I was writing a review of The Mistakes Madeline Made and was scrambling around looking for links to the actors in case people wanted more info about the talented cast members. Most had something but a few had nothing that came up in Google other than some old reviews. This is a problem if you are in a business where getting your image and information about your work out there is crucial.

Here’s an example of a site for Mary Bliss Mather, who kicks creative butt on a regular basis. While I’m not crazy about the design (Mary Bliss – let’s talk) it gets the message out:
http://www.geocities.com/maryblissmather/

You don’t need to even spend money on a site if you use  Facebook, Biznik.com or LinkedIn. DON’T use your personal facebook account. You’ve got your regular facebook profile to find dates, share photos of you passed out on the sidewalk, whine about having to donate plasma so you can make rent this month (like we all don’t do that) or tell us all what you had for breakfast. Create a new page (use the pages feature in facebook rather than creating a new profile) and keep it current.

If you blog on a regular basis, and link to it from your other sites and pages, you can significantly improve the search results for your pages when someone is searching for your name or your company name. Regular means at least once a week. You don’t have to write a huge essay, just keep people posted with your thoughts on acting, fun things happening around town, shows you like, etc. It’s a way of connecting with people you might not otherwise interact with – what networking is all about for a performer. You can set up a free blog on wordpress.com.

So the next time you wow me with a performance, I want to see your smiling face and resume up on the Web – got it?

Because of my experiences with their previous productions, I went in with high expectations for the latest Washington Ensemble Theatre production, The Mistakes Madeline Made. I was not disappointed. Written by Elizabeth Meriwether, with inspired direction by Michael Place, Madeline is heartbreakingly funny and brutally clear-eyed in its depiction of grief, survivor’s guilt and redemption.

A talented cast brings the piece to life on a deceptively simple set designed by Tommer Peterson and lit by Andrew D. Smith. Ray Tagavilla’s Wilson is extraordinary – bringing the energy of Jim Carrey with a charmingly balanced and measured  sensitivity. Elise Hunt’s fierce performance as Edna is winning and touching and heartfelt, perfectly played against with the gifted Mary Bliss Mather’s  cold surface tension that belies the repressed boiling passions and resentments. With the truthful discomfort that both versions of the television series The Office churn up in me, Mary Bliss gives us the sense that she almost believes all the drivel about duty and doing a good job for the family that spews out of her mouth. Almost. Taylor Maxwell brings fine dramatic support as Buddy and Noah Benezra delivers strong comic energy in his multiple roles.

Tickets are available thought brownpapertickets.com.  Go buy some.

Greenspoke is getting close to done. I’m happy with the edit, still tweaking the sound, color, sub-titles and effects. Now the paper chase begins. It’s one thing to finish a film but you still need to get it out where someone will actually see it. While film festivals usually won’t get on your case asking for release forms and such, they do expect you to have them and when you enter you assume responsibility for having them (read those rules next time).

Getting worldwide distribution for last year’s  two julias from Ouat! Media in Toronto taught me all kinds of lessons as I scrambled to get the paperwork they required. Save yourself some headaches:

1. Edit with music you actually have a chance of getting licensed for ALL media (not just festival licensing) without taking out a second or third mortgage.
2. Get all the cast, crew and music release forms up front – BEFORE you pay them.
3. Be prepared to do a dialogue list which notes each line and the time code in which it occurs in the film. This is deadly boring but absolutely necessary. You want your film to be shown in non-English speaking markets don’t you? Sub-titles and/or the dreaded dubbing are a part of being in a worldwide film market. You may be able to find a nice film intern to do it for you.
4. Be prepared with GOOD production stills – avoid the urge to hand a PA a crappy digital still camera and hire a good photographer.
5. Watch for non-music clearance issues (logos, recognizable locations, artwork visible in the frame). You can get a film school intern to help with this.
6. Learn the difference between a license and distribution. A simple way to think of it is that a license is a one-off, whereas distribution can be multiple licenses for different media (theatrical, DVD, internet, etc). If you’re lucky enough to get an offer for your film, read the agreement and get professional advice if anything is unclear. An entertainment lawyer will run $200 an hour and up, but there are groups that offer low cost advice to artists like Washington Lawyers for the Arts.

Some other things to think about:

1. Self-publish your short on DVD if you want to make it easily available. Print-on-demand services like createspace.com are great but you won’t make much money. Your title will show up on amazon.com if you use createspace, but they take yet another chunk o’ change. If you want to handle shipping and ordering stock, you’ll make more but it is more hassle. Createspace does have a pretty good deal  when you order your stock so you can combine both options there. If your distributor wants to do their own DVD, you can always take it down. And you already have artwork they may want to use. Another interesting option is IndieFlix – your film can be available for download or as a DVD.
2. Don’t be passive. Take control of your career in as many ways as you can and don’t give up because one festival or one agent doesn’t want you.
3. You’re trying to set up a business. Yes you are, you starving artist you. Treat it like a business. Make a budget and stick to it. Find reliable, knowledgeable people to help. This can happen through networking with other filmmakers but also through small business support organizations like SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives), the Small Business Administration and Small Business Development Centers.
4. Consider going under a nonprofit status. This can be extremely helpful in fundraising because your donors can deduct their donations from their taxes. Rich people love that. Not so rich people love it too. I’m in the process of doing the paperwork (yes there is more paperwork) to be considered by a local organization called Shunpike that is focused on fiscal sponsorships and helping artists better manage the business of art.
5. Don’t get discouraged. Most of you aren’t doing this because you are trying to get rich. That would be nice, but you do it because you love filmmaking. It speaks to you on a level that no other activity reaches. Take care of business and you’ll be able to keep doing this thing you love so much.
6. Make a kickass product regardless of your budget. Creative choices can turn limitations into strengths. Be flexible without diluting the strength of your product. Watch the project evolve into something entirely fresh because you never imagined casting this amazing actor who didn’t fit your initial visual concept but is working on deferred comp, or setting the piece in the 1940s because you scored access to the costumes from a WWII-era version of Othello.

Just a note in closing – I’m struggling here as much as the next filmmaker. I’d love to hear your ideas, comments and constructive criticism.

I correctly guessed four out of the seven categories I predicted. Not bad considering that I only saw two of the films in the major categories.

Other than plastic surgery, free-floating ego and stylists that is.

OK – I’m embarassed to say that I have only seen two of the movies that received any major Oscar nominations:
The Visitor – Richard Jenkins performance was wonderful
The Dark Knight – this got too hyped so I was a little disappointed

Being so disconnected came from a combination of waiting for things to come on cable and watching the cash flow since I was laid off from my day job in June.

I am going to use the very unscientific method I used for the America’s Next Top Model office pool at my former employer WaMu. The pool organizers would pass around a sheet with photos of all the contenders and you would pick the finalists in order, who would cry first, the biggest b*tch, etc. I usually did better than most people based on the photo alone. I didn’t watch the show.

Based on the photos/clips/trailers I have seen and what little media has slipped in while I’ve been heads-down editing my environmentally themed sci-fi thriller Greenspoke (look for it on the festival circuit later this year), these are my predictions (thanks to Raj Rayru for the list I copied and pasted):

Best Actor
Sean Penn – Milk
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

Brad Pitt – who doesn’t like a buff little old guy? That could apply to Mickey Rourke too though and I loved his speech at the BAFA awards ceremony.
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Best Actress
Ann Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Kate Winslet – The Reader
Melissa Leo – Frozen River

Kate Winslet – the dark dark side of Summer of ‘42 and just the right actress to pull that off
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Best Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin – Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Robert Downey Jr – Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road

Heath Ledger – again the buzz is deafening, and this is a nice way to say goodbye
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Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams– Doubt
Viola Davis – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Christina Barcelona
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Taraji Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei – clips look wonderful. Amy Adams is the only other clip I’ve seen – I adore her but don’t think that film is going to do well in the awards after seeing the play.
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Best Director
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher – Benjamin Button
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk

Ron Howard – because I hope that movies that examine our political past and future get recognition
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Best Picture
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher – Benjamin Button
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant – Milk

Slumdog Millionaire – because the Oscar business is entertainment
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Best Animated Picture
Wall-E
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda

Wall-E – because Karen Lloyd (storyboard guru) adores this movie
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This is all in fun and based in ignorant gut feeling with little scientific or cultural significance. Let’s see how that works out. Now to get back to editing Greenspoke.

We currently have two DVDs available on createspace.com. Enter this 15% discount code when you check out: J84B5NPP

two julias: A young woman looking for love online gets entangled in a counter-terrorism specialist’s kinky sex game. His mind should really be on his work.
http://www.createspace.com/Store/ShowEStore.jsp?id=250395

Uncomfortably Personal: sportscaster Belle Rosen’s job is on the line with an in-depth profile of eating champion Nikki Angel
http://www.createspace.com/Store/ShowEStore.jsp?id=252787