Six lines. Three minutes.

What kind of film story can you tell with the limitations of six lines of random dialogue and a three-minute time limit. This film was recently shared with me, from a contest a couple of years ago. (Ridley Scott chose this winner.)

The contest, which received over 600 entries from around the world, invited aspiring filmmakers to create an original short film using the same six-line dialogue as the Cannes Lions award-winning Parallel Lines short films directed by RSA talents Carl Erik Rinsch, Greg Fay, Johnny Hardstaff, Jake Scott and Hi-Sim.

Commenting on his choice of winner, Sir Ridley Scott said: “I chose Porcelain Unicorn to be the winning film as it had a very strong narrative; a very complete story that was well told and executed.”

Learn to love limitations!

101 Greatest Screenplays – WGA list

If you want to write well, read well. Here are just the Top 10.

1. CASABLANCA Screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. Based on the play “Everybody Comes to Ricks” by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison

2. THE GODFATHER Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo

3. CHINATOWN Written by Robert Towne

4. CITIZEN KANE Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles

5. ALL ABOUT EVE Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Based on “The Wisdom of Eve,” a short story and radio play by Mary Orr

6. ANNIE HALL Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman

7. SUNSET BLVD. Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman, Jr.

8. NETWORK Written by Paddy ChayefskyFACTS

9. SOME LIKE IT HOT Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond. Based on “Fanfare of Love,” a German film written by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan

10. THE GODFATHER II Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Based on Mario Puzos novel “The Godfather”

via 101 List.

Making Something is Easy, but it’s Not Enough | Echo Hub

Scott McClellan writes a good article in EchoHub this week. If you are creative person, it’s easy to get caught up in the creative act or even the technology that makes it easier/cheaper to create (a real tendency in the filmmaking world) but forget about the long discipline of learning to tell good stories.

Scott writes:

So, it’s easier than ever to make something.

But it’s as difficult as it ever was to make someone feel something.

Our job as communicators is found in the difference between those two pursuits.

[And]

In other words, if I really want to be a filmmaker, I need to invest in more than just a camera. It’s easier than ever to make a video and publish it on the Internet, but it’s as difficult as ever to make a video that makes a difference.

Read the whole post here: Making Something is Easy, but it’s Not Enough | Echo Hub.

If you want to be creative, write for television – Sundance London

A Hollywood Reporter article recently highlighted the challenges of indie filmmaking on both sides of the Pond these days. In the US, the studios continue to look for ‘safe’ material. In the UK, even government financing doesn’t solve all of the problems for filmmakers wanting to create more challenging films.

From a panel on the state of independent film at Sundance London, it sounds like depressing days for filmmakers trying to get ambitious work made and distributed in the US, and the UK. However, if you can avoid the siren’s song of theatrical release, you may be able to find a home for your creative vision.

While several panelists highlighted that the Oscars of late have seen many indies with leading numbers of nominations, [James Marsh (Man on Wire)] said the studio system in the U.S. has in many cases stopped consciously pursuing indie-type projects. “Narrative risky work has moved to TV,” and great filmmakers are finding freedom on television, he said. “A lot of good writing is done in American TV, too. The studios have given up on this.”

He said while “there are great films being made even in that system,” great scripts often don’t end up making it to the screen – or only in weakened form. “The system is just there doing what it’s doing. Great scripts…they will either ruin them or never do them.”

Paradigm shift for sharing knowledge: TED-Ed

Those TED people; I love when they mess with my mind. So now it’s education and extending video content in an open-source, sharing model.

If you are in any way involved in on-line media training, you should check this out.

TED-Ed | Lessons Worth Sharing.

In a nutshell, the new TED-Ed system lets any educator take existing content from their own YouTube videos and create lesson materials for their students in the form of addition text information, quizzes, etc. AND, other world-class educators (like many TED speakers) are making their own videos and lessons available. What’s more, you can edit their existing lessons to create your own custom lessons to meet your educational needs and goals. That’s pretty cool.

Of course, if your dream is to create a business from on-line education and to be able to monetize your content, this paradigm undermines that model. Depending on your content area, you could find yourself in competition with the free information folks. If you are in a niche where you are the world expert, you might still have a chance if you package it all in a way that adds great value versus the open source world. Same as always.

If you’re an educator or user, what are your thoughts?

Red Carpet Benefit Premiere of “Street Language”

Here’s a link to this week’s: Red Carpet Benefit Premiere of “Street Language” – Movies : Denver Colorado Neighbors.