On Wednesday April 20, 'Y Nada Mas,' a short film written and directed by Justin Liberman was screened in Manhattan Beach at Towne restaurant. The short is being shown at Tribeca this week in New York and we had a chance to get a sneak preview of the film. Y Nada Mas is a cinematic tapestry of four vignettes depicting the Mexican-American man and his place within our society.
Centered around the human spirit, all four stories are perceived through a prismatic context utilizing simplicity as a metaphor for life’s most meaningful moments.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Q&A with Done Deal
Done Deal is one of the most important resources for writers around the country (www.scriptsales.com). Holly Shorts recently had the opportunity to conduct a Q&A with Will Plyler, co-founder of the site. Done Deal is made up of over 350 pages of sales, examples, interviews, contact information for agents & production companies, columns, contest info, advice and more.
HS: How and when did you go about launching this wonderful resource?
WP: The site was started in September 1997. While I was working at Centropolis Entertainment I became interested in this "new" thing called the Internet, which had websites on it.
Jennifer, who co-founded the site with me, sat near me and was tracking sales of projects for the company for internal use. I'd always kept an idea list for films and usually a few times a year I'd read about a sale in the trades and think, "that was my idea that just sold." I thought it would be great if there were a resource to track all this. I asked her to give me a disc each week with what ever deals she’d found and I'd try building a website so others could see what was being sold too. It just went from there.
When we first started the site was basically one long page. It was white text on a black background. As our list of deals grew I realized we needed to build a second, then third page, and so on. Over time we added links, news items, agency, manager, attorney & production company lists, columns, reviews, and advice. In addition, I interviewed friends who were writing and also talked with writers & other industry people that had contacted the site directly.
Along the way the site has gone through a few re-designs as I learned more programming and also saw what did and didn’t work well on other sites. But there was never any plan to it or goal; except for trying to provide the best information we could as quickly and accurately as possible.
HS: What is the biggest challenge from your perspective writers are faced with these days?
One, really two, of the biggest problems writers face are themselves and thus fellow writers. I feel writers many times can be their own worst enemy. I see to many queries in which writers claim they have the greatest story and/or idea in the world and it will make everyone millions. You read the logline and you wonder, does this person even understand basic grammar, much less storytelling? As a writer, you need to get feedback on your work – solid feedback. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for not being able to have someone read your work or "listen" to your idea and be able to give you some helpful advice.
Also, there are so many people out there trying to write and wanting to be a "writer" that the market is overwhelmed. With the advent of the Internet it’s made it even tougher for Hollywood to wade through all the material.
There was no Internet ten years ago. There were no websites for writers or submission services, etc. All of these things have made it easier for writers all over the world to send out queries, and that’s great, but at the same time it overwhelms "Hollywood" that much more.
HS: Any interesting screenwriting competitions you'd like to plug?
I don’t actually participate in contests so I don’t have any first hand experiences to recommend. Most of the major contests that writers seem to enjoy and the industry respects and pays attention too, continue to be consistent like the Nicholl Fellowships, Walt Disney Writing Fellowship, etc.
There has been a rash of new contests popping up so writers should do as much research as they can before entering by asking friends or doing research on message boards to get feedback about who is actually running the competition and what their success rate is like.
HS: Do you recommend any software or any interesting new books for screenwriters to get their scripts covered?
WP: As with the contests, the major software makers like Final Draft and Movie Magic get the job done. Final Draft hit a few bumps in the road with their release of 7.0 but they are slowly making fixes it to it. Also, I know many writers like programs like Sophocles too.
We see a lot of discussions about the various software available and what writers like to use most. At the end of the day, simply pick out the one you like best and feel most comfortable with. One person will love what you use and another will hate it. It’s the script/story that matters. Find what makes your life easiest as a writer and just go with that.
HS: Where do you see Done Deal in 5 years?
WP: I have no idea to be honest. We never expected to be where we are today and still doing this. We know how difficult it is for people, especially writers living outside of Los Angeles, to track all the deals and find all of this information, so we want to do our best to continue to help them realize their dreams.
We recently opened Done Deal Pro (www.donedealpro.com) to offer a higher end version of the site with a searchable database, more detailed & updated contact information for the various companies, agencies, management firms, etc. We are of course focused on providing all we can to our subscribers there.
We hope to be around for as long as we can.
HS: How and when did you go about launching this wonderful resource?
WP: The site was started in September 1997. While I was working at Centropolis Entertainment I became interested in this "new" thing called the Internet, which had websites on it.
Jennifer, who co-founded the site with me, sat near me and was tracking sales of projects for the company for internal use. I'd always kept an idea list for films and usually a few times a year I'd read about a sale in the trades and think, "that was my idea that just sold." I thought it would be great if there were a resource to track all this. I asked her to give me a disc each week with what ever deals she’d found and I'd try building a website so others could see what was being sold too. It just went from there.
When we first started the site was basically one long page. It was white text on a black background. As our list of deals grew I realized we needed to build a second, then third page, and so on. Over time we added links, news items, agency, manager, attorney & production company lists, columns, reviews, and advice. In addition, I interviewed friends who were writing and also talked with writers & other industry people that had contacted the site directly.
Along the way the site has gone through a few re-designs as I learned more programming and also saw what did and didn’t work well on other sites. But there was never any plan to it or goal; except for trying to provide the best information we could as quickly and accurately as possible.
HS: What is the biggest challenge from your perspective writers are faced with these days?
One, really two, of the biggest problems writers face are themselves and thus fellow writers. I feel writers many times can be their own worst enemy. I see to many queries in which writers claim they have the greatest story and/or idea in the world and it will make everyone millions. You read the logline and you wonder, does this person even understand basic grammar, much less storytelling? As a writer, you need to get feedback on your work – solid feedback. In this day and age, there really is no excuse for not being able to have someone read your work or "listen" to your idea and be able to give you some helpful advice.
Also, there are so many people out there trying to write and wanting to be a "writer" that the market is overwhelmed. With the advent of the Internet it’s made it even tougher for Hollywood to wade through all the material.
There was no Internet ten years ago. There were no websites for writers or submission services, etc. All of these things have made it easier for writers all over the world to send out queries, and that’s great, but at the same time it overwhelms "Hollywood" that much more.
HS: Any interesting screenwriting competitions you'd like to plug?
I don’t actually participate in contests so I don’t have any first hand experiences to recommend. Most of the major contests that writers seem to enjoy and the industry respects and pays attention too, continue to be consistent like the Nicholl Fellowships, Walt Disney Writing Fellowship, etc.
There has been a rash of new contests popping up so writers should do as much research as they can before entering by asking friends or doing research on message boards to get feedback about who is actually running the competition and what their success rate is like.
HS: Do you recommend any software or any interesting new books for screenwriters to get their scripts covered?
WP: As with the contests, the major software makers like Final Draft and Movie Magic get the job done. Final Draft hit a few bumps in the road with their release of 7.0 but they are slowly making fixes it to it. Also, I know many writers like programs like Sophocles too.
We see a lot of discussions about the various software available and what writers like to use most. At the end of the day, simply pick out the one you like best and feel most comfortable with. One person will love what you use and another will hate it. It’s the script/story that matters. Find what makes your life easiest as a writer and just go with that.
HS: Where do you see Done Deal in 5 years?
WP: I have no idea to be honest. We never expected to be where we are today and still doing this. We know how difficult it is for people, especially writers living outside of Los Angeles, to track all the deals and find all of this information, so we want to do our best to continue to help them realize their dreams.
We recently opened Done Deal Pro (www.donedealpro.com) to offer a higher end version of the site with a searchable database, more detailed & updated contact information for the various companies, agencies, management firms, etc. We are of course focused on providing all we can to our subscribers there.
We hope to be around for as long as we can.
"HIGHEND SOUND" ALBUM RELEASE
Holly Shorts congratulates Rudy "High End" Mangual on his official album release party, which took place on Friday, April 22 at The Overlook in Hollywood. The album, The HighEnd Sound on Groovy Gravy Records is now available and the party was put together by Groovy Gravy in collaboration with Mekanic and Magnify Music. You can here some sample tracks from the album at www.cduniverse.com.
HOLLY HOT LINX
Check out Holly Shorts, Short Film festival blurbs on the following websites, Hayden Films, MovieMaker Magazine online, Mark Litwak's Entertainment Law Resources, Rotten Tomatoes Forum. If anyone is intersted in discussing sponsorship opportunities for the upcomming event, please call our hotline: 818-760-9897.
http://www.haydenfilms.com/resource_list.php?s_res_rcat_id=38&hf_resources_hf_resourcePage=3
http://www.moviemaker.com/crewcall.html
http://www.marklitwak.com/film_festivals/festival.php?fm=&id=H
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=407202
http://www.haydenfilms.com/resource_list.php?s_res_rcat_id=38&hf_resources_hf_resourcePage=3
http://www.moviemaker.com/crewcall.html
http://www.marklitwak.com/film_festivals/festival.php?fm=&id=H
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/showthread.php?t=407202
ALEX SOL ON COLD CASE EPISODE THIS SUNDAY
Check out actor Alex Sol in his debut on the hit show Cold Case on CBS this Sunday. Sol is also in the process of putting together a talented group of actors for plays at the Space Theatre in Hollywood, CA.
Sunday, April 24, 8:00PM ET/PT
"Kensington"
The murder case of a young mill worker is re-opened when Rush learns that a recent parolee admitted to stealing money off the victim's body. Rating: TVPG-LV.
Sunday, April 24, 8:00PM ET/PT
"Kensington"
The murder case of a young mill worker is re-opened when Rush learns that a recent parolee admitted to stealing money off the victim's body. Rating: TVPG-LV.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
HOLLY SHORTS LAUNCH PARTY
We would like to thank all of the participants last night who attended the official Holly Shorts, Short Film Festival launch party at the Bliss Art House Cafe. We had a standing room crowd. Attendees checked out art, music and drinks. Live on the blog are some new images and an exclusive Q&A with actor Tyshawn Bryant. You can contact Holly Shorts by emailing us at: hollyshorts@hotmail.com, or by calling the official hotline 818-760-9897. The dates of the festival will be announced next week. In the meantime, to download the official entry forms, go to:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com.
http://briefcase.yahoo.com.
Talia Mays performing with musicians at the Bliss Art House Cafe last night. Holly Shorts launched officially at the event. You can catch Talia performing on April 16 with her band The Golden Ratio at the Green Room, 6752 Hollywood Blvd 10 p.m. To find out more about the band and hear some samples, go to www.gratiolounge.com.
Holly Shorts Ent.
Brian Erzen unveiled his new comic book "Broken," during the event last night.
More info on the comic book is available at Hollypointstudio.com.
To buy the book, go to Comixpress.com
Holly Shorts recently caught up with up and coming star Tyshawn Bryant. He has a slate of short film projects that he’s working on. Check out the Q&A.
HS: How did you get started in the business?
TB: I started this business in 2002 when I met a working actor by the name of Michael Whaley. I helped him form his acting class, which taught the actor the "business" of acting. They call it the "Acting Business" for a reason.
HS: Name a recent short film you've worked on?
TB: I've worked on various short films. One that comes to mind was called, "Pugnacious Assembly", by up and coming director David T. Branin. It was a fun piece and the director gave the actor free reign to come up with a believable and interesting character.
HS: Who would you like to work with the most in Hollywood?
TB: I would love to work with Denzel Washington. I've enjoyed and been intrigued by all of his work. I would also love to work with Tom Cruise. We all know all of his projects do very well in the box office.
HS: Where do you see yourself in five years?
TB: In five years I will be in one of three situations. I will either be a series regular on a prime time television show, a heralded feature film actor, or both. As always it's been a pleasure
Holly Shorts Ent.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Sunday, April 10, 2005
For the official entry forms, you can download by going to: http://briefcase.yahoo.com
You can email us at: hollyshorts@hotmail.com
You can reach us at the official Holly Shorts hotline: (818) 760-9897.
You can email us at: hollyshorts@hotmail.com
You can reach us at the official Holly Shorts hotline: (818) 760-9897.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Holly Shorts Night At Bliss Cafe, Friday April 15, 2005
Come out and enjoy live music and drinks at the official Holly Shorts Launch Party taking place Friday, April 15 at The Bliss Art House Cafe, 1249 Vine Street. Held during 'Jamin' night at the Bliss, the party will be an opportunity to mingle with filmmakers and Holly Shorts enthusiasts. First 15 to RSVP get a free Corona. The Bliss Cafe is located on Vine Street in Hollywood, between Fountain and Santa Monica. See You There! To RSVP, contact us at: hollyshorts@hotmail.com
UK Supports Shorts...
The UK's New Cinema Fund recently announced their mission to support creativity, new talent, and cutting edge filmmaking. The New Cinema Fund partners 12 strategic bodies across the UK to produce over 100 digital short films per year. This is designed to support emerging filmmakers with a platform to get them established. I'll give you the website but what good does it do for us if we're stuck here on our own. This would be a great program for the U.S. as well.
www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/shorts
www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/shorts
Thursday, April 07, 2005
National Treasure 2 Opens This Weekend
Oops, meant Sahara opens this weekend trying to knock-off Robert Rodriguez' Sin City. The flick debut last week at #1 with 29.1 at the box office. Also making an attempt at the top spot is Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore in Pitch.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Hey Shorties
Hope everyone is geared up for another big week. If you haven't already, pick up a copy of this week's BACKSTAGE WEST, which featured a mini ad on the Holly Shorts, Short Film Festival, Call for Entries on Page 4. There's a lot of buzz on the fest following last week's Grand Stand Actors Showcase (Images are below). If anyone has questions on the Film Festival we are coordinating to take place at the Space Theatre in Hollywood, please feel free to contact us at the official Holly Shorts Hotline (818) 760-9897, or via email (hollyshorts@hotmail.com).
It was a big weekend for Robert Rodriguez' Sin City, winning top at the box office according to Variety, $28 million. Second place goes to Beauty Shop, $17.3.
It was a big weekend for Robert Rodriguez' Sin City, winning top at the box office according to Variety, $28 million. Second place goes to Beauty Shop, $17.3.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Check out The Dream Regime's first short film, "Pugnacious Assembly," distributed on ifilm at: http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2482177?htv=12
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