Pittsburgh Shorts – Submissions Open!

CRITERIA Pittsburgh Shorts is open to any and all independent filmmakers, including college and graduate level film students, as well […]

 August 15, 2019

Pittsburgh Shorts – Submissions Open!

CRITERIA

Pittsburgh Shorts is open to any and all independent filmmakers, including college and graduate level film students, as well as professionals in the field. Eligible films must adhere to the following criteria:

Must be a Pittsburgh premiere (no prior public Pittsburgh screening or TV broadcast)
Films completed in 2017 or later
Foreign language films must have English subtitles
Length: forty (40) minutes or less

Link: https://filmpittsburgh.org/pages/pittsburgh-shorts-criteria

Submissions are due by August 15, 2019!

More Info & Tickets

Pittsburgh: “Hollywood East”

The Incline | Pittsburghpedia: Hollywood East WRITTEN BY [email protected] Know your weird and wonky Pittsburgh terms? This post is part of […]

 POSTED ON: July 9, 2019

Pittsburgh: “Hollywood East”

The Incline | Pittsburghpedia: Hollywood East

WRITTEN BY 

Know your weird and wonky Pittsburgh terms? This post is part of our Pittsburghpedia series, a handy glossary of words and phrases unique to our city that’ll help you #talklikeyoulivehere. Let’s fill you in. Today’s entry … Tinseltown East/ Hollywood East

WHAT ARE THESE? Nicknames referring to Pittsburgh’s popularity as a location for film and TV shoots.

USAGE: “Once known for its steel mills and smog, Pittsburgh is fast becoming the Tinseltown of the East.” – CNN, Aug. 7, 2012

ORIGIN STORY:  Credit the zombies.

George A. Romero’s seminal 1968 zombie flick “Night of the Living Dead” is credited with accelerating the growth of commercial filmmaking in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania, Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office, said.

And the process dates back even earlier.

“They’ve been making movies in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania since 1914, the first being “The Perils of Pauline,”” Keezer explained.

Over the years, the region has been the backdrop for films like 1978’s “The Deer Hunter,” 1983’s “Flashdance,” and 1991’s “The Silence of the Lambs.”

But it took a post-9/11 state decision for Pittsburgh to reach the level of film ubiquity it has today.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, TAXES: The terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, effectively halted a push for nationwide legislation that would have offered federal tax incentives to films produced in the U.S. on top of incentives offered by individual states.

(The program would have mirrored Canada’s two-pronged tax credit program, which made Canada a world-class movie production center and drew productions from places like Pittsburgh, considered the “television movie capital of the world” through 1995 when Keezer said those productions “all left the country” and started going north.)

But a handful of states, Pennsylvania among them, went ahead with their own incentives anyway.

Pennsylvania currently offers $70 million a year in tax credits and incentives for in-state productions, which coupled with the relatively low overhead and depth of support services here has made Pittsburgh the state’s most sought-after movie-making destination, even over Philadelphia, Keezer explained. (These incentives are not without their conservative critics.)

But beyond those credits and incentives, Keezer said Pittsburgh remains a draw due to the “depth of our crew but also the diversity of our locations,” adding, “as long as you don’t need a beach or a desert, we can look like that.”

While lawmakers debate the $70 million in tax credits currently offered by the state, Keezer said about $125 million a year is needed to “handle the amount of work that wants to be in southwestern Pennsylvania.”

MOVIE TRIVIA: Since 1990, 267 movies and TV shows have filmed in the Pittsburgh area — 72 in the past decade. This includes blockbuster films like “Dark Knight Rises,” “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” and “Fences.”  There are three major projects filming in Pittsburgh right now: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “I Am Not Okay With This” (TV), and “Manhunt: Lone Wolf” (TV).

MOVIE TRIVIA, THE SEQUEL:  “The Dark Knight Rises” dropped Allegheny County’s unemployment rate by a full percentage point in August 2012, in large part because the production hired 10,000 extras to wear winter clothes in the middle of July and sit in the stands at Heinz Field. The result was this scene. (Note the last name of the away team’s kicker at the 1:41-mark in that clip.)

COMING ATTRACTIONS: The Mister Rogers film starring Tom Hanks is due out later this year, along with “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” starring Cate Blanchett. There’s also a bevy of Pittsburgh-shot Netflix shows in the works, another season of David Fincher’s moody crime drama “Mindhunter” among them.

Tuned In: New Netflix coming-of-age series will film in Pittsburgh

Source: Post-Gazette ADVERTISEMENT ROB OWEN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] MAR 29, 2019 9:15 AM Following last week’s news of the drama series […]

 POSTED ON: April 1, 2019

Tuned In: New Netflix coming-of-age series will film in Pittsburgh

Source: Post-Gazette

ADVERTISEMENT

ROB OWEN

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[email protected]
MAR 29, 2019
9:15 AM
Following last week’s news of the drama series “Manhunt” filming its second season in Pittsburgh, this week a second Netflix series, after the streamer’s “Mindhunter,” has begun hiring crew for an expected summer shoot.

“I Am Not Okay With This,” which Netflix ordered to series in December, will film its eight-episode first season in Western Pennsylvania.

The coming-of-age series is from “Stranger Things” director Shawn Levy, who will executive produce the series, and British director Jonathan Entwistle, who previously adapted the Charles Forsman comic series “The End of the F***king World” for Netflix.

Mr. Entwistle has teamed with writer Christy Hall, per Deadline.com, to adapt Mr. Forsman’s “I Am Not Okay With This,” which Mr. Entwistle will direct.

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

The series follows a teen girl trying to make it through high school while discovering both her budding sexuality and mysterious superpowers. No casting for the series has been announced.

Netflix appears to have had success in the teen space — the streamer does not release ratings data so it’s difficult to know for sure — ordering multiple seasons of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and many rom-com movies aimed at the teen audience.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Netflix back to southwestern Pennsylvania to continue the great relationship that’s been established,” said Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer.

Netflix filmed season two of “Mindhunter” in Pittsburgh in 2018, but a premiere date for the show’s return has not been announced.

Here is the logo for

TV writer Rob Owen: [email protected] or 412-263-2582. Read the Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv.

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

Source March 20th, 2019 ROB OWEN Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected] A TV series that once planned to film in Pittsburgh and […]

 POSTED ON: March 20, 2019

Tuned In: ‘Manhunt’ series will film in Pittsburgh

Source
March 20th, 2019

ROB OWEN
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[email protected]

A TV series that once planned to film in Pittsburgh and then went to Atlanta for its first season is set to film its second season in Pittsburgh.

But it may be some time before Pittsburghers get a chance to see it.

Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer confirmed on Wednesday that “Manhunt” opened a production office in town this week.

In July 2016, Discovery Channel announced plans to shoot the first season of “Manifesto,” an FBI profiler drama, in Pittsburgh. However, Lionsgate Television producers had trouble finding a suitable male lead, and by the time they landed actors Paul Bettany and Sam Worthington, the Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit funds producers anticipated getting had been allocated elsewhere. Production relocated to Atlanta.

The series aired on Discovery in summer 2017 as “Manhunt: UNABOMBER.” Discovery, moving away from a brief flirtation with scripted programming, didn’t renew “Manhunt,” but in July 2018, Hollywood trade publications reported the anthology series, following a different FBI case each season, was coming back to life after it was sold to Charter Communications. Charter has several series in the works for its Spectrum Originals channel including “L.A.’s Finest,” a cop drama spinoff of the “Bad Boys” movies, and a limited series revival of the former NBC sitcom “Mad About You.”There’s just one catch for Pittsburghers interested in seeing the filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Manhunt”: It won’t be possible to watch it, at least not initially. Charter has no cable systems in Western Pennsylvania. (Spectrum Originals is to Charter as Audience Network is to DirecTV; you only get the channel if you subscribe to the service.)

Odds are “Manhunt” will at some point have a secondary window of distribution — possibly on DVD — so Pittsburghers will have the opportunity to see it then.

While season one of “Manhunt” offered a deep dive into the case of the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Deadline.com reported last year that season two will be about the true story of security guard Richard Jewell who was first lauded and then accused of a bombing at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; Eric Rudolph eventually was convicted of that crime.

A spokeswoman for Lionsgate would not confirm the plot of season two.

TV writer Rob Owen: [email protected] or 412-263-2582. Read the Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Follow RobOwenTV on Twitter or Facebook.

Pittsburgh Film Office requests $5 million for a movie production campus in Rankin

 Bill O’Toole  March 7, 2019  Braddock, City Design In the last decade, the Carrie Furnaces have been the site of operas, […]

 POSTED ON: March 8, 2019

Pittsburgh Film Office requests $5 million for a movie production campus in Rankin

In the last decade, the Carrie Furnaces have been the site of operas, modern art and dance parties.If the Pittsburgh Film Office has its way, movies are up next.

This January, the office submitted a proposal to the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) requesting $5 million to begin construction on a new film production park on the vacant brownfield beside the abandoned Carrie Furnaces mill in the borough of Rankin.

According to the proposal posted this week, the 20.16-acre development would include six sound stages, three production support buildings, a mill building restored for set construction and two commissary buildings.

Speaking to NEXTpittsburgh, Pittsburgh Film Office Director Dawn Keezer said the project is a key step in growing the region’s burgeoning industry.

In terms of filmmaking, “Southwestern Pennsylvania has been on a roll. We’ve been bringing in over $100,000,000 a year into this region’s economy every year for the past five years in a row,” says Keezer. “We’ve quadrupled the number of people working in this industry locally, and we could see a lot more of that.”

The city already has several warehouses that have been successfully converted into production studios, including 31st Street Studios in the Strip District, the Westinghouse office park in Churchill and the former American Eagle distribution center in Warrendale.

Currently, though, these facilities are unable to support much of the state-of-the-art lighting and camera equipment that has become the industry standard in the era of 4K televisions.

“We’ve been able to make due over the years,” says Keezer. “But what we keep hearing is the need for purpose-built space. It needs to happen in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Though she declined to name specific projects, Keezer says that in January, “we lost three shows to Canada in one week.”

This list of RACP award winners will be announced this fall, and Keezer hopes this project will be among them.

Rehoboth Beach Regional Showcase

Attention all filmmakers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.! The Rehoboth Beach Film Society […]

 POSTED ON: March 6, 2019

Rehoboth Beach Regional Showcase

Attention all filmmakers in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C.! The Rehoboth Beach Film Society is looking for films produced by emerging filmmakers for its second Regional Showcase. If you dream of having your work projected onto the big screen, please submit. The goal is to expose audiences to the creative talents of regional filmmakers, and to provide opportunities for filmmakers and audiences to engage in post-screening discussions. The Showcase will take place May 3-5 at the Rehoboth Beach Film Society’s Cinema Art Theater. Eligible films include shorts, docs and features of any length. The filmmakers of selected films will be invited to attend for a post-screening Q&A session.

Rules & Terms

• Filmmakers from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C. are invited to submit their films.
• If your film is from outside of the above listed states, and you still submit your film, it will not be considered and your submission fee will not be refunded.
• No age or time restrictions.
• All works must be submitted via online screener through FilmFreeway. No other formats will be accepted.
• Submission fees are non-refundable.
• All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.
• The judges’ decisions are final. Individual feedback will not be provided.
• We do not pay rental/screening fees.
• Films must be in their final form at the time of submission.
• Selected films must be made available for presentation in DCP, professionally mastered Blu-ray or DVD.
• Filmmakers selected to the Showcase should be prepared to cover their own hotel and airfare expenses.
• The RBFS is not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademarks, credits or royalty infringements related to the work. Submission of an entry to this Showcase signifies that the entrant understands, accepts and agrees to these conditions.
• Materials of all submissions become the property of the RBFS, and can be used for review purposes and to promote the film and programs of the Society in all mediums including film, television, radio and the Internet.

J Film Festival | March 7-17

ABOUT Twenty-six years strong, the annual JFilm Festival presents international Jewish-themed films that deepen audiences’ understanding of Jewish culture, tolerance, […]

 POSTED ON: March 4, 2019

J Film Festival | March 7-17

ABOUT

Twenty-six years strong, the annual JFilm Festival presents international Jewish-themed films that deepen audiences’ understanding of Jewish culture, tolerance, and our common humanity.

2019 FESTIVAL

This year’s lineup features 21 narrative and documentary films—plus an Opening Night party, Q&As with visiting filmmakers, a Bagel Brunch, and two Film Schmoozes with the University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Studies Department. Join us for eleven days of unique cinematic experiences that help audiences discover the stories, history, and experiences that connect us all.

STATS

21 films
11 countries represented
3 visiting filmmakers

INFO AND TICKETS

FilmPittsburgh.org

SOCIAL

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WQED Next-Generation Fellows

Training the Media Makers of Tomorrow Link: https://www.wqed.org/next-generation-fellows WQED’s NextGeneration Fellowship training program seeks to enhance the skill set of college […]

 POSTED ON: March 4, 2019

WQED Next-Generation Fellows

Training the Media Makers of Tomorrow

Link: https://www.wqed.org/next-generation-fellows

WQED’s NextGeneration Fellowship training program seeks to enhance the skill set of college students and community media makers by providing actual working experience for emerging creators. Four individuals per year will participate in the training program. Fellows will learn about the editorial process by developing, researching, writing, shooting and editing their own productions. In 2018 the Next Generation Fellows will focus on a different aspect of our changing city.

Apply for a Next-Generation Fellowship:

If you’d like to submit your resume for consideration for the next Fellows session, please send your resume and cover letter to Minette Seate at [email protected]. Resumes must be received by March 13, 2019. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and residents of the City of Pittsburgh.

SCREENING: WOMAN AT WAR (Kona fer í stríð) FEB 22ND @ 6:30PM

Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson Iceland/France/Ukraine | 2018 | 101 min EVENT INFORMATION Friday, February 22, 2019  6:30pm @ McConomy Auditorium, CMU Buy […]

 POSTED ON: February 15, 2019

SCREENING: WOMAN AT WAR (Kona fer í stríð) FEB 22ND @ 6:30PM

Directed by Benedikt Erlingsson
Iceland/France/Ukraine | 2018 | 101 min

EVENT INFORMATION

Friday, February 22, 2019 
6:30pm @ McConomy Auditorium, CMU

Buy tickets here!

 

EVENT INCLUDES:

  • Q&A
  • Food Reception

CO-PRESENTED: Sustainable Earth

 

ABOUT THE FILM

“Is there anything rarer than an intelligent feel-good film that knows how to tackle urgent global issues with humor as well as a satisfying sense of justice?”
– Jay Weissberg, Variety

Halla is a fifty-year-old independent woman. But behind the scenes of a quiet routine, she leads a double life as a passionate environmental activist. Known to others only by her alias “The Woman of the Mountain,” Halla secretly wages a one-woman-war on the local aluminum industry. But right as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an unexpected letter that changes everything.

Languages: Icelandic, Spanish, & Ukrainian with English subtitles

Watch the trailer here.

 

AWARDS:

  • Haifa International Film Festival, 2018, Special Mention
  • Hamburg Film Festival, 2018, Best Feature
  • Ljubljana International Film Festival, 2018, Best Film
  • Montréal Festival of New Cinema, 2018, Best Actress
  • Nordic Council, 2018, Nordic Council Film Prize
  • Seville European Film Festival, 2018, Audience Award
  • Valladolid International Film Festival, 2018, Best Actress

 

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Benedikt Erlingsson is an Icelandic director, author, and actor. Erlingsson’s first feature film, “Of Horses and Men,” received the New Directors prize at the 2013 San Sebastián Film Festival and went on to win over 20 international awards. He is a 2016 Gan Foundation for Cinema award winner. His second feature film, “Woman at War”(2018), was selected at the 57th Semaine de la Critique.

WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA: SET ETIQUETTE PANEL DISCUSSION

RSVP: http://www.wifmpit.org/event/set-etiquette?instance_id=2886 Whether you are already working on set, you’re an actor or new to the business, you NEED this informational […]

 POSTED ON: February 13, 2019

WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA: SET ETIQUETTE PANEL DISCUSSION

RSVP: http://www.wifmpit.org/event/set-etiquette?instance_id=2886

Whether you are already working on set, you’re an actor or new to the business, you NEED this informational panel discussion with industry experts.

Learn set etiquette from the professionals that work every day in the business who want YOU to be more professional.

Some of what we will cover:

  1. Roles on Set – Who does what and when
  2. Chain of command
  3. Introduce yourself
  4. Proper terminology used on set / Lingo
  5. Only the director says “cut and action”
  6. Save your comments
  7. Equipment rules
  8. Be Ninja Like
  9. Showing up on Time / Call time is work time
  10. What to wear on a set  etc., etc., etc. etc.

RSVP and more information: http://www.wifmpit.org/event/set-etiquette?instance_id=2886

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