"The Kiss of Life, The 40th Anniversary" takes home Emmys

The Kiss of Life is easily one of the most widely-recognized images in the history of photojournalism, and one that we Jacksonville natives proudly claim as a part of our history. The notorious photograph of a JEA worker resuscitating his electrocuted colleague (who survived) taken by Rocco Morabito, a field photographer for the Jacksonville Journal captured the timeless image near the intersection of West 26th and Grunthal Steret on July 17, 1967. Morabito won the 1968 Pulitzer in the Spot News category.

Norman Studios Silent Film Museum

At the turn of the 20th Century, Jacksonville, Florida was a hub of film production, drawing the attention of companies from all over the United States (and even the world). Sought after for its diverse, romantic locations, beautiful weather and clear skies, it’s not hard to imagine that between “1912 and 1914, there were more motion-picture production crews working in Northeast Florida than in Los Angeles,” earning it the title, “The Winter Film Capital of the World.”

Water, Water Everywhere

The marine environment is a big part of what makes our region desirable for many film projects. When done right, these aquatic shots can make a scene look and feel amazing. However, cutting corners on your water-related shots can cost time, money or even lives.

With so many variables on the water experience and safety are the keys to filming away from the dock or along the shore, finding the team with the experience sometimes just means knowing who to call. Multi-Marine Services, Inc., owned by Capt. Jimmy Hill, is your complete resource for marine-related productions. These guys have worked on a lot of the film and television projects requiring boats, special marine locations, water safety or specialized camera vessels.

Mitch Harbeson

In the beginning of 2009, Mitch Harbeson teamed up with Recount’s Jay Roach to Location Manage Jay’s latest film Bruno. “It was a unique way of filmmaking and I’ve never had so many resources to move so fast through so many different cities and states,” stated Mitch. In Spring '09, Harbeson teamed up with another North East Florida visitor, Bob Wilson. They had met on NBC’s “All She Ever Wanted” in the early 90’s. They did the Julie Ormond film The Wronged Man and started a new Josh Berman television series for Lifetime, “Drop Dead Diva,” which broadcasts on Sunday’s at 9pm. The series was picked up for a second, 20-episode season. “Diva” creator, Josh Berman is known for “CSI” and “Bones.”

Harbeson finished out the year with Secretariat for Walt Disney starring Diane Lane as Penny Chenery and John Malkovich as the trainer. He has continued to sit on the FFPC Florida Incentive Legislation Committee and asks that all film interested parties, “Please reach out to your state Senators and Representatives and let them know how much our Industry means to Florida’s economy.” There should be a new bill filed by Representative Precourt in the upcoming weeks. Mitch Harbeson looks forward to returning to the “Diva” set in February and then taking his personal passion break in April, “Springing the Blues,” where there will be some special guests to celebrate the 20th Anniversary.

For more information, visit Mitch Harbeson's website, here:  http://www.freewebs.com/mpf3/

An Evening with Michael Hausman

On November 7, 2009, Academy Award-winning Producer Michael Hausman was honored with a lifetime achievement award at WJCT Studios in downtown Jacksonville. The accommodations provided by WJCT set a sophisticated tone for the evening, and the crowd came dressed to please. The atmosphere is one that could only have been maintained by a mature cast of experienced movie enthusiasts.

The 9th Annual Jacksonville Film Production Industry Reception

October 15th the inside of PRI Productions was transformed into an incredible party full of fabulous props and populated by a veritable “Who’s who” of Jacksonville’s film production industry (they even rolled out a red carpet). The occasion was the 9th Annual Jacksonville Film Production Industry Reception at which Don Barton, creator of the famous 1972 horror flick Zaat! was honored. Mr. Barton’s movie has accumulated a national cult following and was recently aired on Turner Classic Movies on Halloween.