Ok, so for those of you who have been following my blog for a few months, you may remember that a film of mine “The End of All Things” screened at the 2009 Park City Film Music Festival back in January (which takes place in Park City, Utah, during Sundance). Well, I just found out yesterday that apparently my film won “Director’s Choice: GOLD MEDAL” Award which is one of that festival’s highest honors… which is pretty exciting and honestly made my day. I guess it just took them a while to get the awards out, but hey, it’s great to find out we won an award 2-months ago :). While I truly think that any Award presented to a film is really a testament to everyone in the Cast & Crew’s work on that film, this award is specifically shared with the film’s composer, Douglas Romayne, who is simply amazing, and did an incredible job on the score. You can check out the film’s website here: starcomproductions.net/theendmovie and Douglas’ website here: douglasromayne.com

Tags: Films, The End of All Things by admin
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Ok, so since I watch a ridiculous amount of movies each week and I’m not too terribly fond of writing reviews, I’ve decided to start a new series here focusing on some of the more humorous life-lessons that can be taken from the movies (whether intentionally or unintentionally – focusing mostly on “blockbusters”, which I honestly don’t see too many of, but hey) that I’ve seen recently. I’ll add on to this series from time to time, in addition to my normal posts. Here’s the first one for you…

Adulthood…
So, what makes a boy into a man? Well, according to the movie “Hellboy”… killing really huge monsters and giving long kisses to hot chicks who spontaneously combust. So, ca’mon kids, better get movin’!

Tags: Films, Movie Life Lessons by admin
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The Oxford International Film Festival just had a record week when it comes to submissions. Just in the past 4-days the festival received nearly 100 entries (from around the globe). Not bad for just a few days. A big thanks to all of you who are working so hard to make your films a reality, and your willingness to share them with us. We’re doing our very best to make every entry count. The festival is still accepting entries for our 2009 event (which takes place July 23-26, 2009). You can still submit your films through April 1st by going here: http://www.oxfordfilms.com/oiff/submit.htm

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Just wanted to wish you all a happy new year. I’ve been traveling about the country over the last few months, so it’s nice to finally be back home (at least for a little while) and be able to focus back on the pile of work that never seems to get smaller. Between the festival, my several film projects that are in the works, the film association, my other film’s screening at other festivals, and of course, the production company, I’m never at a loss for twenty thousand more things to do, but hey, it keeps life interesting and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Wishing you all the best in 2009.

Tags: Films, Freedomland, Oxford International Film Festival, The End of All Things by admin
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Ok, so on a bit of a lighter note, several of you have also asked me what some of my favorite film-related quotes are and why. Alright, so first off, it’s important to note that most of my favorite quotes don’t actually come from films, rather from the filmmakers themselves (though I do have many favorite lines from movies). This is by no means a comprehensive list, as I hear so many wonderful remarks on a daily basis from people I work with, but here are a few I’ve really appreciated, and connect with:

“I dream for a living” – Steven Spielberg

…I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It’s both sad and amazing how true this statement is:

“In Hollywood, it ain’t real until the check clears the bank” – Laurence Andries

Simply well said:

“Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks” – Forest Gump

One of the best directing notes I’ve ever heard:

“Do it again, but this time… better.” – Chris Chulack directing “ER”

…you just had to be there – oh, and I don’t recommend using that one on your own set unless you know your actors as well as he does ;-).

Ok, this isn’t from a filmmaker, but it’s certainly one of many excellent quotes to live by:

“There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person that makes things happen.” – James Lovell

And a popular one in my own little world that I’ve thought through way too much:

“Filmmaking is kinda like squirrels, they look all cool, cute and fun on the outside, but when you really get to know them, you find out how evil and frustrating they all really are. But hey, that doesn’t mean you stop loving ‘em, it just gives you a valid reason to throw more rocks.”
– JC’s deep thoughts.

There are so many both wonderful, and simply hilarious statements I’ve heard in this industry, some I can repeat, others I can’t (but really, really wish I could). I’ll try to post more at some point down the line.

Tags: Films, Q&A, Randomness by admin
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Sorry I haven’t written in a while. So many amazing (and time consuming) things have been going on with the film, the festival, and a number of other projects I’m working on, that I simply haven’t had a chance to write much here. Anyhow… here’s a brief update:

I just got back from L.A. late last night where I was most of last week to meet with a bunch of people about my feature project (before heading off to Vegas for a conference – see below). The script has simply been doing wonders on its own and has been attracting an unheard-of amount of attention for a project of this size (which is totally awesome by the way). That said, we now have a great number of amazing people on-board for the project… and even more amazing actors interested and/or “in talks” for the project! I was just contacted last week and told that several of the actors we’d been chatting with for the lead roles said “yes” to the project, and we’re in talks with a half-dozen others, which is just amazing considering the (economic) timing and size of the project, but no complaints here! Unfortunately, that’s really about all I can say at this point (I know, I know… you want names), but since most of our cast are still “in talks”, I really just can’t announce anything yet as it might have a diverse affect on the process. I assure you, I’ll let you know as soon as I can.

That said, I also had a great time at the International Film Festival Summit (IFFS) in Vegas this past week. I had a wonderful chance to catch up with several other festival director friends of mine, and meet lots of great new people and hear about what they’re all up to. I also had a chance to meet some of the guys behind the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDb.com), who are working on some great new exciting additions to the IMDb for filmmakers and specifically film festivals for next year. I also had a chance to meet (and in some cases eat dinner with) several of the directors/guys behind Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW, IndieWire, FilmFestivals.com, IndieFlix, FilmThreat, Variety, and about 200 other great industry folks. It was great to see so many wonderful people working so hard to support the independent industry in one place, working together… despite a few issues which are all but unavoidable, I’ve enjoyed the IFFS every-year, it was well worth the trip, and I’m looking forward to attending again next year.

I’ll try to give you all another quick update on things before the holidays, as there’s WAY too much in the works here for me to mention in one post. So stay tuned, I’ll try to give you more updates as things get a bit more solidified (both with the 2009 Festival and the Feature). Thanks for tuning in guys!

Oh, and just because I know a lot of you like stats… the OIFF (after the first of our 4-deadlines, spread out over 5-months) to date has received 133 entries from 18 countries globally, and we’re well on our way to break our 532-entry record from last year. The OIFF is open for entries through April 1st of 2009, you can submit your film online at www.oxfordfilms.com.

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Ok, I’m not supposed to say too much here, but I did want to give you guys an update on my feature (which, for the purposes of this Blog we’re still calling “Slipping Away”). Anyway, there’s been so many huge things happening that it’s hard to know where to start (and honestly, what I can tell you, and what I can’t), so I’ll see how much I can say without getting yelled at by the producer. Yes, as of last week we now have both a Producer and Distributor on-board for the film! Need I say any more? Actually, I don’t think I can say much more at the moment, except that there are a ton of exciting things in the works… so stay tuned!!

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Ladies and gents, I am now the proud papa of a new feature screenplay I’ve been working on for the better part of 4-years. I just completed the screenplay (literally hours ago) for a film I’ve been calling “Slipping Away”.  Now, the actual title has been changed, but for now I’ll just keep referring to the film as “Slipping Away” or SA for short just to keep things consistent. As for the process of completing this screenplay… I spent the better part of 4-days doing nothing but writing to pull off the final 60-pages of the script in time to meet a pressing deadline. This is a feat in itself since I’ve never written that many pages in such a short time as this and actually been so incredibly satisfied with the results. Now, to be fair, I’ve been mulling around the concept for this film for the last 4-years, so all the research, characters, and such we’re basically already in place, but it feels great to actually finally have it all down on paper (the first draft at least).  The next step from here will be bringing on another couple producers to help finance the film and manage the production now that there is a blueprint to work from. We’ll also be starting to contact potential lead cast and fill key crew positions, so when the financing clears, we’ll be ready to hit the ground running.  This will be a multi-million dollar production, so I’m excited to finally be kicking off the process. Ladies and gents, the fun starts here… so stay tuned for more info! I’ll be posting updates here as things get finalized.

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Ok then, so 3 of my films “The End of All Things”, “Freedomland”, and an oldie “Hopes & Dreams” have all been accepted to the 2008 20/20 Film Festival this coming October (a part of the 20/20 Arts Festival).  The films will be screening on 10/7/08 at the MainStreet Cinema in Cincinnati, Ohio beginning at 7:00pm, and tickets for the screening block are only $4 at the door. Also, “Freedomland” will be screening as a part of the Underneath Cincinnati Film Festival shorts block on 9/26/08 at the Carnegie Theater in Covington, Kentucky, also beginning at 7:00pm. So come check out the films and say Hi!

Tags: Films, Freedomland, The End of All Things by admin
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For those of you who may not have noticed, my blog now has a new look (which is dark and mysterious… pretty exciting, eh?), and I also now have a MySpace page, which you can find at www.myspace.com/jcschroder, if you’re a MySpace geek (as it seems about half the world is now) feel free to add me as a friend, and don’t worry, I won’t bite.

In other news, I just attended my first Cincinnati Screenwriter’s circle, which is basically a once-a-month meeting of a bunch of area screenwriters. I got to meet a bunch of great new people, basically, we share industry news, read each-other’s new scenes and give constructive feedback on each-other’s material. It’s a great group, and it’s open to anyone regardless of your level of experience (even if you just want to learn about how to write), which creates a great dynamic and a wide array of feedback from both new and established writers. For any of those who may be interested in attending future meetings, they take place the first Sunday of each month from 4pm to 7pm at the Border’s Bookstore near the Southgate Mall in Colerain, Ohio. All are welcome, its free, and it’s not only a great resource for new writers, but it’s also a great chance to hear about new projects in early development and pick the brains of other writers, as they are the backbone & start of the entire creative process. I had a great time and plan to attend as often as I can, so if you want to hear the latest about what I’m working on in person, drop in and chat!

Tags: Films, Randomness by admin
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