INAUGURAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL DEEMED SUCCESSFUL
HollyShorts, Short Film Festival Comes to an End With "Dick (The Short)" Taking Top Honors
Robert McGee, C.S.A. Addresses Filmmakers During Q&A Session On Independent Film Casting
23 Short Films Screened From the U.S., Poland, Canada, India and U.K.
HOLLYWOOD, CA AUGUST 15, 2005---The inaugural HollyShorts, Short Film Festival came to a close last night at The Space Theatre in Hollywood with top honors of HollyShorts Best Short Film going to "Dick (The Short)," Directed and written by Rufus Dorsey USA (13 minutes). The event, which took place August 13-14, showcased 23 short films, 30-minutes and under.
Robert McGee, C.S.A. participated in a Q&A session with the standing room audience, giving young filmmakers insight on casting for independent films. The official opening short film for the event was "Y Nada Mas," Directed and writen by Justin Liberman, which debuted at Tribeca earlier this year. Liberman participated in a discussion with the audience after the screening. The closing short film, which was showcased at Sundance earlier this year was "Husk," Directed by Brett A. Simmons. Simmons also gave advice to the filmmakers in attendance.
"We were thrilled to showcase the best short films from around the world," said Daniel Sol, festival co-founder. "Having industry experts such as Robert McGee participate at HollyShorts was an honor. We look forward to next year's event."
The opening night private party took place at The Bungalow Club on Melrose, with over 200 directors, writers and film enthusiasts in attendance. The Audience Choice for Best Short Film on Saturday, August 13 went to "Bluff Point," Directed and by Kelly Rigg and Natashia McGough USA (2 minutes and 22 seconds). The Audience Choice for Best Short Film on Sunday, August 14 went to "The King of K-Town," Directed by Aaron Caine and written by Aaron Caine and Michael Moeller. The night came to an end with a special musical performance by local act Golden Ratio.
About HollyShorts
HollyShorts, Short Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe. HollyShorts is devoted to the advancement filmmakers through screenings, Q&A sessions and networking events. The HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30- minutes or less. For more information, please visit www.hollyshortsfilmfestival.blogspot.com.
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Monday, August 15, 2005
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
HOLLYSHORTS 2005 Schedule!
Opening night party: The Bungalow Club 7174 Melrose Blvd. TIME: 8p.m.
Special Panel: Sunday, August 14 at 3:30 p.m. Q&A Session with Casting Society of America
Festival Awards Presentation sponsored by The Writers Store, Sunday, August 14 TIME: 5:30p.m.
Closing night cocktails, Sunday, August 14 TIME: 6p.m.
Special Musical performance by Golden Ratio, Sunday August 14 TIME: 7:15p.m.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
3 p.m. Wine, cheese, registration and cocktails in lobby of The Space Theatre
3:30 p.m. Welcome to Holly
4p.m. Screenings
OFFICIAL OPENING FILM sponsored by STASH DVD MAGAZINE: Y NADA MAS (19 minutes) Directed and written by Justin Liberman, Y Nada Mas, which debuted at Tribeca earlier this year, is a cinematic tapestry of four vignettes depicting the Mexican-American man and his place within our society. Writer/Director Justin Liberman threads dialogue and visceral imagery through four simultaneous stories of the Mexican culture. 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. (This film is not in competition)
THE LONER Directed and written by Patrick Kirk Gillock THAILAND (5 minutes). A comedy about a man who loves to be alone. What happens when the ultimate loner falls in love? The answer might surprise you.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT STILLNESS Directed and written by Martin Clarke UK (4 minutes and 30 seconds). A moment of choice---to move on, or to stay still? To be held back or to break away? Also, a train journey.
RUNWAY JOB Directed and written by Alex Alba USA (30 minutes). This documentary tracks three individuals and their different goals in organizing and executing a New York City fashion show. As we follow the event planner, fashion designer and runway model, during the development stages of the fashion show the characters overcome
various obstacles to set up and produce a monumental event.
LOVE MATH Directed and written by Kent Carpenter Zambrana USA (10 minutes). Based on actual events, by way of couplings, coincidence and interconnections, a young man retraces the variables between his dream girl, an ex-girlfriend, a former football star, an amateur pornographer, two sisters, a recluse with a speech impediment, and his mortal enemy. But, if love factors into this equation, how does it all add up?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE Directed and written by Natalie Shy USA (11 minutes and 45 seconds). A teenage girl copes with disturbing memories and the on-going trauma of her abusive father.
FINAL STATION Directed and written by Tomasz Piech POLAND (30 minutes). A seemingly normal train ride through the Polish countryside takes on elements of the sixth sense surreal as Piotr, a painter, now an old man and protagonist of the film sees his life’s sweetest and saddest moments in a series of flashbacks. .
BLUFF POINT Directed by Kelly Rigg, written by Natashia McGough USA (2 minutes and 22 seconds). A reality show hoax goes wrong when the groom to be of an engaged couple enlists his unaware fiancee onto "Scare Factor," to obtain $10,000-for their wedding.
LEMON GRASS Directed and written by Avinash K. Lalwani INDIA (24 minutes). A young man and his friends run into some unforeseen circumstances and end up engaging in a tightly night party in a jail cell.
PLANET FAR AWAY Directed and written by Paula Moreno USA (18 minutes). A 10 year old boy decides do look for his missing father with his pet turtle after he has a confrontation with his mother about his fathers where-abouts.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Screenings 2pm
IMAGINE Directed by Colin Orr and written by Chris Ayala USA (13 minutes). The story of a little boy with a big imagination.
TRIBUS Directed by Ledit RenArt MONTREAL, CANADA (4 minutes and 53 seconds). A riveting documentary collage with controversial footage.
"DICK" (THE SHORT) Directed and written by Rufus Dorsey USA (13 minutes). Daryl is a "big-time" player. But there's just one problem---his fiancé. After years of cheating on her, his karma has finally caught up with him.
MAN, WHERE'S MY SHOE? Directed by the young women at the Aviva Center and Directing Mentor Rachel Goldberg USA (22 minutes). Switzerland Harris takes a strange journey through the halls of her new high school after waking up from class to discover that one of her treasured shoes has treasured.
BROKEN Directed by Alex Ferrari and written by Jorge Flores Rodrigues and Alex Ferrari USA (19 minutes). A gun blast, a flash of light, and a young woman awakens to the comfort of her own bed. Bonnie Clayton has it all, a great relationship, a challenging career, and the burden of a dream that grows more vivid and disturbing with each passing night. But when Bonnie is abducted by a sadistic stranger and his colorful entourage, she discovers that the key to her survival lies within the familiar realms of her recurring dream.
A VOID Directed and written by Justin Woiwode and Ray Skinner USA (3 minutes and 33 seconds). Breathtaking visuals and edgy animation propel a man through a nightmare.
THIRST Directed and written by Joseph R. Hunt USA (14 minutes). Would you give a man dying of thirst a peanut butter cracker?
MERLOT Directed and written by Matthew S. Morris USA (12 minutes and 20 seconds). Miriam's reality is shattered when she finds out her friends love story is not about her.
DOLLS WITH ISSUES Directed and written by Frederick Taylor USA (8 minutes). In these turbulant times the voice of reason is plastic. Host Jerome X interviews the late great Sigmund Freud, reincarnated in his doll form. It's the Activist vs. the Analyst in a witty spoof of issue oriented talk shows starring dolls.
VAMPIR Directed by Conrad Haber and written by Aaron Johnson USA (8 minutes and 35 seconds). One man's soul seeking the truth is forced to choose between what he was and what he has become-for what are we but victims to our own divine purpose.
THE KING OF K-TOWN Directed by Aaron Caine and written by Aaron Caine and Michael Moeller USA (19 minutes and 4 seconds). Bikes rule...will he?
TWO APARTMENTS AND A HALLWAY Directed and written by Michael Prkic USA (13 minutes and 30 seconds). Oh, I just love jigsaw puzzles.
Official closing short film, presented by New York Film Academy: HUSK Directed by Brett A. Simmons, and screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival's Shorts program, Husk is a 27-minute short film. Four men, a stalled car, corn fields and scarecrows. Is that a house in the distance?
Opening night party: The Bungalow Club 7174 Melrose Blvd. TIME: 8p.m.
Special Panel: Sunday, August 14 at 3:30 p.m. Q&A Session with Casting Society of America
Festival Awards Presentation sponsored by The Writers Store, Sunday, August 14 TIME: 5:30p.m.
Closing night cocktails, Sunday, August 14 TIME: 6p.m.
Special Musical performance by Golden Ratio, Sunday August 14 TIME: 7:15p.m.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
3 p.m. Wine, cheese, registration and cocktails in lobby of The Space Theatre
3:30 p.m. Welcome to Holly
4p.m. Screenings
OFFICIAL OPENING FILM sponsored by STASH DVD MAGAZINE: Y NADA MAS (19 minutes) Directed and written by Justin Liberman, Y Nada Mas, which debuted at Tribeca earlier this year, is a cinematic tapestry of four vignettes depicting the Mexican-American man and his place within our society. Writer/Director Justin Liberman threads dialogue and visceral imagery through four simultaneous stories of the Mexican culture. 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. (This film is not in competition)
THE LONER Directed and written by Patrick Kirk Gillock THAILAND (5 minutes). A comedy about a man who loves to be alone. What happens when the ultimate loner falls in love? The answer might surprise you.
A SHORT FILM ABOUT STILLNESS Directed and written by Martin Clarke UK (4 minutes and 30 seconds). A moment of choice---to move on, or to stay still? To be held back or to break away? Also, a train journey.
RUNWAY JOB Directed and written by Alex Alba USA (30 minutes). This documentary tracks three individuals and their different goals in organizing and executing a New York City fashion show. As we follow the event planner, fashion designer and runway model, during the development stages of the fashion show the characters overcome
various obstacles to set up and produce a monumental event.
LOVE MATH Directed and written by Kent Carpenter Zambrana USA (10 minutes). Based on actual events, by way of couplings, coincidence and interconnections, a young man retraces the variables between his dream girl, an ex-girlfriend, a former football star, an amateur pornographer, two sisters, a recluse with a speech impediment, and his mortal enemy. But, if love factors into this equation, how does it all add up?
AN EYE FOR AN EYE Directed and written by Natalie Shy USA (11 minutes and 45 seconds). A teenage girl copes with disturbing memories and the on-going trauma of her abusive father.
FINAL STATION Directed and written by Tomasz Piech POLAND (30 minutes). A seemingly normal train ride through the Polish countryside takes on elements of the sixth sense surreal as Piotr, a painter, now an old man and protagonist of the film sees his life’s sweetest and saddest moments in a series of flashbacks. .
BLUFF POINT Directed by Kelly Rigg, written by Natashia McGough USA (2 minutes and 22 seconds). A reality show hoax goes wrong when the groom to be of an engaged couple enlists his unaware fiancee onto "Scare Factor," to obtain $10,000-for their wedding.
LEMON GRASS Directed and written by Avinash K. Lalwani INDIA (24 minutes). A young man and his friends run into some unforeseen circumstances and end up engaging in a tightly night party in a jail cell.
PLANET FAR AWAY Directed and written by Paula Moreno USA (18 minutes). A 10 year old boy decides do look for his missing father with his pet turtle after he has a confrontation with his mother about his fathers where-abouts.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Screenings 2pm
IMAGINE Directed by Colin Orr and written by Chris Ayala USA (13 minutes). The story of a little boy with a big imagination.
TRIBUS Directed by Ledit RenArt MONTREAL, CANADA (4 minutes and 53 seconds). A riveting documentary collage with controversial footage.
"DICK" (THE SHORT) Directed and written by Rufus Dorsey USA (13 minutes). Daryl is a "big-time" player. But there's just one problem---his fiancé. After years of cheating on her, his karma has finally caught up with him.
MAN, WHERE'S MY SHOE? Directed by the young women at the Aviva Center and Directing Mentor Rachel Goldberg USA (22 minutes). Switzerland Harris takes a strange journey through the halls of her new high school after waking up from class to discover that one of her treasured shoes has treasured.
BROKEN Directed by Alex Ferrari and written by Jorge Flores Rodrigues and Alex Ferrari USA (19 minutes). A gun blast, a flash of light, and a young woman awakens to the comfort of her own bed. Bonnie Clayton has it all, a great relationship, a challenging career, and the burden of a dream that grows more vivid and disturbing with each passing night. But when Bonnie is abducted by a sadistic stranger and his colorful entourage, she discovers that the key to her survival lies within the familiar realms of her recurring dream.
A VOID Directed and written by Justin Woiwode and Ray Skinner USA (3 minutes and 33 seconds). Breathtaking visuals and edgy animation propel a man through a nightmare.
THIRST Directed and written by Joseph R. Hunt USA (14 minutes). Would you give a man dying of thirst a peanut butter cracker?
MERLOT Directed and written by Matthew S. Morris USA (12 minutes and 20 seconds). Miriam's reality is shattered when she finds out her friends love story is not about her.
DOLLS WITH ISSUES Directed and written by Frederick Taylor USA (8 minutes). In these turbulant times the voice of reason is plastic. Host Jerome X interviews the late great Sigmund Freud, reincarnated in his doll form. It's the Activist vs. the Analyst in a witty spoof of issue oriented talk shows starring dolls.
VAMPIR Directed by Conrad Haber and written by Aaron Johnson USA (8 minutes and 35 seconds). One man's soul seeking the truth is forced to choose between what he was and what he has become-for what are we but victims to our own divine purpose.
THE KING OF K-TOWN Directed by Aaron Caine and written by Aaron Caine and Michael Moeller USA (19 minutes and 4 seconds). Bikes rule...will he?
TWO APARTMENTS AND A HALLWAY Directed and written by Michael Prkic USA (13 minutes and 30 seconds). Oh, I just love jigsaw puzzles.
Official closing short film, presented by New York Film Academy: HUSK Directed by Brett A. Simmons, and screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival's Shorts program, Husk is a 27-minute short film. Four men, a stalled car, corn fields and scarecrows. Is that a house in the distance?
Thursday, July 28, 2005
HOLLYSHORTS IN THE NEWS
As we prepare for the inaugural HollyShorts, Short Film Festival August 13-14, we have secured some press stories on the event. Indiewire, the premier online resource and community for indie filmmakers ran a wonderful story on HollyShorts yesterday.
Here's a snippet from IndieWire.com's feature article:
HOORAY FOR HOLLYSHORTS!
Short film fans in Hollywood should mark their calendars for Aug. 13-14, when the inaugural HollyShorts Film Festival is set to launch at Tinseltown's Space Theater.
Organizers have programmed an international selection of 22 films, including Justin Liberman's Tribeca favorite Y Nada Mas and Brett Simmons' Sundance-screened thriller Husk. The twenty other shorts in competition represent an international array of filmmakers from as far away as Poland, India and Thailand.
You can view the entire article by going to Indiewire.com
As we prepare for the inaugural HollyShorts, Short Film Festival August 13-14, we have secured some press stories on the event. Indiewire, the premier online resource and community for indie filmmakers ran a wonderful story on HollyShorts yesterday.
Here's a snippet from IndieWire.com's feature article:
HOORAY FOR HOLLYSHORTS!
Short film fans in Hollywood should mark their calendars for Aug. 13-14, when the inaugural HollyShorts Film Festival is set to launch at Tinseltown's Space Theater.
Organizers have programmed an international selection of 22 films, including Justin Liberman's Tribeca favorite Y Nada Mas and Brett Simmons' Sundance-screened thriller Husk. The twenty other shorts in competition represent an international array of filmmakers from as far away as Poland, India and Thailand.
You can view the entire article by going to Indiewire.com
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Y NADA MAS (Official festival opening film, not in competition)
Directed and written by Justin Liberman, Y Nada Mas, which debuted at Tribeca earlier this year, is a cinematic tapestry of four vignettes depicting the Mexican-American man and his place within our society. Writer/Director Justin Liberman threads dialog and visceral imagery through four simultaneous stories of the Mexican culture. 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.
HUSK (Official closing night film, not in competition)
Directed by Brett A. Simmons, and screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival's Shorts program, Husk is a 27-minute short film. Four men, a stalled car, corn fields and scarecrows. Is that a house in the distance?
Tickets for the general public are available now. You can purchase them here
Thursday, July 07, 2005
HollyShorts announced today The Bungalow Club will host the official opening night party for the inaugural HollyShorts, Short Film Festival on Saturday, August 13, 2005. The festival will take place August 13-14 at the Space Theatre in Hollywood (665 N. Heliotrope, Los Angeles, CA).
"We are thrilled to have our opening night party at The Bungalow Club," said Dan Sol, co-founder of HollyShorts, Short Film Festival. "We've been looking forward to hosting our event for quite a while and its an honor to celebrate the first night of our festival at such a reputable club."
The organizers have an exclusive guest list for festival participants to partake in the opening night party festivities. The Bungalow Club is located at 7174 Melrose Avenue, just three miles west of The Space Theatre. Street parking available and valet parking is $5. To RSVP, please call the Holly Hotline at (818) 760-9897 or email us at hollyshorts@hotmail.com.
About HollyShorts
HollyShorts, Short Film Festival is an annual short film festival showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe. Comprised by Cali Shorts Society, a group devoted to the advancement filmmakers through the short film genre, the HollyShorts Film festival showcases the top short films produced 30 minutes or less. The inaugural event will feature various genre's of short films, a special musical performance, and awards. For more information, please visit www.hollyshortsfilmfestival.blogspot.com. For advanced tickets, please contact Karen Worden (hollyshorts@hotmail.com).
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Monday, July 04, 2005
Shorties Watching Shorties. Check out Sorrel Ahlfeld's award winning 10 second short film "Walking Haiku" on Ten Second Films. Sorrel won first place in the contest, which consisted of over 1000 entries.
Ten Second Film contest winner
According to the site, Sorrel has directed numerous music videos, short form promos, and motion graphics.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Holly Shorts would like to congratulate Writer/Director John Harden on his Best Narrative Short Film award at last week's LA Film Festival for "La Vie d'un Chien."
According to the Shorts competition Jury, "It was our goal to recognize films that pushed outside the limits of tradition, while rewarding us on several levels simultaneously visually, aurally, thematically, narratively and viscerally."
According to the Shorts competition Jury, "It was our goal to recognize films that pushed outside the limits of tradition, while rewarding us on several levels simultaneously visually, aurally, thematically, narratively and viscerally."
We See You! David Kobznatsev, appearing in next week's Fight For Fame on E Entertainment TV. David participated in the last actor showcase event which took place back in March. Here's the synopsis of next week's episode. If you're the Next Big Thing, you gotta know how to party, right? So, this week, five new actor hopefuls raise the roof at an on-camera frat party, trying to impress Industry big shot Gil Junger (producer of Hope and Faith, director of 10 Things I Hate About You). But only one of these Hollywood party monsters gets the keys to the animal house--and an agent.
With a budget of a whopping $135 million, Spielberg's "War of The Worlds" leads the charge this weekend for the top spot at the B.O. On wednesday, the film premiered
and racked up $21.3 million from 3,908 theaters according to Variety. The film stars Tom Cruise film and is based on the HG Wells classic which has the same name. Good luck finding good seats, we recommend a matinee viewing.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
HOLLY Q&A with La Vie d'un Chien Writer/Director John Harden
Holly Shorts had the opportunity to conduct a Q&A this week with Writer/Direct John Harden. Harden's short film La Vie d'un Chien is being showcased at the Los Angeles Film Festival. If you haven't hand the chance to see the short, it will be shown one last time on Sunday, June 26 at the DGA Theatre (1:30 p.m.). La Vie d'un Chien is a 14 minute short in French with English Subtitles and is an account of a scientist who devises a way to turn into a dog. It was our privelage to interview such an esteemed filmmaker. Enjoy.
HS: How long have you been writing and directing? When did you get your start?
JH: I grew up (and still live in) in northern California. I made my first film when I was in the 7th grade. It was an extra credit project for my Spanish class. When they saw it, my teacher and classmates totally freaked out. In a good way, that is. I got an A, and was delighted to discover that making a movie was a way to get people's attention and simultaneously hide in the back of the room where no-one would look at me. Perfect. After that initial success, I never really stopped making films. I went on to study film history and production at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, and screenwriting at The College of Marin.
HS: Where did you get the inspiration for La Vie d'un Chien? How did the idea come about?
JH: Two inspirations combined to get me started making this film: In my days at SRJC, I must have seen Chris Marker's 1962 short, "La Jetee" a half-dozen times. My film instructor loved it and showed it ever semester. Then one night late in 2003, I had a dream that people were congregating in an alley late at night, and taking a drug that turned them into dogs. I started thinking about the possibilities of writing a script around that, and for some reason I thought of "La Jetee." Now, if you're not familiar with that film, it's a 30-minute montage of black-and-white still photos, with a French narrator telling the story in voice over and (in the version I saw) English subtitles. It's an interesting way to tell a story, and it occurred to me that it was a perfect way to tell my story. It gave me a voice. Once I had the voice, writing the script went very quickly. Then I storyboarded my script, shot thousands of stills (digital and 35mm black-and-white) and assembled my story in Final Cut Pro. Then I posted a notice to craigslist.com, and found Julien Fadda Ð he's a transplanted Corsican living in San Rafael, a film student at College of Marin. He translated my English script into French and did the voice-over.
Writer/Director John Harden
HS: What was the biggest challenge you encountered making this short?
JH: Eyestrain. Carpal tunnel. There was a lot of Photoshop compositing and retouching to the images, I'd say 75% of my time spent on this film was time spent in image manipulation. I faked most of my street scenes, using Santa Rosa or Petaluma CA to stand in for Paris. But I needed the real thing for some establishing shots. I didn't have a budget to go to France, so again I went to the internet. I recruited filmmakers and photographers who lived in Paris via a posting at mandy.com. I emailed them storyboards of what I needed, and they went out at night and found the locations, photographed them, and emailed the pictures back to me!
HS: Where do you see yourself five years from now in the industry?
JH: Hopefully working! People are really responding to this short, and I'm making a lot of good contacts. I've got some new feature-length scripts in the works. We'll see what happens.
La Vie d'Un Chien
>
HS: Any other notable short films on your resume people can check out?
JH: If they go to John Films.com, they can watch my sort film "Crutemobile,' and read a script for an as-yet-unproduced short film. You can even buy a copy of "La Vie" there...
HS: Anything else you'd like to plug feel free.
JH: I'm always interested in talking to any agents, managers, or producers out there.
HS: How long have you been writing and directing? When did you get your start?
JH: I grew up (and still live in) in northern California. I made my first film when I was in the 7th grade. It was an extra credit project for my Spanish class. When they saw it, my teacher and classmates totally freaked out. In a good way, that is. I got an A, and was delighted to discover that making a movie was a way to get people's attention and simultaneously hide in the back of the room where no-one would look at me. Perfect. After that initial success, I never really stopped making films. I went on to study film history and production at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University, and screenwriting at The College of Marin.
HS: Where did you get the inspiration for La Vie d'un Chien? How did the idea come about?
JH: Two inspirations combined to get me started making this film: In my days at SRJC, I must have seen Chris Marker's 1962 short, "La Jetee" a half-dozen times. My film instructor loved it and showed it ever semester. Then one night late in 2003, I had a dream that people were congregating in an alley late at night, and taking a drug that turned them into dogs. I started thinking about the possibilities of writing a script around that, and for some reason I thought of "La Jetee." Now, if you're not familiar with that film, it's a 30-minute montage of black-and-white still photos, with a French narrator telling the story in voice over and (in the version I saw) English subtitles. It's an interesting way to tell a story, and it occurred to me that it was a perfect way to tell my story. It gave me a voice. Once I had the voice, writing the script went very quickly. Then I storyboarded my script, shot thousands of stills (digital and 35mm black-and-white) and assembled my story in Final Cut Pro. Then I posted a notice to craigslist.com, and found Julien Fadda Ð he's a transplanted Corsican living in San Rafael, a film student at College of Marin. He translated my English script into French and did the voice-over.
Writer/Director John Harden
HS: What was the biggest challenge you encountered making this short?
JH: Eyestrain. Carpal tunnel. There was a lot of Photoshop compositing and retouching to the images, I'd say 75% of my time spent on this film was time spent in image manipulation. I faked most of my street scenes, using Santa Rosa or Petaluma CA to stand in for Paris. But I needed the real thing for some establishing shots. I didn't have a budget to go to France, so again I went to the internet. I recruited filmmakers and photographers who lived in Paris via a posting at mandy.com. I emailed them storyboards of what I needed, and they went out at night and found the locations, photographed them, and emailed the pictures back to me!
HS: Where do you see yourself five years from now in the industry?
JH: Hopefully working! People are really responding to this short, and I'm making a lot of good contacts. I've got some new feature-length scripts in the works. We'll see what happens.
La Vie d'Un Chien
>
HS: Any other notable short films on your resume people can check out?
JH: If they go to John Films.com, they can watch my sort film "Crutemobile,' and read a script for an as-yet-unproduced short film. You can even buy a copy of "La Vie" there...
HS: Anything else you'd like to plug feel free.
JH: I'm always interested in talking to any agents, managers, or producers out there.
GET AWAY on Ifilm Getting Chuckles
Get Away Making Strides on Ifilm.com
Weekend GET AWAY, the chaotic comedy is earning top chuckles on various message boards this week. The 9 minute short can be viewed by going to IFILM . Here's the synopsis:
Warning: Two things you need to know about this film. 1) This is an intricately woven comprehensive mind puzzle. 2) You'll never figure it out.
IFILM
AOL and Ford Get Together For Shorts
AOL Online announced yesterday a deal with Ford Motor Co. to present an ongoing online short film fest that will begin next week. The shorts will be showcased on Moviefone.com. Fords Mercury Milan will be the sponsor.
"We understand that consumers want more engaging video content, and advertisers want more opportunities to show video ads," said Steven Yee, VP and general manager at Moviefone. "We see people looking at all kinds of video content on our site, and we felt that short films are an under-appreciated next generation of video content that will really take off on the Web."
Beginning next week, at www.moviefone.com/shorts, visitors can view and rate the first 13 short films. Both live-action and animated, they include several comedies previously seen only at major offline film festivals like Sundance and Tribeca.
Holly Shorts, Short Film Fest DEADLINE JULY 1!
Holly Shorts would like to thank the esteemed filmmakers for submitting their best work for the first annual event. We've received some great shorts from around the world. The festival takes place August 13-14 at the Space Theater in Hollywood. The deadline for entries is July 1 and the selected shorts will be announced on SATURDAY, July 2. Stay tuned!
Holly Shorts would like to thank the esteemed filmmakers for submitting their best work for the first annual event. We've received some great shorts from around the world. The festival takes place August 13-14 at the Space Theater in Hollywood. The deadline for entries is July 1 and the selected shorts will be announced on SATURDAY, July 2. Stay tuned!
TOP 5 BOX OFFICE
Can Bewitched knock off the Bat? Very Doubtful as Sony's pick opens this weekend. Here's the top five as of today:
1 Batman Begins
$70.8
2 Mr. & Mrs. Smith
$38.0
3 Madagascar
$16.7
4 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
$14.3
5 The Longest Yard
$12.5
1 Batman Begins
$70.8
2 Mr. & Mrs. Smith
$38.0
3 Madagascar
$16.7
4 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
$14.3
5 The Longest Yard
$12.5
Saturday, June 11, 2005
HIGH END Makin Moves with New Album
Holly Shorts recently had the opportunity to catch up Rudy Mangual (AKA HighEnd), one of the most creative music producers based out of Los Angeles. Mangual's new album High End puts a modern twist on lounge music, with elements you usually hear in underground tracks.
HS: For those out there who aren't aware of your music, how would you describe the sounds?
RM: We're calling it Urban Lounge. Kind of a mix between downtempo, hip-hop, and jazzy lounge from back in the day. It can be pretty moody at times, but there's always a nice groove and a lot of Latin influence.
HS: Where did you get the inspiration to put together your new album. Was there a particular source?
RM: I've always been very inspired by visuals, so in my mind I had a sort of noir-ish kind of movie running through my head while working on the album. To get the album rolling, I had sent out a bunch of demos to various labels, and Groove Gravy was the first label to show interest. The label head, Roy Shakkid, acted as a sort of Executive Producer, by giving me a lot of direction with overall vibe and sound of the album. Roy's an excellent musician himself, so musically there was a lot of good feedback and help structurally from the label end.
HS: Would you ever consider doing a score for a short film? If so, can our readers contact you?
RM: absolutely! I've already been approached about doing some incidental music and possibly score work for a video game that's in production. I've never worked with film, but it's always been something I've been dying to do. The right music with the right visual can be such an amazing thing.
HS: How has the response been locally?
RM: It's been good! I'm still trying to decipher the radio and sales reports that the label guy shows me, but from what I understand, it's getting a great reception. Also, I've been blown away by the fact that it's getting good college airplay all over the country. Especially in the south and north west. I never really imagined people from all over the country would ever hear my music - it's pretty incredible.
HS: With your father being a musician, how influential was his sound in your music? Have you learned a lot from him musically?
RM: I basically learned all my basics from my dad. He's an amazing percussionist, and music has always been an important part of my family life growing up. The hip-hop and electronic elements to my music I learned later in life from friends and just figuring things out, but all the basics, especially dealing with rhythm, come from my father.
HS: Where can people hear you spinning records?
RM: Just dj'ed for the Groove Gravy 3rd year anniversary party out in Hollywood a few weeks ago. I'm still taking things slow since finishing the album, but should have some clubs setup soon enough.
Anyone interested in checking out the album can visit: www.groovegravy.com
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