PIXEL CORPS HUB PRESENTS AN INTERVIEW WITH SFSDF GRADUATE, JOSH HARRIS ABOUT TECHNIQUES IN HIS TRAILER FOR 'PRIEST'S AWAKENING'

We all have hopes and aspirations for our career paths. We all have dreams and visualize greatness in leaps and bounds, but also in small steps because we know that to get from here to there, it takes hard work, sacrifices, a whole lot of help and a single-minded fixation on believing in ourselves against all odds, against the naysayers, against those lacking vision of their own that what we imagine we can become, we will become. We are artisans. We are visionaries. We are dreamers.

Josh Harris has a dream and a whole lot of enthusiasm that goes along with it. At its core, a project close to his heart. For Josh the thought of whether he will prevail has never crossed his mind. He has set his eyes upon a goal and step by step, he moves closer to realizing his dreams. Josh Harris will prevail.

But where does all this stem from? And just what is this vision that occupies his every thought?

View full article:
http://www.sfdigifilm.com/news_pdfs/pixel_awakening.pdf

BRUCE SMITH’S, FINE WINE SELECTED TO SCREEN AT THE CASTRO THEATRE OCT 11 AND 12

FINE WINE, Written and Directed by SFSDF student, Bruce E. Smith was selected to screen at the Good Vibrations Erotic Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. Fine Wine will be playing at the Castro Theater on October 11th and 12th to the thrill of audiences. It is a rare opportunity to get screened on one of the largest remaining single screen theaters in the Country (it seats 1400).

The Castro Theatre is truly an acre of seats in a palace of dreams. Come on out and see some truly interesting people and some bizarre and entertaining films. Ticket Information etc

2nd Annual Good Vibrations Amateur Erotica Film Competition

Good Vibrations, the legendary destination for sex-positive products, announces The Second Annual Good Vibrations Amateur Erotic Film Competition. The premiere for this event will be held at the beautiful Castro Theatre in San Francisco. There will also be an East Bay showing at the Parkway Speakeasy Theater in Oakland.

INDUSTRY PRO CALLS 'PRESQUE ISLE' ENCHANTING

“That was a very watchable, enchanting film, and its imagery lingered
in my mind for several days afterward. My compliments to you and your
crew for coming through with a soulful creation and a powerful
example of cinematic storytelling.”
Christian Schneider
Director of Photography
Filmmaking Professional

SAM CHASE, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, ON SFSDF'S 3RD FEATURE FILM, 'MOONLIGHT SONATA' DELIVERS ONE LAST WEEPY THANKS AND FAREWELL

Hey Everybody,

”I just wanted to deliver one last weepy  thanks and farewell. I had a great time and having spent the last two days getting caught up on dailies I was floored by the quality of our footage. I think it was a worthwhile and challenging experience for us all. For the pros Moonlight Sonata was a chance to remember that filmmaking doesn't always need to be a money-driven cutthroat world and for the students it was an unmatchable opportunity to get a genuine feel for what it's like to work in the business - not parking crew cars (that was my first job in the biz) or fetching coffee,  but as a propping, camera assisting or editing. Several of you even walked away with marketable skills and/or even jobs. Pretty cool. It was a great chance for us all  to learn as well as improvise. Watching the footage from scenes we shot in the woods I was struck by the beauty of a gentle  mist floating through the dappled light and thought "how lucky I was to get  a misty day"... then I remembered Heather chicken-scratching the dusty trail to get that effect. What we lacked in resources we made up in heart and you all had that in spades. I couldn't have been more impressed with each and every one of you - you're professionalism and your dedication blew me away. I wish you all the greatest success in your work and your lives and encourage you to keep at whatever it is that fills your dreams. Stay in touch and keep smiling.”

All The Best
Sam Chase
http://www.samchasedp.com

BAWIFT PRESENTS “NOW CLEAR THIS!: MUSIC RIGHTS 101, HOSTED BY SFSDF

Featuring Brooke Wentz
Thursday, November 15th, 2007
Rights Workshop founder Brooke Wentz will share information on music rights for film, television, and soundtrack production. This panel is ideal for independent filmmakers, producers and composers. The topics to be covered are: copyright clearance, synchronization and master use licensing, music supervision, public domain and music cue sheets. Come for an in-depth look at the difficult climate of the music industry today and how it relates to the visual arts.The meeting will begin with networking and a light reception followed by the panel discussion.

DATE:
Thursday November 15, 2007

TIME:
7:00 p.m. Networking and light refreshments
7:30 - 9:00 p.m. Panel
9:00 - 9:30 Networking

San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking 2565 Third St., Suite #337, between 22nd & 23rd Streets San Francisco CA

PANELISTS:
Brooke Wentz, Founder, The Rights Workshop
Other panelists to be announced

FEATURING:
BROOKE WENTZ is a 25-year veteran of the music and recording industry. Her business, the Rights Workshop, provides music supervision, licensing, rights clearance and digital promotions. Ms. Wentz supervises music for film (The Devil & Daniel Johnston, Ballets Russes, Imelda, The Unforeseen, The Weather Underground) and television (ESPN, HBO, Discovery), soundtracks, artists’ commissions and soundtrack productions. She headed up the music department for the ESPN networks and was Manager of A&R Administration for Arista Records. She is a Billboard award-winning producer and has produced over 25 recordings and soundtracks, including the Times Square Millennium Celebration.

Although many BAWIFT special events include both men and women, our general monthly meetings, such as this one, are for women only. This event is Free for current BAWIFT members, $5 for non-BAWIFT members. $3 for non-BAWIFT members with student ID.

'MOONLIGHT SONATA', SFSDF's 3rd FEATURE FILM ANNOUNCES WRAP OF PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY

"MOONLIGHT SONATA", our third independent feature film at SFSDF by the Fog City Pictures, has wrapped its principal photography on October 31st, after 5 weeks of shooting in the Bay Area ( in HD, Digital Format ). After completing a few pickup scenes, the film will be edited for submission to prestigious Film Festivals and will be prepared for wide theatrical release.

Celik Kayalar, PhD, the director of our "Film Acting Program" at SFSDF wrote, directed and executive-produced the psychological thriller. The producers were Jeremiah Birnbaum, the Founder of Fog City Pictures, and Milena Grozeva-Levy, one of our Digital Filmmaking Faculty.

"Moonlight Sonata" is the story of a privileged San Francisco family, the difficult moral choices its members make and the consequences they have to face, told in the genre of a modern psychological thriller with surprising twists and turns along the way, all culminating in a cliff-hanger climax.

The production boasted a large and highly talented and accomplished cast and crew from San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. Sam Chase was the master cinematographer on the set, visiting from New York. Cast members included distinguished Los Angeles actors M.J. Karmi and Irena A. Hoffman as the female-leads, and Sita Young, P. David Miller, Nate Reese and Ann-Marie Jolly featured in major supporting-roles.

The esteemed San Francisco actor & director Warren David Keith was cast as the male-lead who also teaches one of our "Advanced Film Acting" Classes at SFSDF.  Two of our other Film Acting Faculty, Celia Shuman and Brian D. Scott also had supporting roles in the movie.

Twenty-two of our own Acting Students at SFSDF were among the cast members of “Moonlight Sonata” ( all speaking-parts ). Several of the 22 were major supporting-roles that took many days to shoot. Here are all their names, in no particular order:

Taren Howes, Edith Reiner, Maggie Grant, Kay Ewing, Aimee McCrary, Jinnifer Jacobs, Goldie Chan, Joan Laqui, Hueiyen Tsai, Ashley Allen, Katrina Gimenez, June Barnard, Sarah Leight, Daniel Will-Harris, Micci Toliver, Tony Williams, Marshell Harwell, Roy Hylton, Vincent Leddy, Brendan Sweeney, Nate Duncan and Johann Schiffer.

A few of our Acting Students had non-speaking parts: Chris Leidecker, Mauro Pivi, Michelle Grey, Dawn Green ( Eli Kramer: his scenes are still to be shot ). In the pickup scenes we plan to shoot soon, another four small roles will be cast among our own Acting Students, as well.