Tallahassee Film Festival

The Tallahassee Film Festival is introducing a special offer for local college students during its 2011 festivities. Students from FSU, FAMU and TCC will be able to see any film that is featured at the FSU Student Life Center for free with valid school ID.

“One of our festival goals this year is to increase student involvement during TFF,” said Carolyn Smith, Festival Director. “We hope this free opportunity will attract more students and get them interested in further participating in the film festival.”

The Student Life Center will be screening films on Friday and Saturday of the festival. Students will be admitted along with general admission, after All Access Pass holders are seated. The free student offer is only available at the FSU Student Life Center.  If students wish to attend screenings at other venues, they will need to buy an All Access Pass or general admission tickets.

Films at the speed of your story!

The Tallahassee Film Festival and Tallahassee.com are proud to sponsor the 4th annual 48 Hour Film Contest Friday, March 18th through Sunday March 20th.

Show your talent on this neck breaking process of storytelling. If you have what it takes to script, shoot and edit a five-minute film in just 48 hours, and have fun in the process, then sign up and rally your team!

At the start of the contest, teams will receive a theme, prop and a line of dialogue that must be prevalent and congruent with each film’s storyline.

Interested filmmakers are encouraged to attend a short seminar Wednesday, March 16 at the TCC Capital Center downtown from 6:00– 8:00PM.

On Friday, March 18, the theme, prop and line of dialogue will be revealed. These three elements must be included in your film. All finished work must be submitted by 7:00PM on Sunday, March 20. All of the films will be posted on our sponsor’s site, Tallahassee.com.

From March 31 to April 8, Family, friends and the community at large vote will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite films on Tallahassee.com. The winners of each category will receive a trophy and cash award during the Tallahassee Film Festival award ceremony and the Audience Choice award will be given to the film with the most online votes. So, be ready to vote!

This year the contest takes a new and refreshing turn, there has been a revamping of the competition categories:

Independent Filmmakers Category (IFC) This category welcomes those enthusiasts with semi-professional, amateur and novice knowledge of filmmaking.

Students Category (SC) This category is open for students at the high school and college level who are keen in making their artistic presence be noticed.

Clean those lenses, charge your camera batteries and un-dust your trusty script writing software. You’ve got 48 hours to turn in your best!

Happy moviemaking!

Sincerely,

Carlos Miranda
48-Hour Film Contest Committee Director

SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 16th – A short seminar on filmmaking will be held at the TCC Capital Center 6:00PM – 8:00PM. Room to be determined.

Friday, March 18th – The theme, specific prop, and a line of dialogue, which must be included in your film, will be emailed to all the teams.

Sunday, March 20th – All finished work must be submitted by 7:00PM.

All the movies will then be posted on our sponsor’s website, Tallahassee.com, so encourage your family, friends and the community vote for their favorites!

The winners of each category will receive a trophy and cash award during the Tallahassee Film Festival award ceremony. The Audience choice award will be given to the story with the most online votes.  So, be ready to vote!

Last chance to register for the Digi-Explorers Workshop!

The deadline to register for the Digi-Explorers “Script to Screen” workshop has been extended to Friday, March 4th! The one-day workshop is designed specifically for middle school students, teaching them the basics of production. Students will learn about story structure, writing, direction, camera operation, sound and editing. They will also collaborate on one-minute digital video projects, and selected winners will receive awards and will be recognized on the TFF website.

The workshop will take place Saturday, March 19, from 9 am to 4 pm at TCC. It costs $25 per participant, including materials and lunch. There are also five scholarship opportunities available.

Eligible students must be in middle school in Leon County or its surrounding areas. Advanced registration is required and participation is limited. Please register online by visiting www.tallahasseefilmfestival.com.

The Tallahassee Film Festival is right around the corner and as final preparations are underway, TFF has announced its 2011 judges. The group consists of 11 judges whose talents span different aspects of the film industry. They each have “Something Wild” to offer.

Judges are an integral part of a film festival. They hold a filmmaker’s future in their hands and can give an unknown filmmaker a voice and a rising star added credibility. A judge’s expertise in selecting film festival award recipients can help catapult a filmmaker to the next level, a critical step in identifying the next Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg or Christopher Nolan.

“Selecting experienced judges is important to the success of the film festival and its continued growth,” said Carolyn Smith, TFF Executive Director. “This year’s judges are qualified professionals with a variety of industry and film experience who bring something fresh to the judging table.”

The festival award winners will be announced at the “Best of Fest” Awards Ceremony on April 9, 2011 at Mission San Luis.

The 2011 Tallahassee Film Festival Judges include:

• Dr. Malcolm Armstrong – An Associate Professor of Speech and Film at Tallahassee Community College, Dr. Armstrong received his B.A. and M.A. from California State University, Chico and his Ph.D. in Mass Communication from Florida State University.
• Dr. Valliere Richard Auzenne – A documentary filmmaker and associate professor, she teaches screenwriting, film history, professional development and documentary filmmaking. In 2007, she co-directed and co-produced two documentaries, Breaking the Silence: Torture Victims Speak Out and The Trees Have a Mother.
• Chip Chambers – Do you remember Melrose Place and the original Beverley Hills: 90210 ? Well I’m sure Chip Chalmers does. He directed the series. Chalmers is a director of film, television, and theatre with more than 100 credits. He is currently the Head of Production and a Filmmaker in Residence at the Florida State University Film School.
• Mark Hinson – A film buff and community advocate, Mark Hinson is the Senior Writer, Movie Reviewer and Columnist at the Tallahassee Democrat.
• Tim McNeal – Mr. McNeal is the Vice President of Talent Development and Diversity for Disney ABC Television Group (DATG). McNeal oversees DATG’s Talent Development programs. He expands the scope of these programs across DATG to include Disney Channel and ABC Family. Earlier in his career, McNeal was the Vice President of Drama Development for The WB where he was responsible for shepherding the development of the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek and Felicity.
• Valerie Peacock – Valarie Peacock serves as the Capital Region Film Commissioner for the Florida Film and Television Office in Tallahassee.
• Jeff Peters, Esq. – Producer, editor and novelist.
• Valarie Scoon – For seven years, Valerie Scoon, was the Director of Development for Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. The American History and Literature Harvard graduate is currently a producer, creative director, professor and filmmaker in Residence at Florida State University Film School.
• Dr. Andrew Syder – Currently works as a filmmaker and assistant professor at the Florida State University Film School. Prior to joining FSU, Dr. Syder assisted in the development of USC’s Institute for Multimedia Literacy. He studied film at the University of Southern California (Ph.D.) and the University of Warwick (B.A. and M.A.).
• Tyler Turkle – He is an artist, sculptor and filmmaker and director of the Venom Research Institute. From 1975 to 1987, he taught art, photography and filmmaking at Florida State University as a Visiting Lecturer, Assistant Professor and Artist-in-Residence. Turkle’s films and videos have been shown with his paintings and sculptures in museums and galleries throughout the United States and Europe.

Keeping with this year’s “Something Wild” theme, The Tallahassee Film Festival is pleased to announce a partnership with the IMAX Challenger Learning Center. Together, the two organizations are presenting a “wild” opportunity for families across Tallahassee to experience the new film Born To Be Wild 3D.

TFF “All Access” Pass holders will get the additional benefit of the new film for only $6 ($2 savings) from April 8-10 at the IMAX Challenger Learning Center. Each moviegoer will also receive a free 32 oz. popcorn to enjoy during the show. This is a wonderful chance to spend quality family time and expose children to film – all at an affordable price!

Narrated by Academy-Award® winner Morgan Freeman, Born to be Wild 3D is directed by David Lickley and written and produced by Drew Fellman. This Warner Bros. film will open nationwide on April 8, 2011 exclusively in IMAX theatres.

Born to be Wild 3D documents orphaned orangutans and elephants and the extraordinary people who rescue and raise them—saving endangered species one life at a time. It is a heartwarming adventure transporting moviegoers into the lush rainforests of Borneo and across the rugged Kenyan savannah, as these incredible animals are rescued, rehabilitated and returned back to the wild.

TFF will also be giving away 15 tickets to a special advanced screening of Born to be Wild 3D on Facebook and Twitter.  Be among the first to see this wonderful film!   For a chance to win tickets, All-Access Passes and other prizes, “like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TallahasseeFilmFestival and “follow” us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tallyfilmfest.

Filmmakers – Stay tuned to your e-mail! If you entered your film to the Tallahassee Film Festival for the 2011 lineup, notifications for selection are being sent out this week. An email will be sent to the individual who submitted the film through Withoutbox, using the e-mail account they provided. The e-mail will detail whether or not the film has been accepted and whether it qualified for competition.

Keep checking our website to see the lineup grow, as films accepted will be updated throughout the week. There were so many great films entered this year, and we are excited to be able to present to the Tallahassee audience the best of the best!

If you do not hear from us one way or another, by February 14, 2011, please let us know. We’ll be in touch!