live@raindance.co.uk
the online Cookie* of independent film
the 28 August 2008 edition | | | | Not a member yet? Click to join
 | | What's new
Thanks to Dailymotion, the 99 Minute Filmschool on September 4 is only £10 or FREE to members. The price will go back up again to £30 next time, so I'd book now if I were you.
More info here
| | Indie Tip
A successful film has to have believable and interesting characters that an audience can get involved with and relate to. One way in which to add realism to your characters is to add depth to their personality and history.
Click here for a list of 50, yes 50, questions to ask yourself when creating convincing characters.
|  One Night Stand
Award-winning writer and comedian Dave Cohen has been helping comedy writers and producers at Raindance for a few years now.
This time, however, he brings his experience of writing Situation Comedy to a new one-day course: Write The Sitcom, Sell The Sitcom.
This is a one-day course that concentrates solely on writing sitcom and finding the right producer to send your script to.
And at the end of the day you will receive a mountain of information explaining the entire commissioning process, who runs what and who best to contact.
Write The Sitcom, Sell The Sitcom takes place on September 27
Click here for details
| The Wait Is Almost Over!
If you have submitted a film to this year's Raindance Film Festival, please bear with us for a few more days while we finalise our lineup. We aim to inform all filmmakers the outcome of their submission by Monday 1st September.
It's almost cliché for festivals to say this, but this year's festival really has been the hardest yet to compile. We thank all submitters for giving us such brilliant films to consider.
We'll be in touch soon.
The programme will be officially announced on 2 September. Details will be on our website, www.raindance.co.uk.
The Raindance Festival Team
| RDTV
We're celebrating filmmaking documentaries this week.
Follow the story of 5 actresses trying to pursue their dreams in Hollywood in Daniel Yost's Actress.
Then listen to Richard E Grant don his wryest voice as he narrates Quentin Reynolds' The Making of a Film Idol. An entrepreneur wanting to set up his own casting website meets a first-time filmmaker wanting to cast his gangster film with wannabes. With a documentary team in tow, it all goes horribly wrong, but it makes for gripping car crash entertainment.
We'd like to think this will give the indie filmmakers amongst you a bit of a boost: we've all seen docs about productions dogged by shooting problems, but to see something so miserably ill-conceived from the get-go may give you new hope that your epic postmodernist animated triptych has some chance of getting off the ground.
If you need a pick-me-up after that, check out Ten Seconds. |  Characters To Die For
What makes a great script? A riveting story - or memorable characters? You may say, both. But for the star who you want to attract to your script, only one thing matters: a great role.
So what are actors looking for? Fortunately, the answer to that is the same answer to what makes a riveting script. Difficult challenges, agonising dilemmas - create characters to die for.
Read the full article by Josh Golding here
Josh Golding will be teaching Maverick Screenwriting on 20/21 September (more info here)
| Free Membership...And More
Lots of new entries in our Think-Up-A-Terrible-Idea-For-A-Film competition.
This week's winner is David Grenfell with LUCKY BRICK. Congratulations, you win a year's Raindance membership.
Click here to read all the entries
Membership gives you 15% off all our courses, free or reduced entry to Raindance, Festival & BIFA events, access to hundreds of scripts, our Little Black Book of contacts and legal docs in our online members area, a free DVD and more stuff whenever the fancy takes us.
To win a Raindance membership, submit your bad film idea to competition@raindance.co.uk.
In a couple of weeks time I'll go through all the entries that have been submitted to this competition, and the best will win a place on our Writers' Foundation Certificate.
|  REVIEWS
New Release: SOMERS TOWN
How did our reviewer Stephanie get from Shane Meadows to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Heroes?
Find out here
Curiouser and Curiouser
Steph is also going to be telling us her top 1000 films (or until she gets bored) that you may not have seen, but really should.
1. Harold & Maude (1971) Hal Ashby
Maybe this is an obvious choice because I'm slightly obsessed with this film, but honestly, it changed my life. Watch it now.
| Elsewhere
No, no, no, no, no. Coming soon, FACEBOOK: THE MOVIE. Christ on a bike, what fucking next, AMAZON: NOT JUST BOOKS?
The first script review of Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD (screenplay by Joe Penhall) has appeared online
Unsurprisingly Warners are suing indian film company Mirchi Movies over their forthcoming release entitled HARI PUTTAR - A COMEDY OF. Even though the plot bears little relation to Harry Potter, the title alone has gotten their knickers in a twist.
Good grief - Cher for Catwoman in the next Batman movie? Who next? Phil Fucking Collins?
Spielberg to direct first in TINTIN trilogy, Jackson the second. Yawn.
Check out Dave Perillo's film and tv-based art.
Thanks Steph
| Win A Trip To Cannes
Calling all filmmakers!
Do you want to win a trip to the Cannes Film Festival?
Do you want to have your film screened at the Raindance Film Festival in October?
Do you want to win an award at the Raindance Film Festival?
Then all you need to do is make a one minute short film and enter it into the Short Circuit competition!
The competition opens next week for just 3 weeks, so get filmmaking!
| | Alumni
We received this email from Raindance member Susan Douglas this week:
"As you like to know what alumni are up to, just wanted to let you know that I've started a new Documentary company with a partner, handling two strands, one for online distribution and the other theatrical / TV release.
The first one out of the box for theatrical is WHO KILLED NANCY, the story of Sid Vicious being accused of killing Nancy Spungeon in NYC's Chelsea Hotel. The Director Alan G Parker has researched the story for the last twenty odd years, so there's a lot of unrevealed info plus unseen footage and previously unreleased music. We plan to release here next Feb to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Sid."
|  Quote
"All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl."
Jean-Luc Godard
| Working the Net
******
Can you write a budget for a £100,000 film? Director, Writer and other key crew looking for a producer to collaborate on an application for Microwave, the Film London Low Budget Feature scheme. We have a script, we just need someone who can help with the budget.
Thank you. Check out: martingooch.com
Contact Martin goochling@hotmail.com
******
My friend and colleague, Martin Himel is in London until the middle of November editing a series for Vision TV in Toronto. We are desperately trying to find a hot young Canadian who can edit documentary material on Avid Media Composer.
The requirement for a Canadian is because of CAVCO tax credits.
You can contact me as below if you have any questions.
Jennifer Wilson
Email: jwilsonpixelle@supanet.com
******
|  Competition
WIN BADLANDS SCREENING TICKETS
Yeah, you read right, and no - it's not 1973. The good folks at the BFI are re-releasing Terrence Malick's cinematic masterpiece BADLANDS at the BFI Southbank and various other venues around the country.
Even better, blinkBox has 3 sets of tickets to give away for he BFI Southbank.
To win a pair of tickets (to a date of your choosing), email kitandholly@blinkBox.com with ypur full name and postal address
Entries must be received by August 31. Winners will be chosen randomly. Oh, and click here for a BEST AMERICANA MOVIES list, if you're interested.
| | Scripts we'd like to read | *Cookie
A flat board, like a flag, but full of irregular holes used for creating a pattern of shadows when put in front of a light.
|  Joe Pearshouse and the Raindance team
Elliot Grove
Suzanne Ballantyne
Will Pearce
Jesse Vile
James Merchant
Xavier Rashid
Amelie Thille
Chris Presswell
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