Category Archives: filmmaking

Puzzle Pieces in Place

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“Writing is mentally stimulating; it’s like a puzzle that makes you think all the time.”
~Stephanie Zimbalist 

I like to put together jigsaw puzzles, and until I get every last piece into place, I can not rest. When that final part has been put into place, what a fulfilling feeling that is! 

A few weekends ago, I spoke with authors and independent publishers who were visiting exhibit booths at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association “College” www.cipabooks.com. The visitors attending the trade industry event were looking for all the missing puzzle pieces to complete their publishing project. They were in various stages of the process. 

Some had begun to envision their writing project but had yet to put a single piece into place. They knew that gaining insight into the entire process, prior to beginning the task, was a wise thing to do. 

Others had completed the writing process, and were looking for the next puzzle piece to put into place. They were searching for folks who could add “spit and polish” to their rough draft.

Many had every part of the puzzle in place, except the final. They had come to learn more about how to sell and effectively market their finished product. Like most non-traditional publishers they were seeking information on selling books, film and music over the internet. E-marketing is an essential puzzle piece that fits well into the independent publishing game. 

Understanding how the last piece of the puzzle, “the internet marketing part” is the connector in the over-all picture of e-commerce is so important. This marketing piece, seldom well-understood,  has added a whole new dimension to selling over the world-wide-web. 

If you have never had experience in fitting this piece of the puzzle into your company’s marketing plans, help is available.  Start by locating a company that specializes in e-commerce and e-marketing for independent publishers. It is essential that all the internet marketing  pieces are put into place  correctly so that your potential buyers can find just what they are looking for.This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

 

Have we Met Before?

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“Books are the best of things if well used; if abused, among the worst. They are good for nothing but to inspire.”    ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Increasingly businesses are stepping into the arena of e-marketing. It is a whole new tactic of promoting products, services, individuals and companies in the business world. Knowing how to use internet marketing effectively is key. 

I read something the other day that made me think there may a fulfilling reason to communicate with people on-line,  that I had never considered before.  According to a study in the journal Cognition, http://bit.ly/hRtWxK our ability to remember faces peaks between ages 30 and 34. People 35 years and older are now finding there are ways to put faces and names together over the internet.   Maybe that explains why kids are no longer the only ones connecting on the world-wide-web. Am I over-thinking it by saying “the younger generation is compassionate and are developing ways of connecting faces and names, on-line, to help out their forgetful elders ?”  Perhaps! 

The viral world is helping to connect people around the world through meet-up groups, too.  People with similar business interests can now get together on-line or arrange “face to face” meetings. 

 Denver is home to the nation’s largest meet-up group in the country. The group is comprised of creative professionals www.meetup.com/creative-connections. It has a growing membership of over 1,000 strong. So large is this group, they meet at the Colorado Community Church http://www.coloradocommunity.org/ , a facility that can accommodate all. Creative Connections draws Artists (all forms), writers, photographers,  marketing and advertising creatives. Professionals who make their living through TV, the internet, radio and video production also attend the twice weekly meetings. 

If you have a specific career interest, and are looking for opportunities to meet up with like-minded people, connect through www.meetup.com.    

This  blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Feeding Minds through Film

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“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.” ~ Henri Frederic Amiel

As predicted, the LunaFest,® on Friday night at the Bud Werner Library, www.steamboatlibrary.org had a fulfilling line-up of short films that were screened. Once I arrived at the film festival, I became aware that the LunaFest® is sponsored by LunaBars® –snack bars that are power-packed with vitamins and minerals that meet the needs of all women, and especially women on the go. “What woman is not on the go,” may I ask? 

Out of the 10 “shorts” that were shown, it is difficult to say which was my favorite. Each film had it’s own merits and an important issue that was brought to the fore. The producers and directors of the films were women from a diversity of countries and cultures. Americans, Brits, Israelis and Canadians were among the mix. The following is a list of films that were screened, and my interpretation of the issue that was highlighted in each film: 

  • The Translator – Communication between men & women.
  • Getting A Grip – Women competing in what is thought to be a man’s world.
  • Touch –  Guardian angels that appear in women’s lives.
  • Tightly Knit – Building community around common interests.
  • Top Spin – Women finding balance in their lives.
  • Thembi’s Diary – Global health issues (this film was artistically creative in how it incorporated textures and patterns with animation).
  • Mother of Many – Women’s health and parenting.
  • Irene – Adult children caring for aging parents.
  • Miracle Lady – Hope, life’s journey, enduring love
  • Love on the Line – Relationships and attraction. 

Each screenwriter, producer and director deserves to be recognized for having created a high-quality film that was chosen to be included in this festival. LunaBars®, a division of Clif Bar and Company http://bit.ly/fCXGKW is to be congratulated for their healthy alternative snack products and for the company’s vision of  raising money for breast cancer, through the power of film. This union between the corporate world and artistic expression, through filmmaking,  is an excellent example of bringing creative, effective marketing to the public and adding value to lives.

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It is a LunaFest Film Friday!

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It is Film Friday! And it is going to be a fulfilling evening for film-lovers in Steamboat Springs, CO. Tonight the Luna Fest® will be at the Bud Werner Library. This film festival will benefit the Breast Cancer Fund and the Yampa Valley Breast Cancer Awareness Project/Bust of Steamboat. 

LunaFest® films are short films which highlight women’s issues such as aging, motherhood, women’s health and cultural diversity. The ten short films being shown will range from documentary to animation to fictional drama. Celebrating women, their stories and their talents through the power of film is the mission of the Luna Fest®. 

All of the films are produced by women filmmakers, some of whom are independent filmmakers, and have won industry awards for their ability to start dialogues and bring understanding to the women’s issues that they involve. 

For more information on the event, please visit: www.steamboatlibrary.org 

For more information on how to host a LunaFest® in your community: http://bit.ly/8u4QrA 

To learn more about the fund-raising cause that the LunaFest® will support: http://thebustofsteamboat.org/ 

This film festival, The LunaFest® is a great representation of how the power of film brings education, awareness and important story-telling to communities of people.

We look forward to sharing with you on All Things Fulfilling, more information on our favorite films of the LunaFest® evening, at a later date!

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See you tonight!

Catching the Wave

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“The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” ~ Bertrand Russell 

It was a most enjoyable weekend at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association “College.”  There is so much information to share with readers that it is difficult to know where to start! Independent publishers, stay tuned all week long to All Things Fulfilling, as we will be sharing some very hot news on the industry, services that are available to independent publishers and other items of interest! 

Breaking news first! The Colorado Independent Publishers Association has received a fulfilling sign that “libraries are firm supporters of the independent publishers through the willingness to buy and promote their works” through a pilot program that has been put into place with libraries in two counties in the State of Colorado.  The program will allow library patrons to purchase e-book titles from its catalogs. 

This news is significant because on March 7th some of the traditional publishing houses have changed their e-book licensure policies to allow only 26 checkouts.  New e-book licensing fees must be paid, again, to allow for more than 26 e-book checkouts. To read the full article in the American Library Magazine, about this groundbreaking arrangement between the Colorado Independent Publishers Association and libraries in two Colorado counties, please visit http://bit.ly/eKsSLp. 

Is the collaboration and cooperation between the libraries and an independent publishing trade association www.cipabooks.com an indicator that libraries everywhere anticipate that independent publishing is the wave of the future?  

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

In the Pilot Seat

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“If you do not look at things on a large scale, it will be difficult to master strategy.”         ~ Miyamoto Murshashi
 
 People are choosing to independently publish books, films and music because they have more control in all facets of publishing process. http://bit.ly/94IUo4.  It is fulfilling when you are in command of the vehicle that you are steering. The vehicle is your media, powered by independent words, images and audio sounds.

As pilot of your publishing project, your responsibility lies in the take-off (pre-publication planning), the trip from destination to destination (producing the publication from start to finish) and the safe landing (getting the finished publication into the hands of the consumer). 

As an independent publisher, it is important to remember that each stage of the journey from take-off to landing is integral to the end result. Keeping the momentum going is a challenge that all independent publishers face. A co-pilot for different legs of the journey is helpful when your energy lags, for when you begin to loose steam or enter into unknown territory. 

There is no need to sojourn alone. Freelance vendors in every part of the publishing process can provide you with services to help you throughout the trip – from putting a solid, well rounded marketing plan into place, to selling your book on the internet and through other channels, to assisting you with reaching communities of people who are interested in knowing about the publishing project that you have been piloting.

Step into the pilot’s seat with confidence in knowing that in this day and age of publishing, there is plenty of help available for those who decide to take a non-traditional route.

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

International Film Trivia

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“I really love it all: theatre, film, television.” ~ Charlotte Rae  

It’s been a busy, busy week! All kinds of fulfilling activities were on my business calendar for this past week. Since it is Film Friday, today we will play a little international film trivia, to mix things up.

If you can answer these two film trivia questions, without cheating, you can consider yourself really “in the know” and on top of the scene! The answers will be located at the very bottom of this page. Good luck! 

  1. Two short documentary films by Macedonian filmmaker Marija Makeska will be presented tonight in remembrance of the Macedonian WWII Holocaust. The names of the films are “Soul Mates” and “Getting to Know Us.” In what city in the United States will these films be screened and what is the non-profit organization that will be presenting these films?
  2. On February 13th, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts http://www.bafta.org/  honored this individual for his outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Who was the actor? Hint – He played Saruman in Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Count Docku in Star Wars and Dracula in at least 10 films. Who is the actor that was honored with the BAcademy Fellowship at London’s Royal Opera House ? 

Curious? Go ahead and peek. I will not hold it against you! Or you can use your favorite search engine to find out the answers.

This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

Answers: 1. Steamboat Springs, Co and Macedonian Mission for Humanity. More information: http://www.steamboattoday.com/events/2011/mar/11/9874/

                   2. Sir Christopher Lee

Treasure Trove On-Line

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“When you are curious, you find lots of interesting things to do” ~ Walt Disney

I like visiting other blog sites as much as I enjoy being the author-in-residence for our company blog, All Things Fulfilling. What I find most interesting is the uniqueness in look and the independent thought, words and views that each blogger brings to their site. 

Popping in on other blog sites is like a visit to the thrift store! You never know what you are going to stumble upon that may be of great value to you in your life or to the life of someone else you know. There are all kinds of useful things you can find when you delve into the blogosphere. I enter without expectation of what I am going to find, ever mindful of the Irish proverb “better one good thing that is, rather than two good things that were, or three good things that might never come to pass.”

Trading blog site links is like sharing books, films and music. It is especially satisfying to share blog postings and blog sites with people who you know would relate and enjoy the content. I have my favorite sites that I return to frequently. http://bit.ly/ekghXc.   I revisit some that have been transformed from an earlier state and that is interesting, too. http://bit.ly/fVDoqu.

All bloggers, from time to time, struggle with how to provide content that is useful and valuable to others. If you are stuck in a rut with your blogging, sometimes all it takes is a fresh set of eyes to evaluate and suggest what other treasures you can share with readers.

Keep your “treasure trove on-line” restocked creatively and regularly and you will have return visitors time and time again. 

 This blog brought to you by www.CornerstoneFulfillmentService.com.

A Letter to an Independent Filmmaker

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“The things you want are always possible…the only real obstacle in your path to a fulfilling life is you.” ~ Les Brown

 On February 25 in 1988 Bruce Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love” tour began. It also marked the day when the start of love relationship with a child, whose arrival can only be described as JOY.  Our son entered into this world 23 years ago today and my husband and I began fulfilling our dreams of raising a precious, much-wanted child. For all who knew us then, it was a time of great celebration. For those who know us now, the gratitude and love we still feel for this gift of life is still very apparent. 

Dear Independent Filmmaker,

Can you help your parents out by setting the record straight for us? Your ability to communicate so well was evident at such an early age. But, what was it that made you decide to become a filmmaker? Was it the huge library of children’s books that we amassed and that I read to you over and over again that gave you a love for storytelling? Was it the hours you spent on your Dad’s lap watching Disney, We Sing and other children’s movies together that made you want pursue a life of entertaining others through cinematography? Was your interest in sound, lighting, cameras and lenses what made you want to create visual effects? Perhaps it was the outstanding mentor who shared everything he knew about the TV/filmmaking industry with you. What was it? We really want to know!

 Your journey as an adult, friend, storyteller, visual effects artist and filmmaker has only just begun. Continue to use the most valuable gift that you were given – good common sense. You’ve always had a great moral compass of right and wrong – use it to stay on the right path.  Staying true to your values is what has gotten you this far already. Use your energy to make this world a better place and always remember your family and where you came from. Your highly inquisitive mind, your caring nature and love of people will carry you far. You continue to amaze us with your spirit, your talents and the gifts that that you bring to this world. We can not wait to see where life and your career takes you. 

Have a safe, fun birthday. We love you! Mom and Dad

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Properly Honored, at Last

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All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.                       ~ Winston Churchill

On Monday at our weekly Kiwanis meeting, we saw a touching DVD of World War II Veterans taking a flight of a lifetime to Washington, DC. The Honor Flight is a program that transports veterans of the Second World War to see the memorial that was built in their honor. For many of these vets, the trip is not an easy one due their age and failing health, but for many veterans it fulfills a dream of a lifetime to see the capital of the country they so bravely fought for many, many years ago. 

The World War II Memorial was completed in 2004. It was built on the National Mall in Washington, DC and it consists of 56 pillars and a pair of arches which surround a beautiful reflecting pool and fountain. During WWII, the gold star was the symbol of family sacrifice, thus a field of 4,000 gold stars incorporated into the Memorial commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in their fight for freedom. 

Almost 400 veterans from this area, the Western Slope of Colorado, have made a flight with their compatriots to see the World War II Memorial built to honor their military service. A better way to honor the vets and give them one “last hurrah” would be difficult to find. Family members, veterans of other wars and community volunteers accompany these aging vets to make the help make trip as easy as they possibly can. Many of the WWII vets have ambulatory and other health issues, so charter flights helps make the trip a little less difficult. Their bodies may be failing them, but their strong spirits carry them through and it is truly a trip well worth making, each one of them would tell you, I am sure. 

Almost every State in the Union has honor flights several times a year. If you would like more information on donating to this wonderful cause, please visit www.honorflight.org.  We are hoping as a club, Kiwanis International of Steamboat Springs, Colorado http://on.fb.me/epjzSf  will be able to provide support for this wonderful program. If you wish to accompany a flight as a volunteer or would like to provide financial support to the West Slope Honor Flight, please visit http://www.westernslopehonorflight.com/. 

Thank you to all World War II veterans ( and all veterans of the military) for  the sacrifices that you have made for your countrymen so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we do today.