Keeping the faith

I just had a conversation with another filmmaker friend of mine who is in the midst of launching her own Kickstarter campaign for documentary film. She asked me to give her some pointers and I said the important thing is that you have to have faith in your project and be willing for it to be the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing at night. Your project needs to be something that you'll not only fight for, but also do some good old-fashioned begging for.

I keep thinking of that as I drag my butt out of bed on this gorgeous Saturday morning in Alameda and plop down in front of the computer again. I'm not gonna lie, it's hard to keep it up creatively when you have a pregnant wife, a wee person on the way, a new full time day job to prepare for the wee person, family commitments, and friends that make up a happy, vibrant life needs your attention as well. But all I have to do is rev up the final cut pro and start attacking the last rough cut and I remember why this film helps me keep the faith.

Right now, we are prepping the rough cut for our screening soiree tomorrow night. I'm putting in a temp track and testing the cut, doing basic color correction because you never really screen a rough for anyone who isn't actually working on the film. I can't help but think ahead of how amazing it will be to finish the actual sound work with a professional post crew.

One of the most exciting parts of finishing a film is the sound design and remix. We have this amazing opportunity to work with EJ up at Skywalker Ranch and hopefully have a subsidy from them to use their mixing theaters and possibly use their theater to have the screening benefits next year. Only catch: we need raise more money because that kind of amazing opportunity can't come for free.

Someone asked me if we could just finish the film ourselves and I said yeah, we could. That's what we planned to do. But using the creative juices of one of the top sound designers and have the backing of a place like Skywalker Ranch is going to take the film to a whole other level of production value. With better festival visibility,  the story will reach more people and then we CAN attract people like Geena Davis and her institute to partner for our screening benefits next year and raise more money for the victims of domestic violence.

So, I keep the faith. I'll open my office door so I feel the cool fall air while I edit. I'll keep writing those emails, asking people for any money they can spare. Because I realize that the time I put in now can do so much more than I ever imagined when I first read this script. And it can actually help other children, like our baby on the way, to lead a better life. To have a chance.

Want to find out more ways you can contribute?

Contribute $250 or more and make it tax deductible: San Francisco Film Society Fiscal Sponsors page 

Contribute directly to appleseeds for any amount or bid on one and only tarot read by Megan Breiseth: appleseeds website

 

Contributing artist spotlight: Osiris Rain

  Artist Osiris Rain contributes his gorgeous painting for us!

 

 

This beautiful little painting from classically trained painter Osiris Rain, a North Carolina based artist known for his contemporary figure paintings. This painting of a reclining nude is streaked with turquoise and pink, giving it a sunny, pleasant feel. 

Bid on this painting: HERE

Osiris Rain trained at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy where he studied the masterpieces of the Renaissance firsthand. Later he went on to study in the Odd Nerdrum apprenticeship program in Stavern, Norway. Learn more about Osiris' work here: http://www.osirisrainstudios.com/

During out post production drive, we have 3 new ways to contribute!

Ebay auction of art, music and more: appleseeds Ebay Auction

Contribute $250 or more and make it tax deductible: San Francisco Film Society Fiscal Sponsors page

Contribute directly to appleseeds for any amount or bid on one and only tarot read by Megan Breiseth: appleseeds website

Post Production Auction: Contributing Artist John Kincade

The Most Awesome John Kincade has donated three of his amazing Snake Oil cartoons to help us raise much needed post production funds!

Bid on his awesome gift at: EBay: appleseeds auction: Snake Oil Cartoons Don't wait, only 7 days left to bid!

About John: John is a former ad man with a dab hand for collage and satire. His work can be seen at Funny Times and NobleWorks and more. Personally, John and his awesome wife Liz Dobbins, are close family friends who spirit and humor color everything they do. So happy to have them in our framily and really happy to share John's smart and always funny Snake Oil Cartoons.
Read more about John and his work: http://snakeoilcartoon.com/

During out post production drive, we have 3 new ways to contribute!

Ebay auction of art, music and more: appleseeds Ebay Auction
Contribute $250 or more and make it tax deductible: San Francisco Film Society Fiscal Sponsors page
Contribute directly to appleseeds for any amount or bid on one and only tarot read by Megan Breiseth: appleseeds website

In-kind contributor spotlight: Robin Kincade - Producer and Location Scout/Manager

We would not be able to pull this production off without the help of people like Robin Kincade. Her name was given to me by the awesome Jim MacIlvaine: Special Events Coordinator + Oakland Film Office. She gave us access to her files and time for free to find one of our key locations (creepy stairs at The City Team shelter), I would not have found it without her help!


Here's a little more about Robin Kincade and her location scouting services! Can't wait to buy this lady lunch!!


From Robin's bio:

"I started my business in 1990 in Sacramento, California and moved to the Bay Area in 1996. Since then, I’ve been producing and directing for a variety of clients.

Working on projects that include everything from “Confessions of Alien Abductions” to a week in Las Vegas with over 30,000 Bikers, I’ve helped to produced a wide variety of programming. Covering famous celebrities and CEO’s of successful companies to ordinary people in extraordinary situations, I consider myself lucky to have heard so many fascinating stories. 

With over thirty years experience in broadcast television, I can take a project from start to finish depending on your needs.  I have experience in production management in the Bay Area from hiring crews to making sure the production stays within budget all the way through to post production.

Over the past fifteen years producing in the political arena, I have directed the electronic media and purchased the buys with many campaigns including California District races for Congress, Supervisor, District Attorney, Sheriff, District Judge and Assessor.  

As a location scout/manager, I’m familiar with many regions along the Coast of California, from Humboldt County to San Diego. I understand the process of pulling permits, logistics and parking for large and small productions and I’ve worked in various counties all over the state.

Due to traveling over the years for many of my clients, I’ve worked with crews across the United States and have a healthy data base. Using Apple based equipment and the iPhone/iPad, I can have consistent communications with my clients.

My passions are open water swimming (yes, I am one of those crazy people who swim in San Francisco Bay without a wetsuit) sculling, yoga, lost wax sculpture and guitar. I’m a member of the South End Swimming & Rowing Club. "

Link to Robin and Company website: Link

Check out our website and stay tuned for more information about our "save our post production" auction. Okay, we are still trying to find the right name for that but it's COMING SOON!

www.appleseedsthefilm.com

What the film Snow White tells us about our own views on women

I've been really interested in the many different reviews of Snow White and the Huntsman. I saw it on opening night and I have to say, it's visually stunning. First time feature director Rupert Sands definitely knows his way around telling a story with all the visual tools cinema can provide. I also thought the acting was top notch, the best of which was Charlize Theron.

I also wish Sands and his crew had taken the revisionist approach just a step further. I could have used a little more character and story along with a new twist on some plot points. Just a little deeper into the mad queen or the young heroine. Because it stays just on the surface of the story it ultimately it comes up just a little short of a true classic for  me.

What's really fascinating for me how is how reviewers can take the same elements and interpret them in so many different ways.

Take Natalie Wilson's feminist view in Ms. Magazine:
"The film’s modus operandi is to vilify female aging. Of course, that’s the stuff of the original fairy tale, but this umpteenth iteration does nothing to complicate the material. It was a brilliant opportunity for a feminist critique of how we’re sold a bill of goods about beauty and immortality. Instead, Snow White and the Huntsman acts as though the desires for these things spring only from the brains of crazy women. Once again we get the same ole message that not only do women get ugly as they age, but they also get evil."

You know, I actually thought it was pretty easy to understand how the age old story of the Queen reflects the myth of youth and beauty that is still shoved down our throats as women. I felt that while the film doesn't go any deeper than the surface on these issues, I think the point was that the concept of holding on to youth and beauty at all costs is the villain itself, not the woman victimized by that notion.

I also feel like the movie made it clear that there was a vulnerable, damaged woman who has been used by the society she lives in. I feel like there is one very distinct moment where Snow White and the audience has to have empathy for her. True, she is a woman who has given in to her demons but does that ultimately make her a demon? If that's true, then why a moment of redemption?

Or does this show how my (or anyone's) criticism or reading of the film says more about me than the actual movie? Does this show my need to believe people can change and that they don't have to be victims of anything?

Check out this Natalie Wilson's blog and join in on the discussion: Ms. Blog. Because ultimately, I don't feel that one person or review has all the answers... but that engaging and discussing these issues concerning the representation of women is the most important thing we can do.


Duendefilmswest production of appleseeds: Did you miss out on being part of making this film and the benefit screenings happen? You can still be a part of the adventure: stay tuned for information regarding upcoming auction or contact us here for details on how to contribute directly!

In-Kind Contributor: 7th Heaven Yoga and Wellness Center

We are so lucky to have Kim offer her amazing studio space for us to hold our auditions in. The center is gorgeous with all sorts of great classes at all levels. Like an oasis in the middle of Berkeley of calm and beauty. Please go check it out and see for yourself why it's aptly named 7th Heaven!

Here's a little more about the awesome studio director of 

7th Heaven Yoga and Wellness Center:

 Kim Adams:

    Kim's body has been a dancer, yogi and athlete nearly her entire life after that pesky crawling stage was out of the way . She began her yoga practice at 15 in her home town in L.A. then discovered the dance in college. She holds a Dance and Psychology degree from Sonoma State University where she dove into the study of Biofeedback and movement therapies like Feldenkrais and the Alexander Technique. In recent years she discovered aerial dance and began dancing and performing on aerial tissu and other aerial apparatus. To balance this very physical practice she has studied Shadow Yoga with Scott Blossom for the past 3 years to understand and heal many old injuries and create a more resilient practice.    

     If Kim is not hanging off something, you can find her mind in her office at 7th Heaven where she has been the Studio Director for the past 5 years. She is also the CFO of doctorblossom.com after about 8 years of fascination with how business can change and shape the world. She studied real estate investing and apprenticed under a local real estate developer in Berkeley. With deep appreciation and gratitude she left that to study to dive into online business. As CFO of Dr. B she was able to co-create an online Ayurvedic cleanse with Yoga Journal, Yoga International and several other companies that touched over 30,000 people's lives in a little over a cumulative month's time. 

     As for Kim's spirit, it dwells in the relentless pursuit of leaving the world better than when she entered it. After 30 years of living she is starting to realize she has much much more work to do!

Check out out more about 7th Heaven Yoga Center here: 7th Heaven website

Facebook: link

Does the world of high-fashion use women, art and violence as a tool for controversy?

12 magazine’s beauty editorial Victims of Beauty, which featured models made up to look like victims of horrific crimes, was neatly skewered by Jezebel writer Jenna Sauers this week.

Sauers pegged the spread as a ham-fisted, short-sighted attempt at edginess: “ The high-fashion world in general loves to think of itself as contrarian, élite, and boldly at odds with the tastes and mores of the wider public. It likes to think that it, in fact, leads those tastes. But much of the imagery the fashion industry uses to communicate its messages at best echoes and at worst reinforces some of the wider culture's most negative ideas about women and girls.” 

The magazine got its feathers ruffled at her criticism and wrote back a letter saying their intentions were misconstrued and closed with these questions: “1. How would you perceive those photographs if they were accompanying an <sic> campaign against domestic violence? Would you still think of them as disgusting or would you praise them as brave and thought provoking? Worth the think <sic>, isn’t it? 2. What would you say if those were bespoken men, carefully groomed, but still, terribly injured? Probably nothing, and quite frankly that’s a bit sexist.” 


Let’s set aside the patronizing tone of those questions and talk about what seems to be at the root of the hub-bub: do the photos glorify or promote violence against women? The magazine claims that they did not set out to condone domestic violence but…if that’s true…it would seem that they didn’t publish the pictures with any conscious aim at all beyond shocking their readership.

That’s negligent.
An important part of my development as a writer was a bit of advice a treasured English teacher gave me: if you’re going to put something terrible on paper, have a damn good reason. Shock for shock’s sake cannot withstand public scrutiny and can compromise the value of your work as a whole.

However, where a book or a movie might suffer blowback for splashing on domestic violence like cheap cologne, there doesn’t seem to be the same kind of accountability in fashion. This Bulgarian editorial is only one example in a never-ending parade of paper dolls and mannequins painted, stripped and speared by an industry stocked with professionals who are rapidly running out of ideas.

Let’s not let controversy be a substitute for substance.

What are your expectations of art and artists?

Link to: jezebel.com/: fashions ongoing violence against women

Tom Ford ad: provocative and no one gets hurt

Robyn here - I'd like to add this to the mix. I would like to say that I don't believe that all high-fashion people are cut from the same cloth (no pun intended.) Designer/Artist Tom Ford has always represented women in a positive way. Yes, his fashion and his ads contain scantily clad people sometimes but there is always a playful self-awareness and gender equality to anything he does. His images can be thought-provoking, but you cannot lump him in with a publication like 12 Mag.

I would also argue that publications are not the makers of fashion (except for Vogue and its editor Anna Wintour) and you would never see an editorial as grotesque and women-hating as that in the pages of any country's Vogue. Or Elle. Or any of the other authentic fashion magazines.

I also echo Ashley in the question, what are our expectations of art and artists? And what role do we have as consumers in the production and selling of the underlying violence of those images?

I refuse to put those images on the blog, so please check out the article on Jezebel if you would like to see them. 

--Robyn


about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

Robert Rossello joins our team as Production Designer

Oh man, we are so lucky to have this talented man on board with us. Fellow filmmaker, Rob Rossello is lending his considerable visual talents to appleseeds! I've shared many a set with him since 2007, including joining him in the producing arena with his awesome short film Continuum. AND I feel very lucky to grab him before he is a full time director which I hope is very very soon!

Rob looking like a cool director from the 60s

Here is more about him!

Coming from a background in photography, fine art, and graphic design, Robert Rossello first entered the world of film in 1999, joining with a colleague to form visual effects boutique Big Red Pixel. For six years he served as BRP's lead creative, starting with the 2002 remake of Rollerball. He has since served as the visual effects supervisor for such films as 2003's Basic and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the Oscar-nominated Collateral in 2004, then Transporter 2 and Just Like Heaven in 2005. His graphic design skills came in handy for the main titles of the Bollywood epic Devdas in 2002, as well as Transporter 2. 

A free agent since 2005, he continues to stretch creatively, contributing 2007 indie Where's My Stuff''s production design and script in addition to its VFX. In February 2008 he wrote and directed his first short film, Continuum, and most recently directed and shot a moody promo clip for Bay Area chanteuse Emma Ray, set to premiere in June 2012.

about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

5 days to go and 20 min Skype perk for just 40$! Hazar!

Ashley Perryman Quach dreaming of Skyping

Been thinking about contributing but keep asking yourself, "who are these people anyway?"

Been wanting to contribute more but keep asking yourself "What is their favorite film? I wonder if they want to hear about my screenplay idea? And what REALLY happened the day Robyn met Angelina Jolie....hmmmm"

The answer to all those is, in the correct order. (let's see how many times I can put Skype in this)
1) 20 minutes, Skype and apple juice should tell you all you need to know about us
2) what's yours? Tell us on Skype.
3) yes!
4)....heh. Skype and you shall know all!

5 DAYS to go and so close... give now if you can and if you have, give a little more because you may want to know about us but we also want to meet you! Because without you, this film would not be getting made. That is the bottom line!

40$ Skype with us and help us reach our goal!!

With all our hearts we thank you!
Appleseeds team

about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

Contributing Artist Spotlight: Singer-Songerwriter Arro Verse

Seriously folks, this just gets better and better. The awesome Arro Verse will be writing a song for appleseeds ! I'm am so jazzed, I've worked on two music videos with this amazingly talented woman and am so grateful to have our collaboration be part of the this film.

Wait, you haven't heard Arro's new song just released on  Itunes! Before you read on, go check it out and you'll see why I'm so excited: Love Follows Me But make sure to come back for more info.

One of my favorite shoots of all time was working with Arro and Jeanette Aguilar (among a list of talented people in our cast and crew) on the music video "Don't be my Boo Boo." Arro had such a great sense of story and this spirit of adventure with her work visually. I love what we ended up creating! Check it out here: Don't be my Boo Boo music video

Arro is that kind of authentic artist whose work seems to channel directly from her soul. Read about her new song "Love Follows Me" and the inspiration behind the song: www.rightouttv

about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

Casting Update: Chuck Phelps officially joins our cast!

So excited to have Chuck join our production. I wish I could share his audition but it would spoil the experience of the film so I can't. But I can tell you that he is one of the most passionate and committed actors I've worked with to date. Please read below and Bay area folks, I'll keep you posted on his upcoming theater performances this month.

Chuck Phelps is the eldest of three and was born in Aurora, Ill.  Yes, home to Wayne’s World…. but really it’s full of cornfields as anyone who’s been there can tell you.  Ever since he can remember, he has always liked entertaining people on a stage of one kind or another.  Laughter is “the medicine of the Gods”, and to be the cause of people laughing, crying, feeling, or just plain forgetting about their troubles for a brief period of time is priceless.  (And the icing on the cake, for me anyway, is that it’s a hell of an awesome way to share a meaningful moment between human beings.)

Having thoroughly exhausted a music career that carried him through the first third of his life, Chuck was left with something he had always told himself:  “If I wasn’t playing music, what would I be doing.....?"  The answer always came back acting.  Not only did he have this secret desire to act, but he somehow thought he might be good at it.  Chuck decided to put his theory to the test, and as with everything else in his life, he went at it full force.  Starting with ACT, BATS, and finally finishing it off with the boot camp of all acting techniques ….. Meisner.   After completing 2 years at the Meisner Technique Studio in 2009 it was time to get to work.  Along the way he managed to put together a demo a reel, and a resume full of something he didn’t know he’d fall in love with, live theater.  And although one must take care of one's own dreams.... for ultimate success, it is essential to work with people that have similar dreams. 

"Meeting Robyn and Ashley is literally a dream come true.  To work on a good script with such a great cause; and to be part of a production that truly values acting is (in my humble opinion) a recipe for success.  All I can say is thank you Robyn and Ashley for letting me part of your vision. " - Chuck

Pictures worth a million internalized words: The Things That Make Us Uncomfortable

Go Daddy: would this mean the same thing if it was a man?

Read this blog and just had to re-post it. Sometimes we let ideas and images slip by because we are so used to being bombarded with them. They become part of our "socialized unconscious." It's clear a dialogue about how women are represented in all forms of media is needed now more than ever. Sex sells, we know that. But how about some equal time for women to count for more than just a pretty face and a perfect body. Every image counts. 

Excerpt from May 22nd Blog at Feministing.com by ehammers 

"We have innate reactions to minority groups. We have innate reactions to things that we feel are unjust or wrong. We feel personally affected, and people begin to argue. People begin to lose control and fight, people begin to start wars and create violence. I’m not just talking about women right now. “Women’s issues” are not one type of “issue”. “Issues” do not need to have a negative connotation at all. What about “IDEAS”? Ideas have a positive connotation. Spreading ideas is the answer. How do we begin to do that? How do we begin to start watching the television and working towards making advertising NOT controversial? Coming up with ideas together. Instead of FIGHTING the ad agencies and turning it into a war about “Women’s Issues”, what about starting a conversation?"


Continue reading: www.feministing.com



about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.
 

House Republicans Exclude LGBT Victims from Violence Against Women Act

From May 16, 2012

Washington – The Human Rights Campaign is condemning a highly partisan vote in the U.S. House of Representatives, where GOP lawmakers just passed a bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  Unlike the bipartisan and LGBT-inclusive Senate version, the House bill fails to address discrimination faced by LGBT victims of domestic violence.  The bill passed 222-205, with 23 Republicans opposing it.

Reauthorizing VAWA need not have been a partisan fight.  Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL) wanted to offer an amendment to the bill that would have increased protections for LGBT victims, but the House Republican leadership blocked her from even offering the amendment.

“Today, House Republicans put partisan politics above the well-being of victims of domestic abuse,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “It is unfortunate – though not surprising – that some lawmakers refuse to acknowledge the basic dignity and respect LGBT domestic violence victims deserve. These lawmakers are leaving victims out in the cold with nowhere to turn for help, and attempting to further stigmatize many of the stereotypes associated with domestic abuse. We urge lawmakers to work together in conference so that VAWA is inclusive of all victims of domestic abuse.”

Continue reading: http://www.hrc.org



about Duendefilms West production of appleseeds: 

Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits to follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

Geena Davis talks about gender imbalance in film and media

Had the great experience to see Geena Davis announce her Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
two years ago. I was just coming out of 2 months of radiation treatment and was lucky enough to have my future as a Breast Cancer Survivor in front of me. She inspired me so much at that talk and made me think what I could do with my passion for storytelling... how I can become part of the change I want to see.

Ms. Davis is  funny, articulate and fiercely intelligent. She has started the very important dialogue of gender balance in representation in film and media. Here she speaks with The Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Blumenstein in reference to the "Unlocking the Full Potential of Women in the U.S. Economy" report.



video courtesy of The Wall Street Journal


Please visit our indiegogo page to find out how we are trying to make a difference both in our short film and the screening/benefits that will follow to raise money and awareness around issues of domestic violence and gender representation in film and media.

Study finds that females are more likely to be put in sexual, violent scenes

Really interesting study on the representation of females in film and media. Every role sends a message to young girls and teens. Every image tells a strong story: what story are we trying to tell with these numbers? How can we change this trend in the film industry?

 Journal of Adolescent Health - April 2012

"Women continue to be under-represented in film overall and twice as likely as males to be seen in sexually explicit or violent scenes, according to a new study from the Annenburg Public Policy Center. The report analyzed 855 top box-office movies from 1950 to 2006, with co-author Dan Romer noting surprise at "the same representation of women today as was prevalent in the 1950s. With women increasingly playing major roles in all walks of life, Hollywood appears to remain in the mindset of a much earlier era."

Continue reading: jahonline.org

Join Duendefilms West and their campaign for 'appleseeds" the film. All proceeds from screenings donated to local and national organizations to stop domestic violence.
Check us out at www.indiegogo.com/appleseeds