Monday, May 19, 2008
NM Filmmakers Mentorship Program
"The New Mexico Film Office is pleased to announce NM FILMMAKERS MENTORSHIPS, made possible by JTIP for Film and Multimedia. The Mentorship Program is open to New Mexico residents age 18 and older, who wish to advance their film careers by shadowing professional above-the-line or specialty talent on major productions. Mentorship is available for the following positions:
Director, Producer, Writer, Editor, Production Designer, Line Producer, Unit Production Manager, Production Supervisor, Script Supervisor, Casting Director, Story Board Artist, Sound Looping.
The pilot program will take place on a major television series shooting in Albuquerque from June through November 2008. We are now seeking applicants who are willing and able to commit a minimum of twenty days, maximum of sixty days, on the production during that time. The application is attached.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 2, 2008 @ 5:00 PM
Questions: please email nm.filmmakers@nmfilm.com or call 505-476-5600."
To learn more about the NM Filmmakers Program, visit the New Mexico Film Office Website: http://nmfilm.com/locals/nm-filmmakers/
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Triple Threat Performing Arts Workshop/Summer Youth Workshop
Showstoppers! A Broadway Musical Review July 7 - 11th (9am - 4pm). This 1-week workshop is filled with works from various Broadway Musical hits, including “Hairspray,” “Wicked,” “High School Musical,” and “Grease,” just to name a few. It will incorporate scenes into many of the musical pieces to present a dynamic and diverse costumed and staged show! This workshop will focus primarily on vocal technique, musical theater dance, and basic acting skills. The performers will also work on production and presentation.
Intro to the Performing Arts
WEDNESDAYS ONLY June 12 - July 30th (5pm - 7pm). This 8-week course will offer the participants the chance to dabble in various performance genres. They will take weekly classes in musical theater, vocal technique, acting, commercials, script reading and hip hop. The program will conclude with an informal performance for family and friends!
Our regular weekly classes will be offered too! Call for pricing and discount information (family, multiple event), or to register.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
NM Filmmakers Showcase
May 15 – 18, 2008 at Albuquerque's Guild Cinema.
The Guild will show 30 hours of short and feature length films made by New Mexicans. For the second year, selected audience favorites will travel to three New Mexico cities in the summer of 2008.
Meet the Filmmakers - Opening night, May 15th, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Laru/Café Cubano - 3413 Central Avenue, NE
Special thanks to the Guild Cinema and Laru/Café Cubano.
For more info, please see the New Mexico Film Website
Santa Fe Screenwriting Conference
This year the conference features twelve top producers looking for new projects: world-class William Morris agent Mike Esola; Valhalla Motion Pictures Creative Exec David O'Leary (Valhalla is run by Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, The Hulk, Terminator Three and more); Mosaic Media Group's Creative Exec Jake Kurily (Mosaic produced Batman Begins, Semi-Pro and more); Tapestry Films Director of Development Kat Blasband (Tapestry produced The Wedding Crashers, The Wedding Planner, Pay it Forward, Point Break and more; and many more. For more information on these and other producers accepting pitches: http://scsfe.com/hollywood/pitch.aspx.
Learn more - click here
To register: 505-424-1501.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Welcome New Furnished Rental Member -- Adobe Home on 20 Acres
See the property at crewnewmexico.com/adobeacres
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Welcome New Production Support Member - Steve Hardy Real Estate
Steve Hardy is a native of Santa Fe, providing professional and personalized home rental services for cast and crew, production office leasing, and assists individuals or production companies with purchasing property. Steve is a Real Estate Professional with background that includes a decade in financial services marketing. In addition to his financial and marketing experience, he was the top graduate of his MBA class. A lifelong passion for property and the study of architecture as an undergraduate makes Steve a great partner when searching for homes, locations or office space. Steve continues to keep abreast of changes in the business world by acting as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the College of Santa Fe. Steve has spent time with many of the top people in the entertainment business and is knowledgeable of the needs and time lines of productions.
View Steve's crewnewmexico.com profile
View Steve's Real Estate website
Go to crewnewmexico.com
All Premium Members Receive 3-Month Banner Free!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Breaking Bad is Coming Back!
"From critical praise to strong ratings and a devoted audience, Breaking Bad further reinforced AMC as a top producer of high-quality, distinctive television," said Charlie Collier, Executive Vice President and General Manager of AMC. "Breaking Bad is a powerful, intelligent and thought-provoking series that clearly resonated with viewers and critics alike. We're excited for a second season of Breaking Bad with new and provocative storylines that will delve deeper into the next chapter in the life of Walter White." The second season, unlike the first which ran a brief seven episodes due to the writer's strike, will consist of thirteen episodes, the same number as Mad Men's Season 1 and upcoming Season 2.
Filming in and around ABQ, expected duration of filming 7 months.
For more on Breaking Bad, check out the AMC Breaking Bad Press Blog:
http://blogs.amctv.com/breaking-bad/press/
Go to crewnewmexico.com
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Terminator 4 powers ahead despite strike fears
LOS ANGELES–He'll be back – Hollywood strike or no strike!
Cameras began rolling this week on the latest Terminator movie – estimated to cost about $150 million U.S. – for what many Hollywood watchers say is a late start given concerns that labour tensions could lead to an actors strike by July.
Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, began shooting Monday in New Mexico, bucking a trend in which studios have mostly avoided launching new productions they cannot be sure of completing before the Screen Actors Guild contract expires on June 30.
But don't look for the Governator in this one. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) was the last film in the franchise to star Arnold Schwarzenegger as the unstoppable cyborg from the future who made the line, "I'll be back," a worldwide catchphrase.
The fourth Terminator is set to reach theaters in May 2009.
Producers announced this week rapper Common will have a starring role in the upcoming instalment of the series. The Chicago MC will play a freedom fighter named Barnes, who is defending the human race against a machine that aims to destroy it.
He'll star alongside Christian Bale, who will play the main character, John Connor.
Meanwhile, SAG and Hollywood's major studios hit a stalemate Tuesday after three weeks of talks, stoking fears of renewed Hollywood labour unrest after a 100-day screenwriters' strike that ended in February.
But union leaders say they still hope to reach a deal without resorting to a walkout.
Reuters
Go to crewnewmexico.com
Incentives are Blooming
For the past six years, Louisiana and New Mexico have reigned atop the ever-expanding list of states that have opened their coffers to the movie business. But they're certainly not the only draws out there. Producers and studios have more choices than ever before, and the trend shows absolutely no sign of slowing down.
Over the past year, we've seen how a single new piece of legislation can change the entire U.S. landscape in an instant, whether it's coming from states with established production services (New York) or a new upstart whose financial package is simply too good to resist (Michigan).
Picking the best incentive packages in the U.S. is far from an exact science, but we've given it a shot. Herewith, we present our top five. (Of course, things could always change next week.)
LOUISIANA
The granddaddy of the incentive boom continues to impress and endure. When Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath made shooting difficult in New Orleans, production houses and crew members set up shop in other cities such as Shreveport and Baton Rouge without missing a beat. And 2008 is shaping up to be a record year -- 28 productions have come through the state through April, a pace that should easily eclipse 2007's record of 53 productions for the entire year. The reason: Along with its 25% transferable credit for all in-state expenditures and an additional 10% on labor for state residents, Louisiana continues to develop its production resources, which now include the Cinelease soundstages in Shreveport and the Celtic Media Center in Baton Rouge. Upcoming and recent pics include David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," with Brad Pitt, and Oliver Stone's "W." Louisiana continues to be a favorite location for both the Weinstein Co. bring in regular business.
NEW MEXICO
Like Louisiana, New Mexico boasts one of the most established, effective incentive programs in the U.S. Rather than offer tax credits, the state provides a flat-out cash rebate covering 25% of all in-state expenses. In addition, it offers 0% loans (in exchange for backend participation) of up to $15 million on shows spending at least $2 million within the state. In previous years, the one knock on New Mexico was that it had scant facilities and hardly any qualified local crew. That situation is being remedied. Last June, Albuquerque Studios, a $75 million soundstage and production hub, opened its doors. Recent and upcoming productions to take advantage of the new facility include Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch," Jim Sheridan's "Brothers" and McG's "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," currently in prep.
CONNECTICUT
In only two years, Connecticut has gone from nonentity to major player in the incentive game, and has offered further proof that film-related legislation has the ability to give local economies an immediate boost. Thanks to its generous 30% tax credit and its close proximity to the resources and crew of neighboring New York, Connecticut has managed to lure a slew of high-profile productions recently. Seven features are shooting there, including Andrew Jarecki's "All Good Things" with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, P.J. Hogan's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and Sam Mendes' "Farlanders."
NEW YORK
Until a few weeks ago, New York had one of the weaker incentive programs in the nation. That still didn't stop more than 250 features from shooting in the state last year. Those stats are about to be shattered. In April, Gov. David Paterson and the Legislature teamed up to pass a bill that tripled the state tax credit on production expenses to 30%, with an additional 5% thrown in for shows shot within New York City. For productions big and small, the cringe-inducing costs of shooting in Gotham have suddenly become easier to manage.
MICHIGAN
The new kid on the block, Michigan rounds out the list purely based on its unmatched investment, which was announced last month. It includes a phenomenal 40%-42% cash or tax-credit rebate (whichever the producers/financiers prefer) on all in-state expenditures, plus a 30% reimbursement for nonresident below-the-line crew members. Simply put, this is the best package ever to be introduced in the United States. But that doesn't mean there won't be significant hurdles to overcome, the most glaring of which is Michigan's utter lack of any significant production resources or local crew. Expect that situation to change, and fast. Just look at Louisiana and New Mexico.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
SAG Contract Update
The session -- the 17th since bargaining began April 15 -- began at mid-morning Monday at the headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers in Encino.
Both sides have continued to observe the unofficial news blackout since Friday's announcement that talks would be extended on a day-to-day basis through Tuesday.
The extension was triggered by SAG's move to drop its demand for a doubling of DVD residuals and seek a hike in pension and health contributions on DVD residuals. SAG also agreed Friday to drop several pay hike demands.
SAG's contract expires June 30 and the lack of resolution has caused headaches for the studios, which have stopped greenlighting features until SAG signs a deal.
If SAG does not make a deal this week, it runs the risk of the rival American Federation of Television & Radio Artists making a primetime deal and using that to expand its coverage. AFTRA's primetime negotiations have been pushed back twice with AFTRA talks now slated to begin Wednesday.
Reprinted from Variety, March 5
Student Film Competition
Aron Hethcox, who directed the winning entry, "That's My Vote," said his team "wanted to make (its) script jump out."
"We are all equal when it comes to voting and that's what we wanted to demonstrate. It's an honor for our team to win the competition. We wanted our voices heard and they were," Hethcox said.
Art Scheriber, president of the National Federation of the Blind of New Mexico, called the production "sensitive, informed and inspiring."
The DACC team's winning 30-second public service announcement earned members $750 and their film will be offered for broadcast statewide.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
"Crash" to Film in NM This Summer
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Santa Fe Studio
The owners of the Studio say that it will be the first "green" studio in the world, and we're curious to learn more about that.
We'll keep you posted!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Casting Calls/Call for Extras/Job Alerts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Filling in the Gaps
Alive!
crewnewmexico.com is in full launch mode, and we're just working out a few last kinks. A known issue is that when you join the site, you're not receiving a confirmation email which you need to receive to activate your account. This should be fixed by Monday. In the meantime, we've turned off the need to "activate" your account fr0m that email, so when you're done registering and have reached the Thank You page, you can simply head back to the home page and login using the login/pass you used to join. Its simple.
Secondly, receipts for payment are not being sent automatically by our system, but that will be fixed by Monday, too, and all purchases will be follwed up by a receipt from crewnewmexico.com. If you haven't received a receipt, please let us know and we'll get one off to your right away!
Monday, April 14, 2008
crewnewmexico.com Launch! New Mexico Film Industry Resource is Now (almost) Live
We've got extras, set medics, caterers, massage therapists, crew and production support members, and restaurants about to be posted, so we're already off to a running start. We look forward to working with you!
Coming Soon to a Mobile Phone
We're in the process of making crewnewmexico.com PDA friendly, which means you'll be able to search and use crewnewmexico.com on your Blackberry or Palm! Imagine having all the information and resources you need to make a movie while standing on set.
It means you can search all of the resources and listings on crewnewmexico.com from anywhere you've got cell reception and web-friendly phone. That means you can search for Cast, Crew, Production Resources, Locations, Lodging, Furnished Rentals, Real Estate and Dining from your mobile phone, and have access to resumes, headshots, demo reels, personal and business profiles, location scouting reports, menus, links, maps and contact info --- all while away from the office.
You can search and find resources on the spot. Anywhere. Anytime.
For members and advertisers, it means that your film or business profile is live and reachable by filmmakers everywhere, anytime.
Introducing crewclassifieds.com
- Find job opening and crew calls in Louisiana
- Sublet an apartment in LA
- Promote your studio
- Post your call for background/extras
- Sell a camera in New York
- Advertise your film business and look for project partners nationwide
Better than craigslist?
Much better than craigslist.
crewclassifieds allows you to post and search nationwide in one fell swoop, instead of having to log through the craigslist of every city separately. Its also dedicated to the film industry, which means that the ads are going to be far more relevant to your careers and career-related life, and your postings are reaching a far-flung audience.
You can post and ad very quickly and very cheaply, and we do the google advertising for you. crewclassifieds.com appears in google for just about every film-related keyword imaginable, extending the reach and impact of any posting.
Who's Filming Now? New Mexico Film Industry Production Report
We provide information on past and current productions, including the directors, producers, lead cast, script synopsis, shooting dates and locations, and production status. We also give links to websites of all of the above the line crew and talent, so you can do some more research on who's filming in New Mexico.
We post information about Who's Filming Now as soon as we get solid word that the project is a "Go!", and we leave it up so that you can see what's been happening in New Mexico for the last while.