Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

The TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund provides grants and professional guidance in support of innovative and compelling narrative features that offer a fresh take on scientific, mathematic and technological themes.

Project Status: For films in any stage
Region: For filmmakers based anywhere
Funding: Grants range from $25,000-$50,000

Deadline: Nov. 5, 2012
In addition to financial support, grantees will receive professional guidance and mentorship through the Tribeca Film Institute, as dictated by the unique needs and status of the project and the level of experience of the filmmaking team.  This ancillary support may include project notes, networking assistance, and exposure to financing and distribution executives.

FUNDING & SUPPORT

Three to six filmmakers will each receive a grant of $25,000 – $50,000 to use towards the development, production or post-production of their film. Grantees will participate in panels, workshops, and one-on-one meetings with industry executives during the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.

SELECTION PROCESS

In order to qualify for the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund, applicants must comply with ALL of the following Rules and Eligibility Requirements. Failure to comply with these rules will render a submission ineligible.

Grantees will be selected from an open call for submissions. Consideration will be given not only to the creative merit of each project, but to the accuracy of the script’s scientific content, and the team’s ability to see the project through to completion.  Initial rounds of evaluation will be conducted by Tribeca Film Institute staff while final grantee selections will be made by an Deliberation Committee comprised of noteworthy professionals from the science and film industries.

September 5, 2012 – Submissions Open

November 5, 2012 – Submissions Close

ENTRY FEE

There is no entry fee to apply to the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund.

SHIPPING

All materials must be sent prepaid to:
Attn: (select one) Feature Programming

Tribeca Film Institute
32 Avenue of the Americas, 27th Floor
New York, NY 10013
(212) 274-8080 x27 / x28

 http://www.tribecafilminstitute.org/filmmakers/sloan/

Nickelodeon jumps into the Presidential campaign for a seventh time with its Kids Pick the President initiative and Nick News with Linda Ellerbee – each providing election-related educational coverage on-air and online. The election coverage all leads up to Nickelodeon’s popular week-long kids’ vote on October 15, 2012.  This time around Nickelodeon launches its Kids Pick the President effort with two Nick News specials, the first is Kids Pick the President: The Issues on Monday, September 17, at 8p, followed by Kids Pick the President: The Candidates on Monday, October 15, at 8p. Immediately following the October 15 special, kids will have the opportunity to cast their vote for who they want to be President at www.nick.com/kpp. The site also offers lots of information about the issues and candidates for this election. A series of new spots featuring kids and Nickelodeon stars will roll out on TeenNick at the end of September. The TeenNick’s Make It Count spots, hosted by Nick Cannon, will focus on the power of voting and the importance of civic engagement. New educational spots with kids discussing the candidates and the electoral process will roll out October 7 on Nickelodeon. The winner of the Kids Pick the President vote will be announced on October 22 on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon’s Kids Pick the President has been a pretty good early predictor of how adults will vote, with kids choosing the same president as adults in five out of six previous presidential elections. More than two million kids cast their votes online in the last election.

Due to the extraordinary response for the newly re-mastered “RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK” during its one-week IMAX engagement, Paramount Pictures Corporation, a division of Viacom, Inc., has announced that the film will have an extended theatrical run beginning Friday, September 14.

The unforgettable and beloved film from director Steven Spielberg and executive producer George Lucas will play in more than 300 digital theaters across the United States and Canada.  Tickets can be purchased now. Check your local listings for participating locations and showtimes.

“The re-mastering efforts by Steven, George and their team were incredible and the movie’s hugely successful run in Imax last week was a sure sign that audiences were excited to see the film again on the big screen. We are thrilled that audiences will have that chance again as part of this extended theatrical run,” said Rob Moore, Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures.

“RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK” was released for an exclusive one-week engagement in select IMAX® theaters on September 7, 2012.  Under the supervision of Spielberg and renowned sound designer Ben Burtt, the film was meticulously restored with careful attention to preserving its original look, sound and feel for a highly-anticipated release in theaters and on Blu-ray.

“INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES” debuts on Blu-ray September 18, 2012 from Lucasfilm Ltd. and Paramount Home Media Distribution with seven hours of fascinating bonus material, including a brand new two-part documentary titled “On Set with Raiders of the Lost Ark – From Jungle to Desert and From Adventure to Legend.”  Featuring nearly an hour of rarely seen footage from the set of the film and archival interviews with Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford, this captivating piece transports fans back to where the legend began.

Disney-Pixar’s feature film Finding Nemo in 3D opens nationwide in theaters today. Running in front of the movie is the new Toy Story Toon titled Partysaurus Rex. Directed by Mark Walsh, the short features Rex, the insecure and kind of neurotic T-Rex toy voiced by Wallace Shawn, as finds his inner soapy strength and new persona when Bonnie, his new owner, takes him into a bubble bath with some of her other toys.

Our youth critics reviewed Finding Meno 3D earlier this week and here are are the comments from Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8. Watch the video review by both Cheyenne and Morgan Bertsch here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRhQ87qMeh0

Watching Finding Nemo 3D is like you are snorkeling and looking through your goggles and enjoy the colorful fish and sea life. This story is about Marlin (voice by Albert Brooks), an overprotective father of Nemo (voice by Alexander Gould), as a clown fish with a defective fin.

It all started with Nemo’s mom and dad looking at all 400 eggs and try to determine names for each of the egg.  Suddenly, a barracuda came to the coral and knock Marlin unconscious.  When Marlin wakes up, the reef is empty; with no fish around, the only egg left under the coral was Nemo.  Marlin became very protective dad and will not let Nemo out of his sight.  However, Nemo is the opposite of his dad.  He always wants to swim into the unknown.
On the first day of school, Nemo wander off outside the reef and was captured by a dentist.  This started Marlin’s journey to find his son.  He swims as fast as he can and asks for help finding Nemo.  The only fish stopped to help Marlin is Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres).  Dory has a big heart and always positive.  The only problem is she has short term memory loss.
The story line is the father and son love, unpredictable, and very funny.  There are so many punch lines in this movie that will keep you laughing throughout the movie. The clear and crisp color with 3D is magical.  It feels like I am snorkeling and ready to touch these sea creatures.  I can see the layers of rainbow coral reef, several rows of teeth in Bruce the shark mouth, the pelican beak and jelly fish seem so soft and real.  The best 3D part is with the whale and the krill swimming toward the audience.

I love how production and design makes Dory velvety, Marlin and Nemo soft and gummy.  The rest of the fish are metallic, typical scaly fish.  This makes Dory, Marlin and Nemo more lovable. The sound effects of water sloshing and crashing are very realistic.

The only part I did not like is what happens to Nemo mom.  Will Disney come back with Nemo reunited with his mom? The lessons in this movie are Marlin deal with his fear and swims all the way to Australia to find his son Nemo and he learn to have faith.

My favorite character is Dory with her big heart and Crush the laid back father turtle and his children. The message of this movie is listens to your parents, they only try to protect you and give you good advice.  Parents are alive longer so they know a lot more than their children.

I rank this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I give this age ranged 3 and up.

Lionsgate launches a global set visit sweepstakes, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Win a Trip to Set, this week and will run through October 12, 2012, with twelve fans winning the chance to visit the set of the movie and meet the cast and crew. To enter, fans must be based in participating territories (US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Scandinavia, Russia, Israel, and Japan) and then upload a :30 second video for their best question for the movie’s cast. Additionally, “virtual” citizens of Panem will be able to enter by playing the popular The Hunger Games Adventures on Facebook, which is also coming soon to iPad. The complete rules and regulations are posted on the contest Facebook tab, and at www.catchingfiresweeps.com. “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Dr. Toy is pleased to have the opportunity to share her years of play and toy experiences with consumers to assist them in the selection process. This timely report features information about l00 wonderful new toys and products from large and small companies. The toys and products selected meet my high standards for design, durability,price, quality, safety, and value.

Dr. Toy reminds parents and teachers, “Let’s not forget that “play is children’s work” and should be respected and understood by all adults. We should be thinking: “What products or “tools for play” can we obtain to provide wholesome experiences for children and provide plenty of positive play interactions.”
In Dr. Toy’s words: “As a natural, on-going part of our work as parents, teachers, early childhood specialists, and others involved with children at home or elsewhere, we observe children at play. With our eyes we see what works…and what doesn’t hold up under tough testing – the normal barrage of active, inquisitive, and resourceful babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and older children. This guide is now offered to complement your observations and to help you in selecting the right products to enhance your child’s play and learning.

We make buying decisions based on lasting play value and product applicability to a balance of children’s active, creative, and educational experiences. We can depend on the durability and versatility of such items as blocks, construction toys, games, puppets, and transportation toys. They stimulate the imagination, engage the player, have value, and hold up over time. We want to apply these standards to all of the play product choices we make. We often hear consumers describe their experience of making a purchase, but shortly after giving little Sally or Sammy the product it falls apart – a frustrating and expensive experience. Products that do not meet safety standards can be dangerous and can cause harm to children. We want to avoid these problems and always strive for excellence. I spend a great deal of time reviewing a large quantity of products created by myriad manufacturers and designers. I make sure my selections match the criteria for excellence.

Certainly age grading, name recognition, company dependability, versatility of design, and place of purchase are
factors to obtain the right product. Another aspect you can depend on is a warranty. Rising costs for products require
us to be wise consumers and to get extra lasting value. Certainly durable products, properly designed, and
developmentally correct are worth the money. Children’s positive reactions are worth the extra effort. I utilize a
complicated set of objective and subjective criteria to evaluate toys and other products. Some questions to ask are:

• Is this product worth the price?
• Does it have lasting “play value”?
• Is it appropriate?
• Is it fun?
• Does it meet safety standards?”

Following are examples of award-winning toys and products and the companies that make them grouped in selected
categories of “smart” play. You can find more products by assigned codes that designate types of products.

Ten Best Active Products – Chicco (4-in-1 Ride On Car), First Act (WrapStar Mic), FirstBike Int’l (FirstBIKE), GeoPalz (GeoPalz Pedometer), Kinderfeets (Kinderfeets), OgoSport (OgoSport RAQ),Razor USA (Razor® FlashRider™), Sbyke (P-20 Rear-Steering Scooter), Smiletime Toys (Inflatable Pirate Ship), System Ent. (RingStix).

Ten Best Audio/Video Tapes/CDs – Brainetics (Brainetics), BrainFood Learning (Fascinating World of Birds), BrillKids Int’l (Little Musician Basic), Little Pim (Spanish Intro Gift Set with Book), Master Comm (Worlds Together Series), Moey’s Music Party (Princess Revolution!), Music Together (She Sells Sea Shells), New Hope Records (WO!), ScienceAndMath.com (Amazing Science! Vol. DVD), Steps4Kids (Steps4Kids to Draw).

Ten Best Building Products – AroundSquare (Deconstruction Blocks), Bridge Street Toys (Hydrodynamic Deluxe Building Set), Citiblocs (CTBIN500C), K’NEX (K’NEX Classics 50 Model Building Set), LaQ USA (LaQ Dinosaur World T-REX), Laser Pegs Ventures (Laser Pegs The Dragon), LEGO Systems (Friends Olivia’s House), MEGA Brands (Build ’n Learn 1-2-3 Count!), Smart Blocks (Smarcks Smart Blocks), Thinkplay/Morphun (Starter Tub)

Ten Best Children’s Products – Ann Williams Group (Loopdedoo), Buckle Toy (Buddy the Backpack), Dress Up America (Black Fire Fighter Kids Costume), Gryphon House (Budding Builder), Innovation First (HEXBUG Warriors Battle Stadium), Klutz (Coin Blaster), Monkeying Around (Greatest Dot-to-Dot Adventure Book 1), Schoenhut Piano (My First Piano II), SeatPets (SeatPets®), Smart Trike (Smart Trike 4-in-1 Dream).

Ten Best Creative Products – ALEX (Ceramic Bead Sticker Party), Blue Orange (Tell Tale Fairy Tale), Colorforms/Univ. Games (Tinga Tinga Tales Create-A-Creature Game), Creativity for Kids (Stunt Squadron), Hero Arts Rubber Stamps (Ink ‘n’ Stamp Animal Prints), Kiwi Crate (Kiwi Crate), Red Hen (Kaleidograph), Tech 4 Kids (3D Magic Magna Color), Wowopolis (Colorgami Craft & Activity Kits), WowToyz (E-Z Crafts™ Paint-A-Bank Kits).

Ten Best Games – Bag-O-Loot (Bag-O-Loot Junior), Edupress (That’s Baloney Games), Flying Rabbit Enterprises (Baffle!), Game Chef (Rollick!), Gamewright (Big Fat Tomato Game), Hutter Trade (Talat),Indie Boards & Cards (Flash Point: Fire Rescue), Patch Products (You’re Invited Game), Strikerz Gamez (STRIKERZ Soccer Card Game), ThinkFun (Distraction™).

Ten Best High Technology Products – Bandai America (Omnitrix Touch), Diggin Active (Wobble Deck Extreme), Ganz (Amazing World), LeapFrog (LeapPad2), MGA (iTikes Map), Pixel Ent. (Global Game Changers [book app]), Scholastic (Storia), Small World Toys (Haute Couture Fashion Studio), SmartLab Toys (DJ Rock Dock), VTech (MobiGo® 2).

Socially Responsible Products – b. dazzle (Black Capped Chickadees Scramble Squares), Discover w/Dr. Cool (Shark Teeth Excavation Kit!), DuneCraft (Butterfly/Bird Mixture Seed Bombs), Easy Daysies (Easy Daysies Every Day Starter Kit), Metamorphic Toys (Mythical Creatures Silly Signs), Mudpuppy (Fruits & Veggies Wooden Magnetic Set), My1story (My1story Book Collection), Rubbabu (Shape Sorter Bus), Tiny Green Bee (Crunch a Color Conversation Starters), University Games (Very Hungry Caterpillar Match & Munch Game).

Ten Best Toys– 4D Cityscape (4D Time Puzzle), B. toys by Battat (Symphony in B. by B. toys), Build-A-Bear Workshop (Marine Midnight Teddy), Fisher-Price (Servin’ Surprises Cook ‘n Serve Kitchen & Table), Gibout Toys (Gibout Big Blocks), Jada Toys (Cutie Pops), Make It Mine (MIM Doll & Accessories), Ohio Art (Limited Edition Etch A Sketch), Sassy (Loopy Ball), World of EPI (Diva Abrielle).