Hockey Night in Texas at the Austin Film Festival

Austin Film Festival local pick

Written by Steve Muccini

It’s Hockey Night in Texas…y’all The ice rink, it’s a massive block of ice kept at a chilly 16 degrees, 45 degrees around head level and not much warmer for the die hard fans who come and watch the game of hockey. This is not something that most Texans or anyone raised below the Mason Dixon line can claim any sort of connection with. But for the country’s northern and midwestern states and pretty much all of Canada, that just isn’t the case. There, hockey is as much of a sporting staple as soccer or football is here in the south. My own childhood memories of my dad having to get up at the ass crack of dawn to drive me to my 6 AM hockey practice before school still resonates. Playing the game was like a drug and I needed that weekly fix. When I transplanted to Austin from the northeast over 10 years ago, it seemed as though my involvement with my beloved game was over. The best news of all is that I was completely wrong. Check out the new film, Hockey Night in Texas at the upcoming Austin Film Festival and you will see why. It is a balmy evening in central Texas as two teams lug their bags and sticks into the locker room to begin their weekly ritual of strapping on their gear for the night’s game. Plastic, polystyrene body armor-type stuff across the chest, shoulders and legs. Except for the hockey pants or “breezers”, which tend to resemble an armor plated pair of Bermuda shorts. Teammates trade virtual stories from their fantasy league games or debate how the fatness of an NFL coach impacts their win record. This is a scene from adult league ice hockey deep in the heart of Dixie. Live from Austin. It’s Hockey Night in Texas. Who plays hockey here? For those who are not familiar with the Roadrunner Adult Hockey League, there are multiple divisions of play ranging from former semi pros down to “first time on icers”. Proctologists share the ice with tattoo artists, lawyers and high tech execs. It only gets stranger when you mix them all up in a locker room over a few pitchers of beer. The league is pretty well organized with team captains, official drafts, over 32 games on the schedule and a pair of capable refs and a score keeper to officiate each game. They even keep all of the games’ statistics online, just in case you want to track your favorite team’s battle for the coveted adult league cup. The league is comprised almost entirely from transplants.  It’s no surprise that the players mostly hail from someplace north of Texas. Men and women from Ohio, Michigan, New York and Boston meld with a whole pantload of Canadians, creating a diversity of styles and personalities. One of my teammates from Team Blackjack is Craig Knapp. He is the producer and director of the documentary, Hockey Night in Texas, which will premiere at this year’s prestigious Austin Film Festival. He is also from the north, way north, not far from Winnipeg Manitoba in fact. Craig is a filmmaker who has spent the last 5 years here in Austin. Having played in Canada for 25 years, one of the first things he did when he settled in town was to seek out the local ice rink. Here in central Texas, that could be a challenge. Until just last year, Chaparral Ice on IH 35 was the only game in town. Today, the Chaparral folks have also set up another sheet of ice over at the Northcross Mall where recreational and league players can get their skate on. The Dallas Stars even built a great new ice and multi purpose arena up in Cedar Park. Here you can see some great professional ice hockey action with their farm league team, the Texas Stars. Get an inside look into the low stakes game of adult league hockey Knapp’s documentary is a comical look at adult league hockey and it’s over the top personalities, competition and drama. Team captains gather before each season to haggle over the draft picks and debate the latest league rules as they throw back a few pitchers. They seek out sponsors to pay for their team’s jerseys or maybe a year end barbecue and basically just take themselves way too seriously. The players all assemble in the locker room for the first game with aspirations of grandeur as they lace up their skates and talk smack. The play is actually relatively competitive as skaters hammer up and down the ice as if they are performing for the non existent NHL scouts in the stands. Really, these men (and a few women) are a bunch of “has beens who never really were”, but who cares. For those of us who get the “pass” from our respective spouses to play each week, it is the chance to work out some frustrations and maybe repair some of the mental damage wrought from this bitch of an economy. Of course, after seeing the film, it may be immediately apparent that some of these guys are way beyond help. You can also catch the film’s director, along with yours truly, offering a tutorial of the finer points of taking penalties, which quickly breaks out into a good ‘ole fashioned Boston Bruin’s brawl on the ice. Nice. Hockey Night in Texas will premier on Saturday, October 24th at the Alamo Draft House Lake Creek at 8 PM with a second screening at the Arbor theater on October 29th at 9 PM. -Visit the Hockey Night in Texas web site. -Schedule the film into your Austin Film Festival calendar -Track the progress and stats of Team Blackjack on Pointstreak -See the concept trailer for the reality show, Beer League, which is also based here in Austin. Steve Muccini is a producer and writer living in Austin, Texas. He is CMO of SpotEdge Media and HomeSaleVideo.com. You may contact Steve here.

Film Funding: A Primer

How to get cash for your next film

Written by Steve Muccini

Film Funding: A Primer There’s no way around it, if you want to make a film, you’re gonna need cash. Usually, lots of it. How much? Well, it all depends upon your aspirations. Here in Austin, you’ll see hundreds of filmmakers running around with a handheld camera and a bunch of their buddies who are more than happy to donate their time in exchange for being part of the next big breakout movie. Low budget sweethearts like Napoleon Dynamite, Blair Witch Project or Juno give hope to producers of friends and family financed projects that they too can imprint their indelible mark in the filmmaking history books. The art of making movies is founded on this kind of passion, come hell or high credit card bills. OK everyone, Quiet on set! and…Reality Check! Unfortunately, no matter how lofty the dreams the stark reality is that most productions will never even earn their way into IMDB, let alone a major film festival. In fact, lots of them will run out of cash before they even get onto the editing suite. The “above the line” costs such as salaries for writers, directors, producers and talent, along with “below the line” costs including the crew and post production staff add up quickly. Before you realize it, your money is all gone, your family and friends won’t take your calls and your credit card companies won’t stop calling you. The key is to make certain that you have sufficient funding in place before you even storyboard your first scene. The challenge is that with credit being tighter than it has been in most people’s adult life, securing cash for one of the highest risk investments out there is no easy task. Finding a film funding pro Enter Kevin Weedmark, the CEO and COO of Greenlight Film Funding . With a background in helping developers to find cash for real estate projects, Kevin knows where the money is. It is his job to uncover the film projects with the most merit and assemble them into packages which will turn a positive return on investment (ROI) for his investors. Much as with a company stock or a mutual fund, the capital comes from individuals, companies and even pension funds located in the US and abroad. Unlike most filmmaker types who are willing to lay it all on the line to bring their vision to life, film financiers are pretty much just interested in making money. Now, that is not to say that they don’t possess extensive knowledge, interest and even passion around the art of making films, they definitely do. But at the end of the day, they are investors not charities. This is a simple concept that many young directors may not fully understand. Movies are a business and if you have any hope of attracting investors, you’d better plan them that way. For this, Weedmark offers some key insight on the factors which are important if you want to acquire outside funding. Near the top on the consideration list is location, location, location. To give you a hint on what that means, Greenlight Film Funding’s offices are located in Michigan. Just in case you are not aware, that’s the state which pays upwards of 42% to producers in tax incentives to make their movie there. As an investor, the idea of getting almost half of your money back into your pocket soon after the production wraps is a no brainer. This accounted for 32 productions shooting there in the first 9 months of the program. As a direct result, the state has seen hundreds of millions of dollars invested into production infrastructure. Large, soundproofed theatrical stages complete with mill rooms, 40 foot ceilings and state of the art post production facilities. So, be prepared for the first question to be, “are you willing to shoot in Michigan?”. What’s in a name? Lots. The next consideration in getting your funding is that you need to have names attached. That includes the director, producers and actors. Although it is not a science, you will need to balance the entire package to be most favorable. So if your director has just a couple films under their belt, then you better have one of the top 200 hottest actors committed. If you have a director with a solid track record, but you haven’t secured any A-list actors, then bring in a whole bunch from the B-list to make up for it. Even if you think you have the best (no-name) actors on board to carry your script, keep in mind that it is the box office draw and the opportunity to secure worldwide distribution that drives the ROI equation, not only a great script. Kevin is quick to point out that this is a difficult “chicken and egg” challenge for new movie makers. The top actors in the business like Robert Dinero for instance, won’t even take your call unless your funding is 100% locked up. And don’t even think about lying about who you’ve signed either, because in a business as incestuous as this one, you will get called out. You should also be prepared for the realization that the requirement to have these known entities as part of your project will naturally drive your budget needs higher than you may be comfortable with. Greenlight’s recipients are mostly independent studios as the big boys tend to tap their own cash networks needed to fund their $100 million blockbusters. For Kevin, the budget sweet spot for films he will consider falls between $5 million and $20 million, but don’t expect to get the whole nut from outsiders. Investors like to know that the producers also have some skin in the game, possibly as much as 50% of the budget. If not, you’d better have one hell of a script chock full of superstar talent and the understanding that your investors will be pulling out their profits long before you even see a nickel. Further, revenue sources don’t only include box office tallies and DVD sales. In order to sweeten the deal, get creative in presenting your investors with the entire income package including revenue from product placement and aftermarket merchandising. Find cash for films The reality in finding film cash Some advice from this movie funding maven to up and coming filmmakers, Weedmark says to start small. Don’t be afraid to be that filmmaker running around with their handheld camera and their best pro bono buddies. Trade your time for film credit as a PA or associate producer on a larger set and make connections with producers who have been there and done that. This is a business where time really is money, so make your mistakes when there is very little of both at stake. The experience built will go a long way when it comes time for you to ask a complete stranger to place their bets on your ability to make them money. Too often Kevin sees first time directors come to him with no cash of their own, a $10 million budget and zero names attached. They seem to have delusions of grandeur of making it into Sundance and walking away a distribution deal and a signing bonus for their next 3 films.  Simple statistics prove that for the vast majority of us, this just won’t happen. What about the Texas scene? The good news for filmmakers here in Texas is that factors including our low production costs, the depth of the talent pool, the production infrastructure, the no hassle permit process and the diversity of year round shooting locales weighs into the equation as well. Pulling in over 30% in incentives from a given state loses its sparkle factor if it costs 50% more to shoot there and you are limited to shooting during good weather months only. Let’s hope that in their next session in 2010, legislators in Michigan come to the realization that 40% tax incentive rewards are a bit too rich for the state’s coffers in these tough times. In the meantime, be sure to sell Texas to every producer and film financier out there as the best possible spot to make a great film, with great talent that won’t bust the budget. Bad films need money too As a postscript I had to present Kevin with a grudge after having seen both “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” and “All About Steve”.  The prior having checked off the obligatory “named talent” boxes with Jeremy Piven, James Brolin and even cameos from Will Ferrell and Alan Thicke. This film is just plain unmemorable with barely a few funny scenes. The latter film featuring Sandra Bullock and Bradley Cooper was again trying to put butts in seats with some top names on screen but fell way short with critics and moviegoers alike. During this deep recession, with money and credit harder to come by than ever, how can multi million dollar films like this even get made? Did the script miss the mark or was the shortcoming in the execution? Weedmark points out that most people simply do not understand how many moving parts go into producing a film. Admittedly he says that it is unfortunate that many films are made entirely on the backs of the cast. Quite often producers are emotionally tied into one aspect of a movie and they end up being greenlighted without looking at all of the components as a whole. For Kevin, the Director and Line Producer are a couple of the most important players in the entire deal. They are the ones who bring together all of the moving parts and assemble them into a living and breathing organism. Greenlight also employs a script coverage service in an effort to help bring to light any shortcomings in the screenplay before they lay their cash on the line. Good to see that at least one film backer hasn’t lost sight of the value of a great story amongst the thick layer of Hollywood hype. Steve Muccini is a producer, writer, and actor living in Austin, Texas. He is President of SpotEdge Media and HomeSaleVideo.com You may contact Steve here.

Using video to sell luxury real estate

If you spend $100,000 producing your first HD, broadcast quality TV commercial, but fail to buy any airtime on TV to run it. Well, you have pretty much wasted your money. The same thing goes for online video in this web 2.0 world in which we live.

Internet distributed video works its way into our lives more and more with every passing week. It started on the PC, moved its way to the laptop and now it’s on your phone. There is no escaping it, your customers are, and will continue to be bombarded with the newest and coolest high tech media tools designed to get their attention. Online video is near the top of that list. Delivered to the palm of your hand on 3G networks and beyond, it is a a highly effective way to communicate with people at the very point when they are making a buying decision. Soon enough, relocaters to any popular city will be able to ‘iPhone flick’ their way through hundreds of real estate agent video profiles. Once they find the agent they can review the video tours for the coolest properties in the hottest neighborhoods around town.

If you want to build your business or to sell real estate, it is important to consider the broadband of multimedia which is envelopes us. Even if you don’t find yourself with the latest laptop or the smartest phone out there, be there no mistake. A lot of your potential new customers are firmly plugged into this network. It will influence the way they make their decisions. Your only choice is, do you want to plug in or not?

Much like producing an expensive TV commercial that never runs, if the property video tours you are shooting only sit on your web site, then you’re reaching a fraction of the people who could be viewing them. If you happen to have spent a lot of money on search engine optimization (SEO) for your web site and can boast hundreds or thousands of viewers per month, then you’ve done a great job. However, most small business people have no idea what SEO means or even why it is so necessary. They see tens of hits to their site per month and most don’t even prompt any business opportunities.

That is why you need to bring your wares to where your “soon-to-be customers” are. Syndicating your video to the newest and coolest places on the Internet is your best means to be seen by more people. It’s a numbers game, you have to show the property to so many people before someone bites and makes an offer. During strong economic conditions and within popular areas, the days on market may be short. But in times like these when you are looking at an average of 90 days before you sell a given listing, you need to upgrade your marketing plans. The bottom line is that if you want to sell the place quickly, you won’t find a fruit tray large enough to accommodate all the walk throughs that you’ll need to do.

The goal of any well produced video which is also is proactively marketed, is to reduce the number of days on market. When you are dealing in luxury homes and downtown condos, it is a great way to increase the number of visitors to the property without even having to turn on the AC. High end homes often have beautiful architectural and design features or wide open spaces which are hard to capture with a still picture. In addition, having a live person within some of the shots offers a great perspective for how the space looks wrapped around a typical human being. When that typical human being also looks just like your property’s target demographic, then you start getting some real views. Oh yeah, if the hosts are actually cool enough, they may even get a Twitter following in their own right. How’s that for some great free press?

Are you an “Indie” or a “Depie”?

Written by Steve Muccini

The Duplass Brothers define independence in filmmaking.

There once was a time when the term “independent film” was connected with something underground, something raw, edgy, and new. The shots weren’t always perfect, but they were real. The storyline and ending of the film was never formulaic. You could just as easily walk out of the theater with a pleasant smile as you might with a horrible grimace of disbelief. The simple truth is that independent film fans wouldn’t have it any other way. This is the true meaning of art imitating life. Things in the real world don’t always end well.

These are film festival films that bring thousands of fans into the top festivals around the country including Sundance, South by Southwest, Tribeca, the Los Angeles Film Festival and the Austin Film Festival. In this space, anyone can submit a film and has just about the same chance as anyone else of getting it in. Make a five-minute short film and you could premiere at Sundance. Premiere at Sundance and the top distributors and film financiers from around the world get to see your work. Bag a top award at a festival like the Austin Film Festival and you are qualified to win an Academy Award for short films. Next thing you know, there is a bidding war. The big boys are throwing millions at you to make your first feature film. You sign on with the largest production company in the world and ink a deal with an international distributor, get a big fat signing bonus and top writing credits. You have been groomed to tap into the mainstream with a perfectly structured storyline sending everyone into the lobby pleasantly numb and ready to drop five bucks on 100 ounces of soda in a cup bearing the name of your precious little independent film.

Mark and Jay Duplass

Wait a minute, what happened? At some point along the line your indie film has become a “depie” film: dependent on the deep pockets of others and left with little control to realize your own passionate vision. No need to experiment with new shots, cobble together a homemade lighting rig or dolly. The grit has been cleaned from your film in post.

So. There’s the rub. You want to hold your ground and tell the story that you need to tell, but you also find the need to keep the electricity on to power your editing suite. Much as the micro breweries of the ’90s quickly became tiny little subsidiaries of the biggest brewmasters in the world, the “independent” production houses are often nothing more than a line item in the annual report of a Fortune 500 media giant. They brew your tasty, little independent film in a two-story copper vat connected to hundreds of feet of pipe, bottled and stocked onto the shelves of the local movie house.

Indie Means Indie

So how does the independent filmmaker stay independent? Just ask the Duplass Brothers. Just like anyone cutting their teeth in this business, they started with the obligatory bad short films suitable for no one but family and close friends. But these are the rights of passage for all independent filmmakers. Learning how not to do things is often better than getting a formal education on how things should be done. Turns out these guys got both. Coming to Austin to study film, they soon found themselves producing a short film called This is John, which was shot by Jay Duplass and featured brother Mark in front of the camera. It was a humble, nano budget production that, turns out, happened to get into Sundance in 2003. The following years brought them more festival joy with their shorts, Scrapple and The Intervention, both winning awards at Sundance and the Berlin International Film Festival. Not a bad deal when you consider their sum budget up to this point might have barely covered the catering costs for one day of a typically budgeted studio film.

The Puffy Chair

Producing their first feature film ,The Puffy Chair, they were again given the Sundance nod and were also nominated for two IFC Independent Spirit awards. At this point, the frenzy was clear as the Duplass team was becoming a hot commodity. It is at this point when things get interesting for the independent filmmaker. This is ultimately what anyone could strive for, yet when it gets so big, so fast, there is not a whole bunch of time to be waxing nostalgic. When staring at highly lucrative offers to get paid to shoot your next film, a decision of some sort needs to be made with haste. In their case, looking at a significantly larger chunk of change than they had for any of their previous near-nil budget productions (like $12 million more), the Duplass Brothers did what any self respecting independent filmmakers worth their salt would do.
They said, “no thanks.”

Staying true to their independence and the need for creative control, they produced Baghead. A horror/comedy about some out of work actors who are being harassed by a scary guy with a bag over his head (in not so many words). Shot in Bastrop and Smithville, they chose to debut the film right here in Austin. Not a traditional “premiere city,” Austin is a place you open up a good film that good film fans can appreciate. “It’s clear to say that audiences in Austin just tend to get our sense of humor, and potentially less conventional style of storytelling,” says Brother Jay. “Beyond that, Austin is just a town full of film appreciators and you can’t beat that.” Populated with so many appreciators is always a major bennie for any city, but something that most in the business can also agree upon is that Austin is also full of so many collaborative and hard working filmmakers too.

Baghead premieres in Austin

On making a movie here in the Cap City, Jay Duplass also tips his hat to the core support of the industry’s artists and technicians alike. “For us, it’s the people. It’s the friends and colleagues and enthusiasts that we can draw upon for help. People in Austin want to get behind a piece of art they believe in, and they’re willing to come out and support, as opposed to maybe just blogging about it.”

And that really does sum up what Austin is to filmmaking. Just about every director, DP, editor, or PA that you run into on sets here in town has put in their fair share of time helping out fellow filmmakers to realize their dreams. Many of them putting up their services for nothing more than a rolling credit at the end of the film.

Don’t be a depie; shoot in Austin

This is Austin, and this is independent film. There are so many great shorts and features being shot here on just about any night of the week. Great films that you will probably never see. Sad, yes. But when you are on set with a passionate young writer director doing everything in their power to shoot the best possible scenes, you quickly realize exactly why the majority of people get into the craft of making movies in the first place. It is about telling the story and making a really, really great film.

To all of the up and coming filmamkers,  Jay offers up some final words of advice. Words which should probably be the credo etched into the the offical plaque of indepenedent filmmaking on a wall somewhere. ” I would just say to stay true to your heart at every turn. Everyone’s path will be different. If there’s any one thing to say, it’s that you can’t control the world and audiences and investors, etcetera. So your best option is to make things cheap and keep them in the realm of your control. And most importantly, just do whatever it takes to make the best film possible.”

Amen Brother. Amen.

Steve Muccini is president of SpotEdge Media, an award winning video production company that produces TV commercials and films. He is a film editor, cameraman, actor, and writer in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here.

Texas Film Industry Takes Action

Texas film and gaming industry lobbies to keep the Texas industry in Texas.

Steve Muccini, section editor of Austin in Film, documents his recent trip to the Texas State Capitol for lobby day. Muccini and over 600 film professionals turned amateur lobbyists descended upon The Hill to rally their support for two upcoming bills (House Bill 873 and Senate Bill 605), which support increasing the incentives on film and video game production here in Texas. About half of them broke into little lobby teams and sat down with each and every representative in the building. Governor Rick Perry and filmmaker Richard Linklater sent out the battle cry that turned them loose into the building. Bill supporters also whipped up some lunch (catered by The Salt Lick) and even set up a big time movie set, right on Capitol grounds. It was a daunting task but with the help of the TXMPA, Texas Film Commission, Hilco Partners, and a whole bunch of talented and dedicated Texas crew and cast, it appeared to go off with hardly a hitch.

Check out Steve’s video on Lobby Day at the statehouse on his YouTube page.

Lights Are Back on in Austin for FNL

Written by Steve Muccini

What? You don’t speak FNL? Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton In English that reads, “Friday Night Lights” has been renewed for two more seasons and they are coming back to Austin to shoot. For actors, crew, and local citizens alike, this is just plain cool. Hopefully it will also be a strong representation of things to come here in town. Now that the Texas film incentive bill passed and based upon it getting funds appropriated, it is predicted that many other production firms from Hollywood, New York, and even other countries, will be on the next Southwest flight into the city. Maybe not quite so fast, but given the fact that the ’80s and ’90s have already earned the state a solid, “Third Coast” designation, even before the film incentive wars had begun, there is clearly a draw. On top of that, a number of top producers have already lined up their large budget productions for an Austin shoot spot. The question is, how many more will follow? Well if you listen to one of Austin’s iconic film directors, Robert Rodriguez, then you should expect to see a lot more lighting rigs, camera cranes, and massive RVs cruising Austin area streets before long. At Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios, Governor Rick Perry signed the film incentive bill into law in front a crowd of plenty of film industry individuals who are hopeful this will come to be. Addressing the jubilant crowd, the director went ahead and outright committed to producing a whole line of films right here including Machete, Nerveracker, Predators (a Predator reboot, I assume that means remake), Sin City 2 and of course, The Jetsons. Austin director, Robert Rodriguez Rodriguez also called out the fact that filmmakers and actors simply love to come to Austin to shoot. Not a bad perk to get paid lots and lots of money to escape from LA or NY to make a movie in Austin. Can you say “paid vacation”? Watch any of the SXSW film festival coverage on the Sundance Channel or IFC and you get to see our hip little backyard broadcast over global satellite. For this year’s SXSW,  the Independent Film Channel interviewed film festival directors and actors, and it was hard to miss the numerous comments on how they love coming to Austin to screen their films. Hey, now you can shoot here too. Do you think Starbucks can actually get away with charging more for a latte if there is a chance you will be standing in line next to someone who might be famous? Geez, I sure hope not. Friday Night Lights: photo via NBC Regardless, having a few more of the film business’ best and brightest dropping some roots at one of those big dollar lofts sprouting up like mushrooms would certainly be a nice draw to the city. After all, love or hate the insane pace of development here in Austin lately, the buildings are up folks! There would be nothing worse than a prolonged period of having to peer through the lack of drapery on the hundreds of empty downtown habitations (see Austin’s first real estate bust in the ’80s). Heck, there may even be a run on our coveted lakefront properties too.So, to local writers, polish up your scripts; directors, get out your clapper; actors, assemble your reel; first ADs, start warming up your vocal chords, because it looks like there may be some work coming your way. For out of town film production houses checking out our Austin digs; welcome! Enjoy yourself and don’t leave a big footprint. Also, here is a little sample of Austin stuff that is all about film. Austin in Film at Austin.com: Articles on the Austin film scene Austin Film Society : Learn, watch and love film…Austin style Austin Film Commission : Culmination of film usefulness Austin locations: Article on the diversity of Austin locales Texas for Film : Short list of film resources found in Austin Austin Reels : You guessed it, actor reels The Alliance Austin : Find your agent, acting coach or get cast Reel Women : One of our great film groups. For women and men Film festivals in Austin: Screening films from international favs to underground gems Texas Motion Picture Alliance : Visit and join. You can thank them for their work on the incentive bills Steve Muccini is president of SpotEdge Media, an award winning video production company that produces TV commercials and films. He is a writer, film editor and  actor in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here.

So, You Wanna Be An Actor?

Written by Steve Muccini

Getting your mug on the big screen, the little screen, and everything in between. Local filmmakers and actors on set You’ve probably heard that Governor Perry signed into law a much more competitive film incentive carrot for production companies to shoot here in our backyard. What that means is that as soon as the bill gets some funding, more productions of movies, TV series, commercials, and even webisodes could very well be bound for the area. We’re going to help you get on that gravy train, including how to get your actor reel ready for prime time. For those of you who have always watched your favorite actors and said, “hey, I could do that,” you’re probably imagining that now might be the time to get yourself discovered. You’re thinking, “I could just take a few snapshots of myself, march into one of our local casting directors for an audition, and proceed to book the lead role of the next big TV show. Then I could just walk down to my mailbox every week and pick up one of those big fat residual checks they give out like candy.” Easy, right? Not so fast Paris, it takes more than just a pretty face to be a good actor. To be at the top of your game in any profession, you have to invest in yourself and your tools. Being an actor is no different. There are certainly actors out there who just get it, right off the bat. They project a sense of comfort in front of the camera that is so natural it seems unnatural. But, just as a purebred race horse may come into this world with an innate potential to be faster than a Clydesdale, they still need to be trained to run on a track. Spend enough time and money on the right resources, and you might be sipping mint juleps at trackside. Skimp, and your purebred could end up plowing fields out in Taylor. Still wanna be an actor? Of course you do. Over an upcoming series of stories, we will be looking at tips, tricks, and tools for being…talent. Hey, that’s my arm…right there…behind that guy in blue. No, the other guy in blue…aw you missed it. Those are the words of an extra. The unsung hero of filmmaking. They fill the stands, the coffee shops, and the city sidewalks in the background of just about every TV show or movie you have ever seen. This is pretty much one of the surest ways to get yourself picked up for a show or movie, at least for one episode at a time. For the most part, you don’t need a lot of formal training, an actor reel, a fancy-pants headshot, or even a good agent. Casting directors like On Location casting or Beth Sepko often have casting calls to bring lots of people onto set. If you have the look that they need for a scene, you could easily find yourself slated as a banner waving Panther fan in the stands of the latest “Friday Night Lights.” Or maybe even Guy #2 in the next Robert Rodriguez film. Of course, that would mean that you got upgraded to being a “featured extra.” Don’t worry, we’ll cover production vernacular in another story. So, if being an extra satisfies your insatiable appetite for stardom, stop reading right here and just hit the On Location site to fill out a profile to be considered for FNL as an extra. I act, therefore I am an actor. There is certainly no right way to go about becoming a full fledged actor. Point a video camera at yourself, do something funny, edit your masterpiece and post it to YouTube, and technically you could call yourself an actor. Throw “professional” in front of the word, and now it means that you have to have gotten paid to act. Therein lies the challenge. Here in Austin, gaining the experience you need to land the paying gigs probably means that you will have to log your hours on camera…not getting paid. It is a tough paradigm in the acting space here in Austin. If a director is going to cast (and pay you) to be on set of an expensive movie or commercial, they are going to expect that you are 100% professional and know exactly what you are doing. There’s the rub. How exactly does one learn the right thing to do before one is being paid to do it? Well, there are two ways and they should both be practiced. One, take an acting class (more on that topic in another story) and two, act in as many cool projects as you can. Yes, even the ones that don’t pay you. That’s right, whether you are just starting out or whether you are a practiced actor and have some down time, find cool projects, and act in them. You will never get a better chance to explore such a diversity of characters to play. A great exercise that helps to keep up the ‘ole acting chops. Take for example, this actor. Some of the coolest roles I ever got to play, from a fingernail polish-wearing, aging rock star to a hell bent commando, were all pro bono gigs. If nothing else, it makes for an interesting actor reel , which, in turn, helps you to nab those elusive paying roles. Have a look at my official actor reel , for an idea on how to stretch your zero budget short film footage into lots more. Technically, you are not really working for free either. In today’s world of high speed internet new media, gaining a film credit in IMDB and footage for your actor reel should both be valuable assets in your new “get discovered” strategy. Oh yeah, note to directors, if you promise an actor their acting footage as their pay; get them the damn footage! Local actor on short film set OK, we’ll stop it here for now. Your homework is to subscribe to the Austin film casting list and audition and book a few roles of your choice. Then select and attend a couple of acting workshops. For extra credit, check out The Alliance web site for everything about everything when it comes to acting in Austin. Once again, more on that, and a bunch more later. One more thing, if you are serious about acting and need a really cool acting reel (and who doesn’t?). Check out Austin Reels to shoot and edit your reel . It is a pretty cool combination of a white screen slate and your actual footage. Pretty much like the reel you just watched. Steve Muccini is a producer, writer, and actor living in Austin, Texas. You may contact Steve here.

<a href=”http://austininfilm.com”><img alt=”Local Austin filmmakers on set” src=”http://www.austin.com/images/stories/austininfilm/48hour2006-050.jpg” title=”Local Filmmakers on set” width=”200″ height=”106″ /></a>

Local Austin filmmakers on set

World Class Creative Firm Keeping It Austin

Written by Steve Muccini Action Figure production studio brings notice to the Third Coast. For Action Figure, the award winning Austin production firm, the story of their beginnings was humble enough. Matt Hovis, an independent designer and Mark Miks, a cinematographer, often found themselves working on a lot of the same projects together. It wasn’t long before they concluded that they could probably do the jobs better than the firms who hired them. So they set up shop. Easy enough, right? It certainly helped that their time in design school landed them in Austin, which has long been a hotbed for some of the best A-list players in creative design and production. Coupled with the right leadership and creative direction, it was soon clear that Action Figure was about to ink their entry into the who’s who in American creative firms…with a big fat indelible marker.

Action Figure produces many of the commercials, music videos, and TV shows that you see every day on any given national network. They bring marketing campaigns to life for many of the world’s largest ad agencies with high-profile clients, including AT&T, BMW, and Southwest Airlines. Interestingly enough, their own marketing campaign consists solely on the good words from these companies. Of course, the millions of views they have picked up on their fascinating clip of a bunch of people getting their heads slugged hasn’t hurt either (see video below). Take a quick gander at the bevy of Telly’s, Addy’s and Lone Star Emmy’s perched on their awards shelf and it is clear that these guys are world class.

Twelve years ago, the team began their history right here. They started out in a beautiful Victorian house on 10th and Congress. They eventually reached a point where the facility wasn’t fitting the bill as an optimal soundstage. A couple years back, the team made the decision to join so many of Austin’s great artists and creatives over on the East Side. Their facility, a former meat packing plant, has plenty of “Austin-cool” space for their post production suites along with 16,000 square feet of soundstage space known as East Side Studios. Complete with a green room for prettying up your actors, amps and amps of juice, acoustic sound proofing, and a thick data line strung into their Avid editing suites, it represents a model of operational efficiency. So perfect a sound studio, Austin’s own Los Lonely Boys even set up shop and recorded their Forgiven album there.

Former meat-packing digs

In their kitchen area, Hovis points to the massive square window they carved out of the thick concrete wall to alleviate the cold, industrial feel you might expect from a former meat locker. Sitting right there just under the window is the massive slab of concrete that they carved out. Throw down some comfy pillow seats and, “BAM”, you have a perfect sushi table. Creative ingenuity at its best.

Commercial productions require a lot of individuals to get them shot. Crew sizes range anywhere from eight to as many as 40 people, most of who are independently contracted, local freelancers. Once it is shot, pass the project along to another team of indie video editors, sound engineers, musicians, graphic designers, and voice over artists to cut and polish the final gem. Hovis is quick to mention the importance of having the right people on the job. Producing commercials requires the creative collaboration of all these individual talents and personalities. A single bad attitude on set can quickly tank all hopes of a happy and productive set.

Hovis’ concern is that we simply do not have enough work to keep all of these Austinites gainfully employed. What happens to a freelancer-rich work force when the work ain’t here? It’s simple, they go where the work is. The saving grace for Austin has always been that there are so many other reasons for people to want to make their home here. Good news for the city, but in the tough times (like now), the careful balance between choosing the place you like to be with the place you have to be to make a living is always at risk of hitting the tipping point.

For the time being, Austin’s powerful draw seems to be winning out. Hovis mentions that he is seeing more and more East and West Coast post production pros calling Austin their new hometown. That is mostly because super talented creatives typically have plenty of options when it comes to picking a cool place to settle. Once they find that place (Austin, let’s say) they become magnets for out-of-town productions and creative houses from the other two coasts looking to set up a satellite. In a business where your most important asset is your creative brain power, it is a pretty effective strategy to drop an office smack dab in the middle of the honey pot. The trick now is to make sure that Austin can generate enough production business to sustain them all. In a city where local companies often cite their Austin headquarters as a top item in their benefits package, it really shouldn’t be hard to bring more work here. Here’s a tip, if your expensive digs and exorbitant production costs in LA or NYC are beginning to carve a nice big concrete hole out of your profitability, you need to check out Austin.

Meanwhile, Action Figure keeps shelving awards for their top work in advertising; right here in our backyard. A testament to strong creative direction, good words from happy clients and the deep, creative bench a stone’s throw from their sushi table window.

Check out Action Figure’s site and you’ll get a look at a badass portfolio along with a great “we don’t take ourselves too seriously” guide to their talented staff.

Steve Muccini is an editor, cameraman, actor, and writer in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here.

How to Win an Oscar (Part 1 of a 327 part series)

Written by Steve Muccini

Looking for Oscar gold? Here is a primer

The film festival circuit both inside and outside of the U.S. is where the hopes and dreams of independent filmmakers are realized. Any filmmaker can submit their narrative short or feature, documentary, music video, or experimental work to a film festival. All it takes is an entry fee ranging from $25 to $125 submitted under the deadline with your finished work. Getting into any festival is exciting and can represent a filmmaker’s big shot at getting their film seen by all the right people. But if your aspirations include a bask in Oscar glory, there are a few requirements and a few festivals that you need to break into.

Your road to Oscar
If you think that taking out a full page ad in Variety soon before the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences selects its picks for their Oscar awards gives you the same chance of winning as the latest blockbuster film churned from the Hollywood movie making engine, think again. There are specific requirements that must be met before a feature film is even considered in the voting process. The following is a sample of the primary eligibility requirements for consideration of the Academy and they may vary from year to year so be sure to check out the official rules for all the details.

To start, here are the films from 1998 to 2008 which picked up the Best Picture award:

1998    Titanic 2004    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
1999    Shakespeare in Love 2005    Million Dollar Baby
2000    American Beauty 2006    Crash
2001    Gladiator 2007    The Departed
2002    A Beautiful Mind 2008    No Country for Old Men
2003    Chicago

and the Best Picture goes to…

Getting the nod
The first requirement has to do with the definition of what it means to be a “feature” film. Although it may be debated across the industry, the Academy considers a feature film to be one which is at least 40 minutes in length. Anything less and you drop into the short film category and lose the chance to be the official Best Picture of the Year.

The next item is somewhat technical in nature. Your film must be in a format which allows it to be exhibited in a theater as a 35mm or 70mm film. That means that you either have to shoot your project on film stock, or have it transferred from another film format or digital. You can submit a digital format as long as it is 24 or 48 frame progressive scan Digital Cinema format with a minimum projector resolution of 2048×1080. With technology evolving from year to year, it is important to get to the official site for the current specs.

The next requirement is one which gives a nod to the birthplace of modern filmmaking, Los Angeles. In order to get your work onto the official ballot, it must have run in a commercial motion picture theater in Los Angeles County. Don’t think that you can just rent out one of these facilities and run your film because it must be screened with paid admission and for a consecutive run of at least seven days.

Finally, if your film has premiered on the internet or on TV, don’t worry about clearing space for the renowned golden trophy on your awards shelf, because screening in a non theatrical space takes you out of the running. There are a number of other minor considerations and requirements if you want to be the producer of the year’s best motion picture. If you are wondering how you can get yourself a paid screening in LA County California, one first step is to be recognized in the film festivals below. These are some of the more prestigious in the country and if you get in, and receive a top award at the event, it will bring your film to light in front of the right people and get you closer to your LA debut.

Shorts are films too
If your film is not of the official feature length, it is considered a short film. If that is the case, screening at these festivals represents your only way into the voting process. Oh, here’s the rub, you also need to walk away with one of the awards listed under each festival. (No one said that filmmaking was easy.)

• AFI FEST
  Grand Jury Prize – Short Film Award
  www.afi.com/onscreen/AFIFest
• ACADEMIA DE LAS ARTES Y CIENCIAS CINEMATOGRAFICAS DE ESPAÑA (SPAIN)
  Goya Award for Best Short Live Action
  Goya Award for Best Short Animation
  www.academiadecine.com
• ACADÉMIE DES ARTS ET TECHNIQUES DU CINÉMA (CÉSAR) (FRANCE)
  Best Short Film
  www.lescesarducinema.com
• ACADEMY OF CANADIAN CINEMA & TELEVISION (GENIE)
  Best Live Action Short Drama
  Best Animated Short
  www.academy.ca
• ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES (Student Academy Awards) (USA)
  Gold Medal – Alternative
  Gold Medal – Animation
  Gold Medal – Narrative
  Honorary Foreign Film Student Award
  www.oscars.org
• ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL (MICHIGAN, USA)
  Best of the Festival
  www.aafilmfest.org
• ANNECY FESTIVAL INT’L DU CINEMA D’ANIMATION (FRANCE)
  Le Cristal d’Annecy
  Special Jury Award
  www.annecy.org
• ASPEN SHORTSFEST (COLORADO, USA)
  Animated Eye Award
  Best Comedy
  Best Drama
  Best Short Short
  www.aspenfilm.org
• ATHENS  INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (OHIO, USA)
  Best Narrative
  Best Animation
  Best Experimental
  www.athensfest.org
• ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL (GEORGIA, USA)
  Grand Jury Prize
  Best Animated Short
  Best Narrative Short
  www.atlantafilmfestival.com
• AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (TEXAS, USA)
  Narrative Short Jury Award
  Animated Short Jury Award
  Narrative Student Short Jury Award
  www.austinfilmfestival.com
• BERLIN INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (GERMANY)
  Golden Bear – International Shorts Competition
  www.berlinale.de
• BERMUDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
  Bermuda Shorts Award Winner
  www.biff.bm
• BILBAO INT’L FESTIVAL OF DOCUMENTARY & SHORT FILMS (SPAIN)
  Grand Prize of the Bilbao Festival
  Golden Mikeldi for Animation
  Golden Mikeldi for Fiction
  www.zinebi.com
• BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS (BAFTA) AWARDS (ENGLAND)
  Best Short Film
  Best Short Animation Film
  www.bafta.org
• CANADIAN FILM CENTRE’S WORLDWIDE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (CANADA)
  Best Live Action Short Film
  Best Animated Short Film
  www.worldwideshortfilmfest.com
• CANNES FESTIVAL INT’L DU FILM (FRANCE)
  Palme d’Or (Short Films)
  www.festival-cannes.fr
• CARTAGENA INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (COLOMBIA)
  Best Short Animation – Golden Catalina Indian
  Best Short Narrative – Golden Catalina Indian
  www.festicinecartagena.org
• CHICAGO INT’L CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL (ILLINOIS, USA
  Adult Jury First Place Live-action Short Film or Video
  Adult Jury First Place Animated Short Film or Video
  www.cicff.org
• CHICAGO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (ILLINOIS, USA)
  Golden Hugo for Best Short Film
  www.chicagofilmfestival.org
• CINANIMA INT’L ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL (PORTUGAL)
  Grand Prize
  www.awn.com/cinanima
• CINEQUEST FILM FESTIVAL (SAN JOSE, CA)
  Best Short Narrative
  Best Animated Short
  www.cinequest.org
• CLERMONT-FERRAND INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (FRANCE)
  International Grand Prix
  National Grand Prix
  www.clermont-filmfest.com
• DAVID DI DONATELLO AWARD[ACCADEMIA DEL CINEMA ITALIANO] (ITALY)
  Best Short Film
  www.daviddidonatello.it
• EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
  European Short Film – Prix UIP
  www.europeanfilmacademy.org
• FESTIVAL DE CINE DE HUESCA (SPAIN)
  International Short Films Contest – Gold Danzante Award
  Iberoamerican Short Films Contest – Gold Danzante Award
  www.huesca-filmfestival.com
• FLICKERFESTINTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS FESTIVAL
  The Coopers Award for Best Film
  The Yoram Gross Award for Best Animation
  www.flickerfest.com.au
• FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL (FLORIDA, USA)
  Grand Jury Award Best Narrative Short
  www.floridafilmfestival.com
• FOYLE FILM FESTIVAL (IRELAND)
  Best Irish Short
  Best International Short
  Best Animation
  www.foylefilmfestival.org
• GIJON INT’L FILM FESTIVAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (SPAIN)
  Premio Principado De Asturios Al Mejor Cortometraje (Best Short Film)
  www.gijonfilmfestival.com
• THE HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (NEW YORK)
  Golden Starfish Best Short Film Award
  www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
• HIROSHIMA INT’L ANIMATION FESTIVAL (JAPAN)
  Grand Prize
  www.urban.ne.jp/home/hiroanim/
• KRAKOW FILM FESTIVAL(POLAND)
  The Grand Prix – The Golden Dragon
  www.kff.com.pl
• LOCARNO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (SWITZERLAND)
  Golden Leopard – Live Action Short
  Golden Leopard – Animation Short
  www.pardo.ch
• LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL
  Best Animated Short Film
  Best Narrative Short Film
  www.lafilmfest.com
• LOS ANGELES INT’L. SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (CALIFORNIA, USA)
  Best of the Fest
  Best Foreign Film
  Best Drama Film
  Best Comedy Film
  Best Animation Film
  Best Experimental Film
  www.lashortsfest.com
• LOS ANGELES LATINO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (LOS ANGELES, CA)
  Best Short
  www.latinofilm.org
• MELBOURNE INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (AUSTRALIA)
  The City of Melbourne Grand Prix, Best Short Film
  Best  Fiction Short Film
  Best Animated Short Film
  Best Experimental Short Film
  www.melbournefilmfestival.com.au
• MONTREAL’S FESTIVAL NOUVEAU CINEMA (CANADA)
  Best Short Film
  www.nouveaucinema.ca
• MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (CANADA)
  1st Prize – Short Film
  www.nouveaucinema.ca
• MORELIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (MEXICO)
  Best Animated Short Film
  Best Fiction Short Film
  www.moreliafilmfest.com

  NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL (TENNESSEE, USA)
  Best Animation
  Best Short Narrative
  www.nashvillefilmfestival.org

• OBERHAUSEN INT’L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL(GERMANY)
  Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen
  www.kurzfilmtage.de
• OTTAWA INT’L ANIMATION FESTIVAL (CANADA)
  Grand Prize to the Best Independent Short
  www.awn.com/ottawa
• PALM SPRINGS INT’L FESTIVAL OF SHORT FILMS (CALIFORNIA, USA)
  Best Animation
  Best Live Action (15 minutes and under)
  Best Live Action (over 15 minutes)
  Best of the Festival Award (may be awarded to any genre)
  www.psfilmfest.org/festival/index.aspx?FID=26
• RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (RHODE ISLAND, USA)
  Best Short
  www.film-festival.org
• RIO DE JANEIRO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
  Grand Prix – International Competition
  Grand Prix – National Competition
  www.curtacinema.com.br
• ST. LOUIS INT’L FILM FESTIVAL(MISSOURI, USA)
  Best of the Festival
  Best Live Action Short Film
  Best Animation Short Film
  www.cinemastlouis.org
• SAN FRANCISCO INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (CALIFORNIA, USA)
  Golden Gate Award Narrative Short
  Golden Gate Award Animated Short
  www.sffs.org
• SANTA BARBARA INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (CALIFORNIA, USA)
  Bruce C. Corwin Award – Best Live Action Short Film
  Bruce C. Corwin Award – Best Animation
  www.sbfilmfestival.org
• SHORTSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL (SANTA MONICA, CA)
  Best of Festival Award
  www.shortshorts.org
• SIGGRAPH (LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – USA)
  Best Animated Short Film
  www.siggraph.org
• SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL (UTAH, USA)
  Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short
  Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short
  www.slamdance.com
• STUTTGART INT’L ANIMATION FESTIVAL (GERMANY)
  Grand Prix International Competition
  Best Animated Children’s Film
  Best Student Film
  www.itfs.de
• SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL (UTAH, USA)
  Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking
  International Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking
  festival.sundance.org
• SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL (AUSTRALIA)
  Dendy Award – Fiction under 15 Minutes
  Dendy Award – Fiction over 15 Minutes
  Experimental
  Yoram Gross Animation Award
  www.sydneyfilmfestival.org
• TAMPERE INT’L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (FINLAND)
  Grand Prix – International Competition
  National Main Prize (under 30 minutes)
  www.tamperefilmfestival.fi
• TORINO FILM FESTIVAL (ITALY)
  Short Film Competition – Best Film
  www.torinofilmfest.org
• UPPSALA INT’L SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (SWEDEN)
  Grand Prix
  Best Children’s Film
  www.shortfilmfestival.com
• USA FILM FESTIVAL – NATIONAL SHORT FILM & VIDEO COMPETITION (DALLAS, TEXAS – USA)
  Fiction First Place
  Animation First Place
  www.usafilmfestival.com
• VENICE INT’L FILM FESTIVAL (ITALY)
  Corto Cortissimo Lion – Best Short Film
  www.labiennale.org/en/cinema
• ZAGREB WORLD FESTIVAL OF ANIMATED FILMS (CROATIA)
  Grand Prix – Best Short Film at Festival
  www.animafest.hr

Steve Muccini is president of SpotEdge Media, an award winning video production company that produces TV commercials and films. He is a film editor, cameraman, actor, and writer in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here.

TexFX Practices Their Magic in Austin

Written by Steve Muccini

Movie goers get tricked! Whether you are a fan of the big budget and top star action and adventure movies, or if you prefer a nice, story-rich indie film, there is one thing for sure. You have been fooled! That’s right, just like the slight of hand of a good magician, you have been tricked into believing that what you are seeing is actually real. In this case, it ain’t David Copperfield or Cris Angel suspending your belief, it is the superstar special effects masters who practice their magic on just about every film you have ever seen. When you see the latest Batman, The Mummy, or Indiana Jones, you take for granted that it will be full of high dollar effects. It’s what you pay your eight bucks to go see. But the fact is that some form of manipulation of the location, the characters or the overall images themselves has probably taken place in films and scenes where you would never think to look. Enter Austin’s own TexFX , one of the leading visual effects companies around. With credits including Apollo 13, Spy Kids, Waterworld, What Lies Beneath, and even Free Willy 3, Gary Walker, the main brains behind TexFX, has been tricking you with his masterful craft for over 20 years. His latest trick? He’s gonna run a really, really long way, all for the Austin Children’s Shelter. More on that later. Gary Walker has made his home here in Austin for the last eight years, but he has definitely clocked his time all around the film and media world. He honed his skills in L.A. and Vancouver, cities where there is always something in production to get hired on.  Working for companies like ABC and Digital Domain as a compositor, and working his way up to effects supervisor, he has truly earned his street cred in the creative effects space. In 2001, he had finally logged enough experience in the field to be able to pick the place he really wanted to settle and start up his own gig, right here in ATX. TexFX dropped roots here and set out to help good filmmakers become even better. Independent filmmakers often assume that it is cost prohibitive to bring on a special effects supervisor or compositor, but everything is relative. That’s because when you compare the cost of having to build out a massive set, or if you have the need to fill a large stadium with 15,000 people, for instance, the math just becomes easy and you need to bring in the magicians. Back to the trickery. What most people don’t realize is how visual effects make their way into everything they watch. In Free Willy 3, for instance, you probably had no idea as to what was real and what was…well, Gary. For this film, he was called upon to make a perfectly healthy killer whale look ill. In case you are not a cetologist, you may not realize that when a whale is sick or kept in captivity too long, its fin bends  to the side. Needing a shot of a sick whale, the film’s producer had a challenge. He really didn’t want to film sick whales, so they called upon Walker in his role as Compositing Supervisor to make a perfectly healthy whale fin look limp and wilted. Bet you didn’t catch that one. Other things that you may miss are those that just aren’t there. This skill of the trade is called rotoscoping. That is where a digital artist goes in, frame by frame to remove the undesirable items in the shot. Thus helping to build the illusion. This includes the cable and harness attached to an actor to make them appear to fly through the air, the ramps that make a car suddenly start rolling, or the wires that attach to the animatronic killer whale to get it to do things that real whales won’t. A time-consuming and tedious business, but the kind of work that would make a scene calling for this stuff either prohibitively expensive or just plain impossible. Filmmakers expect that when you are watching their films, you will give them the benefit of a temporary suspension of reality. With digital effects houses like TexFX, they are able to take that reality void to entirely new level. Here is some motivation for the filmmaker involved in a project that is innovative and uplifts truth and spirit around the human condition. It is called the Indevation Honors Program. This is where Gary will award a 25% discount on his rates to filmmakers who are having a hard time getting funding for these kind of projects. You can visit the TexFX website for more information and an application. OK, back to the run. File this under, “filmmakers uniting for a cause”. In 2006, Walker launched his marathon training program and team. Basically, he called upon Austin area filmmakers to get together and he would teach them how to run a marathon. One caveat, you also get to raise lots of money for the Austin Children’s Shelter. Right away he brought together 13 people from the film business here in Austin to train and run the marathon. The team has been assembled for the race for three years and has raised a total of $46,000 for the shelter. This year, for the 2009 Austin Marathon, Walker is still running, but decided to take a year off from building and training the team. However, he is still out there with the primary cause to raise money for the shelter. If you can swing it, he would love to have you donate to the Austin Children’s Shelter along with him, supporting his run and a great cause. They have created a dedicated page for Gary Walker’s fund for the 2009 Austin Marathon here. Steve Muccini is president of SpotEdge Media, an award winning video production company that produces TV commercials and films. He is a film editor, cameraman, actor, and writer in Austin, Texas. You can view his profile and  contact Steve here. More stories from Austin in Film A Primer to Your Austin Studios Austin: The Best Place to Make a Film Are you an “Indie” or a “Depie” Texas Finds Bottom of the List Austin Keeps Producing Features Shot in Austin “Friday Night Lights” Shoots for the Stars, and Hits a Satellite Fantastic Fest Film Festival Focuses on the Fringe Hey! Was that Brad Pitt? How to Win an Oscar (Part 1 of a 327 part series)