Blog at Howard's Bend

Keeping Track of the Texas Pulse
in Film and Visual Media


Dr. Diane Howard
               Personal/Professional Mission-               
 People's Positive Potential and Productivity 

Texas Film Commission Hotline

UMHB Film Program

MAY 9, 2008: SCREENS
 Film News
BY JOE O'CONNELL

Rodriguez Tries On 'Shorts,' Aims for Space

...Robert Rodriguez is getting busy again with production... on Shorts from Warner Bros. and independent studio Media Rights Capital,
which describes the family film as about what happens when "a mysterious object that falls into the hands of a group of misfit kids and their
dysfunctional families who unleash its powers on an unsuspecting community, setting off a series of mythical misadventures...

 Villa Muse has officially thrown in the towel. In a statement released on May 5, CEO Jay Podolnick stated
that his proposed studio complex "is committed to breaking ground somewhere in Texas this year"
– just not in Austin...

 South by Southwest's fifth SXSWclick is seeking your digital shorts; winners in five categories will be screened at SXSW next March.
More info is at www.sxswclick.com... May 15 is the first deadline for the Austin Film Festival's screenplay/teleplay competition.

More at www.austinfilmfestival.com...

 Reel Women again is the local sponsor of the 48 Hour Film Project, in which teams write, shoot, and edit a short film over the June 20 weekend.
More at www.48hourfilm.com/austin...

4/3/08
FRIDAY NIGHT' RENEWED The good news, according to NBC entertainment chief Ben Silverman,
is that the Austin-based drama series "Friday Night Lights" has been renewed for a third season.
But NBC is holding the high school football drama until midseason,
adding it to the schedule in February, following the Super Bowl. It
will air at 8 p.m. Fridays.
Subscribers to DirectTV, however, can see the 13 new episodes four
months sooner, thanks to a production deal that includes exclusive
first-run on the satellite service. DirectTV will debut "Friday Night
Lights" on Oct. 1.
But late is better than not at all, so we can look forward to seeing
all our favorite cast members lined up for coffee at Jo's on South
Congress Avenue in a couple of months when they return.
— Diane Holloway

from the Statesman...Wednesday, February 13, 2008

*Pitt, Penn to film in Smithville*

...the location manager of "Tree of Life," the *Terrence Malick* project
starring *Brad Pitt* and *Sean Penn*,
addressed the Smithville City Council on Tuesday to talk about
filming there, beginning in late March. The shoot will last
approximately three months, the film's John Patterson said.
"Security is going to be a big issue" with the film company, said
Smithville City Manager *Tex Middlebrook*, who added that producers have
met with the Police Department several times. Many of the cast and crew
members for the film, a 1950s period piece, have rented houses in
Smithville, a town of about 4,000 people 45 miles east of Austin.
— Michael Corcoran

BY JOE O'CONNELL

1/31/08

... MovieMaker magazine has proclaimed Austin the best place to
"live, work and make movies,"
...MovieMaker ranked Austin No. 1 for the first time since 2004, citing statewide cooperation that resulted in the
new film-incentives program, a strong crew base, great film-education
opportunities, hot film festivals, and plain old enthusiasm. ...The latest
fallout from the Sundance Film Festival... Austin's hottest cinematographer, P.J. Raval,
saw his camerawork honored as Hurricane Katrina doc Trouble the Water was feted as best documentary
by the grand jury...
Shauna Cross' dreams: a book, a Page, a Barrymore
... Cross sold her young-adult novel, Derby Girl, on the basis of a few chapters; then she sold Drew Barrymore's
production company on a film adaptation called Whip It! that is expected
to film hereabouts this summer with Juno's Ellen Page in the cast and
Barrymore directing. Austin native Cross ended up writing the book and 
the script simultaneously, and both are love letters to her hometown and
Roller Derby... She hints that a very exciting cast will join Page in the film,
which is set in both Austin and a semifictional small town whose claim to fame is ice cream.

1/20/08
Please congratulate Will Johnson with me for landing a roll in the movie Will.
Last year he was cast in the movie Sno Cone and in television’s Friday Night Lights in Austin.
Will graduated last Dec. as a UMHB Performance Studies Major and Theater Minor.
He evidently auditioned for Will as he was on his way back to Disney World to continue performing
as a Character Performer, as he had done as an intern, and had planned to audition for Equity Projects as
a professional performer. As he was headed to Orlando, he was called back to Austin for a few days of filming the movie.  

Tara Flemly, UMHB Performance Studies/Theater/Business grad., is Will’s agent in Austin.
See Tara’s agency Web site and Will’s resume at http://www.tcoettalent.com/.
You will also see on her site that she is my agent. She has represented our UMHB theater instructors Mr. Michael Fox and
Mr. Eric Shepard. Further, she has represented Performance Studies Alumni, such as Marianna Lugo and Margo Delagarza.
She has also represented my husband, Dr. Dave Howard. See other UMHB film talent, http://dianehoward.com/talent_students_alumni.htm

Tara Felmly and Deann Graham, Busines/Computer Graphics grad. from UMHB who is now teaching at TSTD, are
supervising our spring film productions of CRU films.
See  http://dianehoward.com/Spring_08_Film_Projects_Performance_Studies_Calendar.htm

If you participate in the Spring Cru Film Projects, you will learn how to put together a headshot/resume and how
to audition or secure an agent as talent. You will also learn how to put together a film crew resume, how to serve on a film
crew, and how to find jobs on films.  
Sincerely, Dr. Diane Howard

Below are related up-to-date excerpts from the Austin Chronicle’s Film News.

Film News, 1/17/08

BY JOE O'CONNELL

Setting up shop at Austin Studios for a February shoot is Walden Media's
Will, a coming-of-age "dramedy" featuring both Vanessa Hudgens of High
School Musical fame and Alyson Michalka of pop-singing sistahs Aly and AJ….
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot is about "a high school outcast and a
popular girl who form an unlikely bond through their shared love of
music. They assemble a like-minded crew of misfits and form a rock group
to perform in a battle of the bands competition at their school…

Bob Hudgins, director of the Texas Film Commission, says Will was
written with New Jersey in mind. How did it end up in Austin? My
educated guess is that last year's passage of a $20 million filming
incentives program helped…. As of Jan. 9, 98 projects
that were completed in 2007 have applied for an incentives grant. Of
those, 65 met the requirements. Those 98 projects are estimated to have
brought to Texas 12,755 jobs and more than $90 million in in-state
spending, according to Texas Film Commission figures. The second project
likely to receive a payment? A series of interstitials, short scenes
meant to air between shows on the Disney Channel. Close to 50 of them
were shot in Texas, Hudgins says, including 15 in the hallways of Del
Valle High School. Hudgins believes Disney was testing the Texas
incentives program for viability with its future shoots.

... Javier Chapa and Laura Perez's film Harvest of Redemption, which was shot
on the Texas-Mexico border with a
cast and crew of Austinites, is now available at Blockbuster... Look for
the series of short films created through the American Trustees Project,
a statewide program from the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic
Participation at the University of Texas at Austin, to show up on the
KLRU series Docubloggers. The UT program won a Chris Award from the
Columbus International Film and Video Festival for its series of short
documentaries aimed at helping young people become better citizens. Also
honored was UT professor Nancy Schiesari, who directed and produced the series.
 

10/03/07
Always be careful in working with talent and casting agencies. Don't give money or credit card numbers up-front.
Do not pay to meet, read, or audition.  If you  believe that you have been the victim of a scam,
you can file a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/.  
The State Attorney General should also be notified. Mastercard has free information on
Scams and Flim-Flams at 1-800-999-5156. A watchdog group at www.fraud.org/internet/intset.htm
also keeps track of several illegal money-making schemes.

The Better Business Bureau advises caution when dealing with talent/modeling agencies. See http://www.license.state.tx.us/databases.htm for
Legitimate, Licensed Talent Agencies in TX.  Also see www.DoNotPay.org.
See http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/services/model.ht
for information on modeling and talent scams. To search for the license of a Texas Talent &/or Modeling Agency,
see http://www.license.state.tx.us/LicenseSearch/.

From Dan Eggleston, Austin, TX- ...Please remind everyone that it is ILLEGAL to charge someone for audition information or to
obtain a booking...Companies like this one will tell you that they are charging you for your "web presence."  Don't fall for this!!! 

From Ken Farmer's PAG Notes, 2/07- ...When you go in for an audition, there is usually a slot on the sign-in sheet asking for your
social security number. Do not, I repeat, do not, that's NOT, N-O-T, write down your social security number on that sheet!!!
By law, only your employer or a governmental agency has the right to see your SS# and you aren't hired yet...
Warning from Dan Eggleston- If you come across something like this, the odds are likely 100% that it's a scam.
Here's their "pitch." You will have instant access to amazing casting calls with parts that are right for you - parts you can
apply to right away so you can get started immediately. You will get your own unique Talent Profile, including
photo, so I can find parts that are right for you, and others can spot your star potential.
You will be eligible to participate in our Superstar Talent Search, where you can win incredible prizes
like a personal consultation with a Casting Director. You can access this all on the Web any time you
like or you can even choose to have parts sent to you! If you are ready to be discovered, there is simply no
easier way to get started. And it is absolutely free. A credit card is required to ascertain your interest,
and will never be charged unless you choose to continue the service beyond the Absolutely Free
period. You have my Iron-Clad 100% Guarantee. As your virtual casting agent, I am in a fantastic
position to help you launch a career in show business. What's better, I can do it right now, Absolutely Free,
if you respond immediately by accepting my invitation here. 10/03/07

Summer of '07

Texas Motion Picture Association, TXMPA.org 

Film Industry Resources

Texas Resources for Employment in Arts and Entertainment Industries

Professional Performance Network

Film Austin

Joe Connell's Blog

*A note to actors about casting directors, intensives, auditions and audition workshops...
*Acting, ethics and proper etiquette of casting directors
 by Donald Iarussi
Posted in AustinFilmCasting, July 4, 2006

I am in Austin, Texas… here… some casting agents local and some who come to town…audition those who come to their casting workshops
and intensives. I have talked to many NYC Agents and L.A. agents who believe as I do, that intensives are a … waste of
money. If any agent requires you to take their workshop or audition intensive or workshop in order to audition for them…They are being
unethical. Please subscribe to magazines like http://www.backstage.com either in paper or on line. Read the
articles and learn what you should and should not be doing.

If a casting agent will only see you if you take their class. They are being unethical and practicing a form of payola. If you know of casting
directors that will not see you unless you take their workshop or intensive…Report them to the producers who she works for on projects…
The TV Network executive, AFTRA Actors Equity and most importantly to
SAG, The Screen Actors Guild. http://www.sag.org

…some casting agents are charging fees to actors that want to be in their office casting files. The sales pitch is that, if you are in the files,
you stand a better chance of being called in for auditions. The truth is that the casting files themselves are a revenue stream for the casting
agents and have not much to do with casting. Anyway, the practice of charging file fees is illegal and, sooner or later, it will be
challenged in court.

Staff attorneys for the California State Labor Commission say that, when actors pay to be in a casting agent's photo
file, he is in effect asking the casting agent to function like a talent agent. The hope is that the casting agent will go out into the world and
find acting roles for the actor to audition for. That's what agents do, and according to both of the legal opinions I have read, this practice
makes fee-charging casting agents de facto talent agents and puts them under the arm of the law. In California, it is illegal for agents to
charge up front fees to actors. In other words, even if a casting agent is calling himself a casting director, he may be functioning like a
talent agent if he is charging file fees. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....

My strong advice to new actors is that your primary short-term goal be to build a resume, get some decent training and gain experience.
Secondarily, get an agent. If you are having trouble getting an agent, then you need to re-double your efforts, perhaps change your
appearance and market yourself differently. Whatever you do, it is not a viable career strategy to stop pursuing agents on the premise that you
can cozy up to casting directors who will have you in on auditions anyway. They may lead you to believe that this strategy might work, but
it won't. The business does not work like that. The casting directors will take your money to be in their files and will still call talent
agents when money-paying acting work is up for grabs.

When pursuing agents, put yourself in the agent's shoes and ask yourself how you would make money on yourself if you walked in the door, picture
in hand. Make certain that you are marketing yourself type-wise. Remember that most agents make their money from commercials, so the best
thing you can do is fit into a commercial category. Watch TV shows that are aimed at your demographic age….Watch the commercials.
Those actors are your competition. Note how they dress, their energy, the way they are presenting themselves. Then do the
same. When you get your photos taken, try to fit into a viable commercial category so that agents know what to do with you.

June 7, 2007
 

June 6, 2007

Texas Film: Come Back, Shane. – Richard Whittaker

The Lege has tried to bring Hollywood back to Texas by pumping $20 million in tax breaks into the
Texas Film Incentive Program. Approved but unfunded in 2005, the program was intended to encourage
films to come here rather than states with similar incentives – hoping to recoup the estimated 704 million dollars' worth
of productions and 4,500 jobs lost since 2003. But legislators also dealt with another big barrier to
filmmakers choosing Lone Star State locations – Texas state government itself. There has been no set rate for shooting
at a state agency, and some agencies were point-blank refusing to allow filmmakers to shoot in their buildings or grounds.
HB 374, by Reps. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, and David Swinford, R-Amarillo, means film, TV, and commercial makers
could apply straight to the Texas Music, Film, Television, and Multimedia Office for permission to shoot at any state-owned site.
The state agency responsible for the site will have final say on whether they get to use it, but the film office gets to set the cost.
Filmmakers would have a clear pricing structure and only be charged for the days they use the site,
removing any element of surprise.
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A481974

 May 28, 2007

Dear Supporters and Members of TXMPA,

It was a late night photo-finish-to-the-end in the Capitol, but the
Appropriations Bill passed with the $22 million in funding for the film incentive grants.
On Monday afternoon, May 28, 2007, the Speaker of the  House and the Lt. Governor signed the bill. The last step is to
have the Governor sign the bill. We do not anticipate a veto from the Governor. He has been very supportive of this initiative.

We have a program and the money!

Thank you all very much for all your efforts. Together we accomplished the nearly impossible task of creating legislation in Texas.
Our grass roots organizing and the wise counsel from HillCo Partners, our lobbying firm, have produced an incentive program to keep
Texans working in our industry. Please give yourselves a standing ovation...


There is still lot of work to be done between now and the next legislative session in January, 2009.
TXMPA will assist in marketing the new program and we need to monitor the results of these grants.
We need to pursue an Economic Impact Study and examine other incentives to
consider. We have become THE voice for the industry in Texas at the Capitol.

We will continue to keep you posted through our Web site (http://www.txmpa.org/)
and we will continue to fight for you, the members of the industry in Texas.
And yes, we still need donations. Please consider making one today through our Web site
 (http://www.txmpa.org/) or by mail (P.O. Box 40339, Austin, TX 78704)...

Hector Garcia
Texas Motion Picture Alliance, President
 

 Austin Studios looks to the future
2/2/07
Houston Film Casting

Expect a new and improved Austin Studios by next summer. Much of the $5 million that voters approved for upgrades to
soundproofing, air conditioning, and digital infrastructure will be spent on the Austin Film Society facility that since 2000 has been
host to more than 40 feature films collectively worth about $800 million to the local economy. "Seven years ago we had this idea,
and the city took a leap of faith with us," said director and AFS founder Richard Linklater of the former Mueller Airport site last week.

"We realized it was needed as we competed with film industries around the country. The partnership is
unique to Austin, and many of the films being made here are unique to Austin." Improvements will focus on two hangars and
will add 100 tons of air-conditioning equipment to each. Austin Studios also will take over a
Texas National Guard facility that AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell envisions as a "hive of activity" with space for
low-budget editing and script-writing. "To invest in this will truly pay off for the city in economic repercussions,"
said film producer Elizabeth Avellán, who, along with Robert Rodriguez, also was key to Austin Studios'
creation. "This is not happening anywhere else, no matter how many incentives they put down."

Contact Dr. Howard    

Professional Resume | Professional Vitae | Performance Resume | Publications/Presentations |Performance/Communication Curricula | Perf. St. Syllabi
Professional Network| Public Speaking/Presenting | Professional Projects | Professional Communication Guidelines | Perform. of Autobio. & Lit. | Home