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Sunday, September 20, 2009 - 9:00 AM - Tampa Indie Film Log for Filmmaker C. A. Passinault
Tampa Bay Film Upgrades, HHPS 2009, and Reviewing Tampa Indie Film
These are exciting times. Remarkable, even. Let us begin.
Tampa
Bay Film Upgrades
I’ve been going over site code this weekend, and have decided to
begin building an enhanced version of my tried-and-true, proven Raptor
3 site designs. All eight of the Tampa Bay Film sites (including this
Tampa Film Blog) will be converted into new Super Raptors.
I need to make the most of my web site layout real estate.
The normal Raptor 3 has an eight button menu on the left, and ads on the
right. I used to have third-party ads on the
right, but decided to part ways with the advertising program due to meager
payouts. With the traffic that I was giving their advertisers, they were
grossly underpaying (also, on my modeling sites, I kept getting complaints
that ads for modeling scams were showing up on the sites). So, I put my
own ads on there, and began turning my resource sites into online marketing
platforms for my photography and professional services companies.
Tampa Bay Modeling and Tampa Bay Acting will remain, for now, Raptor 3
formats (I already have a lot to do in the next few weeks for Tampa Bay
Modeling because their five year anniversary as a modeling industry-changing
top modeling resource site is in October). The Tampa Bay Film sites, on
the other hand, are a completely different story. These sites are exploding
in size, and the Raptor 3 design is not enough to handle all the menu
options and site cross-linking.
Super Raptors have a dual menu layout. At first glance, they look like
a Raptor 3, but have double menus. What used to be ads on the right will
be replaced my a menu system which has an identical design to the menu
system on the left. The result will be twice the menu capacity, from 8
menu options to 16, and 7 of those menu buttons will lead to the other
Tampa Bay Film sites, which in turn link back from their Super Raptor
menus, making one massive super site made up of the eight Tampa Bay Film
sites. When done, my readers can seamlessly navigate among the eight sites
in the Tampa Bay Film network just as if it were one site.
This will make Tampa Bay Film and the array of Tampa Bay Film sites in
the network the largest independent film resource in Florida. The Super
Raptor format will lend itself well to sites like the Tampa Bay Film Online
Film Festival, too, with the dual menus giving it a balanced, movie theater
look. The evolution is complete, for now.
There’s more, too.
I’m not going to stop advertising my services on my Tampa Bay Film
sites. What used to be on my ads will be converted to menu items. I will
have a photography section selling photography services directly from
each web site, much like Tampa Bay Modeling and Tampa Bay Acting is doing,
and will have a services section selling event planning, design, web design,
and advertising services (I am licensed for all of this, and own the top
Tampa companies offering these services). My online real estate will be
maximized for efficiency and effectiveness.
The web sites for Tampa Bay Film, the Tampa Bay Film Online Film Festival,
the Tampa Film Showcase, Tampa Film Review, Tampa Film Blog, Tampa Film
Festivals, Tampa Film Conference, and Tampa Film Community will be fully
operational Super Raptors by the end of the year. The online film festival
will be the first converted, followed by Tampa Bay Film, and then the
others, which includes this Tampa Film Blog (I am looking to upgrade the
Tampa Film Blog before, or, at least, by October 2009 to increase my advantage
over aspiring competitors; aspiring competitors who, in my qualified opinion,
do not have the best interests of Tampa indie film and Tampa indie filmmakers
in mind).
There’s more, too. I have at least two, and maybe even more, indie
film-relevant sites coming in the future. I am looking at investing in,
and launching, international online film festival, indie film resources,
and film festival web sites. These sites, which will be in English (since
that is the only language that I know. I may be a genius polymath, but
a gift for languages is not something that I have. I am very, very good
with English, however), and which will focus on indie film in the United
States, will lead into the Tampa Bay Film sites.
Why am I doing all of this? Allow me to summarize for those of you with
short attention spans.
1. To actually help Tampa filmmakers, and help Tampa indie film to be respected. Yes, unlike those idiots who claim to help, but who secretly have other motives that are not in the best interest of Tampa filmmakers (such as the high-profile Tampa filmmaker who sold us out to become the token fool- er, Tampa filmmaker - on the board of a large Tampa film festival; a film festival which, in the opinion of many, does not have the best interests of Tampa filmmakers in their agenda).
2. Some of the ideas which will be introduced to the Tampa indie film scene will revolutionize independent film as a whole, and this is something that I am determined to demonstrate, and prove (what I have published so far is nothing compared to what I am working on. I have a lot going on that I have not disclosed, and some of those efforts are classified as trade secrets, and will not be revealed until I am in the position to utilize them myself). Those ideas will infect indie film worldwide, and make the Tampa indie film market not only highly respected, but a leader in indie film worldwide. The future of indie film starts here in Tampa, believe it or not. What are those ideas? All in due time. Let’s just say that they’ve already been proven to work. They work, they are effective, and they will change our world. A prelude of the future? Look at the inability of the Tampa indie film clique to compete with what I have already unleashed upon the market. They are outclassed in every way, and even ganging up on me, they are not competition. Not even close. In my opinion, some of these people need to go back to school and learn things. Unfortunately, you cannot learn talent, or creativity, which few of these idiots have.
3. I am working building a professional indie film community in the Tampa indie film scene, a think tank of talented filmmakers, and an esteemed reputation which will inspire film distributors to come to Tampa Bay looking for films to buy, NOT for Hollywood to come here and use us as a location while undermining Tampa filmmaking. There is a difference. Thank God that I am not alone in this effort. Tampa filmmakers such as Chris Woods, the Andy’s, and Shelby are exactly what the Tampa indie film scene needs to make this happen. We will be getting more filmmakers like them, and we are going to need them.
4. I have my own interests in mind, too, although none of my interests conflict with the interests of Tampa filmmakers as a whole (how many of the others can attest to this, and prove it?). Filmmaking is going to be a critical part of my future, and my career. I’m investing in that future. By the time I begin making my indie films, I will command the most effective indie film marketing and promotional platforms in this market. This includes Tampa film festivals. Everything that I am building, I intend to utilize; if it’s good enough for me, then it will benefit all Tampa filmmakers. I’m not taking any shortcuts, or short changing, a thing. These are all front-line tools, and will be extremely effective.
5. Some
of you may be wondering why I am creating, and building, so many different
film festival properties. The reason is that the current Tampa film festivals
are flawed, boring, and ineffective. Some of them intentionally do not
support Tampa filmmakers or filmmaking in Tampa Bay (although
they all go out and try to convince Tampa filmmakers to “volunteer”
to help. The filmmakers have no idea that they are helping to attract
their competition here, and that the environment that they are helping
to make will make it much more difficult to make, market, and promote
Tampa films). My people and I will take this market and transform it to
one where Tampa filmmakers benefit, while undermining the effectiveness
of those who work to sell out Tampa filmmakers and loot the Tampa indie
film scene of every resource. The film festival market in Tampa is going
to become ours, and it is for the good of Tampa filmmaking. Additionally,
I am sick and tired of the false modesty, the misleading spin, and the
fake charity crap infesting most Tampa film festivals and their organizers.
Film festivals are events, and event planning is a business. Never forget
that. I will be offering services. Those services are a business. My services
will be to promote and market Tampa indie film and to assist Tampa filmmakers,
something which almost no one is doing right now.
I wouldn’t shed a tear if the competition that I bring to the market
is the cause of some film festivals, such as The Gasparilla International
Film Festival, to lose most of their market, or to go out of business
altogether. Has anyone noticed what the Tampa Bay Film Online Film Festival
did to a monthly film festival? Where is the film festival now? They were
not up to the challenge that I brought to the market, and neither will
these other Tampa film festivals. What I’ve accomplished so far
I did with an online film festival. Can you imagine what’s going
to happen when I begin flooding the market with advanced, effective, and
fun film festival events?
This said, I have no desire to have a monopoly on the Tampa film festival
market. I only want to set the standard for what Tampa film festivals
could be, and should be. If there are other Tampa film festivals which
support Tampa filmmakers and the Tampa indie film scene, I will gladly
support them, too!
Halloween Horror Picture Show 2009 Rebrand
My Halloween Horror Picture
Show 2009 underground film festival will no longer be branded Halloween
Horror Picture Show 2009. It will be called the Halloween Drive-In underground
film festival.
First off, it’ll be in a car, which has nothing to do with HHPS.
It’s quite different. Secondly, branding it that will mess with
my review indexes on Tampa Film Review. People will be reading the reviews
for Halloween Horror Picture Show 2007 and 2009, and then will get very
confused when they click next and start reading the one for 2009 (for
the record, I am going back and will be publishing official reviews for
Halloween Horror Picture Show’s 2003, 2004, 2005- which I attended,
and 2006. This will give a complete history of the film festival series,
and, like The Tampa Film Review film festival series, I will even write
up a review of the series as a whole, with film programs, the story behind
its inception, and the overall life cycle details). Third, Rick Danford
owns the rights to the HHPS name, and it would not be right to simply
assume it, even if it is a protest. Additionally, I do consider Danford
to be my friend, even if he isn’t returning my calls for some reason.
I am assuming that someone spread some sort of made up lie to him, and
he’s mad at me for something that I did not do. So, yes, I’m
very annoyed with him right now, but it is no reason to jump on the “let’s
slam Rick Danford” bandwagon that a few others are on. Some may
claim that I have an agenda to slam Tampa filmmakers, but this is far
from the_truth. I merely call things as I see them, which happens to be
how they are most of the time. Danford has done a lot of good for Tampa
indie film, and his latest films have been quite good. Still, I am quite
disappointed with him for giving up on the Halloween Horror Picture Show
(which it looks like he has), as it has (had) so much potential. If I
could go back in time, I would be more than happy to attend each and every
one of the HHPS film festivals. They were a lot of fun!
This said, the Tampa indie film scene shares blame, too. The 2007 Halloween
Horror Picture Show, which was turbocharged as “Halloweenapalooza”,
was Danford’s most ambitious Halloween Horror Picture Show, and
he did a lot of work on that film festival, having it at a top notch venue
like Channelside, too. The low turnout would have been discouraging for
anyone, and people being jerks toward Danford over silly personal issues
was just unprofessional, and it is evidence to support my opinion that
Tampa does not have a film community.
When I covered the Halloween Horror Picture Show film festivals, Danford
was always cool with me, and even had me on his press list each and every
time! I can’t say that for many of the other Tampa film festivals
that I have been to.
So, Danford, if you are reading this, I am sorry if I came off like a
jerk on here. I am simply frustrated, and disappointed, because there
doesn’t seem to be a Halloween Horror Picture Show for 2009, and
it looks like your fun film festival series is finally over. I also get
annoyed when people don’t return my calls (especially when I did
not do anything to deserve the lack of courtesy), so it’s my fault
for getting angry over all of this. Oh, and Danford, if the reason for
the lack of communication is because someone told you anything, do not
believe them. Some people in the Tampa indie film scene have a history
of lying and making up stories. I honestly did not do anything to you,
and was always supportive of you!
Of course, I’m still protesting. I will note in my coverage of the
Halloween Drive-In (God, I hate hyphens in titles) underground film festival,
and we will even have a moment of silence, with the DVD player screen
faded to black, in memory of the adventure that was the Halloween Horror
Picture Show. I am sure that at least one of the models in attendance
will shed a tear.
Come on! I know that I am not the only one upset that the Halloween Horror
Picture Show seems to be over! Why am I the only one telling the world
how I feel?!?!? I know many others care, too! Do you care, or am I the
only one?
Reviewing Tampa Indie Film
My Tampa
Film Review web site was originally supposed to be a lead-in
index for my review on Tampa Bay Film. Well, I am now upgrading this Tampa
Bay Film support site to a fully operational Super Raptor class web site,
and all of the reviews on Tampa Bay Film will be updated, and then moved
to Tampa Film Review.
From now on, any reviews of Tampa film festivals, Tampa films, Tampa indie
film events, Tampa film premiers, Tampa filmmakers, Tampa indie film production
companies, Tampa film web sites, Tampa film venues, Tampa film publications,
Tampa film bloggers, or anything else Tampa indie film-relevant will be
published on Tampa Film Review under the Tampa Bay Film logo, referenced
from the Tampa Bay Film site and other Tampa Bay Film sites.
It’s time to keep content in its relevant place.
My two upcoming reviews of the TFR (TFR 2009 and TFR 2004-2009; the complete
guide and historical reference) will be published on Tampa Bay Film’s
Tampa Film Review site (I will be out getting pictures for these reviews
this week, FYI). All future Tampa film festival reviews will be published
there. So will the indie film reviews of films like Bloody
Mary, The Pledge, The Web Of Darkness, Live Evil, Alarum, Milk Crate Scars,
The Dance, Life Is A Circus, 99, 100 Tears, The Perpetual Life: Kyle Cooper,
The Quiet Place, Bleed, To Live Is To Die, Spaventare, The End Is Blossoming,
Filthy, Actress Apocalypse, Brainjacked, Excrement 7- Oh,
I mean, Experiment 7, and many others, such
as titles that I forgot to list. Even my films, starting with Reverence,
and even my online “television” series, such as Frontier
View, will be reviewed. There will also be reviews on
films playing on the online film festival, such as The
Dirty Bomb Diaries (which is awesome, by the way)! I
will also be reviewing many films submitted to my array of Tampa film
festivals, once they are operational.
Filmmakers, I only ask that you extend me the courtesy of submitting screener
copies of your films. I will be reviewing them with, or without, your
cooperation. I will state that I will be fair and objective, and it is
not my agenda to nit pick films and to slam them. If I think that your
film is good, I will say so, and I will go into the details that support
my assessment. If I think that the film is bad, I will say that, and go
into the reasons, too. I will be unbiased. As an example, I think that
the short film Perpetual
Life: Kyle Cooper is awesome and professionally done,
even though Paul Guzzo wrote it, and his brother Pete Guzzo directed.
Despite the fact that the Guzzo brothers and I do not see eye to eye,
I will be unbiased, and objective, and state my opinion: that film is
one of the best short films ever made in Tampa Bay. The Kyle Cooper short
will obviously get a good review, because it is a good film.
If I were not fair and objective, what would my credibility as a reviewer,
a critic, and as a writer be? I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t
want to read biased writing which serves as propaganda, as I wouldn’t
read such crap, either. I wouldn’t be fair to my readers if I didn’t
tell it how it was, and didn’t voice my opinions. That’s why
online publications like this Tampa Film Blog will always be better than
other online film publications. I respect my readers, and tell it how
it is instead of kissing ass or hyping crap. Any writer who is way too
nice to everyone and who promotes most of what they cover, instead of
being fair and objective, is not a good writer at all. Those writers also
insult the intelligence of their readers, and disrespect their readers.
They annoy me. We don’t need spineless writers who behave like PR
spinsters. We need real writers who can report on what is really going
on, and will objectively cover things, as well as voice their opinions
and tell it how it is.
At any rate, going back to reviewing films, I will be reviewing every
indie film that I can get my hands on, regardless of how I obtain them.
If I get screeners, I’ll review the film, and note, I my review,
that the filmmaker submitted a screener. If I have to go out of my way
to buy a film, then I will also fairly review it, without bias. I will
also note, in my review, that I had to buy the film, and if the filmmakers
refused to cooperate for some reason, I will also note that.
IF I HAVE TO BUY ANY FILM, I will buy it used, so no one makes any money
from the purchase. Old retail trick, and I do not believe in anyone profiting
when I have a job to do. I’d much rather them make it easy on all
of us and send me a screener.
After all, look at the free publicity that I can give your films, especially
if it’s a good film. My Tampa Bay Film sites are the voice of Tampa
indie film, and I am working hard to ensure that Tampa Bay Film is the
authority on Tampa indie film.
With the dominance of Tampa Bay Film, and the high readership that will
only increase, it’s going to be hard for any filmmaker to ignore
the site. Besides, wouldn’t it be sad if, in the near future, I
decided not to cover, and review, a Tampa film festival or film because
I had better ones to attend to?
Oh, and before I go and work on the online film festival, I have one more
thing to report. Starting in 2010, I will be aggressively covering Tampa
film festivals and indie film premiers with teams of people who will be
with me on behalf of Tampa Bay Film. We will cover the events, and film
interviews, etc. That’s something to look forward to.
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