[Vcfilmmakers-l] 2 1/2 Things

[Kyle Porter]

1. Harvest Ball Video

Hey everyone! This is Jon Miller, VP and on the planning committee for the harvest ball video. For those of you who don't know, the Vassar Filmmakers was asked to create a 30-minute compilation of clips from classic hollywood movies for this year's Harvest Ball. Though a few of us are coordinating the production (anyone is welcome to join! e-mail me at jonmiller at vassar. We'll need lots of editing help later), we're going to need everyone's help. It should be fun, and won't take much too work on your part. 

We need:
1) Clips from "Classic Hollywood" (if you're not exactly sure what this refers to, look at #3). There will be no sound, so we are looking for very visually enticing clips- bits of action, iconic images, etc. If they are speaking during the image, that's all right, but keep in mind no one will hear it (we're not doing intertitles or subtitles). Clips can be short, such as a close-up, or longer, like an action-filled scene. To keep the quality consistent, we're thinking of only taking clips from DVDs. Does anyone have knowledge of how to do this/have software to do this? If so, please e-mail me. 

2)We're going to be keeping a temoporary blog for this video so we can keep track of the clips we're using and don't overlap with each other. When you find a clip you want to use, please log onto the blog. The link is http://hbvideoblog.blogspot.com/ - go to www.blogger.com and sign in with vassarfilmharvest at yahoo.com and VCfilmharvest- let me know if you have any trouble. You will find more information posted on the blog. 

3) Here are some classic Hollywood actors and a couple of movies. We think this is a pretty comprehensive list of actors, but if you think of more, feel free to add. We're trying to steer away from the silent era, but we thought Buster Keton and Charlie Chaplan would be fine since they're so easily recognizable. We're also staying only in B+W. We're looking specifically to find clips to make the sequences listed at the bottom, though we're certainly interested in any good clips you guys can find- the sequences are just a part of it.

Actors:
Marylin Monroe
James Dean
Ingrid Bergman
Humphry Bogart
Jimmy Stewart
Fred Ester
Ginger Rogers
Micky Roony
Judy Garlend
Clark Gabel
Merlin Ditrich
Betty Davis
Joan Croford
Charley Chaplin
Grace Kelly
Paul Robson
Kary Grant
Orsen Wells
John Wayne
Henry Fonda
Gary Cooper
Audrey Hepburn
Spencer Tracy
Kathrin Hepburn
Dick Van Dyke
Cyd Charisse
Veronica Lake
Henri Fonda
Jene Kelly

Movies:
Cleopatra
Casablanca
Citizen Kane
It's a wonderful life
12 angry men
Psycho
Some like it hot
Roman Holiday
Adam's Rib

Sequences:
Dancing
Kissing / embracing
Close-ups
Action sequences
Dramatic crying
Smoking cigars
"The End"s 



2. Here's an email I received - I probably won't follow up with this but feel free to look into it on your own if you wish:

Hi Kyle,
  My name is Topher and I work for a publishing company, Electric Literature, here in Brooklyn. I noticed that you were the main contact for the Vassar Filmmakers and just wanted to let you know about a new sponsorship we are starting.
  We are starting a new sponsorship program called Project Generator. The idea behind the sponsorship program is to help struggling artists find a way to produce their ideas to the fullest extent.
  Here at Electric Literature we know what it is like to be young and struggling and we want to help change that. We hope with our Project Generator Sponsorship we can revitalize the arts.
  Below I have pasted our mission statement for the sponsorship. If you could just pass that along to the students in the Vassar Filmmakers that would be wonderful and much appreciated.
   Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Topher



E L E C T R I C L I T E R A T U R E
325 Gold St. Suite 303, Brooklyn NY 11201
topher at electricliterature.com


Electric Literature: Project Generator

        Got a lightbulb over your head but no juice? Electric Literature is starting a creative project sponsorship program. Whether it’s a short film, a book of poetry or stories, artwork, a website, recording an album, or anything you can come up with—Electric Literature wants to supply creative people with the power to launch their projects. The idea is to celebrate art, not squander it.

        We want to help you fund your dream. Here’s how it will work:  Let’s say you want to make a short film—but you don’t have the cash for a camera, or software, or lights. To help raise money, you can sell subscriptions to Electric Literature. E-Subscriptions only cost $24 for 6 issues. $12 of each subscription goes to fund your project – that’s 50%. So, to pay for a budget of $1200 for their film, all your group has to do is sell 100 subscriptions to family, friends, or classmates. It ends up being a great deal for the subscribers, too – for only $4 an issue of Electric Literature, they get the most inspiring contemporary fiction collection out there.

But that’s not where it ends. Every project we sponsor in this way, we’ll also promote. We’ll publicize it through the magazine, our website and on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. We’ll also be there to lend a helping hand, giving feedback to the people making it.
        
        Electric Literature’s projects have been written about in the New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Boing Boing, Gawker, and in Entertainment Weekly, to name a few. We’ll be proud to spread the word about any project Electric Literature sponsors.

        So that’s the deal. Start a project. Fund it by selling EL subscriptions. We’ll help you make it happen, and we’ll show it to the world when you’re done.
        
        Interested? Email Topher at electricliterature.com with details about your idea.

        About Us
Electric Literature was founded by writers who believe literary fiction needs a new publishing model, and short story writers need a light on the horizon. We are a bi-monthly collection of five short stories. We publish work with a strong voice that captures our readers and leads them somewhere exciting, unexpected, and meaningful. Our mission is to use innovative distribution and new media to return the short story to a place of prominence in popular culture.

Publishing digitally and print-on-demand eliminates upfront printing costs and enables us to pay writers $1,000 per story. Our iPhone applications, videos, street teams, and other acts of digital and physical activism help us reach younger readers and grow beyond the typical literary magazine audience.

By publishing great work by writers like Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer-prize winning author of The Hours, Colson Whitehead, and Jim Shepard, we hope to engage a new generation of readers on their terms.

You can read more about us at www.electricliterature.com.




2 1/2. Remember to be working on ideas over the break and please email me with any project ideas you have, as well as any questions or concerns. Also let me know if you have any further event ideas.


Film Festin' it up in DC,
Kyle