Martin Cuff Consulting

CineLink is the industry development section of the Sarajevo Film Festival and it’s designed to reshape and meet the needs and expectations of Southeast Europe’s film industry. Activities take place throughout the year, including Project Development Workshops, Industry Screenings and a Coproduction Market.

It all culminates in the Regional Forum that runs for the next few days at the Hotel Europe here in the city, concentrating on key issues in the audio-visual sector of today – sustainable financing, digitalization, funding schemes, regionalization, sales etc. I’m up this morning, presenting on Film Commissions and Film Incentive Programmes and their applicability in Eastern Europe.

“Life in a Day” is the Ridley Scott-produced, Kevin MacDonald-directed doccie that’s shooting TODAY – 24th July 2010 – on location near you (and you, and you, and you…) I’m thinking The Qatsi trilogy meets A Day in the Life of…. series of coffee table books, only messier and more inspired.

As the blurb says: “Life In A Day” is a historic global experiment to create the world’s largest user-generated feature film: a documentary, shot in a single day, by you. On July 24, you have 24 hours to capture a glimpse of your life on camera. The most compelling and distinctive footage will be edited into an experimental documentary film, executive produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald.”

So what are you waiting for? Get on set.

Fascinating Podcast from Heart of Hollywood (Retro 1260 KGIL) radio on Runaway Productions and the fight to keep production in California: here.

Hollywood can now issue permits realtime. Wow. But it’s still the overwhelming sense of entitlement that astounds me…..

Whilst on the subject of remakes, the US version of the creepy Swedish chiller “Let the Right One In” is also nearing our screens. Made by the same guy who made Cloverfield, it was originally slated to shoot in beloved Colorado, but ended instead in incentives-rich New Mexico. Clearly understanding the maxim that “No Publicity is Bad Publicity”, the host town of Los Alamos has even allowed itself to be named in a movie that features (if the original was anything to go by) alcoholism, child abuse, bullying, pedophilia, poverty and gangs – let alone the small problem of Vampires in their midst. In the spirit of July 4th, I shall be generous and allow that Americans may be able to pull off English language versions of good foreign movies (even if Death at a Funeral sometimes proves they don’t even get the English bit right). The trailer looks like it rocks.

Honestly, I’ve never paid much attention to the artist currently known as Snoop Dogg; I’ve always just sort of zoned him out as someone entirely crass and lacking in talent – a kind of incomprehensible, ubiquitous Paris Hilton, but black.

Sometimes though, he’s just impossible to ignore. Boombox reports that Mr. Dogg recently “directly approached the government of Liechtenstein with a request to use the whole nation as a video set. While Liechtenstein is indeed very small (about 61.7 square miles total), Snoop was only rejected because the country didn’t have enough time to properly get things in order to meet the rapper’s timetable.”

The full story here. That puts a whole new spin on “Making Your Jurisdiction Film-Friendly.” Word.

Here’s a Paramount Pictures map from 1927 showing which Californian filming locations could double for elsewhere? Can anyone say “Runaway Production?”

Just a week to go until we open the doors at the V&A Waterfront World Media & Legacy Centre.

For broadcasters, bloggers, photographers and writers, the V&A Waterfront World Media & Legacy Centre offers a range of turn-key solutions including hot desks with high speed internet access, editing facilities, camera, lighting and equipment hire, libraries of rights-cleared music, photography and HD video footage, production services from live studio broadcasts to roving news teams to single photo-journalists, studio space and camera positions through the Waterfront and beyond. We are also able to offer events and press conference facilities accommodating from 20 to 1500 guests. We’re also the place you’ll need to come to if you want permits to film or shoot anywhere within the 300 hectare Waterfront zone.

The V&A Waterfront World Media & Legacy Centre doesn’t just offer service, it also offers content. We have own Content Website, where you can find Stock Photography, Stock Video Library and accompanying editorial. And we’ll also be posting and updating great local stories on everything from South African soccer history and local culture to a daily diary of events – in short, offering a great pool of unique leads and angles for you to develop.

Now for something completely different. I don’t know if you’ve been watching the hopeless fiasco caused by BP in the Gulf of Mexico? All sorts of Bubbas and Forests stand to loose their meagre livelihoods in the Waterworld because the British Petrolium giant clearly had no contingency plan whatsoever to deal with the possibility that one of their oilrigs might sink. They’ve been about as efficient at covering the leak as a fourteen-year old fumbling over his first condom. Watching their pathetic effort – coupled with the irritation of BP spokespeople insisting it’s all going quite well thankyou – has had all the pathos of a housecat nursing sick and blind puppies.

And so, given the laughable efforts to date, it may surprise you to hear who BP have turned to next……

According to Slash Film:

While he was working on that film (Waterworld), Costner paid scientists millions of dollars to develop a device that could do what his fictional character’s invention could do in the film: purify ocean water. Working prototypes of the device actually exist, which Costner has dubbed “Ocean Therapy.” Now, with the approval of the Army Corps of Engineers, British Petroleum has given the go-ahead for Costner to test six of his devices to help clean up the massive oil spill in the Gulf.

Oh God. It really all is stranger than fiction. Now all we need is Sarah “Drill Baby Drill” Palin to reveal she has gills….

Seems like the good fathers (I mean that as an oxymoron) of the Catholic Church in Brazil are tripping over the hems of their gilt-edged cassocks regarding the cinematic destruction of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Roland Emmerich’s 2012 movie. The Church is not cross because of the desecration of Christ’s image, but because they claim copyright of the statue – and by extension the right to some kind of fiscal compensation for its use. In the movie, you may recall, the iconic Rio landmark was destroyed in one big tidalwave, along with California, India and, apparently, the vestigal remains of the Church’s moral highground…..

Films of the Millenium from Paul Proulx. It’s location, location, location, isn’t it?