Winner of the 2009 Web Series and Short Film Competition for Narrative Comedy, this is a great example of the fresh talent that is being uncovered around the web on a daily basis. I literally played this one over and over when it was submitted. Just a joy to watch, dark as it ultimately is.
Brigham Cottam is flat out funny…I do not lie (okay, see, that’s not actually true). TEAM was another one of our favorite submissions to the 2009 NexTv Web Series & Short Film Competition, another submission that is truly worth checking out. Freakin’ hilarious.
A group of friends (the Team) come to the aid of one of their own by humiliating his teaching assistant…
Here are some words from the writer/director:
TEAM was written to amuse my 4 best friends. Each of the characters is based on one of us. When I showed it to them, we all laughed our asses off. I never thought anything of it till Karl Bowman read it on a lark and thought it was a riot. He thought it had a series potential, so we re-wrote the pilot and figured “Hell lets film it”. We found an amazing improv-group that said yes, so we used our reality show connections and shot it in 3 1/2 days with no money. We did everything on this film including being stuffed into a teddy bear.
My biggest regret was getting a job and moving from L.A. before we were able to shoot episode 2, where my character decides to hire an illegal alien to pass his Community College Spanish class.
The great thing is all these stories are approximately 86.7% true.
Unfortunately I only know low-budget. I’d really love to know big-budget or even some budget, but no complaints, I’m still alive.
Absurdly funny look at the power that money managers have over your money. Submission to the 2009 NexTv Web Series & Short Film Competition, Brokers sneaks up on you…keeps getting funnier and funnier!
We take pride in helping filmmakers who submitted to previous NexTv competitions to promote themselves and their work.
Will is currently hard at work on his next project, and is seeking additional funds and donations for post-production VFX on this post-apocalyptic feature pitch shot on the RED One. Anyone interested in getting involved should contact Will for more information; email address is willsimmons@lucidtrancefilms.com
This year’s competition includes top execs and agents from ICM, DISNEY, NBC’STHE OFFICE and many more. Top companies are sponsoring including the latest addition of TOON BOOM ANIMATION (donation of over $7,000 in top-of-the-line animation software for our winners).
This is another one that we loved. An extremely compelling thriller (of sorts) about competition among internet pirates. Submitted to the 2009 NexTv Web Series & Short Film Competition. Really fun story, in a world that is foreign to many of you (hackers not included). Below the video are some interesting words from the writer/director about the genesis of this project. Very interesting indeed.
SHADOW.NET (Weirdsmobile Productions, USA, 2009, 20 min.)
Written & Directed by John V. Knowles
Produced by Lotti Pharriss Knowles & Guy Birtwhistle
Logline: An ambitious member of a movie-piracy ring attempts to steal a hot new film, but winds up with much more than he bargained for.
SHADOW.NET was adapted from a WIRED Magazine article entitled “The Shadow Internet,” written by Jeff Howe in 1995. The article was one of the first real exposés of the file sharing culture and the virtual bazaar of illegal games, songs and movies available online. Says writer/director John V. Knowles: “At the time I was familiar with networks like Napster and BitTorrent but had no idea what was really going on behind the curtain. I was amazed by the inner workings of THE SCENE — the underground network that acquired and distributed pirated files using private servers that are essentially invisible to the public. The subject stuck with me long after I put the magazine down, and it occurred to me that it had the potential to be an interesting, modern-day crime thriller. Here was a vast conspiracy that engaged in the theft and distribution of billions of dollars worth of product, run by rival groups who competed for prestige and bragging rights rather than money; the scope and sophistication involved seemed to rival that of any modern criminal enterprise. The timing seemed right to update one of my favorite genres – the heist film – and bring it into the digital age. I wanted to make the theft of a Hollywood blockbuster just as interesting as a complex bank robbery, a lost shipment of drugs or the disappearance of a mysterious case. I wanted to both celebrate and skewer the outlaw ethos of the online culture, where reputations can change with a keystroke and identity itself is an illusion. How do you find trust in a world where people can be anyone they want to be?”
SHADOW.NET was made for a total budget of just $15,000 and shot over four days, much of it green screen on a sound stage in Sun Valley, with backgrounds and effects painstakingly added in post. In the last year it has played in several festivals worldwide, including Cleveland International Film Festival, Dances With Films, NewFilmmakers NYC, Fantastic Planet Sydney Science Fiction & Fantasy Film Festival, Action/Cut Short Film Competition (Semi-Finalist), The Film Series at Cine Gear Expo (Finalist), Las Vegas Film Festival (Winner, Golden Ace Award) and Dragon*Con Independent Short Film Festival (Winner, Best Thriller). While happy with the film’s successful run, Knowles says, “Something tells me that we haven’t seen the last of these characters…!”
Knowles runs Weirdsmobile Productions with his writer/producer wife, Lotti. So far they have produced two short films and a world-premiere play under their banner, as well as commercials, web promos and music videos. They’re currently developing and raising financing for their first feature film, the horror satire CHASTITY BITES. For more information and updates on SHADOW.NET and Weirdsmobile’s other projects, visit: www.shadownetmovie.com or www.weirdsmobile.net.
With principal photography beginning on May 25, we are in full pre-production swing here. Admittedly a challenge when our main focus is the Web Series & Short Film Competition (currently going) and the Writing & Pitch Competition (currently in ‘judging’ phase).
We have an incredible team assembled to execute this, led by Dennis Klein, the creator of HBO’s THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW and Jim Turner, lead actor and creator of the ongoing live show that this pilot is based on. Emmy Award-winning costumer, Wendy Benbrook, joins brilliant DP, Philip Holahan (Boston Legal) and awesome Production Designer Tom Meleck.
Cast is in place, though Sandra Oh may not be available due to scheduling issues.
I opened the production account last week and the first money will be drawn on Monday.
This is NexTv’s philosophy in action: use PRODUCED CONTENT to pitch a television series. Instead of going from network to network pitching this great idea (essentially describing the joke), we are putting it on its feet so they can experience the humor (be a part of the joke).
Submit YOUR pilot, trailer, web series, short, doc or any other produced content to the NexTv Web Series and Short Film Competition to access the industry’s elite decision-makers.
We love when you provide a link to your work for the NexTv Web Series & Short Film Competition. Whether you do or not, here is a guide to help get your work out the public.
One great thing about sites like YouTube is their ability to accept many different file formats, making it much easier for home users to participate. You can try uploading almost any format — there’s a good chance that it will work. YouTube simply converts it to the FLV forma
However, it does help to understand a few basics and create videos in a format which will work best for your content.
MPEG (MPG)
YouTube recommends MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid) with MP3 audio. This option probably provides the best compromise between quality and file size. Other versions of MPEG are also acceptable.
AVI
This is the default format used by many editing programs. It provides excellent picture quality but file sizes are large. This can be a good option for short videos.
MOV, WMV & Others
These are perfectly acceptable, but may not provide the same quality or small file sizes as MPEG4.
Compression
In most cases you will need to compress your video before you upload it (this may be done automatically by your webcam or editing software). The best approach is to compress files the least amount possible. YouTube will re-compress the file when it is converted to FLV, so you don’t need to worry about the file size. If you have a fast connection and plenty of bandwidth, it makes sense to create video files with the least compression while still keeping to the 100MB size limit.
Video Size (Resolution, Pixel Dimensions)
YouTube recommends a resolution of 320×240. Note that this is smaller than the standard YouTube video screen — videos this size are automatically expanded to fill the screen. A quick test indicates that the screen used for the main YouTube player is 450×338 pixels (do not take this as an official specification though).
On the whole, 320×240 is a fairly good compromise which suits the different player sizes well enough. Remember that the video will not always be seen on the large version of the player, and some versions of the player are actually smaller than 320×240.
I, PERSONALLY , LOVE THIS ONE! (from the 2009 NexTv Web Series and Short Film Competition.) Watch it to the end; it’s worth it. If you’ve ever taken a Yoga class, and I’ll admit that I’ve only taken a few, you’ll immediately get that myth of the yoga instructor that YOGANATOR does a great job exploring. The all-powerful, endlessly confident wisdom that is so easy to revere.
Another great entry to the 2009 Web Series and Short Film Comeptition. This one is a machinima-style of animation and part of an ongoing web series created by Callous Productions’ Hardy Capo. Really cool. Check out more episodes and other relevant contact and info at www.callousproductions.com.
Submitted and Written by Jorge Rivera. Directed by Phil Roc.
(Interesting words from the creator below…read on).
EATING YOUR FRIENDS
RHYME ANIMAL was born out of a nightmare I had about a friend and musical collaborator of mine Dell Wells. In the dream, Dell’s hip hop lifestyle translated in to a penchant for murder and cannibalism. When I confronted him in the dream, it became clear that I was to be his next meal and I woke up in a cold sweat. Minutes after waking, I jotted down notes for a story about a serial killer M.C. that became RHYME ANIMAL.
After having written down the main gist, I pitched the idea to another great friend and collaborator, Aaron F. Schnore. Together with another pal, Billy Fox we penned the script that we produced and that was directed by the talented Phil Roc.
I remember being on set (probably our 3rd day of shooting), watching the machinery that is a film crew unfold in front of me and thinking to myself…”Holy sh*T, this was barely a wisp of an idea in my brain less than a year ago.” I was amazed at what was happening: the crew, cast, gear and about 40 extras hard at work actualizing something based literally on a dream…a dream that could have easily been forgotten minutes after waking. I was hooked.
There really is no experience like watching something you’ve written come to life on a set and then to watch as an audience reacts to your work…especially when you can do it with a team of frien. It is a deeply satisfying experience. Television in particular, gives writers the ability to tell stories with great depth over the life of a series and I can’t think of any other thing I’d rather to do with my time.
RHYME ANIMAL has taken me many places and has been responsible for many lasting friendships and professional relationships. I got to work with Craig “muMs” Grant of HBO’s OZ (an amazing actor, poet and personal favorite), Bridget Barkan (also and amazing actor with a golden voice), and the unbelievable Al Thompson (the Royal Tennebaums, Johnny B. Homeless, etc). Since then, Al has tapped my eager talent as his head writer on Lenox Avenue — an incredibly sexy web series (also written by La Mont Edwards, Jessica Rotundi and Charles Burkes), as we charge forward as compadres and collaborators, creating what we think and hope is the new wave of quality film and television.
Everyone I mention above is a friend and a fellow foot soldier in that charge.
My advice to aspiring film/web/television makers…making friends is easy: write something and shoot it…whatever it is…you will undoubtedly be very glad you did, and you will make tons of friends along the way. Just don’t eat them. You’ll find having them around for future collaborations to be much a more satisfying experience than just a quick meal and the burst of energy you might experience as they digest in your belly.
Jorge Rivera
Creator
RHYME ANIMAL
P.S. A very special thanks to Randy Becker, a new friend for which I owe much gratitude for opening some previously tightly shut doors. I look forward to many meals…ur, um I mean…collaborations with him. Thanks, dude.
