Studio
A Conversation with Maya Kazan & Production Stills from Lulu At the Ace Hotel
4/1/2010 at 10:17 AM by Kenneth Woo
Maya Kazan's "Lulu at the Ace Hotel" has just wrapped principal photography as one of the selected films for our collaboration with Killer Films and the Ace Hotel. We caught up with Maya on the set to talk about her thoughts on Lulu as well as her plans as one of Massify's most promising filmmakers.
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Maya Kazan Editor, Crew, Writer, Director, Actor
LOOP PLANES Announced for SXSW 2010
2/12/2010 at 9:19 AM by Kenneth Woo
We are thrilled with the news that Loop Planes, our first collaboration with Killer Films, has made it to SXSW this year.
Thanks again to the Massify community for making this such a successful program, and congratulations to Killer, Robin, and the entire Loop Planes team!
SXSW Announces Shorts Lineup
Killer Films Announces Ace Hotel Selections
1/15/2010 at 2:56 PM by Christine Vachon
Killer is extremely excited to finally move into the preproduction phase of our project with Massify and the Ace Hotel. We've selected three films to produce from the final twelve. We chose these projects based on a number of factors; we selected films we believed were most makeable on a micro-budget, films we were confident we could shoot on short schedules, and scripts that all offer a strong, fresh point of view, that are tonally and thematically diverse.
Christine Vachon Producer
Killer's Notes on the Ace Hotel Shortlist Finalists
12/11/2009 at 7:34 AM by James Sehring
Hello Readers/Writers! Please take a brief moment to review these brief notes and initial thoughts. Then, if you can, take more time to work on your scripts! We'll sit down with all twelve writers in the next week, to discuss artistic vision, the practicalities of making these films, and what sort of ways they can tweak their script to realize each story's potential. Following our meetings, we'd love to see 2nd drafts of each script by 12/23. We'll select our final set of shorts in the new year based on the quality of writing over both drafts and the meetings/discussions we have over the next two weeks. Thanks so much again for participating, and we look forward to sitting down with everyone very soon. If you have any questions, feel free to message David Kaplan or James Sehring at your liberty!
In no way are these notes intended to be seen as instructions or directives. Instead, treat them like prompts... we intend for this to be a collaborative process and are looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts. Thanks!
- The Killer Team
James Sehring Producer
Killer Announces the Shortlist for the Ace Hotel Pitches!
11/24/2009 at 1:57 PM by James Sehring
We're thrilled to finally announce our 12 favorite pitches! Many apologies for the delay in announcing... I wanted to make sure that Killer gave each pitch a proper review. After much deliberation, we've pulled together a collection of diverse stories, all with the potential to be memorable little shorts, all taking advantage of the Ace's wonderful aesthetic. The quality of scripts was so high across the board, and to know that so much original content is at our finger tips is really exciting for us. We feel that each of these scripts represents a strong perspective, a unique point of view - Some are fresh takes on classic stories, others are nuanced character portraits. More than anything, they're all great ideas and we can't wait to sit down with the filmmakers and figure out how make it all work. Thanks so much to everyone who submitted. We REALLY enjoyed reading, so keep writing!
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James Sehring Producer
Killer Films & Ace Hotel Underway
10/20/2009 at 7:29 AM by Christine Vachon
We've already gotten some strong pitches for the new Killer/Massify collaboration, but we're hoping for so many more. To be clear, this is not a commercial for Ace Hotel. We conceived of the hotel setting as a means of focusing the project on one type of film, ensuring that we have the means to produce multiple shorts simultaneously. Yes, the scope is narrow, but we hope that this will provide an opportunity for writers in the community to be truly creative, use unconventional narratives, stand out visuals, to create something unique - something that can be a personal calling card. PLEASE take a chance and submit your script.
Christine Vachon Producer
Episode 4: What's Wrong With Chloe?
10/16/2009 at 3:55 PM by Amy Allen
Robin and her team have a bit of a scare when their lead actress starts to overheat while shooting a scene.
Massify & Killer Films Team Up With Ace Hotel
10/2/2009 at 1:26 PM by Amy Allen
We had a lot of fun making this promo video for our latest production with Killer Films. What does everybody think of it? Learn all about the opportunity here and if you know any talented writer/directors, please let them know that Killer Films wants to read their work.
Episode 3: Racing Against The Clock
9/25/2009 at 9:23 AM by Amy Allen
Director Robin Wilby and her team race to get all the shots they need before SAG rules for children force them to wrap for the day.
Brooke Sebold Cinematographer, Editor, Director, Producer
Episode #2: Casting Loop Planes
9/2/2009 at 3:00 AM by Amy Allen
Massify + Killer Films Episode 2 from Massify on Vimeo.
Director Robin Wilby is on a quest to cast the leads in Loop Planes. But casting turns out to be a bigger challenge than she expected! Watch to see who ended up being cast in the lead roles of Nick (formerly Sam) and Katie.
Loop Planes, Day 2
8/31/2009 at 8:43 AM by Julie Buck
Things are going smoothly. Well, relatively smoothly, as smoothly as shooting entirely daylight exteriors in the middle of August at an amusement park can go. The face that small children make when you’ve told them that they can’t go on their favorite roller coaster for the next two hours is hopelessness distilled. The pressure to keep everybody happy, from park owners to ride-goers to cast and crew means timing and organization are essential. Luckily, we have a pretty incredible “production office” set up in the Birthday Party Room here at Quassy, which serves as our control center. I spend the majority of my time here, keeping the peace.
Episode #1: Killer Films Chooses Loop Planes
8/24/2009 at 12:19 PM by Amy Allen
Since being hired by Massify to document the creation of Loop Planes, Brooke Sebold has been trailing Director Robin Wilby, Producer Christine Vachon, and everyone else working on the project, armed with a camera. We hope you enjoy this first documentary episode, which begins with Killer choosing Robin's project. More footage from the set of Loop Planes - which began shooting today - coming soon.
Brooke Sebold Cinematographer, Editor, Director, Producer
LOOP PLANES Update
6/30/2009 at 7:25 AM by robin wilby
I would like to thank everyone on massify.com – for your support of LOOP PLANES as well as your cast and crew submissions. Already, this has been such an extraordinary experience.
I also want to thank the amazing people at Massify and Killer Films, who have literally been working non-stop to make this dream a reality.
We recently secured a really cool amusement park near Waterbury, Connecticut. If you are from the area, I’d like to encourage you to apply as soon as possible, and for those of you who are not local, please let me know if you’re willing to travel. Also, due to the availability of the location, we will be filming in late August, which is why we have extended the deadlines for cast and crew submissions until July 15th.
Honorable Mentions from Killer Films
6/18/2009 at 1:27 PM by Christine Vachon
Once again, thank you for taking the time to submit your screenplays and pitches to the Massify website. I, along with the rest of the Killer Films staff, thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the submissions that flooded in. There are a few excellent, thought-provoking entries in particular that we feel deserve acknowledgment. Killer Films would like to award Honorable Mention to the following scripts: Half a Stop, Backflip, Tuesday, Looking Glass, and Song of a Fifth Grade Samurai. Please take the time to read these memorable projects written by your peers. Commentary after the jump.
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LOOP PLANES
6/4/2009 at 6:27 AM by Christine Vachon
We believe that LOOP PLANES will be an incredibly compelling short film and are so excited to work with a young writer who we feel has the talent and drive to really come into her own as a filmmaker.
Robin's script tells a very personal story that ultimately elucidates broad and accessible themes. We love the interplay between adult and child that the script examines alongside a really nuanced and subtle examination of identity in teens. Beginning with a typical boy-meets-girl scenario one is quickly led to project the arch of the story, however, the deftly written script compels both characters and the audience to reevaluate their expectations.
