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Want to Make Movies by the Bay? by Emmanuel Lee
Filming a scene with 'Challenge Group One' on March 8, 2014. photo: Pauline Russell
AFTER ATTENDING A FEBRUARY 22ND
mixer at Oakland’s Bench and Bar, along with a hundred or so other media-curious participants, I decided I was interested in getting involved in Making Movies Throughout the Bay! Fortunately, on its "Short Film Challenges" was scheduled for two weeks after the mixer.
A 501c3 non-profit set up to promote filmmaking, training, networking and a collaborative experience, Making Movies Throughout the Bay! (MMTB) was founded in 2010 by Elena Altman.
The jovial mixer featured several presentations, including an entertainment attorney, a talent management company and a street performer, promoting their service or talent. There also were lots of winners in the crowd that night, claiming raffle prizes donated by the presenters.
"Anything you aspire to be in the film industry, we can help make that dream come true," according to MMTB’s Website.
I discovered MMTB regularly hosts similar film industry mixers at a different SF Bay Area location on the second Saturday each month, where participants get an opportunity to pitch ideas, audition, promote and disseminate industry news.
Elena Altman, the Founder and CEO, Making Movies Throughout the Bay. photo: Pauline Russell
On March 8th, the MMTB's filmmaking challenge was held at the Reinstein Ranch, a historic as well as operational horse and cattle ranch in Livermore. Jeanie Haigh, the Director of The Livermore Valley Film Commission in attendance, provided booklets on the services the commission offers to the filmmaking industry.
Film challenge teams are formed by preselected directors drawing actors from a hat. Teams include a director, writer, actors and production assistants. I was the writer for Group Three. Since all three teams worked independently, the two teams where I was not involved may have varied slightly in their operations.
In my group, Challenge Group Three, after the teams were drawn, the director and I collaborated to decide the genre, develop a story and consider the specific locations, actors on our team and props available from MMTB, we should use.
As the writer, and with input from the director, I created notes for scenes, characters and story points to occur in each scene. The actors using the story points as a guide, developed their character and used improv for their dialogue. We shot all of the scenes a few times. It was a good day and time passed quickly.
I’d like to be a part in another MMTB film challenge. Like most film sets this is a great place to make friends. The filmmaking experience was fun, creating and collaborating with the team under the pressure of time.
Chillin' with 'Group Three' after the short film challenge at Reinstein Ranch. photo: Pauline Russell
The teams have two months to edit the scenes and complete the films. Then films become due and are turned in to MMTB.
MMTB hosts film festivals, theatrical screenings and awards presentations at San Francisco Bay Area venues such as the festival scheduled at the Rheem Theatre in Moraga on March 22nd. These theatrical screenings qualify the films and team members to be credited on IMDB.com, the most popular film and television online database.
After screening and potentially winning a MMTB award, the films become available for sale on MMTB’s website.