Battle Royale With Cheese Needs You

Our good friends from Bristol, England need a little help!!  I'm sharing their story to see if you might consider helping our collaborators from Europe!!  Let's spread the love worldwide, can we? Lets...

Website - http://battleroyalewithcheese.com
Indiegogo Campaign - http://igg.me/at/brwc/x/630486

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We’re the film website with the memorable name that needs your help to redesign the site!  

(and we are one of the Top 10 UK Film Blogs!)

Our Story.

Let’s go back in time - way back to 2008 when battleroyalewithcheese.com was created as a film review and feature website for anyone who loved watching and talking about films.  The aim - to cover it all: cinema releases, indie flicks, documentaries and online shorts - we’ll take a look.

We’ve continued to grow from one person writing and a handful of mates visiting the site, to 12 regular contributors, over 25k unique visitors a month, more than 5k Twitter followers and 1k Facebook fans.  We’ve just launched on Instagram and we have an iOS app - check to out.

Add to the mix monthly FiLMiXes hosted on our SoundCloud and (every second month) Vimeo pages.  These are 30min mixes with a film weaved in.  Over 19k have enjoyed those.

Some of the BRWC Team:

Alton Williams 

Alton loves film. He started this here blog a few years back as a bit of fun, but has grown into what you see today.  Some of the films he loves are Rear Window, Superman 2, The Man With The Two Brains, Clockwise, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Trading Places, Stir Crazy and Punch-Drunk Love.

Pablo D’Stair 

Pablo D’Stair is a novelist, essayist, and interviewer.  Co-founder of the art house press KUBOA, he is also a regular contributor to the Montage: Cultural Paradigm (Sri Lanka). His current ongoing prose project 'cigarette miscellany' can be found atwww.cigarettemisc.wordpress.com

Natalie Jane

Natalie has always been a film lover since she can remember. Watching anything from comedies to thrillers its all an adventure for her.  Having been an extra on film and stage Natalie loves the buzz of it all.  Her favourite films amongst many are Fight Club, Bridesmaids and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as a whole) to name but a few.  And if she's not enjoying time watching films you'll always see her listening to music with a kindle in her hand. 

Ben Gummery 

Ben started out as a Technology blogger before branching out into writing about Film & TV. An obsessive fan of indie film & dark comedies you will probably find him waxing lyrical about the movies of Kevin Smith, The Coen Brothers, Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino. He also loves to discover cult, low-budget indie gems that no-one has heard of. Favourite films include Clerks, Dogma, From Dusk Till Dawn, Pulp Fiction, Office Space, Shallow Grave & Blood Simple. Find more of his writing at his own blog IndieMacUser.

Daryl Bar 

Regular type person by day, film vigilante by night. Spent years as a 35mm projectionist and now he gets to watch and wax lyrical about all manner of motion pictures. Daryl has got a soft spot for naff Horror and he’d consider Anime to be his kryptonite. For the record, he would probably live in The Prince Charles Cinema if his wife would let him.  Reviewed every film he’s seen since May 29th 2012. It’s not a boast, it’s a sickness. Top 5 films are currently Top Hat (1935), Alien (1979), Cinema Paradiso (1988), Fight Club (1999) and Super (2010).

Alex Cole 

Films, games, Godzilla and Scott Pilgrim; these are the things that Alex loves. As he tries to make use of the fact he’s always staring at a screen or a book, you’ll hopefully be treated to some good reviews along the way (though he doesn’t promise anything).  

Some of his favourite films are; O Brother Where Art Thou, 50/50, Cool Runnings, Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies, , The Fighter, A Story of Yonusuke, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and Godzilla: The Final Wars.

Last Caress 

Lived in or around Basildon in Essex all his life, and at 43 years of age he can best be described as an "ageing punk".  Enjoys a wide range of musical styles but generally his tastes skew towards the loud and aggressive. Likes to read Stephen King, HP Lovecraft and similar. Also enjoys despairing at the WWE alongside his wonderful young son and fretting over the tenuous fortunes of West Ham United, but what he enjoys most is film. And his appreciation for the classics hasn't refined his palate whatsoever. The Dekalog sits right alongside The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie on his shelf. He’s tolerated and supported through his obsessions, quirks and eccentricities every step of the way by his wife, who is also his best friend, his soul mate, and his Princess.

Ben Hooper

Having previously written for Junxion17 and the Big Issue, Ben is now a film PR & Marketing Manager.  When he's not watching or working on movies, Ben plays guitar in his band Ghosts As Alibis.

A Shiny New Website.

We need a sleeker, sharper website.  We want to update the website and make it the place you want to spend time checking on the commute to work, downtime at work or just your nightly read.  We want it to be the website with the memorable name and awesome content that works on mobiles, tablets as well as computers.

What We Need.

We at BRWC love everything film related: interviews, reviews, features...  

We’ve covered so many festivals too.  Name drop time: The London, Polish, Jewish, Asian, Leeds and Edinburgh Film Festivals.  We’ve interviewed actors and directors like Liam Neeson, Christopher Ecclestone, Kevin Allen, and Naji Abu Nowa.  The latter is nominated for a BAFTA and Academy Award this year for THEEB.  Oh and yes, we were invited to the World Premiere of season 5 of Game Of Thrones!

Yep, we’re doing pretty well.  

We could do even better with your help!

All we need is £500 and we can start work on the site redesign!

Pledge whatever you can and the faster we get to £500 the quicker the new website will be up and running.  If you can’t pledge, and we know times are hard, then spread the word for free and tell your friends, family, colleagues, whoever that BRWC is enhancing its look and needs help from all you lovely people out there!

Have a look at the fantastic range of perks too!

BRWC

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Huge thanks to the following supporters for donating film treats:

Terracotta, Fetch Publicity, Premier PR, John Blake Publishing, 101 Films, Third Window Films, Porter Firth PR, Aim Publicity, Bounty Films,

Artsploitation, Second Sight, October Coast PR and Arrow Films.

Dark Dignity Indiegogo Campaign - Week 2 Update

Thank you again to our week 1 supporters of Dark Dignity Film :D

Check out this special video with highlights and special messages from cast and crew!! They are pretty darn amazing :D - Sandy Kim, Shellie Ulrich, Melissa Ann Marie Farley, Michelle Y. Allen, Kim A. Huenecke, Carol Gibson, Andres Galindo, Alexzander Rogers, Lauren Hall, Daniel Blunck, Brian Osback, Rae Damon, Karen Frey Sundt, Nile Popchock #actor #actorslife #filmmakers #indie

"Our mission is to create compelling films with strong, female characters, showcasing Southwest talent, in front of and behind the camera, to a global audience. Go to our Indiegogo Campaign to support: http://igg.me/shre/630486

Dark Dignity Project Ready to Launch in 2016

Our mission is to create compelling films with strong, female characters, showcasing Southwest talent, in front of and behind the camera, to a global audience.

Indiegogo Campaign:  http://igg.me/shre/630486

Phoenix, AZ. (January 5, 2016) –

Who: King Indie LLC is the production company behind the Dark Dignity Film project.

What:   Dark Dignity Film is a short film written by Cassandra Nicholson and will be produced by her company King Indie LLC.  The film is the story of the women of a nomadic tribe, years after the fall of civilization, as they search for a new home.  Five years after The Infected plagued North America and beyond, the world is a dark and lonely place. With no currency, government, or civilization to speak of, the members of Camp D are constantly on the move.

Like other camps who assembled just a few years ago, when the last vestiges of order crumbled, they're a diverse mix of former suburbanites - teachers, doctors, police officers. Thrust into the badlands of rural landscapes and desert vistas, they must always be prepared to fight. The dangers hiding behind every shadow may be thieves or gangs... or perhaps the remains of a human now forever changed.

In support of the project, we have established a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.  The campaign is currently running and will conclude the week leading up to International Women’s Day.

“We’re so fortunate to have such a passionate, skilled team joining us for this project,” Nicholson said. “Our shared network within the independent filmmaking and media space is the perfect culmination for continued success. We’re excited to begin principal photography in February.”

Additional events will be scheduled and announced related to the project and campaign to share and celebrate the progress and milestones reached.  The team would like to create awareness in the greater community to help others get involved with this project or other similar causes.

Why:  Our mission states the significance of our project direction in that we are providing talented individuals, and women especially, the opportunity to use and demonstrate their skills and abilities in quality work. Additionally, in support of and in recognition of International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8 annually, we are happy to have this be one of the projects that will be completed in 2016 to showcase talented women filmmakers from the Southwest.

When: Starting January 3, 2016 – Concluding on March 3, 2016 (main part of campaign).  Post-production is scheduled to be completed by Summer 2016.

Where: You can connect to the project and visit the sites listed below to find out more information:

Website:  www.darkdignity.com

Twitter:  @DarkDignityFilm

Instagram:  @DarkDignityFilm

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DarkDignityFilm

Indiegogo Campaign:  http://igg.me/shre/630486

E-mail:  DarkDignityFilm@gmail.com

How to get involved:  There are several ways to help support and learn more about our project.  Through visiting our social media sites and sharing the website and campaign with your networks, you will help to further expand our reach.  You can also go to our Indiegogo campaign to learn about, donate to, and/or share our project.  We are striving to create awareness for these types of projects with this being the first of our focus for 2016.  There will be other projects from the community on which we will help share and spread the word. Interested parties can contact the executive producers directly at DarkDignityFilm@gmail.com to schedule an appointment to review the project and discuss ways for more direct involvement.

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Producers:  

RAE DAMON

Most of Rae's visual effects experience goes back to when she started film school in 2007. While in school I was the film club president for 2 years, and was able to combine the students in visual effects degree and the students in film degree together on a film noir project, "Push Over Babe." The project went on to win top honors in the Micro-Short category at the 2010 Arizona Student Film Festival. Rae's film credits also include "Bullet," a sci-fi/drama web series about a Native American Soldier of Fortune helping his United Sovereign Native Nations.

Rae graduated with her Bachelor's of Arts degree in 2011, and has since worked on numerous short films, television shows, as well as working with small business companies as a freelancer videographer and photographer.

EVA LOUIS

Eva participates in the film community as an actress, filmmaker, and in a media role with her company Chronic Behavior and supporting team where they provide video reporting (via Talking the Five Talk Show) as well as event coverage through the company blog Film and Fashion Futures.   Eva is also known for her work in social media, marketing and positive promotions of artists and individuals in film, fashion, arts, music, and entertainment.

You will often find her on the red carpet at regional and local fashions show, film festivals, and networking events interviewing attendees and connecting others.  She spends her time helping artists and businesses focus on their passion and sharing their gifts with the world.  Some major milestone accomplishments include reaching 5 year anniversary for company, producing successful charity events, production of fashion runway commercial, and supporting a publication company business launch.

CASSANDRA NICHOLSON

Cassandra is a screenwriter and independent filmmaker with a passion for the television and film industry, both on the creative and business sides. In addition to serving as an assistant director and/or a producer on several projects, she has organized a variety of film and screenwriting events geared toward the filmmaking community. Cassandra also covers film and television for the podcast "Educating Geeks" and the film review site, "The Reel Critic."

In 2013 and 2014, she organized a short screenplay competition for Phoenix Comicon's annual film festival, which encouraged Arizona writers to submit their own sci-fi or horror scripts. In 2015, alongside a skilled Arizona director/producer team in Kevin R. Phipps and Ruben Angelo, Cassandra executive produced a short film based on the 2014 first-place winner Davaun Sanders' script, "Vault of Souls." The short, titled "Vault of Souls: Prologue," has since screened at three venues, with more festivals to come in 2016.  

Cast:

MICHELLE Y ALLEN ... "WILLA"

MELISSA FARLEY ... "CADENCE"

CAROL GIBSON ... "IVONA"

LAUREN HALL ... "JONELLE"

KIM A. HUENECKE ... "FRIGG"

SANDY KIM ... "PENELOPE"

EVA LOUIS ... "DEVI"

SHELLIE ULRICH ... "TALULLAH"

Story Synopsis:

"DARK DIGNITY"

Talulla doesn't sleep, always dreaming of a past she'll never reclaim. Penelope can't rest, forever chasing answers, a solution, a cure. Willa hopes to lead them all to a safe place... to home.

Five years after The Infected plagued North America and beyond, the world is a dark and lonely place. With no currency, government or civilization to speak of, the members of Camp D are constantly on the move. After all, it's not safe to stay in one place too long.

Like other camps who assembled just a few years ago, when the last vestiges of order crumbled, they're a diverse mix of former suburbanites - teachers, doctors, police officers.

Thrust into the badlands of rural landscapes and desert vistas, they must always be prepared to fight. The dangers hiding behind every shadow may be thieves or gangs... or perhaps the remains of a human now forever changed.

Camp D has grown weary. Living on the fringes of society, their own carefully established order has weakened under the strain of never having enough food, water or shelter to spare for their humble tribe. They've been resourceful, vigilant. And it just hasn't been enough.

When the time comes, how will they handle their last stand? Though the future is bleak, maybe there's hope.

If nothing else, they'll have their dignity.

The Money Side of Film Fundraising

So you think you want to make a film?  But you don’t have a budget or any money.   What is your next step?  Building your brand and your following…STOP…what do you mean you don’t have a website or a fan page or a group or anything related to your film?  You don’t even have business cards or a flyer or a story you can talk about related to your film.  First and foremost does anyone know who you are?  If not, then that is where you would begin.  In the world of business, there is an order to doing business, running a company, growing your company and building revenue.  The same can be said for making a film or actually wanting to build anything.  If you truly want to be successful and you want to obtain the resources to create what you want, you have to know what you need, how much it will take to create your idea, a timeline around it and then the potential audience or support to help make it happen.  This essentially can be translated into a plan.

I sat down recently with an organization that specializes in using other people’s money to help establish business activities.  The first words out of his mouth were, “do you have a website and what’s your marketing plan look like.”  This particular resource deals with foreign money and investors entirely, however is building businesses in the US.  The lowest level of revenue generating companies he deals with is $55 million with a range up to $500 million.  As someone in marketing who has often preached about marketing in general, those words were music to my ears.  Only because in the most basic of all business training and schools and entrepreneurial training, the number one thing you will spend money on to make money is the marketing at the beginning of any business started.  When you are first launching a business the rule of thumb is that 75% of what you spend on your business should be marketing.

What does marketing entail, it is a long list of things (not all inclusive or exclusive to these items listed only) – 1) Market Research, 2) Target Market, 3) Product – what is it?, 4) Competition – who are they?, 5) Mission Statement, 6) Market Strategies, 7) Pricing, Positioning and Branding, 8) Budget, 9) Marketing Goals, and 10) Performance Analysis – how are you doing?  Okay, you think your film is not a business so why would this apply?  Think again, every film can be and should be treated as a business.  The moment you bring a second body/person into your film dream, you have now enlisted someone else’s time, energy, and/or effort and there is a value exchange for that.  Don’t be mistaken to think that because others may do things out of the generosity of their hearts, volunteer, give away for nothing, or donate, that there is not some kind of value exchange expected.  This is business; henceforth, why understanding the marketing aspects can only help you with your endeavors to actually even dream of making anything with the film you want to produce.

I know you so want to get to the fundraising and forget the marketing.  The fundraising cannot happen without the marketing.  As creative types are usually at the forefront of film making, it makes sense that you should have someone included in your film making group that understands the business side.  No matter how much guerrilla filmmaking you’ve done if you want to be taken seriously by others, you have to have a plan and a formula for what you are doing, again, why the marketing plan for your film makes perfect sense.  It forces you to the reality of what you know about your film, what you don’t know about your film, and it identifies the gaps of what you need to find out and then what you need to essentially determine in order for you to believe you can actually make money.  The ROI – Return on Investment – often times will become evident as you look at your marketing.  Demographics (part of the market research and the target market portion) are absolutely critical to understand in order to know who your potential market audience is.  This extends beyond your inner circle, your family, your friends, your acquaintances, your co-workers, and anyone else who may know you.  Your target market and audience should be defined based on the genre of film, based on the locations related to mass appeal, the interest in the topic, and the monetary ability of that market to spend money on entertainment, because that is the business you are in…entertaining.


You are now screaming at the top of your lungs that you just want to make films because you love it.  We all get it.  As an artist, we live and die by our passion that is how we are made up.  Not everyone can survive by that alone however unless you have a hidden treasure chest or a “Daddy Warbucks” or whatever other “trust-fund” you might have inherited…most individuals don’t operate by those rules.   To be fair, at the beginning of your endeavor whatever it may be, you must decide if you intend to make money on the effort or not.  It will save yourself and everyone heartache to admit that upfront.  Once you have determined however you are taking the plunge to make a movie with the potential to have a profitable return, the work begins.  The basic business plan for a film that is expected to go into fundraising, look for investors, or even financing, requires the following components:

1) Project Overview
2) Executive Summary
3) Film/Movie Write Up – including expected budget
4) Marketing Plan – including projected revenues, and one or all of the next three sections
5) Investor Plan
6) Financing Plan, and/or
7) Fundraising Plan.

Now that the basics have been outlined, you must answer yourself, do you have the wherewithal to continue and pursue your dream to make a film that makes money.  This is where you must assess the risk involved based on your own personal time, effort, and monetary investment and determine if it’s worth it.  Regarding fundraising, and more specifically crowd fundraising or a mixture of investor/financing/crowd, there are so many websites that exist and have been launched, you must review and find what you are comfortable with managing as you will be managing this like it’s a real live baby, because it is something that you actually develop from your seed of an idea and bring to life and birth.  So this effort is not to be taken lightly.  This listing of crowd funding platforms is a short list as many are being launched continuously:  1) Indiegogo, 2) Kickstarter, 3) Peerbackers, 4) GoGetFunding, 5) Seed&Spark, 6) Junction, 7) Slated.  Repeatedly you will find Indiegogo, bubbles to the top even over Kickstarter as it relates to film as the team has the option to get a portion of what is raised even if the goal is not met.  The international money manager and start up entrepreneur I talked with earlier even stated Indiegogo as their number one recommended crowd funding go to for their clients.

Once you’ve decided what route you are going down, there are some specific tips and realities you must keep in mind when pursuing your campaign run at fund-raising.  These are highly recommended tips you should follow and should not be pursued without all of the other information shared being considered if you want to increase your odds of making a dent to find that money you need.  These will not have detailed explanations provided as if you really want to pursue the fundraising, I recommend bringing on board someone who has done it before, find training available (which is literally everyone online or even with your local film organizations), hire a consultant that is proven their ability to direct and execute, or take the time to educate and train your team on what it takes.

1) Prepare and plan your strategy (take at minimum 3 to 6 months to plan and build your base following, if you launch a campaign and have no followers, no website, no social media, and no one knows who you are, do you really think you will be able to get crowd funding when you don’t have a crowd??? Be for real…).

2) Develop a strategic social media blitz and maintenance campaign.

3) Produce a great video (but not just one, several for continued updates along the way).

4) Have an information website or central location everyone can gather all basic information – Media Page.

5) Educate/Inform/Publicize the project, the purpose and vision of the project (Don’t ask for MONEY first – everyone needs money – and no one likes hearing “give me what you have or I’ll take anything…even $1”…sad but true).

6) Continue to grow interest and following throughout the entire campaign.

7) Over-communicate – it will barely be enough – but don’t SPAM.

8) Be real and personal – share the journey with the fans and followers.

9) Have directed attention to your current fans.

10) Make sure you thank everyone for supporting, participating, for allowing you to share, and for whatever else you can think of and use their names when thanking them.  The number one word that most people love to hear is their name in writing.

Participants in fundraising can choose to do one of these items or all of them and what makes the biggest difference in the long run is the commitment by the filmmaker and the team involved.  If you are not committed to do the work which includes all the marketing your success will not be likely.  If you 100% in and your team is 100% too, you are way more likely to make headway not only on fundraising but making your film a reality.  The behind the scenes and the administrative side of the business are not fun and always mean lots of what most would consider boring stuff, but this is the foundation that will make the dream come true.

For consulting services, contract services, and or project service support for your filmmaking, contact www.chronicbehavior.com to set up an appointment to discuss your project or fund-raising needs.  Let's make films.

Passions burning through your pants!!!

What????!!! Did someone just hijack this blog...nooooooo waaaaaay!!! But that is the feeling of being high-strung on 2015 and everything that is going on.  It's hard to believe that May is just around the corner.  

What have you done so far this year?  

Starting the year off with the 'Big Game' in town, was just one of the highlights.  Five fashion shows before the end of January and supporting VIP parties that were in town could not start the year better for many businesses locally and in the surrounding areas.  While we don't focus on just local anything, that is how the year started here.  We talk with businesses and artists on a regular basis and one thing we have noticed this year is that it is nose to the grind stone and rock climbling of the steepest mountains.  More focus and dedication to the craft and the businesses processes is evident in what many individuals and projects are doing.  

We like to highlight some projects and individuals going next level...and it seems like there is not a better time than the present to take that moment to reflect on the good things happening.

Drea Magwood

Drea Magwood, the creator of film short "The Last Responders" is working on the next follow up to a solidly produced short, the film version, of course.  There is a long list of local Arizona talent that is cast as part of the original short.  Stop by their Facebook page to see pictures and highlights from their latest activities.  To learn more you can check out her Indiegogo campaign to see how you can be involved with this up and coming feature: http://igg.me/at/the-last-responders-feature/x.  Don't miss out on another way you can be involved with the film community by investing in it.

Davis in Church (character from The Last Responders)

James and Magdalena in character

Natasha Duran-Lynch, the founder/designer of the Hues of Ego clothing line has had a phenomenal 2015 so far.  This is after finishing up an incredible year in 2014 being one of the emerging designers for Phoenix Fashion Week.  Her schedule and her line has been in demand for runways across the US and her new collections are well underway.  To check out her fabulous line and learn what's happening next, be sure to stop by her website, Hues of Ego and stay connected to her on Facebook.

Kevin Phipps, the founder of The Artist's Box, along with instructors, Daniel Blunck and Jane Fendleman, who are also actors in the community, are all dominating their craft and sharing their knowledge with others through their unique and engaging approach with Meisner classes.  The Artist's Box offers a full year and half program for actors to get their foundation and techniques in line for acting at all levels.  If you wonder how successful they are, just look up their past graduating classes and find out all they have accomplished and you'll see why, if you have even the remotest desire to act, you must check out their programs.  They just started their latest class, on April 28th.  Don't miss out on a life changing opportunity if you ever needed one. 

The Woman of the Mountain

Another exciting film that will be coming out this May 20th is "The Woman of the Mountain", written by Will Hirsch and Ryan Henry Johnston of Art of War Pictures.  The brief synopsis of the film is as follows:  When mysterious gold shows up in the town, chaos quickly ensues, leaving it up to a sheriff to find the truth behind the Woman of the Mountain.  We've heard nothing but rave reviews about how the filming and production quality are anticipated to be.  It was filmed in Arizona with some amazing talent that will hopefully provide some strong performances to represent the industry well.  Looking forward to a spectacular premiere when it releases at the Scottsdale Community Film Festival. 

The Woman of the Mountain

The Woman of the Mountain

The Woman of the Mountain

The Woman of the Mountain

Several events are slated for May, June, and July which make it for an exciting spring into summer. We are excited to share more talents and projects with you and stories of transformation. Stay tuned for more.

Presented by www.chronicbehavior.com/@chronicbehavior and www.facebook.com/FilmFashionFutures.com

We appreciate you for your continued support.