Studio
Concept Notes from the Lionsgate Team
3/3/2010 at 9:30 AM by Kenneth Woo
We are entering the final week of entries and welcome your last minute submissions, comments and additional notes. We are starting to see some great stories develop and are pleased with this group endeavor. We do want to guide you to the finish line however with a few comments and suggestions.
Your log line is the most important part of the submission. You must try to get us (and eventually an audience) to want to know more. Choose a concept that is easy to express in a sentence; if that's hard for you to do, you may be working on a low-concept idea.
Alex Barkaloff Writer, Producer
Lisa Ellzey Producer
John Sacchi Producer
LOOP PLANES Announced for SXSW 2010
2/12/2010 at 9:19 AM by Kenneth Woo
We are thrilled with the news that Loop Planes, our first collaboration with Killer Films, has made it to SXSW this year.
Thanks again to the Massify community for making this such a successful program, and congratulations to Killer, Robin, and the entire Loop Planes team!
SXSW Announces Shorts Lineup
Welcome from the Lionsgate Team
2/1/2010 at 7:31 AM by Kenneth Woo
Welcome to the Lionsgate Incubator!
Lionsgate wants to develop a high concept comedy, a movie where the premise can be explained in a single sentence, or better yet, title.
The winning script should be fun, full of hilarious dialogue and memorable characters. It should be grounded, but playful and set in the present day. Feel free to draw from your own backyard, workplace, relatives, in-laws and ex’s. Have fun with gags, tricks, and hi-jinks within the context of a relatable story that has universal appeal for men and women alike.
In the coming weeks we will be reviewing and commenting on your submissions, and speaking openly with our opinions in our postings. Working together through this incubator we hope to develop the next laugh riot to be released by Lionsgate.
Ladies and gentlemen, start your pens!
Alex Barkaloff Writer, Producer
Lisa Ellzey Producer
John Sacchi Producer
Massify.com, Lionsgate, and YouTube partner to create breakthrough Comedy Film - Incubator goes Live
1/26/2010 at 6:52 AM by Kenneth Woo
We are thrilled to announce that Youtube has joined the LINC partnership as our global distribution partner. This will ensure that the final film produced from this program will reach the largest and most engaged audience online. Coupled with your talent and Lionsgate production resources - we're looking forward to seeing a fantastic film emerge in the coming weeks!
Concept development opens today - so head over to the program page to get started.
Read the press release below:
>> Read more
Kenneth Woo
Killer Films Announces Ace Hotel Selections
1/15/2010 at 2:56 PM by Christine Vachon
Killer is extremely excited to finally move into the preproduction phase of our project with Massify and the Ace Hotel. We've selected three films to produce from the final twelve. We chose these projects based on a number of factors; we selected films we believed were most makeable on a micro-budget, films we were confident we could shoot on short schedules, and scripts that all offer a strong, fresh point of view, that are tonally and thematically diverse.
Christine Vachon Producer
Killer Announces the Shortlist for the Ace Hotel Pitches!
11/24/2009 at 1:57 PM by James Sehring
We're thrilled to finally announce our 12 favorite pitches! Many apologies for the delay in announcing... I wanted to make sure that Killer gave each pitch a proper review. After much deliberation, we've pulled together a collection of diverse stories, all with the potential to be memorable little shorts, all taking advantage of the Ace's wonderful aesthetic. The quality of scripts was so high across the board, and to know that so much original content is at our finger tips is really exciting for us. We feel that each of these scripts represents a strong perspective, a unique point of view - Some are fresh takes on classic stories, others are nuanced character portraits. More than anything, they're all great ideas and we can't wait to sit down with the filmmakers and figure out how make it all work. Thanks so much to everyone who submitted. We REALLY enjoyed reading, so keep writing!
>> Read more
James Sehring Producer
Killer Selection of Concept To Be Announced Soon
11/17/2009 at 7:59 AM by Christine Vachon
WOW. We've got more than 300 scripts to read, and with more than half being submitted right under the deadline, we're still trying to find time to give every pitch the sort of thorough review they each deserve. That means reading each script, watching each pitch video, taking notes when we can, but mostly arguing over which ideas are our favorites and why. There have been some really surprising, intelligent approaches to this project, and we're excited about the overall quality on the site right now - so many of these scripts possess a clear vision and with the Ace's support, we know that they're almost all makeable. Not having to worry about locations, just working with actors, setting up the perfect shots and getting all of the best stuff on screen... it will be a real breath of fresh air! Even considering the wealth of unique approaches that were taken by writers, there's also a really cool overlap in the sort of themes and aesthetics that are being utilized, which has gotten us excited about what a collection of these shorts would look like when pulled together.
We're looking forward to narrowing the field in the next couple of days, and participating in a more involved development process with the community in the coming weeks, so please bare with us and be patient while we give each individual project its due.
Thanks so much to everyone who was bold and creative enough to put their work on display.
Christine Vachon Producer
Lionsgate Teams With Massify to Develop Feature Film Projects
10/20/2009 at 1:09 PM by Kenneth Woo
We are excited to announce the launch of this groundbreaking partnership with Lionsgate.
Killer Films & Ace Hotel Underway
10/20/2009 at 7:29 AM by Christine Vachon
We've already gotten some strong pitches for the new Killer/Massify collaboration, but we're hoping for so many more. To be clear, this is not a commercial for Ace Hotel. We conceived of the hotel setting as a means of focusing the project on one type of film, ensuring that we have the means to produce multiple shorts simultaneously. Yes, the scope is narrow, but we hope that this will provide an opportunity for writers in the community to be truly creative, use unconventional narratives, stand out visuals, to create something unique - something that can be a personal calling card. PLEASE take a chance and submit your script.
Christine Vachon Producer
Massify & Killer Films Team Up With Ace Hotel
10/2/2009 at 1:26 PM by Amy Allen
We had a lot of fun making this promo video for our latest production with Killer Films. What does everybody think of it? Learn all about the opportunity here and if you know any talented writer/directors, please let them know that Killer Films wants to read their work.
Episode 3: Racing Against The Clock
9/25/2009 at 9:23 AM by Amy Allen
Director Robin Wilby and her team race to get all the shots they need before SAG rules for children force them to wrap for the day.
Brooke Sebold Cinematographer, Editor, Director, Producer
Episode #2: Casting Loop Planes
9/2/2009 at 3:00 AM by Amy Allen
Massify + Killer Films Episode 2 from Massify on Vimeo.
Director Robin Wilby is on a quest to cast the leads in Loop Planes. But casting turns out to be a bigger challenge than she expected! Watch to see who ended up being cast in the lead roles of Nick (formerly Sam) and Katie.
Loop Planes, Day 2
8/31/2009 at 8:43 AM by Julie Buck
Things are going smoothly. Well, relatively smoothly, as smoothly as shooting entirely daylight exteriors in the middle of August at an amusement park can go. The face that small children make when you’ve told them that they can’t go on their favorite roller coaster for the next two hours is hopelessness distilled. The pressure to keep everybody happy, from park owners to ride-goers to cast and crew means timing and organization are essential. Luckily, we have a pretty incredible “production office” set up in the Birthday Party Room here at Quassy, which serves as our control center. I spend the majority of my time here, keeping the peace.
LOOP PLANES Update
6/30/2009 at 7:25 AM by robin wilby
I would like to thank everyone on massify.com – for your support of LOOP PLANES as well as your cast and crew submissions. Already, this has been such an extraordinary experience.
I also want to thank the amazing people at Massify and Killer Films, who have literally been working non-stop to make this dream a reality.
We recently secured a really cool amusement park near Waterbury, Connecticut. If you are from the area, I’d like to encourage you to apply as soon as possible, and for those of you who are not local, please let me know if you’re willing to travel. Also, due to the availability of the location, we will be filming in late August, which is why we have extended the deadlines for cast and crew submissions until July 15th.
Honorable Mentions from Killer Films
6/18/2009 at 1:27 PM by Christine Vachon
Once again, thank you for taking the time to submit your screenplays and pitches to the Massify website. I, along with the rest of the Killer Films staff, thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the submissions that flooded in. There are a few excellent, thought-provoking entries in particular that we feel deserve acknowledgment. Killer Films would like to award Honorable Mention to the following scripts: Half a Stop, Backflip, Tuesday, Looking Glass, and Song of a Fifth Grade Samurai. Please take the time to read these memorable projects written by your peers. Commentary after the jump.
>> Read more
