Short Cuts

Low Flying Cranes Dept.: If the lack of available, affordable shooting space in Austin has had your unit production manager scrounging for even the smallest property not already gobbled up by Austin's dot-com real estate explosion, scrounge no more. This past Monday morning saw the unveiling of Austin Studios Soundstages and Media Center and the new home of the Austin Film Society at the site of the now vacant Robert Mueller Airport at 1901 E. 51st. Lack of a comprehensive soundstage locale for both incoming and local film productions has long been a thorn in the paw of Austin's film community. Enter Androcles in the form of AFS members Richard Linklater, Rebecca Campbell, Louis Black, Robert Rodriguez, and Elizabeth Avellán who -- alongside many, many other resourceful local filmmakers and fans -- approached Mayor Kirk Watson and the Austin City Council this past summer with a proposal to turn part of the 719 available acres into Austin's own studio backlot. Monday's catered affair provided the first look at the emerging, 20-acre facility which includes four mammoth hangars and two smaller ones, a pair of office buildings which will house both the AFS and ongoing production offices, and room for pre- and post-production work on everything from major studio features to smaller, locally produced films. Speakers included newly appointed Studio Director Suzanne Quinn, who announced a series of paid internships to be made available in the future; AFS President/ Chronicle Editor Louis Black, who praised the City Council's obvious foresight in giving an early thumbs-up to the initial proposal; Mayor Pro Tem Jackie Goodman, who declared that the way to Austin's heart is through its art and artists; and AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell, who assured the gathered members of the press and curious hangers-on that this was just the beginning. And it is: Sony's The New Guy, directed by Ed Decter, is currently using studio's stages, as has the forthcoming Warner Bros. production Miss Congeniality (a project that preceded the new AFS management agreement), which was directed by Donald Petrie and stars studio booster Sandra Bullock. Coolest of all, though, may be the announcement by Black that the City has offered Austinite-by-proxy Quentin Tarantino the chance to blow up the old airport tower in his next film should he choose to. Now that's entertainment!... I was going to run on about why everyone should run out and purchase tickets posthaste to Harry Knowles' Butt-Numb-A-Thon 2000: The Other Cheek, which is scheduled to take place at the Alamo Drafthouse this Dec. 9, but y'all beat me to it. The word from Alamo owner Tim League is that tickets to the charity event (benefiting Knowles' Saturday Morning Kids Film Club and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Austin) sold out in record time this year. Even the 75 tickets reserved for out-of-towners and sold via e-mail were snatched up in a mere two minutes. Yow!... On Sunday, Nov. 19, 7pm, at the ACA Gallery of the ArtPlex (1705 Guadalupe), the Austin Cinemaker Co-op will be presenting a quartet of short films by the legendary Brothers Quay as part of the group's bimonthly meeting. The event is free and open to the public. Call 236-8877 for more info... It's too early for you to call Austin Studios yet, but you say you've got that killer script finally hammered out? Lucky you, Alchemy Works has issued a call for entries for its ongoing Movie Midwifing series of new screenplay readings. Entry fees are $25 and submissions will be accepted Jan. 2-May 15, 2001. More info can be had online at www.moviemidwifing.com or by e-mailing [email protected].