The Celtx Blog

CrutchMovies's 'STORE FRONT' webisode wins Celtx Project of the Week!

This week's POW goes to a fun and quirky 'doc-cu-style' sitcom called 'STORE FRONT' directed by Mark Crutch and created with the help of his talented team from the InArtMedia.com network located in California.

As the synopsis explains, "...this half hour TV / Webisode is about five people struggling to get rich, be famous, find love, themselves, and have fun in a STORE that isn’t quite right..."

Currently in production, this pilot episode "... begins with rumors that a VENTURE CAPITALIST will visit the store soon, but will not identify him or herself as such. It could be any customer that enters the place. Which places the STORE OWNER on edge. Our STORE OWNER is a capitalist hippy who’s goal is to franchise his store and make millions. The staff also includes the STOCK BOY who is secretly in love with the pregnant RECEPTIONIST. The DELIVERY MAN is his only competition for her affection. No one knows who or where the father of the RECEPTIONIST unborn child is...."

What's interesting too is that each webisode is designed around the introduction of a new fifth character, and the STOCK BOY's discovery of a dead body!!

Along with the story's crazy premise and tangled team of characters, other things that caught our attention with this project is it's polished pre-production work, right from the breakdown of annotated props, casting info, varied production notes and notes to actors, to the shooting schedules (Today!!) and distribution.

It's clear that Mark and his crew have done this before, and overall their 'Store Front' project is a shiny and thorough example of the many details to be considered in pre-production.

So sit back, enjoy the project and stay tuned for the show(s), .... but whatever you do,....
"Please don't feed the employees!"

Good Luck with it, Mark!

Sheila and The C-Team

Norwegian 'Crazy Wheels' animation project selected as the Celtx POW!

"Red car is speeding and bullying. The green Police car is chasing at all costs. And our unlucky stickman is the victim who first kicks red cars butt, but in the end, looses his head."

For those of you who don't understand Norwegian, this is how 33 year old Christian Antonsen, the creator of 'Crazy Wheels' animation project, summed up his story in English. And for such a brief summary it's quite amazing to learn just how much effort went in to making this short animation movie.

The result of a student assignment for a multimedia class, 'Crazy Wheels' was Christian's first attempt at creating an animation. Designed as a game, this fun and fast-paced piece exhibits great sound effects and a catchy music score that was also composed by Christian. For our team though, it was that 'effort' that went into the pre-production phase of his creative process that really made this project stand out from the rest.

As a self- described computer geek, a Dad of a 3 year old, a part-time High School math and music teacher, and a part-time student of communications and multimedia, Christian has definitely acquired great organizational skills over the years, which is also evident in this work. While we get a view in on his creative process, and see all the software programs that he used, Christian's 'Crazy Wheels' project also serves as a tutorial of sorts on how to go about creating an animation. Below, Christian shares the details of his creative learning experience:

"Since I’ve always been a sucker for technology, I really wanted my PC to play a big part in my project. I had a lot of ideas, and decided to go tech wild doing chroma-key stuff. And if you haven’t figured it out yet, I had no idea what to do. Okay, I’m kind of a computer wiz (geek?? ;). So using my computer wasn’t the problem, it was all the other stuff. I’ve never written a filmscript in my life. I’ve never animated anything, and my drawing skills, well lets just say that my three year old daughter is a professional artist compared to me. Things kind of didn’t look too good. After reading some articles about moviemaking, drawing and animation, and whatching tons of videos on Youtube, it came to me. It all starts with a good story. I wouldn’t say my story is great, but at least I managed to write a story.
 
Then I really wanted to organize my project. And I wanted my script to look kind of professional. Some searches later on the net, led me to Celtx. After an easy installation, I found it really easy to use. I know that my script isn’t the best in it’s design, but it did involve a lot of planning and thinking, which ended in a short animation movie.
 
The animation was a real challenge for me, but I’m pleased with the end result. I combined stopmotion animation with some tweaks made in flash. Each scene was animated in flash, and the video was edited in Premiere. I also added all the sound effects in Premiere. I made the music in Ableton Live especially for this project. I decided early that I wanted a catchy tune with energetic rhythm, but still easy to listen to.
 
This is my first ever attempt at making an animation movie, and it was a lot of fun. It did take a lot of time researching and planning this project, mostly because all the software used in making this project was completely new to me. So it did take me some time to figure out how the programs worked. I will guess it took me between 60-80 hours completing the project, including all the trials and errors in learning the tools I’ve used in my Crazy Wheels animation project. To be honest, I found this project so much fun, that I’m already looking at some ideas for a new animation short movie, where I hopefully will have improved my animation and scripting skills."

Well we anxiously await that next animated masterpiece, Christian!
Cheers, and Congratulations to you!
from
Sheila and the C-Team

Announcing NYC Midnight's 2008 Screenwriter's Challenge - Call for Entries

Are you good with words and short on cash? If so, then the 5th Annual Screenwriter's Challenge 2008 may be of interest to you, and it's now open for registration!

Writers from around the world compete to see who can produce the best short screenplay (15 pages max.) on an assigned genre and subject in one week. Winners advance to compete for over $15,000 in cash and prizes by writing a short screenplay in just 24 hours. The Early Entry Deadline is February 28, 2008 and Final Entry Deadline is April 2, 2008. Space is limited, so register today!

There are additional bonuses for all Celtx users too!...
1) *Special Celtx Discount
- Make sure to use the discount code FIFTHWRITER for $5 off the entry fee.

AND...

2)If you want to upload your entry for public viewing, tag your project with 'screenwriterschallenge' and have it show up on NYC's dedicated contest page on Project Central (see image below)!

So check out the PRIZES , and 'READ THE RULES', sharpen those synapses and boot up and WIN!!!

Michael Phillip's, 'Finn And Gil' awarded Celtx Project of the Week

If you like musical dramedies, then you'll really enjoy this week's POW entitled 'Finn And Gil', created and craftily written by Michael Newton Phillips of Atlanta, Georgia.

This refreshing, coming of age, gay musical is a humorous and heartfelt account of how a young fellow overcomes personal conflict as related to the delicate topics of teenage homosexuality and bullying. And when a script includes a good story line, good character development and good dialog like Michael's does, then you know you're in for an enjoyable read.

As per the story's synopsis, "Finn is a fifteen-year-old choir fag trapped in the Darwinian halls of public high school. Armed with only his refined fashion sense he tries to navigate the sardonic mine-field that is his life. It's not until he sees the school's show choir, Panache and it's star performer, Gilbert perform does he realize where his interests lie and which side of the bread he prefers to butter. But admitting his sexuality and finding his niche is just the beginning..."

I contacted Michael to find out more about him and what inspired his story. He kindly, and ever so eloquently, offered the following...

I’ve always known I had something to say. That’s why Imajored in Communications during undergrad at Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland. But when I started working in medical advertising my voice was lost amongst ads for male enhancement and drugs "scientifically" proven to reduce cellulite.

In 2001 I decided "I’m going to architecture school." I hoped that architecture, unlike my failed tenure in advertising, would help me spread my message, what ever that was. I wanted to be the next Frank Lloyd Wright. After obtaining my masters from Georgia Tech I began my journey up the architectural ladder. Three years later I was still designing toilet layouts for suburban chain restaurants.

It wasn’t until an ill-fated vacation with some friends that I discovered my voice. The entire trip was such a disaster that I started keeping a diary of all our misadventures and my first screenplay was born.

After thirty-three years, several cross-country, soul searching relocations and several career changes I’ve finally found my voice.

Finn and Gil is a semi-autobiographical story of my first year at public high school in rural Ohio. I had to revisit a lot of hidden demons, but in the end it was a cathartic experience that has allowed me to finally let go of a very dark time in my life.

I wrote the script myself, but could not have done it without the bullies, friends and misanthropes that touched me in high school and throughout my entire life. Thanks for my mom, who the character of Marsha is based, for always supporting me, no matter my choice. And thanks to Melinda for never tiring of me making her re-read the script. And thank you Celtx for providing such an amazing product and a forum for burgeoning writers to share their stories.

On behalf of the community, I think it's fair to say we all look forward to reading / seeing / hearing more of your voice, Michael. And my toes are crossed in hope that one day, we'll enjoy 'Finn and Gil' on the big screen.
Many kudos to you!

Sheila and the C-Team

Halo3 Machinima '2152-Camp Newbii' gets POW'd!

This week's recipient of the Celtx Project of the Week is Travis Fitzgerald, creator of an action-packed, Halo3 machinima, sci-fi comedy called 2152 Camp Newbii'.

Camp Newbii refers to the official training grounds or Boot Camp for the Elite Spartan Marine Corps which is essentially comprised of a quirky chain of command of egos and misfits. Respected little, and often the butt of jokes amongst the crowd at HQ, all ranks, from Private Lee to Colonel Juice take a turn at attempting to impress, and prove they are worthy and an asset to the Team. Cover-ups and calamities ensue however, with comical results.

A very busy and ambitious 23 year old from upstate New York, Travis juggles a young family, a full-time job in the Insurance industry and is about to graduate with an Associate degree in Web Development! And if that isn't enough, he also somehow finds the time for creative endeavours such as this Celtx project.

From developing the characters, writing the lines, doing casting calls and voice overs, web design, and video promos, it's clear that terrific effort has been put into this project to date, and Travis is quick to give credit to his co-creator and childhood buddy, Adam "Mag" Magoon, along with many others.

"'Mag' Magoon has helped out tremendously and I don't think it would be as far along as it is now without his help. I also have had a lot of help from some friends on youtube with tutorials in the Sony Vegas program that is being used to create the video. I have also had the joy of working with some of the most talented voice actors that I could imagine. "

The concept of Camp Newbii was inspired by the popular machinima series Red vs Blue, "The Master Chief Sux at Halo" and by playing Halo 3 with Mag. Travis says, "Talking about one joke and then another led to us coming up with idea after idea and moving forward with this project since November."

About 2-3 years ago Travis came across machinima.com and says he was intrigued with how many people followed this type of entertainment.

"After researching the process and realizing I had most of the needed hardware to produce my own I contacted Adam to see if he was interested in the project and he said sure but was hesitant until we got the first 2 scripts written and had several voice actors picked out. From there we were off and have continued to work on this project."

It was also over at machinima.com that Travis discovered Celtx....

" ... The best program ever. Has just about everything you need to write a book/script or anything really. The things it incorporates in the software has made everything run smoothly... Using the character bio section and the fact that we can make a PDF out of the script and send it to everyone involved. The other huge thing is being able to have multiple users access the file via your (celtx) server and update it. I would have to say the biggest thing is the multiple user function available.... I actually live close to Adam (about 30 mins). The rest of the crew is located all over. I believe we have people in the US, England, and Mexico."

As to the future of 2152-Camp Newbii, Travis says,

"The plan is to be able to deliver a quality show and expand into multiple shows being under the TM Production Studio banner and being broadcast on the web. The first big goal is to stockpile about 8-10 full episodes and realease them once a week on Sunday afternoons and allow everyone to download it and watch it like a true to life TV series. We will have breaks aka Mid season cliff hangers and so forth... We at TM Production Studio are shooting to make this the best machinima that has been put on the net."

And we'll all be looking forward to it, Travis!.
Cheers, and all the best to you and your crew!

Sheila and The C-Team

If you want to keep up to date on the progress of 2152 Camp Newbii, check in at the TM Productions blog and be sure to mark the download date on your calendar!

Get Ready for... SCRIPT FRENZY 2008!

Attention All Scribes!

It's time once again to challenge thyself and activate your creative synapses in preparation for that enormously popular, international writing event known as ... SCRIPT FRENZY!!!

Script Frenzy 2008 is presented by the same fine crowd who also bring you NaNoWriMo. Building on the huge success of last year's SF event (over 7500 participants!), the mission for SF08 challenges all participants to write 100 pages of pretty much anything, during the 30 days of April. Writers can chose any type of scripted format, be it screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book scripts, adaptations of novels, or whatever you please.

Younger scribes are encouraged as well to put their keyboards to the test in the Script Frenzy Young Writers Program geared toward elementary, middle and high school students. More on that here.

T'is all very simple really, as no fees are required and the award is the incredible sense of pride and satisfaction that ensues once you've accomplished that 100 page goal. Those who do make the mark will receive a special winner's certificate and web icon, to boot.

To tweak your interest further, here are the Script Frenzy 5 Basic Rules and FAQs, but please note that throughout this 'frenzied' journey, it is of paramount importance,.... to observe Rule #5!!

So what are you waiting for?...

Sheila

New Tagging Features for Celtx Project Central

Organizing projects server-side on Celtx Project Central (PC) just got easier! 
When uploading a project to PC, Celtx Users can now 'tag' their projects however they want, and in whichever language they choose! And expanding on the overall utility of PC, these changes also enable it to play host to the growing number of online scriptwriting and media-making contests!

The tags feature allows users to improve the organization of projects and helps locate specific projects more effectively by associating them with tags or words that make sense to the project's creator. Other details include:

* Use of international tags - applies to all languages supported by Celtx.
* Auto-complete type feature - is triggered by existing PC genre tags, and by tags the user has added to private projects, and by those in projects shared by others.
* Existing tags - Any tags associated with projects created prior to the new system being introduced, will remain in tact.
* No tag ban - Having experienced the good taste and judgement exercised by 'most' Celtx Users to date, we trust we can all keep those tags 'palatable'. ( However, note that offenders will be prosecuted ;) )
* Contest tags - will allow Celtx users participating in online scriptwriting /media-making contests to easily organize themselves under the same contest tag. Each contest group will receive its own header/landing page so the works of all participants can be easily viewed at once. (Note that header details are subject to negotiation with participating contest organizers).

How To:
To add tags, simply open your project, select Web Services -> Upload ->Publish ->Configure Publishing ->add tags to the 'Tags' field located at the bottom, then hit 'Update' and select the Project Link to view.

Hope you like.
Cheers!

Sheila et al

Noah Johnson's 'august' wins the Celtx POW!

We're delighted to announce that the first February Project of the Week goes to a clever fellow from Minneapolis, MN named Noah C.G Johnson. Noah is a multi-talented filmmaker, actor, writer of short stories, vocalist... and yes, even an IT Pro to boot!

Of his many endeavors, the one that caught our attention was his Celtx project entitled 'august'. When you read the script and view the project, it's evident that Noah has put an amazing amount of effort into the writing and pre-production of this dramatic, modernized adaptation of the Greek myth of Niobe.

I caught up with Noah yesterday and he said that he first envisioned the august project (august: as in the adjective, not the month name) when rereading Bulfinch's Mythology.

"I had read the story of Niobe several times before, and though it had always seemed deliciously chaotic amongst the other Greek myths, it had never really stood out. This time, however, I found myself thinking that this would work wonderfully on a screen- in the same vein as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard.

Immediately I wanted to know more about Apollo and Artemis, the assassins in the story. What forces were driving them to do something so terrible? Would those same forces drive them apart? Drive them to pieces? Were they "bad" personas?

Originally I envisioned the picture as a period piece, much truer in form and dialogue to the original myth, but a friend of mine on hearing the synopsis suggested that I modernize the piece. At first I was hesitant, because I distrust anachronistic pieces as much as musicals, but I found myself daydreaming and actually seeing entire scenes of what the august project has turned into."

Noah plans to bring the project to fruition this summer, shooting in the Twin Cities as his backdrop and make use of the small, but tenacious film community there.

On Celtx Noah says,

"The program has been a tremendous tool for this production and will continue to be. My entire crew will be coordinating through Celtx. I feel that I wouldn't be saying anything overly dramatic by saying that I think Celtx has the potential to change the scriptwriting and pre-production processes as much as Digital Video has revolutionized the production and post-production processes. Thanks be, that it is free!"

Well we couldn't agree with you more, Noah!
We hope you and your crew have a blast on the shoot, and sure hope you'll keep us posted on that release date!

Cheers to You!

Sheila and The Celtx Team