NCIndieSeen

It always bewilders me when an independent film actor who makes a conscious effort to stay underground in their cinematic career and then suddenly decides to go mainstream.  Joseph Gordon Levitt (aka JGL) is not exempt from this process.  Many indie actors like Parker Posey, Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, and Jesse Eisenberg have decided to follow suit.  Is it selling out when an actor goes mainstream?  Or is it a way to show some versatility in their career to "stay the course" within the industry without sinking deep down into underground cinematic obscurity.

It's the actor whose face you totally recognize and movies you totally know, but you have no clue what their name is.  A PR agent has a responsibility to make sure you know the name of their client.  In some cases, they make sure you know the bits and pieces of their personal life too. However, maybe it is not about PR, maybe its about scripts?  The lackluster material coming out lately even within the indie circuit could be the reason why actors are not walking, but running into the other direction.  It seems as if the really good indie scripts out there are being outsourced to big wig movie studios. 

The fact that an indie film like Hurt Locker gained such attention is attracting major studios to finance independent films.  As you can see, there are a myriad of reasons why loyal indie actors turn mainstream.  The bigger question here is...is it good or bad?  Good because it generates more work for that actor?  Or bad because they leave their roots and forget about their ties to the indie community?

It's an interesting prospect to ponder either way...as the ticket holder, you be the judge.

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Triangle Home Movie Day: Wake My NC

Today is September 11th.  If you are interested in watching a great independent film that honors this day take a look at The Mourning After.  There have been a number of films within the last five years that deal with circumstances around the tragedy of 9/11 in New York City. A new film by budding director, Lawrence LAW Watford called The Mourning After is about an extramarital relationship between a man and a woman and affair that took place the night of Sept 10th that would change their lives forever.




The story turns now to Chris and Felicia, who were supposed to be in that building if not for their heated affair the night before, and both live with not only the guilt of cheating on their spouses, but also the torment of what would have been if they decided to stay faithful to their partners. The film takes a dramatic turn when Chris' life after the affair changes significantly compared to that of Felicia's and the two are battling feelings of shame, pity, and resentment that comes to a climactic close.




There are solid performances in this film and stunning shots of New York City's ground zero. It's a film that shows meaning and purpose in a meaningless act that occured on September 11th. The film was shot on a shoestring budget, but asthetically looks like it was made on larger scale indie budget. The Mourning After is definitely a film worth seeing and shows an intensity in a small sliver of screen time that has you yearning for more.



The film was made on a $12,000 budget in New York City. The trailer of the film can be seen here. Please contact Lawville Solutions if you are interested in more information about the film.


Take a look at the trailer here:

Several production companies that have a vested interest to shoot in the beautiful state of North Carolina is choosing to shoot their films elsewhere.  Why?  Because NC currently has a $1 million tax incentive cap on highly compensated individuals (actors and directors).

What does that mean for our state?  It means that everytime an A-list actor or director sign a contract for a picture deal that exceeds 1 million buckaroonies then that means they cannot shoot here.  North Carolina offers film companies a 25 percent tax incentive and recently raised the film tax cap from $7.5 million to $20 million this past legislative session. However, the cap on talent remains at $1 million.


Currently Louisiana offers film production companies a 30 percent tax incentive on any motion picture project and does not have any caps on the size of the film or talent pay.  Which is why the new Nicholas Sparks film "The Lucky One" starring Zac Efron  is being shot in Louisiana instead of the story's location set in North Carolina. 
 
Last summer, Disney chose to film Sparks’ “The Last Song” starring Miley Cyrus in Georgia despite initial plans to film in North Carolina.