Monday, October 27, 2014

Special Effects Plug Ins Now Available

We've got some exciting news for our film makers and story tellers!  If you've seen the opening scenes to Scott Whitaker's 'A Road Alone' (link to A Road Alone) winner of Best Film at last year's Open Frame, you're aware of the moody 'dutch tilt' he employed to hint that the world of this runner coming toward us was about to be turned on it's head.

Scott adds to the texture of his shot with a dreary rainy soundscape and a depressing drizzle.  You may have wondered how Scott's team patiently waited for the perfect storm to film that opening shot. Surprise ... it wasn't raining at all ... Scott added the rain and colored the shot digitally with some special effects plugins available in Final Cut Pro.

So you can make it rain, make it snow, cloud up with fog or even fill the scene with grit and debris.  All possible with a suite of Final Cut Pro plugins that we've purchased for use in your movies and video story telling.  We've added Snow generators, Smoke, Fog, Grit and Grime, Color Texture and of course realistic rain effects software to our special effects arsenal available to you.  For a look at what you can accomplish with these effects check out the Pro Rain plugin here: http://store.pixelfilmstudios.com/plugin/effect-prorainvolume2.  While you're there, you can also check out ProGrit, ProFog, ProSmoke, ProSnow and ProToner, all of which we have made available for use in your projects.

For more information or a tutorial on how to use them email Steve Pustay: spustay@malone.edu.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Scriptwriting Contest Now Open

Open Frame Scriptwriting Contest / Challenge Opens!

The 2014-15 edition of the Open Frame Scriptwriting contest opened on Thursday, October 3rd.

The contest is open to any currently enrolled Malone University student.  It's your opportunity to sharpen your pencils and put that story that you've been dying to tell to paper.  You'll not only be stretching your writing 'chops' but the feedback on your scripts may prove valuable in framing and telling your unique story.

Each year talented Malone Alumni jury the scripts that are turned in -- which means that each script gets feedback from at least three judges including both numerical ratings and some narrative feedback.   You'll find, as an emerging writer, that getting serious feedback from good writers and readers is a rarity and a real privilege.  What better reason to start knocking out that script today.Scripts may be in any genre. Fresh innovative stories told in a cinematic way are best. Scripts mayrange from one minute to sixteen minutes (one minute = one page in screenplay format). Scripts must be submitted in standard screenplay format. Scripts MUST include a title page, but may NOT include the authors name. (we recommend celtx.com)

You should submit your script by email to Steven Pustay at his Malone email address (pustays@malone.edu).  All scripts must be delivered in PDF format. Again, with a title, but NO authorial name. Your submission email should include: Your name, phone number and script title.

Deadlines are good things! Nothing like the pressure of a deadline to provide that lift to the discipline of banging on those keys and getting it done!  All scripts must be emailed on or before Tuesday, November 11th to be considered for the award.

Malone Alumni Featured Guests at Canton Film Festival

2007 Malone University Graduates and Open Film filmmakers Jake and Erin Brown Thomas are returning to Canton as guests of the 2014Canton Film Festival.  The Canton Film festival is hosting  

a Q&A session with Erin and Jake on Friday, Oct. 3rd at 3:30 at the Palace Theater.

The couple will share their thoughts on directing, producing, scriptwriting and the creative and competitive business of filmmaking.  Their most recent collaboration, Hotwire the Movie (https://www.facebook.com/HotwireMovie/info?ref=page_internal), directed by Erin written by Jake is doing well on the festival circuit.

Both Jake and Erin are listed on IMDB and your can find their complete filmography here.  Erin (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3367798/) and Jake (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3737381/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2).

Jake and Erin have also served as jury members for the Open Frame Film Festival, most recently in 2014.  Both describe their involvement with the Open Frame Film Festival while students at Malone as influencing their desire to work in the industry and as helping them build their filmmaking skill sets.