THE SUPER SECRETIVE WACHOWSKIS may be ramping up their next movie, with Huffington Post publisher and politico Ariana Huffington, of all people, involved in it. Photos she posted on Twitter suggest she has a role in their story about the war in Iraq from the POV of a futuristic society.
Since their “The Matrix” triology in 2003,
Andy and Lana Wachowski have directed only one movie, last year’s “Speed Racer.” If a new movie is in the works, count on all the special effects coming from their fortress-like high-tech studio at 5645 N. Ravenswood.
THE 24 HOUR FILM SCHOOL scheduled for Saturday afternoon has been canceled, announced host David Donnelly. It will be rescheduled for late January or early February when longer notice can be given to the event and the weather is more congenial.
“We are expecting the the majority of the same panel and possibly more in addition,” Donnelly says. The big draw for the event was a Hollywood distributor and three feature and TV filmmakers, including “Chicago Overcoat’s” producer John Bosher.
REEL MICHIGAN: The Michigan Film Office says 47 film projects have been filmed in the state in 2009, representing a total expenditure of $216 million. Overall, 82 projects — features, docs, TV pilots and reality shows — were filmed throughout Michigan since April 2008.
Over in West Michigan, Dreamworks has been scouting many locations in Barry County for what West Michigan film director
Rick Hert calls “a substantial project,” judging by the locations — courthouses, fairgrounds, hotels and historic locations being scouted.
EVERYONE’S INVITED to the Chicago Acting in Film Meetup Group’s second annual fund-raiser Dec. 15 at the Ashland Bar. The Group was founded by actress Grace McPhillips two years ago as a place for trained professionals to share and learn. Since then, it has grown to 150 members.
THE 75 MEDIA SAVVY FOLKS who attended the HP Envy-sponsored music video edit challenge last week had a great time, despite the fact the challenge they came to cheer turned out to be a bust. Three experienced editors — Corinne Gilliar and Paul Miglio from Harpo, and Ishmael Rufus — were set to create a three-minute music video from footage provided. As Avid experts they were stumped by the Pinnacle system they were given. Unable to work with it, they shrugged and admitted defeat.
While the $2,000 HP Envy notebook went unclaimed, the door prize of $600 tickets for NAPTE’s January conference in Las Vegas next month went to director/DP Kimberly Nicole. The tickets were a bonus, as she said she had planned to attend anyway. .
DON’T WORRY, faithful fans of Boston Blackie’s Bar & Grill at 164 E. Grand, those beloved $7.49 cheeseburgers will continue to be served, despite the restaurant chain’s surprise filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection from creditors. The company, which has eight Chicago area locations, listed debts of $6.4 million against assets of about $17,000.
“PUBLIC ENEMIES,” the $100 million feature director Michael Mann shot in Chicago, Indiana and Wisconsin, is now out on Blu-Ray. Which brings to mind that December marks the 18th month since Chicago hosted a major Hollywood studio-produced feature — “Public Enemies.”
The only entire feature that did shoot here in 2009 was “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” an independent feature, and a couple of days of two studio features, “The Little Fockers” and “Couples Retreat.”
ATTENTION, BARGAIN HUNTERS! Facets Multimedia holds a two day clearance sale of all new videos and DVDs, with up to 94% off on its massive selection of titles. That’s Dec. 12-13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
THIRTEEN IS A LUCKY NUMBER for Tim Frick’s Mightbytes design media company. Its animation demo reel won the Davey Award from the International Academy of the Visual Arts, whose focus is on “creative excellence of smaller agencies and companies worldwide” and this year attracted more than 4,000 international entries.
The Davey Award also marks the fourth win this year also for the demo reel
A 10TH ANNIVERSARY for audio engineer Brian Reed’s, BAM! Studios. Since opening on Dec. 1, 1999, Reed estimates that he has worked on an 30,000 projects — mostly broadcast commercials, but also many docs, corporate and interactive.
Reed opened BAM! Studios with one assistant a month after the closing of Skyview post, where he had worked for several years.
Current staffers are engineers Dave Leffel, associate engineers Philip von During and Matt Sauro, and studio manager Johnathon Karcz. They occupy a 5,000-sq. ft. studio at 1 E. Erie.
Claims to fame: BAM is the go-to ADR studio to record talent in the Midwest for the likes of Pixar and Disney. In fact, Joan Cusack recently recorded ADR there for Sony’s new playstation game, “Toy Story 3.”
The BAM Dream Server is a revolutionary search engine for 20 terrabytes of music and sound effects.
