Dec 10, 2015
(December 9th, 2015) After a star studded red carpet screening last night last night at Buffalo’s North Park Theater look for the world wide premier of ESPN’s next 30 for 30 – “The Four Falls of Buffalo” at 9:30pm.
The Buffalo Niagara Film Office assisted ESPN with clearances on multiple locations shown during interview segments, and scenic transition shots on “Four Falls of Buffalo”.
(L-R) Luke Russert, Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Ken Rodgers, Steve Tasker, and Andre Reed. Photo by Joe Cascio.
Reunited on stage at the North Park were the stars of this 30 for 30 – Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Steve Tasker, and Andre Reed. Luke Russert (also featured) hosted a emotional panel discussion with Bills Stars along with NFL Films director Ken Rodgers. Buffalo born and die hard Bills fan – actor William Fichtner narrates the Four Falls and was in attendance also.
View from the house at the North Park during the panel discussion. Photo by Joe Cascio
Dec 4, 2015
(December 4th, 2015) Award winning filmmaker Korey Green has announced his latest film “The Blackness Project”. Along with executive producer Peter Johnson, Green has set out to create a feature length documentary film about culture and race from the African American and other minority perspectives. The film was inspired from conversations about the “Whiteness Project” which is a similar documentary discussing race and the perceived loss of white privilege of white Americans. The main purpose of The Blackness Project film is to bridge the gap between white and black Americans with in depth interviews on race.
Green and Johnson will celebrate a community day of awareness tomorrow at the TriMain Center at 2495 Main Street on the 5th floor from 1 until 7pm, which will coincide with the beginning of their kickstarter campaign to help complete production and support marketing efforts for “The Blackness Project”.
For more information:
www.theblacknessproject.org.
Dec 3, 2015
Registration Now Open for Fall 2016 Semester
(December 2nd, 2015) In response to the rapid growth and success of the motion picture and television industry and the predicted demand for skilled talent over the next decade, Villa Maria College announces it will offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Digital Filmmaking beginning with the Fall 2016 semester. Students can begin registering for the program immediately.
New York State ranks second for jobs in the film industry behind California (labor.ny.gov). The film industry has had a huge economic impact on Western New York since the Buffalo Niagara Film Office was set up in 2001. In fact, in 2015, the economic spend on film production here has been close to $15 million. With an average annual income of $61,280, the motion picture industry is one of the highest paying fields in the U.S., according to work.chron.com. CNN Money, in 2013, said the film industry continues to show strong job growth, and those looking for a career in film can expect strong competition, both in full-time and freelance positions.
Students who enroll in Villa’s four-year Digital Filmmaking Program will receive a practical, focused education that blends a hands-on learning experience with expert instruction and guidance in various aspects of the digital film industry. By creating film projects from start to finish, students in this program will learn how to produce Hollywood-style films on state-of-the-art equipment; gain the skills to become innovative storytellers and master the behind-the-scenes skills that will prepare them for such jobs as video and sound editing; video production; camera operating; lighting; visual effects; production management; cinematography; scriptwriting and screenwriting and more.
“There’s never been such a comprehensive, hands-on program offered in Western New York,” says Tim Clark, Film Commissioner, Buffalo Niagara Film Commission. “Villa Maria is taking an important step in furthering the development of the film industry in our community by offering a cutting edge, well-rounded program that gives students who want to learn the industry the exact skills they will need and are looking for.”
Also included in Villa’s Digital Filmmaking Program is a broad core of general education courses in the Liberal Arts and Sciences that will help students think critically, imagine creatively, and write and articulate effectively.
“Villa’s Digital Filmmaking Program is unlike any other in the area,” says Brian Emerson, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Services at Villa. “It allows students to earn a BFA degree and gain the tangible skills they’ll need to begin a practical career in the film industry. The film industry in Western New York has grown exponentially over the last few years, and the Digital Filmmaking program develops the skill set necessary to facilitate that growth.”
For more information on Villa’s Digital Filmmaking Program visit http://www.villa.edu/academics/academic-programs/digital-filmmaking or contact admissions at 716-961-1870.
About Villa Maria College
Villa Maria College is a private, co-educational Catholic college founded in 1960 by the Felician Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province. Villa Maria provides the premier student-centered experience in Western New York, allowing students to learn and grow with a culturally diverse population and a culture that lives Villa’s ideals of truth, charity and unity. For more information call 716.896.0700 or visit www.villa.edu.
Dec 2, 2015
(December 2nd, 2015)– BeWILdered Media Productions, the independent film production company based in Buffalo, New York, has finally released the official theatrical trailer for their upcoming film “Dwelling.”
Erin Marie Hogan and Mu-Shaka Benson, give us a glance inside the eerie, and spellbinding paranormal thriller, co-starring Devanny Pinn. “Dwelling,” a mysterious and rare slow burn, looks to honor the classic haunts from the genre.
Written and directed by Kyle Mecca, the story follows Ellie (Erin Marie Hogan), a young woman who deliberately buys a haunted house in attempt to make contact with the spirit world. Driven by a horrific experience in her past involving her sister, River (Devanny Pinn), Ellie releases a soul that is more malevolent and terrifying than she could ever imagine.
Produced by Brandyn T. Williams and Arlynn Knauff of BeWILdered Media Productions LLC in Buffalo, NY and filmed by Matthew A. Nardone of NDstudios Inc.
Follow the film for more updates on its official facebook page and on twitter at:
www.facebook.com/dwellingmovie
Trailer: YouTube
Nov 3, 2015
(November 3rd, 2015) Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, now entering its third season, will screen 31 feature films shot in Western New York, and a total of 104 films, over an eight day period, starting this Thursday at November 5th at Flix Stadium 10, and this Friday November 6th – 12th at Eastern Hills Cinemas. The festival focuses on genre films from around the world – science fiction, fantasy, horror, action and thrillers – but accepts films of any genre from local filmmakers.
“I don’t think any other festival in Western New York has ever made this kind of commitment to films produced in the region before,” says co-chair Gregory Lamberson. “Except for the 3D kickoff screening of Aztec Blood at Flix on November 5th, we’re showing a different Western New York feature or short feature every night of the week, in addition to many short films. We’ve got films shot in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester, Binghamton. The creators of these films will screen their work on a big screen, in the company of other filmmakers. This is why we believe Buffalo Dreams truly serves the community.”
Lamberson points to The Search for Silverspear, an animated film from Rochester filmmaker Curt Markham, as an example of the kind of support Buffalo Dreams offers local filmmakers.
“Curt started his film at the age of 13 in 1987, using a Super 8 camera. The Search for Silverspear is a fantasy epic created using paper cutouts and stop motion animation; he animated the film one frame at a time, and it took him two years to complete that end of the work. Years later, he used modern technology to restore the footage, and added vocals, sound effects and a score. This project took 25 years to complete. It’s a real passion project, and we’re holding its world premiere.”
The Search for Silverspear premieres at 6 pm on Monday, November 9th, as part of a block of animated films from around the world that begins at 5:30. Markham will have a short Q&A after the film.
Other films shot in WNY screening at the festival include the features Model Hunger, directed by actress Debbie Rochon; the drama Sugar Wonder Blues, based on Darryl Schneider’s play Two to the Head; Lamberson’s own comedy Killer Rack; the action opus Dick Johnson & Tommygun vs. the Cannibal Cop; Christopher Seaver’s nerd comedy The Weirdsies; the zombie epic Stand Off; the found footage horror film Wolf House; Frankenstein’s Patchwork Monster, an experimental look at the mad scientist and his creations; and The Outlaw: Virus, the fifth installment of heavy metal musician Aceifer Genovese’s avant garde fantasy series.
“Our festival celebrates imagination, and we have an abundance of that right here in our own backyard,” says Lamberson.
For a complete schedule, visit www.buffalodreamsfilmfest.com. Advance tickets are available at www.dipsontheatres.com.
Oct 12, 2015
(Pictured- Village of Lewiston Mayor Terry Collesano, Actor Neal Bledsoe, Niagara Tourism and Convention Corporation President/CEO John Percy, and Director Tony Glazer.)
(L-R) Morning Sun Actor Neal Bledsoe, Director Tony Glazer, and Producer Summer Crockett Moore.
Morning Sun has wrapped. Morning Sun is a quirky family drama that was set and shot primarily in the Town and Village of Lewiston, Grand Island, Hamburg, and Buffalo.
This 22 day feature shoot starred actor Neal Bledsoe (Mysteries of Laura), Danny Pudi (Community), Lance Henriksen (Terminator) Diana DeGarmo, Chasty Ballesteros and Joanna Bayless.
Morning Sun employed numerous local crew members and utilized the services of ND Studios. Choice Films is looking to take Morning Sun to Festivals in 2016 upon completion of post production.
Actors Danny Pudi and Diana DeGarmo shoot a scene in for Morning Sun in the Niagara Gorge.
Morning Sun on IMDB
Choice Studio Groups Facebook
Choice Studio Groups Official Website
News Coverage:
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