.: This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://tohubohunews.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://tohubohunews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

.: “Uncertainty Principle”

Thought I’d send out a quick (and long overdue) note about our latest short film, “Uncertainty Principle,” produced as part of the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout, and let you know about a special local screening this Saturday evening. (Nothing like giving you plenty of advance notice, eh?)

The competition itself — open to the top 100 48 Hour Film Project teams worldwide — saw 55 teams turning in finished films over the weekend of December 4–7 (we get an extra day in there to account for the need to mail the films in to the “central office”). Five local teams were in the mix — us, Integral Arts, WIT Films, DC Dogs, and Red Hat Memory.

The competition itself proved a bit unusual, as we found out Friday evening when we received our “required elements”... or, rather, when we didn’t receive them. That’s right — no required character, prop, and line, and no randomly assigned genre. All we had was a theme: The End of the World.

I’d say that we agonized for hours about what to do, but in reality we hit upon a basic idea early on (well, Robin did), and we were off and running. We were pretty limited in terms of available locations this time around, so that helped define the scope of what we were able to tackle. But thanks to a great script, a stellar cast (including John C. Bailey, Anna Coughlan, Erin Rose Coughlan, Linda Gabriel Deutsch, Belén Pifel, and Stuart Scotten), and a dedicated crew (both Saturday and Sunday were pretty exhausting shooting days), we were able to deliver a really solid entry, and one I’m personally really proud of.

Here’s the official “summary”: Dire warnings of immminent disaster have proven justified, as global destruction begins raining down from purple-hued skies. A Washington family struggles to cope with the advancing armageddon until a lone physicist proposes an unorthodox course of action.

Unfortunately, because the judging is still under way (the plan is to distribute the top 10 films commercially), we can’t post the film online, or even show you a trailer. (At the earliest, we won’t be able to show you anything until March.) But you will have one chance to see the film this weekend, along with entries from the other local teams.

There will be a special screening — a free screening, no less — of all five DC-area films at CDIA in Georgetown (where the old Foundry Theater used to be) on Saturday, January 16. The screening starts at 7:00 PM and is expected to run about an hour; the films will be followed by a filmmaker Q&A afterward (and having worked with several of these filmmakers before, let me say that they can be an entertaining bunch). This promises to be a fairly packed event — remember, these are entries from the top teams in DC — so be sure to get there early. (Directions are available at the CDIA site, and feel free to get back to me with any questions.)

Hope to see you there!

.: Shawn Felty

It is with a heavy heart that I pass along the news that Shawn Felty — or “Felt” as we were wont to call him on set — passed away this afternoon, after a long struggle with colon cancer. While it seems all too clichéd to describe someone’s battle as “courageous,” in Shawn’s case it certainly seemed apt, as he never stopped remaining positive, never fell into self-pity or victimhood, even when his illness was at its worst (the title of his blog — “All It Takes Is Guts” — speaks volumes).

From our first meeting — on the night before we were to shoot “Schlimmer,” Tohubohu’s inaugural entry in the 48 Hour Film Project — Shawn showed himself to be not only talented, but creative and extraordinarily dedicated to his work. Following quickly with his starring turn in “Screening Process,” he cemented his position as a regular in front of the camera, appearing in nine of the thirteen short films we’ve produced. But his contribution never stopped there: We rapidly came to depend on his assistance in the postproduction arena, where he would jump in on everything from researching to organizing to editing (earning him the official title “Switch Hitter” on the Tohubohu board). When his health wouldn’t permit him to take a more active role, he would help in any way he could — on “Number One With a Bullet,” he took a turn helping coordinate the auditioning process, a task that he leapt into without a moment’s hesitation. And then, when his health improved, he was right back in the thick of things with “All Roads Lead Away” and “Please Forward.”

But more than all of that, Shawn was a good and valued friend. He never ceased to make the often arduous process of filmmaking a fun experience for everyone involved. His upbeat attitude, positive outlook and unbridled enthusiasm were truly unparalleled, and he routinely made friends everywhere he went; seventy people came by to see him in the hospital yesterday. And while I consider myself fortunate that I was able to be one of those visitors (where despite his weakness, his infectious smile was as wide as ever), that small feeling is overshadowed by the larger recognition of the tremendous impact he has had — and will continue to have — on my life. The world is measurably poorer for his passing.

Thanks, Shawn, for leaving the world a little brighter than it was before you entered.

Bill

Service arrangements are still being made, but Shawn’s family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the American Cancer Society — Colorectal Cancer.

.: Counting Down... Again

Less than a week to go before we jump in on the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout, but we still have some final details to get ironed out. Most significantly, just where to shoot. Turns out we don’t have a lot of our regular haunts available this time around, so if you’ve got any suggestions to offer up, please pass them along ASAP. The more interesting the better, of course (I have a fantasy of shooting in an abandoned steel mill), but even an ordinary apartment, office, bar, restaurant, school, or park will be helpful. We’ve got a couple of intriguing options out of the city (in some cases way out of the city), but I figure if we can shoot closer in there’s a greater chance that we’ll be able to keep everyone on board. (Yes, as a confirmed suburbanite, I’m used to driving, but not all of our city-dwelling brethren share my comfort level with distance travel.) Our main shooting day will be Saturday, but (since we’ve got the extra day for editing) we may do some additional scenes Sunday morning.

(And remember, if you’re going to be watching from the sidelines this time around, be sure to follow the weekend’s progress on my Twitter feed.)

On another note, I wanted to congratulate Erik Synnestvedt on winning a Silver Award for Acting on Camera – Dramatic, Male at the 2009 TIVA Awards for his work in “Please Forward.” So... congratulations!

Okay, that’s it for now — hope to see a lot of you in just a few days!

.: 48HFP International Shootout

I suppose I should start with an apology for being effectively incommunicado for the past three months. Wish I could say that big film projects were afoot, but the reality is that this fall’s been a perfect storm of work, personal, and family obligations that occupied the vast majority of my personal time and mental energy.

That said, there’s nothing like a new project to get me out from under my rock, and it looks like we’ve got one: Tohubohu has just been invited to participate in the 48 Hour Film Project International Shootout! The good news is that this gives us the excuse we’ve been looking for to get another film in before the end of the year. The bad news (and there’s always bad news) is that the competition is the first weekend in December, which gives us very little prep time. Still, after talking to a few key folks and making sure we at least had our basic needs covered, we’ve decided to go ahead with it.

The competition works very similarly to the regular 48 Hour Film Project, but with a few variations. First, because this is a simultaneous international event, the drawing and submission processes are done remotely — we’ll receive our elements via email, and submit our finished film by mail (much like in the National Film Challenge); if you’re thinking ahead, you may realize that this effectively gives us an extra day to get everything wrapped up. Second, there won’t be a big-screen AFI Silver premiere — though the winning film will screen at Filmapalooza and at the Cannes Short Film Corner. And third, there will be other thematic elements besides the genre and the traditional required elements; because they’re looking to distribute a selection of the finished films as a package, the plan is to have some commonality connecting the films in the series.

Unfortunately, there’s no SAG waiver this time around, so alas, that means that our SAG-actor contingent will be unable to participate (well, not in front of the camera, anyway). Which is certainly a disappointment — particularly as our invitation to participate in this contest is due in no small part to all of the fantastic work you’ve done for us of late. But this will give others a chance to shine, and rest assured, we’ll have more opportunities soon!
Given the comparatively short prep time, we’ll naturally be giving preferential consideration to those with whom we’ve worked before (particularly on our most recent projects, “Number One With a Bullet,” “All Roads Lead Away,” and “Please Forward”). But — especially since several of our regulars are otherwise committed — if you’re interested in joining in, drop me a line ASAP! (And yes, I’m planning once again to tweet our progress across the weekend on my Twitter feed.)

Time to start shooting!

.: Quick Bits

Just wanted to take a moment to give everyone a few updates (only one of which is strictly Tohubohu-related, but I figure that at this stage I can be forgiven a little digression).

First of all, the “director’s cut” of “Please Forward” is now up and available for viewing at our official site. Not a whole lot different from the original 48 Hour Film Project version, but just a couple of minor alterations that we hope will give it a little life beyond the 48 Hour audience. Give it a look and let us know what you think! We hope to start sending this out to festivals shortly.

Second, a sort of follow-up shout-out to Barry Gribble and the Integral Arts team for their independent TV pilot, “Dog.” Last time I mentioned that it had been accepted into the Independent Television Festival in LA (and, of course, dropped the little fact that I did a little production design work on it). Well, as it so happens, the pilot took home the Best Overall TV award! The pilot should be viewable at the festival site soon, so be sure to check back — it’s definitely worth seeing (as if the fact that they won the top award didn’t give you a little clue). Congratulations!

Edited to add: Actually, the pilot won’t be viewable at the ITV Fest site right away — because it’ll be screening at the New York Television Festival in September! And as a special bonus, you can check out the trailer for “Dog” right here! (It’s kind of NSFW, though the language is muted. Use your own judgment.) And if you look carefully, you’ll see one of my poster designs in the opening shot. Just sayin’.

Third, a call to arms for fellow filmmaker Francis Abbey, of Boxing Day and video blog “Running Commentary” fame (or notoriety, depending on your point of view). His latest feature, 6 Nonsmokers, is looking for background actors right now. As in this week — Wednesday and Friday, to be specific. It’s a non-union shoot (and not a paying gig), but does promise to be a fun time. You can check out the official site for details on the film — a comedy about conflict resolution — but as for the pertinent practical details, here goes: On Wednesday, they’re looking to shoot a big crowd scene at the Oxon Hill Public Library, and need to fill an auditorium with journalists and academics. And on Friday, they’ll be staging a college party along with some bar gatherings (a regular bar, country-western bar, and a club). If you’re interested, you can contact casting director Laura Carlson at lauracarlson74 [AT] hotmail [DOT] com. Preferably sooner rather than later.

And finally, I just wanted to call attention to some promising new web series for your entertainment (as if my ramblings weren’t entertaining enough). First is “Shrinkage,” starring Gia Mora as an online advice columnist with a less-than-traditional therapy style (written and directed by the aforementioned Barry Gribble). Next is the ever-popular “Appletinis with Ken,” starring Ken Arnold as... well, Ken Arnold — not exactly a “new” series, but I haven’t mentioned it here before, and it has featured a few Tohubohu veterans in the guest chair. And finally, there’s “ParaAbnormal,” a show about dysfunctional paranormal investigators, featuring Ken Arnold and “All Roads Lead Away” star Joe Hansard. So give ’em a look-see and spread the word if you’re so inclined — gotta do what we can to expand the audience for the DC indie production community!

That’s it for now — thanks for listening (or reading), and we’ll be back in touch soon!

.: Rosebud Film & Video Festival 2009

Just wanted to remind everyone that the Rosebud Film & Video Festival Nominee Showcase is this Saturday at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre (1611 North Kent Street in Arlington — just two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro station)! The (twenty-film) screening runs from 12:30 p.m. until about 5:30 p.m., but (for those of you who may not be inclined to stay for the entire event), “All Roads Lead Away” will be showing at 2:00. That said, there are some really great films in the lineup — be sure to check out the official site for details!

Tickets for the all-day event are just $8.00, and include an invitation to the Rosebud Awards ceremony at the Clarendon Ballroom on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 703-524-2388.

Hope to see you there!

Oh, and while I’ve got you here, I wanted to give a quick shout-out to Barry Gribble and the Integral Arts production team, whose independent pilot “Dog” (for which yours truly made a very small production-design contribution) was just accepted into the Independent Television Festival in LA. Congratulations!