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Social Media Intern Wanted for French Taste Films!

French Taste Films HK Ltd is the production company behind the cross cultural comedy series "Mister French Taste®", starring Olivier Malet, Osric Chau and Sarah Lian.  Now in development on the show's second season, French Taste Films HK Ltd is looking for an energetic and motivated social media savvy individual who can contribute to expanding the social media presence of the company and the show.  If you already enjoy spending time on Facebook, this internship may be just right for youJob Title:   Social Media InternCommitment:   Two hour blocks, three times a week for a total of 8 weeks. Starting November 7th, 2011. Working from home, with regular meetings with the team.Compensation:   To be discussedJob Description: - Expert with Facebook, Twitter, Weibo and other popular social media sites- Fluent in English & Chinese (French is a plus!)- Ability to conduct online research and deliver clear written & verbal summaries- Ability to write short humorous articles for online publication to the social media sites- Ability to interact humorously (but still appropriately) on social media sites- Proactive personality who enjoys teamwork and innovationPlease submit resumes & cover letters to:Veronique.girma@misterfrenchtaste.com

Indie Filmmaking Death Match: SHORT FILM vs. WEB SERIES!

"What should I make?  A short film or a web series?"

I get asked this question alot by budding filmmakers, and a recent discussion with a friend about the death of the film industry as we know it sparked me to hammer out some of my thoughts on this topic.  For the record, I've done both (LUMINA the Web Series and my current short film Bloodtraffick, which premieres in the US in August, both projects featuring fellow AnD talent!)  So without further ado:

WEB SERIES PRO's:

1.  To me, the absolute best thing about a web series is that as soon as you finish it, you can pop it online for everyone to see.  This is also cool for everyone who worked on it, since how many of us have worked on projects that never got finished or that no one ever saw? 

2.  Web series is all about disintermediation - no filters, no middle man.  Just you and the audience.  And your potential audience is limited only by who has internet access and isn't IP-blocked.  That's alot of people, folks!

3.  Use audience feedback to evolve as a filmmaker.  I'm not saying listen to every YouTuber who wants to pick a fight, but take some time out to connect to your audiences, listen to the constructive comments, and improve things for your next episode. 

WEB SERIES CON's:

1.  Even for popular web series like the Guild, budgets for web-based entertainment is low.  So get used to fetching your own coffee, love!

2.  The "serial" aspect doesn't link up with "short form" easily.  I found that I was trying to cram a traditional story arc in every three to five minute episode, and that meant find a memorable beginning and ending to each, but once you add in the intro and the end credits.... that meant BAM! BAM! episode was over.  It didn't allow me the luxury of having those low points that make the high points more memorable. 

SHORT FILM PRO's:

1.  Nothing beats sitting in a cinema with the lights off, surround sound, and your images absolutely HUGE.  Go ahead and tell me that most people will watch films on their TV's, computers, mobile phones (why is the screen territory getting smaller and smaller and smaller!)  I'm old school: Silver screen, I still love you.

2.  You can take as much time as you want to tell your story.  No arbitrary deadlines (well unless you're entering a 1 minute film festival), and no lightning fast edits unless that's the style you want to achieve. 

3.  Festivals are great places to meet fellow filmmakers and industry people who can help you.  Sometimes getting out from behind your desk and seeing other people face to face is a good thing. 

SHORT FILM CON's:

1.  Waiting for festivals feels like waiting for colleges again.  Thick or thin letter?  Long or short email?  Though I have to say, getting acceptance letters is AWESOME.

2.  This is still an uncommercial product.  It's tough to get your money back for making the short.

WHAT YOU STILL NEED NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE:

1.  Good story.  All the pretty special effects from that fancy plug-in you bought will dazzle your audience for a few minutes.  Then they'll turn it off.  A good story will stick with them long after they stopped watching.

2.  Evangelist friends.  There's a reason that PR people are good to have, and if you can't afford them, the next best thing are to have friends who help you spread the word about your production. 

3.  Perseverance.  Filmmaking isn't an easy process.  Yes, the technical side has opened up (cheaper digital cameras, cheaper editing software) but making a good product will still take good old-fashioned effort.  It's easy to be an arm-chair Scorsese, it's much much freaking harder to go make an original film on your own.

My personal answer:  I like both mediums, and respect their differences.  If I was starting over again, I'd probably do bunches of ultra low budget online videos first to get the hang of it (stand alone's or series, doesn't matter), and then if I made a short that I felt was strong enough, keep that offline and enter it into film festivals and chase that feature!

Hope this helps!

• J.T.

Is there a road to happiness?

I'm not telling.  You'll have to see this gem of a film to find out.

26 Happiness Road is a beautifully told father-daughter story, starring Yung Yung Yu, Ren Jun Heng and Hui Qiang Wang.  The film is directed by Bill Chiu and shot and edited by Simon Young.  And yes, what Anton Wong wrote in his blog entry is true - I cried through a good portion of the movie and was still teary-eyed afterwards.  (Stop making fun of me, Anton!  If you don't stop, I'll tell everyone that you cried during the movie too!)

Yung Yung's performance as Xun Qing was absolutely amazing.  Her portrayal of a daughter torn by conflicting emotions is spot on, and the chemistry between Yung Yung and the actors who play her father and her childhood best friend (pictured below) sparkles on screen.

I first met Yung Yung Yu in the winter of 2009, in that now fateful acting workshop taught by Jeanne Hartman and organized by Jason Tobin.  The energy of my first class with her was spectacular, and I'm happy to say that I am still friends with everyone in it, and better yet, have worked with a good number of them on different film and TV projects as well.  I loved this class so much that I took it every single time Jeanne has come back to Hong Kong, and I am going to take it again when she's here in December.  And I hear she's added a Writer's Workshop as well this time.   Book a spot while you can!

Over the past two years I have seen Yung Yu grow as a person and develop as an actress and producer.  She's driven by a deep passion for acting, and that has paid off in this gem of a movie.  Yung Yung, this photo is for you.  Do you know when it was taken?

Watch the trailer for 26 Happiness Road in the link below.  The simple yet emotionally resonant music for the trailer still gets me every time I watch it.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuVL8LDxk7826 Happiness Road is showing one more time at the 2010 Hong Kong Independent Film Festival - today actually, so get your tickets while you can!

Bravo Yung Yung!  And congrats to the rest of the cast and crew on a job really well done.

-- Jen

CASTING CALL FOR NEW COMEDY SERIES (HONG KONG)

CASTING CALL FOR A NEW CROSS-CULTURAL COMEDY SERIES

Mister French Taste (played by Olivier Malet) is an etiquette coach who is faced with the challenge of a lifetime: transforming the unruly Leon into a perfectly groomed gentleman while at the same time, trying to steal the heart of Leon's sassy girlfriend Lily.  Watch Hong Kong and France collide in this hilarious comedy of manners!

Producer: Veronique Girma

Director: Jennifer Thym( ,

)

Writers: Arne Venema ( ), Olivier Malet

Format:  Ten episodes, three minutes each (pilot season)

We are casting for two leading roles and a wide variety of supporting roles, so we are looking for a broad range of actors, male and female, all races and all ages.  The leading roles are paid.

LEON - mid 20's to mid 30's Asian male who is able to speak English and some Cantonese.  30 years old and still living at home, Leon is the only son of a conservative Hong Kong family and a constant source of scandals and shame.  He is loudmouthed and rude, and believes that money and connections can solve everything; he's insecure in his relationship with his on-and-off-again girlfriend Lily.

LILY - mid 20's to mid 30's Asian female who is able to speak English and some Cantonese.  Lily is the beautiful young heiress to a Hong Kong fashion empire, educated and smart, and fluent in the art of shopping.  She fancies everything French, particularly their language and their luxury goods.  Although she is currently dating Leon, she is not sure if he is what she wants for her future.

Please send your headshots and cv to misterfrenchtaste@gmail.com. 

Once we have reviewed your material, we will contact you to schedule an audition.  Auditions will be held between 6 pm and 10 pm on Friday, May

28, 2010, and between 3 and 9 pm on Saturday, May 29, 2010, in North Point, Hong Kong.  Shooting dates are currently scheduled from Monday, June 28, 2010 to Monday, July 12, 2010, in Hong Kong.

Grace Under Fire

We have been working tirelessly on getting my new action short film Bloodtraffick ready, including having our ultracool action choreographer and fellow AnD'er Philip Ng over for a very long rough cut review session this past week.  No matter how many times I watch the footage, I am always amazed by how great Grace Huang and Kirt Kishita look in the fight scenes.  Phil did a great job coordinating this and making it look freaking awesome!

And as an extra treat, Andreas Thalhammer, one half of my ultra-talented DP team from Bloodtraffick and LUMINA, has made four cool wallpapers for the new film. 

It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words; I think in this case it's just two:  "MOVE IT." 

Grace Huang looks so incredibly cool in this one - as does, of course, the famous Hong Kong skyline.

This one is my personal favorite of the four wallpapers, and the one that graces RockGinger's homepage, and similar to the one that Asian film expert Fred Ambroisine featured on his recent Action Queens posters blog post.

Out of these four, this one reminds me the most of a videogame, especially of the Final Fantasy series.  Advent Children, anyone?

All four Bloodtraffick wallpapers can be downloaded in a variety of sizes from www.rockginger.com/wallpapers.

Enjoy!

LUMINA is named a Webby Award Official Honoree

It is our pleasure to announce that LUMINA the Web Series has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Best Editing category in The 14th Annual Webby Awards! Out of the nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries submitted to this year's Webby Awards, less than 15% are awarded the status of Official Honoree, and only four, including LUMINA and the Sony web series A ngel of Death, were chosen as Official Honorees for Best Editing.  Please join me in congratulating our editor Bettina Enigl for a job well done! 

It's been an amazing year for LUMINA - the Webby Awards Official Honoree distinction marks our eleventh award distinction since our online release last fall.  Previous honors include one Streamy Awards nomination for Best Cinematography for our DP's XiaoSu Han and Andreas Thalhammer (the award went to Riese, also well deserved!), six Indie Soap Awards nominations, including for Best Writing and Best Directing, and three American Soap World Awards nominations.

ABOUT THE WEBBY AWARDS:

The Webby Awards ( www.webbyawards.com) is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.  Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, the Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an Executive 750-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and Associate Members who are former Webby Award Winners and Nominees and other Internet professionals.

The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes members such as musicians membership that includes musician David Bowie, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, Martha Stewart, The Weinstein Company's Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake, Ogilvy's Chief Digital Officer Lars Bastholm, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper.

Download the full press release here.

The Loved Ones at HKIFF: Rising Twilight hunk, great 80's feel and a smashingly talented new director

For those who know me well, I haven't been out and about much in the first quarter of this year, mostly because I'm either traveling or working nonstop on a certain angels versus vampires action film.  ;)  More on that and on the other little film we shot in November starring Jason Tobin in my next update!

But I had to snap up an opportunity to have dinner with Sean Byrne, the director of the shocking new horror film The Loved Ones, and his beautiful wife Kate, courtesy of the always hospitable David and Simone Livingstone from the Australian Consulate at the absolutely yummy Fire at the W Hotel. 

The Loved Ones sold out three midnight screenings at SXSW and was the Cadillac People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.  The HKIFF screening was packed, and about two-thirds of the audience stayed for the Q&A with the director afterwards - always a good sign!

The Loved Ones stars rising star Xavier Samuel, who's just been cast as Riley in the third installment of the Twilight franchise.  Girls, prepare to swoon - this boy's the real thing.  :)

After a great dinner conversation about a mutual love for horror films and the woes of shooting lots of material in short amounts of time ( The Loved Oneswas shot in just 5 weeks), we headed over at the last minute to the HKIFF screening at City Hall, where we met up with Bloodtraffick co-conspirators Grace Huang and Desmond So. 

The Loved Ones is a great entertaining horror film and the audience, including me and Grace, squealed and screamed - for me, a first time to see any audience make ANY noise in Hong Kong - great stuff!  I am a huge fan of 80's style horror films, the Nightmare on Elm Streets and what not - a bit less so, for more recent slaughterfests like Hostel.  The Loved Onesdirector Sean Byrne strikes that perfect balance between getting the audience rooting for the characters and wanting/not wanting to see more gore.

Everyone in the cast did a fantastic job - Xavier Samuel delivers a taut and incredibly real performance as the protagonist Brent throughout the entire film.  And the actress who plays the rejected pink princess Lola - Robin McLeavy - she's fearsome, absolutely fearsome and destined be one of the most memorable horror villains of all time.

The whole film had a nostalgic 70's/80's retro feel to it in terms of set design, colors and tone - but the actor who brought me back to the 80's the most was Richard Wilson, who is absolutely endearing as Sac, Brent's best mate who awkwardly fumbles his way towards the girl of his dreams.

Catch this film whenever and wherever you can - it's a gem that shouldn't be missed.  I am told that an official trailer is coming soon - I'll post it as soon as I have it!

Crew call for short action film (Hong Kong)

Hey everyone,

As some of you may have heard, we are shooting a short action film in Hong Kong next week!  I'm so excited to be working on this project with my fellow AnD'ers - more details when we actually have a free minute to breathe!!  :)  But suffice it to say that my wonderfully talented cinematographers from LUMINA are back in town and we're going to make a gorgeous film.  ;)  We have a few positions still open on our crew, so if you're up for it, please let us know!

• 1st AC (familiar with RED)

• 2nd AC/DIT (familiar with RED)

• Gaffer (familiar with RED)

• Production Assistants

The 3 day shoot starts on Monday, March 1, 2010 and ends on Wednesday, March 3, 2010.  Please contact jen AT rockginger.com for more details.

Jen

Auditions for the feature film JASMINE

This is your chance to be in the edgy psychological thriller Jasmine, starring Jason Tobin ( Better Luck Tomorrow), Eugenia Yuan ( Memoirs of a Geisha, Charlotte Sometimes) and Glen Chin ( 50 First Dates).  Written and directed by Hollywood screenwriter Dax Phelan, the film is produced by Stratton Leopold (executive producer of Mission Impossible III, Paycheck, The Sum of All Fears) and Jen Thym ( LUMINA) and will be shot on RED (a high end HD camera, the latest Nicolas Cage movie Knowing and the upcoming Denzel Washington movie The Book of Eli were shot on RED).  As this is an indie production and a micro-budget one, upfront pay will be limited, but working with this amazing cast and crew is priceless!

We are seeking an actress to play:

ANNA - Asian female, should be able to play late 20's/early 30's, fluent English is essential for this role (about 5 pages of dialogue).  Beautiful and striking, Anna is an actress who immediately draws everyone's attention but has been unlucky with auditions and the local film industry.

Aside from Anna, we are looking for a wide range of supporting actors, 18 years to 70 years old, male, female, any ethnicity.  Each supporting actor has a small speaking role, the commitment is likely to be one to three shooting days.  There is also a wide range of nonspeaking extra roles available, so please let us know if you would also like to be considered for these.  Again, the commitment would be short, one or two days.  Principal filming will be from November 1 to December 6, 2009.

Auditions will be held at a photography studio near HKU all day on Friday, October 16, 2009.    Interested actors should please send a cv, headshot and link to a demoreel to jasminethemovie@gmail.com with "Jasmine Audition" in the subject heading and we will confirm with an audition time, the location and sides.

CASTING CALL FOR THE FEATURE FILM JASMINE

This is your chance to be in the edgy psychological thriller , starring Jason Tobin ( ), Eugenia Yuan ( ) and Glen Chin ( ).  Written and directed by Hollywood screenwriter Dax Phelan, the film is produced by Stratton Leopold (executive producer of ) and Jen Thym ( ) and will be shot on RED (a high end HD camera, the latest Nicolas Cage movie and the upcoming Denzel Washington movie

were shot on RED).  As this is an indie production and a micro-budget one, upfront pay will be limited, but working with this amazing cast and crew is priceless!

We are seeking an actress to play:

ANNA - Asian female, should be able to play late 20's/early 30's, fluent English is essential for this role (about 5 pages of dialogue).  Beautiful and striking, Anna is an actress who immediately draws everyone's attention but has been unlucky with auditions and the local film industry.

Aside from Anna, we are looking for a wide range of supporting actors, 18 years to 70 years old, male, female, any ethnicity.  Each supporting actor has a small speaking role, the commitment is likely to be one to three shooting days.  There are also a wide range of nonspeaking extra roles available, so please let us know if you would also like to be considered for these.  Again, the commitment would be short, one or two days.  Principal filming will be from November 1 to December 6, 2009.

Auditions will be held at a photography studio near HKU all day on Friday, October 16, 2009.    Interested actors should please send a cv, headshot and link to a demoreel to jasminethemovie@gmail.com with "Jasmine Audition" in the subject heading and we will confirm with an audition time, the location and sides.