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Screen gems
By LEVI AGEE SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
This article was published February 26, 2010 at 3:55 a.m.
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LITTLE ROCK — Probably the biggest local movie news since I took over this column is the production of The Last Ride - about country singer Hank Williams - now shooting in central Arkansas. News outlets have reported that some filming took place in Benton and Saline County last week. While details on the project are scarce, sources close to it reveal it concentrates on the days before Williams was found dead in the back seat of a Cadillac by his 17-year-old chauffeur.
Arkansas native Harry Thomason (Designing Women) is directing the picture. Benjy Gaither - of the Southern gospel group the Gaither Family - is producing alongside Arkansan Tim Jackson of Category One Entertainment.According to Jackson, the cast includes Henry Thomas (E.T.) as the singer and Jesse James (The Butterfly Effect) as his driver. Ray McKinnon (The Blind Side and That Evening Sun), Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day) and Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) also have roles.
For news and updates on the production, go to facebook.com/ TheLastRideFilm or follow it on Twitter at twitter.com/TheLastRideFilm.
The ninth annual Ozark Foothills FilmFest is hosting “Finding Your Audience: Indie Film Marketing Workshop” with director and author Heidi Van Lier in March. The workshop is courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Film Festival Grants program and some creative booking by festivaldirector Bob Pest.
Van Lier, who hosts a question and answer blog about independent filmmaking for Film-Independent.org, penned the Indie Film Rule Book: A StrategicGuide to Independent Filmmaking and is a programmer for Utah’s annual Slamdance film festival.
Van Lier is scheduled to lead a panel discussion with Arkansas filmmakers Daehwon Cho and Sarah K. Moore from 1-4 p.m., March 26 in Independence Hall, Room 103, at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville.
Finding work as an actor in Arkansas can be difficult without representation by a talent agency - such as the aptly-named The Agency, founded by Sarah Tackett in Little Rock in 1984. Usually if a film production shoots in Arkansas, The Agency is where directors start looking for talent.
Now, Kevin and Kat Yares have created an online alternative for people looking to hire Arkansas actors - or other talented individuals like artists, writers or musicians. The couple formed the Arkansas Talent Database after online searches for “Arkansas talent” yielded few results. Kevin Yares says he has limited experience in filmmaking but has worked recently as a Web content developer and freelance writer. He also co-wrote (with Kat) a film script, which The Agency is representing.
Arkansas Talent Database is on the Ning Network (ning.com), an online platform reminiscent of Facebook that allows users to create their own niche social networks. Kevin Yares says the database is organized into “direct categories ... [that are] easy and straightforward.”
Members can customize their profiles with headshots, filmographies and news of forthcoming projects. They can also connect with others who share similar interests or skills.
The Yareses promised each other they would promote the site, created in December, for a year before letting the network run on its own. Kevin Yares says his hope for the Web site is “exactly as the site description states, ‘Bringing All Talent of Arkansas Together.’”
For details see arkansas talentdatabase.ning.com.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Monday it is acquiring the high-definition online video service Vudu (vudu. com), which has licensing agreements with major studios offering approximately 16,000 movies. In addition to competing with online content distributors like Netflix or Amazon, a partnership between Vudu and the Bentonville-based retail giant could mean a potential distribution source for independent filmmakers with films going straight to DVD or On-Demand.
Levi Agee is a programmer for the Little Rock Film Festival, and the founder and host of Cameras on the Radio. E-mail him at:
MovieStyle, Pages 35 on 02/26/2010
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kyares says... February 26, 2010 at 7:49 a.m.
I would like to clarify an item in the above article. I am NOT represented by "The Agency" for one of my scripts, or any script that my wife, Kat Yares, and I co-wrote. I am represented by an agency for a script which was written in 2008 titled "The Scribe".
Thank You
Kevin Yares
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