The Gong Shorts in The Current

All hail Enrique Lopetegui of the San Antonio Current, our alternative newspaper. He wrote a wonderful piece on the upcoming film competition. Check it out:  http://sacurrent.com/film/story.asp?id=72191

How, you might be wondering, were we so blessed? Maybe it's true and the squeaky suta gets the grease and I've been rather squeaky lately; or perhaps it's just an awesome event. Or... both. I don't really have an answer, but I'm very grateful.

"THE GONG SHORTS" CALL FOR ENTRIES!!!

The Gong Shorts – Interactive Short Films Competition & Event in
San Antonio, Texas

CALL FOR ENTRIES – No Submission Fee

Local comedian, Jade Esteban Estrada, MC’s the funniest short film competition in town - just send us your short films – no matter what they are – and we’ll play them on the big screen at the hippest, coolest theatre in town!

Hosted by: The Alamo Drafthouse & NiffNot Productions

MC: Jade Esteban Estrada

Date/Time: Monday April 18th, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Place: Alamo Drafthouse Stone Oak, 22806 US Hwy 281 North San Antonio, TX 78258

Cost: No submission fee for filmmakers; however theatre tickets for all attendees are $9. Filmmakers must be in attendance to win the Grand Prize.

GRAND PRIZE: $100!

HOW IT WORKS: Filmmakers may submit any film under 15 minutes long. We want it all – the good, bad and ugly! The better to laugh at or, hopefully, with! Films should be submitted on a playable dvd or blu-ray (one film per person). All films are played in the order they are received. Every film is guaranteed to play for 3 minutes, but after that the audience can call for the dreaded “gong” if they’re displeased. If the gong is struck, our intrepid host stops the film and the next movie begins. But don’t despair … if a film is gonged, filmmakers can re-work it and bring it back to see if the changes they’ve made have pleased the audience. This is a great way for filmmakers to try out new ideas, see their film on the big screen and observe how an actual audience responds.

PLEASE NOTE: Only the first 20 films will be screened. NiffNot is NOW accepting submissions and will stop taking submissions either once we’ve received our quota or immediately before the show begins, so get films in early! No pornographic entries please, but since we don't know what each month's film content rating will be, attendees should be advised that some material may not be suitable for all audiences.

SUBMIT ENTRIES NOW (first come, first serve!): Kimberly Suta, NiffNot Productions, 915 S. Alamo, San Antonio, TX 78205. Filmmakers must label their DVD’s with the name of the film, the run time, their name, phone number and email.

For more information go to: http://filmbaking.blogspot.com/ or email: niffnotproductions@gmail.com.

The Gong Shorts Comin' to Town!

Very excited to announce "The Gong Shorts" Film Contest at the Alamo Drafthouse (Stone Oak location) on April 18, 7:30 pm, hosted by comedian, Jade Esteban Estrada. Open to all filmmakers; no submission fee; Grand prize: $100. Come watch your film on the big screen, get audience feedback and have a laugh! More info on submission posted tomorrow.

Support your Local Artists!

     This may be obvious to some people, but not to others... it came up because I gave this advice just moments ago and thought it might be relevant.

It doesn't matter where you live, there exists a pocket of artists. It's important to support these artists. True they may not be filmmakers, but filmmakers need all sorts of artistic resources. And you never know who you're going to meet. I've been so lucky to have worked in San Antonio's Arts District, Southtown, and so I have a lot of artist friends and most of them are pretty talented and I've brought them in several times on various film projects. On Ekstasis, I hope to be able to involve Agosto Cuellar (designer/artist) and Eric Fonseca (film animation/artist) if I can. They are both brilliant. 

Artists are also your audience... these are the kinds of people who like films, especially independent films. Besides, we all know... connections are everything.. talent second. It's just how this world works. In my world, everything is neon and I have a pegasus as a pet. Unfortunately, we don't live in my world.

Go to art openings and film screenings and get to know your peers. There's always something going on and it usually involves free booze. Find something good in the calendar of your alternative paper tonight and enjoy!