zanzaboonda enterprises

Well, it depends on who’s doin’ the askin’!

But you look like the trustworthy type, so we’ll let you in on a little secret….

No one’s seen one, to be sure.  But there have been rumors…  Rumors of a fearsome creature that migrates throughout the southwestern United States and beyond – “a siren with the head of an alien, the wings of a bat, and the personality of a mild house cat.”

We’re not quite sure what that means, either.

But we do offer some mighty fine video services.

Amazon Studios gives screenwriters and indie film and video artists the chance to get noticed. While this is very exciting news, there are some good points and bad points to this.

First the good:

1. You might get industry exposure

There are often guest judges and there is a chance your screenplay, table read, or sample movie could be seen by the right people at the right time.

2. You can get feedback on your script

People have the option of voting for (or against) your script. But a lot of times they have valuable insight as to what you could do to make it stronger. Most of the comments I’ve seen so far have been great.

3. It’s a new venture

New contests mean fewer entrants. If you’re good, this could really give you a chance to stand out in the crowd!

4. You can win money!

Yup! In 2011 Amazon is giving away $1.1 million dollars, with about $150k up for grabs each month.

5. Your screenplay could be optioned

That’s right – Amazon may pay you up to $200,000 to option your screenplay during the first 18 months since you upload your script. And they might actually make it into a movie (they’re partnered with Warner Bros. – the biggest Hollywood studio). Pretty wow!

And here’s the bad news:

1. Your screenplay could be optioned

That’s right – this positive is also a downer. By uploading your work, you give Amazon Studios the *exclusive* right to option your screenplay for the next 18 months. This means if someone else decides they want to make your movie – regardless of how much they want to pay you, you can’t sell it until the exclusive rights you grant Amazon Studios expire.

2. They can extend your option another 18 months

Sure, they’ll pay you another $10k, but your script could be tied up for a total of 36 months. That’s three years, or 21 in Hollywood years. So if you have a hot or timely topic, you might just kiss your chances goodbye…

3. People can make test movies of your script

This could be as simple as a table read, which could actually give you a great sense of how the dialogue is or is not working and how other people are interpreting the lines. Unfortunately, a crappy test movie might deter people from reading your script.

Check out the Amazon Studios FAQs.

My recommendation? If you’re positive your screenplay is polished enough, enter it into a couple of great contests and see how you fare there. Your best bet would be to place in the semi-finals or finals and use those as selling points to land an agent. And if you don’t get any biters, I would try Amazon Studios after that.

But this is a decision you need to make for yourself. Hopefully this brief overview will help you do just that.

Of interest for anyone involved in the film community…

I <3 Amazon, but it used to be a hassle to find any of the professional video equipment. Now they have a Professional Video Store available.

‘Bout time!

ProVideoCameraPhoto

Hey everyone-

Kristen here. I’m looking for an artist, a band, or a group with a finished (preferably marketable) song that would like to collaborate on a music video. This will have to take place on or before the weekend of 2/26-2/27.

I have the most experience listening to rap/hip-hop/r&b/pop music, but genre is completely unimportant. I have edited rap and country videos and have shot hard metal. I am open to just about anything, although I have less of a physical tolerance for screamo music. However, please do not submit anything overtly racist (e.g., white supremacist material or other hate music in general) as I have NO interest in that whatsoever. No violence against women (e.g., advocating rape or abuse). Swearing is fine, though not preferred.

The more polished the song, the better.

I would normally charge $2000+ to shoot and edit a video. If you can deal with just me and my camera equipment then I am willing to do it for free. (Despite the casual/personal tone in this posting, I am a professional videographer/filmmaker by nature and, therefore, have professional equipment. I won’t be showing up with just a Flip or an iPhone.) In this case, I will probably be more selective about whom I choose. All of the writing/directing, shooting, rental charges for my equipment, and editing will be provided for free. If you can kick in a little money to help with lunch for people ($50-100?) that would be awesome, but is not required.

If you would like more than one camera, then it will cost about $500 per additional camera to cover expenses, as I will have to hire additional people and rent equipment. Although I may have some connections and some people I can recommend, I have no budget and no locations – this is what you will need to bring to the table. I am fine with no budget, but locations will need to be figured out. If you want to book time in a studio or have any additional service I cannot or do not provide, then that will be on you as well. I am 100% fine with no budget, but it could be a good opportunity for you if you want to take it further.

I would prefer to not just do a performance video but have some sort of narrative to accompany the music. Of course, we will be limited by time and budget, so we’ll have to be flexible/improvise.

What we would both get out of the project:

You would get a finished music video, possibly for free, that you can use to do whatever – post on YouTube, Facebook, send to potential agents, play behind you during a concert, etc. You will retain all rights to your music aside from what you grant me, as noted below.

I will retain all remaining rights to the footage and video, such as uploading it to YouTube as well, using it on a demo reel, etc. You will grant me the right to use your music for such purposes. I am not trying to profit from your song. It would be nice if you would grant me an additional right to use your song in one of my (most likely short) films, but this is not a requirement.

Please contact me as soon as you can if you are interested. I will likely need to make a decision by this Wednesday (2/16) due to the time constraints, but if it’s later than that try me anyway. I anticipate more than one response to this posting, in which case selection will be based on a few things, primarily the quality of the song and how well we mesh together personally.

NO DIVAS OR A–HATS I am very easy to get along with and I expect you to be the same!

Please reply via my Craigslist posting as it will help me stay organized. Thanks!

You heard right – we’re giving CastingAZ.com the old “once over” to make it easier to find people. Future releases will give you your own page, so you can refer people to http://castingaz.com/your-name.

This is a quick and easy way to establish an online presence without having to make your own website! And of course you can always buy a domain name and have it forwarded there.

It will have the same overall look but will just be all pimpified. Booyah!