writer, photographer, web person from Washington, DC.
Can you write a simple ten-page film script? Enter the DC Shorts Screenplay Competition and you could win $2000 and see your vision on the big screen.
And I’ll help – here are my tips on how to win the competition. I’ve been a judge for the competition for several years now.
You’ve got all winter to put your story on the page. The early deadline for the competition is March 31.
I recently won first place in the Fotoweek Mobile Phone Image Contest. Here’s how I came up with the winning photo.
The theme of the competition was “Fotoweek Through the Mobile Lens”:
Mobile devices allow you to get up close to capture intimate moments, abstract macros, candid street photos, night projects, and what FotoWeek DC Festival means to you this year as you walk around DC and experience all of our events.
I went to several Fotoweek shows but was so busy seeing amazing photos that I hardly took any pictures at all. Continue reading “First Place in the Fotoweek Mobile Phone Image Contest”
Get my book Murder in Ocean Hall for just 99 cents in this holiday offer exclusively for Kindle owners.
My novel is a murder-mystery set in Washington, DC. Inspired by my experience in the city, Murder in Ocean Hall follows a veteran detective as he investigates the death of the world’s most famous explorer.
My book takes you behind the scenes of our nation’s dysfunctional capital, revealing the real place beyond the monuments.
Amazon reviewers call it:
“a fun, quick read”
“a howdunit with some good research on the author’s part.”
Get Murder in Ocean Hall today!
I’ve become a huge fan of iPhoneography. While I have a “real” camera (a Canon T2i), my iPhone is with me all the time. It’s great to capture the little moments of life that you might otherwise miss.
Somehow, it’s also more fun, less serious than taking out the big camera.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the iPhone is the most popular camera on Flickr. That’s quite an achievement for a device whose primary function is to make calls.
And now iPhone photos are making their way into art galleries. And I have a picture in one of them (see above). My photo is one of fifty photos selected by judges for the InstantDC show on November 9. There are some great photographers represented – Jim Darling, Keith Lane and Greg Schmigel, among others.
Directors are auteurs, in charge of hundreds of people and with millions of dollars at their disposal, right? Think again. Easy-t0-use cameras and Internet technology allow anyone with a story to tell to make a movie. This was highlighted by the recent talk by four Washington-area filmmakers at the Apple Store in Georgetown. They’re all alumni of DC Shorts, with films or scripts that appeared in this local festival.
Arlin Godwin wanted to make a short film but didn’t want to deal with actors. Over a couple of weekends, in his own apartment, he made the delightfully creepy Man in 813. It won Outstanding Local Film at DC Shorts. Fascinating to me was the fact that he shot it with a Canon T2i (a digital still camera) and primarily used the “nifty fifty” lens, a $100 prime lens beloved by photographers. Continue reading “DC Shorts Filmmakers Share Tricks of the Trade”
A live screenplay reading offers the writer a chance to hear how their work sounds read aloud. It’s a great way to get feedback on your story. You can learn a lot from an audience – did they laugh at that joke? – as well as discovering whether your cleverly crafted dialogue sounds witty or clunky.
Every year, the DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition performs a live reading of short scripts. We read five short screenplays – the finalists from our competition – before an audience who votes for the winner. It’s a theater-in-the-round setting, with actors sitting around a table and the audience surrounding them. You’re encouraged to just listen to the words, like a radio play, and imagine the story. Continue reading “Directing a Live Screenplay Reading”
I wrote a short article on the opening of ScriptDC, a weekend conference devoted to screenwriting in Washington. Allison Abner, a writer/producer with The West Wing, will give a talk tomorrow night to aspiring television writers. Should be interesting – I had the chance to visit the set of this iconic TV show during its final season and even sit in on the writers’ room a few years ago.
Allison’s talk is just the start of ScriptDC, which features some great speakers, including Gordy Hoffman, Marilyn Horowitz, Laurie Scheer and, of course, Jon Gann from DC Shorts. The conference is an inexpensive way to learn about television and movie writing without having to go to LA.
I’ll be there most of the weekend, most notably at the Saturday night screenwriting competition, where I will be filling in for one of the writers. Five short screenplays will square off in a live reading, with the winner getting $2000 to turn their script into a film.
We live in a magical age, where I can write a book in Washington, DC, and then readers in Paris can download my work to their e-readers.
Murder in Ocean Hall is now available in France. It’s available in la boutique Kindle, which is an adorable name for an e-book store.
The book is in English, BTW. Technology can do many amazing things but language translation requires the subtleties of the human mind.
And what did I do to publish my novel in France? Uh, nothing. I just made the e-book available on Amazon and they did all the rest.
The DC Shorts Film Festival wraps up this Sunday. Now in its eight year, this celebration of cinema brought 145 films from 23 countries to Washington. As the Blogger-in-Chief for DC Shorts, I’ve seen a lot of short films. Not all, but enough to have my favorites. Here they are:
Little Horses
At the Q&A after the screening, director Levi Abrino said that he was looking to make a movie with the emotional resonance and complexity of a Chekhov short story. He succeeded – this tale of a divorced dad’s struggle to hold on to his son is moving, sad, funny and yet affirming as well. It demonstrates what independent film does so well, by portraying the drama of people who could be your neighbors. Little Horses won a DC Shorts Audience Favorite Award and a Filmmakers’ Favorite Award.
The Man in 813
This is one of several local films in the festival. We also did an interview with director Arlin Godwin on the DC Shorts blog. The Man in 813 is scarcely longer than its trailer, but still manages to tell a funny, creepy story that anyone who has ever lived in an apartment building can relate to – what are my neighbors up to? What’s significant is that the film was shot by one person in his apartment using a Canon T2i, a digital still camera that also shoots video. This short basically cost nothing and yet was screened with films that costs thousands of dollars, a potent demonstration of the advances in technology allow anyone to be a filmmaker.
Interview Date
The script for Interview Date won the DC Shorts Screenplay Competition last year. I read this script as a judge for the contest, then watched it being performed before a live audience. As the winner of the festival, Interview Date received $2000 from DC Shorts to turn their script into a movie. I was delighted when director Mike Lemcke and comedian Grant Lyon returned this year with a finished film. It’s been a fascinating journey to watch, this transition of words on a page to moving images on a screen. This connection between a screenplay competition and a film festival makes DC Shorts unique, turning writers into filmmakers.
The Scarecrow Girl
For me, this was the most beautiful film of the festival. While shooting in rural Brazil, director Cássio Pereira dos Santos took hours of sky shots, because they were so amazingly blue. These shots frame a film about a young girl in rural Brazil who wants to go to school but can’t. It’s a true story, taken from stories told by Cássio’s grandmother.
These four films are a great demonstration of the power of independent film to tell stories that you’re not going to get out of Hollywood. Rather than relying on formulas and catch-phrases, indie film at its best communicates visions that are both original and unique.
Perhaps due to the plentiful amounts of bacon, the Award Brunch is my favorite part of the DC Shorts Film Festival. Filmmakers, staff and honored guests gather at Clyde’s of Gallery Place for one final event.
Awards are handed out in multiple categories by festival director Jon Gann, who always manages to tear up during the ceremony. Here are this year’s winners:
Audience Favorites
Audience Special Recognition
Outstanding Local Film (presented by KvM Rentals)
Outstanding Cinematography (presented by FujiFilm)
Outstanding Use of Food (presented by Whole Foods)
Outstanding 1st Time Director
Festival Director’s Choice
Filmmaker’s Choice
You can still see all the great films of the festival as DC Shorts runs until September 18. Check the schedule for screening times, including FREE lunch shows and special pink and sexy shorts programs. And don’t miss the Closing Bash on Saturday, September 17 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center.