New Hampshire Film Premiere: "Larry's Home Video"

[Received this information of an upcoming premiere from Scott Caseley of Hudson, NH.]

Saturday, November 3 at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.) the WORLD PREMIERE of the solo directorial debut film from Hudson, New Hampshire native Scott R. Caseley, the psychological drama Larry's Home Video at the Stockbridge Theatre inside the Spaulding Arts Center at Pinkerton Academy at 5 Pinkerton Street in Derry, New Hampshire.

The movie poses the following questions, at what cost are your dreams of success worth? If you believed that you were destined to be murdered, how would you live your life? Can you be able to trust the woman you love? And, why do you still hang around with that guy who's just a little off-kilter and who doesn't really know who you are? With Larry, we will meet many colorful characters, and travel to many small town locations and inside his own subconscious as he decides to face his decisions and inner demons head-on after years of letting his life just go by casually.

This production has been a solid New England project from day one. It was shot on location in southern New Hampshire including Hudson, Keene, Rindge, and also at various sites in Massachusetts including Chicopee, Worcester, North Brookfield, New Braintree, Paxton, and more. All of the actors and crew members are from or went to school in the greater New England area and were recruited through NEFilm.com, the NH Film website and through the talents of John Campanello of BetweengigsCasting.com. It was shot by Award-Winning Rhode Island cinematographer, Christian de Rezendes. The soundtrack boasts such local performers as Dreadnaught, Tess Walsh, Sand Machine, Zox, Fluttr Effect, Dave King, Analog Method, and they are all accompanied by an orchestral style score by composer Bob Lord of Red Fez Records out of Newmarket. The final sound mix was recorded and mixed by Drake "The Drake" Giles of The Troupe in Windham, NH. The special effects were designed and executed by David Victory. And, finally the color correction was mastered by Dave Langley of Durham's TeamHill Studios.

The filmmakers, selected cast, and crew members will be present to take questions after the screening.

Due to the subject matter and some strong language, this screening is for mature audiences only. No alcohol or tobacco products may be brought to the screening. Parking will be designated for the event. Admittance to the premiere is free, however donations towards film and video festivals are gladly accepted.

Please include your MAILING ADDRESS in an email to Larryshomevideo@aol.com, and include the words "LHV MOVIE PREMIERE" in the subject line. Your name will be put on the guest list and receive a special pass to the event via snail mail. You can also send emails to Larryshomevideo@aol.com to find out any further information about the film and/or the premiere itself.

Location Spotlight: American Classic Arcade Museum

The American Classic Arcade Museum
Weirs Beach, NH

The American Classic Arcade Museum is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and displaying vintage coin-operated amusements. The museum celebrates the origins of the arcade industry. Popular video games from the past, including Asteroids, Pac-Man, Centipede and Defender are just a few of the over 200 games in the classic arcade museum. The museum also contains static displays of game history and the walls feature many posters of vintage arcade games. Playing games in this environment is an experience like no other. The music, the decor and the games are all dated 1987 and older.

Each year, championship-caliber players from across the United States and around the world gather for four days of classic game competition, and the fun of playing their favorites in the world's largest collection of classic arcade games still operating in an arcade setting. In prior years, players have come from Australia, Canada, England, Israel and Finland to attend this fun-filled event. The event at the museum was featured in the 2007 documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, currently in theaters.

To view this location, click here.

Heartwood Media Wins Six Telly Awards

[Just received this press release from our friends at Heartwood Media in Manchester, NH.]

Film has the Oscars, TV shows have the Emmys, and TV commercials and corporate video have the Tellys – and Heartwood Media has just been awarded six of them.

Heartwood Media received the Telly Awards for a variety of projects:

• BackPack Toys – a national TV commercial featuring Teddy Ruxpin
• PSNH – Northern Wood Power, a video explaining the wood-fired power plant in Portsmouth
• New Hampshire Ball Bearings – a DVD showcasing the company’s capabilities
• Pinpoint Global – A video for their client Allianz Insurance Company of North America, promoting their new multicultural market initiative
• Fantasy Entertainment – a video that plays in their recently-released Foto Cube photo booth
• The Family Resource Center at Gorham – a pro bono piece produced for this North Country non-profit organization

“We’re very pleased.” says Chris Conroy, Creative Director of Heartwood Media. “We’re proud of the work we do, but it’s always a thrill to have your work recognized by your peers.”

The Telly awards, which were founded in 1978, honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. The awards showcase the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, and television stations in all 50 states and many foreign countries.

The winning productions can be viewed on Heartwood’s website at http://www.heartwoodmedia.com/portfolio.htm

About Heartwood Media

Heartwood Media, Inc. is an award winning video, TV, and interactive production company based in Manchester, NH. Heartwood partners with a diverse array of clients – including PSNH, Segway, Autodesk, and The Nature Conservancy – helping them focus their message, target their audience, and deliver an intelligently conceived production that gets results.

For more information, contact pr@heartwoodmedia.com or visit www.heartwoodmedia.com.

New Hampshire Film Office roundtable a success

Members of New Hampshire’s film and television industry met at a filmmaker roundtable, hosted by the New Hampshire Film and Television Office, on September 13, 2007 at the Portsmouth Public Library.

In addition to a brief update from the New Hampshire Film and Television Office, the roundtable discussion focused on state filmmaking incentives and included a feedback session on how the film office could better serve New Hampshire’s film and television industry. Forty-five professionals were in attendance to talk about film and television in the state and share ideas on how to further promote New Hampshire as a film-friendly destination.

The event was held in the Levenson Room of the Portsmouth Public Library. Mary Ann List, the director of the library, was on hand to showcase the room to members of the industry as a potential screening venue for their own works. This community meeting room has video projection capabilities and regularly hosts a film screening series.

“These roundtables are a great opportunity for New Hampshire’s film and television industry to connect not only with the film office but with each other,” says Van McLeod, Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Resources.

Matthew Newton, Film Specialist managing the New Hampshire Film and Television Office agrees. “It’s an exciting time for film in New Hampshire and there’s so much to talk about. This gives us a chance to meet face-to-face with our industry professionals and provide them with first-hand information.”

The New Hampshire Filmmaker Roundtable is a lunch-hour gathering of the state's film industry professionals, amateurs and students held quarterly throughout the year.

The New Hampshire Film and Television Office, as part of the New Hampshire Department of Cultural Resources, works to expand business activity and employment throughout the state by acting as a liaison between the film industry and an established network of government agencies, the state’s film industry workforce, and local property owners. The office is responsible for location assistance, public relations, and general production support in an effort to broaden the cultural and economic impact of film and television production in the state. For more information about film and television production in New Hampshire, call (603) 271-2220 or visit www.nh.gov/film.

Presidential Primary Media Stringer Directory

As the New Hampshire Presidential Primary nears, media organizations from around the globe will be visiting the state to cover our vibrant, political season. The New Hampshire Film and Television Office occasionally receives requests from media outlets for assistance, and local videographers are sometimes hired by the media to work as freelance "stringers" and help the organization expand their range of news coverage in the state.

To facilitate the media and their inquiries, the New Hampshire Film and Television Office, in partnership with the New Hampshire Political Library, will be publishing a list of New Hampshire videographers who are available to assist various media outlets should they be seeking stringers during the presidential primary season. This list will be made available on the website of the New Hampshire Film and Television Office at www.nh.gov/film.

Click here to find out how to participate.

One for the good guys!

Marc Dole of Hatchling Studios in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has been down in New York City this week and he sent us this photo yesterday of some clever advertising on the side of a city tour bus. It's for the film Live Free or Die (not to be confused - but has been - with the Bruce Willis flick of nearly the same name). Live Free or Die was shot in Claremont, New Hampshire and stars Aaron Stanford and Paul Schneider. Note the "New Hampshire's answer to John McClane" and "Yippee-kay-yay!" jabs on the rolling billboard. Great publicity!

Thanks to Marc for sending this along and making our day!

Stinking up a theater near you

Thought folks might enjoy this random piece of film news from south of the state line. Of course, we encourage New Hampshire filmmakers to find a way to incorporate a Maple aroma into their next project!

Click here to read the article from Yahoo! News and the Associated Press.

Oscar buzz big for critically-acclaimed doc

[Received this press release today regarding the New Hampshire premiere of the documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.]

Oscar Buzz Big For Critically Acclaimed Documentary Filmed At Funspot

New Hampshire Premiere of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters this weekend in Meredith.

WEIRS BEACH-"One of the most fascinating films of the year. It deserves an Oscar nomination." The latest Steven Spielberg movie? No.

That’s a review on a recent Ebert & Roeper program talking about The King Of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, a documentary filmed on location at the largest arcade in the world - Funspot Family Entertainment Center on Rte 3 in Weirs Beach, NH . It makes its New Hampshire premiere this Friday, September 14th at Spinelli Cinemas in Meredith.

Not since On Golden Pond has a movie filmed in New Hampshire even been whispered about in the same breath with the words "Academy Award." With The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters the whispering has been turning into a roar as many notable critics have said it should definitely be a Best Documentary nominee come next year’s Oscars.

The documentary about a middle school science teacher and a hot sauce mogul who vie for the Guinness World Record on the arcade classic, Donkey Kong, is already in nationwide distribution and has been playing in thirty cities from Los Angeles to Boston and New York. It was a favorite at the famed Slamdance and Tribeca Film Festivals.

Filming for the documentary took place in June of 2005 during the 7th annual Classic Videogame and Pinball Tournament held in the American Classic Arcade Museum on Funspot’s third level. Every year gamers from around the globe come to the tournament to try and break video game and pinball records on some of the 249 fully operational classic games in the museum.

In the documentary, "Video Game Player of The Century", Billy Mitchell (who played the first perfect Pac-Man game ever at Funspot) scored 874,300 points on Donkey Kong (not at Funspot), a record many thought would never be broken. In 2003, middle school teacher Steve Wiebe set out to break it, and he did with a score of 1,000,000 points. The score was questioned by Mitchell as it was done on Wiebe’s home machine. The two square-off in a cross-country duel that comes to Funspot and Wiebe’s attempt at breaking the record in a sanctioned format.

One of the country’s top independent filmmakers and critics, Kevin Smith says "You won’t see a more gripping or compelling flick in a theater this year."

Gary Vincent, curator and director of the American Classic Arcade Museum, who started the tournament in 1999, didn’t think much about the filming during the ‘05 tournament. "People were always coming in saying they were filming a documentary of some sort. I had no idea it would be this big a deal."

It was a big deal for film’s director Seth Gordon who became interested in the story after he had heard about it from a friend of the film’s producer, Ed Cunningham. In an online interview Gordon said: "I didn’t know anybody involved in this (gaming) world but I did know Funspot, which is my favorite place on earth. I’m from Chicago but my family reunions were in New Hampshire so I would go to this arcade….it was this mystical place…I’d just think all year about it…I saw that Wiebe might go to this holy land and, as far as I was concerned, that’s when I signed on."

The King of Kong-A Fistful of Quarters will be making its New Hampshire premiere this Friday at Spinelli Cinemas in Meredith and will be there for at least a week. For more information on show times call Spinelli at 279-7836. For more about the movie go to www.billyvssteve.com. For more about visit Funspot at www.funspotnh.com and the American Classic Arcade Musuem at www.classicarcademuseum.org.

"The Mighty Humble Blueberry" to stream online

Did you know that the birthplace of the very first cultivated blueberry is on Crotched Mountain, right here in Greenfield, New Hampshire? Nancy O'Mallon's documentary, The Mighty Humble Blueberry, explores the history of the blueberry and now, as an official selection of the Independents' Film Festival, you will have the chance to see the film online, when it streams on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 8 p.m. on The Educational Channel web site.

For more information about The Mighty Humble Blueberry, visit the film's official web site.

Ovation Awards Call for Entries

[Another opportunity that crossed my desk today - thought it might be of interest to some.]

Ovation TV, a national cable network dedicated to arts programming, will give awards for excellence in original arts content, recognizing quality cultural programming suitable for television broadcasting.

Arts organizations are asked to submit entries consisting of video content in the areas of performing arts, visual arts, and artists' profiles. Winning submissions will be broadcast on Ovation TV and the submitting organizations will receive awards of up to $10,000. These awards are your chance to partner with a respected cable television network and bring local and national visibility to your work.

We encourage you to take advantage of this exclusive opportunity by sending your video submission for consideration. The response to this offer has been overwhelming, and Ovation TV has received many requests to extend the deadline. As a result of your requests, the new extended deadline is September 30, 2007. Nominations must be submitted to Ovation TV along with the required submission and release form. Ovation TV Awards Information can be found at: www.americansforthearts.org/pdf/ovation_tv_program_awards.pdf.

Digital Filmmaking Workshops set for November

Digital Filmmaking Workshops announce November 2007 schedule

All-day seminars focusing on Independent Film Production return to the Manchester Community Access Media (MCAM) Studios in Manchester, NH.

The Digital Filmmaking Workshops announces its fall schedule of extensive all-day seminars on Independent Film Production, held again at Manchester Community Access Media, 540 Commercial St. in Manchester, N.H. The schedule is as follows:

November 3-4, 2007, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Producing, Marketing, and Screening Your Digital Film

November 10, 2007, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Advanced Field Production: Creating A Great Scene

November 17, 2007, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Advanced Post Production: Editing & DVD Authoring

The DFW was founded by Bill Millios of Back Lot Films & Marc Vadeboncoeur of Goodheart Media Services with a philosophy towards instructing students how they can achieve their goals with a ‘no-nonsense do-it-yourself’ approach. Their feature-length films include the regionally shot and distributed Old Man Dogs, Dangerous Crosswinds and the upcoming Death & Glory.

Attendees will receive valuable insight into the creative, technical, and marketing strategies essential for filmmaking. Small class size, practical demonstrations, and a wide range of topics will give students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and put it to immediate use. Testimonials from past workshops have been posted on the www.digitalfilmmakingworkshops.com website.

Registration for the two-day seminar is $347 and both Advanced Workshops are priced at $197. Seats for these popular workshops fill up fast, so be sure to register early. Registrations received by October 15, 2007 will get 15% off the standard workshop fee. In addition, attendees will receive complimentary copies of the Digital Filmmaking Workshops Handbook, a DVD of Dangerous Crosswinds and the Discmakers Ultimate Guide to Releasing Your Film on DVD. For more information please call Marc Vadeboncoeur at Goodheart Media Services at 603-206-4364 or visit www.digitalfilmmakingworkshops.com.

Granite Media Center in the news

New Hampshire's Union Leader has a nice, little write-up in today's paper about the Granite Media Center, the new production facility in Tilton. The article talks briefly about the center and the Old Man of the Mountain replica that is set up at its entrance.

Manhattan Short to screen at NHTI Sept 28-29

The 10th Annual Manhattan Short Film Festival will be screening the films from its 12 finalists across 3 continents from September 23-30, 2007 and you'll have an opportunity to view the films and participate in the voting when the festival returns to the New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord on September 28-29 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8.

More information on the Manhattan Short Film Festival can be found online at www.msfilmfest.com.

New Hampshire Filmmaker Roundtable Sept. 13

The next New Hampshire Filmmaker Roundtable, presented by the New Hampshire Film and Television Office, will take place on Thursday, September 13 from 12-2 p.m. in the Levenson Meeting Room of the Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Avenue in Portsmouth.

In addition to an update from the New Hampshire Film and Television Office, our discussion will focus on two topics:

Filmmaking Incentives - The landscape of filmmaking is changing throughout New England, and as our regional neighbors enact legislation and incentives to attract more production to their jurisdictions, New Hampshire needs to take a look at how it can remain competitive. What can we offer to filmmakers? What can't we do? How do we become a filmmaking destination while, at the same time, continue to protect our New Hampshire resources and our way of life? We'll take some time to discuss this and hear your thoughts.

What can the Film Office do for you? - The intention of our quarterly filmmaker roundtables is to provide our industry with a forum where they can be updated on the latest news and information from the Film Office and sound off with their suggestions and comments. Our roundtables also give New Hampshire's film professionals with the opportunity to network with one another. This time around, we want to know your thoughts on how the New Hampshire Film and Television Office can serve you better. What programs should we put in place for the state's industry? Are you interested in cooperative advertising? What are we currently doing that is working? What could be done better? This is your chance to tell us your needs.

Industry professionals are invited to attend this networking event and visit the new Levenson Room of the Portsmouth Public Library. This community meeting room has video projection capabilities and regularly hosts a film screening series.

The New Hampshire Filmmaker Roundtable is a lunch-hour gathering of the state's film industry professionals, amateurs and students. Attendees are encouraged to come B.Y.O.L. (Bring Your Own Lunch!) If members of New Hampshire's film industry are interested in attending, please RSVP by Monday, September 10 via e-mail at film@nh.gov or by calling (603) 271-2220. For directions to the Portsmouth Public Library, click here.