Tag: DC

Chris Guillebeau and The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau in DC
Chris Guillebeau speaks at the Barnes and Noble in downtown DC.

Last night, I listened to Chris Guillebeau speak at the Barnes and Noble in downtown DC. Chris is one of my favorite bloggers, from the Art of Non-Conformity. His message is that you don’t have to live like everyone else, that you should follow your passions while looking to leave something behind.

He lives what he writes about – he’s on a quest to visit every country in the world and has been in 125 of them so far.

Now he has a book, also called The Art of Non-Conformity, and is off on a 5o state tour to support it. His publisher thinks he’s crazy. As a writer myself, I think he’s crazy – North Dakota?

While his DC reading was standing-room only, his next stop in West Virginia will be less attended. Chris emailed the one person signed up for the reading, telling her to make sure to be there.

In person, he’s much like his blog – more curious about the audience than himself, non-judgemental, cognizant of how lucky we in the West are to have the “problem” of following our dreams. After speaking for a bit (and filling in DC on his 50 state map), he took questions from the audience.

Why did he write a book? Blog posts don’t change lives, was his answer. His goal in writing the Art of Non-Conformity was to get people to positively change and to share his and others stories of how to do it.

One goal of his book has been to bring people together. In the Q&A session, he let the audience answer each other’s questions, covering such diverse topics as entrepreneurship and conflict-free diamonds.

What I like about Chris is that he doesn’t say that there is one magic answer for everyone – it’s not Scientology or the 4-Hour Work Week. Your quest to change yourself, and the world, can involve very small steps – life experiments, where you get away from your desk and visit an art gallery. Or start learning a new language during your commute.

Unlike other so-called “life hackers”, he believes that the quest for efficiency is overrated. A new method of burning through your email is meaningless. It’s better to figure out how you can pursue adventure while helping others.

In his view, the core questions to think about are:

What do you want out of life?

What can you offer the world that no one else can?

In a city filled with well-paid people trapped in bureaucracy, these questions have enormous resonance. The Art of Non-Conformity aims to guide people in finding their own answers.

Learn to Write a Screenplay at ScriptDC

screenplay sample

Tired of the same old Hollywood formula? The treacly love stories, the gross-out horror flicks, the not really funny bromances? Think that you can do something better?

Now’s your chance to learn how to write a screenplay at ScriptDC. This three day event takes place downtown on October 15-17. It’s sponsored by local filmmaking organizations, including the DC Film Alliance and Women in Film and Video. ScriptDC features a full slate of speakers and events designed for aspiring filmmakers.

The highlights include:

  • A Friday night film screening and speaker.
  • A full day of speakers on Saturday, including Ed Burns (The Wire), Claudia Myers (Kettle of Fish), Mike Million (Tenure), Kelley Baker (The Angry Filmmaker), Jon Gann (DC Shorts) and Megan Holley (Sunshine Cleaning).
  • The finals of the DC Shorts Screenwriting Competition, where you can pick the winner of this live screenplay reading featuring local actors.
  • Sunday morning pitch sessions, where you’ll have a chance to sell your screenplay idea to producers.
  • Script critique sessions where the first five pages of your script will be evaluated.

ScriptDC is the largest conference of its kind in the mid-Atlantic. What’s unique about it is its broad approach. Not only can you learn about how to write a screenplay, you can see scripts acted out live, and meet producers and filmmakers who have been successful.

I’m going to be at the screenplay reading on Saturday night – I was a judge for the contest, helping to select the finalists. Looking forward to seeing the scripts read live.

Use discount code DCSHORTS when registering for Script DC and save $75 on registration! http://scriptdc.com

DC Shorts Mini-Review: Corner Plot

For anyone who lives in the sprawling metropolis of Washington, Corner Plot is a fascinating documentary.  Would you believe that someone owns a one-acre farm in the middle of Silver Spring? Charlie Koiner does. He’s 89-years-old and produces a cornucopia of produce from his tiny plot of land, just blocks from the Metro.

Corner Plot is a really effective short work because the filmmakers paid attention to the story of Koiner, showing how farming has kept him young and engaged with the community. More strident documentarians would’ve taken the occasion to lecture the audience on environmental themes but Ian Cook and Andrew Dahlman are smart enough to let their subject do most of the talking. They allow they audience to come to the conclusion that local farms are critical to community life, vital to people like Koiner and the people of Silver Spring.

Corner Plot won for Outstanding Local Film at the DC Shorts Film Festival. You can see it for free on September 23 at Little Miss Whiskey’s. Look for more screenings throughout the year.

DC Shorts Mini-Review: Manual Practico del Amigo Imaginario (The Imaginary Friend Practical Manual)

Superhero movies have been done to death.

However, superhero imaginary friends – that’s not been explored before and is the subject of Manual Practico del Amigo Imaginario (The Imaginary Friend Practical Manual). This Spanish film won the Audience Choice Award at the DC Shorts Film Festival.

I was at the DC premiere for this hilarious short film. From the opening scene, the audience was howling. The movie begins with a conference of imaginary friends, all of whom have been rejected by the children that once loved them. One man – Captain Kiloton – has managed to remain the imaginary friend of man for more than twenty years. He explains how he’s been successful to a motley assemblage of rejectees, a motivational speaker for the imaginary friend set.

Back in the real world, 27-year-old Fernando is being pulled away from Captain Kiloton by a new love interest. Can he grow up and keep Kiloton? This dilemma is neatly (and sweetly) wrapped up in this very funny mockumentary.

DC Shorts: Showcase 1 – My Review

Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas in Gayby
Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas in Gayby

I attended Showcase 1 of the DC Shorts Film Festival last night. For the festival, the films are divided into nine different showcases, including a ribald late-night collection of shorts as well as a family-appropriate slate. Each showcase contains around ten short films.

Here’s my take on the films in Showcase 1:

Sunday Punch – It’s a film noir that’s a little predictable but sexy and gorgeously shot.

Shovel Ready – A darkly comic 48 Hour Film about getting rid of the troublesome people in your life.

Prayers for Peace – Heartbreaking, beautiful and personal. Probably the film I’ll remember most.

Somewhere Never Traveled – One of those mysterious films that you’re entranced by, but don’t know what’s going on – like something by Sofia Coppola.

Hipster Job – A retelling of the story of Job, but with hipsters. Deliberately crude and stupid.

Quartering Act – A WWII drama that’s a little too long. Tries to get the historical details right but feels awfully American for a story set in France.

Just About Famous – A wry, funny and sympathetic look at the bizarre world of celebrity impersonators.

El Cortejo (The Cortege) – A Spanish film about finding love in the most unlikely of places.

Banana Bread – Hyper-violent and you can see the punchline coming from a mile away.

Gayby – My favorite. It’s like a modern Woody Allen movie, with a neurotic woman who wants to make a baby the old-fashioned way with her gay best friend.

They’re all interesting and entertaining films. See Showcase 1:

Saturday, September 11 @ 9:00pm @ U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center
(followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers)
Sunday, September 12 @ 1:00pm @ Landmark’s E Street Cinema
Tuesday, September 14 @ 9:00pm @ Landmark’s E Street Cinema

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.