Film News

Austin Studios Turns Up the Volume

Austin Studios is currently in negotiations to add a new tenant, Soundcheck Austin, a company now operating out of Nashville that offers rehearsal and tour prep services as well as support for concerts and televised programs. The company would take over Stage 4 for at least the next five years, although the Austin Film Society says this is a reconfiguration and not a long-term loss per se of the 28,000-square-foot stage. In late 2012, a nearby National Guard building – including 61,500 square feet of offices and a 13,700-square-foot hangar – will become part of Austin Studios. The new facility would have six soundproofed rehearsal studios, offices, and a showroom space. (AFS plans to fund improvements with a low-interest loan matched by Soundcheck.) In addition, another 16,000 square feet in stage space will be freed up by other long-term tenants moving into the new office space.

News of the potential deal has rankled some in the local film scene, given its timing just as the Legislature has passed and fully funded a new film incentive bill that is expected to draw more movie production to town. Responds AFS Executive Director Rebecca Campbell: "We have pointed out how the Soundcheck deal is strategic for AFS to diversify our sources of income, which will ultimately make Austin Studios stronger. The tenant base will be more diverse and pull in music-video and television production opportunities."

Austin Studios has scheduled a public forum to discuss the change and elicit feedback from the community on Thursday, June 25, 11am-noon, at Austin Studios. For more info, see www.austinfilm.org.

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Linklater Pushes; Rodriguez Launches

One project that probably won't show up this summer as originally planned is Richard Linklater's next one, reportedly titled That's What I'm Talking About and, as Linklater said during a recent Dazed and Confused screening, set on a college campus in 1980. According to The Hollywood Reporter's blog, the delay has to do with financing, which is tight for everyone in the current economy. Meanwhile, Robert Rodriguez, already prepping a Machete shoot, is talking seriously about his live-action remake of The Jetsons. Rodriguez told MTV that he plans to shoot it next year.

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And the Rest …

It's not too late to register for the 48 Hour Film Project, which begins Friday, June 19, with local sponsor Reel Women assigning genres at 6pm. Teams then have until Sunday to complete their short films. Register at www.48hourfilm.com/austin... The Texas Motion Picture Alliance has its annual meeting June 27 in San Marcos. More at www.txmpa.org... Margaret Brown's stunning doc The Order of Myths is now available on iTunes... A DVD release party for Travis Knapp's Sno Cone Inc. is slated for July 4 starting at noon during festivities at Auditorium Shores, and, yes, they will have snow cones... Producer Paul Jensen and writer/director Robbie Pickering's "Natural Selection" is a semifinalist in the Netflix/Find Your Voice Competition, which awards one of 10 indie filmmakers more than $350,000 to make his or her indie feature. Want to see this film shoot in Texas? Go to www.netflixfindyourvoice.com, and vote for it... Austin-based director Bradley Jackson and producers Russell Groves and Andrew Lee have advanced to the final round of Doorpost Film Project's short-film contest with their comedic film "The Biggest Weakness." They received $30,000 in production credits to produce their final-round film.

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