The St. Louis Film Instructors are organizing The First Annual St. Louis Film Conference, which will be held at Washington University, Lindenwood University, and Southwestern Illinois College on October 16, 17, 23, and 24.

The mission of the St. Louis Film Conference is to increase awareness of film education, to create interpersonal relationships among film instructors and professionals from various institutions, to share ideas, interests, production projects, and scholarly endeavors, and to grow film education and the film community in the St. Louis region, Southern Illinois, and Missouri.

Conference dates are Saturday Oct 17, at Lindenwood University and Saturday 24, 2009 at Southwestern Illinois College. While some of the topics will focus on the pedagogical issues and theories related to teaching film production and film studies, some instructors who are also filmmakers will discuss their productions, and some scholars will discuss their special areas of film research.

 

Dates and times for topics to be determined; however, some proposed production related topics include fund raising for documentary film, training students for union jobs, making a feature as part of the curriculum, and using Garageband, Soundtrack, ACID, Fruityloops and the internet. Some of the proposed academic topics include African and/or Asian films, war films, business as represented in films, teaching religious tolerance through film, silent film, and instantaneous cultural currency in the YouTube era.

Washington University will host two receptions: One on October 16th and one on October 23rd. The reception on Friday October 16th will feature an Instructor's Showcase, which will allow instructors to share trailers, scenes, clips, or short films. The reception on Friday October 23rd will feature current and past students' films from educational institutions which teach film.

While the focus of the conference is education, the St. Louis Film Instructors would like to invite the film community to attend sessions in which they are interested. Details on final topics and the exact date and time of each presentation will be posted on mediawire. The conference is free, but reservations are recommended; reservations will be taken until September 26th. Educators and students at encouraged to participate.

Please contact Sandra Olmsted at wryteralways@yahoo.com if you would like more information or to make reservations.

Education and the development and nurturing of the film talent in the St. Louis region, Southern Illinois, and Missouri are an important part of making St. Louis a hub of film production, from which filmmakers, the citizens, academic institution, and students can benefit. Please spread the word to all those local educators who inspired that filmmaker in you!

Sincerely,
Sandra Olmsted, MA-R
President, St. Louis MCA Chapter and Film Instructor

 

Despite the last minute change of venue, the MCA Summer Party was a blast!!  Many thanks to Llywelyn's for taking us in on short notice.  And many thanks to Roscor Corporation for providing some of the tasty treats.

Roscor Corporation has been a leading provider of professional video, audio, multimedia, and computer based products and services for more than 30 years. The markets they cover include education, corporate, video production, video post production, audio production, audio post production, presentation systems, distance education, broadcast, transmission, mobile production, and computer based multimedia applications.

 

The crowd enjoyed hot wings, stuffed mushroom caps, and cannoli bites on the MCA St. Louis Chapter and Roscor Corporation.

 

While lots of networking happened, new friendships were forged, and old friendship renewed. Several filmmakers also showed their work:

Denise Ward-Brown, a professor at Washington University, who recently won an award for documentary filmmaking at St. Louis Filmmakers' Showcase, showed a recently completed short on public transportation in Haiti.

Lou Stemmler showed some of the behind-the-scenes special features from the new DVD version of ghost Image which will appear in stores on Tuesday, August 25. The Ghost Image DVD was picked by video retailers as one of the top 20 "Hidden Gems" for August.

Ray Killebrew, who teaches at Missouri Baptist in the Communications Department, screened one episode of his television show, Going Like Sixty.

Only one question remains: How many of you turned up at Mike Duffy's?

 

News from the Missouri Film Office...Shaq shoots in the Loo, a Missouri judge for Scream Queens, and the St. Louis International Film Festival wants your promo spot. All this and more in the latest Show-Me Showbiz Bulletin.

 

And more news from the Missouri Film Office...There is an international feel to Missouri's latest productions plus big changes are coming to the MO Film website! All this and more in the latest Show-Me Showbiz Bulletin.

The Birth of Muse, STL and the Continuation of the St. Louis Creative Directory

Like a Phoenix, from the currently shelved Cinematheque Project, the St. Louis Creative Directory has arisen as Muse, STL. Muse, STL is still committed to the vision of the Cinematheque project which is to bolster the economic infrastructure of the arts in St. Louis. This vision takes on greater significance during changing economic conditions and while local filmmakers and artists struggle to find the new opportunities created by changing economic times and changing technology.

To kick off the new incarnation of the St. Louis Creative Directory, Muse, STL is holding an informational event at 7 PM, September 3, 2009, at Llywelyn's Pub in Soulard. Llywelyn's Pub is located at 1732 9th Street, which is the corner of 9th Street and Soulard. Visit Llywelyn's, that great friend of MCA, at www.llywelynspub.com/locations

for more information on the Llywelyn's Soulard location.

Muse, STL is a new, 501 c(3) non-profit entity founded by former Cinematheque staffers Ian Gunn and Andrew Cohen. The mission of Muse, STL is to act on behalf of the creative community as an ongoing and definitive database to effectively promote the arts, entertainment and media disciplines of the St. Louis region to a global audience of producers, purveyors and consumers.

The St. Louis Creative Directory is the focus of Muse, STL and will serve as a means to facilitate, innovate, locate, market, and educate on behalf of the region's creative community. The St. Louis Creative Directory is open to all artists and art forms, from on-screen talent to behind-the-scenes specialists, dancers, musicians, painters, and more.

The nearly 300 creative professionals who originally joined the St. Louis Creative Directory will still be listed in MuseSTL's version of the St. Louis Creative Directory. The St. Louis Creative Directory will remain 100% accessible, and members of the original St. Louis Creative Directory will be grandfathered into Muse, STL at no cost.

As of September 1, 2009, updates and more details about Muse, STL and the St. Louis Creative Directory will be available at www.musestl.com or contact Ian Gunn or Andrew Cohen at 314.776.MUSE, www.musestl.com, or info@musestl.com now.

CALOP announces open video grant round 
 
University City's Commission for Access and Local Original Programming (CALOP) is seeking applicants for an open grant round effective immediately. Qualified individuals should submit applications that reflect CALOP's goal to provide programming that meets the arts, culture and history needs of University City and the region that would not otherwise be met by other media outlets. Interested parties are encouraged to review CALOP's goals and Five Year Plan.  All applicants are required to use the form found on the website and submit the application posted at http://www.ucitymo.org/index.asp?NID=373  or go to http://www.ucitymo.org and then to Home >Government > Community Grants & Programs > CALOP
 
All applications (paper copies only) and video or multimedia examples of the applicant's work must be submitted and postmarked or delivered by 5 PM, September 11, 2009 to:
CALOP
c/o Genise Lay
City of University City
6801 Delmar Boulevard, 1st Floor
University City, MO 63130
 
Selected applicants will be invited to make a short presentation to CALOP and answer questions. The Commission will then decide which applicants will be awarded a grant.
 
CALOP is the only municipal sponsor of local programming in the nation. It was created in 1981 by the City of University City to insure that its cable franchisee could cablecast local programming of interest to its citizens. Many CALOP-funded projects have won national and international excellence awards including the current St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. In 27 years, CALOP has awarded nearly $2 million to more than 200 independent producers.
 
The Higher Education Consortium (HEC-TV26) premieres CALOP programs Sundays and Thursdays as part of its prime time Liquid Light broadcast. Programs are also cablecast at 9pm Fridays on Charter Communications' Regional Access Channel 18. Many CALOP programs are available for loan in DVD and VHS format at the U. City Library, 6701 Delmar, or visit online: www.ucpl.lib.mo.us > CALOP.

This Space is Available for YOUR Ad!!