Home of Indies on PBS

PBS carries a program entitled The Independent Lens. It is a showcase for independent films that range from documentary to full length drama to collections of shorts.

"Airing weekly on PBS, the Emmy award-winning series Independent Lens is like an independent film festival in your living room. Each episode introduces new documentaries and dramas made by independent thinkers: filmmakers who are taking creative risks, calling their own shots and finding untold stories in unexpected places."

This is a "must visit" for anyone thinking about making movies.

Free iPod Mini Case

Nordstrom is currently giving away a free iPod mini case for this month. I just found out about it this morning. You will need to print an online coupon available at the Nordstrom site.
If you're not using a broadband connection, it will take some time to load and you have to go through three or four pages to get to the coupon.

One Word: Drawn!

Drawn! is a blog. In it's own words: It "...is a collaborative weblog for illustrators, artists, cartoonists, and anyone who likes to draw. Visit us daily for a dose of links and creative inspiration." Lots of links to artists, designers, illustrators and cartoonists. Visual artists in these categories should definitely visit.

Alan Lomax: Folk Music Archivist

Alan Lomax was a folk music archivist but also a cultural archivist. From the 1930s until his retirement in 1996, he archived the folk music of America and Europe on audio, video and photos. The collection is currently being organized by the Library of Congress. You can get an insight into some of the remarkable work done by this amazing man at the Alan Lomax Collection web site.

Entertain me on your cell phone. You have 30 seconds

Ithaca College is holding its annual Cellflix Festival. Here is a brief description:

"The CellFlix Festival is an annual competition dedicated to the development of creative content for mobile delivery. It’s all about imagination, fantasy, and story – created through and presented on the small screen.

"If you’re a filmmaker, a storyteller and a dreamer of big dreams – and you could use an extra $5,000 to help make those dreams come true – pick up your cellphone/smartphone and get busy. You must shoot the story on your cellphone/smartphone, but you can edit it any way you choose."

The competition started on November 8, 2005 but I just found out about it this morning. Entries must be submitted by January 10, 2006. The contest is open to full-time high school or college students. Remember the entire video must be shot with a cell phone. Take the time to watch the sample video. It's amazing what you can do with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Other Stories From Universes Far Far Away

Science fiction is a rich medium for the independent film maker. Recently I have seen Star Wars Revelations, Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning (A Finnish parody), Star Trek (the original 5-year mission continued as if it had never ended and with total disregard for STNG, DS9, and Voyager futures). It has new actors but support from a lot of original professionals involved with the first. D.C. Fontana, Walter Koenig, and more. They are all out there on the net for your viewing pleasure.

Be prepared for some pretty big downloads however. Star Wars Revelations runs 47 minutes, Star Wreck about 1:43, and 2 Star Trek episodes that come in a collection of several large file downloads.

The best news is these films are available free of charge for those that are willing to take the time to download them.

Directory & Resource for Actors

Acting About bills itself as being a web directory and resources for actors. It contains articles on the topic and is layed out in a blog like fashion. The power comes from the sidebar on the home page. Here you have much more detailed links to Acting Courses, Acting Schools, Beginning, Modeling Acting and much more.