Easy guide to production
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hollywood producing duo Neil Meron and Craig Zadan will receive a top honor when the gay and lesbian watchdog group GLAAD presents its 23rd annual media awards in March, the group said on Thursday. Zadan and Meron, film and television producers known for such movies as the … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) What I find refreshing about Slamdance films in general, is the sense of raw, rough-around-the-edges filmmaking, made with a sense of purpose, not too overly self-aware or polished. "Faith, Love and Whiskey" reminded me of what a true, independent film is -- … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) Rested and ready to get back in the swing of things, today I focused on seeing films. I was at the Sundance Box Office early, to see if I could get any extra tickets. As the festival week goes by, there is much more ticket availability since the popular first … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) US Dramatic Competition film, "Midddle of Nowhere" was one of those films you don't see coming -- a film that moves you unexpectedly because you become so invested in the character's journey and will to triumph. I was pleasantly surprised by the assured direction … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Ruso (doddleNEWS) On the opening night of the Sundance 2012 Film Festival, "Hello I Must Be Going" premiered to a sold-out Eccles Theater. One of the US Dramatic Competition Features, the film is a dark romantic comedy with characters you don't often see portrayed in a love story. … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) I've known the folks over at the Utah Film Commission office for several years now. Back when I used to work for Kodak, I would service all the productions in the state, working closely with the commission to make sure I knew about all the projects shooting in their … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) There are many reasons why people descend on Park City. They come to celebrate and support a film they have in the festival, distributors look for films to buy, sponsors attend to promote their services to the indie market, and some people even come to to watch … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) With SLAMDANCE 2012 in full swing, here is Part 2 of my interview with Josh Mandel, Programmer Narrative Features Committee, where he talks about the movies to see at this Slamdance Festival. What SLAMDANCE films are you really excited about this year? I’m … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) One of the great things about coming to Park City is meeting all of the interesting filmmakers who have traveled from all over the world to screen their films. While attending Outfest's 16th Annual Queer Brunch at the Grubsteak on Sunday, I met the director, … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) I'm staying in Deer Valley this year for the first time, so I'm relying on public transportation to get me to the Transit Center where I generally have to connect with another bus to get to a theater. This means I have to get up super early if I'm going to one of … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) With the Sundance festival in full swing, I began my Friday morning with a screening at the MARC Theater, formally known as the Racquetball Club, of the US Dramatic Competition Feature, "Hello I Must Be Going." A lovely little dark comedy with characters you don't … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) First of all, congratulations on your promotion to Co-President of Film Independent. That’s extremely exciting. How will your role change from being Director of Artist Development? Thanks Chris! I'm thrilled to be doing this together with Sean McManus as … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) Playing the sidewalks of Park City all week at Sundance 2012 for your listening pleasure is the punk-bluegrass sounds of BRAMBLE, a three piece acoustic group hailing from Salt Lake City. Keeping the street lively with foot stomping mountain music, Bramble adds to … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) Opening up the Sundance Film Festival this year was the highly anticipated documentary, "Queen of Versailles," by director Lauren Greenfield, which features billionaires Jackie and David Siegel in a "rags to riches to rags" Amercian Dream story told in epic … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) You know these guys, they are the unsung heroes that stand out in the freezing cold for hours on end repeating the same information over and over again -- ("the next bus will be here soon" or "take the Theater Loop to get to Eccles", etc.) -- directing thousands of … [Read more...]
By Chris J. Russo (doddleNEWS) This year marks my 9th year attending the Sundance Film Festival, and in may ways coming to Park City each year never gets old. I was fortunate to be a director with a short film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and have been returning to Park City each year, … [Read more...]
