Author: rmm

Great First Pages

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RMM Writers Workshop: Great First Pages
This Sunday at the Rochester Movie Makers Writers Workshop, we’ll be taking a look at the first page of successful screenplays. During Oscar season, CBS News posted the scripts of many award contenders, and they can be a valuable resource for writers like us.
In reading the first page of these screenplays, I find it interesting to see how different writers solve problems. How does the use of language, grammar, character, and dialogue grab the reader’s attention and place him or her in the story? I’ve also noted structural quirks — how does one convey that a movie is a silent film, how are titles used, etc.
So visit the following page and download a few PDF files. Print out your favorite first pages and bring them along to our meeting for discussion.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/download-scripts-of-award-contenders/
As always, feel free to bring along your own work to share, too.
The RMM Writers Workshop is this Sunday, May 20, at noon at the Pita Pit, 311 Alexander Street, Rochester.
-Mike Boas mike(AT)rochestermoviemakers.org
 

RMM General Meeting Notes – April 30, 2012

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Start Time: 6:30PM
Total in Attendance: 21
Location: Brighton Public Library
Agenda:
Introductions:
Individual introductions
Upcoming Events:
RMM Producer Meetings
Every Thursday, 6:00pm at the Little Theater Cafe
Come to get help/help out with shorts and other productions
RMM Executive Board Meetings
Second Thursday of every month, 6:00pm at the Little Theater Cafe
Rochester Film Lab
Second Wednesday of every other month, 7:00pm at Animatus Studios
Next meeting is May 9, 2012
For critique and discussion on editing and directing
RMM Writer’s Workshop
Sundays, 12:00pm at the Pita Pit (East and Alexander)
Next meeting is May 6, 2012
For education and critique/feedback on screenwriting
RMM Auditions
Saturday, May 5, 2012, 9:30am – 1:00pm at “The Space” at Hungerford
http://thespacerochester.com/
Open audition call for Summer Shorts, student films, and other projects
DVD will be made of auditions for directors to use for casting all year long
Monologue-type sides have been created for those auditioning
Shmoovies showing
July 16, 2012 at Cinema Theater
Set up: 5:45
Box Office open: 6:15
House open: 6:30
Show start: 7:00
Treasury Report:
By Ric Hooker
Projects:
RMM Director’s Forum – Stan Main, producer/shot at RCTV
Put out a call for a director to interview for May 7, 2012 production
stan AT rochestermoviemakers DOT org
Requiem for a Beauty Queen project – Wayne to produce from Joe Nellis script
Needs Production Designer to design backstage set/costumes, etc.
wayne AT rochestermoviemakers DOT org
Hundo Leeng – Stan Main to produce from Mark Maira script
Needs: Assistant Director, Boom Operator, Composer, two Pas, Script Supervisor
Actors Needed: “Lance” (20s,) “Brandon” (30s,) “Caroline,” “Dave,” and “Driver”
Scheduled Times:
Rehearsal #1 May 15, 2012, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Rehearsal #2 May 22, 2012, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Rehearsal #3 May 29, 2012, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Rehearsal #4 June 5, 2012 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Rehearsal #5 June 12, 2012 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Optional Dress June 22, 2012 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Shoot Dates June 23, 2012 – June 24, 2012, 8:00am – 6:00pm
stan AT rochestermoviemakers DOT org
Bury My Heart with Tonawanda update
Started filming this weekend at Genesee Country Village and Museum
http://www.gcv.org/
Shoot is going very well so far; very impressive production
http://espocinema.wordpress.com/
Networking: 7:03PM
End of Meeting

RMM Writers Workshop meets 4/29 and 5/6

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Don’t forget, RMM Writers Workshop meets Sunday, April 29 and Sunday May 6!
Noon – 2pm at the PITA PIT, 311 Alexander Street, Rochester.
Print and bring along a few copies of the latest script or outline you’ve been working on! We’ll also be discussing what writers/producers should do to prepare for Summer Short auditions May 5.
We’ve taken a few weeks off from meetings, so we’re getting back in the groove by meeting two weeks in a row. That’s right, we’ll also be meeting May 6, same Pita Pit time, same Pita Pit channel.
To get plenty of useful screenwriting links, be sure to join the RMM Writers Workshop group on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/groups/rmmwriters/
See you soon!
-Mike

RMM General Meeting Notes – March 26, 2012

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“SCRIPT-A-PALOOZA”
Start Time: 6:30PM
Total in Attendance: 34
Location: Law Offices of Nixon Peabody
Agenda:
Introductions:
General intro from Stan Main, skipped individual introductions
Upcoming Projects:
RMM Auditions – available for everyone to use for shorts and films
Date TBD
Shmoovies 2011 showing – at Cinema Theater
Need new meeting space – put call out for suggestions
RMM Producers Meetings – will be on-going on Thursdays in April
Little Theater Café,  6pm
Greentopia (announcement by Noel Bastien)
New Film Festival
Looking for sustainability-themed shorts
Early deadline: April 2; Regular deadline: May 1; Late deadline: June 4
http://greentopiafestival.com/
Bury My Heart With Tonawanda
http://espocinema.wordpress.com/
Starting shooting April 27
Looking for a man to play a dinner guest for Saturday, May 19th at 2:00pm
Need a costume assistant/tracker to monitor all costumes and production assistant on
April 29, April 30, may 3, May 5, May 6, May 7, May 12, May 13, and May 19
Script-a-palooza:
Rules announced by Wayne Coughlin
Circle favorite on score sheet, voting members’ votes count three times
Nine scripts read in total
Script-a-palooza readings

  1. The Upgrade – Mike McCourt
  2. Eyes Still Closed – Michelle Cardulla
  3. Requiem for a Beauty Queen – Joe Nellis
  4. Bear River – Marty Naparsteck
  5. Hundo Leeng – Mark Maira
  6. Kiss Me, You Fool – Hank Shaw
  7. The Story About Troy – Dave Buttle
  8. The King of Cups – Mike Boas
  9. The Intervention – Wayne Coughlin

Winners:
1st place – The King of Cups – Mike Boas
2nd place – Hundo Leeng – Mark Maira
3rd place – The Upgrade – Mike McCourt
Networking
End of Meeting

RMM General Meeting Notes – February 27, 2012

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Start Time: 6:40PM
Total in Attendance: 22
Location: Law Offices of Nixon Peabody
Agenda:
Introductions:
Went around room and conducted individual introductions.
Treasury Report from Ric Hooker
Upcoming Projects:
Script-A-Palooza
March 26, 2012 Meeting – kick-off to RMM Summer Shorts
Follow link on website to get paperwork and rules for event
http://rochestermoviemakers.org/scriptapalooza/
E-mail Mike Boas or Wayne Coughlin ( mike(AT)rochestermoviemakers.org, wayne(AT)rochestermoviemakers.org) to get on actor list if interested in being a reader
Producers’ Meetings
Little Theater, Thursdays 6pm
Suspended until April
Executive Board Meetings
Little Theater, Second Thursday of every month 6pm
RMM Writers Workshop
Pita Pit (East and Alexander,) Sundays, March 11th and 25th this month
Rochester Film Lab
Animatus Studios, Second Wednesdays of every month
360/365 Film Festival
E-mail Mike Boas (mike(AT)rochestermoviemakers.org) if you need your registration money back from the defunct event
Adrian Esposito Project – Bury My Heart With Tonawanda
Needs pet/trained rat for small, one-day scene in early May
Contact: adrianesposito(AT)rochester.rr.com
Guest Speaker:
Mary Wilkins – team leader for winning M2M short, “Death on a Davenport”
Spoke about what she learned from her experience, what worked, and what didn’t work
Screened all M2M films: 7:20PM
End of Meeting

Local filmmaker organizes a club

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By Matt Klein, writing for City Magazine on June 26th, 2007

Stan Main: Hoping to tap into the local film community.

The amateur filmmaking scene has changed dramatically since the dawn of the YouTube age; now a lone person with a camera can reach millions of viewers. But there’s still strength in numbers, and here in Rochester, Stan Main has put out a casting call for all area “movie makers” – aspiring writers, directors, actors, composers, set designers, etc. – hoping to get people interested in all aspects of movie production to join his club.
Main, 53, who works for Clear Channel Radio Rochester, founded the Rochester Movie Makers Club with the thought that Rochester didn’t have anything of the kind, and that he and others who share his passion for film could benefit from coming together to discuss and work on projects. “My goal would be to really tap into the film community in the Rochester area, and to have fun – and not necessarily in that order,” Main says.
The club is inspired by his first movie-making attempt, at a film school called the Austin FilmWorks in Austin, Texas. Each student came with a script on the first day, and the class voted on which films they would make. Being behind the camera was an experience: “It does change the way you appreciate films; it changes the way you view films,” Main says. He wants to give Rochesterians a chance to do the same. Though the Rochester club’s website has only been up for a few weeks and membership is currently limited, Main envisions a large group, where people can exchange ideas or work on projects collectively.
Main generally prefers on-the-fly amateur film, and has posted a few YouTube videos himself. But he thinks that through planning and production, the club could open the door for better work. “Most of the stuff that people post on YouTube is ‘Hi, I’ve got a camera, I’m gonna go film something today,'” he says. The new club could help people makeYouTube videos, he says, “but make them so that they’re more than just a camera and somebody ranting and raving about whatever.”
The club is recruiting on its website at www.rochestermoviemakers.org; he wants to start meeting later this summer and hopes that “by next year we’re in a position where, when the weather breaks, and you’ve got this gorgeous scenery here – because it’s just great to film here – that we can take time and film.”