NH filmmaking testimonial from Ken Burns

The New Hampshire Film Office has posted on YouTube a nice testimonial from documentarian Ken Burns as to why he loves being a filmmaker in New Hampshire. I'm still waiting for a chance to see Burns' most recent documentary The War. I purchased the DVD set this spring and it's been staring at me from on top of the TV set ever since. I'm looking forward to it as I've always been a big fan of his work.

D.I.D. to premiere at the Palace Theatre on June 15

I've received word that the NH-shot feature D.I.D. will be making its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH on Sunday, June 15. The film's executive producer, Gary McGuire Sr., attended our Digital Filmmaking Workshop in 2007 and it's very gratifying to learn of such wonderful news. Gary's son Brandt directed the film and, besides the Palace date, the father-son filmmaking team (based out of Mont Veron, NH) are lining up various screenings throughout New England. Also, next week their production company website (Grave Situation Films, LLC) will be launching their official website.

D.I.D., a psychological thriller, was filmed in New Hampshire in Amherst, Bedford, Milford, Mont Vernon and Weare. Actors in film include Cheri Birch, Bernard Galvin, Brenna Galvin, Joshua Gelbwaks, Sarah LeBlanc and Brandon Stumpf.

Tickets for the Palace show will be available at the theatre and, beginning May 26, online at: http://www.palacetheatre.org/tickets/purchase-tickets.aspx. Congratulations Brandt and Gary and I'll be sure to post more details here as they arrive.

Back Lot website update

Exporting from Adobe Encore to Flash I've added a link to view videos and read testimonials from our corporate production work on the Back Lot Films website. And updated demo DVD will also be available in the next few weeks.

HWIC update

Dave Soucy and I have posted a new edit of the Diet Victims photo montage on The Healthy Weight Inner Circle homepage. If you haven't yet visited the HWIC site definitely do so soon as Dave and company are continually adding new fitness tips, exercise & bootcamp videos as well as assembling a growing team of expert fitness contributors from across the country to contribute - including Barry Lovelace (Personal Trainer and Coach who has appeared on CNN Headline News, Body Smart Fit Tips, and Connections Fit Tips) and Dr. Kareem Samhouri (President and Owner of Global Fitness LLC which specializes in assisting people to realize complete wellness, as they serve nutrition, massage, physical therapy, and personal training).

The photos of Preston Gannaway

The Concord Monitor has posted a special online section for readers interested in viewing the heart-wrenching and very emotional photos that won Concord Monitor photographer Preston Gannaway a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. The original caption for the photo above (copyright Preston Gannaway/The Concord Monitor, via Associated Press) read "Carolynne St. Pierre, stricken with terminal liver cancer, is surrounded by loved ones in her home."

Click here to view a slideshow of the series as well as listen to an audio interview with Gannaway. It's no mystery why Gannaway was awarded a Pulitzer. And, when you get a chance, visit her website to view more of this photographer's breathtaking work.

Valerie's Gallery: Newburyport ArtWalk

Here's a quick plug for my wife Valerie, whose shop, Valerie's Gallery, is again part of Newburyport's upcoming ArtWalk. On April 26th her gallery will present new photography along with personally chosen quotes from literature that gallery photographers have selected and feel represents or adds meaning to their images. Also being introduced that evening will be black and white photography by photographer Daniel Powers (that's his cool photo above, entitled Elements). For more information visit www.valeriesgalleries.com and www.newburyportartwalk.com. Valerie’s Gallery is located at 12 State Street in downtown Newburyport. Shop hours are Monday-Saturday, 10:00am-5:30pm, Sunday, 11:00am-5:30pm.

Press Release for NHDE PSA project

April 12, 2008 / FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Back Lot Films announces release of Public Service Announcements project for New Hampshire Department of Education.

Seven-part series focusing on high school dropout prevention written and performed by The Youth Voices, funded by the Workforce Opportunity Council and will air on Comcast and Time-Warner cable systems throughout New Hampshire.

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Back Lot Films, a New Hampshire-based film & video production company, recently announced the release of the final three Public Service Announcements, produced for the New Hampshire Department of Education and funded by the Workforce Opportunity Council. In all, a total of seven 30-second PSA’s ("Teacher", "Mirrors", "Keys", "Pedro's Rap", "Leader", "Pizza" & "Stairwell") focusing on high school dropout prevention, were completed in 2007-2008; all written and produced by The Youth Voices (youth enrolled in WIA Youth funded programs that are a subcommittee of the State of NH Youth Council), and developed, in conjunction with Back Lot Films. The new spots, as with last year’s series, will be broadcast throughout New Hampshire on Comcast & Time-Warner cable systems.

“The fact that these spots dealt with such an important and critical theme made this an especially rewarding project for our company to be involved with,” said Bill Millios, President of Back Lot Films, Inc. “Developing and coordinating the production schedule using the student’s original scripts and then seeing it come alive during the shoot and edit was fascinating. There was definitely no shortage of creative ideas or writer’s block on the student’s part.” Credits for the PSA’s include teachers and students from Franklin (NH) High, Farmington (NH) School District's Project Pride, My-Turn at Manchester (NH) Central High School and Nashua (NH) South High School, NH-JAG at Merrimack Valley Regional High School, Manchester (NH) West High School, Manchester (NH) Memorial High School, Woodsville (NH) High School and NHCTC-Manchester, Newport Junior Senior High School's CARES Program, and Southern NH Services Youth Empowerment Program.

All seven PSA’s can be viewed on the Back Lot Films website at www.backlotfilm.com. Back Lot Films, Inc. has produced and distributed a wide range of corporate and narrative productions since 1993, including the feature-length films Old Man Dogs (1997), Dangerous Crosswinds (2005), St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 1905-2005 (2005) and the upcoming Death & Glory (2009). Corporate clients have included Pike Industries, the New Hampshire Veterans Home, Southern New Hampshire University and others. Back Lot is also a co-founder of the Digital Filmmaking Workshops.

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