Damn the Man, Save the Empire!

Your all probably too young to remember the slacker comedy Empire Records (from where this title comes from). Getting old . . . Anyway, I wanted to bring a serious issue to your attention. So much so that Google has a NO CENSORSHIP banner on today's page. We had a lengthy conversation about censorship at our student meeting last quarter. It's important for you to keep up to date on censorship that is happening in our own government, right now.

SOPA - Stop Online Piracy Act - The originally proposed bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Depending on who makes the request, the court order could include barring online advertising networks and payment facilitators from doing business with the allegedly infringing website, barring search engines from linking to such sites, and requiring Internet service providers to block access to such sites.

In layman's terms - All of your favorite web sites may be shut down and subject to an expensive, extensive legal process if anyone find's it's content in violation of copyright. Your ISP may ban certain websites from your search without your consent. Reports claim that the legislation is so loosely worded that members of government may use this to censor any site they please across the internet.

Understand that opinion is skewed, depending on where you get the source. However it's important for you, as a future filmmaker, to pay attention and take action either way. This WILL effect how you make films and distribute them in the future. -
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57360665-503544/sopa-pipa-what-you-need-to-know/
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/opinions/why-its-important-to-reject-sopa-the-mpaa-and-piracy.php#comments
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2399008,00.asp
A counter opinion -
http://www.mpaa.org/blog
http://www.mpaa.org/contentprotection
http://graphicpolicy.com/2011/12/23/marvel-and-disney-on-the-pro-sopa-bandwagon/
Here is the actual legislation -
http://judiciary.house.gov/issues/issues_RogueWebsites.html

Thoughts? Does this legislation help you as an artist by protecting your copyrights? Does this bill give power to corporations by shutting down anything that resembles copyright infringement? Is this legislation about taking power or protecting it? Educate and decide for yourself.

IFC Center This Quarter

Holy Cow! IFC has a fantastic line up for the next three months! http://www.ifccenter.com/
Cult Carpenter - http://www.ifccenter.com/series/waverly-midnights/cult-carpenter/
- For those of you who love cult and horror films, you must know about John Carpenter! The amazing director, editor, and composer has created some of the most memorable films of the 20th century! I'll be at the Thing screening!
Stranger than Fiction - http://www.ifccenter.com/series/stranger-than-fiction/stf-winter-2012/
- Documentaries are making a significant strides with the immediacy of cheap, fast technology. This continuous series at IFC is memorable and worth your time.
Kill List - http://www.ifccenter.com/films/kill-list/
- This film has been on every top ten list I subscribe to for this year. Now, it's getting a formal release in the states. Check it out!
- Academy Nominated Short Film Screening - http://www.shortsinternational.com/
IFC will be hosting screenings of the 2012 Oscar Nominated Shorts in Feb. I'll be posting a DFM field trip when the date approaches.
Enjoy! and go to the movies!

Fotoshop for Beauty Queens

Thanks, Dan for showing this to me! - Eve.

Screenwriting Competition - Deadline March 5th

Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition - Deadline March 5th. Late Deadline April 16th.
Enter by Clicking HERE - http://www.scriptapalooza.com/index2.html

Nerdy Stuff: ASC Podcast

ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) has a podcast where they talk to current cinematographers about their projects, past and present. A wide range of positions are covered from television broadcast, to feature film, to commercial direction. Since my favorite show right now is Breaking Bad, I began listening Michael Slovis discuss his experiences shooting and directing Breaking Bad.

For students interested in Cinematography, Check It Out!
http://www.theasc.com/ac_magazine/podcasts.php#ac_podcast

Alpha Channel Winners - FA11

Acceptance - Shaul Helvey
Escapism - Derrick Clarke
Baby you gotta go - Conrad Hart
Essentia - Jeremy Ciliberto

Summer State of Mind - Joshua Rossy

Cupid Lies commercial - Harold Urena

Inconvenience - Natasha Davis

Bad TV - Daniel Arena 

Hunter of the Dark trailer - Ken Price 

R.O.A.R. - Darnell White

Everyone who does not have a ticket, there will be two reserved for you. You can pick them up at the door or during the day at Eve's office. The remaining Alpha Channel tickets will be available to students the day of the screening in Eve's office. 

Alpha Channel - December 12th 6pm 92nd St Y - TriBeCa 200 Hudson Street. (Blocks away from school). 
Don't worry if you cannot get a ticket! We'll have a lounge area set up in the TV studio playing the Alpha Channel Program. 

Alpha Channel Selects - DUE DATE

Due Date for Alpha Channel Submissions is NOVEMBER 30TH by 9PM on the FACULTY  Drive under the folder ALPHA CHANNEL SUBMISSIONS FA11




1. Create a folder with your NAME and TITLE OF PROJECT in the submissions folder
2. Put your full resolution quicktime (.mov file) film in the folder. Make sure your film plays outside of FCP, in the Quicktime player.
3. Fill out the submission form and save in your folder. Submission Forms Are Required for Every Entry, No Submission Form = No Entry. 
4. Any questions, please e-mail gokupniak@aii.edu.

Lytro infinite Depth of Field still camera!

Lytro cameras will be on display, and available for hands-on, in-store demos, at the WIRED Store in New York City. Located at 42nd and Broadway, the 7th annual WIRED Store promises a first look at unique gadgets and gear, events, installations and experiences that embody the “WIRED lifestyle.” The three Lytro camera models will be featured along with more than 200 other hot new products. Visit the store between noon and 7pm Wednesdays through Sundays between Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Dec. 24 (closed Thanksgiving Day) to request a Lytro camera demo with one of the WIRED Store employee “Ambassadors.”


SOURCE: LYTRO BLOG

"Rise of Non-Fiction Film"

Watch live streaming video from academyawards at livestream.com

I found this on the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences. For those of you taking or interested in documentary, check this out! - Eve.

Fan made Italian Star Wars Short

I thought this was AMAZING foreign films are so much better...

RIP Steve Jobs. 1955 - 2011

New Quarter! and Wall Street

Welcome Back! It's good to see everyone again.
I know the break wasn't nearly as long as was needed. However, any break should be enjoyed.
Part of the luxury of my job is to find interesting things, film related, on the web so show you and nurture your growing, intellectual curiosity. Today, I felt the need to post something not film related, but media related.
A protest has been going on Wall Street for the past few weeks. http://occupywallst.org/ This protest began as a small group of people harboring negative emotion against the banking system in America. As time past, the word spread, the internet was recruiting more bodies. Before long, hundreds turned to thousands. Today, the protests reach a new level when local union workers gather to promote their efforts.
When the protest started, there was an unusual silence in the media. I heard about it everyday from my internet literate boyfriend, but nothing from any of the major cable networks. That got me thinking, "Why?" Then this post from CNN popped up.


It made me think. What is this all about? The reporting here is more opinion and less fact. The reporter interviewed only one person. Is that an accurate representation of the whole event? My opinion: I was disappointed in this reporter's efforts to investigate and tell a story that is interesting. Even if the protests are disorganized and without merit, give evidence to support that without emotion or opinion. That's my understanding of the news, to give fact without judgement.
Below is a video created by one of the protesters. This video is available on their site. Is this video a more accurate representation of the event? Or one sided like the rest of the news coverage?
So, what's your opinion on this event, on the media coverage? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts. - Eve.


Nobody Can Predict The Moment Of Revolution from ivarad on Vimeo.
We want to share insights into the formation of a new social movement as it is still taking shape in real time. The video was shot during the 5th and 6th day of the occupation. This idea to occupy the financial district in New York City was inspired by recent uprisings in Spain, Greece, Egypt, and Tunisia which most of us were following online. Despite of the corporate media's effort to silence the protests, and Yahoo's attempt to to censor it in e-mail communication, the occupation is growing in numbers and spreading to other cities in the US and abroad.

Please forward our video to likeminded people via email, facebook, twitter - and make the voices of dissent circulate.

Find the latest news, learn how to participate and support:
https://occupywallst.org

Alpha Channel Posted!

Summer Alpha Channel has been posted. Click on the link above to see some selections. The entire program was not posted because some filmmakers have chosen not to include their films online. The full program is playing on loop outside of the cage. The tech bible and the production documents will be up soon. I'll have your instructors explain those. - Cheers, Eve.