ETHAN ROY: MARILYN MANSON'S PHANTASMAGORIA

           

 As you may know, Tim Burton has a new Alice in Wonderland movie coming out, but there is also another coming out in the same year,  written, directed, and starring Marilyn Manson:  Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll.  Now I’m a Manson fan (may not look like that through that photo of me - that was almost two years ago) I’ve been a fan of his for awhile and when I heard about this I was excited, but that was two years ago now he is finally working on it. For those who don’t know who he is, he is notorious known as maybe the world’s most famous shock rocker.  His songs talk about issues involving guns, god, and government. His concerts have been canceled due to many causes of churches thinking he is Satan, also he is believed to be to reason why the two kids shot up Columbine, yet there is no proof. 

Freshi Now Team Gets to Work!

Ben Spiegel and Ethan Roy (in foreground) at work in Freshi headquarters Saturday with some new musical members of the Freshi Now team.

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: VFXBLOG.COM

If you're interested in learning about visual effects, take a look at vfxblog.com. For a blog about visual effects, it's not much to look at and it isn't even a blog, in the typical sense of the word - but what this blogger does do is keep track of the latest articles, videos and other resources available online about visual effects. Recent listings include links to a "making of" video about "Avatar on Hulu, an American Cinematographer article about "Where the Wild Things Are," and a link to an article in Hollywood Reporter about visual effects artists 'pushing the envelope.'

FRESHI NOW WORLDWIDE!

Latest stats for Freshi Now show visitors from around the world. In addition to the United States, we've had visitors from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Germany, the Russian Federation and Brazil - and we're just getting started!

Remember, we're still in our Beta phase - over the next couple of months, the Freshi Now team (that's some of them to the left of this blog) will be starting up with a series of blogs and vlogs about filmmaking, gaming - and some surprise features that will bring you into some unique places in the entertainment industry.

Keep checking back - and make sure to comment and tell us what you think!

THANKSGIVING MORNING ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL! (PART FOUR)

We dug up some Thanksgiving-themed animations on YouTube - we'll be featuring them throughout the day - ENJOY!

THANKSGIVING MORNING ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL! (PART THREE)

We dug up some Thanksgiving-themed animations on YouTube - we'll be featuring them throughout the day - ENJOY!

THANKSGIVING MORNING ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL! (PART TWO)

We dug up some Thanksgiving-themed animations on YouTube - we'll be featuring them throughout the day - ENJOY!

THANKSGIVING MORNING ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL! (PART ONE)

We dug up some Thanksgiving-themed animations on YouTube - we'll be featuring them throughout the day - ENJOY!

THE BEN SPIEGEL WEDNESDAY FILM FESTIVAL (PART THREE)

Today's Feature: The DO's and DON'T's for the Outdoors

In Ben's Words:

Shot on 35mm film, this is a parody of the classic safety films of the 50's and 60's. Also known as the epic tie in sequel of Frisbee From Hell.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1212163786903&subj=1568923080

(You'll need a Facebook account to see this video)

WE NEED YOU!

We need writers and vloggers to report on filmmaking and gaming - this site depends on you. What do you get? The advantage of a promoted site that will get your work out there - and, if you're local, the chance to cover film industry stories and go behind the scenes with the help of Freshi. Our whole purpose to help talented young "media creators" do what they do - so as you report on people like yourself, we'll also feature your work, and link back to your own website or YouTube channel.

Contact Rich Samuels, Freshi's Director of Production (and your FRESHI NOW webmaster!), at rich.samuels@freshiflix.com

FRESHI NOW WELCOMES SALOME SALIA

Freshi Now welcomes a new team member: Salome Salia!

In her own words:

Bonjour. My name is Salome Salia. I'm 14 years old and a future filmmaker. I enjoy filming/editing videos, watching movies, drawing, photography, and tennis. FreshiNow is a great opportunity for me to encourage and help young filmmakers like myself to follow their dreams and reach their goals. "From dream to screen" - LA Film School.

TEAM FAVORITES: BEN SPIEGEL

Here's an episode of a machinima series recently favorited by Freshi Now team member Ben Speigel:

FRESHI NOW WELCOMES CATHY LE!

This week, Freshi Now welcomes Cathy Le. In her own words:

Cathy Le is currently a high school senior living in southern California, who has recently realized that she wants to pursue a career in filmmaking. She believes that social media is a great tool for social consciousness and change.

Cathy was also director of the "Taste of Peace" international collaborative film, based at the Cleveland High School Media Academy. For more about Cathy and the "Taste of Peace" Project, check out http://tasteofpeace.roamingreporters.org/

ETHAN ROY: "FANTASTIC MR. FOX" REVIEW

If you’ve seen my list of my own anticipated films of the holiday I put this on the number 2 spot and what can I say it was, well, fantastic. It's nothing like the other animated films this year or any of the ones before. I thought UP was going to be my favorite animated film of the all time, but this takes its place. The only problem with the film is that I don’t think that it will do well because people especially may not find Anderson’s humor or style amusing. The animation was amazing though I felt nauseous at times through the panning shots. The real reason I love this movie a lot is because it stays true to the book. Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors and they capture his creativity mixed with Anderson’s creativity. George Clooney was great as Mr. Fox. With animation it feels good to see stop-motion rather than CG, because Stop-motion captures the passion these people have to create a film and it is some of the best since Coraline and Life Aquatic. Plus it didn’t brother me that it wasn’t R like his other films in fact they mess around with that. If you want to see a funny, creative, family film, check this out.

WEBSITE HIGHLIGHT: A Machima Collaborative Video

Here's a recent Youtube collaborative video that's a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 machima. Collab videos can feature contributors from anywhere in the world, in any number of creative roles. This video features the voices of several YouTubers (click on the video to go to the YouTube page for more info.

THE BEN SPEIGEL WEDNESDAY FILM FESTIVAL (PART TWO!)

Today's Feature: FRISBEE FROM HELL

In Ben's words:

In this classic Ben Spiegel short, three women discover the dangers of playing frisbee.

ETHAN ROY: HOLIDAY FILMS, PART THREE

I read the book in 2008 and I fell in love with it. But it was a very heavy and depressing book, but the power of Cormac McCarthy writing makes everything very visual memorizing. Now in 2009 we finally have The Road With Viggo Mortensen. So far from the trailer behind from Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds Viggo might be the best actor of the year. The visuals look outstanding, but one of the big reasons I want to see it is because of Robert Duvall and the soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Why Nick Cave, well because they did my favorite soundtrack of all time The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is a beautiful soundtrack and I know they can pull it off for this. Check it out on Thanksgiving.

"The Road" Official Site

Other candidates: Bad Lieutenant, Lovely Bones, Invictus, and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: BLENDER.ORG

"Blender" is a free 3D content creation program - it allows the user to visualize, create and animate 3D video and game elements - and fully interactive environments. Unlike programs that might cause hundreds or even thousands of dollars, this program is an "open source" program; not only is it free to download, but users all over the world share plug-ins and content. The Blender.org website not only offers the program download, but a gallery of images and movies and access to a vast community to help get you started. Also, check on YouTube for literally dozens of step-by step tutorials.

WRITERS AND VLOGGERS NEEDED!

WE NEED YOU!

We need writers and vloggers to report on filmmaking and gaming - this site depends on you. What do you get? The advantage of a promoted site that will get your work out there - and, if you're local, the chance to cover film industry stories and go behind the scenes with the help of Freshi. Our whole purpose to help talented young "media creators" do what they do - so as you report on people like yourself, we'll also feature your work, and link back to your own website or YouTube channel.

Contact Rich Samuels, Freshi's Director of Production (and your FRESHI NOW webmaster!), at rich.samuels@freshiflix.com

TEAM FAVORITES: BEN SPIEGEL

Ben Speigel just favorited this YouTube tutorial on getting starting with Machinima:

BEN SPIEGEL: "ZOMBIELAND" REVIEW

Zombieland is the most fun film of the year with the exception of Star Trek. To briefly summarize this film, it is the American version of Shawn of the Dead, but in no way copies or replicates anything seen in Shawn of the Dead. It honored the classic tradition of gore and violence seen in horror films while bringing a whole new element of comedy not yet seen in this genre. The style and humor was fantastic. There are also some great surprises which I won't spoil, and I enjoyed every minute of this film. Seeing this movie with an audience heightens the experience, so be sure to see this before it leaves theaters.

"Zombieland" Official Site

ETHAN ROY: HOLIDAY FILMS, PART TWO

#2

Another one with Clooney, but the reason I want to see this is because of Wes Anderson. I am a huge fan of his films. His quirky dialogue, realistic characters, and the humor. Clooney has the perfect voice for Mr. Fox and I love the animation, it reminds me of Wallace and Gromit. If I had any problems with it probably that it isn’t rated R like his other films.

"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Official Site

Check back next Tuesday for Ethan's Top Pick

THE BEN SPIEGEL WEDNESDAY FILM FESTIVAL!

Ben Speigel is a new addition to the Freshi Team, and we've decided to introduce him through his films. Over the next several Wednesdays, enjoy the Ben Speigel Wednesday Film Festival. Check out his profile to the left for his YouTube channel.

First up: A comedy about...filmmaking.

Ben's Notes:
The Filmmaker is a movie written, directed, filmed, and starring Ben Spiegel. Shot and edited in only a matter of days, truly shows Ben's devotion to filmmaking with a crew or not.

ETHAN ROY: HOLIDAY FILMS, PART ONE

Well the end of the end of the year is coming up and you know what that means…. Oscar season. I am looking forward to many films coming up, but I’m going to choose my top 3:

#3

Seriously, how can you go wrong with a cast with George Clooney and Jason Bateman, plus with "Juno" director Jason Reitman and looking at the trailer some BEATIFUL aerial shots from the airplane to the ground. I love George Clooney; everything he is in he is great in everything (Hey at least he tried in Batman and Robin). The story seems very clever. Plus Clooney in a dramedy, where he belongs.

"Up In The Air" official site

CHECK BACK THURSDAY FOR PART TWO

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: MEDIA JOBS OF THE FUTURE

Lionhead Studios, which is developing the "Milo" game that Zack Rome wrote about on this blog a while back, is recruiting an AI (Artificial Intelligence) Researcher to help further the project. He or she will work to help create the illusion that the virtual person on the screen is "real." In fact, in current articles about "Milo," the premise of the game includes the character's belief that you are an imaginary friend.

Check out Zack's original story, then this new article.

In the future, we think it's possible that AI experts will work hand-in-hand with scriptwriters to create entertainment of the future.

COMING SOON TO FRESHI NOW!

Freshi Now is just starting to gear up - over the next weeks and months, you'll see more and more features and special reports.

This week, we're going to start off a three-week Ben Speigel film festival. Ben, 16, is the newest member of our team, and we're going to feature some of his best films over the next three Wednesdays. Make sure you join his YouTube channel! Also this week, look for Ben's review of Zombieland.

Ethan Roy kicks off the holiday season with his three top picks for the most anticipated films of the holiday season. In the coming weeks, look for the rest of the team to offer their own picks.

Finally, we'll have some exciting news about Freshi itself - we're a company with an international reach to young media creators around the world. Find out what we've been doing.

Remember, we want you're involvement - if you'd like to contribute as a writer or vlogger, let us know.

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: MACHINIMA.COM

Here's the Wikipedia entry:

Machinima (pronounced /məˈʃiːnɨmə/ or /məˈʃɪnɨmə/) is the use of real-time three-dimensional (3-D) graphics rendering engines to generate computer animation. The term also refers to works that incorporate this animation technique. Machinima-based artists, sometimes called machinimists or machinimators, are fan laborers and often use graphics engines from video games..."

In other words, Machinima involves taking existing 3D video game environments and creating new "films" by manipulating the characters and scenes within those games.

Machinima.com is a vast site devoted to this creative environment: "Machinima.com is the premier online entertainment network showing trailers, gameplay, montages & original series created in video games."

if you're completely new to this, be sure to check out the Machinima101 section.

Finally, check out their YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/machinima

WRITERS AND VLOGGERS NEEDED!

We'll say it again!

We need writers and vloggers to report on filmmaking and gaming - this site depends on you. What do you get? The advantage of a promoted site that will get your work out there - and, if you're local, the chance to cover film industry stories and go behind the scenes with the help of Freshi. Our whole purpose to help talented young "media creators" do what they do - so as you report on people like yourself, we'll also feature your work, and link back to your own website or YouTube channel.

Contact Rich Samuels, Freshi's Director of Production (and your FRESHI NOW webmaster!), atrich.samuels@freshiflix.com

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: ONLINE GAMES

If you're on Facebook, you probably know about Farmville, the addictive, neverending online game that allows you to build a farm alongside other players. The company that created the game, Zynga, specializes in games that run on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Unlike those sites - they're making money!

Check out this article in Fortune Magazine to find out more!

ETHAN ROY: BEST AND WORST FILMS OF THE SUMMER (PART ELEVEN)

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Why did a cinematic genius like Speilberg decide to produce this god-awful piece metal clanking garbage? Wow the story was atrocious. Michael bay just got 200 million to do this film and we get, farting robots, racist twin robots, humping robots, robot with balls, and robot heaven. I am totally not joking. This says yeah we’ll just put a name like transformers and we’ll make bank. Its like the Batman and Robin of sci-fi movies.

FRESHI NOW RECOMMENDED LINK: SCREENING YOUR FILM

Film Independent, a non-profit organization for independent filmmakers, posted this article by filmmaker Heidi Van Lier entitled, "What If My Screenings Suck?" If you wonder what it would be like to have your film screened at a film festival, here's a few ways it could go - but probably won't!

ETHAN ROY: BEST AND WORST FILMS OF THE SUMMER (PART TEN)

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

Wow. I couldn’t believe what I saw. This is incredible. Quentin Tarantino is now one of the greatest or the greatest director ever. Now my favorites are him and Spielberg, but I have never been so intense in my life from watching a movie. Brad Pitt gives his best and funniest performance ever, but maybe the actor that steals it is Mr. Christoph Waltz giving his performance as Col. Hans Landa. I feel bad saying this but in the beginning he seems like the Nazi I would want to hang out with, until he start killing Jews and you find out his nickname the Jew hunter. I mean I thought Ralph Finnes was the best with that part in Schindler’s list as Amon Goeth, but nope, it’s Christoph Waltz. A lot of people are going to say Pulp Fiction is better and I’m with that and not it’s hard to say, but it is his best. Like what Lt. Aldo Raine said “You know something, Utivich? I think this just might be my masterpiece.”

SEE ETHAN'S PICK FOR WORST FILM OF SUMMER

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH!

Freshi Now Welcomes BEN SPIEGEL!

Ben Spiegel is joining the Freshi Now team! If you saw the "Dark Night" film on this blog yesterday, you're familiar with his co-starring role (with Ethan Roy) in that film from our 2008 Freshi Film Camp / Hollywood. He continues to create films, and will be bringing his experiences to Freshi Now as our newest reporter.

Not only that, you heard it here first: Starting January 1st, Ben and Ethan will launch a new Vlog....stay tuned for more details.