The Colorado Film & Video Association (CFVA) today announces the launch of the redesign of the Colorado Production Guide. The Colorado Production Guide™ is the premiere directory of businesses, crew and other resources for the film, video and multimedia industries. The new design allows for easier navigation, provides enhanced functionality, adds extensive new services for CFVA members, and encourages site visitors to explore the depth and breadth of industry professionals and businesses across the state of Colorado.
"The Colorado Production Guide™ now provides full IMDB integration," said Leslie Allen, President/Board Chair of the Colorado Film & Video Association, "our members can now list their three favorite IMDB projects with links pointing to the page."
The Colorado Production Guide™ can connect to members' LinkedIn, YouTube, and Vimeo accounts - providing greater customer impact for CFVA members. Additionally, members can add production stills, video clips and other marketing materials to further showcase their work. Now producers will find a complete resource for their upcoming productions in Colorado.
A large part of the film production search process is conducted online prior to, or even in lieu of, an official request for proposal. The CFVA's internet presence is a critical component, as the Colorado Production Guide™ site provides 24/7 access to Colorado's most comprehensive resource for crew, vendors, and production companies in the state.
The Colorado Production Guide™ has been the leading resource in the industry for the past 30 years, and remains the go-to source for industryprofessionals worldwide. The site can be accessed at www.CFVA.com/productionguide
PUBLIC CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITES BEGINNING MAY 1
DENVER – The top ten proposals were greenlighted for production CINEMA, the Denver Film Society and History Colorado have partnered to host a student film competition for students in grade six through graduate school designed to foster appreciation and interest in creating films in Colorado’s historic places and the top ten proposals were given the green light.
Ten exciting proposals were chosen to move forward into production. Each film student will be paired with a film industry professional to serve as their mentor, as well as a historic preservation expert from History Colorado to serve as a resource guide. Additionally, each project will receive up to $400 in reimbursements to produce their film.
These top ten films will be loaded onto a website for a “People's Choice” voting period and the public can begin voting for their favorites beginning May 11 by visiting the Vimeo group Filming in Colorado’s Historic Places and "liking" a favorite film at https://vimeo.com/groups/filmcoloradoplaces All 10 films will be screened by a jury on May 16, 2013 at the Denver Film Society's SIE FilmCenter. Jury members will include top local producers and the Colorado State Film Commissioner.
Winning films will be announced during Archaeology & Historic Preservation Month celebrations at the History Colorado Center on May 17. The top three winning students will be presented with a check for $500 in scholarship monies courtesy of the Colorado Creative Industries and the Colorado Office of Film Television & Media.
What strikes one most upon first entering Coupe Studios in Boulder is the variety of projects in progress at all hours of the day. “We've usually got anywhere from 5 to 10 projects cooking at a time,” states partner and producer, Eric Singer. When I visited Coupe for an interview this month, those words were certainly true: I observed multiple producers, sound designers and engineers hard at work on various projects across the five different studio rooms. This pre- and post-production studio has been a premier studio in Colorado since the ‘90s, and while it is known internationally, it focuses an immense portion of its resources on local Colorado projects.
Coupe is known for top-notch music composing and engineering. In 2012, Coupe scored or mixed eleven feature-length films—and at least half of those productions were located in Colorado. In addition, Coupe has the capability of ISDN recording (Integrated Services Digital Network—i.e., recording in real-time with any other ISDN-capable studio in the world), which allows Coupe to work with talent all over the world. Despite this far-reaching capability, Eric Singer was adamant that “[w]e definitely try to support locals whenever possible. Colorado agents and talents are every bit as pro as anyone you'd find in LA or NY. That said, when a CO-based client is looking for fresh VO options, or foreign language talent, we cast all over the world. We record via ISDN for multiple sessions every day, whether that means creatives here with us, or the other way where the talent is local and the agency is somewhere else.”
Paul Rohrer (left) with comedy legend Joe Piscopo, and Rohrer’s internet radio show producer Anthony Musco (right) after Piscopo’s appearance on Castle Rock Radio’s Roaring Success Radio Hour.
By Richard J. Schneider
Paul Rohrer ought to take his show on the road.
It is really a showcase, something he puts on twice a year with the actors he coaches. As I sat in the audience one recent evening, after a bit of schmoozing with Paul and other invited guests, I had no idea what to expect. My preconceived notion was a mix of strong and weak stage performances by actors with a broad range of talent.
What I got was a series of tight stage pieces that kept me rapt, quiet, and not thinking about the yummy burgers a few paces away on one of the refreshment tables. In about 45 minutes, I was treated to series of vignettes, each of which I found totally satisfying, like watching nine tight mini-plays at the theater.
All of the actors in the vignettes are working in the Denver market right now, but some will eventually leave for other markets as they pursue their careers. My brief notes reflect my reactions to each piece.
Every Day Pain, a soliloquy by Kalja Harris. Pondering, reliving her pain. I watched her hands. They acted right along with her.
Love Bound, with Chris Balitski and Steve Austin. Austin, wheelchair bound, afraid to love, pushes away his therapist, Balitski, who has fallen in love with him. Nice. Did he love her? You want them to be together.
I decided to do things a little different this year. The last two NAB’s I’ve done a video blog, focusing on just a few noteworthy NAB releases, but this year, I decided to go back to a written blog, and just do one longer NAB wrap-up, focusing on a longer list of products.
This year, the theme of NAB seemed to be 4K, but a lot of NAB seems to be focused on releasing similar, but improved versions of existing products. We also got to see working versions of products which were announced last NAB. It also seemed to be more focused on eliminating rolling shutter issues in camera. With Sony’s release of the F55 with global shutter a couple of months ago, others are following suit, with Black Magic Design announcing their global shutter 4K Production Camera, and Red adapting an LCD shutter add on, called the Red Motion Mount.
Here are the highlights from a few of the booths I visited.
Open bodies of water, a really good song. (Currently, Carolina Drama by The Raconteurs.) Sunday morning comic strips; the good ones, names like Bill Watterson, Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman come to mind. Real life experiences, a great night at the bar, political debates, collaboration, a funny occurrence on set, an excellent shot that unexpectedly occurs, lime-green-bubble iMacs, renaissance, thought provoking narrative and technology that inspires art…these are the things that inspire me, these things inspire Indie Webcomic.
The film commissioner offered high praise for the Colorado Film and Video Association and its efforts to help get the incentive doubled by the legislature. "I think the CFVA was really instrumental last year in getting this bill passed," he said. "Every time we stumbled or hit a little roadblock, the members came out and sent the message to the legislature that we really needed this. The legislature listens to the citizens, and these are the working citizens." That support needs to continue, CFVA board members conclude. CFVA members are urged to let their state representatives and senators know that the incentive is working, is generating significant economic activity in Colorado, is creating permanent jobs in the state, and helps show off our beautiful environs to the rest of the world, making incentivized films and television shows indispensable tourism promotion tools.
Those Who Can't is an upcoming sitcom pilot created and written by Adam Cayton-Holland, Ben Roy, andAndrew Orvedahl, also known as the Denver-based comedy group The Grawlix. The pilot was picked up by Amazon Studios in 2012 and and os available to watch now on Amazon's website! Shot entirely in Denver by director brothers Evan and Adam Nix, who also edited the project, the pilot utilizes local crew and actors as well as nationally known comic actors Kyle Kinane, Rory Scovel, and Nikki Glaser. Those Who Can't was produced in conjunction with Image Brew and 3Arts Entertainment, and is the ongoing story of three delinquent public school teachers fighting to stay employed at the floundering Buchanan High School. For more information on Those Who Can't, as well as related projects, visit The Grawlix's website.
DENVER, CO, April 19, 2013 -- The Colorado Film & Video Association (CFVA) today announces the launch of the redesign of the Colorado Production Guide. The new design allows for easier navigation, provides enhanced functionality, adds extensive new services for CFVA members, and encourages site visitors to explore the depth and breadth of over 400 industry professionals and businesses across the state of Colorado.
“The Colorado Production Guide now provides full IMDB integration,” said Leslie Allen, President/Board Chair of the Colorado Film & Video Association, “our members can now list their three favorite IMDB projects with links pointing to the page.”
The Colorado Production Guide can also link to members LinkedIn pages and to their YouTube and Vimeo channels – providing greater customer impact for CFVA members. Additionally, members can add production stills, video clips and other marketing materials to further showcase their work. Now producers will find a complete resource for their upcoming productions in Colorado.
A large part of the film production search process is conducted online prior to or even in lieu of an official request for proposal. The CFVA’s internet presence is a critical component as the Colorado Production Guide site provides 24/7 access to Colorado’s most comprehensive resource for crew, vendors and production companies in the state.
The Colorado Production Guide has been the leading resource in the industry for the past 30 years and remains the go-to source for industry professionals worldwide.
The Colorado Joint Budget Committee chose to strike the $1.5 million added to the media production incentive by the House from Colorado’s budget. This becomes somewhat problematic because Hallmark’s new television show that is in development, When Calls the Heart, has already been approved by the Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, to receive up to 1.6 million dollars from the incentive.
For a state, landing a series is like finding the Holy Grail; not only would an episodic series create hundreds of jobs over a six episode production spread (months) for Coloradans but it would bring tourists with tourism dollars to the shows shooting locations. Picture what Breaking Bad did for New Mexico now convert that demographic to a hoard of mommy-bloggers with time on their hands and cash to spend. Film Commissioner, Donald Zuckerman, stated that he has a plan to find the funds to meet Hallmark's needs. Of course if this does happen, the incentives will have a lockout for all other projects until 2014, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because we get our Holy Grail. If the Film Office can’t find the extra money…ideally Colorado should support smaller projects that do fit in the incentive’s smaller budget. THIS MEANS YOU CONTENT CREATORS!
I am writing to you to engage you within the ever changing political landscape surrounding this year's continuation of incentives. This year, the House proposed and passed $2.5 million in new funding for 2013-2014 incentives. However, the Senate approved its budget with only $1.2 million in new funding for 2013-2014 incentives. The Senate and the House will meet to reconcile their budgets and now is the time to contact your official and let them know what new media production in Colorado means to you. This $1.3 million difference is the difference between landing an episodic series, encourage more independent film and local production, as well as keeping more Coloradans employed.
As an organization, Colorado Film & Video Association has been a huge proponent for reform and the burgeoning of a community of working Coloradan professionals. At this critical time, we need our membership to reach out to their legislators and ask that they let the conference committee know what this means to their constituents. It is vital that we speak loudly and succinctly, as there is only so much in the budget and so many things to fund.
An introduction to the new Making Colorado branding effort. Making Colorado is the most inclusive, collaborative and ambitious branding effort ever undertaken by a U.S. state. Rather than hiring an individual branding agency to define who we are, we're tapping into the energy and expertise of individuals across the state with an innovative discovery process, collaborative positioning phase and inclusive identity creation, to build a brand for Colorado, by Colorado.
Prior to the most recent incentive announcement, the Colorado Office of Film Television and Media had approved about $900,000 in incentives for three new Coors Beer commercials (showing off the Colorado Rockies instead of Washington’s Cascades where the beer giant had been shooting spots), a High Noon Entertainment series called “The Prospectors,” about to air on the Weather Channel; a new Colorado history series now airing on Rocky Mountain PBS; and the relocation of Universal Sports’ production studios from California.
The higher state incentive played a key role in snagging each of these projects. For example, as soon as the incentive was passed by the legislature, High Noon pitched “The Prospectors” to the Weather Channel. “It was something that could be done here, but it also could be easily done in Utah with a 25 per cent rebate,” Zuckerman said. “High Noon approached us and asked us if we could incentivize it, and we felt that it was a terrific show for Colorado. It takes place in five or six different mountain communities. This is great branding for Colorado. It's really good for tourism. The Weather Channel is nationally watched. Many people will see this show and will discover towns that they never heard of, and see the local beauty and the cool places in the towns and these old main streets.”
Daniel Junge is the latest Coloradan to bring home an Oscar, for the short subject documentary “Saving Face” (2012), which he co-directed with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker. Mr. Junge was also nominated in 2010 for his documentary short “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner”. Born in Wyoming, Mr. Junge has called Colorado home for many years, and has worked in the film industry here, in a variety of roles, for over ten years, and has been a member of CFVA for most of that time. During an interview at the Bug Theatre, he spoke with CFVA about his career, and about getting started in documentaries. This article addresses the young filmmaker looking for a way in. The next CFVA newsletter will detail more of his own techniques.
Getting Into Documentaries
Like many film school grads, Mr. Junge (NYU) at first intended to to pursue narrative film, but found a home with documentary filmmaking and has pursued doc ever since. For aspiring filmmakers he notes the relative simplicity and low cost of docs. “All forms of filmmaking are difficult, and documentary is not easy,” he says, “but there are lower thresholds; the barriers are lower with documentaries, because at the end of the the day, all you need is a subject, a camera, and some initiative.”
Please join us for a Producer's Panel: Independent Feature Filmmaking, Saturday, April 6, 3pm at Su Teatro @ the Denver Civic, 721 Santa Fe Dr with three young filmmakers whose work is being featured at XicanIndie XV: Latino World Cinema. Writer/Director/Actor, Fanny Veliz (HOMEBOUND, 2013), Actor Salvador Benavides, (DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, 2012) and Director, Douglas Spain (MISSION PARK, 2013) disclose their adventures successfully producing their first feature including concept, fundraising, production and distribution.
Being hired to write the music for a film, television show, or commercial can be one of the most exciting experiences in your musical career. But when the time comes to sit down and begin writing, you may find yourself with no intricate melodies or memorable, interwoven themes, you may struggle to write a chord progression that fits the scene, or you may see no possible solution to finish the piece - let alone get it started.
Don’t think you are alone; many people suffer from creative blocks that prohibit them from starting or finishing a project. Dozens of fellow composers, songwriters, and musicians – of varying experiences – agree that some of the hardest parts of writing music are beginning or finishing the piece. It seems like bits and pieces of chord progressions and melodies float around in a never-ending cycle of attempts to complete a piece of music, yet the puzzle pieces never fit together. This is a really common struggle for musicians early on in their careers, but even at later stages, creative block can creep up on you at any time. Below, I discuss a couple of methods that I have used in the past to try to overcome this obstacle.
Share, learn, and advocate. Join more than 300 artist-entrepreneurs, owners of creative sector businesses, nonprofit & municipal cultural workers, and emerging creatives at the Summit. Discover the tools, resources, and best practices needed to accomplish your goals.
This year's theme, Mapping Creative Communities, encourages creative engagement and further economic progress through the synergies of professional development, networking, and community building. A full range of workshops will cover creative entrepreneurship, arts in rural communities, creative districts, arts innovation, and film tracks. Learn More
CFVA Is Supporting CINEMA (Colorado Innovators of New Entertainment, Media, and Arts) and we encourage you to join us. Click here for more information.
PUBLIC CAN VOTE FOR THEIR FAVORITES BEGINNING MAY 1
Dear CFVA members,
Please join us for a Producer's Panel: Independent Feature Filmmaking, Saturday, April 6, 3pm at Su Teatro @ the Denver Civic, 721 Santa Fe Dr with three young filmmakers whose work is being featured at XicanIndie XV: Latino World Cinema. Writer/Director/Actor, Fanny Veliz (HOMEBOUND, 2013), Actor Salvador Benavides, (DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR, 2012) and Director, Douglas Spain (MISSION PARK, 2013) disclose their adventures successfully producing their first feature including concept, fundraising, production and distribution. 
