CONTENTS

1. IFP INDUSTRY SPONSOR: Get to know TagTeam Film & Video

2. IFP MEDIA ARTS NEWS: The 2009 Short Film Series, MNTV, is now at the Walker Art Center

3. MEMBER NEWS: News from Al Justiniano, Ryan Strandjord and Troy LaFaye

4. FILM NEWS: Help save the Film Board!

5. UPCOMING IFP CLASSES: Music Video Boot Camp, Beginning Digital Photography, Introduction to Video Production – Learning the Techniques, Elements of Screenwriting

6. INDEPENDENT THEATER SCREENINGS: Women With Vision Festival, Minnesota Film Arts

7. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: The Jerome Foundation Film and Video Grant

8. YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES: Made Fresh monthly Teen Art Competition, .Edu Festival Call for Entries

9. CLASSIFIEDS: Office space available, Videographers needed

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1. IFP MN INDUSTRY SPONSOR

In 1986, industry veterans Jeff Byers and Tom Krohn founded TagTeam Film & Video, Inc.From the beginning, our simple goal was to provide comprehensive video production services by combining our respective talents, applying the right tools, and serving great clients.

Since we never intended to become a major employer, we augment our core staff with the best of the local freelance community. However we do think it’s important to have as many of our tools under our control as possible to help ensure quality and availability. To that end, we own a substantial amount of production equipment, including three complete camera packages, two lighting/grip vehicles and much more. We also offer post-production services through our sister company, Broad Daylight. Broad Daylight offers three non-linear edit suites, 2D and 3D graphics production and an audio recording/sweetening facility.

Our clients include: General Mills, Dateline NBC, Macy’s, Target, Best Buy, ABC, ESPN, and many other broadcast, corporate and independent producers. TagTeam has experience in a wide variety of production formats. Whether it’s standard definition or high definition, single or multi-camera, a video news release or a network news magazine, a 30-second broadcast commercial or a 30-minute corporate training piece, we have the right team and the right tools to help you achieve your communication objectives. Find more information at www.tagteam.tv

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2. IFP MEDIA ARTS NEWS

The 2009 Short Film Series, MNTV, is now at the Walker Art Center! You can watch these dazzling episodes in the comfort of the Best Buy Film/Video Bay - those nice monitors that you see when you come down the lovely hall of the Walker. Free, for your viewing pleasure! http://calendar.walkerart.org/event.wac?id=5564

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3. MEMBER NEWS

Al Justiniano, in his capacity as artistic director of Teatro del Pueblo, presents the United States tour premiere of Rehenes (Hostages) with Intermedia Arts and the University of Minnesota as part of the Political Theatre Festival. Director Bruno Ortiz will be available for Q&A following the film. The film is a fictional movie surrounding a historic event in 1996, in which more than 500 people were taken hostage by MRTA guerrillas in the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru. The movie centers around a journalist/theatre director who decides to direct a play on the takeover to uncover political intricacies of the social movement.

This movie is recommended for mature audiences only. In Spanish with English subtitles. At Intermedia Arts 2822 Lyndale Ave South Minneapolis, MN 55408 at 2:00pm Saturday, March 13th, 2010. Tickets $6. Ortiz has been an actor/performer in over twenty plays and has directed/co-directed over twenty-eight plays which have been produced in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru and the United States. He has been awarded prizes for his work in the field of Human Rights, World Health, Performance, and Children’s stories.

IFP member Ryan Strandjord has been hired to produce the 2009 Minneapolis Film Race. The 4th annual competition will be challenging local filmmakers to create an original short film (4 minutes max) in just 24 hours from Friday, March 26th to Saturday, March 27th. All of the completed films will premiere for the public Wednesday March 31st at the Oak Street Cinema and the best films will advance into a nationwide competition for thousands in prizes. Anyone may register, but space is limited. Get your team together and sign up today! To register or learn more, visit http://www.filmracing.com/Cities/Minneapolis.htm

From Troy LaFaye, IFP member and one of the producers of TVTV: Beginning March 1 fans of the cult hit Transylvania Television (TVTV) can pledge their “undying” loyalty and money through http://www.kickstarter.com. Funds raised will help produce an hour-long Halloween special on the Twin Cities network CW (formally known as WB23). Fans can locate the pledge page by visiting http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/transylvaniatv/transylvania-television-halloween-special. Pledges can be as little as $10 and depending on the level of sponsorships, fans and donors can receive various gifts for their pledges including buttons, character shrinky-dinks, autographed pieces from the set, and personalized video greetings from the Transylvania Television cast.

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4. FILM NEWS

Governor Pawlenty's 2010 Supplemental Budget Recommendation proposes cutting all operations funding for the MN Film & TV Board! Governor Pawlenty has proposed to strip MFTVB of its $325,000 annual state funding and to cut funds for the Snowbate film production jobs program to $525,000 (from $1,225,000M) in 2010. If adopted, the Governor’s proposal will deal a terrible blow to the film and television industry in our state, will cost our state good jobs, will diminish our economic vitality and will drive more of our young people to leave Minnesota in search of opportunity. The Governor’s message to Minnesota’s production community is that its jobs are neither valuable nor worth preserving. Find Out How You Can Help: mnfilmtv.org/how-i-can-help

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5. UPCOMING CLASSES AT IFP MN

Music Video Boot Camp Saturdays, April 3–10, 10am–5pm; Sunday, April 11. In this workshop you’ll experience the entire pre- to post-production process to create a music video working with local musician Aaron Rice of Aaron & The Sea. You’ll harness creative energy you didn’t even know you had, then match it with stylized lighting and editing, all while working as part of a crew to produce an original, cutting-edge music video.

Beginning Digital Photography April 6–27, 6:30–9:30pm. Learn to take better digital photographs by understanding the technology behind it. This beginning class is geared towards digital SLR camera users and will cover topics such as white balance, digital histograms, file formats, and much more to help make you a better digital photographer. Through lecture, discussion, and homework assignments this class will take the mystery out of digital photography. Students should bring their cameras and operating manuals to all class sessions.

Introduction to Video Production – Learning the Techniques Wednesdays, April 7–May 19. This course is designed for all skill and interest levels - beginners, video enthusiasts, and more experienced students needing a refresher course. Students will gain hands-on production experience using digital video by participating in the scripting and shooting of a short in-class film project. The instruction will focus on the basics of good cinematography (including HD), lighting techniques, continuity, directing, and sound recording. The language of film will be explored through a combination of screenings, discussions, and the in-class project. There will be only a minimal amount of hands-on editing during the course. Tuition includes camera rental for use outside of class.

Elements of Screenwriting April 8–May 27, 6:30–9:30pm. The course goal is to provide the beginning screenwriter with the tools and information necessary to get started on their first-draft screenplay, the first pages of which will be workshopped in the final two class sessions. In this course you will learn:

• The basics of the screenplay in format and content
• How a story idea or a piece of narrative fiction or non-fiction translates into a finished film
• Tricks for mastering three-act structure
• Tips on next steps: competitions, fellowships, becoming part of a community of writers,
         and building a career

More Classes and Workshops>

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6. INDEPENDENT THEATER SCREENINGS

WALKER ART CENTER WOMEN WITH VISION 17TH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
35 Shots of Rum (35 rhums), Friday, March 12, 2010, 7:30 pm, $8 ($6 Walker Members). Directed by Claire Denis. A personal film about relationships and letting go, 35 Shots of Rum was inspired by the subtle, graceful work of Japanese filmmaker Ozu. Depicting a widowed father sharing an apartment with his adult daughter, the story is told in the pauses between their words. “Sublime . . . Denis’ warmest, most radiant work” (Village Voice). A provocative director recognized for her explorations of cross-cultural tensions, Denis was the subject of the Walker’s 1998 Regis Retrospective, and has screened two films at previous Women with Vision film festivals. 2008, 35mm, in French with English subtitles, 100 minutes.

The Runaways, Saturday, March 13, 2010, 7:30 pm, $8 ($6 Walker Members)Directed by Floria Sigismondi. One of rock’s quintessential girl groups, the Runaways exploded onto the scene in the mid-seventies, playing hits such as “Cherry Bomb” to huge audiences around the world. Based on vocalist Cherie Currie’s shocking book Neon Angel, this film chronicles the band’s brief rise to fame and all that came with it. In her debut feature, Sigismondi—best known for photography and music videos for Marilyn Manson, David Bowie, and Björk—enlisted Dakota Fanning for the role of Cherie Currie and Kristen Stewart for Joan Jett.

MN WIFT Short Film Showcase
Celebrating films from New Zealand to the Twin Cities, the third annual Short Film Showcase includes works from festivals around the world. Organized by Women in Film & Television International (WIFTI) and its Minnesota chapter (MN WIFT) and co-presented by the Walker Art Center's Women with Vision Film Festival 2010, this event is held in honor of International Women's Day.

Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 1:00pm at the Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. Screenings begin promptly at 1:00pm. Approximate running time is 120 minutes. Q & A with attending filmmakers. Reception follows screening and discussion with food, drink and great raffle prizes!

Selected films, in alphabetical order:
Abandon ME (Sayer Frey, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Abbie Cancelled (Jessica Burstein, Brooklyn, New York)
Ana's Playground (Jillian Nodland and Marsha Trainer, Minnesota)
As They Fade (Jenna Lyng, Minnesota)
The Great Magician (Elisabet Gustafsson, Sweden)
Mikrofilms no 1, 2, 3 (Helena Alvesalo, Sweden)
Salt and Vinegar (Leela Menon, Waitakere, New Zealand)
Shear Practique (Elena Shpak, Sunnyside, New York)
Speed Grieving (Alysia Reiner, New York, New York)

Tickets: $8 General Public, $6 Walker and WIFTI Members. Call the Walker box office at 612.375.7600 or go to walkerart.org/tickets/

MINNESOTA FILM ARTS
North Face. Director: Philipp Stölzl. Playing at St. Anthony Main Screen #3 - Fri. Mar. 12 - Sun Mar. 14 @ 1:00, 4:00, 7:10, 9:45; Mon. 15 - Wed. 17 @ 4:00, 7:10, 9:45; Thurs 18 at 4:10, 9:45. Based on a true story, North Face is a suspenseful adventure film about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Set in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nation’s Alpinists to conquer the unclimbed north face of the Swiss massif — the Eiger — two reluctant German climbers begin their daring ascent. Critic’s Pick. A transfixing life-and-death adventure tale. – Stephen Holden, New York Times. ClickHere to watch the trailer

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7. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

The Jerome Foundation announces the 2010 Minnesota Film and Video Grant Program. They will hold informational workshops, which are optional for applicants, in order to answer questions about the program. Those workshops are scheduled as follows:

Thursday, April 8, 2010, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Minneapolis College of Art and Design, 2501 Stevens Avenue South, Auditorium 150, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Friday, April 23, 2010, 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., IFP Minnesota, 2446 University Avenue West, St. Paul, Minnesota

Materials for the Minnesota Film and Video Gant Program are on the Jerome Foundation’s website at www.jeromefdn.org .

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8. YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

MADE FRESH MONTHLY: TEEN ART COMPETITION
Made Fresh Monthly is a themed, web-based art competition for high school artists who work in any medium. Each month, the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC) will provide a theme (see below) and select a winning artwork that best exemplifies the theme. All submissions will be posted on the art gallery section of teens.walkerart.org. Monthly winners will receive a $25 Best Buy gift card and will be automatically eligible for our grand prize - Freshest of Made Fresh Award, a $100 Best Buy gift card.

All submissions must be sent digitally. Send digital files of artwork with the artists name, age, high school, address, title and a brief description of the piece to madefreshmonthly@gmail.com. Files must be less than 5 MB, videos must be less than 5 minutes. Limit one submission per month. All entries must be received by the last Monday of the corresponding month. Check out teens.walkerart.org/madefresh for more information.

MARCH: Rhythm and Motion (Mon., March 29)
APRIL: Epic (Mon., April 26)
MAY: Dystopia (Mon., May 24)
JUNE: Color (Mon., June 28)

.EDU FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES, FILM FESTIVAL CURATING WORKSHOP
It’s that time again. The 3rd Annual .EDU Film Festival looking for your entries for screening. The festival is seeking short films and videos from Minnesota High School students. Categories include: narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental. All films and videos will be screened by our youth curating team for inclusion in the festival, and every entry will be included in the .EDU archive of Minnesota youth-made media. Entries are due by April 1st, 2010. Please visit our website at edufilmfest.org for more detailed guidelines, online entry forms, and instruction for entry upload.

If you have any questions about entering your video and film projects in the .EDU Film Festival, or you’re not sure about the process, please email us at edufilmfest@emailmtcs.org or call Trey Wodele at 612-728-8915 ext 2005

.EDU Film Festival, along with the Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council, will host a weekend long introduction to the art of film festival curating. Participants will undergo training and will work together to create the program for the 2010 .EDU FF. Last year we received over 125 submissions from which we selected 70 films for exhibition in the festival. We expect an even higher turn-out for entries this year. This is a great way for young filmmakers to gain some experience, learn a new skill, and network with filmmakers from around the state. Please contact Richard Hansen at richard@soundunseen.com if you, or one of your students, are interested in this unique opportunity.

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9. CLASSIFIEDS

Office space available - Saint Paul midway area: Single and partial office spaces available in suite of filmmakers, graphic designers. Features include large conference/event area, shared fax, high-speed internet, shared copier, networked printer, hard line phone. Contact Matt Ehling for more information - 651-645-0005.

Shadow Lane Productions will be shooting a short film, "Slowly, Quickly", on March 20 and 21 near MCTC. We are looking for volunteers to shoot and edit a mini behind the scenes documentary for our production. The video will be used in promotional materials. If interested, please send an inquiry to jeremy@shadowlaneproductions.com. More info can be found on the production blog at jeremycleek.com.

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IFP Minnesota Center for Media Arts 2446 University Ave. West, Suite 100 St. Paul, MN 55114