Film Forum’s next meet up will be on Tuesday 10th November at the Victoria Pub on John Bright Street in Birmingham from 7pm.

The idea of these monthly meet ups is to get people from all aspects of filmmaking in the West Midlands together to chat and start building networks of friends and contacts. The entire evening is very informal so therefore it is really up to you if you approach it as a casual drink or an opportunity to network and get projects off the ground.

So, come along and say hello, tell us what you are up to and hopefully we’ll all benefit from some interaction.

Here’s the address: The Victoria Pub, 48 John Bright St, Birmingham, B1 1BN

Here’s the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=151732432083&index=1

See you there.

Saturday 7^th November 2009 (10am-5pm)

Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Centenary Suite

£50 (£40 concessions)

From the traditionally structured TV and film stories that attempt to appeal to wide audiences (which ITV controller Peter Fincham termed ‘3G’ – three generations watching together), to the 3D structures of games and online drama, this day-long course looks at new opportunities offered to writers by the rise of digital technologies. Suitable for writers, film-makers and drama practitioners interested in looking at new ways of telling stories across screens of all sizes. Participants:

Graham Joyce is the author of fourteen novels and has won numerous awards for his writing, including five British Fantasy Awards and the 2003 World Fantasy Award. He has also written screenplays of his novels and has recently been hired by the creators of Doom 4 to help develop the storyline potential of the computer game.

Neil Mossey worked solely in television and radio before writing on Season 2 of the daily interactive web drama KateModern (storylining over 26 weeks, and scripting 74 webisodes). The series ended in July 2008 clocking up 66 million video views, the largest UK online production to date. As a comedy producer at the BBC he was responsible for developing new formats and drama in the Comedy Entertainment department with writers and performers. His freelance writer, script editor, and producer credits include My Parents Are Aliens (ITV1), Freefonix (BBC One), Blackout (Channel 4), SuperNormal (ITV1), The Worst Witch (ITV1), Hedz (BBC One), and The Morning After Show (Channel 4).

Claire Ingham is a producer and film and television script developer. She works on projects at all stages of development – currently ranging from the adaptation treatment of Eoin Colfer’s bestselling novel The Wishlist to the final draft of Helen Cross’ original feature Stratford Road. Claire has previously worked for a number of film and television companies in development roles. She was Head of Drama Development at Impossible Pictures for four years where she headed a small team, commissioning and developing a range of TV and film projects for all the major broadcasters, including Jed Mercurio’s contemporary retelling of Frankenstein and Michael Chaplin’s family film Pickles.

For booking and further information, please visit www.scriptonline.net/screen.html

Or email catherine.edwards@scriptonline.net

The event is presented by Script, the regional development agency for dramatic writers in the West Midlands, offering advice, training and mentoring via industry-led partnerships.

In addition to Moving Pictures’ Sunday film screenings at The Victoria Pub, they are also now screening locally made short films to accompany the night. Seems a very nice idea to mix a fun bit of film watching with some local exposure.

Send you films to:
Claire Goldthorp,
Moving Pictures,
The Victoria,
48 John Bright St
Birmingham
B1 1BN

Here’s their Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110110192510&v=info&ref=ts

On Wednesday nights from 8pm, The Jekyll & Hyde pub will be screening classic black and white films in their gin parlour.

4th November: Brief Encounter (1945) A classic romantic drama set in 1945 during WWII in and around the fictional Milford Railway Station. Meeting a doctor, a married woman is tempted to cheat on her husband.

11th November: A Streetcar named Desire (1951) Set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the restless years following WWII, this is the story of Blanche Debois, a fragile woman on a desperate prowl for some place in the world to call her own.

18th November: On the Waterfront (1954) Classic story of mob informers based in and around the docks of New York and New Jersey.

25th November: North by Northwest (1959) A New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a gang of spies. He gets involved in a series of misadventures and is pursued across the States by both the spies and the government.

2nd December: The Third Man (1949) An American pulp writer arrives in post WWII Vienna to discover the friend who invited him has died in mysterious circumstances.

9th December: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) A lawyer in a racially divided Alabama town agrees to defend a young black man who is accused of raping a white woman.

All screenings are free and include free popcorn! The Jekyll and Hyde is located on Steelhouse Lane, spitting distance from Snow Hill Station.

Casting call from Matt and Vince of Rapid Pics:

Short spoof of those glamorous, stylised perfume adverts, filming on Monday 23rd November in Stoneleigh, near Coventry (West Midlands).

We require a MALE and FEMALE, both very attractive, to play opposite each other. No dialogue.

This will be a professional piece, and will make an excellent addition to your showreel. We will pay £50, plus travel.

We will be holding auditions for short-listed talent. Models with a base in the West Midlands are preferable.

To find out more, please go to: http://www.facebook.com/l/501fa;www.mattandvince.com

If you think you may be suitable, please contact matt@rapidpics.com

In addition they are only going to be showing horror shorts, so if you have made a horror film and you would like it screened in front of an appreciative audience then send them in and they will play them! The night also has some great live bands performing, but they are always looking for more Singer/Songwriters, Bands, Poets, Comedians and Performance Artists, so if you want to showcase your talent then get in contact.

Filmrats is located at the Bristol Pear, Selly Oak. Entry is £1.50, so go along and remember to send in those horror shorts on DVD format to: Filmrats,
Flat 3,
889 Bristol Road,
Selly Oak,
Birmingham,
B29 6ND

If you have any questions or queries get in contact via their email: filmrats@hotmail.co.uk

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/filmrats

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=161850566421&index=1

Filmrats is sponsored by the good people at Hello Digital

Hello there,

Film Forum’s next meet up will be on Tuesday 13th October at the Victoria Pub on John Bright Street in Birmingham from 6pm.

For those that haven’t been to a meet up yet, here’s what happens! We meet up each month to get people from all aspects of filmmaking in the Midlands together to chat and start building networks of friends and contacts.

It’s very informal and is really up to you if you approach it as a casual drink or an opportunity to make new contacts and get projects off the ground. Contacts made through the social evenings have helped film projects to flourish and the variety of creative types attending has been very encouraging.

So, come on down, say hello, tell us what you are up to and hopefully we’ll all benefit from some interaction.

Here’s the address: The Victoria Pub, 48 John Bright St, Birmingham, B1 1BN

Here’s the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142120700881&index=1

I hope to see you there.

Birmingham’s Flatpack Festival is set to arrive once again this coming March from the 23rd – 28th, this time seeking a helping hand behind the scenes!

The festival organisers are looking to appoint somebody in the role of ‘Festival Coordinator’, if you are thinking about applying be quick though as the deadline is 28th Sept 2009. Further information about how to apply on their blog.

Submissions Wanted! Flatpack Festival are also calling for short film submissions, so if you’re a filmmaker and you would like to send in a short film, simply fill out the form which is available here.

Left to Right: Tom & Andrew

We thought it was best to keep these introductions to a minimum before we actually get to meet you all in person! Needless to say we’re honoured to be given such roles for the development of FilmForumWM, and we’re looking forward to talking to you guys on how we can, together, take FFWM to the next step. As Louis’ kindly already mentioned, we organise an evening called Filmrats; an almost estranged cousin to FFWM where we aim to help local filmmakers and musicians showcase their work in an environment where they can socialise and make contacts with other filmmakers for (fingers crossed) a beneficial outcome.

Okay, so shameless plug finished, on with the brief introductions:

Tom

Hello! I’m currently a freelance journo (please don’t judge) in both music and art, and have worked with both national and local publications. Knowing the importance of local art/media, I can’t wait to work with you all and hear your views on how we can further build the WM film community!

Andrew

Hello! I’m a freelance Writer/Director & Editor who has been making short films now for the past six years before, during and after University. I’m currently working on several new short film ideas, music videos for up and coming artists and in the developing stages of a feature idea. I’m very much looking forward to running FFWM as I believe it’s nothing but beneficial and much-needed for our community.

Told you they were brief…but hopefully we’ll get to talk a little more at the next FFWM meeting! Look forward to meeting you all.

Tom & Andrew Hewson

Hello folks,

After a few career developments, Ian, Rill and I have decided that we’re not able to devote the time to Film Forum WM that it deserves. After building FFWM as something that we’ve always felt was needed in the region we obviously want Film Forum to carry on and grow.

Filmrats organisers, Andrew and Tom Hewson have really impressed us and will now be taking up the reigns here. So not only will FFWM be able to carry on the meet ups with a fresh vigour, it will incorporate some nifty screening events to give you new and exciting ways to share your work and expertise with other filmmakers in the region.

Ian, Rill and Louis will hang around in a supporting role and are currently co-organising a Flip Festival animation screening event, FlipSide, with Animation Forum WM set for the beginning of November – more information to come when confirmed.

If you want to help out in anyway, either by contributing to the blog or offering resources for Film Forumm events get in touch at info@filmforumwm.co.uk

In the meantime you can keep up to speed with Ian and Louis at Dice Productions and with Rill at her website.

Now give Tom and Andrew a big woohoo and round of applause as they introduce themselves…

Dice Productions, that’s us (cheeky), have been asked to bring successful London comedy film night, Popcorn Comedy, up to Birmingham.

Shorts on Screens is the latest chance for Animation Forum WM membersto mingle, share an after-work drink and share their animation from 6.30pm on Wednesday 30th September at The Victoria, Birmingham.

Rather than submit animated shorts in advance for a sit-down screening, simply bring along a mobile phone, mp3 player or laptop pre-loaded with your best animated work, and share it with fellow animators over a drink.

Animated work can mean short films, commercial work, experiments, showreels; anything you think would be of interest to others AFWM members.

If you don’t have such snazzy mobile technology, simply bring along a USB stick or DVD and play it on one of the many laptops we’ll have setup around the room.

If you decide to do the latter, please ensure that you bring the animation as a rendered (compressed) video (e.g. avi, mov, flv , etc), not as an enormous uncompressed video file or with a rare and unusual codec, as these are unlikely to work.

Don’t have anything to show? Then feel free just to turn up and chew the fat with AFWM members, be they animators, scriptwriters, producers or voice-actors, you never know what might happen.

Entry is free and to attend simply RSVP using the Facebook Event page or todavid.luke.allen@bcu.ac.uk.

Shorts on Screens will take place in the upstairs room of The Victoria (where Shorts on Walls @ Flatpack was held last March) and can be found here.

Electric December, a short film competition led by Watershed for under 21s has its deadline coming up on the 25th September. So get cracking and submit your short film online.

http://www.electricdecember.org/generic/submit.html

(via Brendan O’Neill)

The genre is period drama/romance. The story is called The Singers and is set mainly in 1960. It is about a jazz singer and an aristocrat and their romantic involvement with each other.

The script has gone through 3 drafts and has two metors, John Humphreys and Adam Hamdy. It made the Screen WM script grant short list twice before this draft but I plan to do the scriptment and the synopsis in my own time without any funding.

When complete, I also plan to get some kind of production team together.

If you feel you can help Gillian, get in touch with her at gillianstapleton@hotmail.com

The film is about a failed filmmaker who’s life changes when a film crew start documenting and eventually dismantling his life.

Admission is free so pop along if you’re free this Bank Holiday.

We’re looking for a sound engineer to work a sixteen day shoot. The engineer must have some portfolio work to show and have experience.

We’re also looking for a makeup artist with skills in special FX, blood guts and gore. The more portfolio work or reel cuts you can show us of this sort of work, the more likely we are to take you on.

Same terms of contract apply to both jobs. The work is unpaid, on a low budget film. However contracts will specify a percentage of profits to be given when distribution is acquired for the title.

Person/s must be able to get to the West Midlands, Wolverhampton area. Lifts available.

Email: dtook@transientinnovations.co.uk with name and contact details + experience.

If you want to see more about us, go to Spooked Films Limited. Dead Time productions is an arm of Spooked Films Limited.

They’re also supporting budding filmmakers so if you want like to show your film, send them an email at rb_adams@hotmail.com or twitter Rob Adams. You can join them on Facebook too.

Here’s this month’s ’Fisco Films’ schedule:

• August 6th – Bullitt (1968, Yates)
• August 13th – Dirty Harry (1971, Siegel)
• August 20th – The Conversation (1974, Coppola)
• August 27th – tbc

Also, send in your suggestions for what you’d like to see on the 27th.

Sounds like a great night out.

(via More Canals than Venice)

Film Forum’s next meet up will be on Tuesday 25th August at the Victoria Pub on John Bright Street in Birmingham from 6pm.

Come along and chat to people from all aspects of filmmaking in the Midlands. It’s very informal and is really up to you if you want to approach it as a casual drink or an opportunity to make new contacts and get projects off the ground. Contacts made through the social evenings have helped film projects to flourish and the variety of creative types attending has been very encouraging.

After a bit of a think, we’ve decided to stick with hosting the meet up at The Victoria. It’s fun, relaxed and has decent priced drinks. We were a bit concerned that their hasn’t been a dedicated area for the meet ups previously, so we now have a reserved tables in the corner of the front bar… we’ll have some signs.

So, come on down, say hello, tell us what you are up to and hopefully we’ll all benefit from some interaction.

Here’s the Facebook event: http://bit.ly/7e1f2

Here’s the address: The Victoria Pub, 48 John Bright St, Birmingham, B1 1 BN

P.S. If you’d like to join our mailing list, send an email with ‘Subscribe’ in the title to info@filmforumwm.co.uk and we’ll keep you in the loop with any of our events.

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Filmrats is upon us again on Wednesday 22nd July at the Bristol Pear in Selly Oak. Entry’s £1.50, so pop along and remember to send your short films in DVD format for future screenings to Filmrats, Flat 3, 889 Bristol Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, B29 6ND

Local filmmaker, Olly Jones of Better Feeling Films is looking for an actress in her early to late 20s for 5-6 days during August for their feature, Lost in the Headlights. Expenses and food will be provided. The film centers on a rock band who have to deal with the tragic loss of one of there members.

They are also looking for extras for gig/pub and party scenes, as well as still being in need for a DoP.

Contact Oliver Jones for more details at: betterfeelingfilms@gmail.com

You can find more details about Lost in the Headlights here:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86061531543

http://viewaskew.com/theboard/viewtopic.php?t=68419