Robert McKee - CBC's The Hour interview with George Stroumboulopoulos
If you've ever had dreams of writing a Hollywood screenplay, you won't want to miss this July 11 interview with Robert McKee. McKee is Hollywood's go-to guy for scripts. He teaches a class for aspiring writers, he helps the studios with scripts in production, and occasionally he rescues scripts that have gone terribly wrong. He's also known for humiliating his students with his infamous outbursts.
(Note: The CBC website doesn't seem to have the interview video available to watch, hence the YouTube link.)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lc5QRxZidNQ
The National Screen Institute is Canada's national training school for writers, directors and producers in film, television and digital media. The NSI is now accepting applications to the 2010 NSI Drama Prize training program. The deadline to apply is Thursday, November 12, 2009. Please note that NSI Drama Prize is a training program, not a funding program.
What is NSI Drama Prize?
NSI Drama Prize is not full-time. You can keep your day-job while training and don't have to move away from home - short-term intensive training happens in one place and you return home to work with a mentor for the rest of the program. All training is delivered by senior industry experts.
No tuition fees to pay - applicants pay a nominal, one-off application fee ($30). Filmmaking teams must invest at least $2,000 of their own funds in the project. Please note: only phase three approved teams will receive $10,000 cash support.
More information on the program and full guidelines can be found at:
www.nsi-canada.ca/nsi_drama_prize.aspx
Responsibilities: Providing professional quality script coverage in a timely manner. Each script submitted to ScriptFunnel is assigned an Executive Story Analyst and a Junior Reader who work independently of one another preparing coverage, which includes: development notes, story suggestions, synopsis, character breakdowns, as well as comments geared toward prospective entertainment buyers and representatives. ScriptFunnel prides itself on its unbiased, professional, constructive review of all material.
Qualifications : Strong background in screenwriting, development, and/or literary representation. Ability to pinpoint flaws in story, structure, character, grammar, spelling, dialogue, act breaks, and other important elements that make up a good script.
Please email resume and sample tv/feature script coverage (in body of your email) to: jobs@scriptfunnel.com
Apply to: Ethen Adams
**Emails with attachments will be deleted instantly**
More Info: www.scriptfunnel.com
BC Film produces an Annual Activity Report at the close of each fiscal year, which provides an overview of the activities of the Society. The Activity Report includes statistical information on BC Film programs and the industry at large. BC Film also creates a yearly service plan. The plan outlines the Society’s goals and objectives and identifies a framework from which performance can be measured and reported.
To download the PDF copy, please click on the following link and select "2008-2009 Activity Report" from the blue downloads box: www.bcfilm.bc.ca/annreport.php
British Columbia Film supports the skills development of professionals committed to careers in producing and writing for film and television. This program is designed for people already working in the film and television industry who are seeking a focused professional development opportunity.
To view the program guidelines and call for applications, visit www.bcfilm.bc.ca/internship.php.
Application deadline to British Columbia Film: 4pm Friday, December 4, 2009
The BC government says Ontario and Quebec are trying to raid the B.C. Film industry by offering substantial tax incentives. The government has stated it will not be matching those incentives. Some filmmakers have said they'll move east if Quebec and Ontario's credits aren't matched. Already, very few mini-series and movies of the week are scheduled to film in B.C. Both the province and industry hope to find some sort of 'Made in B.C.' solution.
A unique pitching event, PM features the opportunity to meet decision makers at every level, from big budget studio execs to low-budget indie producers. March 6th and 7th in Vancouver, BC.
March 6th PitchMarket Forum:
Quebec began this latest round of interprovincial competition with an announcement on June 12 that it would expand its film and TV tax credits from 25 percent of labour costs to 25 percent of all production costs. Productions with special-effects or animation work in Quebec also benefit from an additional five percent tax credit.
On June 29, the Ontario government followed suit, with an expanded production services tax credit available to foreign-based producers to not only 25 per cent of labour costs, but all other production costs within the province, including studio rentals, equipment rentals and set construction.
B.C. offers its tax incentive on labour costs alone - traditionally only half the budget of a feature film.
In a bid to compete against recent increases in film tax incentive programs by Quebec and Ontario, the Albertan government announced that it is boosting its tax incentive cap from $3 million to $5 million. Alberta Film Development Program's tax incentives differ from the tax credit programs of the other three provinces, as it sets maximum amounts available per project. The program also offers grants, rather than credits, for utilizing local labour, and productions shot in the province also benefit from the lack of a provincial sales tax.
The B.C. government has made no commitments to counter Ontario's move to capture a bigger share of the lucrative filmmaking industry. Ontario is considered to have an exceptional infrastructure, plus excellent resources and shooting locales. Financial incentives in Ontario (and Quebec) are now high enough that while BC film companies may not move to Ontario, they will shoot there. American studio executives are already looking at Ontario for future productions.
B.C. could not only lose productions to other centres, but also the province's infrastructure. Crew members could follow the work east, and post-production houses and sound stages could be severely affected. Very low-budget movies won't be as greatly effected, but even a $10 million or $14 million production could save a million dollars by shooting outside the province. It’s a very mobile business.
The current film incentive scenario is a recurrence of what happened in late 2004, when Ontario and Quebec increased their film and TV labour tax credits, resulting in B.C. matching them in January 2005. The B.C. film industry is asking for a temporary match of credits and an independent task force to look for a longer-term solution, without getting into a war with Ontario. Otherwise, the billion-dollar B.C. industry could shrink very quickly.
Other jurisdictions, including California, are unhappy about the enriched tax credits in Ontario and Quebec. In February, California introduced its first-ever incentives with a 20 to 25 per cent tax credit on lower budget films. All the provincial film industries are facing challenges as the Canadian dollar hovers around the 93-cent mark against the American dollar. The need for some sort of national standard for tax incentives, or at least a plateau consensus amongst the major jurisdictions, seems compelling, if not imminent.
Pitch an article idea to Creative Screenwriting. Three articles in the current issue of Creative Screenwriting come from pitches made to us at Creative Screenwriting - Pitch An Article Idea. We are still going through the 100-plus pitches and article ideas we've received so far. Thank you! And we welcome more.
What We Want Most Right Now:
Premiere issue of A-List Screenwriting's Craft & Career. If you dig the content, become a subscriber. It's free and the only way to receive the next issue is to sign up in the box at our site.
This month's Craft article by Jim Mercurio explores a seldom-taught topic, Exploitation of Concept , and shows you what Memento and Freaky Friday have in common. In our Career Corner, Jim interviews Michael Lent about how his work in various media - film, graphic novels, spec screenwriting and video games - helped to land him a huge book deal with Disney/Hyperion.
"We learned more from a three-minute record than we ever learned in school," are the words from one of our generation's most popular storytellers, Bruce Springsteen. So check out the premiere of the column WWTBD? -- What Would the Boss Do? -- to look at storytelling in another medium.
www.championscreenwriting.com
(Toronto) Looking for upcoming writers who are looking to gain exposure and recognition on the web. Are you a movie fan? Want to write reviews of your favorite movies? Want to get a lot of people to read them? This is what we can do. You write reviews and we raise your profile on the net. Many people have moved on to great paying jobs starting out like this. If you're interested, we will send you the full details.
Apply to: Matthew
More Info: www.wildsound-filmmaking-feedback-events.com/classic_movies_reviews.html
WANTED: ACTORS, WRITERS, DIRECTORS, EDITORS...EVERY FILM POSITION! The goal of the Toronto Filmmakers club is to network, learn, promote and produce festival films - Short or Long!! We are a group of talented and passionate filmmakers who get together weekly to discuss, plan, and shoot movies, as well as network with like-minded people. Many of our members work professionally in the film and television industry and readily share their expertise with other members.
Where: 725 King St west (Bathurst and King)
When: Tuesdays 7-10pm
http://torontofilmmakers.com
You can find the Toronto Screenwriters Meetup Group at http://screenwriters.meetup.com/240/. Membership is totally FREE and meetings take place on the 1st Sunday of each month, at the National Filmboard Mediatheque in downtown Toronto. Meet and collaborate with local professional and aspiring screenwriters/others to discuss story ideas, plot lines, character development, and more.
Preditors and Editors is a compendium of information and warnings about businesses and individuals in all writing genres.
Help Defend P & E
Unfortunately, there are those who do not like P&E or its editor because we give out information that they would prefer remain hidden from writers. Usually, they slink away, but not this time. P&E is being sued and we are asking for donations to mount a legal defense in court. Please give if you can to help protect P&E so it can continue to defend writers as it has for the past eleven years.
www.anotherealm.com/prededitors
Even if you are not African American, we welcome you to join the network. Filmmaking is the ultimate collaborative art. So we must pool our talents and resources to create the films that we want to make. Orange County is an official jump off city for the launch of AfricanAmericanFilmmakers.com. Directors, Actors, Screenwriters, DPs, Producers, ADs, ACs, join the network. Create the films that touch you and your community. Join the groups of your profession, and your city. Make friends and make films. Post your films, music, photos, trailers, etc. Crew up, and cast actors. Post your projects. Do what you gotta do to get your projects made.
www.africanamericanfilmmakers.com