Alpha Channel Winners

Congrats to our Alpha Channel Winners!

Vanessty Miller - Embrace It
Theresa Murino - Secret A
Jennifer Humala - WCV Fashion Film
Geroni J - Side Effect 2
Charles Brooks - Gatorade Commercial
Andrew Greenblatt - Girls Gone Wild
Adam Spieler - Monologue in B Sharp

**And don't forget to get your tickets to Alpha Channel HERE!

Fall Movies 2012

Bad news: Summer is over. Good news: with fall comes the release of many highly-anticipated new films. Where does one start? Here's a rundown of some that look like they'll be worth that $16 movie ticket:

The Master
P.T. Anderson's much anticipated film starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman is a must-see! Anderson's last film was the Oscar-winning There Will Be Blood, so expectations are running high for his latest film. So far, the film (that's "not" about Scientology) has been getting rave reviews after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival. This is definitely a film to look out for this Oscar season. (Sept. 21st)

Cloud Atlas

Based on the novel by David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas not only has three directors, the Wachowski siblings and Tom Tykwer, but a $100 million budget, making it the largest non-studio film ever made. The film has quite a heavy plot, including six different time periods (some take place in the past, some in the future) and a star-studded cast: Tom Hanks, Halle Barry, Jim Sturgess, and Susan Sarandon (who plays an Indian man!) just to name a few. The trailer looks insane!(Oct. 26) 

Life of Pi
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) directs this 3D adaptation of the best-selling novel "Life of Pi", starring newcomer Suraj Sharma. Lee reportedly said this film was the hardest movie he's ever made. I'm excited to see why! (Nov. 21st)

Wreck-it-Ralph

Watch out Pixar, because this Disney movie looks so good. If you grew up in the early video game era like I did, you'll want to check out this movie about the world of old school video game villains, from Atari to Halo. The film follows the story of a video game villain, Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) who gets fed up with being the bad guy and longs to be a hero in another video game. The movie has some of the most recognizable characters in video game history, including M. Bison, Dr. Robotnick, the ghosts from Pac-Man, and even Bowser. The trailer will have you sold. (Nov. 2nd)

Django Unchained

One of the most highly-antcipated movies this year, just cause it's Tarantino. The film boasts an all-star cast (Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson) and a story that follows a slave-turned-bounty hunter set to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner. Although I'm not entirely sold on this trailer, anything Tarantino deserves a shot, so why not?

Here are some other must-see films this fall season: Resident Evil: Retribution (Sept. 14th), Liberal Arts (Sept. 14th), The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Sept. 21st), The Paperboy (Oct. 5),  Argo (Oct. 12th), Killing Them Softly (Oct. 19th), The Flight (Nov. 2nd), Skyfall (Nov. 9th), Lincoln (Nov. 9th), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Dec 14th), Les Miserables (Dec. 14th), This is 40 (Dec. 21st)

What are you excited to see this fall season?

Prop Rentals

Using a real weapon in your film can be tricky due to NYC laws, but sometimes finding a believable prop is just as difficult. Using the right props can be vital to your film, and The Specialists is a great place to help you get the right one. Their inventory has a wide variety of props, including weapons, fake drugs, and household items that would normally be unavailable to you. Check out their showroom located in SoHo and their website: http://thespecialistsltd.com/

From Short to Feature

The chances of your short film being turned into a feature might be slim, but not impossible. More and more short film directors are being recruited by Hollywood to turn their short films into feature films. Although that's certainly a dream for many of us, does it necessarily guarantee a career launch into success?

The latest short film being turned into a feature is Lovely Monster, written and directed by young Italian filmmaker Francesco Calabrese. The well-recieved horror short is currently in negotiations with Lionsgate for a feature film adaptation, giving Calabrese a shot to make his feature directorial debut. Lovely Monster utilizes faux-documentary style to tell the story of a young girl with a mysterious condition that is turning her into what those around her call a "monster". After checking out the short I am most certainly looking forward to the feature film version. Check out this awesome short below:

Sometimes all it takes is a short film to launch your career as a feature film director. Many people would be surprised to know that Wes Anderson, arguably one of the best filmmakers today, started his career with a short film, Bottle Rocket. The 13- minute, black and white short film was written by Anderson and his then-college roommate, Owen Wilson and his brother Luke Wilson. The short film premiered at the USA Film Festival in Dallas and received enthusiastic praise before being shown at Sundance. There, it caught the attention of screenwriter L.M Kit Carson who immediately sent it to James L. Brooks. This intervention secured financial backing for a feature film adaptation, which is now Anderson's classic feature debut, Bottle Rocket. Here is Wes Anderson's original 1996 short film:

(click here for Part 2)

But sometimes the short film catches more buzz than the feature does. Take for instance filmmaker Spencer Susser. His 2008 zombie-fest short film I Love You Sarah Jane was well received in festivals, leading Spencer to direct his first feature film, Hesher. Unfortunately, Hesher failed to make much of splash in theaters, even with stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman as the main characters. However, it looks like Spencer is getting a second chance and returning to his short I Love You Sarah Jane and adapting it into a feature. The short is amazing and the special effects aren't too bad for a short film budget. I'll be looking forward to the bigger budget version of this! Check out the original short below:

These shorts serve as reminder for many independent filmmakers; whatever path you take may or may not lead to success, but having your short film turned into a feature is a success in its own.

Filmmaking Contest!

Hey guys, AbelCine and Vision Reasearch has launched an awesome new camera, the Phantom Miro M320S high-speed digital camera (check out more information on the camera here) and a contest calling all filmmakers with a chance to use it!

Submit a treatment, script or storyboard for a proposed 3-6 minute long project to be shot on the Phantom Miro and you can be one of four finalists that will be sent a Phantom Miro package to shoot your project within a week. One grand prize winner will win the Phantom Miro package (retail price: $25,900 - $60,000).

Check out the rules and submission requirements here.

Good Luck!

Spike Lee Interview!

Great suggestion from Julie! Attached is a conversation between Spike Lee and Leonard Lopate regarding his latest film "Red Hook Summer". Enjoy!

PA Position Available!

AWOL Logline: Days before her deployment to Afghanistan, Joey, 19, returns to rural Pennsylvania for Christmas with plans to go AWOL with her married older lover Rayna.
Writer/Director: Deb Shoval Producer: Jessica Caldwell

SAG Ultra-low budget feature filming in Northeast Pennsylvania seeks on-set production assistants and interns. Must be able to drive, and if you are willing to bring your own car that would be even better! No pay. Credit only. We will provide food, hotel, and reimburse for gas/mileage. This feature is based on an award-winning 2011 Sundance Film Festival short film. We are a group of talented young professional cast/crew from NYC. This is a great credit and networking experience. It will be hard work but lots of fun! 

Shooting Dates September 4-14th (Shoot part 1 – Summer Portion) December 1-14th (Shoot part 2 – Winter Portion)

 It’s totally fine if you are only available for one of the two shoots, but we’d love to have you for both! Producer Contact Information: Jessica Caldwell jessbcaldwell@yahoo.com jesscaldwell.com (website)

Film Festivals!

Made a short film? Don't just stop at Alpha Channel! There are many film festivals you may submit your short to. You have nothing to lose (except maybe your admission fee!) and submitting your film is usually an easy process. The following festivals accept short films and their submission deadlines are within September or October:

- Hollywood Black Film Festival

- Terror Film Festival


- Big Apple Film Festival

- Macon Film Festival

- New York Los Angeles International Film Festival

- La Femme International Film Festival

- Indie Fest

- Bronx International Film Festival

- Laugh Out Loud Short Film Festival

- Three Rivers Film Festival

- United Film Festival - New York

- International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival

- Cineview Film Festival

- Literati Film Festival

- Women's International Film & Arts Festival

And don't forget to register with Without A Box for daily updates and easy submission to all festivals worldwide!  Good luck!

Alpha Channel Poster!

Greatness Article - MUST READ

"YOUR REAL COMPETITION IS THE 5,000 OTHER DRAMAS SHOT WITH SHALLOW DEPTH-OF-FIELD AND DIGITAL EFFECTS THAT GO UP EVERY WEEK." - From SOTW

In case you didn't know, I am a consistant contributor to the web site "Short of the Week". The site is included in our blog feed. If you are looking for shorts to inspire you, I highly suggest that you go there frequently! We just started a series of articles that discuss short filmmaking. Yesterday one of the editors, Andrew S. Allen, published the first of this series titled, "Greatness - Why Good isn't Good Enough." It's a fantastic read that breaks down how the democracy of filmmaking has made an impression on our industry. Now more than ever, the only thing that will separate you from the masses is your ability to be a storyteller! Please read and comment. (Click on the title for the link to the article) Thanks!

A student's reaction to EDMC's decision

Like many of you, I'm a DF student here at Ai and I was shocked to hear that EDMC have decided to cancel the Digital Filmmaking program. Although I am graduating before the film program is gone, I am still very much affected by this bad news.

After high school, I worked as a make-up artist for many years. I made a decent living but I hated my job. At twenty-five I decided to stop and change my life around in order to pursue my true passion. Unfortunately most film schools in NYC require a portfolio in order to enroll; I was a cinephile who had never picked up a camera. Ai was the first school that gave me a chance. At first I wasn't sure what to expect out of the program, but I was happy to find that a lot of the classes were so hands-on; while my friends were watching Citizen Kane for the upteenth time over at another film school, I was learning how to work with a production team and how to operate equipment. I was also happy to work with such a diverse group of students, many of whom I hope to collaborate with in my professional career. Sure, like any other student I've had some complaints here and there, but overall I found the film program and faculty extremely helpful and motivating. The film program here is tailored to get you out into the work place and as someone who had moved back with her mom in order to return to school full time, that was exactly what I was looking for.

My story is not special. A lot of students here have their own stories, their own struggles. The DF program has given a lot of people with limited options an opportunity to pursue their passion in the film capital of the world. To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement - I think I speak for most of us when I say I feel like a mixed bag of emotions (a big one being anger) and I'm left with many unanswered questions. Knowing that EDMC made this decision based on business matters only adds salt to the wound.

So what now? I don't know. But what I do know is regardless of whats happening, I'm going to take what I've learned here at Ai and continue to sharpen my skills and create as much as I can. I love filmmaking, and this situation only motivates me to work harder at what I do. Let's take advantage of our time here and get together to help each other out on our projects. Continue to create, continue to work hard. Take all that anger and work your way to the top.

- Melissa Fortunatti

Rules of the Cage

We are sorry about what has recently unfolded here at the Art Institute but we must move forward. Please watch this video about updates for the Cage

Reaction to letter from President