Richmond named one of the top 10 cities for film
Richmond has been named as one of the ten best cities in the country to “live, work and make movies” by MovieMaker Magazine, one of the country’s premier publications for filmmakers. This much-anticipated list of best cities for filmmakers has been published since 2000 and marks the second time that Richmond has received this honor. The first time was in 2003.
Although the honored cities change from year to year, the criteria for their selection remains the same. A large part of the equation includes quantifiable criteria that make a city livable including such factors as cost of living, employment rates and salaries. The other part, however, includes the qualities that make a city great for filmmaking. This includes film training schools, opportunity to network with other film professionals and opportunities to work on the set. The magazine article commented, “Moviemaking is a collaborative effort, so the experience level of the local talent pool for positions both in front of and behind the camera plays an important part as well.” Richmond and the surrounding area have several good film programs at universities. The Virginia Production Alliance is a statewide organization that supports the filmmaking community.
Director John Stimpson filmed the TV movie A Christmas Kiss in Richmond last fall. When interviewed for the article he commented, “We came to shoot in Richmond originally because of the incentives, but we would return happily because the people were so wonderful … we had no trouble finding spectacular locations that not only matched the look we needed, but raised our production value immensely.”
Richmond-based filmmaker Kevin Hershberger agreed, saying, “As a filmmaker who specializes in historical projects, I’m constantly inspired by the Richmond region. Every street corner, every old barn, every monument seems to hide a legend that’s waiting to be discovered.”
Virginia Film Office Director Rita D. McClenny commented, “We have world-class film training programs at Virginia universities, we have spectacular film locations, experienced crew members and now we have a film incentive program that helps us recruit films and television projects to Virginia. All the things that make Richmond an exceptional city to live and work in also make it a wonderful place for filmmaking.”
The direct and indirect impact of Virginia’s motion picture and video production industry in 2009 was $346 million, representing 2,701 jobs for the state.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Festival features best of Virginia indie film
The Virginia Film Office and the Virginia Production Alliance are cooperatively producing the fourth annual Virginia Indie Film Festival Feb. 26 and 27.
The Festival features independently produced documentaries, short films and features from Virginia filmmakers. The films were selected by panels of industry professionals and come from Midlothian, Blue Ridge, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Blacksburg and Springfield.
The subjects of these films range from zombies to baseball and take place in settings as far away as the Himalayas or as close to home as a camera truck in Richmond.
The films will be screened in a two-day film festival during which winning films will be announced in the categories of Shorts, Documentaries and Features. The Festival also has Audience Choice awards which allow audience members the opportunity to vote for their favorites in each of the three categories.
The Festival will be held at the historic Byrd Theatre, 2908 W. Cary St., in Richmond.
Documentaries will be screened Saturday, Feb. 26, from 1-4 p.m., and short films from 4-6 p.m. Feature films will be screened Sunday, Feb. 27, from 4:30-8:30 p.m.
The cost for attending each screening series is $7 (or $2 with student I.D.). A two-day Festival Pass is $14. Passes for each series are available at the door 30 minutes before each series is scheduled to begin.
Schedule
Docs-Saturday, Feb. 26, 1-4 p.m.
- “Beardo the Movie”: The story of the 2009 World Beard & Moustache Championships and the men behind the beards.
- “Local Life: Camera Truck”: Shaun Irving had an idea to turn a delivery van into a giant camera. A few years later he bought an old truck and set out to document Richmond with the world’s largest traveling camera.
- “A Gift for the Village”: A documentary about a cultural bridge built between the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the severe Himalayas of western Nepal.
Shorts-Saturday, Feb. 26, 4-6 p.m.
- “Goodbye to Muffy”: A family comedy about how one family deals with the loss of a pet.
- “Caution Wet Floor”: A group of corporate executives find themselves in a dangerous and deadly situation.
- “Possession”: The brutal reality of the 1831 Southampton slave revolt from the inside.
- “Relax”: Relaxing sights and sounds.
- “The Walk”: We all look back, this is what you find when you get there.
- “RE: MESSIAH”: What happens when the technology we love so much starts to love us back?
Features-Sunday, Feb. 27, 4:30-8:30 p.m.
- “Quick Feet, Soft Hands”: A struggling minor league baseball player and his fiance try to make it to the big leagues.
- “Tracks”: Martin, a self destructive amputee, refelects on his troubled youth while drifting through the harsh streets of Baltimore, reliving the events of the day that changed his life forever.
- “Danger. Zombies. Run.”: Real zombies attack a crew filming a low-budget zombie movie.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Richmond Police drop case to force return of documents released under FOIA
The ACLU of Virginia has learned that lawyers for the Richmond Police Department do not plan to continue their efforts to force Mo Karn, a member of a local anarchist group, to return police manuals and other documents she received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request she made last September.
Karn requested the information for Copwatch, a project intended to educate the public about police practices. A lawyer for the city responded in December, supplying Karn with 600 pages of documents, some of which had been redacted to exclude sensitive subject matter. Karn then posted the documents to the website, www.wingnutrva.org, managed by her anarchist collective.
Last Tuesday Karn learned that Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood was seeking an order from the Richmond Circuit Court to compel the return of documents. At that time, the ACLU of Virginia agreed to provide legal representation for Karn to argue that she had a First Amendment right to keep and disseminate the documents. On Friday, ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Rebecca Glenberg and Dunn Fellow Tom Fitzpatrick filed papers in the circuit court opposing the city’s actions.
“This was the first wise decision the city has made regarding this whole matter,” said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. “The city never had a legal leg to stand on and no practical means, under any circumstances, of retrieving the information once it was posted on the internet.”
“The Supreme Court has consistently held that government documents that make their way into the public domain–especially legally released documents– are protected by the First Amendment,” added Willis. “To allow the government to control the use of information once it is out is a form of censorship.”
“The only mystery that remains is why city officials chose to devote so many resources to this ill-fated case in the first place.”
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
ACLU involves itself in Richmond FOIA case
The ACLU of Virginia has agreed to represent Mo Karn, a member of a local anarchist group, who received notice earlier this week that Richmond City Police Chief Bryan T. Norwood is seeking a court order to compel the return of documents she obtained through the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and to prohibit her from disclosing the documents.
Last September, Karn requested the information for Copwatch, a project intended to educate the public about police practices. The Richmond Police Department responded in December, supplying her with nearly 600 pages of police manuals and other documents, some of which had been redacted to exclude sensitive subject matter. The documents were then posted on a website, www.wingnutrva.org, managed by her anarchist collective in late December.
But on Jan. 4, Karn was served with papers informing her that the City of Richmond and the Police Department had filed an emergency motion with the Richmond Circuit Court to force her to return of some of the documents.
“There are both First Amendment principles and practical considerations at play here, and the City of Richmond has failed on both counts,” said ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis. “Once the government has released documents, the First Amendment protects the right of individuals to do with them as they please. Any attempt to restrict the dissemination of the information is censorship, pure and simple.”
“As a practical matter, how in the world does the Police Department propose to recapture information that has been placed on the internet?” added Willis. “Also, didn’t it occur to them that by taking this highly public and very questionable legal action they are only encouraging people to read these documents?”
The city’s legal papers, including a list of the documents it wants back, are available online. The complaint can be found at http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Karn-Complaint.pdf. The motion for injunction can be found at http://acluva.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Karn-Emergency-Motion.pdf.
The city’s court papers do not state a legal argument for requiring the documents to be returned. The ACLU of Virginia, which will file its own court papers soon, will cite U.S. Supreme Court precedents making it clear that the government, except under the most extreme circumstances, cannot restrict the use of legally obtained information.
ACLU of Virginia Legal Director Rebecca Glenberg and Dunn Fellow Tom Fitzpatrick represent Karn.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Richmond loses Corp on first series, shut out at NH
No. 11 Richmond lost starting QB Aaron Corp to an injury on the first series of the game, and No. 22 New Hampshire beat the visiting Spiders, 17-0, Saturday afternoon at Cowell Stadium in Durham, N.H.
The victory extended the UNH (3-3, 1-2) home winning streak to 12-games, while the Spiders (2-3, 0-2) had their FCS road winning steak versus FCS opponents snapped at 11.
With Corp on the sidelines and back-up QB John Laub not dressed due to a wrist injury, third-string sophomore Nick Hicks took the reigns but the Spiders struggled without Corp, who transferred from Southern California in the offseason.
Read the rest of this story at VaSportsOnline.com.
Richmond loses Corp on first series, shut out at NH
No. 11 Richmond lost starting QB Aaron Corp to an injury on the first series of the game, and No. 22 New Hampshire beat the visiting Spiders, 17-0, Saturday afternoon at Cowell Stadium in Durham, N.H.
The victory extended the UNH (3-3, 1-2) home winning streak to 12-games, while the Spiders (2-3, 0-2) had their FCS road winning steak versus FCS opponents snapped at 11.
With Corp on the sidelines and back-up QB John Laub not dressed due to a wrist injury, third-string sophomore Nick Hicks took the reigns but the Spiders struggled without Corp, who transferred from Southern California in the offseason. Continue reading “Richmond loses Corp on first series, shut out at NH” »
#11 Richmond rebounds, rocks Coastal
Senior RB Tyler Kirchoff racked up 126 yards and rushed for four touchdowns, while senior CB Justin Rogers had two interceptions and returned one for a score as No. 11 Richmond pulled away and beat Coastal Carolina, 41-19, Saturday at Robins Stadium.
The victory improved Richmond to 2-2 overall and gives the Spiders, who played Saturday’s game without six starters due to injury, momentum heading into a difficult two-game CAA Football road swing at No. 14 New Hampshire and No. 8 Massachusetts on back-to-back weekends.
Bouncing back from last Saturday’s setback versus Delaware in a Top-10 showdown, the Spiders improved to 7-0 following an in-season loss since 2006.
Read the rest of this story on VaSportsOnline.com.
#11 Richmond rebounds, rocks Coastal
Senior RB Tyler Kirchoff racked up 126 yards and rushed for four touchdowns, while senior CB Justin Rogers had two interceptions and returned one for a score as No. 11 Richmond pulled away and beat Coastal Carolina, 41-19, Saturday at Robins Stadium.
The victory improved Richmond to 2-2 overall and gives the Spiders, who played Saturday’s game without six starters due to injury, momentum heading into a difficult two-game CAA Football road swing at No. 14 New Hampshire and No. 8 Massachusetts on back-to-back weekends.
Bouncing back from last Saturday’s setback versus Delaware in a Top-10 showdown, the Spiders improved to 7-0 following an in-season loss since 2006. Continue reading “#11 Richmond rebounds, rocks Coastal” »
Extras needed for filming in Richmond
Filming of football homecoming scenes for the Lifetime original movie “Unanswered Prayers,” inspired by Garth Brooks #1 hit song, will take place at Varina High School in Richmond on Saturday starting at 8:30 a.m.
For the day, Varina High School will become home to the “Stone Creek Wolverines,” Even though the calendar says Oct. 2, the scene will portray a cold November day in 2010, so those interested in being extras are asked to wear jackets, fleece vests, windbreakers, knit caps, scarves and gloves.
The school colors are navy and gold.
Extras have a chance at winning prizes including Garth Brooks merchandise, free dinners and even a wide-screen TV.
Varina High School is located at 7053 Messer Road in Richmond.
For the latest information and details on football day for “Unanswered Prayers” including what time fans need to arrive (plus updates on the giveaways) go to http://upcasting.webs.com.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Call for extras for Lifetime movie
A movie being produced for Lifetime Network is filming in the Richmond area, and the production company is holding auditions for extras this weekend.
Sign up this Saturday at the Byrd Park Roundhouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To get to the Roundhouse, go south on Boulevard until you dead end at the park. Take a left at the Columbus Statue, then the first right. Go straight until you see the round brick building in front of you, which is Byrd Park Roundhouse.
All applicants should bring a recent, non-returnable snapshot of themselves and a pen.
The movie is scheduled to air on Lifetime this Thanksgiving.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Challenging nonconference hoops schedule for VCU
Posted by afp on August 12, 2010 · Leave a Comment
“Overall our schedule presents a wide variety of challenging opponents,” head coach Shaka Smart said. “We’ll have the chance to test ourselves in extremely hostile environments and against various styles of play. This early set of games in November and December will tell us quite a bit about ourselves heading into CAA play.”
Wake Forest, Cornell and Richmond highlight the possible seven postseason qualifiers that the Black & Gold could face during the 2010-11 campaign. The trio combined for 75 wins last season and all made trips to the NCAA Tournament. Wofford and Winthrop also made trips to the Big Dance to put a possible five tournament teams on the Rams’ slate. Continue reading “Challenging nonconference hoops schedule for VCU” »
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with richmond virginia, vcu basketball, virginia commonwealth university