VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN! Dastoli Flying Saucer Epic In Online Competition

Warning! Take Cover! Southwestern Orange County vs. the Flying Saucers is part of the Independent Film Forum Season 2 Film Festival at www.independentfilmforum.com. The online voting is open to all people of Earth (I think you have to sign up for free).

Will The Blob take over Orlando?

(For those who don't know, THE BLOB was the video game conceived and produced as a thesis project for the first class at FIEA, of which I was a part. We're getting some press coverage about it. Here's a story from the Orlando Sentinel, published August 30, 2006. The writer was Susan Strother Clarke. )

Will The Blob take over Orlando?
I watch as three UCF students play the video game they developed at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy.

The UCF graduate program welcomed its second class last week -- only days after Mayor Buddy Dyer declared FIEA would be the anchor of a downtown "creative village."

This Blob, which looks like a giant green mud pie, is pretty important.

Dyer wants to transform a 60-acre chunk of downtown into a collection of affordable housing, offices and hip shops -- which, with FIEA, will help lure video-game and digital-media companies.

It's a five- to 10-year plan straight out of The Rise of the Creative Class -- Richard Florida's influential book that promotes an edgy, tech environment to attract talented workers.

But it will be a challenge, dare I say of Blob proportions, to pull it off. I applaud the concept, but plenty has to fall into place.

Through the lens of last week's Burnham Institute win, of course, anything is possible.

FIEA may one day be at the head of a smooth-running assembly line. The academy would turn out trained workers who go no farther than a block or two for jobs.

And the school, for its part, seems to be pulling its weight. All reports are that FIEA is on its way to becoming a successful master's program for training students in the $7 billion-a-year gaming industry. The program gets the thumbs up from Orlando's two leading game companies, whose execs like what they've seen so far.

There's crossover with other businesses, too. Lockheed Martin, for instance, has employees in the program because the same digital-media skills are used in defense technology.

And, importantly, the academy is getting good buzz among students. With 35 enrolled, FIEA's newest class is almost three times the size of its first. The new students have broader backgrounds, too, coming from Princeton and Boston University as well as Florida schools.

Still, this isn't the first talk of a downtown creative center. I've heard similar discussion for several years, with one early plan calling for a hub for production companies and assistance from hip-hop recording exec Damon Dash.

The city's current plan hinges on building a new arena and a performing arts center, and tearing down the TD Waterhouse Centre and the Bob Carr, where much of the village would be built.

UCF eventually is expected to move its entire School of Film & Digital Media into the Expo Centre with FIEA, ultimately putting 1,200 students downtown. But that will happen only when money is found to remodel the center and if the existing downtown Marriott is turned into dorms.

Then, this build-it-and-they-will-come scenario assumes the required companies actually move downtown. Scores of local outfits do digital work in Orlando, though there are only two game makers of any size. Neither of those has immediate plans to relocate. Electronic Arts, for its part, abandoned early plans to move downtown and instead expanded in Maitland.

Dyer's "concept team" will report back on what a creative village should look like by October.

But it will be some time before we know if The Blob takes over Orlando.

GLOBAL PEACE FILM FEST Comes To Orlando Sept. 14-21

This year, for the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, the FOURTH ANNUAL GLOBAL PEACE FILM FESTIVAL in Orlando, Florida (September 14th -21st 2006) will showcase exciting and important international films and host events and community outreach programs to further the goal of peace on earth.

The Global Peace Film Festival will open on Thursday, September 14th and end on Thursday, September 21st, presenting a fascinating and diverse program of over 60 features, comedies, narratives documentaries and shorts from around the globe. Films whose themes explore issues on the environment, racism, community, family, conflict resolution, the role of women, and civil rights will screen at Rollins College’s Tiedtke Hall, University of Central Florida’s Communication Building and the Ying Academic Center in downtown Orlando. The festival also will present topical and engaging panels at the Enzian Theatre, films and events at the Orlando Science Center and outreach programs throughout the community.

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.peacefilmfest.org

The Trials of Darryl Hunt Directors To Visit UCF FILM

The directors of The Trials of Darryl Hunt will be speaking to two World Cinema documentary classes on Monday, September 18th in COM 145. Space is limited. Any film students wishing to firmly commit to attending, please send an email with the word "commit" in the subject line to Dr. Lisa Mills no later than Friday, September 8th. Her e-mail address is lmills@mail.ucf.edu. For more information on the film, visit www.breakthrufilms.org.

UCF Metro Seeks 5 Film Students For Independent Study

Film Independent Study
UCF Metro
Instructor: Dr. Lisa Mills

UCF Metro is a half-hour talk show on WMFE-TV. It has been in existence since 2002 and this fall will mark its 50th edition. Dr. Mills is the Executive Producer of the program, which is sponsored by UCF’s Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies. The goal of the program is to explore connections between UCF and the community.

Beginning in the fall of 2006 Dr. Mills will be leading a transition that will change the format of this program from talk show to documentary. Material for both formats needs to be researched, written, shot and edited. Dr. Mills is seeking 5 students who have the desire to learn about public television production. The students must also possess the following skills and core competencies:

• Firm commitment to no less than 6 hours of work/study each week
• Available on Tuesday afternoons for project meetings
• Reliable and trustworthy
• Able to take direction
• Initiative and follow-through
• Conduct research
• Make professional phone calls to set up interviews and b-roll shoots
• Detail-oriented
• Manage paperwork for project production bibles
• Shoot and edit video with competency and continuity
• Respect for interview and b-roll subjects
• Respect for video equipment and property

The following positions will be assigned upon submission of resume’ to Dr. Mills and completion of interviews:

• 3 videographer/editors
• 2 researchers/coordinators

Please email cover letter describing how your professional desires and core competencies meet the requirements of this independent study and attach a resume.’

Dr. Lisa Mills
Lmills@mail.ucf.edu

Appropriate film program paperwork must be completed with:
Laura Trad-Stefano, Student Academic Advisor
407-823-4842

Short Film Shooting In Orlando With Mostly LA Crew Needs PAs NOW

A DEATH IN THE WOODS, a short film stocked with mostly LA keys is in town and they're in need of some unpaid interns to help with a shoot that's expected to last through August 27th. Craig Richards, a very solid UPM from Orlando, is also on the shoot, so networking opportunities are high whether your goals are local or in LA.

They're specifically looking for an Art PA and some productions PAs. If you're interested in working some or all of the shoot, give a call to Luana at 818-823-3250. She'll hook you up.

FETUS FETISH To Screen In Hollywood

Prof. Bob Jones' latest feature Fetus Fetish, will be screened at 2PM Sunday, Sept. 17th, at the Hollywood Laemmle Fairfax Cinema, Screen 3, by the New York International Independent Film Festival.

Fetus Fetish won Best Experimental Film at the NYIIFF in May '06 , the Best Actress Award at the B Movie Film Festival in Chicago and Third Place for Best Comedy at the Indie Film Festival in Ohio.

For more info on FF, check out www.fetusfetish.com.

Katie & Kasey To Screen @ Reel Affirmations & Image Out

KATIE & KASEY, the Capstone short of Kyla Tomlin ('05), has been accepted for screening at the 16th Annual Reel Affirmations: Washington DC's International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. From their site: The festival showcases the best work by, about, and of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. With more than 30,000 film lovers attending last year's festival, Reel Affirmations remains one of the largest and most respected GLBT film festivals in the world.

KATIE & KASEY has also been accepted at Image Out: Rochester Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival.

Fest Update - MR MALIKAI Takes Grand Prize in South Korea

Good news from Asia...

MR. MALIKAI BATTLES THE AEROPLANE, the Capstone short of Drew Blatman ('05), won the Grand Jury Prize at the 8th Annual Seoul International Youth Film Festival.

Malikai appeared in the Youth 2 Program with another UCF short, TEARS IN THE RAIN, directed by David Estrada ('05).

Hometown Newspapers Can Help Your Career

There was a good story about UCF FILM grad student Danny Daneau recently published by his hometown newspaper, the Bonita Daily News. Newspapers LOVE doing stories like this - local boy/girl goes out in the big world and makes good. It makes everyone feel good and it's worth more than a nice clip for your press kit. It's also a good way to generate interest from local folks like doctors, dentists and lawyers who might be flirting with the idea of investing in a film, but don't know how to go about it. You - local boy/girl doing well - can be their roadmap.

Keep it in mind.