Biagio

Biagio married way out of his league when he bamboozled Joke into saying "I do." Together he and his wife produce television, film, a podcast, and anything else that requires no sleep and a touch of crazy. Find Biagio connecting with you on Twitter, putting out video on Youtube, liking what you do on Facebook, and trying to understand Google+.

Sold out Premiere. Standing Ovation. Dying to do Letterman.

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photo by studiomix The greatest feeling a filmmaker can have? For us, it may have been the moment we had to give our seats away because the screening completely sold out. Well, until 80 minutes later when we received a standing ovation at the world premiere of our film, Dying to do Letterman. Or, 30 … Read more

How to Hijack a Film Festival

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Okay, well, maybe “hijack” is a bit harsh…we’d never want to take anything away from the other great filmmakers we’re playing along side. But, in an attempt to stand out amongst the other 173 films playing at the Cinequest Film Festival, we’ve made an elaborate plan involving hospital scrubs, flyers, interactive buttons, and lots of … Read more

Michael Rooker Now Online

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You all know how we love our good pal and acting god Michael Rooker. Well, he’s online all over the place, and here’s a little video we put together so you can find him real easy. Props to Linda Webster at IJL Designs for making Michael’s new website.

Cut Notes for Final Cut Pro Rocks Post Production

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I still remember the day Nate Orloff, our assistant editor, came in with his iPad. It was geek-out-at-first-sight. Everyone in the office was excited, myself included. I am a geek, after all, and the iPad was truly Geek-a-licious.

Nate and I even put together a short video showing how to write a screenplay on an iPad using Pages and a screenwriting template we made (this was before there was a plethora of screenwriting apps on the App Store).

When Nate told me his idea for an iPad app called Cut Notes, I was jazzed. It’s only appropriate that Nate found Jon Chappell of Digital Rebellion the same way I found Nate, via Twitter. They partnered up last fall and a few weeks ago, released version v1.0 of Cut Notes for iPad.

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Jon Chappell and Nate Orloff found time to answer a few of my questions about the app and the process making it:

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Amanda Lin Costa on a Tight Deadlne

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Amanda Lin Costa, filmmaker, Her Letters photo credit Emon Hassan

In part one of our interview with Amanda, she talked about the (difficult!) process of adapting a short story into a short film. The catch…this story has “zero dialogue AND psychological and emotional deterioration as it’s main plot points.” Good read. Check it out.

We ended by discussing how she was shooting the film on the Canon 5D Mark II, one of the leading models in the new rage to shoot video on cameras traditionally meant to shoot stills.

The benefit to doing so is getting some amazing images that have a very cinematic feel, and shallow depth of focus. Her cinematographer Emon Hassan was able to deliver some spectacular results. Check out these two “top secret” still frames from “Her Letters.”

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Steve’s Voicemail from Cinequest

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Check out the voicemail Steve just left me, minutes after announcing the world premiere of our documentary Dying to do Letterman at the Cinequest Film Festival media event.

Announcing the World Premiere of Dying to do Letterman

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After six years, the journey is only just beginning. Cinequesting! We’re pleased to announce that the world premiere of Dying to do Letterman will be at the Cinequest Film Festival, in San Jose, California, Friday, March 4th at 7pm! The film will also play Sunday, March 6th at 7pm, and Tuesday, March 8th, at 5pm. … Read more

Getting Outer Space

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So, we’re on a shoot in the middle of Louisiana. The PA (production assistant) a funny kid named Kemerton Hargrove, says, “Hey, me and my friend Evan made a movie. It’s kind of embarrassing because I acted in it, too. You want to see the trailer?” Now, this happens fairly often on these shoots, and … Read more

Amanda Lin Costa is a Hands-On Producer

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Amanda Lin Costa, filmmaker, Her Letters photo credit Emon Hassan

She’s one of our faves on Twitter. Writing, directing, producing, editing…Amanda Lin Costa is a woman after our own heart. Her current project is a short film called Her Letters, a dramatic story of the dilemma a husband faces when his wife dies and leaves him a packet of letters with a foreboding request. She wants him to destroy the letters…without opening them.

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Featured Kickstarter Project: A Year Without Rent

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Lucas McNelly just may be the living embodiment of the indy film spirit. What a cool guy…a sort of “travelling filmmaker.” We’ll let him explain (see the video.) Suffice it to say, we saw fit to pledge $25 to the cause, and you can do the same here. Lucas’ project also has a place in … Read more