The Celtx Blog

Indyish Assembly 2.0 International Art Relay - Celtx Project of the Week

A few months back Celtx teamed up with the Montreal-based-creative-geniuses-with-heaps-and-heaps-of-non-stop-energy over at Indyish.com to assist with their production of The Assembly 2.0 International Art Relay - a collaborative relay for writers, directors, actors, illustrators, musicians and animators. A unique and challenging endeavour indeed, and Project Director, Tessa Smith and her Team (and Sarah Pearson too) did a fantastic job of organizing, blogging and promoting, wrangling, inspiring, and ultimately producing a stellar event that saw participants from Ireland, Nova Scotia, Philadelphia, Boston, Alabama, Connecticut, Montreal, Chicago, Slovakia, Victoria, British Columbia, France, and Australia... just to name a few locales!

To get a sense of a smidge of the work involved, just check out the Indyish/Celtx Forum! The quick explanation....During the month of May over 40 writers used Celtx to write 10 minute scripts in English and French based on 5 elements taken from Canadian writer TJ Dawe's poem, 'The music God listens to on His walkman' - a really clever, insightful, and enjoyable read, not to mention jam-packed with tons of yummy things for the writers to work with.

Once The Writers met their deadline, the scripts were passed through Celtx to The Illustrators who created some fantastic images, which then got passed to The Gifmakers who had a week to integrate the images with the scripts to create a 5 minute animation. The scripts later got passed to Theatre Groups who only had 48 hours to rehearse them, just like The Gifmakers, Directors and Actors who only had 48 hours to work with The Bands to create the soundtracks..... All of which culminated in live performances on June 15 and 16 as part of The Montreal Fringe Festival at Club Lambi .... Phew! (And I think I'm tired!)

It is for these tremendous efforts and amazing talents that we crown The Indyish Assemby2.0 Art Relay the Celtx Project of the Week. And we extend sincere thanks to the Indyish Team and all Assembly artists for using Celtx and putting it to the test in this experimental extravaganza. All participants will be receiving an ultra-cool Indyish/Celtx Tshirt, especially designed by Risa and Oneneck, as well as one of the handy, new Celtx USB keys.

In the meantime, Folks... Check out the links below to see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
Congratulations and Cheers to All!
Sheila and The Celtx Team

Here you can see the creative process unfold as each Assembly project was published to Project Central over the past 2 months. BTW - Be sure to stay tuned to Indyish.com as Tessa will be posting the scripts a little later, along with each writer’s discussion of which elements they chose from TJ Dawe's poem and why.

This is the Assembly 2.0 Showlist of completed Celtx/Assembly projects that were performed at the Montreal Fringe Fest.

And last but not least, check out the videos of snippets from the evenings' performances here and here.

"Punch Up at A Wedding" wins the Celtx prize for "Best Local Film" at the Nickel Film Festival!

Congratulations to "Punch Up At a Wedding" for winning the "Celtx Award for Best Newfoundland Film" at the 2007 Nickel Film Festival

Justin Simms, the writer/director of this short film was on hand to accept the handmade trophy and $500 cash prize at the closing night party.

In "Punch Up at a Wedding", six people reflect upon past mistakes after a botched wedding toast ruins the perfect day. The story revolves around three scenes about a single event that we never actually see. The film exhibits wonderful performances by Newfoundland actors, Frank Barry, Lois Brown, Stephen Lush, Mark Power, Monica Walsh, Ed Tanasychuk with cinematography by Jamie Lewis.

Justin Simms, the NLAC’s Emerging Artist for 2007, made this award-winning short in 2006. Justin has been very busy for the past couple of years. He was the first time film mentor at NIFCO, has attended The Canadian Film Center and his film "Punch Up at a Wedding " has won several awards including the Best Atlantic Short, the Michael Weir Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Best Director at the Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Justin is currently in production on his first feature film, an adaptation of Joel Hynes' novel "Down to the Dirt".

Congratulations Justin, We look forward to seeing your new film at next year's festival!

-Michelle

'The Cloudrunners' - Celtx Project of the Week #24

Now here's a cool animation project of the sci-fi / fantasy kind, created by Felix Kütt of Tallinn, Estonia and the Drums of War Team.

Based on the project's story outline and history,The Cloudrunners refer to mercenaries and former pirates hired by transportation companies to protect and ensure safe passage of their cargo in a world fraught with atmospheric and geograpical barriers combined with the ever present threat of pirate attacks.

The script hasn't been written yet, but the project includes some great concept art (I love the pirate launcher!) and informative and detailed outlines for the story and pre-production plan allowing us a view in as to how this project will unfold. The creators are using Celtx for story planning, storyboarding, and screenplay management, etc. and Blender3D , Photoshop, and GIMP for 3D and 2D modelling. If you head over to the Cloudrunners Wiki you can view these other aspects of the project in progress. It's interesting stuff. And oh yea.. while not directly connected to the project, the music, by 'Brain on a Stick' is pretty cool too!!

So, many KUDOS to Felix and his Team for creating this week's POW!
We look forward to watching your baby grow!
Cheers! - S

'The Cloudlands'

7th alFresco filmFesto: outdoor summer film series, Halifax, NS

Hey Gang!
If you find yourself in beautiful Atlantic Canada this summer, specifically Halifax, Nova Scotia, head on down to the Tall Ships Quay on the Halifax Waterfront, Friday evenings from July 27th to August 31st and enjoy some of the many screenings of the 7th alFresco filmFesto: outdoor summer film series.

Presented by the Atantic Film Festival Associationand the Port of Halifax.

Israfel - Celtx Project of the Week #23

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this week's winner is the first female to receive the Celtx POW!! [shock]. And most deserving is Trish Freidman for her efforts with 'Israfel'

A.J. Williams is approaching his 30th birthday and has been struggling to identify what has been taunting his sole all these years. All is exposed after the untimely death of his mother and the sudden revealing of a secret she kept from him his entire life.

Written and shot as a feature film, Trish's Israfel is a comprehensive project that includes a video trailer, a thorough outline, good character development and a 20,000 + word script!

Great job, Trish!
We look forward to watching Israfel on the movie screens.
-S

New Celtx Award for the 7th Nickel Independent Film Festival

'Beleive It Or Not'.... The 7th Nickel Independent Film Festival is right around the corner! - WoHoo!

This popular, homegrown, independent film and video fest is created by filmmakers for filmmakers and it's one that we at Celtx are proud to sponsor. It gives Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans the opportunity to see quality films local movie-goers may never have otherwise seen, and it gives independent and emerging filmmakers a chance to premiere their work to enthusiastic audiences. Submissions from filmmakers of all kinds are judged by industry professionals, and awards are presented at a reception and gala at the end of the festival.

So if you find yourself in St. John's Newfoundland from June 19-23, 2007, grab some buddies and some festival passes, enjoy some awesome screenings, and participate in some industry related workshops (btw - I hear the Celtx workshop with Michelle Jackson is a real winner! See details below;)

And be sure to stick around for the closing gala at The Last Drop to see who will win the first $500.00 Celtx Award for Best Local Film!! Lots of laughs, fun, suspense and intrigue to be experienced by all. So don't miss it!...

THE NICKEL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL .... *** Making films for the love of telling stories ***

Celtx Screenwriting & Pre-Production Software Demonstration
Thursday June 21, LSPU Hall 2:00-3:30 pm Free admission

This workshop is for all screenwriters-from established to emerging to ‘just about to write a screenplay’ as well as those involved in pre-production. Michelle Jackson from Celtx will facilitate a workshop on using their software in the writing and pre-production stages. She will cover format, script breakdowns, schedules and creative pre-production areas. This software has been especially useful for collaborating in pre-production phase.
If you are in the film industry, this is a workshop for you. Please feel free to bring your laptops. You will be provided with a copy of the software at the workshop.

Please pre-register soon. This event is free of charge but space is limited.
Email nickelfestival@yahoo.ca or call 709 576 3378 to confirm your place.

Student Call for Submissions - 6th annual FRAMED Scriptwriting Contest and Workshop Series, St. John's NL

FRAMED is a hands-on training initiative that aims to provide secondary school students with a greater understanding of film and video production. FRAMED is offered free of charge to any student from Level I, II, or III who is interested in the area of film production.

10-12 students and their script submissions will be selected to attend:

- a FRAMED Script Workshop on Friday, July 13/07, presented by Michelle Jackson of CELTX.
- a Pitch Workshop on Friday, July 20/07
- the FRAMED Film Camp July 23-27/07

A winning script will be selected through this process and produced during the FRAMED Film Camp in St. John's, Newfoundland. The film will then be screened at the 18th St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, Oct. 16-20, 2007.

Please include your name, telephone number, e-mail, age and school. No other conditions apply!
Write an original script of any genre, preferably dialogue-heavy, approximately 10 minutes running time, and mail it to:

The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival c/o FRAMED
PO Box 984, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5M3

Or you can also send it by:
Fax: 709-579-2386
Email: outreach@womensfilmfestival.com (with the subject heading: Script Contest)
- or drop it off at 155 Water St., Suite 301.

For more info, call FRAMED Coordinator Deidre Budgell at 709-754-3141.

* SUBMISSION DEADLINE JULY 6, 2007 *

'Fast Cash' - Celtx Project of the Week #22

Hey Hey! Applause please for this week's POW winners, the dynamic duo / father and son team, Simon (the Dad) and Jacob (the Son) Hemmings for making us giggle and laugh with their screenplay titled 'Fast Cash' - "Two Men. Two Million Quid. One Dream."

The guys describe the piece as 'Hot Fuzz' (which I loved!) meets 'The Big Nothing'. Having already accomplished the 5000 word mark, this comedic, Script Frenzy, work-in-progress will no doubt generate more laughs as Simon and Jacob strive to meet the elusive 20,000 word goal.

Congratulations Guys! - Go Team Go! -S

Character and Scene Mapping in Celtx - Mike Jones's Tip of the Week

G'Day!
As many of you know by now, Mike Jones is, among other things, Manager of the SoundHouse VectorLab at Sydney's famed Power House Museum. He knows a lot about a lot and as such offers up 'Tips of the Week' on the SHVL site, and this week he dedicates Tip#19 to....'Character and Scene Mapping in Celtx'! Some great info here, so if you want to get inspired and figure out what helps motivate your characters, using Celtx, then go check it out.

And my tip of the week?... Is to tune in regularly to Mike's Tips of the Week!

Thanks again, Mike!
-S

UCLA Extension Offers New Online Program in Micro-Budget Filmmaking

Arrr Billy?...
Have you ever taken a filmmaking course ONLINE before?

Well if not, Roger Soffer contacted us to say he and his buddy Christian Ford will be offering a new online course called Micro-Budget Features: Total Control and Maximum Profit - June 25 to September 17, 2007 through UCLA's (University of California) Extension Program. The course is open to writers, directors, producers and other film industry professionals from around the world, so sign up NOW, because enrollment is limited. For more details, check out this course description and the press release below:

PRESS RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES (May 24, 2007) Smart filmmakers are using an entirely new set of tools to create Hollywood-caliber movies at a fraction of the cost.
In a new online course presented by UCLA Extension, industry veterans Roger Soffer and Christian Ford share their knowledge of an emerging marketplace in which films budgeted below $350,000 are gaining wider acceptance.
“Micro-Budget Features: Total Control and Maximum Profit” meets from June 25 to September 17. The course is held entirely online, so it is open to writers, directors, producers and other film industry professionals from around the world. Enrollment is limited.

“Micro-budget filmmakers use tools and techniques that simply did not exist five years ago,” said Roger Soffer. “This new online program will guide participants through story design, creative vision, casting, locations and workflows that will enable them to create motion pictures that have huge impact at comparatively little cost.”

The course will include guest appearances by numerous industry professionals, such as casting directors, agents, line producers, directors and distributors.

At the conclusion of the 12-week course, participants will have a thorough understanding of the technologies and processes involved in making low-budget, high-quality movies. Through its connection with the Independent Film Channel, UCLA Extension also helps participants forge vital contacts with other industry professionals.

Please gofor more information about this course and other UCLA Extension Entertainment Studies and Performing Arts courses.