Jax Film Festival Summer Events

As organizers plan for The Jacksonville Film Festival in October, they are also busy planning summer events for film lovers. Jacksonville Film Festival will host Gimme Green, a Reel People screening of the documentary plus discussion of green issues with filmmakers, on July 29 at 7 p.m. at MOCA. The Green Program includes the short documentary Gimme Green, a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effect it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. . From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation's largest irrigated crop—the lawn. Filmmakers, Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg will be in attendance to discuss green issues after the film. Two additional green shorts will follow Gimme Green before the Q&A. The event is free to JFF and MOCA members. $10 general admission

The fest is also busy planning the Filmmaker Series: Screenwriting for Beginners on August 28 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. Accomplished instructors Jennie Jarvis and John Boles will present a one day intensive workshop to guide aspiring screenwriters through the nuts and bolts of Screenwriting for Beginners.

Nominations for Industry Award Wanted!

The deadline to send in nominations for the Jacksonville Film and Television Industry Award, Friday August 6, is soon approaching. The Industry Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions resulting in a significant impact on the film and television industry. This award symbolizes the epitome of service to the film and television industry. Nominees should be committed to the film & television industry and exhibit exemplary professionalism, creativity, resourcefulness and tangible results, actively participating over a number of years. Do you know someone who has advanced or made a difference in Jacksonville's film and television industry? Please feel free to fill out a nomination form at Industry Award Nomination Form!

Brazil Business Solutions

Have you ever wanted to visit Brazil? Well, read on. Alan Vinson of Brazil Business Solutions is organizing a three city trade mission to Brazil. The cities will include Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, and Recife Brazil and will take place September 9-19. Other cities may be added based on other people who join the trip. You may have heard that Brazil will be host of the 2014 World Cup, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. With that, there will be a lot of excitement in and around Brazil in the next decade.

If you would like to meet potential partners in the Film and Television Industry (or another industry) in Brazil while also having an opportunity to visit a country that is beautiful and fun, please contact Alan Vinson to get in on this upcoming trade mission. Alan Vinson is the owner of Brazil Business Solutions, a company that specializes in business development related to doing business in Brazil. The company helps individuals and companies that would like to explore opportunities in Brazil. Alan Vinson is a member of the Mayor's Film Advisory Board, and a dual citizen of Brazil and the USA. He can be reached by email at amvinson@bellsouth.net or by phone at 904-332-8300.

FMPTA News Updates

The Jacksonville Charter of the Florida Motion Picture and Television Association is presenting special guest, Amanda Warford, at its July meeting this Wednesday, July 28. She will discuss her experience as video journalist and how the future of the world of media and communications is constantly changing and interfacing. The Metro Orlando Charter of the FMPTA is hosting a Showcase Expo at the Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs tonight, July 26 from 7pm to 9pm. It is a great opportunity for potential clients to meet local cast and crew. Also, the deadline, August 15, for film entries to the 21st Annual Crystal Reel Awards hosted by the FMPTA is approaching. For membership information on the Jacksonville Charter, please visit FMPTA Jax. And also look out for the new state website coming soon!

Remembering Adventure Photographer Wes Skiles

Acclaimed photographer and explorer, Wes Skiles, died at age 52 last Wednesday, July 21, in a tragic reef-diving accident in Palm Beach County. His death comes only days before National Geographic published his story on the Blue Holes of the Bahamas as the cover of its August issue.

Skiles was best known for his work in educational and adventure science films and for pioneering the exploration and documentation of Florida’s springs. Over the past 20 years, he created and produced more than a dozen films for major networks, including his acclaimed Water’s Journey series of films and the IMAX film Journey into Amazing Caves, in which he led a major National Geographic expedition to Antarctica to film the largest iceberg in recorded history. He advanced his field of high definition imaging by employing innovative techniques as both an underwater and topside shooter.

State Film Office to Launch New Online Directory

The Florida Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment is starting a new online film production directory, Reel Crew, to expedite the process of potential clients locating the Florida crew members and support services they need. Reel Crew will be a searchable, electronic database as an extension of the Reel Scout system. On the new directory, local crew members and support services will be able to register, create a profile with background information such as work history and professional credits, and even upload their resume. Clients can then easily access these profiles. Being able to search for crew members and local businesses by category, region, union affiliation, and more, clients can create their own customized directory of crew and support services for the area(s) they are focusing on. Additionally, clients will be able to print their results sorted in a variety of ways such as by name, by category, with all the credits listed, or with the most recent credits listed, etc. Registration for Reel Crew is now open. To register, please visit Film in Florida. More updates will be posted on when the directory becomes live.

Upcoming Jacksonville Film Festival Event

The 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival is hosting Filmmaker Series: Screenwriting for Beginners, a one day intensive workshop featuring screenwriting instructors Jennie Jarvis and John Boles, at the Cummer Museum, August 28 from 9am to 4pm. Early registration (until August 20) costs $65 and late registration (until August 27) costs $75. Day of or at the door registration costs $85, $45 for students. To register and more information on the festival, please visit Jacksonville Film Festival.

Local filmmakers and musicians ally together

Local director and producer, Jon Shepard, has worked with indie film legends such as Hal Hartley and James Toback as well as giants in the industry such as Philip Noyce and Spike Jonz. Credited as Executive Producer on nine short films last year, the films he participated in 2009 went all over the world in various film fests and garnered all sorts of critical praise and awards.

Shepard moved to Jacksonville in late 2008 to work as a film producer for the Doorpost Film Project, which was then headquartered in Ponte Vedra. However, when festival operations relocated to Nashville after the 2009 Doorpost contest, he elected to stay in Jacksonville.

“What I found and still find about music in Jacksonville is that there is this inventive musical collage of acts that either hale back to sounds I already gravitate toward, stuff up until fake punk pop/rap/whatever combo packs, or sounds that are really new and original. It all happens in this place that is unnavigatable otherwise,” says Shepard.

2010 Jacksonville Film Festival Events

The 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival is featuring Works In Progress, a program designed for filmmakers to share their works, which include films, short films, documentaries, screenplays, and music for film and to receive feedback from the filmmaking community. The program will showcase the film Truly Everlasting, directed by Gerald Jackson, at WJCT Studios, Wednesday, July 21 from 6pm to 8pm. Truly Everlasting, a film about two mismatched lovers who don't know they are perfect for each other, will be produced by Five Alive Films and will be shot in Jacksonville, using north Florida crew members. The event is free with a requested donation. For more information on Five Alive Films, please visit Five Alive Films.

SAVE THE DATE!

The 8th annual 2010 Jacksonville Film Festival will occur from October 14 to October 17. This year, the festival will feature screenings that include African American Spotlight Program, Viva Cinema, narratives, documentaries, and short films, along with workshops, panels, and additional events. The festival has confirmed the following workshops: Write Screenplays that Sell - The Ackerman Way, with Hal Ackerman, who co-heads the screenwriting program at UCLA and wrote Roof Garden, the winner of the Warren Adler 2008 award, along with many other acclaimed short stoies; and Pitching Your Idea, with Khris Baxter, who has optioned five screenplays to major Hollywood studios over the past 12 years and currently teaches screenwriting at Gettysburg College, The Writer's Center of Bethesda, and NoVA Community College.

Art Institute of Jacksonville's Quarterly Job Fair

The Art Institute of Jacksonville is hosting its Quarterly Job Fair at the first floor of its campus on Wednesday, July 28, from 11am to 1pm. The job fair is a chance for employers to meet and interview students for full- or part-time positions, internships, or freelancing. Students at The Art Institute of Jacksonville are working towards degrees in the following programs: Fashion Retail and Management, Digital Photography, Culinary Arts, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Web Design, Digital Film and Video Production, and Media Arts and Animation. The Art Institute will provide employers with a table to present company collateral and job applications along with a complimentary lunch.

Jacksonville Home to New Feature Film

VEER! is a new full-length film produced right here in Jacksonville, FL that stars an all-Florida cast and crew. The independent feature, based on director Patrick Barry's previous short film (of the same name), follows the story of Jesse Sorensen, an aging professional skateboarder, who is dropped from his skating sponsorship and finds himself coming face to face with something he’s never had to deal with before – responsibility. Shooting on VEER! took place in February and March 2010 in Jacksonville. Blue Llama Studios, a production company based in Jacksonville, is now in post production on VEER!, their first ever feature-length film.

Meet the Director!

Mark Richard Smith, director of the Louis Sullivan documentary, will be available for a Q&A session after the screening of his film at the 5 Points Theatre on July 18. The documentary closely examines American architect Louis Sullivan as an artist, particularly his ability to capture in his work both the romanticism of the nineteenth-century and the unsentimental and mechanized world of the twentieth century. A Pre-Film Party will occur at the Underbelly, a new hot spot in 5 Points located through and behind Anomaly, July 18 from 5 to 7pm. The owner, Emily Moody, will offer Louis Sullivan ticket holders $1 off all drinks. Tickets for the screening are $15 in advance and $18 at the doors. Procceds from the tickets will benefit the Riverside Avondale Preservation, the Jacksonville Historical Soceity, and the American Institute of Architects Jax. To buy tickets online, please visit 5 Points Theatre.

2010 Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project Closing Events

The Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project will host its first ever Judges' Panel today, July 12, at the 5 Points Theatre. Judges for this year's 48 Hour Film Project, Britt McTammany, Tony Haines, Kathleen "Bo" Bobak, Paul Young, Sandy Ilog, and Sharon Y. Cobb, will answer questions about the judging process and how filmmakers can improve their scores for next year's competition. The panel will be moderated by Mac McDonald, producer of Jacksonville's 48 Hour Film Project. 48 Hour Film Project team members as well as anyone interested is encouraged to attend. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and admission is free for all Cinemania members. To sign up as a Cinemania member, please visit Cinemania Join to fill out a membership form. There are free Film Fan Memberships and Film Pro Memberships that cost $45.

The Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project also hosted its Awards Ceremony this past Saturday, July 10, at the Florida Theatre that featured a new format styled on national award shows. Awards were given to winners chosen by judges in 21 categories ranging from Best Use of Prop to Best Actor to even Best Student Film (Jacksonville is the only city to offer this last category). Three Audience Choice Awards were also given out. Below is a list of winners. Congratulations!

2010 Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project Award Show

The 2010 Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project will host its Award Show this Saturday, July 10, at the Florida Theatre. 41 teams of over 600 cast and crew members competed to see who could make the “Best 48 Hour Film” in just one weekend. They were given a “Prop”, a “Character,” and a “Line of Dialog” to include and drew a “Film Genre” from a hat and then given 48 hours to write, produce, shoot, edit, score, and render a 4 to 7 minute short film. All the films were screened at the Florida Theatre the following week, where everyone in the audience cast their vote for their favorites. The films that were completed on time were judged by a panel of local film and video professionals.

Todd Roobin Elected to Chair of the Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council

Todd Roobin has recently been elected as the Chair of the Florida Film & Entertainment Advisory Council (FFEAC). The elections took place at the 2nd quarter FFEAC meeting held on June 23rd. Todd brings more than 24 years of experience in the film and television industry to his position as Chair. Since 1990, Todd has served as head of the Jacksonville Film & Television Office. In his current role, his duties include marketing Jacksonville to the film, television and digital media industries as a prime location for production. Todd is a dedicated member of the FFEAC who is passionate about continuing to build Florida’s film and entertainment industry. The FFEAC and the staff of the Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment would like to congratulate him and look forward to his leadership in the upcoming year.

Joey Travolta brings Hollywood to Jacksonville for children with autism

Joey Travolta, longtime film producer, director, and writer and brother of famed actor John Travolta, led his third annual HEAL Foundation film camp for children with autism in Jacksonville. After his help on a student film about autism expanded to him producing the 2006 documentary Normal People Scare Me, Travolta contrived the idea for the film camp and began programs for people with disabilities. This year's film camp began June 21 and featured Duval and St. Johns County children from ages 10 to 17, thirty of them having autism and the remaining twenty being their siblings and friends.