Parc Entertainment - A Video Production Company - Birmingham, AL

In 2003 director Lexi Alexander teamed up with Hunter Films to produce Johnny Flynton, a short-film that went on to receive an Oscar nomination. Now, Alexander returns to Alabama to shoot Lifted, a feature that centers on a young boy striving to make life better for himself and his family through his passion for R&B music. This production will be taking advantage of the filmmaker tax-incentive legislation that was recently passed by representatives in Montgomery. Hopefully, Lifted will mark a new surge in film production across the state.

The film starts shooting today and will run for the next three weeks. I will be on set for at least four days shooting behind-the-scenes footage that will ultimately be used in the film’s marketing efforts. Our goal is to capture the southern flavor of the locale and highlight the capable and talented Alabama crew that will be working tirelessly to see this film through to completion. Not only do we hope to promote the film as a whole, but we want to promote Alabama as a great place for filmmakers.

For marketers and PR professionals, timely communication with your audience is important to maintaining a strong brand. In a world where news, opinions, reviews, and customer feedback is almost instantaneous, issues must be dealt with now, not later. You must actively engage in an upfront and honest manner. Consider the following story about director Michael Bay’s recent PR mishap (from Cinematical.com)

Never keep hundreds of people waiting in the rain for hours. Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, and Megan Fox did just that in South Korea on June 9. An estimated crowd of 600 fans and press lined up in Seoul early to see the red-carpet premiere of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, according to Screen Daily, and were then disappointed when the Transformers entourage arrived 80 minutes late, spending only a few minutes with the crowd. Members of the press were further distressed when the group arrived 30 minutes late to a scheduled news conference the next day, and some staged a walk-out.

Bay has now issued a written apology, explaining that “traveling from another country, and not allowing enough time for airport delays, city traffic and hotel check-in,” and that the press conference delay was due to the “serious pain” he was experiencing from a pulled back muscle. (The group traveled directly from the premiere in Tokyo, Japan.) Damage control was necessary, not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because bloggers had started a campaign to boycott the film in theaters, while local distributor CJ Entertainment insists that interest in the film remains high.

As in the U.S., Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens in Korea on June 24. The first Transformers made even more money outside the U.S. than within, so it makes sense to court international audiences, but this incident demonstrates once again that no one likes to be shortchanged or taken for granted.

I particularly like the last line of this article, “No one likes to be shortchanged or taken for granted.” Let your audience know you appreciate them. Communicate with them. Ask for their ideas and input. And utilize the power of video to get your message out to a mass audience.

If you work in a company or non-profit with a proud history, there will come  a time when a committee will be organized to plan an event that coincides with  an important milestone. The event will feature all the usual fanfare, including a brief video that documents the history of the company or non-profit.

During one committee meeting, the chairperson will turn to you with a stack of tapes and DVDs, place them in front of you, and say, “Here’s some footage and still images from the past 50 years. I’m putting you in charge of getting this video edited.”

This can an overwhelming task, considering the amount of raw footage you have to work with. And the costs of post-production can get out of hand quick if you aren’t careful. So how can you keep your costs down and come out the other side with a polished product?

1. Don’t Procrastinate - This is the first mistake that many people make and it results from the belief that any video can be assembled at the last minute. Start talking to production companies right away and give them your deadline. Look at our previous post for tips on production schedules. Remember that some production companies will charge more for rush jobs. If you are duplicating the final video, you want to give yourself at least two weeks so the duplication house can turn the job around in plenty of time.
2. Log the Footage Yourself - Sorting through a lot of raw footage is incredibly time consuming, but if you want to keep your costs low, you need to be the one to log all the footage. Create a spreadsheet listing each tape by its numerical designation. Then, when one scene starts, record the timecode. Record the timecode again when that scene ends. This log sheet will help your editor find shots quickly and efficiently. It’s also important to make a note next to those shots that definitely need to be included in the video.
3. Write the Script, If You Are Qualified - I’ve worked with many clients who have their own marketing department and by the time I’m hired, they have a script in place for their video. Having a script prepared will help you keep your costs low, but remember that the quality of your final video depends a lot on the quality of the script. If you have experienced marketing people in your company, then you might want to consider writing the script in-house. Otherwise, specify to your production company that you will need their writing services.
4. Stay Away From Copyrighted Material - Sometimes you might need additional footage in your video to compliment what you already have. If you are on a tight budget and a tight time table, it would be wise to stay away from copyrighted material. Securing licensing rights can be time-consuming and expensive. Use public domain footage as an alternative. You can also buy stock footage and stock photos at a decent price.

The last thing you need when you are volunteering your time to produce a video for a public event is an anxiety attack. So, take time to educate yourself on the production process and you can keep your costs and your stress level low.

In a post last summer I mentioned SnagFilms as a great place to find free documentary film content on the web. Recently, Hulu has gained popularity among online video watchers. On the site you can watch movies, current TV shows, classic films, and a host of other clips — all for free. And the quality of the videos on Hulu looks great.

Now the two sites have teamed up. A press release on the SnagFilms website announces that SnagFilm documentaries will now be made available on Hulu. Here’s an excerpt:

SnagFilms brings the best nonfiction films to the web audience, promotes viral web distribution through virtual movie theater widgets, and engages viewers to assist in charitable and community efforts. “SnagFilms was created to make more great films available to the broadest possible audience. Now with Hulu we can delight viewers on one of the Internet’s most-visited video sites with a growing set of documentaries from our large library, and deepen the already broad set of entertainment choices that Hulu offers,” said Rick Allen CEO of SnagFilms.

I look forward to perusing the site for solid documentary content. Now it’s just finding the time to watch the films.

Everyone involved in the production industry here in Alabama is keeping his fingers crossed for this bit of legislation to pass. Here’s a brief report from NBC13 News.

At one point or another you have found in your email inbox a letter from some Nigerian national who is interested in doing business with you, or has informed you that you have won some kind of lottery. The business proposal usually involves help in transferring a large amount of money and that you will be compensated for your help. Obviously these proposals are scams; an attempt to persuade you to hand over all your savings. 419 The Nigerian Scam is a film that sheds light onto this cyber-con and tells the stories of those who fell victim to it. You can read all about the film and view a trailer on the official website.

George Lucas is telling MTV that discussions are under way for Indy 5, and that if produced, it would center on Indy and not Mutt Williams (thank god). Lucas also indicated that they are working on an object for Indy to go after. Should there be a fifth Indiana Jones movie? If so, what should be the focus of Indy’s search? Read the full article here.

I saw this article on Cinematical today. What are your opinions? Should people really be getting this upset?

Thousands of films are made every year, but only a small fraction enjoy a wide release in theatres nationwide. Some enjoy limited release in major markets, meaning that people in Small Town, USA will probably never see them. Others go straight to DVD. Some find success on the film festival circuit, but go no further. Sometimes it’s difficult to find great, original films with summer blockbusters and Hollywood remakes taking up precious cinema space. However, Web 2.0 has made it possible for filmmakers to get their work out to audiences. The latest online service that I’ve come across is SnagFilms.

I first read about SnagFilms in The Birmingham News. In the Tech Report section I saw an article by Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal giving readers the low-down on this website. Essentially, SnagFilms exposes the viewer to all kinds of documentary film that otherwise might never be seen. And it’s free to use. Viewers can even place these full-length docs onto their favorite social networking site, like Facebook. You can view the films full screen if you like and some provide links to external sites where you can purchase DVDs.

I found the following article at The Guardian. After 80 years, missing scenes to Fritz Lang’s silent film Metropolis have been uncovered in a museum in Argentina. The missing scenes will shed light on many questions film buffs have had since the film was released in the States in the latter part of the 1920s. Definitely an interesing read.

The cinematic world was today celebrating the rediscovery of missing scenes from German director Fritz Lang’s legendary silent film Metropolis - thought lost for 80 years, until they were found in the archive of a museum in Argentina.

Key scenes cut from the science fiction picture - either because they were considered to be too brutal or too long - will now be available for the first time since May 1927, when the original version was last shown in Berlin, where it flopped badly.

The head of the Berlin film museum Deutsche Kinematik, Dr Rainer Rother, called the find a “sensational discovery”, adding that one of the most famous films of all time “can now be seen through new eyes”.

Metropolis, which is set in a futuristic city state and explores the clash between workers and their capitalist exploiters, was at the time one of the most expensive films ever made. Produced in the Babelsberg studios on the outskirts of Berlin, it cost around 7m Reichsmarks, but was hated by critics and the public alike. It was shortened by the American company Paramount Pictures, who considered it impenetrable for the US market, leading to an oversimplification of the plot, the disappearance of key scenes and the sidelining of significant characters.

But the restored version, which has so far been seen by only a handful of film experts and critics in Berlin, is said to throw light on key questions that have puzzled and tantalised generations of film buffs.

The uncut version is said to solve the mystery as to why Maria, the workers’ insurrectionist leader, is mistaken by a baying mob for her doppelganger, a female robot.

Schmale, a spy who is sent by the autocratic leader of the futuristic city, Joh Frederson, to pursue his son, Freder, plays a minor role in the cut version, but a significant supporting role in the original. “The role … can finally be understood,”

Rother said. A scene in which children are saved from the workers’ underworld is also said to be “much more dramatic” - and more violent - than in the cut version.

The rediscovery, revealed by the newspaper Die Zeit, came to light after Paula Felix-Didier, curator of Buenos Aires’ Museo del Cine, acted on a tip-off from a former film club director that the full-length version had been gathering dust in the museum’s archive since the early 90s. Fearing that the discovery would not be taken seriously in Argentina, she flew with the footage to Germany this week to present the film to experts who have deemed it to be authentic.

Die Zeit has reconstructed the story of how the film found its way to Argentina. A copy of the longer version of the film was first sent to Buenos Aires in 1928 at the request of the Terra film distribution company. A film critic called Manuel Pena Rodriquez obtained the reels shortly afterwards, selling them in the 60s to Argentina’s National Art Fund. A copy of them was passed onto the Museo del Cine in 1992, but their value was not fully realised until now.

Helmut Possman, director of the Friedrich-Wilhelm Murnau Foundation which holds the rights to Metropolis, said the film, which is badly scratched, would be made available to the public after it has been restored. “This material, which we had long considered to be lost forever, will help us to a new understanding of Fritz Lang’s masterpiece,” he said.

Martin Köerber, who restored a previous version of Metropolis, expressed his delight at the new footage. He told Die Zeit: “It doesn’t matter how bad the condition of the material is, the original intention of the film, including all of its minor characters and subplots, is now once again tangible for viewers. The rhythm of the film has been restored.”