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| October/November 2008 |
The One Sheet
Volume 08, Issue 10.0 | |
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Welcome to The One Sheet! It brings you current chapter news, a schedule of upcoming events, general membership happenings, and even some industry news. The WIFT Web site is still "under construction," so "The One Sheet" is the best source for WIFT Houston activities.
Houston and surrounding areas have weathered the storm and the aftermath of IKE since the last e-news. It is with sincere hope that your losses were minimal, and that you can by now get through each day without the constant reminder of the difficulties brought on by IKE. WIFT Houston's birthday celebration was postponed, and will now be a Holiday Party at The Tasting Room Uptown Park, on Tuesday evening, December 2. We hope to see you all. More on this and the remaining events for 2008 in the CALENDAR section below.
Please feel to forward this e-news to your non-member colleagues. Invite them to join WIFT and get on our email list.
Our members are our most valued asset, and it is our goal to make WIFT your most valued member organization.
Volunteer and make a difference!
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Calendar of WIFT Houston Events |
NOVEMBER 2008
- THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6--WIFT'S SPOTLIGHT EVENT
ASK THE AGENTS
Thursday, November 6
Presented by WIFT Houston & Houston Community College
6 to 7 PM Meet & Greet
7 to 9 PM Program
Houston Community College Northwest Campus
Town & Country Campus Performing Arts Center Theater 2 at 1010 W. Sam Houston Parkway North.
Please join us for this exciting and informative program. Meet and greet representatives from the top talent agencies in Houston for a panel discussion followed by a Q&A session.
COST:
WIFT members and currently enrolled HCC students: $15
General Admission: $25
Seating is limited. Kindly R.S.V.P. to Tina Cohen, Program Chair,
tinacohen18@aol.com. You may pay at the door, or mail your check to WIFT, PO Box 981104, Houston TX 77098, postmarked by November 3.
SPECIAL NOTES:
(1) The talent agents on our panel are happy to accept pictures and resumes, however attendance at this event is not an offer or guarantee of representation.
(2) Food and beverages are not allowed in the theater, therefore the evening's events will not include refreshments.
Members Only (new members welcome to join-up here), from 8:30 to 10:30 AM at The Black Walnut, 5510 Morningside Dr. in the Village. No cost except what you order. Call up a member and get together at the Breakfast RAP! 
Bring a New Member. Getting better acquainted is what this is all about. This is hosted monthly by Jolene McMaster, WIFT's newly appointed president. Some who have attended include Kay Salem, Danny Kamin, Jennifer Joseph, Cheryl Tanner, Judy Elkins, Laura Thorsten, David Yarbrough, Karen Aptekar, Wanda Amos, Tasha Harman, Trish Rigdon, Yankie Grant, Renee Edd, Connie Hill, Heaven Stephens, Eleese Lester, Cheryl Woodford. and Kim Hogstrom. New ideas are spawning at these sessions.
DECEMBER 2008
WIFT HOUSTON'S HOLIDAY PARTY & ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF CYNTHIA NEELY'S DECADE OF SERVICE TO THE ORGANIZATION
Co-Hosts:
Marc Isaacs, WIFT Vice President
Rick Ferguson, Executive Director, Houston Film Commission
THE TASTING ROOM UPTOWN PARK
Tuesday, December 2, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
1101 Uptown Park Blvd. (near Loop 610 at Post Oak Blvd.), Houston 77056
Please join us as we celebrate Cynthia's service to WIFT, a decade where WIFT's membership tripled in size. We wish her well with her newest challenge, bringing Astrodome Studios to reality. In addition to ENTERTAINMENT, FUN, and variety of DELIGHTS FROM THE BUFFET, WIFT will be hosting a SILENT AUCTION to raise funds for the new year.
--CASH BAR--
COST:
WIFT Members (dues current): $15
Non-Members: $35
Join WIFT and enjoy the party as a New Member and save.
Your R.S.V.P. to wifth@yahoo.com would be most appreciated.
[You may CUT & PASTE the above notice; send it to your friends, Cynthia's friends, and industry colleagues.]
Celebrate the holiday season with WIFT Houston.
Also the member who submitted the winning name for the WIFT Education Series will be awarded her prize at this Holiday event. The $100 gift card to So Vino goes to CONNIE HILL, who submitted the selected name for our educational series. The name is eXtreme CloseUp, or XCU for text messaging purposes. Thanks to all of you who submitted suggestions. It was a close call. We hope to put the name to good use by bringing new opportunities in industry education and networking in the new year.
We sincerely appreciate So Vino's contribution to WIFT Houston. Visit the So Vino Web site at www.sovinowines.com for information on a unique variety of wine and dinner options. Our sincere thanks goes out to So Vino for their support. Thank you Marc Isaacs for securing the prize.
Members Only (new members welcome to join-up here), from 8:30 to 10:30 AM at The Black Walnut, 5510 Morningside Dr. in the Village. No cost except what you order. Call up a member and get together at the Breakfast RAP! It's a fine time for members to meet each other. Hosted by Jolene McMaster. |
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Member News, Views, and Happenings |
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Reported
by WIFT Members |
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In Memorium....
Our condolences to the families and friends of Photographer Dave Garrett and Pilot John Downhower, who died in a helicopter crash on October 13 while covering a story for Channel 13. Dave had been a photographer for some of WIFT's events, including Reel Stars of Texas Awards in 2006. He was married and had a four-year-old son. John was married and had two sons. Our hearts go out to the families of both men.
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Tuesday, October 28--7:00 PM--SWAMP THING Halloween Party at Dean's Credit Clothing, 316 Main Street, Houston 77002
Dust off those Halloween costumes, it's time to party...SWAMP-style!
GHOULS OF HONOR: The fiendish Dr. Phil Nichols and Melissa "MONSTERELLA" Nichols of Facades FX Make-Up Lab & Poison Apple
Curated short horror film showcase; Free drink ticket to anyone who dresses in a costume; Horror d'oevres will be served. Eat at your own risk! Prizes for best male and female costumes. Palm Reading & Fortune Telling And MUCH more!
- Saturday, November 1, 2008--10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, SWAMP Workshop--Pre-Production For Extreme Low Budget Features at Rice University Media Center
Instructor: Kelley Baker (www.angryfilmmaker.com) Cost: $50 - General Public or $40 - SWAMP Members and Students
No stranger to Houston filmmakers, Kelly Baker returns with more great insite. In this workshop he will walk you through the ins and outs of everything you need to do before you get to the set. From staged readings and actor rehearsals, to script break-downs and securing lots of free stuff Kelley has seen and done it all. How do you know if you've hired the right crew? What kind of insurance should you have, and how much? What happens if one of your locations falls through at the last minute? Do you have location releases, actor releases? Who gets a certificate of insurance? How long should pre-production even last? Kelly states, "I believe that your movie is made before you ever step on the set. If you get Pre-production right then the rest of your schedule should go smooth, and when it doesn't you need to know what to do to get it back on track." For more information go to www.swamp.org/workshops.
- Saturday, November 1--7:00 PM, Texas Filmmakers Showcase 2008 at Museum of Fine Arts Brown Auditorium
Please join the Houston Film Commission on Saturday, November 1, for the 15th Annual Texas Filmmakers Showcase featuring the best short films and videos of the year. Following a Los Angeles premiere at the Director's Guild of America attended by studio executives, agents, and producers in the Hollywood film community, the showcase tours Texas. This year's presentation includes work from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Washington, Texas. Alfred Cervantes, Deputy Director of the Houston Film Commission, will introduce the shorts.
Pastorini-Bosby Actor Cindy Creekmore Lands Recurring Role On "Friday Night Lights"
Even though Cindy had already played a role on FNL in Season 2, Sharon Murphy of PB Talent and Casting Director Beth Sepko convinced the director to see her for a new role this season. The director was so impressed, they renamed the role, giving it her character's name from last season, did some rewrites and cast her again as "Missy" the realtor. She will be shooting at least two additional episodes with possibly more to come. Congratulations Cindy!
Former Pastorini-Bosby Actor Esteban Powell Stars As "Arnie Swenton" On A&E's "The Cleaner"
"The Cleaner," inspired by the true story of a real-life "extreme interventionist," stars Benjamin Bratt as "William 'the cleaner' Banks," who after hitting rock bottom from his own addictions after the birth of his daughter, strikes a tentative deal with God. Now, along with his unconventional team, he helps people get away from their addictions by any means necessary.
Estaban began his career as a teen actor with Pastorini-Bosby in the 1990s. Jenny Bosby and Beverly Pastorini discovered Estaban when he played the part of a tree in a local theatre production. His first big break was in Richard Linklater's classic "Dazed and Confused." He is a graduate of Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
WIFT Member Sondra Martin Completed Exciting Documentary "Changing A Mind" In August
A Houston woman defied science and medicine and found a treatment for children with Down Syndrome. The documentary premiered at New York International Independent Film Festival in NYC in September. The Houston premiere to a sold out crowd was at River Oaks Theatre on Wednesday, October 22. The trailer can be seen on U-Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch_v=FzKballqROY. The DVD can now be purchased for $24.99, plus $5 S&H from the Web site www.changingmindsfoundation.org.
Classes At Next Level Acting Studios
Founded by nearly 30-year Hollywood veteran working actor Deke Anderson, Corporate Member Next Level Acting Studios now offers multiple weekly professional acting classes for adults and children in both Houston and The Woodlands. Dynamic class formats vary from week to week, and many involve intensive on camera work. For more information visit their Web site, www.nextlevelacting.com, or call 936-321-5102.
Pastorini-Bosby Didn't Skip A Beat When Ike Had Many Businesses Shut Down
Even though IKE temporarily took P-B's new home, they just packed  up their laptops, cell phones, and the camera and moved to the offices of local Wendy's franchisee Mark George. They partnered with SoundWorks for their Vo auditions, found a vacant office suite for film tapings and borrowed a few laptops so that they could continue to serve their clients in a manner to which they are accustomed.
As IKE was headed this way, they forwarded the main phone line to a pager. On Monday following the weekend storm, they emailed all their clients to let the know they would be operating from a remote location. From their temporary location for that brief period they were able to hold audtions and book talent for AT&T, Reliant, Chevron, Continental Airlines, Hyundai, Nabors Drilling, The Lifetime Channel, BP, Macy's, Schlumberger, The Houston Zoo, Academy, Exxon, Texas Lottery, Lowe's Home Improvement, Friday Night Lights, ESPN, KPRC (Channel 2), and more.
Pastorini-Bosby Talent expressed gratitude to Wendy's, Bill Wade and the whole gang at SoundWorks, and of course their own staff who were back at work long before most of the rest of Houston. What a team!
- Saturday, November 8, 2008, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at University of Houston, University Center--Tom Vaughan's Screenwriting Seminar: Story and Plot II: Improving The Read
The Improving the Read class addresses the second significant stumbling block to new screenwriters: making their scripts convey the emotional experience of actually seeing the film. The days of writing a script to be filmed are long gone. Scripts are now meant to be read. They will be read by a dozen people up the chain before the small miracle of being filmed is ever achieved. This class focuses on how to create the best experience for the reader. This is an absolutely vital workshop for anyone looking to get more positive reactions to their scripts. Cost: $75.00. For complete details go to www.storyandplot.com
- Friday, November 14, 2008, AUGUST EVENING Opens in Houston Area Theaters
If you've followed the news in WIFT's previous editions of "The One Sheet," you know that AUGUST EVENING was shot on location in South Texas, written and directed by Chris Eska, and produced by WIFT member Connie Hill. It will be opening in the Greater Houston area on November 14, at the Angelika Film Center and at Cinema Latino de Pasadena. Check theaters for times. Support Texas filmmaking! This is another one you can be proud of.
AUGUST EVENING follows an aging, undocumented farm worker named Jaime and his young, widowed daughter-in-law, Lupe, as their lives are thrown into upheaval. This heart-warming story highlights the bittersweet nature of life, finding resolution in the warmth of the characters, the beauty in sadness, and the universality of the human experience. It's rated PG-13, and is 137 minutes. For more details on the movie go to www.augustevening.com.
- Thursday, November 20-23, 2008, Houston Cinema Arts Society Makes Its Presence Known Among Houston's Cultural Landscape
The Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS), a newly formed non-profit organization, has joined Houston's cultural landscape. Created under the direction of a dedicated task force that included these WIFT members: Mary Lampe, Marian Luntz, Rick Ferguson, Cynthia Neely, and Jolene McMaster, with the support of Mayor Bill White and the leadership of Franci Crane, and other task force members, the organization will focus on presenting cinema, mixed-media performances, and new media art and installations, during an annual festival every November in Houston. HCAS plans to collaborate with Houston's museums, art centers, theaters, cultural organizations, and other urban spaces to co-host new media offerings. This year's festival venues will be Aurora Picture Show, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston Brown Auditorium, Rice University Media Center, and River Oaks Landmark Theatre.
Curator Richard Herskowitz, director of the Virginia Film Festival from 1994 to 2008, has organized a festival preview of cinematic programs featuring internationally   renowned media artist Lynn Hershman Leeson (R) and rising digital media artist and filmmaker Alex Rivera (L). Additional information and tickets for these screenings and conversations are available by visiting www.cinemartsociety.org. Managing Director of the festival is Lisa Albracht, who may be contacted at cinemartsociety@gmail.com.
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WIFT Houston Updates From Your President |
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IKE made a mess of Houston and neighboring areas. I'm hopeful that most of your clean-up and repairs are behind you. The loss of life and property has been painful to witness, adding IKE to the list of those long remembered hurricanes of the past.
Melody Moss, WIFT's founding president and current board member is still making repairs to her family's home on Tiki Island. As a Houston native, I was saddened to see Galveston's famed Balinese Room get washed away by the storm surge. The 79-year old nightclub was once a popular dance and gambling hall frequented by many of Houston's socially prominent like Howard Hughes and friends. Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jayne Mansfield, Duke Ellington, and the Marx Brothers, were among the many headliners in the 40s and 50s...and it had air-conditioning--a big deal at the time. Houston area supper clubs were really something to be proud of in those days. I was lucky, my mom and dad allowed me to go along and drink Shirley Temples in my pre-teen years, but they didn't take me to the Balinese Room--probably because there was gambling. More recently, Rob McKinnon and I spent an evening there listening to the music of WIFT Corporate Member, Dr. Aubrey Tucker and his dance band.
ENTERTAINMENT PARTNERS COMES ONBOARD AS SPONSOR!
Many of you are already familiar with Entertainment Partners'  production management services including the newest EP Budgeting and Scheduling software, as well as Movie Magic Budgeting Version 6 and Scheduling Version 4. Among their many services, they also provide payroll services to the industry. Find out all about them by going to the EP Web site at www.entertainmentpartners.com. EP has provided us with Movie Magic's latest versions of Budgeting and Scheduling (retail value $699 each) for our December 2nd Silent Auction. We're so pleased to have Entertainment Partners as a WIFT Houston Sponsor, and thank them for their support.
WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS!
Though the summer tends to be slow for member growth, we want to welcome CINDY DAVIS-ANDRESS, RENEE EDD, TASHA HARMAN, HESSED HONSTEIN, KAREN MATHENY, TRISH RIGDON, MARCEE SHECHT, SAMANTHA SHILO, HEAVEN STEPHENS, BARBARA SUNDSTROM, LAURA THORSTEN, and new Corporate Members DIGITAL 2000 INC., DON BROWN and DELORES KOENIG.
EASY WAYS TO HELP WIFT HOUSTON
Randalls Good Neighbor Program Helps WIFT Houston. For several years Randalls Food Market and Pharmacy have been in partnership with WIFT Houston through its Good Neighbor Program. You can stop by your closest Randall's store and link WIFT's Account Number 8870 to YOUR Remarkable Card. The more people who link their Remarkable Card to WIFT's number, the more money WIFT will receive. Do take the time to stop by the Courtesy Booth of your Randalls Store (just once to set it up) and further support WIFT in this manner.
ALSO...
- Please contact Volunteer Committee Chair Melody Moss at martinimoss@yahoo.com to put your name on the "Volunteers List." She'll call you when help is needed.
- Contact your Membership Chair Yankie Grant at yankiegrant@sbcglobal.net, if you have a question on membership or want to refer a new member.
Join the Breakfast RAP! group on the second Tuesday of each month. These sessions are really going well. They're casual, friendly, and fun, and small enough to get to know one another.
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Thank you for your continued support of WIFT Houston!
Contact Information
phone: 713-788-8075
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Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to provide accurate information, but on occasion your editor may slip up. Our purpose here is to share quality information among WIFT's members. WIFT Houston assumes no liability for omissions or errors, nor can it guarantee the quality of services of those mentioned herein. |
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