Pages:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next"Blog"
Blog Archives:
Alex Van Horn is a talented young director whose film One Time Me and My Friend Robbed a Store won the 2009 audience choice award. This year he was back with a shorter film and try as I may, was unable to catch up with him at RIFF 2010. He graciously agreed to be interviewed for this week’s post and share a bit of his plans.
TINA: Where are you a student?
ALEX: Currently, I am a senior at Stafford High School.
TINA: Since winning the audience choice award for One Time Me and My Friend
Robbed a Store, where has the film shown?
ALEX: My film has been shown in my house and that’s it. I don’t think I’m brave enough to show it at any other film festivals just yet. It was a good idea and there are some good scenes but I don’t think my style is perfected. My new short films will probably be sent all over the place. I’m definitely looking at the DC Short Film Festival.
TINA: What made you/inspired you to direct?
ALEX: Since I was a kid, I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write little books and such. I really liked Jules Verne, Tolkien, H.G. Wells, and all the other fantasy writers that kids go for. A friend of mine had a camera and we used to make little movies. Eventually I got a camera and started going crazy. I made movies of anything I could think of. We made ghost movies, field trip movies, adventure, comedy, etc. Somewhere around that time I got Netflix, which, for me, is less of a website and more of a religion. I think around then I started discovering movies that really inspired me.
I think the one movie that made me want to make “good” movies was Michael Mann’s Collateral. It’s such a professionally made film that takes a standard idea and pumps it up. I really liked that aspect. Other inspirational films I’d like to include are The Third Man, The Big Lebowski, The Truman Show and In Bruges. I also discovered the films of Akira Kurosawa, The Coen Brothers, Stanley Kubrick, Werner Herzog, John Cassavetes and all the other great filmmakers.
TINA: I assume you are involved with theatre at you school. How long have you been
involved and what productions have you been in?
ALEX: I’m not as involved as some other people, but I love to act. I was in ‘Dentity Crisis at my school, which was taken to a competition. Our play won third best in the state. I was very proud of that one. I’ve been working with the Improv Team there as well and really enjoy that. This year our school is putting on The Good Woman of Setzuan for competition. That should be fun.
TINA: How did you pick this year’s topic, the no necktie crusade?
ALEX: I didn’t pick it. A friend of mine, Muhamad Khalid, wrote a hilarious speech in class and I decided to make a movie of it. It was about the uselessness of ties and I fell in love with it. I dressed Muhamad up and we went out and shot the film. We shot in three locations, my backyard, a tunnel, and in front of the United States Capitol.
TINA: What do you planned for your next project?
ALEX: I have a few short films I’ll be making this year. A lot of them are just short funny scenes that will take a lot of work. I’m very excited for all of them.
TINA: Were you excited/surprised with the audience reaction to this year’s film?
Please share your thoughts about how you think this viewing went.
ALEX: I thought the audience reaction was wonderful. I had a lot of people tell me how much they enjoyed it. One lady said she thought it was the best at the film festival. I don’t think that’s true but it was really flattering.
Alex’s latest film, A Knotty Accessory, can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnhO3wdn1eY
~Peace,
Tina
Tina.morris @ rifilmfestival (dot) com
Brad Lubin is a Virginian returning home to show his work. Speaking with the producer of The Patent Clerk before last night’s final screening, he told me a little about his career and why this project was important to him.
TINA: How did you come to produce this film?
BRAD: I am a screenwriter by trade. Right now I live in Washington D.C. but originally I am from Virginia. Producing is a passion and something I do for friends. Mostly I write comedy and that’s what I do for a living.
TINA: Don’t you pretty much need to live in LA to be a screenwriter?
BRAD: Well, I did my time in LA and now I live closer to home. I have an agent and a manager and the move has worked out.
TINA: How did you find RIFF?
BRAD: This film was made in California and was shown in Santa Barbara. We wanted to find film festivals that were relevant to us so I searched for festivals in Virginia and found RIFF. It was close to home and being from Virginia, showing the film here means a lot to me.
TINA: That was quite an impressive entourage you came in with. Who is here with you tonight?
BRAD: There are nine people. That is my family and some of them came all the way from Russia. It’s wonderful to have them with me.
TINA: I know you are very excited about the showing tonight. Tell us more about the film and the making of it. How was this shot?
BRAD: It was shot in 16 mm. Very low budget.
TINA: Ah, low budget… the independent filmmaker’s mantra. What about the talent? How did you find your actors?
BRAD: We recruited talent from LA casting and held auditions. You probably would not realize this but if you have ever seen pictures of Einstein as a child the actor that we found bore a striking resemblance.
TINA: Coincidentally, I study German was impressed with the dialog. The pronunciation rang true in my ears but it was textbook German. Who helped with the language?
BRAD: We put an ad on Craigslist and the person who responded was from out of state. She sent CDs and that is how we worked. You had LA actors tackling German so it was a challenge.
TINA: Producer as a title can mean a lot of things. Sometime producers just put up the money, whereas others are more involved. Can you tell us more about your role with this project?
BRAD: My involvement was definitely hands-on. I shepherded it through the entire process providing feedback on the script, hiring the talent, obtaining film permits, finding insurance etc.
TINA: Thank you, Brad. I appreciate your time. Break a leg.
~Peace,
Tina
Tina.morris @ rifilmfestival (dot) com
An eclectic group of fans and filmmakers gathered at the Athenaeum this morning to glean wisdom from an experienced movie industry professional, Kelley Baker alias The Angry Filmmaker. Student filmmakers, experienced filmmakers, fans, one covert international photographer flying under the radar (ok), and yours truly settled in for the three-hour workshop.
Kelley Baker never fails to deliver. Giving aspiring filmmakers the benefit of his years in the business, Kelly offered tricks of the trade, advice on how to make low budget films, and provided pointers on solving roadblocks creatively.
His workshop addressed topics such as:
* How to get free stuff (donations)
* Using social networking tools to advantage
* Meeting the distribution challenge
Success stories, horror stories, and words to the wise were all appreciated. If you missed Kelley this morning, he will be at RIFF tonight with copies of his films and workbooks on hand. He will be happy to sign one for you or you can find his merchandise online at: http://www.angryfilmmaker.com/
~Peace,
Tina
In the sea of fans, some faces were familiar and some weren’t. Time to see who is who and put a face on the fans………………….
Mari Kelly, Fredericksburg-ite and Irish transplant was seen at last year’s RIFF. When asked for her opinion of this year’s festival and if she will be attending the entire weekend she said, “Super. Fantastic.” and “Yes” to the whole weekend.
First time RIFF attendee Carl Little is local “was thoroughly impressed.” Carl and Ann Little really enjoyed themselves and will come back next year.
Michael Camber and Sabina Weitzman are repeat RIFF-ers and plan to attend through the weekend.
Super fan Raymond Herlong buys an all-access pass for himself and a guest every year. Talking with Raymond and Dana Herong, some interesting facts came to light. Raymond is actually an aspiring filmmaker with two previous shorts featured at the L.A. Filmfest. Apropo to what’s in the news, it turns out to be a caving story with a message. A modern day parable, this film will be shot in Fredericksburg. Filming the actually movie depends on timing but Raymond already has his team in place and it will happen he says. Hmmm. Well, sounds like an interesting future RIFF entry to me. As for this year’s RIFF he says, “the quality is a superb crop this year. We’ve been very pleased.”
Cool beans. See you Saturday.
~Tina
Friday afternoon had a good house. RIFF 2010 is off to a good start and there’s plenty of time to get your tickets and head on down.
Caught up with director/writer Susan Hippen whose film Me, Myself, & Your Husband is a Best Student Film Finalist. Now in her fourth year at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Susan is about to start shooting her thesis and she’s excited to be at RIFF. I asked her to share a few thoughts on her experience.
TINA: New York is pretty exciting. With so many films schools out there, how did you pick Tisch? Was it because it’s Alec Baldwin’s alma mater?
SUSAN: Um, no (laughs). I was working in LA and decided to move to New York. It just seemed that a lot of important things were happening in New York and I love the energy of the city. A lot of people think of moving the other way around but this was the best move for me.
TINA: So you were working in the business?
SUSAN: Yes, architecture and set design.
TINA: Wow. So you decided you want to direct…
SUSAN: YES! And write and produce and…
TINA: Cool. Tell us about the talent for this film. Were they fellow Tisch students or did you have a casting call?
SUSAN: Actually, I was pretty focused on casting this well. My process involved visiting comedy improvs in New York and when I found talent I liked I asked them to audition.
TINA: Good idea. That worked well. How did you find RIFF?
SUSAN: I found RIFF online and it’s been a very positive experience. Everything is so well done, very professional. It’s great to be here.
TINA: Is your film showing at other festivals?
SUSAN: Me, Myself, & Your Husband was accepted in about 19 other festivals I want to say. So, I have to leave to go to Brooklyn after the RIFF awards ceremony. I’m pretty excited.
TINA: Thanks, Susan. Good to know you are going to be around for the weekend. Good luck.
Fans and filmmakers can catch up with Susan throughout the festival. She’s blonde and has a big smile.
~Peace,
Tina
Tina.morris at rifilmfestival (dot) com
Pages:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
