Smart Producer without a Smart Phone

Picture - Product Page (T-Mobile)

You might not believe it, but not everyone has an iPhone yet. Seriously. Films that have low/no budget are often born of filmmakers whose personal finances seem to match up with their film's meager funding. Meaning... no budget for a $90/month data plan.

Here's the scenario:

Location - Middle of Nowhere
Time - Late as Hell
Internet Connection - Not a chance
Smart Phones on Set - Zero

Performances have been great all day, the lighting is perfect, and your director is in a great mood... until you realize that the van you need for tomorrow hasn't received confirmation by email about where to be. Their office is closed and your contact there didn't give you a cell number. If that van isn't there tomorrow at 8:ooam- you're screwed. And even worse- everything you did today is worthless.

If you could only send an email with the location address, you'd be the hero-producer they expect you to be. You have two options: call you're mother and wake her up in the middle of the night and try to explain that: "you need her to get out of bed, turn on her ancient computer, sign into your email account find an email from weeks ago, and draft a response that you dictate to her."

OR... you can send an email from your outdated, falling apart, piece of shit cellphone right then and there. How you say? SMS gateway.

Below is the wikipedia chart showing: Carrier, Country, SMS number, and Text Format.

For original source and easier viewing of this information please visit wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_gateways

Check back later this week for an article on using Google SMS to search for info from that same crappy, outdated phone from the nineties... and I know that most of you have heard of or even used this service, but I'm always intrigued when the results of this low-tech approach are both quicker and more accurate than the almighty iPhone's.

Your City Your Vision Your Ad

The Finalists and Winners of Brewster McCracken's Ad Contest have been announced.

Some interesting work. A predictable winner. And little else.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/user/Karl-Thomas%20Musselman

Well done to those who entered, but I must know, Is this all we got Austin?

Slumdad Millionaire

This is actually happening. I read this in the news today. Below is the Byline as printed in yesterdays article.

By Mazher Mahmood, 19/04/2009

"THE poverty-stricken father of Slumdog Millionaire child star Rubina Ali plans to become a millionaire himself-by SELLING his nine-year-old daughter."

Read More: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/271325/Slumdog-Millionaire-star-Rubina-Ali-who-played-Latika-is-offered-for-sale-by-dad-Rafiq-Qureshi-to-the-News-of-the-Worlds-Fake-Sheikh.html

Bi-Definition @ SxSW

Last year during SxSW I was on a serious hustle with director, Kai Salim, representing his senior thesis film, Plan-B. This year, we have collaborated again with Bi-Definition. We spent a ton of time creating a really fun flick full of humor and inspired visuals. For SxSW, we have garnered a coveted screening during the Austin Film Society showcase @ The Hideout Theatre. Screenings are March 14th at 2pm and again on the 15th at 1pm

For more about the film, visit IMDb

For super-awesome-terrific photos by Patrick Rusk check out this slideshow:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrusk/sets/72157605818679922/show/

Texas Film Hall of Fame

For the last few years, SxSW Film has been preceded by a fancy night honoring some of Texas' finest actors. Yesterday evening, Austin was a buzz with celebrities (some of them even noteworthy).

At Austin Studios, Stage 5, celebrity auctioneers includeded: Connie Britton, Kyle Chandler, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson & Brad Leland. Tom Mix Honorary Texan Award was given to quinticential bad boy, Billy Bob Thornton and presented by Dennis Quaid.

Larry Hagman and Powers Booth were both inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame and the proceeds for the night went to benefit the Austin Film Society. Outside of an induction for myself, my only wish was that I could have been there to see the shindig!

So if you want real journalism on the subject, try the Dallas Morning News. They have a pretty good article written by JOE O'CONNELL :

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/031309dntexhagman.3ecde25.html

All the name dropping aside, I would like to see more movies actually coming to Texas. It's fine to honor actors who peaked in the 80's, but damn Texas! Can't we all get behind TXMPA with a real incentive for major films?

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on the web:

http://www.txmpa.org/
http://www.sxsw.com/film
http://www.austinfilm.org/film/texas_film_hall_of_fame_awards_2009