Dead Stuff Contest

We're having a bit of fun over at Facebook. Come join us. This is what I just posted: Dead stuff? Animal cruelty? Nope it's not my latest flick. It's actually the original promo for the SBCTB "Show Us YOUR Shreveport Bossier" contest. Anyone offended enough to call anyone? I'm just reporting the news. THE FIRST PERSON WHO FINDS THE FOUR IMAGES IN THIS 32 SECOND SPOT GETS THEIR PICK OF SCENIC SHREVEPORT MAGNETS. NOW GET TA WATCHIN.' I got dog poop to clean up.

I Steal From the Best

Happy to see the main title design for Alan Ball's HBO show "True Blood" was nominated for an Emmy. Alexandyr Kent reported it last week on his blog Louisiana Movies.

September 20, 2009 is the date for this year's awards show.

I Sold My Soul To The Devil

You’re Invited! This Thursday! It's FREE! Free food. Get there early!

From the SBCTB website "Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau and the Robinson Film Center will recognize area filmmakers at the Show Us Your Shreveport-Bossier Red Carpet Premiere at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 23 in the Robinson Film Center, 617 Texas Street in downtown Shreveport.

Come as glamorous as you’d like to pose for the cameras and to celebrate all there is to love about Louisiana’s Other Side as the $2,500 grand prize winner is unveiled. Admission to the spectacular event is FREE and open to the public."

And all this is exciting but not as exciting as it could have been because of the fact I HAD TO SELL MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL. To be part of then event I had give up creative control. From the official email sent to me "Because this is a family event and we anticipate children being there, we do reserve the right to edit the video to portions that are suitable for the viewing audience. Here is what I will need from you:

• DVDs or files need to be, at a minimum, standard resolution – i.e. they don’t have to be HD, but they’ll look better on-screen if they are. Digital file types need to be Quicktime files or .Mov files..."

I could have said no. But that $2500 has a strong magic powerful hold over me. Like I done been hoo dooed!

To watch click here True Blood and Voo Doo! my entry into the contest that started all the trouble. Watch it before you go Thursday just to compare it to what they do to it.

The Shreveport Times Editorial on the Show Us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier contest

The Shreveport Times ran an editorial Saturday July 11, 2009 on the Shreveport Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's contest "Show Us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier."

It mentions the "...the added controversy of pulling one entry for its use of dead animals and voodoo imagery..."

Page 3 The Shreveport Times

'Fun' video contest attracts voter 'abuse' is the headline of Alexandyr Kent's article in Thursday's Shreveport Times.

Kent interviewed myself and several other contestants in the "Show Us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier" contest for his piece. An excerpt:
"Usher said her video presented her view of the community and drew connections to voodoo, the HBO vampire series "True Blood," which is set in northern Louisiana, and some spooky things she photographed locally at a cemetery and an art gallery.

'For me, it's just crushing,' Usher said. While she believes that (Brandy) Evans has been genuinely sorry the contest has led to hurt feelings, she's not sure she'll get a fair shake from the panel judges.'

To read the whole article click here.

True Blood and Voo Doo! A Disposable Film

The inspiration for my disposable film came from the fine folks at Digital Kitchen.

What Digital Kitchen says about the process of putting together the main title to HBO's True Blood "The final edit contains over 65 shots comprised of original documentary, studio, tabletop photography and found footage. 6 separate shoots took place in Louisiana, Seattle, Chicago on 7 different still, film, and video camera."

It's About the Dead Stuff

Although my video is no longer on the page of official contestants on the SBCTB website it turns out I'm still in the running. Strange things have unfolded in a contest that had the best intentions.

I finally got to talk with Brandy Evans with the SBCTB Tuesday morning. She was very nice and was genuinely sorry to hear my feelings were hurt because of the way the contest was unfolding. The bottom line of what she told me was "We received a number of complaints about it and just didn't deem it suitable for our audiences, however, you are still in the video contest. What we've decided to do to show our appreciation to each one of you who participated, we're going to give each contestant $250.00 for their video. Then we're going to allow a panel of judges to judges all of the videos and they'll decide who wins the $2500."

I honestly tried to show them my SB Land in a Steven Spielberg kind of way. I took my instructions from the rules and the promotional video of the "Show Us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier" contest.

For the record, just off the top of my head, I recall tons of creepy or dead or weird stuff in Steven Spielberg films (that he produced or directed). So many "bodies" that instead of a body count, I'll just list a few of Spielberg's movie and let the images pop up in your head: Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Poltergeist, Men in Black, Jurassic Park, Gremlins, Twilight Zone: The Movie and Saving Private Ryan.

P.S. Just for the record no animals were harmed in the making of my flick, True Blood and Voo Doo!
P.P.S. Was it about the dead stuff or the word Voo Doo? Hmmm. I'm now wondering.

Re-creating what's happened so far...

All of the posts prior to this one are re-creations of what's happened over the last week to my little flick True Blood and Voo Doo!

In fact, this blog was created as a place to dump all the funky stuff. I'm tired of clogging up my Facebook with it. From here on out the dates and times on the posts will be in live time. Guess I could label the re-creations with the label "Re-creation."

Thank you for your support!

Hackage?

Yep, True Blood and Voo Doo! is no longer on the page of contestants for the SBCTB "Show Us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier." Luckily I have the screen up from before it was removed so I have proof. Proof of what I don't know. It's kind of like having a chunk of hair from a dead relative wedged between the pages of the family bible. What am I gonna do with it?

Has the site been hacked? What is going on? Sunday night at midnight on a holiday weekend what's a body to do?

KATHY, YOUR THING IS GONE

Sunday night. 10:52pm. Snoozing in the recliner, wishing there was a new episode of HBO's True Blood .

Cell phone clatters in the hall. I assume it's Katee. I take my time to fetch it. It screams again. I panic. When I was growing up no phone calls were allowed after 10pm and family of origin stuff dies slowly...um...never. So calls after 10 mean someone has died. I see it's my mom and really panic and answer. "Kathy, your thing is gone. On the computer."

"What?"

"John and I have been taking turns voting and when I clicked that thing again yours disappeared." I think she thinks she may have voted one too many times and broken the Internet. I tell her I'll click around and call her back. I check. It's gone. I'm stunned. Stunned. The other 14 videos are there but True Blood and Voo Doo! done been hoo dooed off the site.

FaceBook Friend Abuse

In an effort to drum up votes for my flick I spend the 4th of July holiday weekend emailing and Facebooking family and friends. I do post this link so folks can read Alexandyr Kent's opinion on the whole deal.

Here's one post I slapped up on my Facebook:
"Hey Peeps! Your thoughts on this? No more 5 votes per day per computer. Just burn your mouse up clicking away. If I had any scruples I'd withdraw my flick. But since I have a kid in college, two vehicles with 200,000 plus miles and over 8 prescriptions a month to scramble to pay for, I'M A BIG WHORE! But the King Cake Baby Voo Doo Doll still loves me. WWJD?"

The 8lb 6oz Baby Jesus is Crying

OMG! Movie Blog Boy I don't know whether to hate on you or be glad you're pointing out the strange goings on with the "Show us YOUR Shreveport-Bossier" contest and website.

From Alexandyr Kent's July 2, 2009 post Opinion: Promotional contest doesn’t deserve your vote "If you want to determine the winner of the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's current video contest, you better click fast (and often)...The bureau is endorsing a contest, and giving away $2,500, with a minimum amount of vote monitoring. Think no voting restrictions just level the playing field for all possible abusers? By the look or those vote and view tallies, which now vary by the thousands from video to video, I'm going withhold my optimism."

Hinky is how King Cake Baby Voo Doo Doll is feeling about all of this. To quote Ozzy Osburne "This will end in tears."

End of Day One Brings Voting Problems

Alexandyr Kent's posted about the problems happening on the SBCTB website. He called me "Shreve's indie media maven." I kinda like that. Does it come with some kind of crown? I'd like that even better.

Hope everything's fixed. How do I tell folks that their votes yesterday didn't amount to a hill of beans?

Remember 5 votes per day per computer. Thank you for taking the time to vote for True Blood and Voo Doo!

Click on the above picture to read the statement put up by the SBCTB.

True Blood and Voo Doo!

I made a tiny flick. It's inspired by Alan Ball's show on HBO True Blood.

I really like how a mansion in downtown Shreveport and Lucky Liquor in downtown Shreveport are featured in the opening credits of the HBO show True Blood.