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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear ,
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE ...
St. Louis area residents are known to express overly-negative opinions about their hometown. Mayor Slay has called the phenomenon a "geographical inferiority complex."
While it's good to assess our strengths and weaknesses, too much negativity can be harmful, especially if it's overblown (as it usually is). The negative thinking has crept into the St. Louis motion media industry. Some of the comments I've heard recently, including those coming from some "industry leaders," can be poisonous and are often counter-productive. Here's a few examples I've heard recently:
"We don't have a big enough crew base. So many people have either moved away or gotten out of the industry, that if a feature film did come here, we wouldn't have enough crew. It will take years to build our crew base back up."
"We have a bad reputation in Hollywood, because of the way producers have been treated by the [Department of Economic Development]."
"All of our film students are moving away after college, because they can't get work here."
I see the pronouncements as gross exaggerations, at best. What's worse, is that when such pronouncements are repeated to industry professionals outside of the St. Louis area (as they most certainly are) this can create a self-fulfilling prophesy. Keep bad-mouthing our industry and our area to people from LA, New York, Chicago and elsewhere, and pretty soon those people, who may not have had a negative opinion about St. Louis, will start to believe it.
So, let's ignore our local naysayers and look at some of the positives!
St. Louis is fast-becoming a hub for reality shows, thanks to Coolfire Originals, the St. Louis based-production company. Coolfire has five reality shows in distribution, and several others in development. The company recently acquired an LA production company, which establishes a presence for Coolfire on the west coast. Those of you who missed our last meeting, missed a great presentation by Coolfire's president and CEO, Jeff Keane.
There are many great trends in our metropolitan area that can bode well for our industry. An organization, St. Louis World Class City, collects data and studies that show St. Louis in a positive light. For example:
- The March 2013 issue of Fortune magazine picked St. Louis as #1 on the fastest-growing cities for tech jobs, beating Austin, Seattle, and San Francisco.
- In March 2012 Forbes.com listed St. Louis as number 1 of the "10 happiest cities for job-seeking college grads.
- In 2011, Kiplinger placed St. Louis as the #1 U.S. city with the lowest cost of living.
- A 2011 study placed St. Louis 5th in average annual total attendance among American cities at live theater performances.
- In 2005, according to the National Endowment for the Arts, ranked St. Louis #1 in total non-profit arts industry spending and volunteers for the arts in markets with a population of greater than One Million.
- Saint Louis has more museums and libraries per capita than any city in the Top 10, beating New York and Washington, D.C., by a factor of 25!
- In 2011, Ball State University in Indiana ranked Missouri as the Best State in the Country for Manufacturing and Logistics.
- In October 2009, Forbes.com listed St. Louis as having the 3rd Lowest Cost of Living among America's 40 largest metropolitan areas.
- In 2009, Central Connecticut State University listed St. Louis 2nd on its list of America's most literate cities.
- According to U.S. Census Bureau in 2010, St. Louis' home ownership rate of 72.9% ranks it 5th out of the top 67 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the USA.
- According to www.thefiscaltimes.com, in 2012, St. Louis is 2nd of the Top U.S. Cities with the Biggest Bang for your Buck.
This list could go on-and-on, and if you want to see more areas where St. Louis ranks highly, go to www.stlworldclasscity.com. The point is that St. Louis has a lot going for it that are positives for the growth of the film and media industry. Our top rankings in cost of living, arts and cultural life, and technology provide a solid economic base for growing our production industry. If we to go beyond St. Louis, Columbia, Missouri's True/False Festival was recently listed as one of the Top 10 Documentary Festivals (http://www.raindance.org/site/index.php?id=479,7025,0,0,1,0).
So, let's stop with the naysaying and start accentuating the positive about St. Louis and the possibilities here. Perhaps if we do that, we'll find more productions wanting to come here, more local entrepreneurs being energized, and more jobs for all of us.
Mike Ketcher, President
MCA-i, St. Louis Chapter
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NEXT MCA MEETING -- MAY 8
If you missed NAB then MCA's next meeting is for you, !
This month MCA sits down with experienced St. Louis media professionals for an in-depth, inside account of the newest technology displayed at the annual National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference that took place in Las Vegas last month.
NAB attendees will share their opinions on software, equipment, sensors, displays and everything in between. Get the scoop on the industry's largest event of the year!
Find out what products were the most impressive, the most disappointing, the most over hyped as well as predicted market place growth and shrinkage. Most importantly find out what and what not to spend your money on!
Special guests include Tom Petrie of Bad Dog Pictures and Ed Voss, Assistant Professor of Communications at Lindenwood. Barlow Productions is our generous host for this exciting discussion.
Date: Wednesday, May 8th
Time: 6:30pm networking, 7:00pm-9:00pm meeting
Place: Barlow Productions
Address: 1115 Olivette Executive Pkwy
St. Louis, MO 63132
Phone: 314-994-9990
Food: soft drinks & snacks will be served
Cost:
Free to Members of MCA
$10 for non members
$5 for students with valid ID
See you on May 8, !
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| OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON A DOCUMENTARY
Video journalist Michael Sandknop is seeking your help for a documentary...
"Hoping for Hope"
In the winter of 1983 two men found the headless body of a young girl in a vacant house. Her head was never found. She didn't match any missing person reports. No family came forward to claim her. Now, 30 years later, new DNA could identify her and her killer, but her grave has been lost. Calvin Whitaker leads a group of dedicated volunteers in the search for her grave. She was buried "Jane Doe" in Washington Cemetery but they call her "Hope".
Seeking
Line Producer: coordinating, scheduling, getting releases, arranging location shoots.
Creative Producer: researching for historical footage, getting permission to use it, fact checking and story development.
Assistant Camera: the documentary is being shot with a full steadicam® using a Panasonic HMC-150P and an assortment of accessories.
Editor: Final Cut Pro.
Producer: Fund raising and budgeting (IF POSSIBLE)
Currently there is no pay. I took on the project because I recognized it as a great story. Please contact me for more information.
Thank you,
Michael Sandknop
getfliming@aol.com
314-954-9966
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ST. LOUIS TO HOST INTERNATIONAL VISUAL MEDIA CONFERENCE IN JUNE
This June, St. Louis will host the annual conference of International Christian Visual Media (iCVM), June 18-21, at the Airport Hilton.
iCVM is a consortium of producers and distributors making a difference in the world through visual media. The iCVM membership family includes media organizations and media missionaries as well as individual video producers, independent writers, directors, actors and even some individuals who are simply interested in supporting Christian films and filmmakers.
If you're interested in learning more, please visit www.icvm.com.
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CINEMASPOKE SCREENWRITING CONTEST UPDATE: DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MAY 15
Producer/writer/director Sandra Olmsted is happy to announce that she and the Script Mechanics team have extend the deadline for the CinemaSpoke Contest until May 15th. Although the extended deadline comes with an additional fee of $5, making the entry fee for the extension $40, MCA members and friends can enter for the original price by including a copy of this article from InSync. Students in screenwriting classes are also exempt from the additional cost.
Michael Winingham, the 2012 CinemaSpoke Winner, attended Ken Rotcop's Pitchmart on April 13th, and, at last count, seven companies, agents, and/or producers have requested his Dead Mountain. See the interview with Winingham in this issue.
CiinemaSpoke is happy to announce that Hollywood writer-producer Ken Rotcop, founder of PitchMart, will again provide the first-place prize for the 2013 CinemaSpoke regional screenwriting contest. Rotcop will provide coverage for the winner, which is a $350 value.
Each finalist, including the winner, will receive a copy of The Perfect Pitch by Ken Rotcop, courtesy of Michael Wiese Productions, and a full public reading of their selected script. Each finalist will also get notes from the judges at the complete reading of their selected script. CinemaSpoke will also issue a press release announcing the finalists and winner, so all finalists get recognition through a local media blast. With guidance from Script Mechanics and its casting committee, the finalists will be given the option to assist in the casting and provide the actors with some direction before the reading.
Veteran Hollywood agent Lloyd D. Robinson, founder of Suite A Management Talent & Literary Agency in Beverly Hills, will again recommend the synopsis of the winning script to approximately 400 producers, all personal contacts he's made over his 40-plus years in the entertainment business. Suite A agency is signatory to the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Robinson represents writers, producers, directors, and actors. In addition, the judges can recommend any other scripts and writers for a consultation with Robinson.
Michael Wiese Productions has also generously provided screenwriting books for prizes to those writers who the judges award an honorable mention. Michael Wiese Productions also offers contests, workshops, and special events through their Facebook page. Please click on www.facebook.com/mwpfilmbooks and like Michael Wiese Productions!
In addition to the coverage of their screenplay that was provided to every writer, the CinemaSpoke organizers are committed to rewarding as many writers as possible for their efforts, and we can't promise every entrant a prize, we were able to send every one who entered a prize, in addition to the coverage on their script. While we at CinemaSpoke think that the coverage is the most important, we know that every writer who puts him or herself out there and send a script in deserves to be rewarded. In that spirit. we are searching and negotiating for still more prizes which will be announced as we have and confirmations.
As examples of the additional prizes we are working on, we are waiting for confirmations from software manufacturers and theater chains. So stay tuned for more information.
Script Mechanics assumed responsibility for the CinemaSpoke Screenwriting Contest as of January 2012. The Script Mechanics team is working to make this a contest which encourages the local screenwriting community and help writers improve their craft. Cinema St. Louis will continue to assist with some aspects of the contest.
Additional information will be available online at www.thecinematicskinny, which feature special pages for CinemaSpoke and Script Mechanics. Announcements will also be made via MediaWire. Please visit Script Mechanics' Yahoo Group website and subscribe: ScriptMechanicsStLouis-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or Facebook pages
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Script-Mechanics/253407801746?ref=ts and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cinemaspoke/317590958286751?ref=hl
Become fans of both!
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MICHAEL WININGHAM'S "DEAD MOUNTAIN" A BIG HIT
An Interview with the 2012 CinemaSpoke Winner
Michael Winingham, the 2012 CinemaSpoke Winner, attended Ken Rotcop's Pitchmart on April 13th, and, at last count, seven companies had requested his Dead Mountain.
Mary Schirmer interviewed Michael about his experience working with Ken Rotcop so that he could share his experiences with screenwritiers who are considering entering CinemaSpoke this year.
MJS: Michael, I understand your screenplay did very well at the PitchMart. I'm really happy and excited for you.
MW: Yeah, I did really well, to my surprise, at the PitchMart and thank you. I would be happy to answer your questions.
MJS: Do you believe that the CinemaSpoke table read helped you improve your screenplay?
MW: The CinemaSpoke table read was an amazing experience for me. To witness the life breathed into my written words not only allowed me to see my story in a whole new light but it showed me the true potential of my screenplay. Without a doubt, the CinemaSpoke Screenplay Competition gave me the tools to take my screenplay to the next level.
MJS: How did you feel about the attention Ken Rotcop gave your material?
MW: I can't thank Ken Rotcop enough for all he's done for me. Working with Ken can only be described as awesome. He has so much experience and was so supportive both technically and emotionally. Ken not only gave me the confidence but the venue to showcase my screenplay to real working executives, producers and agents. Ken Rotcop is a master of what he does and having the opportunity to learn from him is priceless.
MJS: What did the PitchMart mean to you? What were your emotions in meeting face to face with Hollywood producers?
MW: Honestly, I was terrified of going to PitchMart. I had never pitched an idea in my life. But going to PitchMart was invaluable. By attending PitchMart I learned, thanks to Ken Rotcop's tutelage, how to create a successful pitch that got the attention of numerous studio executives and producers. I had the opportunity to meet other talented writers and begin building relationships in the industry. It wasn't easy sitting down in front of the first producer but once I started pitching it wasn't about me anymore but just letting the story talk for itself. After the first pitch, it got much much easier. It also helped that all the producers were very friendly and helpful. No one was biting the heads off of writers and everyone gave me an honest shot at convincing them that they wanted to read my story. The experience was both frightening and exhilarating, but in the best kind of way.
MJS: What are the next steps you want to take along the road to marketing your screenplay?
MW: Thanks to Ken's Rotcop's PitchMart, I have had an overwhelming response to my screenplay, Dead Mountain. Numerous producers, executives and agents have requested my screenplay and have opened the doors of communication with me. It's been amazing! So for me, I'm going to keep moving forward on this road. I will let my work speak for itself and see what the producers, agents and executives have to say.
MJS: I'm really happy and excited for you.
MW: Thank you again for all your help. I wouldn't be in this great place without your support.
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TELL YOUR STORY HERE!
Email us today us today with your latest news for inclusion in the next MCA newsletter
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