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“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

www.moondancefilmfestival.com 

By popular request, the final deadline for submissions to the 2017 Moondance competition has been extended to July 31^st, AND the entry fee is still only $50!

For your best chance to win, send in your entry RIGHT NOW! Accepting submissions NOW, through July 31st, 2017

Thanks a million for all the very fine submissions by the many talented filmmakers, writers and composers from around the world that we’ve received, so far, for the 2017 Moondance competition!

<< SCROLL ON DOWN FOR INSIDER TIPS >>

WRITERS: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW!

MOONDANCE 2017 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES:

LINK TO SUBMISSION CATEGORIES LIST

• Narrative feature, Short, Documentary, Drone & Animation Films • Feature & Short Screenplays •Film Scores • Short Stories, Stageplays & Audio Plays •TV Pilots, Episodics…and many more!
  
  LINK TO OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

Moondance is also accepting submissions at:

Plan now to participate in this unique film festival, and help celebrate the 18^th annual Moondance International Film Festival!

“THE CROW AND THE WATER PITCHER”

A crow wanted a drink, but the level in the water pitcher was too low. So he cleverly dropped pebbles in, one-by-one, which slowly raised the water level until he could drink the water!

That’s what you, our generous financial supporters, sponsors and friends of the festival are to the Moondance! Individually, each one of you increases, dollar-by-dollar, our ability to continue our important mission. But all together, your support makes our mission and another festival year possible. You help continue a film festival that is admired and respected by filmmakers, writers, composers, agents, actors, producers, directors, distributors, indie film buffs, and by an international audience around the world!

RAISE THE LEVEL! PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT THE MOONDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TODAY!

THE MOONDANCE MISSION & GOALS

INSIDER TIP:

WRITERS: WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW!

BY Elizabeth English

“Write what you know” is the vital, traditional message for all fiction and non-fiction writers, screenwriters, playwrights and journalists. You need to know the details, the visuals, the emotions, the reactions to events, and the totality of the experience, in order to write coherently about a subject, and action, a character and his or her dialog, and for your reader, or audience to relate to the story, the character and the action.

If you don’t know anything, or very little, about a subject, do deep research, learn about it from others, ask an expert, read about it online or in books, go experience it yourself, pay attention as you go through your daily life, listen and look, remember what you’ve seen, heard, learned and experienced, then use it in your writing. It’s a vital element of your “job” as a writer.

You would never be hired by any company if you didn’t know anything about the job and had no experience in the work required! Expand your knowledge and your experiences beyond your desk, mobile devices, social media, and computer.

Get on out there and see the world, watch how people act in various situations, and listen to & watch how people express themselves, experience other events than usual. Learn to tango, ride a horse, go to a circus, cook a foreign dish, go for a long hike in the woods, join a political group, plant an organic garden, build a snow sculpture or sand castle, surf the waves, swim with wild dolphins, visit with the elderly in a nursing home, chat with a military veteran, practice yoga, learn to meditate, shop at a farmer’s market, volunteer to work with an environmental group, attend a lecture, go to a museum or an art gallery, study improv acting, travel to a foreign country, volunteer at an animal shelter, visit the children’s ward in a hospital, play hide-and-seek with a child, listen to teenagers to learn their lingo, sit in on an Al-Anon meeting, pick apples from a tree, chat with some homeless folks, go on an archaeological expedition, and, above all, remember and use your experiences and your past, discover your roots. Don’t just rely on movies, TV, social media and the Internet for your writing ideas…that’s not necessarily real life! READ MORE:

A 2017 MOONDANCE FILM JUROR COMMENTS:

THE SERVANT, 2017 MOONDANCE WINNER, short animation, directed by Farnoosh Abedi, Iran

https://vimeo.com/153882080
“The Servant” – a trailer

“This film is very fascinating…and memorable…it’s very well done…I haven’t seen this kind of animation before…and the use of sound and other imagery is remarkable…very ‘Kafka-esque’. More to it than meets the eye.” ~ Phil Pritchard

PLEASE WATCH & LISTEN TO THIS BEAUTIFUL “DOLPHIN BLISS” VIDEO!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFht1vmwpFk

PHOTOGRAPHER: ATMOJI, BIMINI, BAHAMAS

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

SAVE OUR GIANT SEQUOIAS!

Fight back against Trump’s “review” of Giant Sequoia National Monument — the home of 3,200-year-old trees towering 250 feet (more than 23 stories tall!) in the air. The trees in Giant Sequoia National Monument stand nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty and represent 2/3 of the remaining Sequoia trees ON EARTH. Giant Sequoia and the related coast redwood forests store more climate-altering carbon per acre than any other forest type on the planet, but none of that matters to Trump and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Opening up logging in Giant Sequoia forests is just unthinkable. It’s unbelievable that protecting them is even a question!

The Giant Sequoia relies on the greater forest ecosystem, and tree canopy of redwoods and other trees. They do not and cannot exist or survive in isolation. This ecosystem contains streams, as well as lush meadows and rare animals such as the California spotted owl and California condor. Opening this area to logging will place not only the Giant Sequoia at risk, but also the water and air quality for humans, flora and animals.

Please join us and step up the pressure on your local, national & international lawmakers via emails now, to stop Trump and his wealthy cronies before they can completely destroy 3,200 years of the Earth’s precious natural history. These men appear to be willing to bend any law and decimate every natural treasure if it profits the major corporate interests who funneled almost $11 million into Trump’s inaugural coffers. 

Thank you for all you can do to protect America’s national monuments and the wildlife, tribal communities and neighboring economies who depend on the Antiquities Act’s critical protections to endure. With your help, we will save the Sequoias and other iconic American treasures for our children and grandchildren — hopefully, even, for another 32 centuries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Veterans Brotherhood is a 501c3. Our main purpose is to prevent veteran suicides. We have been in existence for roughly 3 years. We take veterans off the street who are homeless and have no money or no place to go. We put them up in a hotel for a few days and evaluate them to place them in the best place for their needs. In our first year we took 18 veterans off the street. We donated $500 to gift cards to 3 families who had no food in their house. We found an elderly veteran who was in danger of losing his home for back taxes. We took a collection and paid his taxes. We also set him up with an organization so that won’t happen again. Some of these veterans now have jobs and their own apartment. 

Our biggest project so far is a documentary film about PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and TBI (traumatic brain injury). The film will be called “The Journey Home”. This film follows a Vietnam Veteran who comes home with PTSD but doesn’t know it. Eventually he comes full circle and devotes his life to helping other veterans with PTSD. We feel this film will do more to help veterans than anything else we could possibly do. This is a big undertaking and will be about a year before it is finished. If we can save one life through this film it will be worth it. We are in the early stages of finances for the film. We believe this film will give everyone the biggest bang for the buck to help veterans. We want to educate the public on PTSD but more importantly we want to educate veterans’ family members on what their son or daughter may be going through. PLEASE  DONATE HERE

A NEW MOONDANCE WRITES US:

“Congratulations on Moondance’s success, while maintaining its commitment to important social issues.” ~ Raul Garza

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

“Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” ~ Henry Ford

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

NEWS-BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

EMAIL: [email protected]m

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

www.moondancefilmfestival.com

By popular request, the final deadline for submissions to the 2017 Moondance competition
has been extended to July 31st

For your best chance to win, send in your entry RIGHT NOW!

Accepting submissions NOW, through July 31st, 2017

Thanks a million for all the very fine submissions by talented filmmakers, writers and composers we’ve received, so far,
for the 2017 Moondance competition!

For all our many talented American Moondancers:

HAPPY JULY 4^TH INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Scroll on down for insider tips: MAKING A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE

MOONDANCE 2017 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES:

LINK TO SUBMISSION CATEGORIES LIST

• Narrative feature, Short, Documentary, Drone & Animation Films • Feature & Short Screenplays • Film Scores • Short Stories, Stageplays & Audio Plays • TV Pilots, Episodics…and many more!LINK TO OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM

Moondance is also accepting submissions at:

Plan now to participate in this unique film festival, and help celebrate

the 18^th annual Moondance International Film Festival!

~ READ & SUBSCRIBE TO THE POPULAR MOONDANCE NEWS-BLOG HERE! ~

To all our talented Canadian Moondancers:

HAPPY CANADA DAY 150!

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

Although more than 2500 years old, Aesop’s fables still have something vital to inform us, especially when it comes to funding the Moondance International Film Festival’s mission & goals. There’s something to think about in this fable of “The Crow and the Water Pitcher”.

A crow wanted a drink of water, but the level in the water pitcher was too low to reach. So she cleverly dropped pebbles in, one-by-one, which slowly raised the water level until she could drink the water!

That’s what you, our generous donors, financial supporters, sponsors and friends of the festival are to the Moondance! Individually, each one of you increases, dollar-by-dollar, our ability to continue our important mission. But all together, your support makes another festival year possible. You help continue a film festival’s indie film screenings, productive workshops, and amazing networking opportunities,  and mission, that is admired and respected by filmmakers, writers, composers, agents, actors, producers, directors, distributors, indie film buffs, and an international audience around the world!

Raise the level! Donate now to support the
Moondance International Film Festival today!

INSIDER TIPS:

MAKING A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE:

By Elizabeth English

See all those people out there? All that equipment? Each and every one of them cost money. You wrote a screenplay, didn’t you? It got the greenlight. We’re making a movie here. OK? Quiet on the set! Rolling! And…action!

Director, assistant directors or ADs, Cinematographer and/or DP, producer,  costumers, hair & makeup people, extras, focus-pullers, gaffers, best boy, key grips, script supervisor, body doubles, sound and light techs, still photographer, videographers, body-doubles, actors’ assistants, and actors!

Production assistants or PAs, studio execs, animal wranglers, props, art director, production designer, extras, location manager, assistant to the director, producer’s assistants, Foley, prop master, special effects, stunt coordinator, tech advisors, book-keeper/accountant, fire marshal, production designer, art director, story board artists, line producer, editor, catering, (and maybe even the screenwriter, if you’re lucky!). How many people are we talking about? 100+ below-the-line, maybe 25 above the line. Budget for this pic? Anywhere up to a hundred million dollars, give or take a million or so.

Now, the DIRECTOR’S GOALS here are two things: to get the best, most believable performances from the actors, and to get the best visual images on film.  The PRODUCER’S GOALS, however, are to solve problems, give the director everything he or she wants, to spend the available time and money properly, and report to the investors. Of which, 70% goes to above-the-line costs, and only 30% go to below-the-line expenses.

But what do the STUDIO EXECS want to see? They want to see their money up on that screen! A movie is the most expensive entertainment production ever devised (other than the US presidential campaigns)!

Directors strive for a certain “harmonics”, a balance between the story components in your screenplay and proper production values. They want the story to be authentic: believable even. And entertaining! READ MORE HERE!

• Don’t miss reading all of the other great insider articles written by pros exclusively for Moondancers HERE!

A MOONDANCER WRITES US:

“In 2015, Moondance awarded my 4-part audio drama “5 Levels of Fear” a Spirit of Moondance award. It has been picked up by Aural Stage Studios in New York and will be recorded later this year. The folks there, Matthew and Monique Boudreau asked me to come on board as co-producer.” ~ Sable Jak

MOONDANCE RECOMMENDS:

SAVE OUR OCEAN WILDLIFE!

Following the president’s recent executive order setting the stage for oil and gas drilling to resume in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, the Trump administration has released draft authorizations for seismic blasting in the Atlantic. But to proceed, these companies need approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and that’s where you come in.

Seismic blasting poses a serious threat to ocean life. These blasts register 235 decibels – louder than a rocket launch – and travel for hundreds, if not thousands of miles through the ocean. Scientists tell us that at least 130,000 marine mammals, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, will be injured by these blasts.

Don’t let the Trump administration continue to put the interests of the oil and gas industry above those of the American people, of precious marine wildlife populations and of a healthy and clean ocean environment!

And that’s where you come in – seismic testing companies still need approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) before they can begin their work to survey for oil and gas.

TELL NMFS TO DENY AUTHORIZATION FOR SEISMIC BLASTING IN THE ATLANTIC!

Scientists estimate that at least 130,000 marine mammals, including endangered species like the North Atlantic right whale, will be injured or killed by these blasts. Seismic blasting can drive whales, dolphins and other marine wildlife out of the vital habitat they depend on for feeding, reproducing and migrating. It can also deafen marine mammals outright – the sound levels are powerful enough to cause them to bleed from their ears!

  

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

WEBSITE: www.moondancefilmfestival.com

NEWS-BLOG: www.moondancefilmfestival.com/blog

EMAIL: [email protected]