January 22, 2004

MovieMaker 53.

MovieMaker "When the new year rolls around at MovieMaker it means two things to our staff: the annual Park City issue had better be at the printer and our annual countdown of America's top 10 moviemaking havens better be part of the editorial mix," writes James L Menzies, introducing the last half of that package: "But the biggest story of the year has to do with things really being bigger in Texas - Austin and Houston, to be exact."

Austin has, in fact, moved up from #4 to #1, "well ahead of such notoriously crappy film burgs as New York City (No. 2), Los Angeles (No. 7), and (suckers!) Houston (No. 10)," gloats the Austin Chronicle's Marc Savlov (who's also got an email interview with Satoshi Kon in the current issue, by the way).

As for the Sundance half of the fresh issue of MovieMaker, Jennifer M Wood asks "Sundance alumni" Wayne Kramer, Liz Garbus, Keith Gordon, Sandi DuBowski, Mark Decena and Brad Anderson, "What's it worth to be a charter member of the Sundance club?" Screenwriter Brian O'Hare passes along his notes on the Sundance Producer's Conference, indie writer-director-producer Rick Schmidt takes questions and Jim Jarmusch lays down his five "Golden Rules": "Rule #1: There are no rules."

Also online: Rustin Thompson on poker movies and interviews with Wayne Kramer (yes, again, but much more thoroughly this time), cinematographer Fred Murphy, screenwriter and InkTip founder Jerrol LeBaron, editor Steve Rosenblum, DV Awards founder Martin Rhodes and Pittsburgh Filmmakers executive director Charlie Humphrey.

And no, the Scarlett Johansson cover story is not online, but really. There's more than enough already out there, don't you think?



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Posted by dwhudson at January 22, 2004 9:25 AM

Comments

Yeah. Austin is #1. That's why I get so much work here.

Oh wait, I don't.

Yes, it's cheap, it's a right to work state and we have some studios- but talent is still getting imported. When I was still bothering to try and audition, I was frequently having to fly to LA to audition for pictures that were being made in Austin. We're just a cheap flopspot for more hollywood groaners.. and now we're up to our eyeballs in local primadonna "filmmakers", and not enough skilled technical people & the production jobs they need. I think the film scene here is more hype than substance.

Posted by: Wiley Wiggins at January 22, 2004 11:36 AM

Yeah, I was little suspcious of that one as well -- I wonder if it just seemed like the hipster thing to say, or designed to raise eyebrows, rather than being entirely accurate. I mean, LA blows in many respects, but along with NYC is still where It's at as far as film production goes. My other eyebrow was raised with "#10: Houston" -- as Moe from The Simpsons would say: "wha..?!" I'd think SF would rank higher, among other places. Perhaps it's their criteria -- how many of those 131 projects have seen the light of day, I wonder.

Orlando! It's so exciting to finally see that center of cultural elegance finally receive fair due. But really, ranked lists are just meant to lead into discussions and provoke; maybe it'd be better if they didn't rank them at all.

David, you're from Austin, if Berlin hasn't completely removed you from having a sense of the place -- what do you think 'bout it?

Posted by: Craig P at January 22, 2004 12:36 PM

Oh, I've been away far too long to know, really, though I do try to make it to SXSW every year - not a particularly reliable way to get an idea of what's going on around town during the other 50 or so weeks in the year.

But one can hope. Hype is self-serving and silly, of course, but at the same time, one can hope it'll last long enough to turn into something that takes solid root and grows. I realize that the Chronicle is shot through with wishful thinking and that you have to read it with a grain or two of salt, but what about the UT Film Institute? Is it reasonable to hope that it could be a legit source for the needed skilled tech folks?

That's an honest question - like I say, I really don't know.

Posted by: David Hudson at January 22, 2004 1:20 PM