Forward As V-Card

Tip of the Day: You do NOT have to buy a program to transfer contacts from Outlook to a Mac! Just go to your contacts view in Outlook, highlight the contacts, and then under the "actions" drop down window select "forward to V-card"! (the files are tiny; 400 contacts only took 600KB). Then open the email on your Mac . So easy!

Marketing Blog

Okay, I admit it. I'm a Geek when it comes to marketing and advertising. I've found a great new blog. Markteing.fm: The Frequency of Change Marketing Blog - Marketing and Advertising 2.0 is all about 21st Century adverstising, marketing, product integration and social networking. Good stuff!

So Long and Thanks For All The Fish

Well, we got word that Tony Barbieri's latest film EM did not make it into Cannes. So Goodbye France. On the bright side, John Cooper (the programing director of Sundance) emailed Tony personally to say how much he loved the film, and is going to personally champion it to other top tier festivals. EM was only 2 films away from making it into Sundance. It was #19 out of 17... SO CLOSE!

Welcome Home!

My husband's been in Toronto this week doing the D.I. for THE ECHO, where it's been snowing! He has a great colorist who who's very clever with subtle little tweeks. Director Yam Laranas pays a nice complement on his blog. Matt comes home tomorrow and I can't wait! Welcome home Matt!!

"The Secret" for Product Integration

I've been blogging a lot about "product integration" and how I have a vision of ODD BRODSKY being entirely funded by advertising dollars. Well the Universe seems to have picked up on my vibe. Today I interviewed someone who's area of expertise is securing paid product placement for films of my budget level. I'm game. Let's go for it!

To Sell or Not To Sell

So apparently one of the production companies I sent the ODD BRODSKY script to (who needs 1 more film for a 3-film slate) is only interested in buying it to produce themselves. Hmmm. I was clear all along that I was looking for a co-production company. This is more validation that we have a good script! AND, I still consider this company in the mix. Never say quit. Question is: do I want to pursue it?

Sammy Goldwyn Meeting

Heard back from the acquisitions guy at Samuel Goldwyn Films. (He's the one that read the script for ODD BRODSKY last week, and we'd been writing script notes back and forth via email). He's in London right now, but wants to meet when he gets back to town. Very cool! My gut feeling still is that I need to make this movie myself to maintain creative control. But I'm open, open, open!

Outlook is NOT Entourage

I mean that both literally and figuratively. Grrrr. These two programs are quite different, and Entourage (for the Mac) does not have as much functionality as Outlook. So if I'm going to switch to this Mac, I need another solution, and an intern to transfer all the data! I'm sure this will all be for the best in the end, but for now it's just a royal pain.

3 hurt as car slams into Burbank post office

So I'm watching the news, and there's a story about a an 88-year-old woman who hit the gas petal instead of the brake, and crashed into a post office. I look a little closer, and notice it's MY post office! Thank God it was not a busy time, and nobody died. Jeesh. My question is this: Why the hell is an 88-year-old woman driving? The next news story was about how the Netflix servers have been down all day. Hey, I noticed that too! I suddenly feel very connected to the world.

SAG Strike Coming

I actually thought it wasn't going to happen. But after reading the latest issue of "Screen Actor" magazine, I am now certain of it. I fear this town cannot survive another long strike. The WGA set the stage, and I feel so bad that they will be out of work again. Or maybe they won't! I guess they can keep writing and keep getting paid, as producers stockpile content for episodes that won't be produced for awhile. I'm not sure what the future looks like in terms of new media, but it's scary.

As both a Producer AND a SAG actor, I see both sides. But I'll tell you, SAG NEEDS to make these contracts MUCH easier to deal with. The terms and the sheer volume of paperwork and requirements to be a signatory are already hard enough for small independent projects! The idea of needing a SAG contract for something small I want to post on YouTube seems daunting. Yet, I know there must be a line, or we'll all be working for free, and our skills will have no value. I couldn't help but wonder when I saw the "I'm f*cking Matt Damon" viral video, (and it's "I'm f*cking Ben Aflick counterpart) --which was hysterical --what that meant for filmmakers. Stars have now taken over ALL media. Did they get paid for that? Was that covered by a SAG contract? If they are willing to work for free (and fun) then how can people who are not stars expect to make a living in this new age of democratic filmmaking?

On that note, please enjoy "F*cking Ben Afflick" (below) and remember that Sarah Silverman and Jimmy Kimmel are a couple...

Spotting My Brother on TV

How crazy is this? A few nights ago we were watching Alison Krauss performing at Austin City Limits (from 2005) on TV, when Matt says to me "I think I just saw Josh in the audience!" We Tivo-ed back, and sure enough, it was my brother!

Mac Mail or Entourage?

I'm a bit stuck on this change-over from my PC to the Mac. Mac Mail's "Tasks and To Do List's" are very simplistic compared to Outlook. (Don't do what I need them to do). I'm hoping that Entourage, (which is the Mac version of Outlook) will solve my problem. Fingers crossed. What a pain. The good news is that all of my emails accounts (I have 8 of them -yikes!) are imap now, making them viewable on both a pc AND mac. AND all my iTunes play-lists are finally sorted! I even created a few new ones. LOVE it!

But I Still Love Lucy

I must have seen every episode several times over by now, and I'll tell ya; it just never gets old. Lucille Ball truly is a comedic genius. I wish I could have met her...

I Hate The "I Hate You Sarah Marshall" Billboards

OK, I really don't hate them... I just hate that we had the SAME IDEA in ODD BRODSKY! Audrey (our main character) gets a billboard and all it says on it is --well, I won't give it away exactly-- but needless to say it's a very simple message with black letters on a plain white background. To promote the film I was going to suggest having billboards that just said what Audrey's billboard said. Damn you, Sarah Marshall -you do suck!

Hat's off to the Mahoneys

Yesterday Matt and I had lunch with my friend Jenn and her husband Thom. I love Jenn. She's such a happy, fun and abundant person. Being around her makes me feel even more inspired. Thom has turned their garage into a small video studio, complete with green screen and 3 rows of hanging lights on a grid! And there's a huge curtain on a rail, so they can "hide" all the equipment, and turn the space into a bar! It's so cute. In the next room is a full-on editing suite! His use of space is phenomenal. My hat is off to the Mahoneys!

Watch Wheel

Tonight my dear friend Robin is a contest on Wheel of Fortune! They flew her out in January, and Katrina, Matt and I went to the taping of the show. Robin makes it to bonus round. Tune in and watch us tonight on NBC!

The Abyss

I haven't had much time to blog about ODD BRODSKY this week, because frankly, I haven't had much time to work on ODD BRODSKY this week! Between transferring all my files and programs from the PC to the Mac, trying to get our 4 tax returns completed, and being a social butterfly, there's simply been no time.

On Tuesday the acquisition guy from Samuel Goldwyn films got back to me. He read the script over the weekend, and liked it. I had requested that he read the script personally, and he agreed! This goes to show it never hurts to ask! I really like this guy; I can tell he's in this business because of his true passion for the art of film. We've been corresponding back and forth about the script. The more I learn about his company, the more I think it might actually be a good match! Finger's crossed.

Lil Sis'

I got the sweetest message today from Celeste, who was my litter sister in the "Big Brothers/Big Sisters" program for many years. She moved back to Alabama (yes, Alabama) and sounds happier than I've heard in a while. I miss my little sis. I think about her often.

DWF 2008

Tonight was the first selections committee screening night for this year's Dances With Films festival. I got Pitfire Pizza to sponsor our dinners for the next 10 weekly meetings. De-li-cious! It felt good that Leslee made such a big deal about it to everyone. I'll admit, it's nice to feel appreciated. The first short we screened starred my PH lead actor Jim Hanks! I'd actually already seen this short because Jim invited me to the very fancy premier at CAA a few months ago. Small world! I hung out with the talented director Jon Putch (BACHELORMAN, MOJAVE PHONE BOOTH), and we had a great chat about .

The 12th Annual PRISM Nominees are...

I am honored to be one of the judges for the annual Prism Awards. They do such important work in the world, honoring films and television which accurately portray addiction in the media.

Among the top feature films nominated in various categories are Michael Clayton, Lars and the Real Girl, Gone Baby Gone, In the Valley of Elah and Georgia Rule. 2008 Academy Award® Nominee Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Ryan Gosling (Lars and the Real Girl), Felicity Huffman (Georgia Rule), Ben Kingsley (You Kill Me) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton) are all competing for "Performance in a Feature Film."

Two-time PRISM winner for "Comedy Series Multi-Episode Storyline", Desperate Housewives, is nominated once again, along with Ugly Betty and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. "Comedy Series Episode" nominees include individual broadcasts of Aliens in America, The Game, Girlfriends, Samantha Who?, and The Simpsons. Christina Applegate (Samantha Who?), James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty) and Demetria McKinney (Tyler Perry's House of Payne) are all nominees for the "Performance in a Comedy Series" honor.

Honorees are selected by a 60-person committee of entertainment industry professionals and technical experts from the fields of medicine, mental health, and addiction. This year's ceremony is set for April 24, 2008 at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and will later be broadcast on the FX Network.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream...

The rub is that I don't dream in my sleep lately. It's the strangest thing. I lay there fast asleep, thinking and calculating all night long. It's not restful, but it is effective. I wake up in the mornings with more ideas than I can handle.

ORDINARY PEOPLE and THE 400 BLOWS

I am sheepish to say that I had never seen the 1980 Oscar Award Winning film for "Best Feature" ORDINARY PEOPLE. Wow. WOW! What a truly amazing and intimate portrait of a family. Timothy Hutton was incredible. Powerful.

Also saw the first half of Francois Truffaut's THE 400 BLOWS. (second half it tonight at the MTI theater). Matt would be an amazing college professor in film history. Well, he's been teaching me about the French New Wave movement. Back when THE 400 BLOWS was made (in 1959) Hollywood films all had a polished look to their lighting and acting styles that seemed heightened and "unreal". The Italian Neo-Realist movement and the French New Wave movement were reactions to this polished Hollywood style that featured more naturalism to the acting (and many times non-actors, in the Italian movement) and also didn't have to follow the strict three-act plot structure where "something important happens". Pretty cool.

Spring Cleaning

This weekend I'm transferring all my software, programs, photos, music, movies, documents and files, records, contacts, tasks, and mail from my PC to my Mac. What a GIGANTIC task. ug. Just sorting out the duplicate photos has been taking days. Using IMAP for email is great! Wish I'd done this long ago. It makes it so you can access saved emails from any computer (Mac OR Pc).

I've taken the giant Mac tower and cinema-screen monitor from the Media Center and temporarily moved it to the living room. Then we organized the entire Media Center. Now I know where everything is! It's nice to be able to find a firewire, or power cord to a hard drive when I need it. I love feeling organized. If we could only do the whole house...

Show Me The Money

Hello million dollar bill. I'm visualizing the money flowing... Universe, I'm ready! (This money blog is a mantra). Please send along a few of these babies, because we're good to go! I'm ready: the movie is budgeted, scheduled and even shot-listed (since my DP/husband Matt Irving is off to shoot a feature in 2 weeks, and we wanted to be ready when he gets back!) I've got access to a spectacular cast and crew. We just need the money, and we're good to go! Pretty simple, right? Okay Universe... I'm ready, ready, ready!! Thank you.

em

em - movie trailer


This is Tony Barbieri's latest film. I have a cameo acting role in it. Just found out it's on the short list for Cannes. Finger's crossed...

Wheels in Motion

I'm home from Austin, and on a roll with the plans for a new non-profit company which will help myself and other worthy filmmakers to finance their films! Today Matt came up with a great name, and I purchased the domain for a website. I've got the overall master plan, but still working out some details. More news in a few weeks...

I Should Know Better

We tried to catch 'BAMA GIRL at SxSW Film Festival, but all I got was this photo instead. We were first in line, but the filmmakers said "go next door and grab a bite to eat, and we'll come get you when the line starts." I even put on this tierra to promote the film. I've been to a gazillion film festivals, and should have known to just stay in the line. No movie for us... But I did run into Laurent, who co-founded the Woodstock Film Festival, who I had not seen since 2003!

SXSW

Greetings from Austin. Since Matt's leaving for Florida to go shoot his next film in a few weeks, we decided to take a spontaneous whirlwind 3-day trip to Austin to visit my brother Josh and his new wife Amy. Matt was away shooting THE ECHO when they got married in Napa Valley last year, so this is his first time meeting Amy. And it just so happens to be during this cool festival. Matt and I have been to many, many film festivals, and I've got to say, this one's awesome! What's so cool is that it's a combo of film, art and interactive new technologies, which incorporate all my passions! Next year, I'm coming for the whole thing.

When Censorship Is Necessary

Oh, this is so hard. I really wanted this blog to be about fully sharing my experience making ODD BRODSKY so it could help other aspiring filmmakers. But in business there are just things you can't write about, as much as I want to. Sigh... So please, accept my sincerest apology. And know that exciting things are happening!

Still Falling

Sometimes I must pause. I'm afraid that if I say it out loud, it will disappear. But the truth is undeniable. I am in love. How could this have happened to ME? How can I be so lucky to be married to such a sweet, supportive, intelligent, funny, brilliant man? How is it possible to be with a person for almost a decade, and still get chills when he holds my hands, and looks so deeply into my eyes, into my soul? Sometimes I feel like I'm going to burst because I can't contain all of this emotion, this love, this bliss inside of me.

Seeing My Idea Manifested

I was just sent a YouTube video showing a group of people handing out money to random people, because they thought it would make them feel good... another crazy coincidence, right after I had my big idea. It's like the Universe saying "Here's what it looks like, Cindy."

The Next Big Idea

Haaaaaaaaa!!!! Ha ha!!!! HA! I'm doing the happy dance. And if you know me, you know exactly how that looks. I came up with a brand new idea for a film financing structure, which could be revolutionary! Its a viral strategy with profits going to charity, making for an entirely new paradigm... More info soon. Then I'll let you know how you can be a part of our movie plan!

Number Nine

God Shot #9: So I'm driving in my car yesterday, late for a meeting with Rainstorm Entertainment. Normally I'd be freaking out being this late. But what could I do? Make a phone call and hope that the freight train would finally go by. While stuck in the car, I asked myself "Cindy, can you see ODD BRODSKY" happening?" (You see, sometimes I just have this knowing feeling about things.) Well, I kid you not: RIGHT THEN a new song was starting on the radio. "da da. da da da". It was "On Broadway"! This is my ODD BRODSKY song! When I told Matt this story, his jaw dropped. I'm tuned in baby!

Film Financing 101

So here's how financing for independent films works:

The preferred method would be to pre-sell domestic and foreign territories (BEFORE your company makes the film), and borrow bank money against it. But that's VERY hard in this day and age, (even with name talent attached) as the" democratization of film" has created a glut of product. The more common way to finance an indie (under $5M) is to sell shares to high net worth individuals, and fill in the rest with gap financing (bank money) and production incentives (shooting in a state that offers rebates). High risk/high reward. In both scenarios casting stars is key, as they will mitigate the risk.

But I'm not a traditional person. I truly enjoy finding new ways to do things. As I've mentioned previously in this blog, I believe the way of the future is tied to product integration, viral marketing, and audience participation/interactivity. Well, that last part is a new thought. I can feel the wheels turning now. Remember, my word for the year is "innovative"!

Ren's Friend Ben

Today I'll be sipping tea with a producer named Ben, who was introduced to me by Ren. Ren is a technological genius who I met in Las Vegas at the Canon Fundraiser. That's where the stars aligned for Ren, and Matt and I enjoyed being a part of that. Well, Ren thought maybe I should meet Ben. I'm a big believer in saying "yes" to doors that mysteriously open. So to the Coffee Bean it is, to meet Ren's friend Ben!

Interesting Interest

Today I got an email from the acquisitions guy at Samuel Goldwyn Films. He wanted to know if I've got financing in place, and asked me to send over the script. I'm intrigued as to how he found out about the project. In my experience, normally acquisitions people don't approach until AFTER the film is made. Very interesting. If I'm smart I'll use this opportunity to validate the urgency of meetings ASAP.

Linked In at Linkedin

My brother Josh has been suggesting I put a page on Linkedin for awhile and I finally did. It's pretty cool, but feels a bit overwhelming. I have enough trouble keeping all my contacts organized in one place on the computer (still have info in different files), and now they'll be duplicated there. Keeping up with technology is a lot of work. But it is pretty addictive seeing the number of connections going up.

So this brings me to coinkydink #8 or 9? (What # am I up to?) Josh's Linkedin profile says he's involved in a company called Hoopapuluza --which is the EXACT SAME TITLE I gave to a blog a few days ago!  And I thought I was writing a non-sensical word!

Did I Say I Love Apple?

Isn't it amazing to think that years ago, if you wanted to hang some large (say 16x20") photos, it was a lot of work, and expensive. You had to choose the photos, print them, buy special frames and hang them. Now we can simply use our computers! God, do I love my Apple Cinema Display! The pictures look beautiful; they are displayed HUGE in a ceramic "frame", (much cuter than looking at a monitor) and the computer will ROTATE different photos as often I as I want. Ah... I'm in love with my computer.

Canadian Taxes, Eh?

Matt shot a horror film last summer called THE ECHO. (It's by the same people who did THE RING, THE GRUDGE, and THE DEPARTED, and should be in theaters later this year.) Since it was shot in Toronto, we have to file a Canadian return. Hmmm. I hope that Turbo Tax has an international return program. Director Yam Laranas has a fun blog here if you want to follow the movie's progress.

Hoopapaluza

Just discovered this new fun kind of exercise based on hoola hooping! A company called Hoopnotica is selling cool DVDs and starting to do classes. How fun! I'd like to take the class! --Remember you heard it here first: this is going to take off like hot cakes! I should open a gym right next to our franchise of Capriotti's! We'd clean up...

I Love Apple

$99 at the Mac Store buys you 52 (yes, fifty-two) 1-hour personal training class once/week for a year. Such a deal. But the best part is that I found the most fantastic trainer ever! Dee is the greatest. She is so fast, and since I'm already so proficient with software, we FLY through all the fun. Matt got himself a new Mac laptop last week, and it's lightning fast. I've been managing our websites from a crappy PC, but now with Apple's iWeb, it's so CRAZY easy that I've decided to take the big Mac I use only for editing and integrate it into my office, ridding myself of my office PC altogether! Oh yes, this is good.