Cannes Guide - what to bring in my own words...

Cannes Guide

I started writing this last week. Then time got away from me and I tried to keep writing during Cannes and then....well its 1am and Im home now! 

So I thought instead of letting it linger any longer I'll publish it now!

Below is just an essentials for producers/actors/filmmakers/others to take as a guide of what to bring to Cannes.

Hopefully it helps you on your way, and if you are a longtimer maybe you'll find something new in there, or possibly just find yourself nodding!

What to pack, its simple really, when you are roughing it (which is probably most of you reading this), make sure you remember the little things:

Business cards: Yes if you don’t have any or forgot them or whatever. Sorry if you cant remember this one little thing I probably wont have much faith in your filmmaking/industry abilities.

There are always exceptions to this rule of course, but if you are starting out, then forgetting your cards makes a TERRIBLE impression on the exciting sales agent you just met or the wonderful producer who is keen to make your film……

Sleeping Bag/Sleeping Mat – you might be staying on someones floor (just check this out, don’t let it be a surprise) as its cheap and close to Cannes don’t forget this stuff.

Laptop, Phone – If you’re not here to work, just to chill out then Im not sure why you came. Honestly, if you are coming to Cannes you are trying to meet new people, sell films, buy films, get funding and my favourite work and best work ethic – COLLABORATE! So you need to be accessible via email and you need to be contactable on your phone. (Remember roaming rates are exhorbitant so text pls! Or else an unpleasant surprise can come in the form of a £300 phone bill….; (

Film Material - 

For producers, obviously your one sheet ( a beautifully professionally printed double sided sheet with all factual info on your film like loglines, cast, genre, etc), DVD's of the film, DVD of the trailer, have it on your phone, your laptop and dont be like me and have it on a memory stick that doesnt work ; (

Then ask yourself these questions:

What are you here for?

Who do you need to see to get it?

Why them?

What will you SHOW them?

This will go a long way in helping you find your path in Cannes.

As someone once said, the path is wind-y dont lose your way. Maybe that was me. Anyway, Cannes is a great ocean of sales, films, madness. So DO YOUR HOMEWORK, register to your country's Cannes Pavilion before you go. Then go to said pavilion and look up the sales/distribs/producers and email them early. Try to get meetings, pitch your work to anyone who'll listen and you'll be surprised what you find yourself saying (also a great way to refine your pitch!).

Another way is to hit the Croisette and door knock. I've heard a birdy say that during the first 3 days in Cannes all those big companies doors are fairly open, and getting meetings off the cuff is not so hard. Then after day 3 its lock down and everyone is hard at work. So go hassle your favourite sales agent in the world (even though they dont know you yet), talk to the Weinsteins - at least poke your head in and get rebutted by their interns (its a great story and hey who knows you might get lucky!), annoy Ealing Studios (no dont, just say hi), crash Arte's yacht because all they can do is say "we are busy". If you are smaller producer like me, or filmmaker you've lost nothing but your dignity and maybe pride - which you will get back, after several drinks, I assure you. But you might be lucky like me and in the midst of crashing the yacht looking for a meeting you wind up getting invited to a free lunch! Not bad going.

Then go to the Film Marche (Market) and try those guys, see what is selling, see what is not, then make a film of what will sell. Try picking up goodies in the March, freebies, there is happy hour at the Short Film Corner each night from 5pm I think. So go, drink, mingle with tomorrows talent.

Clothes – Boys Black Tie. Yes the Black tux and bow tie. I’ve seen security refuse red carpet attendees because they wore a tie not a bowtie.

Girls – Dresses Dresses Dresses!!!! This is the time to shine!  You cannot overdo it and you cannot bring too many. Trust me. (And bring flats to wear during the day as the walking is a killer, and you can shove them in your purse at night when the dancing starts!).

Sunglasses / Hat (got a free, nice one from the Kodak pavilion this year).

Chargers for EVERYTHING

Universal adapator for your iphone, laptop and ipad. Trust me these are always overpriced at FNAC so get it at the airport before you come!

Lastly, bring your character - come ready to meet great people, expand your network and Collaborate. I believe creativity is collaboration. You know how people talk about everyone knowing everyone at the top, well its because they've been coming to Cannes for years. They all know eachother, and soon you will know them too. Just keep on coming, keep being yourself and be open to meeting new and interesting types. You never know who you will end up working with, or for!

Bring your best smile, your fun and the party will come to you!

Latest film industry news

Dreary day thoughts.


Hobbit is now officially in pre pre production. What does that mean? Ian McKellan is on it, and said he is going forward – yay!

However there is still issues with finding a director and I’ve heard a source say, there are funding issues as the film is MGM….

I hear the MGM sale is still going on, and although I met a man in Cannes on a yacht who boasted he bought the entire back catalogue, yet apparently that is still on the market so who the hell knows!

This is also why the new Bond 23 film is stalled. And I thought it was a british film, but no, of course not.


On the grapevine is X Men casting in London! Yes that is right! So I will be duly forwarding my resume and headshot to them if you wanna know who just ask.

Other news is that an animation film Despicable Me has beaten Eclipse of the twilight fame in box office takings over the weekend! Wow!

Very big.

However right now, things are slowly starting up, had 4 auditions last week and although Im still looking for an agent I must say its nice to be able to manage my own career. Producing wise I am waiting to hear back from a job with Focus Features(eek!), and considering asking Lauren Schuler Donner if I can be her assistant when she arrives for XMen!

Lauren is an amazing woman and if you don’t know her name then you need to google her. She is a Producer who works at the highest level, with major studios, like Sony, Universal etc. She has produced some films you may know like, X Men, Constantine, Ladyhawke, Free Willy, You’ve Got Mail.

But I digress, Im off to the Lake District next week, and hope to have a final draft of Unify which will now by 7min long.

We are still looking for funding so if you would like to support us please go to:

http://www.indiegogo.com/unify

For more info see:

http://www.wix.com/jadealexander/unifythefilm

That’s all folks!

xoxo

Share
|

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday!!

Hi everyone,
Sorry I have been a bit lax but when your average day begins at 7.30am and you arrive home at 3am, there is very little time to spend blogging!

But its still amazing.
Im sitting in the lobby of the Carlton hotel as I write this, regretting ordering my espresso, it is 7 Euros. Officially the most expensive coffee I have EVER had. And yet still not the best!

Today is a beautiful day and I was lucky enough to have to run errands and walk up and down the Croisette (which is the boardwalk alongside the beach. People are sunbaking and its real sunshine and warmth.
I have just recieved another text for an errand so I'd better go and fill you all in on the juicy goss after....

Paul Allen unfortunately did not invite me to either of his yacht parties, I am a little sore about that but its fine, I will not invite him to my house for dinner.
In case you're wondering Paul is one of the Microsoft founders and owns one of the largest private yachts in the world. In fact it has a submarine on board that seats 8 people!
Last night he had the Rolling Stones perform and on Sunday night it was Wyclef Jean and Bono. I think my invite was lost in the post...At the party, all of ICM and all the big guys in town, including talent like Meg Ryan, Cuba Gooding junior, Jean Claude Van Dam, Xavier Bardem, Giarmo Del Toro etc etc...

Oh dear have to run an errand blog again soon!

xoxo jade

Party Time!!

So the tough thing about Cannes is that in France I have no access to internet when and where I want it. Mainly because of global roaming costs.

Please excuse any rambling I do right now, I have had about 5 hours sleep for 4 days and cannot remember what day it is. Someone had to tell me!

Last night was a blast, half work half play. I got into the hot party which was Abu Dhabi film commission on the beach at Century Club! I did have to wait an hour outside as I had my bosses tickets but when he turned up it was all good.
So Hal Sodoff is 2nd in command at ICM and he turned up with Sam Gupta a financier man who - lets just say Im beginning to suspect might be a millionaire, but Sam is a great guy and buys me drinks : ), but I also had to give tickets to Suhail, the man who OWNS ICM. Suhail is a man with money, he just went to Monaco and partied on a private yacht. He brought 3 leggy blondes (one is his wife) and two young men with him.
I went to chat to them to see what they do, and the tall african american guy seemed really nice, we chatted while dancing and drinking and he told me he works for google. So I ask if he is a programmer. Honestly I must have just drunk too much.
He laughed at me.
We chatted about other things and I asked him what his actual title was as he seemed to be not a computer guy....he gave me his card
Vice President of Google.
Oh. Wow. He was with the 2 guys who started the company way back when.

Then my friend Ange came over with her producer friend Andrea who I got into the party, and we chatted to the other guy. He seemed young, and then I found out, he started YouTube. Hmm ok. (I wasnt feeling at all out of place!).

Music was great, heaps of people were there and we all danced like crazy!
and I made sure I got people to go and see my film!
....................................................................................................................................................................................
ICM is the most amazing company to intern with, they are awesome and take us 4 interns out to every party introduce people to us and even give us red carpet invitations.
So on Thursday night (had to think about that one), we went out to dinner at Le Pizza, a famous restuarant/institution here. ICM booked 35 tables and I am working by the way with Hal Sodoff (2nd in command of ICM). Hal invited us interns out to dinner with his friends, all of whom are bankers, financiers, sellers, producers, etc etc.
On my right I sat next to a man who works for a company called Technicolour. They do everything from making the film (actually creating film to shoot on) to colouring to all sorts of technical things I could not remember. Lots of distributing of film stock etc etc.
On my left was an older man who seemed a little cold. His name was Tony. I chatted to him and gradually wore down his aloofness and asked what he does "oh I work for a little company called Fox"
Me: "oh" (great reply huh!)
Him: "yes"
Me: "so what is your title there?"
Him: "Im chief executive officer of fox"
Me: um...wow.

So Tony is the guy who buys and sells films. This is his 21st Cannes Film Festival and he is not a party guy. People are always trying to get him to buy or sell stuff and he doesnt even go to the Palais (where the film market and films are screened). Fox has offices in their hotel The Carlton Hotel.
Now in case I didnt let you know, the Carlton is the original of the Ritz Carlton, its grand and old and all the studios who can afford it set up their offices on the ground floor.
Its amazing, they fully redecorate the corridors for their offices so it doesnt even look like a hotel room!
We are based in the Carlton. But we are not so lavish, we do have a suite though and an amazing ocean view!

Tony was great, I invited him to party and he wanted to go home and read his book!!!!!! in CANNESS!!!!!
But I did manage to get him to take my film pack and he said he would go home and watch it! Yay!
I also managed to meet David Lancaster of Bold Films who met me Friday morning and took my film as well. David has productions in UK, USA and Australia coming up!

So Im doing pretty well, giving high level people my film and making friends and contacts. Gotta dash off to a meeting with a producer/director from London but love to all!
Try to post again soon!

PS we are trying to get into the Dolce and Gabbana party, and Vanity Fair soon, also Paul Allens Yacht party with Bono and Wyclef Jean will be sure to be the best!!!
love
jade xoxo

Sci Fi Film Festival, Cannes Countdown, Auditions!

What a couple of weeks!
For the first time ever I was laid down by severe muscle strain in my back. How did I do it you ask?
I have NO IDEA!!
Then this week I have had 6 days of gastro.
Tell you what its been really crazy. Maybe that’s the reason for all these illnesses, Im getting sick because Im worried, stressed and trying to hold it altogether!

SCI-FI Film Festival
I attended the opening last night, complete with storm troopers, press and directors. The free chocolates were fantastic and then it was trumped by free drinks and then cupcakes and icecream. Which did nothing to cool the hot atmosphere inside the Apollo theatre. But it made a very happy Jade and Siti who accompanied me.
We saw the Arthur C. Clarke awards, and watched China Mieville win for his latest novel, and then were ushered in to watch the feature film Splice by Vincenzo Natali, its now in talks with Warner Bros to be released worldwide!
The short film that won the 48 hour film challenge was inspiring and amazing - better than films Ive done with no time limit!
Well done to those guys.


PLATINUM CHISEL
Its been fantastic, offers have been coming in for it to be screened in places as far as Vladivostock, France and Portrugal. Not to mention a few interesting distribution offers.
I've been hard at work on the website refining everything I want. The new website is fantastic (I did it myself so it must be!) and will be launched very very soon.
Watch this space…..

AUDITIONS
Auditions have been great, I met with a certain agent who seemed very nice and proceeded to tell me about what I should do in an audition…..it was a bit bizarre.
Im torn, not so sure about them, although the feedback so far has been very good.

CANNES
On the other hand I will be working very hard with ICM at Cannes. So very exciting to be paired with such an amazing company!
I will be working with their US branch as a production intern. Should be a very interesting experience, and hopefully they might be interested in representing me in London (I should be sooo lucky!).

That’s all for now folks,
Keeping you posted and thank you for reading!
Jade xoxo

Mike Leigh goes to Cannes!

Wow, the question is now who ISN'T going to Cannes!

Mike Leigh has a new film, confirmed to be premiering at Cannes this year. Have a read!

Also on that there are a whole heap of films that will be shown at Cannes at the bottom of that email. Im a little hurt Platinum Chisel is not there. I guess the Guardian is biased to UK films.

In other good news we are invited to show at the Vladivostock Film Festival. A little strange and - to use a very aussie saying - RANDOM, but there you go.

What am I watching right now? A great interview with Ricky Gervais and some other guy (no actually Stephen Merchant) about their new film Cemetary Junction. Which incidentally has been advertised to hell and back. Have a look here.

In other great news, we have an imdb page for Platinum Chisel.
Please go there, vote for us, visit the page and boost our numbers!
And then go to facebook, join the group and tell your friends.

Its been a long labour of love to create this film and come friday we will be uploading the FINAL version to Short Film Corner. Fingers crossed,
Until then.
In the words of our fearless leader,
Go Hard, Go Chisel.

Platinum Chisel is accepted into Cannes Film Festival!

We got in. To Cannes that is!
Its official, my first short film (as sole producer) Platinum Chisel has now been accepted into the Cannes Film Festival Short Corner!!!

I cannot tell you how excited and happy that makes me.
All the long..….well, I mean everything, the long process really!
Its actually over a year since we first started work on the film. I think I first came up with making Platinum a film in January 2009, and approaching Mike Lewis our writer around then…back in Sydney back at Sydney Theatre Company.
And now in March 2010 after career changes, changing continents, moving to 3 different places to live, and touring for 5 months around australia and that’s just me. My director had holidays, moving house, computer blowing up (yeah really).

Now finally I feel like the hard work is paying off, and it’s a GOOD feeling!

I just found us on the Short Film Corner's catalogue:

http://www.shortfilmcorner.com/sfcfilm/filmfiche2.Aspx?id=13749596
That is just surreal!
So while we gather our breath, gather our courage and our sales pitches. Look out for us at Cannes Film Festival 2010
Go Platinum. Go Hard, Go Chisel.

www.platinumchisel.com

Well, its been a while since my last post and I have been recovering from bad laryngitis.
Trying to speak in Chinese with my basic working level of mandarin whilst having said laryngitis over the weekend was a massive challenge.

Also I found being sick on a film set is not fun. I have been sick on set before, but not on a no budget film - ahhhh chaos……weirdly fun when you are well and not so much when you are very ill.
One thing I Always inevitably find on set, whether or not there is money behind the project, is that if one or more people aren't into the film then….well chaos reigns.
In this case, surprisingly, it was the producer.

Maybe people underestimate the effort and time involved? Who knows. I just know that this certain person decided that we didn't need key props the morning of the shoot and that he didn’t have time to collect them.
But rather than complain about this, I take it as another lesson about having a DEDICATED crew and cast.

Reminds me of my own film, which by the way is doing well. Understatement - its doing AMAZING, racing against the Cannes Independent deadline. Im currently conversing with Sydney and London based post production crew which is kinda fun, although costly!
I do not want to look at my phone bill next month!!!

Still reading up on Cannes, it sounds crazy yet amazing. Im really hoping to meet some celebrities, being, in my world, anyone from any Joss Whedon project. Or even Joss himself.
I think I would probably just gape. And maybe do that thing in Waynes world, kneel on the ground and worship saying "im not worthy!".
Who knows what will happen, but I am hoping to be placed with an awesome producer. Im in two minds, someone big has massive kudos and pulling power. Warner Bros, or Fox Searchlight!
But someone smaller probably has more to teach me, yet may not be able to offer me a job afterward or have as much wow factor. Decisions decisions!

BTW if anyone knows a Grader please give them my number/website please!
www.jade-alexander.com so they can contact me!

Also Im crazy excited about my new film poster for Platinum! Check it out!
Xoxo Jade