Newsletter from SAG

FilmNashville Bulletin 3/2/06

FILM /TV INCENTIVES LEGISLATION ­ PROGRESS REPORT
FILM FUNDING FOR DOCUMENTARIES WORKSHOP
NASHVILLE FILMMAKERS SECTION AT BELCOURT
HGTV NEEDS HOMES FOR NEW TV SHOW
TWO GUYS INTERVIEW W/ BELCOURT EXECUTIVE DIREC TOR / OSCAR NIGHT
CHILLER CINEMA WINS RONDO AWARD

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FILM/TV INCENTIVES LEGISLATION ­ PROGRESS REPORT

Eight [8] bills have been filed in the Senate and House for
legislation to create more film and television production activity
in the state of Tennessee. The bill language is based upon [and
would not be possible without] the Film and Television Production
Study done by the Tennessee Film Entertainment and Music Commission.
In essence, there is actually one primary bill with eleven sections,
and there is a duplicate of that bill in both the House and Senate
[i.e., 2 of the 8 bills]. Then there are essentially three other
bills which break out specific sections of the primary bill, and
there are duplicates of those bills in both House and Senate [i.e.,
the remaining 6 of the 8 bills]. No matter how you slice it, the 11
sections currently deal with:

1] Proposed name of the bill ­ The Visual Content Act of 2006
2] Film production permits to be filed with the Tennessee Film
Entertainment and Music Commission
3] Sales tax rebate for any out-of-state or in-state production
spending at least $500,000 in Tennessee
4] and 5] Breaks on purchase of film production and post-production
equipment
6] Very significant tax breaks for incentivizing major out-of-state
productions
7] Development of technical film production training in order to
deepen Tennessee production crew base
8] A formal study to bring more video game industry to Tennessee
9], 10] and 11] Generic language pertaining to passage of any
legislation.

A coalition including the city film offices of Memphis, Nashville,
Knoxville and Chattanooga, along with IA 492, Teamsters, business
leaders, TIPTOE [East Tennessee film org] and FilmNashville have
come together to lobby legislators at two critical junctures in the
legislative process:

A] The bills will go to the Ways and Means Committee of both the
Senate and the House, where all sections cited above will be vetted
and analyzed for financial impact;

B] If the bills make it out of committee, meaning they are approved
by a majority of committee members, they will be brought up for a
vote in both the Senate and House.

It will be during both A] and B] above that the legislation will
need the strong support of all film businesses, individuals,
organizations, and ancillary business leaders, where that support
will need to be conveyed through positive e-mails, letters and phone
calls.

IMPORTANT: Since the language of the bills is still currently being
defined and in some areas corrected, it is premature to contact
anyone in Tennessee government about the bills. The language needs
to be perfect and locked before massive support is shown, otherwise
legislators will become confused as to what is actually being
supported. We will advise as to specific legislators to communicate
with at junctures A] and B], and will provide all relevant contact
info for those legislators at those times.

Stay tuned.

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NASHVILLE FILMMAKERS SECTION AT BELCOURT

FilmNashville and the Belcourt Theatre are joining forces to create
a section at the Belcourt Theatre that will sell videos and DVDs of
features, shorts, documentaries, and television programming made by
Nashville filmmakers. Revenues will be split by the filmmakers and
the Belcourt, with majority of profits going to the filmmakers.

As a non-profit community center for many film screenings and
events, including the 48 Hour Film Project and Awards Ceremony, the
Belcourt will be a natural gathering place to display and sell
locally made indie films. If you are a filmmaker interested in
selling your work at the Nashville Filmmakers section at the
Belcourt Theatre, contact Toby Leonard at toby@belcourt.org

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FILM FUNDING FOR DOCUMENTARIES WORKSHOP

On March 25, 2006 FilmNashville Director of Development, Bobbie
Gallup, will lead an all-day workshop at the Watkins Film School on
fundraising and grantwriting for documentaries, including the
realities of what one is up against when going after funding, and
how to successfully navigate those waters. Ms. Gallup has raised
several million dollars in grant monies in her career for various
non-profit endeavors, and is a wealth of knowledge in the process.
Stay tuned for further details on the event.

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HGTV NEEDS HOMES FOR NEW TV SHOW

Home and Garden Television's (HGTV's), "ReZoned", will begin
shooting new season immediately.

HGTV's new show "ReZoned" is looking for homeowners that had the
vision and creativity to convert a non-residence into a residence.
ONLY HOMEOWNERS THAT WERE INVOLVED IN THE ORIGINAL CONVERSION WILL
BE CONSIDERED. We consider structures such as boathouses,firehouses,
banks, drug stores or just about anything else you can imagine.

Ideal candidates will include the following:

Remarkable Transformations: We're looking for interesting and
inspiring transformations that are COMPLETE or nearly completed. It
is important that some elements from the original purpose remain or
are incorporated. For example, one show featured a church that was
transformed into a single family home complete with furniture
constructed from the original pews.

Enthusiastic Homeowners: Homeowners should be passionate about their
home and the possibility of sharing it with our audience. We focus
on their PERSONAL stories of design, renovation and life in the new
home.

Before Photos, Videos or Documents: Because the renovations we
feature are complete, we would like to show the building before and
hopefully during the transformation. Home videos, archival photos,
simple snap shots and supporting documents are all welcome.
The goal for this series is to tell the story of the building, the
renovation, the homeowner and how they are all related.

Please take a look at the show online at:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hzred/

Contact:
Heather Pikas
"Rezoned"
Home & Garden Television
office: 303-712-3162
fax: 303-484-6198
Hpikas@highnoonentertainment.com

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TWO GUYS INTERVIEW W/ BELCOURT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / OSCAR NIGHT

"2 Guys Who Don't Know Crap About Movies" is proud to present a
special one-hour show with Steve Small from the Belcourt Theatre.
Steve will join co-hosts J.D. Hart and Glen Weiss in a tribute to
the 2006 Academy Awards Show being telecast from the historic
Belcourt Theatre in widescreen High Def complete with red carpet and
celebrities and food and alcohol. This is one of the year's hottest
tickets and an event you won't want to miss. Tickets are still
available at www.belcourt.org. Tune in this week and get all the
details. Also on the show will be respected Nashville Scene film
critic Jim Ridley and his filmmaker brother Read Ridley making a
rare television appearance together. Jim and Read will give their
predictions for the winner of this year's Oscar for Best Film of
theYear. If you've never seen these two guys together you won't want
to miss this episode of "2 Guys Who Don't Know Crap About Movies"
Friday night, March 3 at 11

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CHILLER CINEMA WINS RONDO AWARD

Congrats to our local scarey dudes at Chiller Cinema, who won a
Rondo Award for Classic Horror Excellence for Best Website of 2005.
Go check out the website and see what all the frightfulness is about
at www.drgangrene.com

***Support your state film legislation.***