Georgia film, video & music [Vol. 22, no. 4 (Fall 2006)]

Volume 22, Number 4

Fall 2006

Thompson To Direct Film, Video & Music

Toby Keith Stars in Broken Bridges

Georgia Department

of Economic

Development

(GDEcD)

Commissioner

Craig Lesser

announced that

Bill Thompson

has been named

the director

of the Georgia

Film, Video &

Photo: (L-R) Commissioner Lesser and Bill Thompson

Music Office. Thompson will

be responsible for developing marketing and sales strategies that Photo: Toby Keith

will grow and enhance Georgia's entertainment industry.

"Bill's background and experience will greatly enhance Georgia's role within the entertainment industry as a preferred

Recording artist Toby Keith, made his feature film debut on September

location for film, video and music projects," said Lesser. "Interest 8 in the Atlanta-lensed drama Broken

is very high in Georgia right now, with our favorable tax structure, Bridges. The film directed by Steven

a growing base of talent and crew, and some high-profile projects Goldmann stars Keith alongside a cast

that includes Kelly Preston, Willie Nelson,

Thompson... continued on page 2 Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper and Lindsey

Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards

Haun. Broken Bridges is a bittersweet story

Photo: (L-R) Gregg Allman and Governor Sonny Perdue

of former high school sweethearts Bo Price (Keith) and Angela Delton

Over 2000 ballroom guests looked on as

(Preston), who return home after the deaths of their younger brothers force

Photo Credit: Rick Diamond/wire Image

the 2006 Georgia Music

them to deal with ghosts of the past

Hall of Fame Inductees

and their uncertain future. Keith plays a

Gregg Allman, Dallas

country music singer who has fallen from

Austin, Jermaine Dupri,

the spotlight and faces life changes after

R.E.M. and the late Felice

coming home, reuniting with his true love

Bryant, represented

and meeting his 16-year-old daughter

by her sons Dane and

(Haun) for the first time.

Del, were presented for

Broken Bridges, a Paramount Classics

induction by Governor

and CMT Films release, was produced

Music Awards... continued on page 3

Broken Bridges... continued on page 7

1 The Georgia Film, Video & Music newsletter is a bi-monthly publication of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Articles
can be mailed to Brenda Brayton, Georgia Film, Video & Music, Post Office Box 1776, Atlanta, GA 30301, faxed to 404.962.4053 or sent electronically to bbrayton@georgia.org. Visit our website at www.georgia.org or call 877.746.6842.

Featured Location: Summerville Depot

Constructed in 1889 as part of the Central of Georgia Railroad, the Summerville Depot recently appeared in HBO's Warm Springs. Located in northwestern Georgia's Chattooga County, the depot houses the county's historical society. It also serves as the terminus for the Tennessee Valley Railroad excursion train.
Photo: Summerville Depot
Thompson... from page 1

Photo Credit: Steve Freer, Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Photo: (L-R) Shannen Fields and Alex Kendrick
Facing The Giants Premieres Nationwide
The Albany-lensed independent film Facing The Giants opened nationwide on September 29. Facing The Giants is a production of Sherwood Pictures and is distributed through Samuel Goldwyn Films, a Sony Pictures partner. Written by brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, Giants was produced by Alex and Stephen Kendrick and David Nixon.
The action drama depicts Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick), a coach whose Shiloh Eagles have never had a winning season in six years, facing his battle with the giants of fear and failure. Giants' soundtrack features songs from Grammy winning Georgia bands Third Day and Casting Crowns. The film includes a cameo appearance by University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt.
The moviemaking Kendrick brothers are pastors at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany. In 2002, Alex Kendrick read an article citing study findings that movies are the most effective means of communication. As media minister at Sherwood, Alex Kendrick proposed making a familyfriendly movie in Albany. Michael Catt, pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church, agreed to the non-traditional ministry of filmmaking and the church created Sherwood Pictures. In 2004 the production company's first movie Flywheel, filmed on a $20,000 budget of private contributions, was released. Flywheel has received several independent film awards. The $100,000 budget for Facing the Giants was raised from church members.
To view the movie trailer visit www.facingthegiants.com.

that have located here recently such as We Are Marshall and ATL."
For the past 20 years, Thompson has worked with many facets of the entertainment industry including Hollywood studios, broadcast and cable television networks, game development companies, independent filmmakers, production companies, record labels, advertising and interactive agencies, animation companies and individual artists. Most recently, he worked as an independent producer

for local production companies on projects for Coca-Cola, Brand Atlanta, EarthLink and General Electric. His accolades include an MTV Music Video Award, a Southeastern Emmy Nomination, Gold and Silver Telly Awards, Award of Merit from the International Television Association and the Georgia State University Outstanding Alumni Award. Thompson earned his Bachelor and Master degrees in Communications from Georgia State University.

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Heard at Doppler

From Squidbillies to Daddy's Little Girls, Doppler Studios completed a variety of ADR projects over the past few months. Atlanta filmmaker Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls and Lions Gate Feature Post booked Doppler for looping with Sierra, Lauryn and China McClain. Producer Reuben Cannon was in the studio and he also supervised Gabrielle Union recording for the film, via ISDN at Widget Post in Los Angeles. The session was engineered by Fay Salvaras and Jonathan Jory. Other ADR and film projects included ADR with Thomas Hyde for Life Is Not A Fairy Tale; a director commentary track by Ed Burns for his Looking for Kitty; Andre Benjamin did ADR for Charlotte's Web and Mike Pniewski recorded cues for Miami Vice and Law & Order: Conviction.
The Indigo Girls recently recorded live interviews/ performances for National Public Radio and several radio stations around the country via ISDN at Doppler. The sessions were engineered by Steve Schwartzberg and Michael Hastie, with the ISDN logistics coordinated by Jonathan Jory. Former
Music Awards... continued from page 1

President Jimmy Carter recorded his audio book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid" for Simon & Schuster Audio, with engineer Michael Hastie. Ludacris was also in the studio to record his guest appearance in Adult Swim's The Boondocks for Cartoon Network with engineer Jonathan Jory.
Doppler hosts a variety of ongoing clients and projects. Engineer Shawn Coleman handled surround mixing duties for Adult Swim show Squidbillies. Cartoon Network used Doppler for sound design on promos including Ben 10, Squirrel Boy and My Gym Partner is a Monkey. BBDO Atlanta mixed radio and television campaigns for their clients Cingular Wireless and Dell. The Blue Sky Agency used Doppler for radio production for clients Moe's Southwest Grill and Atlanta sports franchises the Braves, Hawks and Thrashers. WestWayne also continued to work with Doppler on television and radio projects for Southeast Toyota Distributors and BellSouth Advertising & Publishing.
Creative Digital Teams with Falcons & Signs Leeder

Photo Credit: Rick Diamond/wire Image

Photo: Quincy Jones, Jermaine Dupri and Russell Simmons

Photo: Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Bill Berry and Mike Mills (R.E.M)

Sonny Perdue, Russell Simmons, Quincy Jones, Frances Preston and Max Cleland. During the program Kristen Hall was awarded the Bill Lowery Horizon Award.
Hosted by Leslie Fram and Monica Pearson, the 28th Annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards were presented on September 16 in the Tom Murphy Ballroom at the Georgia World Congress Center. The event sponsored by the Friends of Georgia Music Festival and the Senate Music Industry Committee was telecast live on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

Creative Digital Group (www. creativedigitalgroup.com) has been engaged to launch new interactive initiatives for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. Forthcoming projects include the interactive redesign of the cheerleaders and community sections on AtlantaFalcons.com, a rich media experience to serve as the backbone of the upcoming luxury suites renewal campaign, and the development of a dynamic portal and database for fans to enter and play, "the Subway Hometeam Challenge."
Creative Digital Group is an interactive agency that develops solutions to brand, communicate and sell. Glenn Leeder recently joined CDG as sales manager of interactive media. Leeder most recently served as chief revenue officer at Experclick, with The Madison Avenue Journal 2006 listing him as one of the top 500 Power Players in the advertising industry.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Savannah College of Art and Design

Photo Credit: Ben Dashwood

Photo: (L-R) Tommy Lee Jones, SCAD President Paula S. Wallace and Guillermo Arriaga

Photo: (L-R) Rex Reed, Bruce Dern and DB Sweeney

Ninth Annual Savannah Film Fest
The Savannah College of Art and Design honored Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ninth annual Savannah Film Festival October 28 through November 4. Achievement Awards were presented to Guillermo Arriaga, Liev Schreiber, Bruce Dern, Walter Hill and Rex Reed.
During the festival, producer, director and writer David Zucker hosted a workshop titled "Comedy and Film" in which he shared some of his favorite clips from his career, including Airplane, The Naked Gun and the Scary Movie franchise. Also attending

the festival were actor James Franco, producer and writer Bob Balaban, actor and director DB Sweeney, whose film Dirt Nap screened and James Cromwell, who co-starred with Helen Mirren in The Queen which also screened at the festival. For a festival wrap up, please visit www.scad.edu/filmfest.

Photo Credit: Bob Mahoney

Motives 2 Makes 10

Rainforest Films' sequel Motives 2 is currently filming in and around Atlanta. The film is executive produced by Rob Hardy and Will Parker, with producers Dianne Ashford and Angelique Bones. The feature marks Aaron Courseault's directorial debut.
"This film really made us stop and think, wow, we're jumping into our tenth production at the same time as our tenth year anniversary. That's far from a coincidence... it's a true blessing," says producer Will Packer. Since moving to Atlanta in 1996, Rob Hardy and Will Packer, co-owners of Rainforest Films, have produced ten feature film productions, seven of which were filmed in Georgia.
Rainforest's current production, the sequel Motives 2, features returning stars Vivica A. Fox and Brian White. In Motives 2, when Emery Sims

Photo: (L-R) DP Ken Stipe, Director Aaron Courseault and Executive Producer Rob Hardy
is mysteriously killed in prison, his half brother Donovan (Brian White), determined to avenge his brother's death, stumbles upon an intricate web of corruption and deceit involving Emery's former best friend Brandon (Sean Blakemore) and now husband of Emery's ex-wife Constance (Vivica A. Fox), along with the most unlikely of suspects, a detective with the local police department. Donovan soon becomes involved in a dangerous cat and mouse game where uncovering the truth could lead him to an early grave, right beside his brother.

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Finding the Offbeat Side

Photo: (L-R) Amy McGary, Jordan Graye and Kristen McGary
Megahertz Wraps
Megahertz is the high frequency love story about an emotionally frazzled radio DJ named Brigh Montgomery, stuck in another dimension with the brilliant, eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla. The film from Anam Cara Productions features an all Atlanta cast and crew. After lensing locations that included the Hospitality House of the Frazer Center and the Fox Theatre, Megahertz wrapped production in September.
The film stars David DeVries as Nikola Tesla and Jordan Graye as Brigh Montgomery. Not knowing why they were paired together, Montgomery and Tesla find interesting points of intersection. Tesla confronts the likes of Thomas Edison (Larry Larson), Guglielmo Marconi (John Ammerman) and JP Morgan (Bruce Evers), while Brigh faces the first unrequited love of her life. They are helped along by the archangel Gabe (Don Griffin), offering humor and information to this odd couple trying to wrestle their demons and heal the pain.
Megahertz is directed by Kristen McGary and executive produced by Jordan Graye. Graye and Eddy Von Mueller collaborated on the script which was produced by Amy McGary. The film is currently in post production.

Producers of the HGTV series Offbeat America discovered "Doc" Tommy Scott's Last Real Old Time Medicine Show and his Asian-styled home nestled in the North Georgia hills near Toccoa. Years ago, Scott starred in his own series, The Ramblin' Tommy Scott Show which began airing nationwide in 1948 and the 1950s syndicated Smokey Mountain Jamboree.
High Noon Entertainment crew also found Georgia's Appalachian Ambassador of the Fiddle, Randall Franks (In the Heat of the Night). Franks opened the musical segment for the Medicine Show (now in its 116 year) with a break-neck-speed fiddle tune. The show included performances by Scott and his great grandsons Corey and Craig Lawson, the fourth generation to appear with the show. The teenage duo performed a 21st century version of Scott's 1940s classic, "The Alley Cat Blues."
The Offbeat America crew included host Patrick Clark, producer John Pauly, photographer John Mans, audio Carrie Gallagher and stylist Cynthia Webster. The program is expected to air this fall.

Photo Credit: Cleo Cheek

Dixie Breezes Into Atlanta

Photo: (L-R) John Pauly, Patrick Clark, Tommy Scott and Randall

The third annual Dixie Film Festival hit the silver screen in Atlanta October 13-15, 2006 showcasing independent filmmakers from around the world in a weekend run of 35 films. The festival was hosted by Fighting Amish Entertainment and L.G. Productions. Actor/director James Best (Dukes of Hazzard)

was honored with the "Magnolia Award" for Lifetime Achievement in Filmmaking. The world premiere for his new short film Hellbent For Good Times opened the festival.
Director Michael Damian's Hot Tamale starring Carmen Electra, Jason Priestley, Randy Spelling, Doira Baird, Richard Riehle and

James Best made its Southern Premiere at the festival. During the festival over a dozen films received awards including the Mason-Dixon Award for most promising Georgia filmmaker.
For a complete list of winners and more information please visit the festival online at www.dixiefilmfest.com.

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Association Announcements:
Atlanta Urban MediaMakers Association, Inc. (AUMAi) reflects the new generation of mediamaking. AUMAi's mission is to empower people through cultural diversity in animation, film and video. For more information on AUMAi's monthly meetings, visit www.urbanmediamakers.com or call 770.345.8048.
The Georgia Production Partnership (GPP) is a statewide organization of filmmakers and film industry executives committed to keeping Georgia a film-friendly and competitive force in the film and video community. Meetings are generally held the first Tuesday of each month at noon. For membership information email info@georgiaproduction.org. Visit their website at www.georgiaproduction.org.
IMAGE Film & Video Center offers filmmaking workshops and screenings. For more information, contact IMAGE at 404.352.4225 or check the website at www.imagefv.org.
National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (The Recording Academy): Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is dedicated to providing educational opportunities and improving the cultural environment and quality of life for music and its makers. For more information, please visit www.grammy. com/atlanta.
NATAS/Atlanta, the local chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. For information please call 770.414.8777.
Women in Film/Atlanta (WIF/A), a non-profit organization founded in 1974, is dedicated to the education, promotion, support and unification of women working in or studying film, video and related creative and business fields. For information check the website at www.wifa.org.
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October Road Series Returns
GroupM, the ABC Television Network and Touchstone Television partnership, is currently producing sixepisodes of October Road, a drama script from Scott Rosenberg, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, to air on ABC. Gary Fleder directed the pilot shot in Georgia earlier this year.
October Road centers on a young, acclaimed novelist at a crossroads in life, when he returns to his hometown to teach at the local university and face the family and friends he left behind. The series is currently shooting in and around Atlanta, Georgia.
October Road stars Bryan Greenberg (One Tree Hill), Laura Prepon (That '70's Show), Academy Award nominated Tom Berenger (Platoon), Warren Christie (Battlestar Galactica), Brad William Henke (North Country), Evan Jones (Mr. 3000), Jay Paulson (West Wing), Slade Pearce (Crossing Jordan), Geoff Stults (Wedding Crashers) and Odette Yutsman (South Beach). The series is executive produced by Gary Fleder, Scott Rosenberg, Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec. Mark Ovitz serves as producer with Tom Luse as UPM.
Georgia Public Broadcasting Introduces C-47
Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Georgia Council for the Arts, the Digital Arts and Entertainment Lab at Georgia State University and the Georgia Department of Economic Development have introduced C-47: Georgia Short Film Showcase. The C-47 project is a new initiative that will provide opportunities for Georgia's independent filmmakers to have their films broadcast.
Centered on the art and technique of filmmaking, C-47 features a monthly broadcast showcase for Georgia filmmakers and their short films. Each month, two filmmakers and their films will be featured on the C-47 program over GPB's satellite and overnight open-air broadcast outlets and discussed at length on the website. At the end of each year, one film will be chosen by audience and industry vote as Georgia's top short film for that year.
To participate in the C-47 project and submit films for possible broadcast, the principal filmmaker must be a Georgia resident and their film must have been shot in whole or in part in Georgia. Films are judged on a quarterly basis with submission deadlines of December 31, 2006; March 31, 2007 and June 30, 2007. For complete guidelines visit www.cforty7.com.

Wardell Named ED of IMAGE

Photo: Gabriel Wardell

Gabriel Wardell was recently appointed executive director of IMAGE Film & Video Center in Atlanta. IMAGE organizes two major film festivals, the Atlanta Film Festival and Out On Film, in addition to providing numerous filmmaker services and education initiatives including

workshops, salons and screenings. Wardell has worked for festivals and non-
profits for over a decade, programming the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland as well as producing the inaugural edition of Silverdocs/ Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. He hosted and programmed Cinema Sundays at the Charles in Baltimore for seven years and programmed for festivals in Maryland, Sonoma and Atlanta. Wardell has a B.A. in Film from Bard College.
For information on IMAGE, please call 404.352.4225 or visit: www.imagefv.org.

Atlantis Music Conference & Festival
More than 300 artist showcases, keynote and educational panels, an Interactive Music Technology Forum and networking events made up the ninth annual Atlantis Music Conference & Festival held October 4-7 in Atlanta. Artists representing a variety of musical genres including Rock, Alternative, Urban/R&B, Hip Hop, DJ/ Electronica, Soul, Americana, Acoustic, Country and Christian performed for music industry executives and music fans during the conference.
Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music and marketing for Electronic Arts, opened the conference with his keynote speech titled "The Record Business is Dead: Long Live the Music Industry," addressing the changing dynamic of the music industry in the new digital age.
Atlantis has become known for showcasing unsigned acts prior to their breakthrough to mainstream success. This year, over 15 Atlanta area music venues played host to nightly showcases. The 2006 Atlantis Music Conference & Festival was sponsored by WNNX - 99X, Hot 107.9/Radio One, Georgia Film, Video & Music, Sonicbids.com, MySpace.com, PureVolume.com, Creative Loafing, Georgia Music Magazine and more.
If you were unable to attend the conference, be sure to view event images online at www.atlantismusic.com.

Rome International Film Festival Screens
In September, the third annual Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) brought independent films from around the globe to historic downtown Rome, Georgia. The festival included 140 films representing 35 countries and 41 world premieres.
Our Very Own opened the festival. Directed by Cameron Watson, the coming-of-age story set in 1978 Shelbyville, Tennessee, stars Keith Carradine, Allison Janney, Cheryl Hines, Faith Prince, Mary Badham, Jason Ritter, Autumn Reeser, Hilarie Burton and Derek Carter. The film's director and several cast members attended the Opening Night Gala.
The closing night film, To Kill a Mockingbird, was followed by Q & A with Mary Badham, who played Scout in the original film. RIFF concluded with the awards ceremony at the DeSoto Theatre, followed by screenings of several of the winning films.
The festival's website is www.riff.tv.
Broken Bridges... from page 1
by Sara Risher, Donald Zuckerman and Leslie Belzberg with executive producers Adena Chawke, Loretha Jones and Brian Philips. Lensing locations included The Veranda in Senoia, Oakland Cemetery and Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia. The movie website is www.brokenbridgesmovie.com.
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Photo: (L-R) Billboard's Gail Mitchell interviews Ludacris.
Billboard Returns to Atlanta
Now in its seventh year, and returning for its second year to Atlanta, the Billboard R&B HipHop Conference and Awards brought together the music professionals that help to create, produce, promote and distribute the hottest genre on the charts today. For three days in September, industry leaders- agents, artists, managers, producers, press and record label executives attended conference sessions, artist showcases, networking opportunities and the awards program.
The conference's Q & A Keynote Session with Ludacris, a one-on-one interview conducted by Billboard senior R&B/hip-hop editor, was a standing room only event. The conference was capped off by the Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Awards featuring performances by Young Dro, Lyfe Jennings, Shareefa, Bobby Valentino and Governor. The Otis Redding Family was on hand for the presentation of the Otis Redding Excellence Award which went to Atlantan Jermaine Dupri.

How Down Is Your Sound?
How down is your sound? That's what celebrity judges songwriter and producer Sean Garrett and Atlanta-based media personality Ryan Cameron wanted to know. Utilizing a global vote cast via Kaneva (www.kaneva.com), these judges were bent on discovering the newest music sensation and rewarding them with a grand prize package valued at over $60,000.
"We are excited to be a part of this search to discover new talent, enable voting across the globe and provide a fun online community," said Christopher Klaus, Kaneva's founder and CEO. "Kaneva is an online social world built around entertainment that empowers people to connect, express themselves, and share their passions and interests online in an entirely new way."
During the six week competition more than 1600 original sound, song and music videos were uploaded to the How Down is Your Sound web channel on Kaneva.com. Votes were cast online with the top 10 acts invited to perform "live" in a Sound Off in front of the celebrity judges. The hip-hop duet Marv-N-Cash was declared the grand prize winner of the inaugural How Down is Your Sound Sound Off. The sounds of the 10 finalists and videos of the Sound Off event are showcased online on www.Kaneva.com .

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