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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear MCAers:
THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Another State of the Industry meeting has come and gone, and we didn't really get good news. Good thing we are a scrappy lot and don't give up easily.
Instead of recapping the bad news, here are some suggestions to move forward.
We need to pull together and figure out who are allies are outside of the film community. Car rental agencies and hotels are obvious allies because they see the benefits of studio films coming to St. Louis-but are there others? We need to join forces with those in favor of Film Tax Credits, especially those outside our filmmaking community. We need a list of these allies, and we need to support them with our private and production dollars. We need some one to organize, inform, and lead the filmmaking community in the efforts to connect with our allies.
We need also to make retailers aware of the purchases we make for film productions and meetings, and there are ways to do this. The RCGA and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission use stickers, and the MCA may try to distribute these to filmmakers. We are working on it.
Additionally, we need to convince the politicians that the REMI model does not portray a complete picture of the value of the Film Tax Credits. If there is a new way to evaluate the benefits of Tax Credits in general, rather than an evaluation model that is specific to Film Production only, then two things are accomplished: (1) The film community creates additional allies among others who use other Tax Credits; and (2) the film community is not asking to be regarded in a different way than anyone else. Selling the "special treatment" of film doesn't make convincing politicians about the value of Tax Credits any easier.
MOMMA, which has thankfully changed its pronunciation to the more serious MOE-MA, is looking for ways to move forward. I urge everyone to get on its mailing list and follow MOMMA's lead.
Finally, we need to keep making films! Pick up those cameras, get your friends together, and hone your filmmaking skills. Take advantage of the many seminars and college classes available to teach filmmakers about filmmaking, especially ones necessary to keep up on the constant updates to programs and equipment. Members of MCA are able to use lynda.com training problems at a discount.
MARCH MEETING
For the March meeting, we will explore the Unsung Heroes who are so important to Production. Why do we need an AD or a 2nd Camera? What does the sound person do besides run the recorder and hold the boom? Why is note-taking so important to the production and so helpful in the editing process? Can good note-taking save your time, and money, in the editing process? What forms are needed to order to use SAG actors? (We'll cover this more completely in April's meeting about SAG, but we'll touch on it this time also in the context of why filmmakers need to be conscious of the administrative areas of shooting.)
Sincerely,
Sandra Olmsted
MCA-i President, St. Louis Chapter
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NEXT MCA MEETING - MARCH 14
Assistant Directors, and Production Designers and 2nd even 3rd Camera, and a whole team for sound? Oh my! How did my production get so big?
Continuity, script supervising, checklists, and call lists, and all I want is to get my vision on film! Why do I need notes from sound recording and camera operation and transfer? Can't I fill out the SAG forms later?
The Unsung Heroes of the Set want to dispel those fix-it-post and skimping-on-crew notions that plague productions because, without enough crew, the director's vision and the producers' budget can be compromised very quickly.
Fortunately, our panel of experts, all Unsung Heroes of the Set, will discuss what jobs must be assigned to streamline pre-production, production, and post-production, and how to hire crew members who are committed to getting director's vision to the screen!
Those Unsung Heroes of the Set confirmed by press time include:
Matt Romano - Production Designer
Heather Hogan - Field Producer / Assistant Director, DGA
Anthony Cabral - Assistant Director
DATE: Wednesday, March 14, 2012
TIME: Networking at 6:30pm, meeting starts at 7:00pm
PLACE:
Lindenwood University' production facility, which is located in the new J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts
DIRECTIONS:
From Interstate 70/270 Interchange:
Take Interstate 70 W across the Blanchette Bridge (Missouri River). Take Exit 228 and turn right onto First Capitol Drive. Turn left onto West Clay. Entrance will be on your right.
From Interstate 64 in Chesterfield:
Travel west across the Daniel Boone Bridge (Missouri River). Exit at Highway 94. Turn right. Follow Highway 94 north and cross I-70. Turn left onto West Clay. Entrance will be on your right.
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 - MARLA STOKER
Marla Stoker (Publicist/ Social Marketing Consultant) has an extensive background in public relations, marketing and promotions. She currently provides PR consulting through her company Marquee Media and Marketing. She puts her decade of experience handling major motion picture PR accounts to work for a wide variety of national and local clients, based heavily in the entertainment arena. Her company offers press, publicity, social media, marketing, promotions and web design/graphics for businesses, events and films. Her previous experience handling accounts for major studios gives her a long record of successfully carrying out projects that keep everyone from billion dollar movie studios to small local businesses happy.
Marla also has experience producing independent short films and curating the short film division of the St. Louis International Film Festival. "I feel extremely lucky to be able to pursue my lifetime love and passion for film of all genres and budgets in both my personal and professional lives."
http://www.marqueemediaandmarketing.com
http://www.facebook.com/MarqueeMediaandMarketing
http://twitter.com/MarqueeMedia
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4041324/
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CinemaSpoke Screenwriting Contest Deadline March 31!
The deadline for submitting scripts to the CinemaSpoke Screenwriting Contest is March 31, 2012, so Writers get your scripts ready and compete for the valuable prizes! There are bigger and better prizes this year, including more feedback for writers.
1. Every script submitted will get some feedback from the judges. This coverage from professionals, educators, and filmmakers is well worth the $30 entrance fee.
2. All finalists' scripts will all receive complete table reads of the entire scripts with actors cast in the roles. Judges will provide feedback at the reading. Finalists will receive books and/or DVDs about screenwriting courtesy of Ken Rotcop of PitchMart® and of Michael Wiese Productions. The books and/or DVDs range in value from $15 to $30
3. Some submissions may be awarded a "Honorable Mention," and these writer will receive a book or DVD courtesy of Hollywood writer-producer Ken Rotcop, founder of PitchMart® and of Michael Wiese Productions. For more information on Michael Wiese Productions, see http://www.mwp.com/.
4. For the winner,there are two additional prizes:
1) Hollywood writer-producer Ken Rotcop, author of "The Perfect Pitch: How to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas to Hollywood" and an Emmy Award winner, will read the winning screenplay and provide coverage, a written critique. For more information on Ken Rotcop see http://www.pitchmart.com/.
2) Veteran Hollywood agent Lloyd D. Robinson, who founded Suite A agency, a signatory to the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, will recommend the synopsis of the winning script to approximately 400 producers, all personal contacts made over his 40-plus years in the entertainment business.
The recommendations to 400 production contacts by an agent is priceless, and working with Ken Rotcop's coverage is valued at $330, but also priceless not just because of his knowledge and experience but because of his desire and commitment to helping writers to realize their vision for their scripts and to sell their script.
To submit a script, writers only need to submit one (1) hard copy of the script and the entry form to CinemaSpoke Screenplay Competition, c/oCinema St. Louis 3547 Olive St. St. Louis, MO 63103-1014
AND
one (1) PDF copy to cinemaspokescripts@gmail.com. PDF copy is used only to minimize the photocopying of the scripts.
For more information on the contest and for an entry form, see www.thecinematicskinny.com. Please read the rules on this website.
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The Death of the MO Film Industry Greatly Exagerrated at Last State of the Industry Meeting
by Michael Ketcher
At our most recent state-of-the-industry meeting several speakers painted a bleak picture of the Missouri film industry. Without a state film office in Missouri, we would be unable to promote the states and attract films, they said. Without a film tax credit, it will be a long time before a film comes to St. Louis. That was the general somber tone of the meeting.
However, the day after the meeting, KSDK interviewed Jessica Lynch, daughter of the director David Lynch and an accomplished film director herself. She was in St. Louis scouting for a feature film, A Fall From Grace. (http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/302751/3/St-Louis-to-star-in-A-Fall-from-Grace). Joe Williams, film critic for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, reported that the film would be based in Illinois (for the tax credit) but would shoot on both sides of the river. http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/joe-williams/on-the-lost-highway-to-lynchville/article_19b98ef4-53e6-11e1-b174-0019bb30f31a.html
I suggested that the road to building the Missouri film industry may go through Illinois, as two films were shot in Illinois last year by local directors: Jay Kanzler's 23 Minutes to Sunrise and Jack Snyder's Call Me On Tuesday, the latter getting an Illinois film tax credit. I suggested that looking at the film industry from a regional perspective, rather than a Missouri vs. Illinois perspective, might help draw more films to the region, particularly if the state of Illinois would permit crew, talent, equipment rental and other expenses in Missouri count towards the Illinois tax credit. Missouri had a similar policy with its tax credit, allowing expenditures made in contiguous counties in adjoining states to count towards the Missouri tax credit. The primary reason is that many of the crew and equipment rental houses in the Kansas City area were domiciled in Kansas City Kansas, rather than in Missouri. Since the bi-state economy is a regional economy, this makes good sense.
According to Kim Tucci, co-owner of the Pasta House Co. and long-time supporter of the St. Louis film industry, the first order of business is to get the Missouri Film Office restored. He expects legislation to be introduced for that later this year. The consensus was that it would have a good chance of passing.
Jeff Brooks, a lobbyist in Jefferson City, provided some fascinating perspective on how politics works in Jefferson City and what hurdles must be overcome. The Department of Economic Development's institutional opposition to the film tax credit that goes back many years. The economic model they use to determine the efficacy of a particular tax credit, known as the REMI Model (Regional Economic Model) is flawed, particularly when used to measure the economic impact of a film. The REMI model is used more for bricks-and-mortar businesses, rather than project-based businesses, such as film.
Gary Hansen, Business Manager for IATSE Local 493 said that some of his members are leaving the state to go elsewhere. Others are staying here, but leaving the industry because of lack of work. In any case, the crew base is diminishing, and while some crew members may come back here if a major film comes to town, it could take years to build the crew base back up to what it had been.
Joni Tackette spoke about MOMMA -- the Missouri Motion Media Association, a statewide industry association for the film and video industry. MOMMA has become somewhat dormant, but there is hope that it will be revived in the near future. She also warned that there is some danger that the web site of the Missouri Film Commission (www.mofilm.org) will be taken down, along with the state Production Guide. That will be up until June, but no one knows what the status of it will be after that. It's possible that MOMMA may take over the Production Guide if the state doesn't keep it going.
One of the bright spots of the meeting was the location -- Adam Reisz's Parkside Studio in the Chesterfield Valley, a spacious state-of-the-art studio space. It gives visiting and local directors and producers a new option for shooting anything from commercials to features. They have sufficient space and equipment for building sets, for those prefer that over shooting on location.
While the Missouri film industry is struggling, the fact that major films are still scouting St. Louis as a location shows that there's still some life here. In addition, Chris Clark pointed out the improving quality and quantity of the films being made locally. That famous Missourian, Mark Twain, upon hearing that his obituary had been published, quipped to a reporter, "the reports of my death have been greatly exagerrated." Perhaps the same can be said about the Missouri and St. Louis film industry.
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Make the 43rd Annual MCA-I Media Festival Awards part of your NAB experience and Save $$$!
43rd Annual MCA-I Media Festival Awards Celebration is sponsored by MCA-I and Grass Valley, and
the first 75 people who register for the Awards Celebration will receive NAB Floor Passes courtesy of Grass Valley.
Dates and Deadlines:
Saturday, Apr 14 2012 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM PDT
Register Now! Registration deadline is Wednesday, Apr 11 2012 6:00 PM
Region: NV - Las Vegas and vicinity
The Awards Celebration includes learning who will get the coveted Golden Reels; plus, you will have a chance to vote for the winner in our Shameless Self-Promotion Video Competition. The Celebration will also include MCA-I Service Awards for our outstanding volunteers. Join us just before NAB to see who takes home a Golden Reel in the 43rd Annual MCA-I Media Festival!
Your meal and first drink is included in the $65 price ($75 after the deadline). Sign up today for this, the 43rd MCA-I Media Festival!
For those who have missed one of the most revered traditions of MCA-I, Whirrly the Sacred Blender is planning to be in attendance.
Rooms are available for $99 per night at:
RIO All Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas NV
Make your hotel reservations now by calling the Rio at 888-746-6955 and letting them know you are with MCA-I. The $99 group rate is available until March 30th, so register now.
With NAB in town, this is a great rate, so don't delay. (They have a 72 hour cancellation policy.) Call 888-746-6955 to reserve your room before March 30, 2012! Tell them you are with MCA-I. You may also register for your hotel room by clicking this link http://www.mca-i.org/en/cev/403 and following the directions to book your room.
Plan to attend the Awards Celebration Honoring the 43rd Annual MCA-I Media Festival. Make this part of your NAB experience.
And for those who love to golf, details on the Golf Outing are available at http://www.mca-i.org/en/cev/404.
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