QUEUE THIS!

QUEUE THIS! is taking the week off to enjoy a wild* spring break weekend in Reno!  But I couldn’t bear to leave you with a blank post, so here’s one Netflix streaming recommendation: Mad Men.  If you’re a cord cutter like me and haven’t caught up with the last season, now’s the time as it just became available on streaming.

Sure, most of you know about the brilliance of Mad Men, and you are probably also aware of its feminist subject matter, but the main reason I’m highlighting it is because television directors are so often overlooked.  This series in particular has had a couple brilliant women directors that should be getting more attention:  Jennifer Getzinger and Lesli Linka Glatter. 

What Is The Composition Of Your Shot Saying?

A Great Seminar On Designing The Shot.

Last Thursday I went to a seminar at the Egyptian Theater called Within The Frame: Designing The Shot. It was lead by the fabulous Thomas Ethan Harris whose brain is an encyclopedia of film.The seminar was so well received that they added another session. It's this THURSDAY, MARCH 28th @ 7:30. I'm here to say that if you're shooting or directing, it's worth the $20. Harris argues that film has evolved from a complex art form using rich, multi-dimensional composition and design to inform the audience about character and story to simple point and shoot one-dimensional recording of dialogue. (Okay, that's me exaggerating it a bit, but not much.)  By showing film clip examples, Harris supports his case and opens your eyes to the power of designing shots using all the tools available to a filmmaker. You'll learn about visual planes, dominant contrast, designing a close up, letting a shot speak for a character and more. I left completely inspired and now watch films in an entirely different way and will hopefully shoot my films in a more inspired, thoughtful way. This Thursday, Harris promises to add more comedies to his list of examples. For more information about the seminar and to purchase tickets (best to buy in advance, as most of the seminars at the Egyptian sell out), go to http://tinyurl.com/cacc7q8

Top 10 Female Best (Original or Adapted) Screenplay Oscar Winners

Last month, one of the Top 10 lists that I posted was Academy Awards themed (check that depressing post out here). So is this one! But it's happier :)

Here are the Top 10 Female Best (Original or Adapted) Screenplay Oscar Winners.

There have been fifteen films written by women that won an Oscar in one of the writing categories. Do you think one of those other five should be on this list instead? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

10) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson (adapted from the novel The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien)

9) A Room with a View- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (adapted from the novel by E.M. Forster) *Ruth Prawer Jhabvala also won for Howards End (adapted from the novel by E.M. Forster)

8) Interrupted Melody- Sonya Levien, William Ludwig

7) Lost in Translation- Sofia Coppola (also nominated for Best Director)

6) The Piano- Jane Campion (also nominated for Best Director)

Why “Brave” Is Important

Following the Oscars, I heard a lot of people say “Brave” shouldn’t have won Best Animated Feature. They felt the film was underwhelming, not as good as other Pixar films, or “just another princess movie." The last reason is the one that gets under my skin. As the article titles states, “Brave” is a really important film. Yes, it’s about a princess but it’s one of the only movies about a princess that does not involve romance. 

For decades, little girls have been shown film after film that feature beautiful delicate women with perfect hair and pretty dresses who only become happy once a man falls in love with them. I wish I were exaggerating but I’m not. It’s not the existence of these films that’s a problem, because there are princess movies that I like, the problem is that there are so few films that give little girls a different message.

“Brave” is about a young girl who is expected to be a perfect princess, with the dresses and the hair and the husband, but she’s not. And when her mother, with all the best intentions, tries to get her to marry, the young girl tries to change her fate.

Top 5 Online Resources for Filmmakers by Film Riot

I stumbled upon this great and funny video while researching more resources for this weekly column. I so wish this was put together by a woman and/or hosted by a woman, and/or that it listed more resources that were created by women, but hey, you can’t have it all. There’s some great information here, so it’s worth watching. I have been researching a lot of DIY tips, tutorials and other resources and I have to say the majority of what I found is created/hosted by men. So, if anyone out there has a cool video similar to this one but with women in front and/or behind the camera, send it my way and I’ll post that too...

*Do you have a helpful resource you’d like to promote? Do you know about a great service to share with the Broads? Contact me to be a part of helpful resource friday.

QUEUE THIS!

Hello!  Once again, we are here to highlight a few women-directed films for you to add to your Netflix queue.  We do this because Netflix loves to analyze their numbers and we want their numbers to tell them that they need to purchase or commission more women-directed films.  It's a win for everyone!

This week, I've picked a batch of five films that'll put a smile on your face.  It's spring now, shouldn't we be smiling?  Also, I want to ask you for a favor-- could you please let me know if you, or a friend, have a film on Netflix.  I'm especially interested in films that played the festival circuit, but maybe missed some of the big fests and didn't get a ton of attention.  Thank you and enjoy the movies (which are all available for streaming, btw)!

First Position (dir Bess Kargman, 2011)  Netflix says:  "Follow dancers training for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the world's most prestigious ballet competitions. The stakes are high: their performances will determine the success or failure of their dreams."  Kargman chose her subjects wisely for this great doc.  They all have interesting stories that alternate between sweet and heartbreaking, and of course, the dancing is beautiful.

Sassy Pants (dir Coley Sohn, 2012)  Netflix says:  "In this coming-of-age comedy, Bethany Pruitt (Ashley Rickards) has had it with her overprotective mother, so she decides to go live with her dad. That situation proves just as dysfunctional, but things start to look up when she learns about a local fashion institute."  This is a quirky comedic festival gem that includes little Haley Joel Osment with a whole new look.  He's all grown up!  (Did I just use the words "festival" and "gem" together?  Sorry about that!) 

Hey, TV Writers: Will Smith Wants You!

I don't usually post about contests, but this one is just too good to ignore and the DEADLINE IS MARCH 21ST. That's right, broads, two days. So get those fingers tippy-tapping to punch up your family-focused half-hour comedy or your hour-long family dramedy and submit it! The deal is, Will Smith and James Lassiter of Overbrook Entertainment and the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment have joined forces to seek out talented, undiscovered TV Scriptwriters with the goal of finding and supporting great "family" shows (however you define "family"). They're looking for story lines that deal with "family" conflict and even sensitive issues, yet have positive resolutions. Two winners will be selected - one for half hour comedy and one for hour drama or dramedy.  Each winner will receive a cash prize as well as a meeting with Overbrook Entertainment. It's free to submit. (Yes, FREE) Open to non-WGA writers only. Find more information at http://www.scriptwritercontest.com