Best kept secret in filmmaking? Another shoot in Mobile!

 So...now South Alabama is apparently a great place to shoot! Duh. I already touched on this two years ago, but it is worth repeating. Last year, I worked in the Production Office on Yellow Day. This year, Tokarev is shooting. It starts Nic Cage and is directed by Paco Cabezas.

Look out, New Orleans! Mobile is stealing your productions! It's almost enough for me to ALMOST not miss Los Angeles. Almost.

When Nicolas Cage Comes to Town: TOKAREV to Shoot in Downtown Mobile | Mod Mobilian

Happy Filmmaking!

Blacklisted? A Good Thing!

Used to be if you were blacklisted, you were branded a commie and shamed from "ever working in this town again!" Those days are long gone. Today, it is an honor to be blacklisted. This new Black List is just shy of five years old, but what a tot it is!

The mysterious and exclusive Black List is an annual list of unproduced screenplays that are making waves in development departments across Hollywood. Think of it as the slush pile from Heaven. Last December, LA Times revealed the history behind the name and its founder. The "Black" in "Black List" is to counter the connotation associated with the word (is that a little of Malcolm X I hear?). I agree that Black is Beautiful, although it's clear I have a bias.

If on the list, there is a high probably you might receive an option. Although, not everyone likes the idea of the Black List. Here is an blog article slightly critical towards it, as well as the commenters.

Films created from the Black List include:

Juno

Charlie Wilson's War

The Kiterunner

The Queen

Million Little Pieces

Black Snake Moan

Babel

Dan in Real Life

We Are Marshall

..and many many others.

Happy Filmmaking.

One more reason to love indies!

On the eve of what may be another industry strike, Hollywood execs seem to be focusing on other entertaining entities: toys. After the success of Transformers, execs try their hand at other classic toys. This proves three things:

1.) Actors are disposable.
2.) "Male" toys are way more interesting than "female" toys.
3.) Studios and marketing wizards will stop at nothing to sell you something, even in a bust economy.

I'm pretty sure I am the not the only cinephile fed up with the two-hour commercials dressed up as movies. At least with indies, the focus lies on the story, not with product placement. Otherwise all indies would look like this:



How about this, Hollywood: instead of pandering to the 15-year-old boy who just grew out of his G.I. Joe stage, make some deals that will overall boost the quality of pictures that will put some butts back into the seats? That's the difference between today and the 1930s. I'm not saying the 30s were perfect--with the overmarketing of sound and all--but it did churn out some great classics. Learn from the past, Hollywood.

Happy Filmmaking!