TITUS Wins Best Sci-Fi at 2013 Phoenix Comicon

Posted on May 28, 2013 in Member News

In October 2012 Jump Ship Productions (http://jumpshipfilms.com/) submitted TITUS (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2466838/) to the IFP Phoenix Masterpiece Challenge. Since then Jump Ship (https://www.facebook.com/JumpShipProductions?fref=ts) has entered it into several film festivals including the 2013 Phoenix Comicon. (http://www.phoenixcomicon.com/) TITUS (https://www.facebook.com/JumpShip.TITUS?fref=ts) won Best Science Fiction, and the team couldn’t have been more surprised! For more info on the film check out Jump Ship Productions’ Website (http://jumpshipfilms.com/) or like TITUS on Facebook. (https://www.facebook.com/JumpShip.TITUS?fref=ts)

Bob Marquis wins Filmmaker of the Year

Posted on May 16, 2013 in Featured, IFP/PHX, Member News, News

Bob Marquis wins Filmmaker of the Year at the 2013 Phoenix Film Festival.

Bob Marquis, a longtime IFP Phoenix member, was named the Filmmaker of the Year award by the Phoenix Film Foundation at this year’s Phoenix Film Festival. The Foundation singled out Bob for his award-winning work in film, as well as his extensive work in educating young people.

“It was completely unexpected,” Bob said. “I didn’t think I was in any way a contender.” With so many talented filmmakers in the community, Bob definitely didn’t have a speech prepared. On the contrary, Bob “… was completely blown away. It is quite an honor.”

 Bob has been an active member of the Phoenix film community since he moved here in 2008.  But his road to Filmmaker of the Year wasn’t a straight one.  Bob didn’t set out to make films – he was an improv student at Detroit’s Second City when he fell in love with the art.  He saw an improv group, Neutrino, that created a live improvised movie during their performances.  Bob, who didn’t even own a camera at the time, was hooked. He bought a camera, licensed the idea, and started a Neutrino group in Detroit.

 He met his wife, Jessica, while performing in Detroit.  Together, they began making short films with friends.  “Jess is a key part of my work,” Bob says, “I wouldn’t be where I am without her.” 

 Even at the beginning of his career, Bob wanted to grow and learn.  With each film he has made, he’s  strived to try something new – including involving people who have never made a film before. 

When Bob and Jessica moved to Phoenix, they found a community that provided them with many different people who were also making films – people they could learn from and with.  The couple joined IFP Phoenix and began entering film competitions.  They spearheaded the IFP Screenwriting group for a time, creating a space where writers could learn from each other and experts in the field.

Webb Pickersgill, a past Filmmaker of the year, says, “”What I love about Bob is that not only is he incredibly creative, but his creativity is contagious and he freely shares his thoughts and processes with our younger filmmakers.” 

Awesome Guy, Bob Marquis’ award-winning film

 Bob has not only developed skills behind the camera as an editor, cinematographer, and director, but also in front of the camera as an actor.  Over the years, his films have won many awards.  His latest film, Cordones, won a best editing award in the 2012 IFP Beat the Clock Challenge, and was was shown at the 2013 Phoenix Film Festival.  Awesome Guy, a 2011 film, was an official selection in the 2012 Phoenix Film Festival and 2012 Prescott Film Festival and the 2013 Phoenix Comicon.

 While Bob loves storytelling, he has found an additional passion- educating youth about film. To further that mission, he and Jessica founded Sailbear Labs,non-profit that strives to teach students ages 12-18 how to tell great stories through film.  In addition to providing educational opportunities for kids throughout the year, Sailbear Labs is a partner with the Phoenix Film Festival, offering hands-on workshops and panel discussions each year.

Bob, Jessica, and Moxie Marquis at the 2013 Phoenix Film Festival.

Bob has been educating about film for years, including teaching at The Art Institute of Phoenix since 2008. His love for educating youth led him to pursue a new career in 2010.  He is now a certified teacher and leads the digital film program at Metro Tech High School in Phoenix.

Bob has had a pretty stellar start to his career, and he has even bigger plans for the future.  His goal isn’t to make feature films or move to LA; he wants to “be a solid example of someone who consistently creates quality work and tells original stories.”  Jessica reinforces this, remarking that Bob has three driving principles: creating an inclusive community of artists, inspiring people to express themselves through film, and remaining open and receptive about his own work.

It is these traits, along with his solid body of work that led the Phoenix Film Foundation to name Bob Filmmaker of the Year.  You can follow Bob’s continuing journey at his website, www.bobmarquis.com, or at www.sailbearlabs.org

 

New series: First part of definingsustainability.org project on the web now.

Posted on Apr 28, 2013 in Member News

http://malcolmproductions.com/portfolio/day-oakhaven/

The first segment of a series of short films about how we “define sustainability” Producer Malcolm Matusky www.malcolmproductions.com has been working on this project for years and has now released the first promotional segment of the project. The documentary film will be created out of a series of interviews that he is filming now, and each interview will be released as a segment on the series website www.definingsustainabililty.org.

More to follow.

Podcast Series Featuring Arizona Filmmakers

Posted on Apr 28, 2013 in Member News

The Push Crowd Podcast is Keegan Ead and cohost Kris Kwan inviting different guests every episode to talk about films and filmmaking. They branch off into some other topics like general art, technology, the business of being a creative professional, multimedia, and gaming. We launch rockets towards a lot of nerdy topics but always come back around to filmmaking.

The format changes pretty regularly as Push Crowd figures out their groove. But 10 episodes are released now for you to take a listen.

Episode listing can be found here:
http://www.pushcrowd.com/push-crowd-podcast-episode-listing/
Good episodes to try out first would be Ep, 5 or 7 or 9.

Or you can subscribe on iTunes; just search for “Push Crowd Podcast”

Verve Studios announces winter-spring class schedule

Posted on Apr 28, 2013 in Member News

Winter-Spring 2013 Classes and Workshops

Verve STUDENTS are Working!

Verve COACHES are professional, working, degreed actors, filmmakers and educators.

Do you want to be a working actor? Do you want to be successful in film, television, theatre, commercials, industrials, hosting? Then Verve Studios is the place for you. The training at Verve Studios focuses on both the craft and the business of acting and creates flexible, dynamic working actors, who respect and understand the process and one another.

ADULT CLASSES AND WORKSHOP

The Core (Technique/Intro to Scene Study) *learn and hone your technique
Wednesdays, Jan 30-Mar 20; 6:30-9:30 pm; $350
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-core.asp

Advanced/Intermediate Scene Study
Mondays (Ongoing); 1-4 pm and 6:30-9:30 pm; $175/mo
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-scenestudy.asp

TelePrompTer
Saturday, Feb 2; 8:30 – 11:30 am; $75
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-teleprompter.asp

Advanced Commercial Workout
Saturday, Feb 9; 9 am – 12 pm; $40
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-commercials.asp

Voice/Speech Production
*new class!
Tuesdays, Mar 5-April 9; 6:30-8 pm; $225
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-voicespeech.asp

Film Acting
Wednesdays, Mar 27-May 20; 6:30-9:30 pm; $325
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-film.asp

Commercials
Sundays, April 7-May 12; 1-4 pm; $325
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-commercials.asp

Hosting
Saturdays, April 6-27; 9-11 am; $200
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-hosting.asp

Film Auditioning Workshop
Saturday, April 13; 12-6 pm; $85
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-film.asp

Shakespeare Boot Camp
*back by popular demand!
Tuesdays, May 7-28; 6:30-9:30 pm; $250
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-shakespeare.asp

Intermediate/Advanced Film Acting
Wednesdays, May 22-June 26; 6:30-9:30 pm; $325
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-film.asp

TEENS/TWEENS/KIDS CLASSES
Weekly Youth classes continue through May.

Teens (ages 14-17)
Mondays through May 20, 2013
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-teens.asp *class is full

Tweens (ages 11-14)
Wednesdays through May 22, 2013
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-tweens.asp *spots available

SUMMER FILM ACTING CAMPS

Teens (ages 14-17)
Monday-Friday, June 24-28, 2013
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-teens.asp

Tweens (ages 11-14)
Monday-Friday, June 17-21, 2013
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-tweens.asp

Kids (ages 8-12)
Monday-Friday, June 3-7, 2013
http://www.vervestudio.net/acting-kids.asp

www.VerveStudio.net • 480.659.8957 • Info@VerveStudio.net • Facebook • Mailing list
7735 E Gelding Drive, Suite #5, Scottsdale AZ 85260

Breakout Challenge Results Are In!

Posted on Feb 11, 2013 in Featured, Filmmaker Challenges, IFP/PHX, Member News

The Criteria

We skipped the traditional Prop, Line, and Genre criteria. Instead, we want to inspire your team by providing you with just a THEME. What is a theme you ask? It is the underlying message of your film, separate from your story, genre, and dialog. It is the heart of any story. In addition to a film, teams were required to deliver a trailer, digital artwork, and marketing materials too.

The Prizes