This workshop is an action-packed day for beginning screenwriters. You’ll get: an introduction to the three-act structure, basics about creating movie characters, film stories and plot construction. Film clips will be shown as examples. You’ll also learn about loglines, synopses and beat sheets. Get ready to kick-start your screenwriting career in this buckle-your-seatbelt introductory workshop taught by a professional screenwriter who has sold pitches and scripts to studios and had films produced.

INTERMEDIATE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP
Saturday, August 28, 2010, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
University of North Florida, University Center, 12000 Alumni Drive, 32224
Instructor: Sharon Y. Cobb

Do you already know the basics of screenwriting but need more? This one-day workshop is for you. You’ll learn about working outside of the common three-act structure and open your writing to alternative story structures. Movie clips will be shown as examples. We’ll do a powerful class writing exercise to help you create organic characters. You’ll learn about how to put emotion on the page and create authentic dialog from a professional screenwriter who has actually sold pitches and scripts to studios and had films produced. This workshop is recommended for students who have either completed the Beginning Screenwriting Workshop or have completed two screenplays.

ADVANCED SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP
Saturday, September 11, 2010, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
University of North Florida, University Center, 12000 Alumni Drive, 32224
Instructor: Sharon Y. Cobb

This one-day workshop is for screenwriters who already know the basics of screenwriting and want to develop more advanced skills. The class will include advanced dialog development and techniques to avoid exposition. Students can participate in writing exercises in class and may share their writing for critique by fellow students and the instructor. Some exercises include: writing powerful opening scenes, introducing protagonists and antagonists by presenting the essence of the character and creating organic and multidimensional characters. Film clips will be shown as examples. This workshop is recommended for students who have either completed the Beginning Screenwriting Workshop or have completed two screenplays.

Click here to enroll or call to register 620-4200.

The top three finalists will have their work screened at Movies in the Park at RAM and receive prizes.

The grand prize winner will receive $200 cash!

The deadline is noon, Tuesday, Aug. 17.

Click here for details.

Walker’s Bar in Riverside

2692 Post Street

6:00pm – 8:00pm

Open to everyone who participated in the 2010 Jacksonville 48 Hour Film Project. Come on out and party with the filmmakers.

And find out who are the nominees for the over 16 prize and award categories from this year’s competition.

The winners will be announced on July 10 at the Awards Show at the Florida Theatre.

Melissa Ross on Making “The 904″ from Natalie Halpern on Vimeo.

Chronicling the stories of people whose lives have forever been changed by the city’s violent crime epidemic like shop owner Brian Martin, who was shot in the stomach and has had multiple surgeries to repair the damage to his colon, it’s a difficult film to watch.

Mary Goodman talks about the murder of her young son, DeJuan Graham, as she holds an urn with his ashes—struggling still to come to terms with his death.

One of the most moving parts of the documentary is Jacksonville Jaguar Richard Collier’s address during the trial of the man who shot him 14 times, leaving him paralyzed and robbing him of his dream of playing football.

As a newcomer to Jacksonville (I moved here two years ago from DC, once the nation’s murder capital), it’s disturbing to know that we’ve been the murder capital of Florida for the last 10 years.

Jacksonville has so many wonderful things going for it: a great quality of life created by the warmth and inclusiveness of its residents, a burgeoning local arts scene, a fantastic symphony, two of the best high schools in the country, and such natural beauty with its marshes, beaches and the scenic St. Johns River forming the backdrop for some of the city’s most charming neighborhoods.

Why is violent crime so rampant?

Like in many other cities socio-economic factors, a racial divide and inequity in education for the city’s poorest play a role. Melissa Ross’ film does a great job of addressing those factors, along with the lack of reentry programs for offenders who serve their sentence only to be sentenced again by society. Instead of achieving rehabilitation through gainful employment and other activities, they become repeat offenders.

Despite the tragedy it documents, the film also has a powerful message of hope.

Melissa Ross on The Biggest Lesson of the Film from Natalie Halpern on Vimeo.

“The 904” was directed by Frank Goodin II and filmed and edited by Bernardo Santana III.  The filmmakers plan to screen the documentary throughout the community and submit it to film festivals around the country.

Click here to learn more about the making of the film and watch a trailer.

The lives of financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who’s just been accused of libel, and of computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, whose troubled past has landed her in jail, intersect as they investigate the disappearance of a wealthy businessman’s niece 40 years ago.

The Swedish film, based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, is part murder mystery, part love story, and part exposé of a dysfunctional family.

Except for a few very violent scenes which were quite difficult to watch, I found myself fascinated by the two main characters’ search for redemption.

The investigation provides Blomkvist an opportunity to clear his name after being set-up by the corrupt tycoon he’s exposed.  For Lisbeth it’s a chance to do something positive with her life and learn to trust someone in a way that has left many emotional scars in her past.

By investigating what the leader of the Vanger family suspects was his niece’s murder, both characters discover how far they will go to seek justice, not only for disappeared Harriet Vanger, but also for the whole of society.

Perhaps I’m digging too deeply, but as I ponder the significance of Lisbeth’s dragon tattoo, seen only twice in the film, I can’t help but wonder if it’s a metaphor.

Does the dragon a represent the emotional demons she’s finally able to slay by solving the case and doing something for the greater good?

Go see the film and let me know what you think.  It’s showing exclusively at the Five Points Theatre for the next two weeks.

Join the Jacksonville Film Festival on Thursday, April 29, 7 p.m at MOCA for an exclusive Jacksonville screening of:

COLLAPSE
A documentary on Michael Ruppert, a police officer turned independent reporter who predicted the current financial crisis in his self-published newsletter, “From the Wilderness.”  Paul Cohen from the Torchlight Program at FSU and Red Hills Releasing will present the film.

Hometown Screening: “Secrets of the Mountain” Viewing Party
Friday, April 16, 8:00 p.m., Mudville Grill, 3105 Beach Blvd.

Come watch NBC’s premiere movie “Secrets of the Mountain” with the film’s writer Dante Amodeo of Jacksonville. It’s a family-friendly film and Dante calls it a cross between “The Waltons” and “National Treasure.”

For more information on the film, read The Florida Times-Union article about Dante and “Secrets of the Mountain”

Trailer for A Beautiful Belly from A Beautiful Belly on Vimeo.

Monday, April 19, 6-8pm – “A Beautiful Belly”
WJCT Studios

Filmmaker and Flagler College Alumnus Andrew Kenneth Gay will share his film that is in the finishing stages of Post Production.

When aspiring children’s entertainer Jason Ackart gets his long-time crush Danny pregnant on their first date, the two choose to make a life together as husband and wife. With the support of church friends and family, Danny and Jason do their best to start out on the right foot, but as the prospect of fatherhood looms, Jason begins to realize the toll it may take on his career aspirations. He begins to focus all his attention toward one last push to accomplish his dream of becoming an established children’s entertainer before the baby is born. As a result, Danny feels insecure and ignored by Jason and begins to question whether their fledgling marriage can survive.

Alienated from one another, Jason and Danny find themselves attracted to the attentions of other people. Jason meets Allison James, an intern at a local cable station who wants to develop a children’s show utilizing his talents, and Danny meets Nathan Long, a fine art photographer who goes out of his way to encourage Danny and build up her confidence. As these new friendships begin to hint at the possibility of romance, Jason and Danny must decide whether they are willing to risk the future of their family for the indulgence of a moment’s pleasure.

The Works in Progress FREE series is designed for all realms of filmmakers to share their project at any stage of production for general feedback from our local film community.

Location:
WJCT Studios
100 Festival Park Ave

Producers and Cinemania invite you to see Sean Bean’s new indie film. It’s not a thriller. It’s not action. It’s neo noir satire. It’s a “genre” film gone rogue. A law abiding couple finds a briefcase stuffed with cash and decides to keep it. When the owner (Sean Bean) finds them, they’ve spent a lot of the money. He moves in with them until they replace every last cent, even if it means they must tap into their dark sides to pay it back.

Tuesday, April 6, 5 Points Theatre. 6:30 p.m.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m.. FREE ADMISSION. Invite your friends.

It’s part of who we are.  What we aspire to.  What we talk about with our friends.

It’s a big part of pop culture…. and it’s fascinating.  Why else would a show about a Madison Avenue ad agency is the 60s have made such a splash?

But unlike “Mad Men”, the documentary “Art & Copy” doesn’t use advertising as a backdrop to explore the social and gender dynamics of one of the most revolutionary decades in history, it shows us how advertising created a revolution through a series of historic campaigns and helps us understand the inspiration behind their creators.

Campaigns We’ll Never Forget

Nike’s “Just Do It” did much more than sell running shoes, it inspired people to lose weight, change careers, find love, and, ultimately, purse their goals and dreams.

Pretty powerful.

But even more amazing to me was learning that such an aspirational, carpe diem campaign, originated from a story about a death row inmate being executed.  Its headline “Go Do It.”

And what about the “Got Milk?” campaign?  I remember flipping through Glamour and other magazines and seeing ads of some of my favorite celebrities with milk mustaches.  Simple. Brilliant. Memorable… and the genesis of a slew of other pop culture slogans on everything from t-shirts to bumper stickers.

Though I found Doug Pray’s behind-the-scenes look at how these campaigns were conceived interesting, the storyteller in me enjoyed learning about the creative motivation behind these advertising hall of famers even more—and understanding how the personal lives of the likes of Mary Wells and George Lois influenced their work.

They Almost Never Aired

I think of advertising as risk-taking, bold, perhaps, at times, controversial. Yet so many of the creatives who were hired to grab our attention by either entertaining or shocking us had to fight hard to get corporate America and their own agencies to buy into their innovative campaigns.

Not surprisingly many of them almost never made it onto the airwaves.

But despite those behind-the-scenes battles between left-brained executives and right-brained creatives, popular culture was forever changed by these campaigns.

And while copywriters and creatives no longer conceive of ads without even speaking to each other, one thing that’s remained a constant in advertising is that its success, its power comes from emotional impact.

If you want to move somebody to do something, you have to connect with them.

That’s the essence of advertising and the core of filmmaking.