achievements. Maureen took on one more final role in her long and eventfull career. In 2010 she became the President of the Universal Film and Festival Organization, UFFO as it is more commonly known promotes “best business practices” for film festivals and the filmmakeing industry. Maureen remains president of the organization to this day and when asked about her role with UFFO she replied. “Every once in a while there is something that stands out and compels us to notice it; I think that is what struck me most about UFFO when it was first brought to my attention. I am so tremendously honoured and proud to be the President of such an international organization that promotes ethics in an industry I love so much”

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

MAUREEN O’HARA... FILMOGRAPHY 1938 - Kicking the Moon Around (Character - Secretary) “Harry Richman was at Elstree and introduced me to the film’s director, Walter Forde. Forde asked me if I would deliver a line in the movie. I was not a cast member and do not consider Kicking the Moon Around part of my official filmography. I only agreed to deliver the line as a favor to Harry Richman for his having helped me with my screen test.” 1938 - My Irish Molly (Character - Eileen O’Shea) “Laughton arranged for me to make my first picture, a low budget musical called My Irish Molly. It’s the only picture that I made under my real name, Maureen FitzSimons. I was to play a young woman named Eiléen O’Shea who helps rescue a little orphan named Molly. Laughton wanted me to become more comfortable with both being on a movie set and being in front of the camera.” 1939 - Jamaica Inn (Character - Mary Yellen) “My character was the innkeeper’s niece, the heroine who is torn between the love of her family and her love for a lawman in disguise.” Laughton decided that the actress’s name had to be changed since it was ‘too long for the marquee’ and gave her the choice between O’Mara and O’Hara.” 1939 - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Character - Esmeralda) “We began filming out in the San Fernando Valley... unfortunately, Los Angeles was having the hottest summer in its history, and I knew from day one that it was going to be a physically demanding shoot, especially taxing on Laughton because of the heavy makeup and costume requirements for Quasimodo. When I saw Laughton for the first time made up as Quasimodo, I almost fell over. I took one look at him and gasped, “Good God, Charles. Is that really you?” He answered me with a wink and then limped off.”[19] 1940 - A Bill of Divorcement (Character - Sydney Fairfield) “A remake of the 1932 film. I was cast as Sydney Fairfield, a role played by Katharine Hepburn in the earlier George Cukor version. The screenplay was mediocre at best, and Farrow was nowhere near the caliber director Cukor was.” 1940 - Dance, Girl, Dance (Character - Judy O’Brien) “A comedy... I was cast as an aspiring ballerina who joins a dance troupe. Before filming started, the entire cast went right into dance classes. Pommer hired Ernst and Ginny Matray. My ballet sequences were far more difficult than the dancing I had done in Hunchback, and I struggled to get it right. Lucille [Ball] had a much easier time of it because she was a former Ziegfeld and Goldwyn girl and a much better dancer than I.” 1941 - They Met in Argentina (Character - Lolita O’Shea) “RKO’s response to the Betty Grable hit Down Argentine Way. I knew it was going to be a stinker; terrible script,bad director, preposterous plot, forgettable music.” 1941 - How Green Was My Valley (Character - Angharad) “An artistic collaboration began (with John Ford) that would span twenty years and five feature films. My favorite shot in the film takes place outside the church after Angharad gets married. As I make my way down the steps to the carriage waiting below, the wind catches my veil and fans it out in a perfect circle all the way around my face. Then it floats straight up above my head and points to the heavens. It’s breathtaking.” 1942 To the Shores of Tripoli (Character - Mary Carter) “The first film I made with John Payne and also the first film I made in Technicolor. Bruce Humberstone [directed], or Lucky Stumblebum to those who couldn’t understand why the quality of his pictures never seemed to match their impressive box-office receipts.” 1942 - Ten Gentlemen from West Point (Character - Carolyn Bainbridge) O’Hara: “A forgettable film mostly because John Payne dropped out... Zanuck recast the role with George Montgomery. I found him positively loathsome.” 1942 - The Black Swan (Character - Lady Margaret Denby) “It had everything you could want in a lavish pirate picture: a magnificent ship with thundering cannons; a dashing hero battling menacing villains (Tyrone Power, Laird Cregar, and Anthony Quinn); sword fights; fabulous costumes... working with Ty Power was exciting. In those days, he was the biggest romantic swashbuckler in the world. But what I loved most about working with Ty Power was his wicked sense of humor.” 1943 - Immortal Sergeant (Character - Valentine Lee) “The studio publicized the love scene between O’Hara and Henry Fonda as Hank’s last screen kiss before going to war.” 1943 - This Land Is Mine (Character - Louise Martin) O’Hara’s last film with Charles Laughton. 1943 - The Fallen Sparrow (Character - Toni Donne) O’Hara: “With John Garfield, (my shortest leading man, an outspoken Communist and a real sweetheart)... “

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1944 - Buffalo Bill (Character - Louisa Frederici Cody) “I didn’t feel Joel McCrea was tough enough to play the lead in a western. He was a very nice man, a good actor, but not rugged like Duke or Brian Keith. Critics mostly panned the film. I think the picture did so well with audiences because of its masterful use of Technicolor.”


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1945 The Spanish Main (Character Contessa Francesca) O’Hara: “Pairing me with Paul Henreid, one of my more decorative roles.” 1946 Sentimental Journey (Character Julie Beck / Weatherly) “Sentimental Journey was every bit the smash hit that I thought it would be. It was a rip-your-heart-out tearjerker that reduced my agents and the toughest brass at Fox to mush when they saw it.” 1946 - Do You Love Me (Character Katherine “Kitten” Hilliard) “The musical Do You Love Me? was one of the worst pictures I ever made. Neither Dick Haymes nor Harry James could save it.” 1947 - Sinbad the Sailor (Character Shireen) “Playing Shireen, the glamorous adventuress who helps Sinbad (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) find the hidden treasure of Alexander the Great. Ridiculous. The picture made a pot of money for RKO – action-adventures almost always did.” The Homestretch Leslie Hale 1947 - Miracle on 34th Street (Character Doris Walker) “I have been mother to almost forty children in movies, but I always had a special place in my heart for little Natalie. She always called me Mamma Maureen and I called her Natasha.” 1947 - The Foxes of Harrow (Character Odalie) “Lilli” D’Arceneaux “With Rex Harrison and Victor McLaglen at 20th Century-Fox. Harrison and I disliked each other from the outset. Hollywood might have called him the greatest perfectionist among actors, but I found him to be rude, vulgar, and arrogant.” 1948 - Sitting Pretty (Character Tacey King) “With Robert Young... it made a fortune, even winning the Box Office Award for that year.” 1949 - A Woman’s Secret (Character Marian Washburn) “I made no attempt to keep it a secret that I thought the story stank. Dore Schary reminded me that I still had a one-picture-a-year obligation to RKO..” 1949 - The Forbidden Street (Character Adelaide “Addie” Culver) Alternative title: Britannia Mews (UK). “Shot in London. The only reasons for you to watch this picture today on television are to see Dana Andrews do a nice job in a dual role, or to watch the fine character actress Sybil Thorndike steal the picture.” 1949 - Father was a Fullback (Character Elizabeth Cooper) O’Hara: “A comedy stinkeroo that got more yawns than laughs.” 1949 - Bagdad (Character Princess Marjan) “An escapist adventure and my first picture with Universal. They called these tits and sand pictures. We shot the film on location in the Alabama Hills of Lone Pine, California.” 1950 Comanche Territory (Character Katie Howard) “The film in which I mastered the American bullwhip. By the time the picture was over, I could snap a cigarette out of someone’s mouth.” 1950 - Tripoli (Character Countess D’Arneau) Directed by O’Hara’s second husband, William Houston Price. “To be fair, Will did a credible job of directing the picture. He managed to stay sober during the production.” 1950 - Rio Grande (Character Mrs. Kathleen Yorke) “The final instalment of John Ford’s cavalry trilogy, based on three short stories by James Warner Bellah that Ford had read in the Saturday Evening Post.” “From our very first scenes together, working with John Wayne was comfortable for me.” 1951 - Flame of Araby (Character Princess Tanya) “Cast as a Tunisian princess – I wasn’t up to making another lousy picture and wanted to save myself for a great performance in The Quiet Man. But Universal made their intentions known right away: Make the movie or be suspended. I had no choice but to make it.” 1952 - At Sword’s Point (Character Claire) “The plot of the movie is a little hard to swallow, but it was fun as hell. The sons of the original Musketeers ride to the rescue, with just one exception. I play Claire, the daughter of Athos. Cornel Wilde was cast as my leading man, (D’Artagnan). I trained rigorously for six weeks with Fred Cavens and his son to perfect my stunt sequences.” 1952 - Kangaroo (Character Dell McGuire) An Irish immigrant, Michael McGuire (Finlay Currie), and his daughter Dell (O’Hara) are Australian cattle pastoralists who face poverty and death during the drought of 1900. O’Hara: “The director Lewis Milestone rewrote Martin Berkeley’s story. He destroyed a good, straightforward western.” 1952 - The Quiet Man(Character Mary Kate Danaher) O’Hara: “I have often said that The Quiet Man is my personal favourite of all the pictures I have made. It is the one I am most proud of, and I tend to be very protective of it. I loved Mary Kate Danaher. I loved the hell and fire in her. “ 1952 - Against All Flags (Character Prudence “Spitfire” Stevens) With Errol Flynn. O’Hara: “I respected him professionally and was quite fond of him personally.”

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1953 - The Redhead from Wyoming (Character - Kate Maxwell) “Another western stinkeroo for Universal. It was disappointing to be working on such a lousy picture while I was receiving praise for such a highly regarded piece of filmmaking (The Quiet Man).” 1953 - War Arrow (Character - Elaine Corwin) “A second picture with Jeff Chandler. Jeff was a real sweetheart, but acting with him was like acting with a broomstick.” 1954 - Malaga (Character - Joanna Dana) Alternative title: Fire over Africa. 1955 - The Long Gray Line (Character - Mary O’Donnell) “This was the fourth picture I’d made with John Ford, and it was by far the most difficult.” 1955 - The Magnificent Matador (Character Karen Harrison) With Anthony Quinn. “Critics disliked it, and found it dull.” 1955 - Lady Godiva of Coventry (Character Lady Godiva) “I was not in the nude, as the studio claimed to the press. I wore a full-length body leotard and underwear that was concealed by my long tresses.” 1956 - Lisbon (Character Sylvia Merrill) “A Republic melodrama, full of mystery, international intrigue, and murder. For the first time in my career I got to play the villain, and Bette Davis was right — bitches are fun to play.” 1956 - Everything But the Truth (Character Joan Madison) “A lousy comedy for Universal. John Forsythe was wonderful to work with, though.” 1957 The Wings of Eagles (Character Min Wead ) “The film was the true story of an old friend of John Ford, Frank Spig Wead, a naval aviator who later became a Hollywood screenwriter after breaking his back in a nasty fall... I never worked with John Ford again.” 1959 Our Man in Havana (Character Beatrice Severn) “When we arrived in Havana on April 15, 1959, Cuba was a country experiencing revolutionary change. Only four months before , Fidel Castro and his supporters had toppled Fulgencio Batista... Che Guevara was often at the Capri Hotel. “ 1961 The Deadly Companions (Character Kit Tilden) “About a drifter running from his past. Sam Peckinpah’s feature-film debut... Peckinpah later reached icon status as a great director of westerns, but I thought he was just awful. 1961 - The Parent Trap (Character Margaret “Maggie” McKendrick) “The Parent Trap wouldn’t have been as special without the remarkable performances by Hayley Mills.” 1962 - Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (Character Peggy Hobbs) O’Hara: “A simple story about a man and his wife who take a family vacation with their children and grandchildren in an old dilapidated house on the beach.” 1963 - Spencer’s Mountain (Character Olivia Spencer) “On location in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The picture is loosely based on the novel by Earl Hamner, Jr. about his life growing up in poverty on Spencer’s Mountain.” 1963 - McLintock! (Character Katherine Gilhooley McLintock) “There are so many great scenes in the picture. Audiences always rave about the fight sequence that takes place at the mine dump and ends in the mud. A total of forty-two cast members took part in the brawl.” 1965 - The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (Character Moira) O’Hara: “Late April 1964, to Italy to make the film with Rossano Brazzi. I began the picture with high hopes, but the picture quickly turned into a disaster. Rossano Brazzi wasn’t right for the part.” 1966 - The Rare Breed (character Martha Price) 1970 - How Do I Love Thee? (Character Elsie Waltz) “With Jackie Gleason. It was a terrible film. The script was awful, and the director couldn’t fix it.” 1971 - Big Jake (Character Martha McCandles) “We shot the picture in October 1970, in Durango, Mexico. Reuniting Duke (John Wayne) and me in our last picture together.” 1991 - Only the Lonely (Character Rose Muldoon) “John Candy was one of my all-time favorite leading men. He was pleasant and courteous.” 1994

A Century of Cinema

Herself

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

The Directors Guild of Great Britain celebrates its 30th Anniversary Founded in 1983 by a group of film, television and theatre directors, the DGGB is one of the select few organisations around the world which numbers both live and recorded media amongst it ranks. Operating together with their charity, the Directors Guild Trust, the two work to train, promote and celebrate directing and the work of directors. Over the years, the Guild has been crucially influential in British directing, founding the Directors and Producers Rights Society (now Directors UK), helping develop the Gulbenkian directors’ training report “A Better Direction”, hosting Lifetime Achievement Awards for directors as diverse as Alan Parker and Joan Littlewood and inaugurating celebration blue plaques for (amongst others) David Lean and Michael Powell. In recent years the Guild has shifted focus to training and events, running the annual VFX Advantage Conference and the Peter Brook Lecture and boosting continuous professional development for UK directors in partnership with Creative Skillset and other organisations and helping to develop new approaches to directing. Details for membership can be found at the Guild website - www.dggb.org

Directors Guild rolls out Three Nations UK Tour of Tools of Directing

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In 2013, Simon Phillips’ new directing methods “Tool of Directing” will be promoted at introductory events in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as part of a national rollout funded by Creative Skillset, ending in a week-long, London-based seminar for selected participants from the regional workshops. Simon’s internationally-acclaimed seminars deliver practical methods that bring new insight and clarity to the complex tasks of working with actors, writers and cinematographers. Simon’s ground-breaking techniques give directors their own unique methodology relating specifically to the director’s craft and bring new insight and clarity to the complex task of directing, guiding participants through the development of emotionally moving storytelling in film. More details on the Guild website in January - www.dggb.org


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Good Day to Die Hard is an upcoming American action film directed by John Moore and written by Skip Woods. It is the fifth installment of the Die Hard film series and stars Bruce Willis as he reprises the lead role of John McClane, who travels to Moscow, Russia and is coincidentially caught in the crossfire of a terrorist plot with his estranged son. It is set to be released on February 7, 2013, in Hong Kong and South Korea, and on February 14, 2013, in the United States. When John McClane’s son Jack gets into trouble while in Russia, McClane travels to Moscow to help him out, only to get caught up in a terrorist plot involving the circumstances behind his son’s arrest Filming began as planned, on April 23, 2012 in Budapest, Hungary where filming will continue until May 14, 2012. An action set was moved to the Hungarian Formula one race circuit Hungaroring. Mi-24 helicopter actions were filmed above the river Danube in central Budapest, and another helicopter-related action — including live ammo firing for appropriate damage depiction — was

filmed at a military shooting range in Hajmáskér, Hungary. It was reported in the set photos that Amaury Nolasco has joined the cast in an unknown role. It was later confirmed that Nolasco, along with actress Megalyn Echikunwoke, have joined the cast. Nolasco will portray of friend of John McClane early in the film, while Echikunwoke’s role in the movie is unknown. On May 8, 2012, actor Cole Hauser (who previously worked with Bruce Willis in Tears of the Sun and Hart’s War) is reported to portray the supporting role as a villain named Collins. It was reported in May 31, 2012 that model Anne Vyalitsyna has joined the cast in her acting debut. On July 6, 2012, a fire broke on the set during a high-flying stunt that went awry, engulfing a building into flames. No one was hurt in the incident. On August 8, 2012, it was reported that Mary Elizabeth Winstead would be reprising her role of Lucy McClane

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A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

PIXOVI by Cori Blaze

Inside the Creative Mind of Devin Halden

I

It’s 8am on a Friday morning and I am preparing my notes and questions for my highly-anticipated interview with Devin Halden, one of today’s most sought-after entrepreneurs in the entertainment and movie worlds.

My phone rings. The voice on the other end is Devin Halden himself. Immediately I fear my meeting/interview will be cancelled, the unfortunate commonality of many other scheduled meetings with other CEO’s/Entrepreneurs- probably a result of me not coming from Variety, Hollywood Reporter, or some other tech or trade magazine that will be seen by millions of readers. InsteadHalden has just invited me instead to his office-Our scheduled hour-long meeting has just turned into a daylong adventure into the creative and business world of Devin Halden. “Sorry for the change of plans, I just feel experiencing what I do is better than me simply telling you…plus, I have a ton of stuff happening right now”---The first words out of Halden’s mouth as I take my seat on the other side of his desk.

“I knew I wanted to program independent films from all over the world, so why wouldn’t I also allow people from all over the world to experience them as well”? It was during this same time that Halden founded Solstice Film Festival. And as our informal greetings continue, I finally engage, with my first of many questions: CB: So, I know you were in school when you also started Solstice Film Festival, how were you able to do both?

HALDEN: “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, or less, depending on how you look at it. I had every intention of completing my portfolio and venturing into the advertising world. One thing that always made me feel, ‘creatively-claustrophobic’ however, was the limited space to be creative in advertising and working with clients that wanted a very simple “,The Pixovi and bland campaign. Movie Net-

work”

I had just read an article about Devin Halden’s VOD platform, Pixovi Movie Network. The article highlighted Halden’s vision of the future for monetizing VOD as well as the direct implementation of social networks to assist in the viral-delivery of content. Intrigued with the concept, and maybe more so with the concept’s brainchild, I began digging deeper into the depths of the internet to learn more about Devin Halden…who is he, where did he come from, what else has he done….I needed to know. Devin Halden, a 34 year old resident of Minnesota, graduated from the University of St. Thomas. While at St. Thomas, he studied advertising, was Captain of the Rugby team, and worked for a local entrepreneur and restaurateur. Seems pretty normal to me….so far. Upon graduating in 2001, Halden was still uncertain what he wanted to do…and where he wanted to do it. On a whim, Halden decided he would move to Los Angeles and be a cop…WHAT! It didn’t take long for him to realize his passions obviously pulled him in a different direction, so he decided to go back to graduate school and pursue a career in advertising.

During my second year I had the opportunity to work on a short-film with David Carter, one of the creative’s behind the BMW Films. While on set, and throughout the entire development and production process, I realized my passion was in telling long(er)-form stories, that allow for more creative freedom. I also realized that there are vaults and libraries of incredible independent films that never find an audience. Immediately following production of the film, I began designing the business model for Solstice Film Festival.” CB: Very cool. What was involved with your initial vision for Solstice? HALDEN: “To be honest, my initial blueprint was essentially what we implemented, minus some very forwardthinking technologically-driven aspects that were way out of my budget at the time.” CB: Like what? Can you explain? HALDEN: “Absolutely. I had a video-on-demand (VOD) element in the very first blueprint I designed in 2003. I knew I wanted to program independent films from all over the world, so why wouldn’t I also allow people from all over the world to experience them as well.

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Executive Director, I was exposed to every aspect of film distribution. I organized and designed ad campaigns for individual films, worked with Picturehouse, Warner Bros, Dreamworks Animation and other studios on the distribution strategy as it pertained to the festival and worked directly with the filmmakers. After all that, it was also my job to put butts in the seats.”

CB: But the funding wasn’t there to implement it.

people from all over the world to experience them as

HALDEN: “Not the first couple years, no. So I had to make the decision to use what little budget I did have, create an environment, world, atmosphere that would be different than the local multiplex. Independent film has made extraordinary leaps in the last decade, technology in production equipment allows incredible story-tellers to finally tell those stories without the need of millions of dollars for production costs or a studio to buy the story…which usually ends up being a completely different story anyway. That said, with Solstice, I was still competing with whatever studio films were playing in the multiplex that weekend. So it was paramount, no pun intended, to create an atmosphere that separated a Solstice screening from the other. So I turned a local live-performance theater, Fitzgerald Theater, into a temporary movie theater. It was amazing, people said that when they walked in it felt like they were transported back to the 1940’s, to an old art-house nickelodeon. I also served wine and other drinks, something very unique back in 2006”. HALDEN: “It was, looking back it was a lot of unnecessary stress I put on myself. I had good friends who were on my team, helping out, but I don’t think I was a very good delegator back then…that, and it was all very new to all of us. In hindsight, there are things I wish I would have let go of, and allowed the other guys to run with, but I would never change wearing the programmer hat. Solstice became an intense ,and expensive, film school. I read hundreds of scripts, watched thousands of movies, of all genres. I learned great production value and the most common oversights of production filmmakers made that greatly impacted the value and watch-ability of their film. And as

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Apart from being the visionary of Solstice Film Festival, well. And from a business standpoint, I knew the greater reach, the more eyeballs, the better advertisers, sponsors and partners I could pull in, and I wouldn’t have to worry about limiting my box office to simply the number of seats available in a physical theater. It would have been the most effective way for me to build brand awareness and brand equity quickly.” CB: But the funding wasn’t there to implement it. Halden was also the programmer and Executive Director. Halden points out, however, that was primarily because he was a new entrepreneur and not sure how to hand over the reins of some aspects of his “baby”. CB: Was it tough wearing so many hats? “This is both a birth-place of ideas as well as a graveyard”. We have just arrived at Halden’s office in Chanhassen, MN. It is almost hidden. No big signs, no front gate concierge welcoming us, just a small office nestled among others. I find out, this is just how Halden likes it. Low overhead, no unnecessary employees or other staff. The interior, however, is filled with “Figment Triggers”, as Halden explains them. He needs to visually see concept art, site blueprints and the other related intellectual property of his brands and companies to keep his natural high pushing him to continue to create. HALDEN: “This is both a birth-place of ideas as well as a graveyard. One

of the my favorite steps in the creative process is the birth of a new idea or concept. It allows me to work with the many incredibly intelligent and talented people I surround myself with everyday.” Halden is a believer in working with the best to achieve the best. As we walk around his office, he shows me concept art for a few of the projects he is working on. One such project, currently titled, Flight of the Sky Shepherd , was written by Halden and is almost ready to move into development. It will be an animated feature film, and based on the plot and storyline he pitches me, is certainly nothing that has been done before. Halden also show’s me concept art for two other feature films, Persecuted, and Crowing Lakes, both Executive Produced by Kevin Sorbo, whom he has built a valued friendship with over the years and whom speaks very highly of. In 2009, Halden started SolCo Entertainment with one of his producing partners, Andy Salmen. Both share a passion for film and have an eye for story. They are currently working on a slate of films with another production and finance group out of New York. Each film is moving into pre- production and hopefully ready to shoot if financing falls into place as expected. ”There is no question, finding the money to develop, produce and deliver the concepts to an audience is the most daunting”. At this time, Halden takes a phone call from one of his producing partner’s in LA. Halden has been working with Adam Jones and his team on a high-concept puppet show to be produced as a web series. Halden is one of the most positive and energetic people I have ever listened to speak. From my position, sitting in a chair on the other side of the desk and listening to only what I can hear from Halden, it appears the call is regarding issues or a problem. Halden calmly, yet methodically, talks through the issue with optimism, not allowing the others on the other end of the phone to dwell on a negative issue. As Halden hangs up I am able to delve into his process on selecting projects.

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And from a business standpoint, I knew the greater reach, the more eyeballs, the better advertisers, sponsors and partners I could pull in, and I wouldn’t have to worry about limiting my box office to simply the number of seats available in a physical theater. It would have been the most effective way for me to build brand awareness and brand equity quickly.”


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

CB: What is the hardest part of the process?

nessman is Walt Disney. He understood his business. He made

HALDEN: “Financing. There is no question, finding the money to develop, produce and deliver the concepts to an audience is the most daunting. I have focused on aligning with funding groups, both private and other, that get what we are trying to do. With our feature films, we have been building diversified slates that allow investors to spread their risk over several properties. With Pixovi Movie Network as well as the upcoming Pixovi Original Series properties, we are open to new, creative ideas that potential investors have and bring to the table. Strategic partnerships are a huge part of building Pixovi as well as the feature film properties. Having control over our own VOD platform that is becoming more versatile every month, is a huge asset for us. That, and our creative and business teams put us in a good place to deliver what we say we will.”

changes when he had to, but made it his business to stay ahead of the pulse. He surrounded himself with the most talented creative’s, the most talented businessmen and people he could trust. If there is anyone I would say I have modeled and strive to continue to model my life after it would be Walt Disney.”

CB: It seems that there is usually a distinct separation between the business people of the entertainment world and the creative people. How is it that you seem to be an active member of both? HALDEN: “I think it was how I trained myself and the path I chose to get here. A good friend read me a quote that I feel speaks volumes. An adult says ‘I will believe it when I see it’; a child says ‘I will see it when I believe it’. I like to think I have preserved my “see it when I believe it” nature. I knew I always wanted to tell stories, but I also knew that understanding every facet of the world I wanted to make a career in was one the greatest ways to insure success in that world. So I have focused the greater portion of the last 10 years learning, understanding, becoming an expert on financial models, distribution models, the development and production process, packaging a project etc. I became a USPAP Certified Appraiser, focusing on the valuation of intellectual property of movies and other media properties. I use this knowledge when I am creating. I want to create worlds and characters that don’t exist. They are proprietary, which opens the door for licensing and other monetization opportunities, like merchandising and gaming. The best example of a smart busi-

CB: Tell me about Pixovi. Where did the idea come from? Where is it presently? What does the future hold? HALDEN: “Pixovi is incredible now, but will be amazingly incredible soon. I am currently overhauling the backend to be up-to-speed with where I am taking it for the future. I began designing the blueprint for Pixovi in 2008. At first, it was going to be the long- awaited VOD platform for Solstice Film Festival. However, a lot had changed since my initial concept in 2003 to the landscape of the VOD technology in 2009. I decided to create a separate entity so it wouldn’t carry with it any possible pre-conceived connotation or even stigma if it were under the Solstice Film Festival company. Again, I blueprinted my ideas, designed my branding, and found some talented developers who could take my blueprint and make it a reality. I remain steadfast on preserving the high-quality (production value) of the movies I add to the network, and I have more of a quality-over-quantity standpoint as well. I also was the first movie VOD platform to directly implement the ability to share a film over popular social networks, allowing a transactional VOD property to go viral. It’s very exciting. The idea was pushed based on my knowledge of traditional distribution models, and what I feel are major flaws in those models. Controlling your IP and accounting is key if you want to see a revenue for yourself and your investors. Bringing your films to a film festival and hoping they are acquired by a studio for distribution is a good way for your investors to never see a dime of their investment back. Once you go that route you have lost control of your IP and accounting. I designed PIxovi so we would never lose that control. The

future of Pixovi is exciting as well. We are in the middle of designing and developing several web series that will allow us to build brand awareness, brand equity and brand loyalty to our characters and the worlds they live in. We can then monetize the IP in a variety of ways through logical extension and possible feature films. Stay tuned, it will be great.” Halden also points out any opportunity to collaborate with other entrepreneurs is something he hopes to continue to do more of, stating, “There is something energizing about working among other like-minded and driven individuals…knowing that every phone call and meeting is going to unveil something exciting and new”. As we concluded our afternoon I felt as if I was saying goodbye to a good friend. The person I thought I was going to sit down with for an hour at Dunn Bros and ask a few questions over coffee ended up being a completely different person that I had imagined. It was both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Part of me wished I had the same thought process, both creatively and professionally as Devin Halden, while the other part was glad the presence of unique individuals like him meant I didn’t have to. Contact the writer at: cori_blaze@ yahoo.com Contact Devin Halden at: media@pixovi.com

CHILDREN OF THE JAGUAR

AN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY IN THE AMAZON JUNGLE TAKE ON THE COMBINED MIGHT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND AN OIL COMPANY IN ORDER TO SAVE THEIR WAY OF LIFE AND THE RAINFOREST THEY LIVE IN.

WATCH AT BIT.LY/JAGUAR-TRAILER

Find out more: avproduction@amnesty.org

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Issue 7 of 2012


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

Universal Film & Festival Organization Best Business Practices for Film Festivals No 1: Film Festival organizers should operate a transparent selection process and publish details of the selection process and the names of the Jury/ selection committee (publication can be after a festival concludes) No 2: Film festivals organizers should provide full contact details for the festival offices including address and telephone numbers and the names of the festival directors and or committee No 3: A Film Festival should publish its legal status as a company, charity or non-profit (this only applies to a registered entity) No 4: Film festival organizers should not share filmmakers’ financial data with any third parties No 5: Film Festivals should publish a year by year history of festival winners and films officially selected No 6: Film festival organizers, committee and or jury should not show or demonstrate any favouritism to any film submitted to the festival or attempt to influence other members of the jury or selection committee No 7: Film Festivals should declare the number of films sought and/or invited by the festival organizers to participate in the festival prior to and before the general call for submissions is sent out No 8: Film Festivals should provide the names of the selection committee and/or jury members who viewed the submitted film screeners to the festival (this could be after the festival has concluded) No 9: Film festival organizers should view at least 5 minutes of all submitted films

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No 10: All Festival organizers should declare any conflict of interest that may arise from any film submitted to or invited to participate in the festival


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

BLACKLISTED THE SAGA CONTINUES

BLACKLISTED FILM PLAYS AT FESTIVAL THAT BLACKLISTED FILM Recently, UFM covered the darker side of social networking, and how some people are all too prepared to write untrue and malicious comments about others. This was the case when a group of festival organizers in a Facebook group set about blacklisting filmmakers, with no evidence other than a casual comment. Now, one of the festival directors involved in blacklisting the filmmaker has programmed the blacklisted film to screen at his own festival.

U

Universal Film Magazine recently wrote a number of articles covering a series of incidents that led to the blacklisting of filmmakers and the posting of libellous comments in the Film Festival Organizers forum on Facebook. Jon Gann, the festival director of DC Shorts Film Festival, leads the forum.

been busy conducting their own damage control. Several moderators have resigned from the Film Festival Organizers forum for fear of a libel action or backlash from filmmakers. One has even removed herself from her own festival, and another was quoted as saying, “I have been busy salting away money in Swiss Bank Accounts.” Others have taken steps to profess innocence and counter any backlash from the filmmaking community.

“Racist and These incidents were wholeheartedly supIn particular, one of these people is festival organizer, homophobic Jeff Ross. Ross runs three film festivals: the SF Indeported by the moderators of the forum, who content for pendent Film Festival (SF Indie), the SF Documentary were themselves film festival organizers. It may Festival (DocFest) and Another Hole in the Head. Ross entertainseem very odd to the casual observer that film was one of the main instigators in the blacklisting, and ment” festival professionals would dare behave in a way he revelled in the foray. that would blacklist a film or group of filmmakers; however, this little group appeared to believe that they Prior to this incident, Ross was involved in a number of other were a law unto themselves, with little or no opposition. incidents, including a forum thread regarding transparency in The particular film blacklisted on this occasion was “The Killing Game,” an ultra-low budget horror movie from Canadian filmmaker, Barry Gillis. Apparently, Gillis offended or upset the director of the Edmonton Film Festival, Kerrie Long, who posted a comment that portrayed him as nut case. A number of festival organizers in the group then jumped on the bandwagon and supported Kerrie Long’s comments. Their unrepentant actions were clearly damaging to hard earned reputations. After reading the comments about blacklisting Barry Gillis’ film, Tyrone D. Murphy, founder and CEO of the Universal Film and Festival Organization (UFFO), immediately stepped in, trying to bring some sanity to what can only be described as a baying mob. Murphy and UFFO were then banned from the forum and subjected to false allegations and libellous statements from members of the forum as well as from the forum’s moderator, Jon Gann, in an attempt to limit the damage. Since this incident, some members of the group have

film festival operation. When Ross was asked why he is not truthful with filmmakers regarding the fact that his three film festivals are non-jury festivals, he replied, “If they don’t like it they can vote with their feet.” After the blacklisting incident, Ross was informed that UFM magazine was writing an article about it. UFM then obtained evidence that Ross had stated to another festival director that Ross possessed the home address of the UFFO Founder and CEO, Tyrone D. Murphy, and was sending something nefarious to Murphy’s home address through the mail. More recently we received the following in an email from Jeff Ross: “Hey! Great piece in the magazine about the blacklisting of filmmakers! Though, the one filmmaker you said was being blacklisted seems to have not had too much a hard time getting booked for festivals. Why, lookee here, they are playing at one of my festivals even. But, why let facts and stuff interfere with such a riveting, timely story…” The very film Ross that was instrumental in blacklisting was now playing at his own film festival. Leading up to this, Barry Gillis had received an invite for his film to screen at the Calgary Film Festival, programmed by Bruce Fletcher. Subsequently,

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the film was also invited to play at Jeff Ross’ “Another Hole in the Head” Film Festival. While Ross vehemently denies that he had anything to do with inviting or programming Gillis’ film to his own festival, it’s of interest to note that Fletcher, the same festival programmer who invited Gillis’ Film to play at the Calgary Film Festival, had been the director of programming for Jeff Ross’ SF Indie Fest for six years. Fletcher was also the co-founder of Jeff Ross’ Another Hole in the Head, the same festival that was now screening Gillis’ film. There is a bright side to this dark underbelly of film festivals. By programming Gillis’ film at one of his own festivals, Jeff Ross was forced to concede that he was fundamentally wrong in blacklisting Gillis’ film. This concession is reinforced by fact that the support he originally demonstrated for Kerrie Long simply evaporated into thin air. Self-preservation at its finest.

content to be posted, supported the blacklisting of filmmakers, and permitted abusive comments and libellous statements to be made without any thought or regard for anyone’s career or reputation. These acts are reprehensible; such a group should not be allowed to carry on unchallenged. Any film festival organizer should seriously consider the implication of being associated with or becoming a member of the Film Festival Organizers group on Facebook. Jeff Ross made these comments about the forum “This has ceased to be a place where film festival organizers

can comfortably discuss their work amongst ourselves”. Ross’s comments clearly indicate that the diplorable activity on the forum is simply them “comfortably discussing work amongst themselves” Recently Jeff Ross as his SF-Indie Festival (in the last few days) applied to join the UFFO group. This is not a serious consideration for UFFO and has of course been turned down. Having someone like Ross in the group may lead to further incidents or UFFO being compromised in some way. No matter how we look at this – whether Jeff Ross was manipulating the programming of his festival to limit the damage caused by the blacklisting of filmmakers, or whether it’s all a big confidence – it is certain that film festivals like Ross’ can programme any films they wish, and for any reason they wish. Meanwhile, Barry Gillis is enjoying what little attention he has gained from this incident, as his film is at last being played at a film festival. If his film was indeed cherry picked for a specific reason, we must wonder about the fate of filmmakers whosubmitted their films and paid submission fees to these festivals in good faith.

Jon Gann now faces a very precarious situation, as Gillis’ film playing at Ross’ festival casts serious doubt on the veracity and validity of Gann’s very dramatic public statement that Gillis made “a credible violent threat, behaviour so horrific, unprofessional, and frightening.” Also, Gann’s support for Kerrie Long’s comments that led to Gillis’ blacklisting – as well as his appointment of Kerrie Long as a moderator of the forum – were major errors in judgment.

It seems obvious that any festival that would blacklist filmmakers, risked serious backlash from the filmmaking community that could leave a film festival dead in the water.

Members of the Film Festival Organizers group on Facebook have demonstrated sheer contempt towards the filmmaking community. The moderators allowed racist/anti-Semitic

As the old saying goes, “Who needs Another Hole in the Head?”

Jeff Ross Festival Director

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Jeff Ross three festivals, Another Hole in the Head - SF Indie - DOC FEST


Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

CHERRY PICKING

WHAT IS THE CHERRY PICKING POLICY OF FILM FESTIVALS ?

Over the past year we (UFFO) have seen many fraudulent activities by disreputable film festivals from all over the world. Most of these festivals recieve 200 to 400 submissions annually and are considered small in comparison to the bigger film festivals that have 10,000 to 20,000 submissions every year. However, fraudulent activity is not limited to the small film festivals. We were astounded to learn recently from a respected film festival director in the USA about a major festival in the US that sets up its entire screening programme with films invited in from other festivals. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Well, there is with this festival. After the screening programme is completed in its entirety, only then does a general call for submissions then go out to the filmmaking community. Films that are submitted to this festival are just trashed/binned without ever being opened. The staff simply look at the tracking number on the outside of the package, look it up on the computer , verify payment has been received through the online submission provider and then toss it in the trash. The submitted films are never opened, never screened, never looked at.

Look at the numbers!

This story gave us cause for grave concern (where does all this end?) we began looking into some of the bigger film festivals around the world to see how they conduct business. From what we have seen, the little guy has little or no chance competing in the big festivals. Why would you submit your film to a big festival when there is little or no hope your film is going to be chosen or selected? Most of the films that are in competition in the bigger festivals have the support of major distributors and studios with millions in campaign funds. Not only that, most of the films are invited to take part in the festival are big budget films or already have distribution in place. As a filmmaker you can conduct your own due diligence by researching the bigger festivals to which you are thinking about submitting your film. Look at the numbers, contact the festival and ask them how many films are invited to take part in their festival. What percentage of these films wins awards? What percentage of newcomers’ films are selected or win awards? What percentage of these films does not have distribution? If the festival refuses to answer your queries, then we suggest you pass them by. To try to establish a level playing field we have written an open letter (opposite) to all the big festivals around the world asking these important questions. We will be publishing their replies as soon as we receive it, if we ever do!

U

The Universal Film Promoting a Good Business Dear Festival Director

We are writing to you to introduce you to U which promotes a good business code of pr we have enlisted the support of 120 interna 2011.

We would ask you to kindly assist UFFO a the policy of the big festivals is toward film distributors. The is now known as a “Cherr

If I may explain: Given the rise of disreput have a very difficult task in determining wh received information that a major festival in programme prior to the general call for sub

We would therefore ask you in the interests festival community to provide us with the f 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

What percentage (or how many fil festival each year What percentage (or how many fil take part in the film festival every What percentage (or how many fil part in the film festival every year What percentage of films submitte festival each year What percentage of film submitted festival each year win awards

We would graciously ask you to provide th in advance for your assistance in this matte community Kind Regards Tyrone D Murphy

Founder & CEO

A copy of the letter is on the UFFO website: www.uffo.org

© Universal Film & Festiva

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Tips to Film Festivals IF A FESTIVAL SEEMS ODD IN ANY WAY - PASS THEM BY We all love film festivals and they are a very important part of the industry. However, one thing that all filmmakers should do is to check out the festival before submitting a film. Use common sense and look at the history of the festival. If there is nothing available on the festival, then think twice!

UFFO

m & Festival Organisation Code of Practice for Film Festivals

UFFO the Universal Film and Festival Organization ractice for film festivals. Recently dubbed Fest-COP ational film festivals since our launch on the 1st July

and the filmmaking community in determining what ms that are invited in from other film festivals and ry Picking Policy”

able film festivals around the world, filmmakers hich festival to submit their film to. Recently we n the USA completes its entire screening bmissions to the filmmaking community.

s of the entire filmmaking community and the following information

lms) are invited by your festival to take part in your

lms) that are invited by your festival organization to year win awards lms) are invited by your festival organization to take prior to the general call for submissions ed by newcomer filmmakers are selected by your

d by newcomer filmmakers that are selected by your

his information going back five years. We thank you r and you have the gratitude of the filmmaking

Find out if the festival is an online festival or an annual event. And find out where the event takes place. Find out the names of the festival directors and programmers and make sure they have an address, telephone number and web site so they can be contacted. Find out if the festival has a selection committee and if it is made up of Industry professionals. Ask if the festival is non-jury or has a jury made up of industry professionals? Find out if the festival directors are connected in any way to any of the films in competition. Ask about the organization’s publicity for the festival and where they advertise. What are the previous year’s attendance and submissions figures. Ask how many films are invited in to take part every year in the festival. (Cherry Picking) Ask if the festival is sponsored by distributors or any other company, and whether these companies have films in competition at the festival. (Review the history) Do not give out your private financial details unless you are sure about a festival. Do not submit a film to a film festival if the awards are going to the festival directors’ own films or their friends’ films. If a film festival is charging a submission fee and giving you a guaranteed screening for your film but there is no real festival, just a screening event, we suggest that you pass them by. There are a lot of one man band film festivals out there, many of whom provide a very valuable service to the local community and to the filmmaking community. However, if such a festival is not in your local community, does it really make good sense submitting your film to a festival half way round the world to compete with local filmmakers who can bring their own audience and can canvas the area prior to the festival? IMPORTANT! Do not rely on any of the online submission providers to weed out scam festivals. They are in business to take a percentage of your submission fee and not to make sure your submission fee is protected from fraudsters. This is about to change as we (UFFO) are currently working toward this

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We have much more information available on the UFFO website, www.uffo.org. We will also be publishing the UFFO book on Film Festivals in the near future that will tell it the way it is. www.uffo.org by Tyrone D Murphy

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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

ZOE MOON ASTROLOGY DECEMBER MONTHLY FORECAST 2012 ARIES

TARUS

GEMINI

You may have put personal or physical changes on hold for a while but midmonth you may be ready to break free and do something different as Uranus goes Direct in your sign. The universe thinks it’s time you expressed your true originality on some level so let go. A New Moon in Sagittarius is giving you a cosmic boost to travel to some far away local, connect with foreign interests or people, get into import/export, media, publishing, marketing, or educational outlets, and start something new from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow. Matters hit a high note at home, with moves, real estate deals, mom, family, or roommates by the 28th in celebrations, achievements or endings.

The planet of change and freedom goes Direct this month pushing you to shake things up a bit in film, music, fine art, secret romances, hidden agendas, spiritual pursuits, at hospitals, prisons or other places of retreat, dealing with addictions, through research, investigations, or time alone or working behind the scenes. New sexual attractions or interests, divorce proceedings or big financial interests open up from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow with universal energy behind what you start now. An agreement, writing project, idea, decision, meeting, talk, speaking role, short trip, sibling, neighbor, vehicle, or electronic interest peaks by the 28th in achievement or endings.

There hasn’t been much excitement, freedom and change with friends, groups, the internet, astrology, charities, or social events in the last months but now you will see things break free and new possibilities open again. Fresh approaches, people and situations will arrive, be willing to do the unusual. New beginnings open up with romantic or business partners, agents, attorneys, specialists, or competitors from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow, seek out key relationships now. An income matter or possession reaches a high point by the 28th in celebration, achievement or endings, whatever you are waiting on should arrive.

WITTER.COM/ZOEMOON LIBRA SCORPIO Do you feel like shaking things up or making some changes this month with a partner, agent, attorney, specialist, client, competitor, or opponent? Well the stars are inclined to help you so you can expect to head off in some new direction with or without them, depending on your own personal bent here. Singles may meet someone quite interesting. New agreements, meetings, talks, writing projects, short trips, or sibling, neighbor, vehicle, or electronic opportunities arrive the 13th and 2 weeks that follow so get out there and make your move. A career matter, or something involving a big goal or authority figure peaks by the 28th in celebration or endings.

Get ready to change things or react to excitement or shake-ups involving work, paperwork, co-workers, employees, health, or pets this month. There has been too much of the same old scene going on and now you get a chance to break free, get noticed or introduce new elements. You get a New Moon behind fresh income opportunities from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow so go all out to secure new resources or increase current income, the cosmos has your back. A travel, media, publishing, marketing, educational, wedding, or legal matter peaks by the 28th in celebration, achievements or endings as you wrap things up or they come through.

SAGITTARIUS This month brings you a chance to shake things up or embrace some real excitement or change with lovers, new love interests, children, or creative ventures. Be open to different approaches or situations and trying the unexpected. Your New Moon comes on the 13th and from here through the next 2 weeks you get a fresh personal and physical start to your year ahead so initiate new looks, take steps towards that new identity, launch the new brand, or motivate towards that new body. A sexual attraction or issue, reproductive matter, divorce, or high financial interest peaks by the 28th in celebration, achievements or endings as you wrap things up.

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ZOEMOONASTROLOGY@GMAIL.COM OR CALL 818-613-6067 LEO VIRGO CANCER Changes or new blood on the career front, with bosses, authority figures, ambitions, goals, reputation, or fame have been unavailable the last few months but this month that changes as things shake up with excitement and new arrivals or ideas manifest in these areas. Be open to what inspires or takes you down a road less traveled. New work opportunities, coworkers or employees, services, health interests, and pets arrive from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow so launch, interview, audition, submit ideas, start the work-out or diet, or adopt now. A personal or physical high point comes by the 28th as you celebrate a moment or wrap things up, your brand, image, body, or identity is key.

Get ready to shake, rattle and roll in areas of travel, education, law, media, marketing, publishing, or ceremonies this month as any stagnation is unhinged and you are able to plot your own course into some exciting new territories. Change is a good thing now. New opportunities in love, with kids or in creative endeavors arrive on the 13th and 2 weeks that follow, it’s time to launch into fresh starts or meet new people. You reach a high point with a film, music or other artistic project, a hospital matter, dealing with an addiction, a spiritual pursuit, clandestine affair, research project, or investigation by the 28th in celebration or endings.

Get ready for excitement, change or interesting new approaches to come your way through sexual attractions, divorce or big financial arenas this month. You may have felt things were never going to shift but the stars suggest some fresh air heading your way and the more original or independent your approach, the better. New beginnings arrive at home, with moves, real estate deals, mom, family, roommates, or security needs from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow so launch your desires here, now. You reach a high point at a social affair, with friends, groups, the internet, astrology, charities, or aspirations by the 28th in celebrations or endings.

FACEBOOK.COM/ZOEMOONASTROLOGY PISCES CAPRICORN AQUARIUS

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Your ruler has been Retrograde since July and this month he moves forward again so you should feel like you are coming alive on some level and ready to make any changes, introduce new ideas or express your originality in the things that you say, ask for, write, agree upon, sell, or in any short trips, involving siblings, neighbors, vehicles, electronics, or local interests. It’s ‘in with the new’! Fresh beginnings open up on the 13th and 2 weeks that follow with friends, groups, the internet, astrology, charities, and aspirations so say yes to invitations and connecting socially, and launch projects in these areas now. A work, health or pet matter peaks by the 28th in celebrations, achievements or endings as things come through or wrap up.

If you want to do something different to make your living or have wanted to introduce some new idea into the money arena this month you will see the changes and excitement you need around income matters to do so. Go for new ways to earn or be inventive or original for best results. New career opportunities, interactions with bosses, dad or authority figures, ambitions, goals, reputation matters, or pursuit of fame open up from the 13th and 2 weeks that follow, launch business ideas or goals now. A love affair or interest, child or creative project reaches a high point by the 28th as something is achieved, celebrated or ended.

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Are you longing to make a change at home, with a move, mom, family, roommate, or real estate? This month the energy of excitement and shaking things up turns in the sky so you should be able to try something new or take a different approach. There may be something exciting dropped in your lap pertaining to these themes. Fresh starts open up in film, music, art, clandestine affairs, spiritual pursuits, with hospitals, prisons, retreats, dealing with addictions, research, development, and investigations on the 13th and 2 weeks that follow, be proactive going for what you want. A peak moment comes with a partner, agent, attorney, specialist, or competitor by the 28th in celebrations, achievements or endings.


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Universal Film Issue 7 of 2012

MARSHALL NEILAN

by Tyrone D Murphy

The Great Moviemakers

Marshall Neilan with actress Colleen Moore

M

arshall Ambrose Neilan (April 11, 1891 – October 27,1958) was an American motion picture actor, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Born in San Bernardino, California, Neilan was known by most as “Mickey.” Following the death of his father, the eleven-year-old Mickey Neilan had to give up on school to work at whatever he could find in order to help support his mother. As a teenager, he began acting in bit parts in live theatre, and in 1910 he got a job driving Biograph Studios executives around Los Angeles there to determine the suitability of the West Coast as a place for a permanent studio. Neilan made his film debut as part of the acting cast on the American Film Manufacturing Company Western The Stranger at Coyote (1912). Hired by Kalem Studios for their Western film production facility in Santa Monica, Neilan was first cast opposite Ruth Roland. Described as confident, but egotistical at times, Neilan’s talent saw him directing films within a year of joining Kalem. After acting in more than seventy silent film shorts for Kalem and directing more than thirty others, Neilan was hired by the Selig Polyscope Company then Bison Motion Pictures and Famous PlayersLasky Corporation. In 1915, Neilan was one of the founding members of the Motion Picture Directors Association along with directors such as Cecil B. DeMille, Al-

lan Dwan, and William Desmond Taylor. At the end of 1916, Neilan was hired by Mary Pickford Films where he directed Pickford in several productions including Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and The Little Princess in 1917, plus Stella Maris, Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley, M’Liss in 1918, and Daddy-Long-Legs in 1919. Having all but given up acting, Neilan’s directing successes led to him creating his own production company and between 1920 and 1926, Marshall Neilan Productions made eleven feature-length films almost all of which were distributed through First National Pictures. He received critical acclaim for directing and producing such films as Bits of Life and The Lotus Eater. In 1929, he was hired by RKO Radio Pictures but had difficulty adapting to directing the new talkies. That year he directed Rudy Vallee and Marie Dressler in the talking film, The Vagabond Lover and although Dressler received high praise for her acting, the film was a commercial and critical failure. Early in his career Neilan had done as most others in the pioneering days of film and helped out in many areas of filmmaking through performing, directing, and writing. A talented screenwriter, in 1927 he wrote the original story for the Howard Hughes film, Hell’s Angels. Initially, he had also been hired as the film’s director, back when it was still a silent, but Hughes’ overbearing style forced him to drop out, and he was replaced a few

weeks into production by a more pliable director, Edmund Goulding; due to massive reshoots (as well as the recasting of the lead role with Jean Harlow), none of the footage Neilan shot made it into the final film. He was then hired by Hal Roach Studios, for whom he directed a few films in 1930, and he made his final directorial effort in 1937. Having battled alcoholism for a large part of his adult life, twenty years after he made his last film, Neilan returned to acting on the screen in a small role portraying an aging and less than enlightened United States Senator in the Elia Kazan film, A Face In The Crowd. In recognition of his contribution to the motion picture industry, in 1940 the Directors Guild of America conferred on him an “Honorary Life Member Award.” He later received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. Marshall Neilan had married actress Gertrude Bambrick in 1913 with whom he would have a son, Marshall Neilan, Jr.. Marshall, Jr. also worked in the film industry as a successful film editor, working on almost every episode of The Brady Bunch. Neilan’s marriage to Bambrick ended in 1921 and a year later he married actress Blanche Sweet whom he directed on several occasions. They divorced in 1929. Neilan died in Los Angeles in 1958 of throat cancer. He is interred in Normski AndersonCemetery. Angelus-Rosedale

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The great content shift — the demand for content anytime, anywhere — has set in motion a kaleidoscope of infinite consumption options with unlimited business models. But only if you shift focus and work with the right players. Broader-casting® professionals are leading the evolution by collaborating across screens and delivery platforms, embracing the opportunities created by today’s disruptors, like advertisers, techno-savvy visionaries and, increasingly, just about anyone with an online channel and a following.

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NAB Show,® the world’s largest media and entertainment event, is the place to leverage shifting players as part of your paradigm for success. Here you’ll discover game-changing strategies and emerging technologies designed to address today’s — and tomorrow’s expectations. Turn shift in your favor and evolve in a marketplace that moves forward with or without you. Register now!

CONFERENCES April 14–19, 2012 EXHIBITS April 16 –19 Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada USA

Natasha Goulden www.ufmag.org

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