Screening date for the OTPF!

It's official - we have a date set for the screening of the 1st annual OTPF (Ottawa Television Pilot Festival):

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2006 (EVENING)

and if required

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2006 (MORNING/AFTERNOON)

Following are the directors we have signed up so far:

1. Kim Guite (Director/Writer/Producer)
2. Stephanie Halin (Writer/Producer) w/ Director: Miles Finlayson Producer: Claudia Jurt
3. Claudia Jurt (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ DOP: Miles Finlayson Editor: Ben Manthorpe
4. Peter Jurt (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt
5. Kathy Logan (Director/Writer/Producer)
6. Steve Stransman (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt
7. Christian Yurt (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt

For those of you who still wish to join, we are accepting applications until early next week. (see applications instructions in previous blog)

This will hopefully be the first of many annual OTPF's!

Best wishes,

Claudia Jurt

Writer's Blogck

My Dear SADC members & Friends,

It happens to the best of us (haha...cliche writing too).
The most feared affliction when writing on a timeline: WRITER'S BLOCK

dun dun duhhhhhh.....

If you are suffering from this bug or if you want a challenge - write a scene that consists any of the following:

1. your first kiss
2. your most embarrassing high school moment
3. your first love
4. an acquaintance that has really bad breath
5. (eeeekk...I'm starting to experience WB as I write this)
6. Addiction (food, alcohol, drug, sex, nicotine, internet)
7. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
8. Internet Dating
9. a scandalous affair in your office
10. incest
11. Your favourite pet
12. customer service
13. hidden treasures in an attic
14. a first date
15. pet peeve(s)
16. slumber party
17. night at the cottage
18. ghosts
19. magic
20. adoption
21. food poisoning
22. finding out you or your girlfriend is pregnant
23. deja vu
24. someone leading a double life
25. dancing for a living
26. visiting a nursing home
27. prank calls
28. deception

There you have it folks - 28 possibilities on Oct. 28, 2006 - there are an infinite number of scenes that we can create with the list above..

Happy, Crappy, Sappy Writing.

Cheers,
C :)

Make Your Movie Contest

ALIEN HARVEST - tonight at 6:30pm, 90 University, Alumni Auditorium (Ottawa U Campus) Be there...or the ADD will get you...


Also on the horizon...

Check out Carlton Holder's blog:
www.makeyourmoviecontest.blogspot.com

Super cool stuff!! The energy on that blog feels just like the one we're creating with the SADC and OTPF - awesome stuff - and they plugged our blog. Yahoo!
It's always so much fun to connect with people all over the world - Carlton is from Temecula, California!!

Need Teens for your film or TV pilot?

Either way, come check out Ottawa's up and coming actors in the premiere of ALIEN HARVEST!

YOU ARE INVITED!!!!

Come check out A.C.T.'s up and coming young actors in its latest production,
'ALIEN HARVEST' on Friday, October 27, 2006
6:30 pm - Light Refreshments & Mingling

7:00pm - Screening

Alumni Auditorium, 90 University
(located on the University of Ottawa Campus, across from the Residential Complex)
and help us raise money for A.C.T. equipment upgrades by entering a 50/50 draw!!

This is event is hosted by A.C.T. (Acting for Cinema & Television) and will be screening a number of short films (Alien Harvest, La Commercial, Murder for Beginners & Ring of Vision) produced by A.C.T. students, alumni & members.

A.C.T. proudly presents the premiere of
Alien Harvest (Directed by Jared Cote, Claudia Jurt, & Rob Thompson), a short film starring a group of very talented ‘Young Movie Makers’.

Join in the fun with Ottawa’s finest industry folk.

RSVP by email Info@ACTottawa.com
or call 613.565.2107

Admission is FREE

www.ACTottawa.com

Ottawa Television Pilot Festival

Dearest SADC Members,
I sincerely hope that the writing has been going well...or at least going. When I actually sit down and do the work (ie: writing my scenes), I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I realize that it's not just the writing, but the fact that I have been paying more attention to life as it unfolds. People are SO INTERESTING!! Sometimes we have to 'taste (see, touch, smell) it again for the first time'. It's incredible. Pay attention. (some great advice I received from a great teacher who received it from a great teacher). I've been working on scenes that will potentially turn into episodes of a television series - the series is called "It's Funny 'Cause It's True". I find that when I write, I tend to write numerous scenes over 7-12 pages. A half-hour episode is 22 minutes = 22 pages. FYI.

So...I have decided to create a festival. OTPF (Ottawa Television Pilot Festival).
Date: Feb or March 2007 (TBD)
Location: National Archives on Wellington (TBD - availability of this location will determine the date)

If you have a solid set of scenes that equal 22 pages (in proper format, ie: final draft) and you want to see it come to life, you may want to consider joining the festival.

There are a limited # of spots avaible. ie: 22 x 7 = 2hrs. & 34min.

So...depending on the application interest and space/time availability, we may or may not hold two evenings.

How does one join?
Send an application to me claudiajurt at hotmail.com
Please include the following:
1. your name, address, email, contact #'s
2. your tv pilot idea or scene that you wish to work from - you do not have to have a completed written project at this stage and if accepted you may still change from the one that was submitted
3. a committment to finishing the pilot (written, filmed, edited, ready to screen on DVD) by the deadline at the end of January/early February)
4. some of your key people ie: if not you, who is your director, writer(s), producer (s)

As the individual entering the festival, you must be at least one of the key players: Producer, Writer, Director, Cinematographer - you may decide to write, direct & produce...that is up to you.
You may also choose to co-apply w/ a partner ie: one of you writes and one of you directs or you both collaborate as co-writers/co-directors, etc...

Overwhelmed yet?

Don't be. This is very doable if you set your mind to it.

Concerned about financing?

Don't be. There are ways to do this on the cheap.
Following are ways to get these done for little to no money.

1. Equipment:
a) Saw Video - very cheap for independent artists www.sawvideo.com
b) Friends w/ equipment...start sucking up now
c) Getting sponsors to lend you equipment ie: local production companies.
(OTPF will be looking into this also)

2. Crew:
a) Fellow SADC members - I'm confident all participants can help one another out as crew
b) post a notice on www.actottawa.com, www.sawvideo.com, www.ifco.ca, www.ottawa.craigslist.org (if you don't have money to pay them, offer a copy and credit)
c) Cash in favours from your industry friends

3. Casting:
a) post a FREE notice on www.actottawa.com, www.aactionauditions.com, www.ottawatheatre.ca
b) send your project proposal to Ottawa Casting - they just might agree to cast your project for FREE (wink, wink)

Why join the OTPF?

1. See your work on the big screen
2. Get your work judged by industry professionals (we are approaching local and surrounding producers/directors/writers to attend the festival as judges)
3. Get submitted into festivals (TBD)
4. Start building your demo for financing for bigger projects
5. Have your work seen by potential producers looking for new TV show ideas - this will be like a pitching session one step ahead of the pitch

Interested in participating on a crew? (please reply to this post, click on the comment section at the bottom)

Interested in being a key player? (email above application details to claudiajurt @ hotmail.com)

A few people have already been accepted into the festival (see list below):
1. Stephanie Halin (Key Position TBD) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt
2. Claudia Jurt (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ DOP: Miles Finlayson Editor: Ben Manthorpe
3. Peter Jurt (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt
4. Steve Stransman (Director/Writer/Producer) w/ Producer: Claudia Jurt

This is going to be a blast!!!!

The STRANSATIONAL CHALLENGE

Okay ladies and gentlemen boys and girls dogs and cats and everything else

I'm proposing something to spice up the olllllll scene-a-day club.

Write 3 scenes that form the beginning, middle, and end of a story.

I know that seems really vague and unhelpful, but just think about it for a bit. Feel free to expand on a previous scene idea, or whatever you want. But just try to see if, in 3 scenes, you can wrap up a tight story. See what happens. It might take a little more prep than usual but its worth a shot. Mine'll be up in a couple days.


Lots of love and good vibes always

Stephen James Stransman

Challenge: A scene of thanks

Hello Everybody,
Things have been hectic with movies & moving (that's not an excuse though), but that's pretty much why I've been resisting writing on here. Shameful I know.
So, for this weekend I thought it would be fun to challenge all SADC members to write at least one Thanksgiving related scene. Write, eat turkey, write, eat turkey, write...

Also, feel free to hit the COMMENT link at the bottom of these blog entries to post your own thoughts.

Finally, have you ever wanted to direct a movie or have your script produced? Stay tuned for an upcoming SADC challenge: From page to screen

Happy Thankswriting,

C :)

Do you really think you can't write, right now?: The SADC welcomes its lucky #13.

Do you really think you can't write, right now?: The SADC welcomes its lucky #13.

Correction to SADC Membership

Ok, so the member list & order that I've been posting has been slightly off. Thanks to our newest member, NICHOLAS POPE, I have come to realize that KATHY LOGAN & NATASHA JETTE joined the SADC on my other blog (www.being-claudia.blogspot.com) on September 15, 2006 (before the SADC blog was created). Anyhow, following is the most up-to-date SADC member list. If you've been reading this blog and/or writing your scenes, we would love to have your comments posted here. Feel free to share your thoughts on writing, post questions, express your frustration, joy, love, hate, anything! Just write to your fellow SADC members. :)

CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE SADC:
1. Claudia Jurt (as of Sep. 10, 2006)
2. Nancy Kenny (as of Sep. 10, 2006)
3. Meghanne Kessels (as of Sep. 10, 2006)
4. Stephanie Halin (as of Sep. 12, 2006)
5. Kathy Logan (as of Sep. 15, 2006)
6. Natasha Jetté (as of Sep. 15, 2006)
7. Corry Burke (as of Sep. 18, 2006)
8. Steve Stransman (as of Sep. 20, 2006)
9. Caitlin Emond (ad of Sep. 20, 2006)
10. Normand Laniel (as of Sep. 22, 2006)
11. Peter Jurt (as of Sep. 23, 2006)
12. Jonquil Garrick (as of Sep. 23, 2006)
13. Kim Guite (as of Sep. 23, 2006)
14. Mark Slacke (as of Sep. 24, 2006)
15. Nicholas Pope (as of Sep. 26, 2006)

If any new members wish to join, please post a message on this blog expressing your so-called wish - it's just that simple (for now).

Now, write, write, write!

C :)