Author: Joe Flood

Joe Flood is a writer, photographer and web person from Washington, DC. The author of several novels, Joe won the City Paper Fiction Competition in 2020. In his free time, he enjoys wandering about the city taking photos.

DC Shorts – My Picks

This year, I’ve been more involved with the DC Shorts Screenplay Competition (coming in October) than the actual film festival. Still, as an Executive Judge for the festival, I did get to see some of the films that were selected for inclusion in DC Shorts. I’m also familiar with a couple of the directors or heard about the buzz. So, these are my picks – the films that I am looking forward to seeing:

Expiration – Are you one of those people who doesn’t worry about expiration dates on food? You should.

Sunday Punch – The trailer is sexy and it looks beautifully shot.

L1feline – I’ve read scripts by the writer of this short, Anthony Greene, and really liked them – he’s got a great ear for how people really speak.

Snowpocalypse: Day 6 – A one-minute long film about the big DC snowstorm? I’m intrigued.

Bagged – Is this comedy about a woman who falls in love with a purse stereotypical or way too honest? There was a lot of discussion about this one among the judges.

Easy Made Hard – The script for this urban drama was a finalist in last year’s DC Shorts Screenplay Competition. I saw it read during the DC Shorts live screenplay reading. It’s riveting and I can’t wait to see the film.

Manual Practico del Amigo Imaginario (The Imaginary Friend Practical Manual) – A nearly twenty-minute long comedy from Spain about a 27 year-old and his imaginary friend. Unusual films like this are why I love DC Shorts.

Each of these shorts is part of a longer showcase of films – two hours worth of short films from around the world. You’re bound to find something you like.

Looking for Actors? Try Stonehenge

You can’t make a movie without actors. Whether you’re making a short or a feature, you need talented performers to bring your story to life.

One easy way to find a bunch of them is Stonehenge, a “speed-casting” event. In it, actors perform a short monologue before an audience of filmmakers. Monologues are filmed so you can see what the actors look like on camera. They are also required to bring in headshots so that you can contact them afterwards.

I attended Stonehenge several years ago. I was part of a 48 Hour Film team looking for actors. We sat in the audience like Hollywood bigshots as a new actor came in every fifteen minutes and performed their monologue. We selected people for our film, as did other 48 Hour teams.

During this all-day casting event, you can see up to 100 actors. The event is open to independent producers and student filmmakers so it’s a great way to find the perfect actor for your production.

Registration for filmmakers is open now; registration for actors starts on August 28.

Urban Exposure Exhibition

Four of my photos were selected for the Urban Exposure exhibition at the Carriage House Gallery and Studio. Photos in the exhibit documented the “changing urban landscape of our capital” and included one of my favorite photographers of all time, Matt Dunn.

Urban Exposure was curated by the DC Photo Coop, which aims to provide a workspace and gallery for area photographers with a focus on the D.C. urban landscape.

The exhibition is over now but here are the photos I had in it:

the musician

pawn shop

police car and crowds

Friends

DC Shorts Tickets on Sale

I wrote a brief story for the Pink Line Project mentioning that tickets are now on sale for the DC Shorts Film Festival.

It’s a festival that I’ve been involved with for years and is definitely worth attending. The films are interesting, you can meet the filmmakers, and the parties are awesome. Plus, it all happens downtown, in the Penn Quarter. I’ve had a blast over the years – I’ve met incredibly creative people in a casual atmosphere.

Behind the Scenes at the Publishing Delay

The Kindle version of my book, Murder in Ocean Hall, is now available in the UK, through Amazon.co.uk.

So now Kindle users in London can download my book while drinking a cuppa.

What did I have to do to get my book in the UK? Nothing – Amazon took care of it for its Digital Text Platform (DTP) authors. And DTP is free. It was easy to use – you just upload the text of your book and the cover.

With e-publishing there’s no waiting on printing presses or slow-moving publishers. An author can distribute his work with just the click of a mouse. And readers can get their favorite author’s work immediately, rather than waiting on a publisher’s schedule.

Why does this matter? My mom is a huge Kate Atkinson fan (Behind the Scenes at the Museum). She reads everything this English author writes. Atkinson has a new book (Started Early, Took My Dog) coming out. It’s available in the UK on August 19. But it won’t be here in the US until March 21, 2011!

Does it take six months to translate Britishisms into Americanese? Does it take that long to design a cover? To get it into American bookstores? I imagine that the publisher needs the time to do a marketing campaign and so on.

But why delay the US Kindle version of Atkinson’s new book until March 21, 2011?

Readers are an impatient lot and want their books now. With e-publishing, there’s really no reason for such an indefensible delay.

My Fringe Festival Picks – So Far

Romeo and Juliet, safely wed
Romeo and Juliet, safely wed

I’ve seen more theater in the past couple weeks than I have in ten years, thanks to being a photographer for the Capital Fringe Festival. My mission is to go and take pictures of the performances. While I’m focused on my job, it’s hard not to be moved, one way or another, by what I see. Sometimes, I’ve forgotten to hit the shutter because I’ve been laughing so hard.

These are the Fringe shows that I’ve really enjoyed.

Romeo and Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending
This got a great review in the Washington Post – and for good reason. The young cast performs their own version of this classic play with gusto. Plus, you can the tragedy into comedy. At various points during the performance, Romeo turns to the audience and asks what he should do. Should he pursue Juliet or Rosaline? There are eight possible endings to the play. The night I saw it, Romeo and Juliet ended up alive and married. One drawback: the venue for the play is a steamy one but you’ll probably forget the heat.

Ridgefield Middle School Talent Nite
A hilarious show, filled with delightfully gawky characters, performed by just two actors. They manage to capture all the torture and discomfort of perhaps the worst talent show you’ve ever seen. Like a true Fringe performance, the audience is drawn into the performance, clapping for the different talents and even singing and participating in the production.

(Snap)shots on a Greyhound Headed Home
I’m not a big fan of modern dance but this is a very sexy and intimate show, performed in one of Fringe’s smallest venues. It’s beautifully done and tells a sad and romantic story.

Writing and Taking Pictures at the Capital Fringe Festival

I’ve been busy for the past couple weeks as an official photographer for the Capital Fringe Festival. It’s been a great experience, giving me the chance to use my new camera, the Canon Rebel T2i, and the opportunity to take pictures of performers, which I really enjoy.

And I’ve gotten to see a lot of theater in tiny spaces, where you’re inches away from the actors – that’s part of what makes Fringe so special. From women in passionate embrace to remixed Shakespeare, it’s an intimate experience that can be uncomfortable, strange or delightful, depending on the performance. Sometimes you just can’t look away, try as you might.

But Fringe is more than just theater. It aims to create community in DC, striving to be a citywide celebration of the arts. Fringe wants everyone to be involved.

For people interested in creativity, it’s hard not to be drawn into the Fringe orbit. For example, I attended a discussion on Does Art Matter as a photographer but ended up writing about the workshop for the Pink Line Project.

The Capital Fringe Festival runs until July 25 in Washington, DC.