Paul Revere

I was walking down Main Street of Park City, when a reporter from CNN approached me. She had a laptop, which was playing a video from the "Drunk History" series. She filmed my reaction to the video and asked me what I thought about it. I told her I thought it'd be funny for people to make their own. So, last night Eric Valle consumed 11 Natty Lights, 4 shots of Jager, 1 shirley temple, and 1/2 box of Cheez Its...

Drunk History Paul Revere from Chris Pamm on Vimeo.

This morning we attended a round-table discussion on documentary production and are now waiting outside the theatre to see Welcome to the Rileys.

Sundance Part 2

http://vimeo.com/9014170

Sundance 1/25/10 from Chris Pamm on Vimeo.

We just got out of the hilarious film called Douchebag. We are now on our way to Shorts Program 4.

Sundance Photos

I took this picture standing on a chair over the balcony at a bar on Main Street.

JP, Hannah, and I outside one of the theaters


Main Street in Park City



The mountains on the way from the SLC airport to Park City

(all of these pictures, plus many more can be found on Jp's facebook page).

Sundance Days 1-2

Just in case the previous video post isn't working, here is the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkrRQV7NwGw

Just ran into Pauly Shore on Main St. He was hammered.

At the fray concert

I passed the guy from Supersize Me (Morgan Spurlock) in the street. After barely getting in via waitlist, JP and I are now in the theater to see Howl.

Sundance Days 1-2

Spike Jonze's short "I'm Here"

Sheldon recharges after a long day

This article gives much praise to Spike Jonze's new short I'm Here. The film is a love story about two robots that live in a world similar to the present, but where humans and robots coexist. The protagonist, a male robot named Sheldon, finds himself falling for an accident-prone female robot. In a way that seems like a one sided Gift of the Magi, he sacrifices his limbs to replace hers, leaving him with only a head.
The film is quirky and the storyline is simple, but the viewer is always glued to the screen waiting to see what will happen next. The editing and mis en scene seem typical of a short romantic comedy, yet there are little subtleties that make the characters and story unique. Overall, I didn't think that the short lived up to the praise it receives in the LA Times. The special effects were amazing, but I expected Spike Jonze to push the boundaries further than he did.

We were just messing around with an interactive 3D map in the New Frontier Center. Robert Redford walked up and we zoomed in on his house in Utah.

JP, Hannah, and I are sitting in the Eccles Theatre waiting for Shorts Program 1 to start.

Rode back to the place with a taxi driver/ski bum who last summer was air lifted out of Pakistan after a wipe out. Hittin the hay after shots with Brazilians.

We are planning on helping set up shoots, and may get time in front of the camera. Look for us tomorrow on CNN and at www.einsiders.com

Luke and I just left a hotel where we met a film crew for E Insider. They offered us volunteer positions on their crew for the shoot tomorrow so thats the plan

Look for us on CNN. We werew just interviewed watching and talking about an internet short.

Just introduced myself to Joe and told him I lliked what he was doing with HitRecord. He was on his way there

We woke up this morning to tons of snow outside. I was curled up next to a fireplace and JP slept in a chair. Joseph Gordon Levitt just got on the bus with us.

We are in the shuttle and on our way to the festival. We're riding with a writer from milan, italy and a volunteer from san francisco.

We have arrived in salt lake city. I'm on my way to the baggage claim to take the shuttle to Park City. The Sundance trip has begun.

HitRECord, Ted Hope

A little over a year ago, Ted Hope made a speech to the Arthouse Convergence in Salt Lake City. He spoke of the future for filmmakers and film exhibitors. Here is in excerpt from the speech:

"I believe in – and I know you do too, or else you wouldn’t be here now:

- The power of organization.

- The influence of collective action.

- The incredible results of collaboration.

- And all that entire great cinema inspires."

This philosophy corresponds with the same goals and vision of HitRECord.org (see post below)

Ted Hope went on to talk about some of the new tools for filmmakers, "Community, collaboration, and appreciation. These tools are the new tools. These are the good old tools. These tools are where our marketing money also now needs to be spent."

HitRECord

HitRECord.org is an new collaborative production company founded by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The idea is that any form of media (on the site the call them Records) can be uploaded and edited by anyone, resulting in a collaborative piece of art. For example, let's say one person uploads a song that they have mixed in garage band to the site. Within minutes, another person has downloaded it, remixed their own version, and uploaded it again. Then another person shoots a music video to the song, etc. The end result is a music video that was made by a talented group of people who don't even know each other. Then Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes into the equation to bridge the gap between new media and the old. His production company sells the final product and earns a profit, which is then distributed to the other collaborators of the project.
Sure this new type of production generates a lot of questions, but I think the idea of a bridge between new and old media in general is important. HitRecord.org may not be the future of production, but it at least is helping to pave the way. Check it out.

Sundance Pre-Festival Buzz

Here are four films that I'm looking forward to seeing at the Sundance Film Festival.

1. Welcome to the Rileys

The log line for this film is "trauma transforms us". It's about a couple that are grieving the death of their teenage daughter. The wife battles agoraphobia, the husband cheats on her with a waitress, the wife goes to reclaim him after he leaves for New Orleans. Oh, by the way, Kristen Stewart plays a stripper.

2. All of the Shorts Programs
I want to see as many as possible. Read the previous blog post.

3. Howl
This is the film with the most pre-festival buzz. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, this drama about the 1957 trial of the poem Howl and the life of Allen Ginsburg's is sure to be one of the stand outs of the festival. Gus Van Sant is an executive producer on the film, and the cast boasts names like James Franco, Mary-Louise Parker, and Jeff Daniels.

4. Douchebag
I'm going to see this one for the title. However, it also looks like a story filled with unique relationships, quirky drama, and a roadtrip.

Other films: Hesher, The Company Men, The Killer Inside Me, The Runaways

Info gathered from the B-side Sundance guide.

New Website

Here is the new website for Pamm Productions. It was made using Flash and is completely different from the old site. Check it out.

Short Films at Sundance

"I’ve always felt that anyone who is truly interested in independent film should pay attention to shorts. They are often an indication of what’s coming down the creative pike."

-- Robert Redford, Sundance Institute President and Founder

Here is a website that includes five short films that were made by filmmakers at the request of the Sundance Institute. The films were made specifically for the small screen, which would suggest that they made use of different shot framing and editing techniques that are more suited for smaller screens. I hope to see as many sort films as I can during the festival to gain more insight into "what's coming down the creative pike."

Speed

Here is an article about the marketing strategies of feature films. The article discusses the distribution of marketing funds when it comes to promoting big-budget pictures. The article notes that there is a shift in strategy noting, "studio promo efforts have become more targeted, looking to engage core audiences in key demos more directly and actively."
As marketing strategies continue to shift, they are headed towards much more digital and interactive forms of media. This allows for more opportunities to be creative with an area of marketing that still needs more in depth exploration.