Watch the best of videos from the Writing Festival in February 2016.
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Year: 2016
Interview with Cinemtographer Chad Griepentrog (The Bachelor Reality TV Series)
It was a blast sitting down with the Director of the Photographer of the hottest show on television: “The Bachelor”. Chad Griepentrog reveals a lot of funny behind the scenes moments, including shooting in the “fantasy suites” and trying to hold back his laughter with his fellow camera-operators so the shot isn’t ruined. Shooting reality television is a very difficult job. Enjoy the interview:
Matthew Toffolo: What is your job as the cinematographer on a Reality TV Show set? From being in studio to on location?
Chad Griepentrog: My job is to basically try to make chaos look as good as possible without slowing down the production schedule or disrupting the cast. For the most part, reality shows are produced fast and cheap. Every shoot day is packed with locations and content that must be captured. The story is created through the actions of the cast members, so the mentality is…
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Movie Review: THE CLUB (EL CLUB) (Chile) ***1/2
Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival: http://www.wildsound.ca
EL CLUB (Chile 2015) ***1/2
Directed by Pablo Larrain
Review by Gilbert Seah
Pablo Larrain’s (NO, TONY MANERO) latest film is a very different drama that is as absorbing as it is deadly slow-moving. The title of THE CLUB (EL CLUB) refers to an open prison for disgraced priests. The 4 priests and nun confined there in the seaside town of La Boca in Chile by the church are about to have their idyllic sojourn shaken to the ground.
EL CLUB is a very complex film, in a way similar to last year’s CALVARY starring Brendan Gleeson, a black comedy about a priest taking on the sins of a murderer. Both films coincidentally take place in a seaside setting.
The film begins innocently with a greyhound race that takes place in La Boca. The grey greyhound wins the race. It is slowly revealed that the animal is trained by a father who resides in the roomed building. There are three other priests who all place bets. It turns out that Father Vidal (Alfredo Castro), Father Ortega (Alejandro Goic), former army chaplain Father Silva (Jaime Vadell), and senile Father Ramirez (Alejandro Sieveking), disgraced priests are all dutifully tended to by a similarly “retired” nun, Sister Monica (Antonia Zegers), who is apparently not that innocent. She is called a bitch by one of the fathers later on in the film.
Trouble brews when another disgraced priest, Father Lazcano (Jose Soza) is delivered to the house. He shoots himself after a young local fisherman, Sandokan (Roberto Farias), recognizes him. Sandokan, kind of a crazed bum, remembers the abuses he suffered as an altar boy at Lazcano’s hands and starts screaming the abuses outside the doorstep. Then the church dispatches Father Garcia (Marcelo Alonso), a crisis counsellor, to settle things. The priests come to believe, that Father Garcia’s intention is to close the house down.
The story turns into a horrid tale of survival. It is each man for himself, even for Sandokan and Father Garcia who is disliked and looked upon with suspicion by all.
Director Larrain is a great story teller always keeping the audience in anticipation with always a twist in the story around very corner. His camera work is meticulous, capturing the tranquility and imprisonment of the subjects despite the beautiful seaside setting. Violence is kept at a minimum, and mostly left to the imagination. He also keeps each priest as interesting as the other – each having their own individuality despite being there for the identical purpose.
One of the greatest pleasures of the film is the director’s use of Arvo Part’s music. I first heard the Estonian composer’s music, ‘Spiegel I’m Speigel’ when I first saw Gus Van Sant’s 2002 film, GERRY years back. Part known for his classical and religious music, he delivers a beautiful score that adds to both the serenity and eeriness of the film’s proceedings.
Whether the film ending is a happy one is arguable – best left to the audience to decide. But EL CLUB is a story that concerns many key issues – identity, beliefs, redemption, fulfilment but mostly forgiveness and how one can live with oneself after any terrible deed.
Also, Free logline submissions. The Writing Festival network averages over 95,000 unique visitors a day.
Great way to get your story out: http://www.wildsound.ca/logline.html
Deadlines to Submit your Screenplay, Novel, Story, or Poem to the festival:http://www.wildsound.ca
Watch recent Writing Festival Videos. At least 15 winning videos a month:http://www.wildsoundfestival.com
Interview with Cinematographer Albert Arthur (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad)
What an honor it was to chat with the extremely talented Director of Photography Albert Arthur. A career spanning over 45 years, his brilliant cinematography can currently be seen on the hit AMC TV series “Better Call Saul”.
Matthew Toffolo: You got the honor to DP the last episode of “Breaking Bad”. How did that come about? And how was the last day on set? It must have been very emotional.
Albert Arthur: Michael Slovis, the DP for most of the series, and who had been my gaffer many years ago, had been trying to get me to DP episodes he directed for a long time, but my schedule never worked. When it came time for him to direct his last episode, I had to say yes. Then the schedule for the finale got extended and he had a conflict. So I came back to shoot the finale. As you can…
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1st SCENE Screenplay Table Reading – THE SHOT by Michael DeMattia
THE SHOT is the February 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Winner.
THE SHOT by Michael DeMattia
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Jarrid Terrell
HUNTER – Sasha Rajamani
Get to know writer Michael DeMattia:
1. What is your screenplay about?
One hunter, who never speaks, journeys through a unique forest to discover its mystery.
“The Shot” is a science-fiction fantasy in line with “2001: A Space Odyssey”, in that it forces the viewer to make interpretations for themselves while utilizing time in a unique way. Because time is perceived differently by everyone, if executed properly, each person that watches this story unfold will see a *different film entirely*.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
“The Shot” should be made into a film because cinema, especially from a digital perspective, has never seen something that utilizes time in quite the same way. From a marketing standpoint, people have already proven with…
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1st SCENE Screenplay Reading – ROAD TO TEXAS by Emanuel Ruggeri
Winner of the February 2016 1st Scene Screenplay Contest.
Watch ROAD TO TEXAS by Emanuel Ruggeri
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
ANGEL/DIANE – Kelci Stephenson
SIDNEY – Sasha Rajamani
FRANK – Sean Kaufmann
Get to know writer Emanuel Ruggeri:
1. What is your screenplay about?
The screenplay is about one’s redemption and the dynamics of a broken family’s relationship through the guise of a haunting thriller that touches on many genres through the protagonist’s hellish journey.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
The screenplay deals with issues that concern us all in one way or another, and sometimes without us realising it. It makes a connection to the way we deal with relationships via modern technology, either good or bad. So the subject matters in this screenplay will touch a nerve with the audience who will be able to make a connection with it, and also open…
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TV PILOT Table Reading – MINDWALKER by Thorsten Loos
MINDWALKER is the winning TV Pilot screenplay from February 2016.
MINDWALKER by Thorsten Loos
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
ANNA – Allison Kampf
ANDREW – Sean Kaufmann
SAMANTHA – Kelci Stephenson
WILLIAM – Sasha Rajamani
LEROY – Chris Reid-Geisler
ETHAN/THOMAS – Jarrid Terrell
Get to know writer Thorsten Loos:
1. What is your TV Pilot screenplay about?
Andrew Kinderman, a loner and scifi geek without any friends, witnesses the murder of his neurobiology professor and is shot by the killers as well. His mind is catapulted out of his now comatose body and is ‘anchored’ to the only person he really cares about: The actress of his favourite mystery TV show, Australian beauty Anna Chastings. She is terrified when Andrew’s spirit manifests in her villa and thinks he’s a hallucination caused by too much work, but soon realizes this guy is really in trouble. When he accidentially overhears her…
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TV SPEC of the show THE BIG BANG THEORY by David Minaskanian
The Big Bang Theory was the February 2016 Winning TV Spec Screenplay
Watch THE BIG BANG THEORY by David Minaskanian
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
PENNY – Kelci Stephenson
SHELDON – Jarrid Terrell
LEONARD – Chris Reid-Geisler
WOLOWITZ – Sean Kaufmann
KOOTHRAPPALI – Sasha Rajamani
MARY COOPER/AMY – Allison Kampf
Get to know writer David Minaskanian:
1. What is your screenplay based on the TV show “Big Bang Theory” about?
Sheldon’s mom visits for his birthday and accidentally reveals that his grandmother Meemaw passed away. Needless to say, Sheldon does not take it well.
2. How does this screenplay fit into the context of the TV show?
Sheldon’s grandmother had been mentioned for years but never made an appearance, so I wanted to keep in line with that. But now that she was just on the show, I think the script still works if you imagine it as a future episode.
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SHORT SCRIPT Table Reading – ANIMAL SKINS by Bryan Ott
ANIMALS SKINS was the February 2016 Winning Short Screenplay.
Watch ANIMAL SKINS by Bryan Ott:
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Sean Kaufmann
HUNTER – Sasha Rajamani
PIM – Kelci Stephenson
SCARBOY – Chris Reid-Geisler
WILD BOY – Jarrid Terrell
Get to know writer Bryan Ott:
1. What is your short screenplay about?
In writing Animal Skins, I didn’t consciously start with any specific theme in mind and attempt to explore that idea through the narrative and characters. I usually uncover the central idea as the story is evolving and the threads and connective areas surface and I begin to pull them out. The ideas and areas of human experience that I am interested in and most affected by myself in my own life are in the flaws and shortcomings on the central characters that I am developing through the natural progression of the world of the story and the structure. My…
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SHORT SCRIPT Table Reading – COMPLICIT by Andrew L Schwartz
COMPLICIT was the February 2016 Winning Short Screenplay.
Watch COMPLICIT by Andrew L Schwartz:
CAST LIST:
NARRATOR – Sean Ballantyne
LT. HAMMELSTEIN – Sean Kaufmann
CLARITA/MARIE – Kelci Stephenson
SCHEINBERG – Chris Reid-Geisler
SGT. SACCO – Jarrid Terrell
PAP PAP – Sasha Rajamani
Get to know writer Andrew L Schwartz:
1. What is your short screenplay about?
Complicit is about a former Nazi who goes on the run after he learns he may have to stand trial for his past transgressions.
2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
This story focuses on a very real and relevant question that we as human beings need to face: has too much time passed for these men to be held accountable for their actions?
3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Morally challenging.
4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
The Return of the…
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Festival Reviews 