Posts Under: Short Films
2012 Film Fest Petaluma – Jump Start
One Day / 3 shows! THIS is the festival bay area folks will be talking about all year long. It has it ALL!
Choose from a high brow oscar winner like The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, or keep an open eye for something more homegrown like The Squash.
Do you enjoy a little laughter in the afternoon? dik may be just what you need! Or animated storytelling before bedtime? Then The Maker may be your lullaby.
Or are you the romantic type with a certain provocative flair for a midnight screening of something should I say, je ne sais quoi? Angel Dust will have you riveted to your seat!
Clear Blue may be you’re clear winner, (FFP chooses no winners on the philosophy that everyone is a winner. even that horrible movie not many people enjoyed) but you will not see what’s coming when you turn down Nowhere Road!
The bottom line is that our little festival is going to deliver a plethora of diverse movie experiences you can walk out of the theater as long as you have your ticket!
Click the image bellow for show times!
Mini Doc
I really like the idea of the short documentary.
In this fast paced world, we have barely the time to ask people their name.
Viewing 5 or 10 minutes of a person’s life can open up our experience to
something more cultural. Something worth exploring.
Somehow, I find myself viewing another Phillip Bloom video. It’s like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, but for me it starts by Googling field equipment like a tripod.
The latest sticks (tripod) search lead me to the NAB Convention in Las Vegas, which then revealed the newest German made Sachtler tripod which is being used by none other than Mr. Bloom who just shot an endearing mini doc in Adelaide Australia…
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Music sampling has come a long way since Vanilla Ice laid down some phat beats from Queen/Bowie’s Under Pressure classic, thus making him an overnight sensation.
Thankfully our musical pallets have sampled enough flavors to leave Vanilla in the 80’s and evolve with more sophisticated pairings from mashup artists.
For better or worse, I believe film may be going down this crisscrossing path
Here is an example of the “for better”…
Portal from Games to Film
It’s often said that those who can’t do, teach and those who can’t teach play video games.
Well here’s an example of how one unique game mechanic can spin into a potential major motion picture in Hollywood.
Game mechanic refers to a feature of video game play that allows the gamer to effect the virtual world they’re playing in.
An example might be, whenever you press the red button on your game controller, your dragon breathes fire.
This game is named Portal and the studio who made it is named Valve. Take a look at their pre-order trailer…
OK, now that you understand the potential of “portals”, let’s look at the spin Valve Studios and director, Dan Trachtenberg took for their intellectual property.
Can you say Linda Hamilton?
What strikes me is that this game mechanic is a simple one and the live action short mainly takes place with one actor in a single room.
So if you’re the type who “does”, teaches or plays video games, here is another quote…
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
Life on the Ranch
One afternoon when I was 10 years old, I went to the movies with my brother-in-law to see King Kong. Before entering we noticed a movie poster behind glass showing soldiers in white uniforms and an ominous black figure with a billowing cape emerging from a smoky white hallway peppered with laser fire. After a moments reluctance, I was led into the dark theater where orchestral horns blared out from all directions and scrolling text receded into a star filled background revealing my future. Star Wars was the most important influence in my professional life.
35 years later I find myself playing with characters from a galaxy far far away in the comfort of my own computer at LucasFilm Animation. The studio is conveniently tucked away in the rolling hills of the Marin landscape. Currently the two ranches, Big Rock and Skywalker, are home to a few hundred employees that enjoy its serene lifestyle.
I work closely with some fine talent who help create the Star Wars TV show, Clone Wars. This video of Skywalker Ranch was completely shot with an SLR camera and comes compliments of Phillip Bloom…
Skywalker Ranch from Philip Bloom on Vimeo.
Besides George Lucas’ television endeavors, he has recently produced his live action feature film Red Tails…
StoryLine: A crew of African American pilots in the Tuskegee training program, having faced segregation while kept mostly on the ground during World War II, are called into duty under the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard.
Introduction to me, Mike Dacko
Hello and welcome to the Petaluma Film Alliance blog page.
My name is Mike Dacko and I am a local film maker currently working for LucasFilm Animation in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I’m so grateful to be living in Petaluma. A Sonoma County town that is rich in film culture.
To prove that point, we will be posting content that puts you in front of the screen and behind the scenes of all the PFA movies, events and venues. We will also provide guest segments from directors and participants.
Here is my short film Lightheaded which was accepted by Petaluma Film Fest in 2010…
Lightheaded from Mike Dacko on Vimeo.