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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT -
A Vibrant and Flexible Community
Dear MCAers:
We have great film community here in the St. Louis region. It could be better organized and connected, and the loss of the Missouri Film Tax Credits and the Missouri Film Office was a blow that sent us reeling (no pun intended). Still, there is a lot going on in the region. Fortunately, at least for the filmmakers who live on the Illinois side, Illinois' Film Tax Credits have provided work for some local filmmakers and the promise of more tax credit support for bigger projects.
A quick glance at facebook or Mediawire reveals a host of organizations and companies holding educational seminars and meeting for a variety of topics from shooting to editing, including those great meetings the MCA plans and delivers every month. There are many screenplay reading groups, which help screenwriters learn the craft and develop their scripts, and CinemaSpoke, the regional contest for local screenwriters, which offers connections to outside production companies. Meanwhile, The Broadway Bean is hosting weekly screenings of films by local filmmakers; the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase gives filmmakers the opportunity to screen their films and get prizes, and the St. Louis International Film Festival always shows some works by local filmmakers. Museums, such as the Pulitzer, are sponsoring contest and screenings for filmmakers. Organizations and colleges are bring name filmmakers to St. Louis for seminars. Many, if not most, regional colleges have or are developing film programs which focus on both film studies and production, and the production training specifically supplements our great labor force available to both visiting and local productions. We may have taken a hit, but there is momentum, and we must pick ourselves up, figure out the next move, and work on growing our political influence!
We also need to let business know that we are spending money at retail stores and restaurants in the process of planning and making films. Some companies, which want the Film Tax Credits back and which benefit from the big productions coming to the region, have government relations departments, which are working on getting Missouri Film Tax Credits reinstated. As in the adage about politics and strange bedfellows, we need to support those companies by renting, buying, and frequenting their businesses because it is business that can push the return of the Missouri Film Tax Credit and the Missouri Film Office far better than the St. Louis Regional Film Industry alone.
Although we don't have the Missouri Film Office any more, it does not mean the community we've built isn't still growing and can't still fight for Missouri's state government to recognize the contributions of the St. Louis Regional Film Industry. However, the problem of organizing the efforts to get the Missouri Film Tax Credit back and to get the state's politicians to take us serious is now more important than ever. Consequently, in February, the MCA meeting will cover what is happening with in the St. Louis Regional Film Community in our annual the State of the Industry meeting.
Although we will be specifically focusing on production news and strategies for bring more production to St. Louis at the State of the Industry, we shouldn't forget the many things going on in the film community which build our sense of community and support filmmakers by giving them opportunities to learn the craft, improve their skills, screen their work, and compete for prizes and accolades. A community which works, learns, and plays together and applauds each other's successes is inherently strong enough to fight for improvement and survival, but we need to communicate better in order to be better organized. Showing up for the various meetings and learning opportunities gives filmmakers a chance to communicate and plan, but we desperately need leadership which can organize and motivate all the regional filmmakers, work with business leaders, assist regional filmmakers with shoots, and encourage studios and production companies to bring productions to the region.
Sincerely,
Sandra Olmsted
MCA-i President, St. Louis Chapter
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NEXT MCA MEETING - FEBRUARY 8
It's time for our annual meeting where we discuss THE STATE OF THE UNION!
Where do our tax credits stand? What's going on with film and video in the bi-state area? What have we learned in the past year? What does our future look like? Join us for a round table discussion to find out!
GUESTS:
- Kim Tucci - instrumental in bringing Up in the Air and many other films to St. Louis and has worked tirelessly on behalf of the film industry
- Gary Hansen - Business Manager of IATSE
- Adam Reisz - our host and IATSE member
- Chris Clark - head of Cinema St. Louis
- Ed Golterman - one of the main people credited with saving the Kiel Opera House and believes that the film tax credit can be saved by tying it to tax credits for historic properties
- ...and others TBA
DATE: Wednesday, February 8, 2012
TIME:
Networking begins at 6:30 PM
Meeting begins at 7:00 PM
PLACE:
Parkside Studio
111 Chesterfield Industrial Blvd.
Chesterfield, MO 63005
MAP IT!
COST:
Free to Members of MCA
$10 for non members
$5 for students with valid ID
Hope to see you there !!
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MEET NEW BOARD MEMBER - DAN CROSS, SOUTHWESTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE
Dan Cross is the founder of the Film program at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, IL, where he has taught since 1996. He earned a M.A. In Rhetoric from Northern Arizona University in 1992, and an M.A. In Film and Television from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005. He teaches courses in Moviemaking, Video Editing, Cinematography, and Film Studies. Dan has written three feature screenplays, directed several short films and music videos, composed music for six short films, and worked as cinematographer and actor on several others.
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MEMBERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
St. Louis native actor/writer/director David Conley has been very busy since he moved to Atlanta, just this week kicked off his recurring role in Tyler Perry's House of Payne. David is playing a feisty doctor in THREE episodes! There is no question, Conley's star is beginning to shine brightly. He has appeared in Drop Dead Diva and Army Wives, every time you check back, his IMDB page is growing. And if that wasn't impressive enough, Conley has won GMC's screenplay writing contest and will have his screenplay produced by Tyler Perry Studios exec veep Roger M. Bobb! On January 25th, two of Conley's films (DNR and Tapestry of Shadows) were presented at the Broadway Bean in a special event. David spoke with fans about the filmmaking process and what it's like to act and direct in his own projects. At the 2010 St. Louis Filmmaker's Showcase, DNR won Best Director (David Conley) Best Actress, Sharon Morris (The Blind Side, Secret Life of Bees, Green Lantern) and Best Short. It has played and won awards in film festivals around the country and in Canada. Tapestry of Shadows won Best Acting Ensemble and was runner up for Best Drama. David Conley has appeared in many shorts and features locally, notably he played the Cook in Shadowland and Warden in Play Dead in addition to some award winning 48 Hour film projects. We are sure to hear much more from this triple threat talent, keep your eye on this rising star!
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CinemaSpoke 2012: THE RACE BEGINS
The annual CinemaSpoke screenplay competition will begin accepting entries immediately, with a deadline of March 31, 2012. The contest, designed to showcase local writers, is sponsored by Script Mechanics, in cooperation with Cinema St. Louis.
Screenwriters on both sides of the Mississippi River, within a 150-mile radius of St. Louis, MO, are eligible to enter their feature-length screenplays (90-110 pages).
Entry fee is $30, and judges shall select from three to five finalists based on the strength of submissions. Judges will be filmmakers, critics, and instructors.
Prizes include screenplay readings and critique, coverage by an Emmy Award-winning Hollywood screenwriting author and instructor, and notification to more than 300 producers by a union-signatory Hollywood agent.
Complete rules and the entry form will soon be available at http://www.thecinematicskinny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=31&Itemid=77
Submit today!!
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