Telefilm is the Canadian big Kahuna – all films are funded via Telefilm. This is the first year they are inviting screenwriters who attended the PEI Screenwriters’ Bootcamp this past June to pitch to Canadian and international broadcasters.

This is also the year Telefilm is changing direction and on the lookout for more commercially viable films. And that means comedy, said Gordon Whittaker of the Atlantic Telefilm office. As you know, I like comedy.

Shout outs to colleagues Roger Maunder who will be pitching at the Inspired Scripts event, and Kelly Davis who is the producer of the short film Cardboard Junction and the director of Down to the Wood – both screening at the festival. Congrats to first time director too, Jacqueline Hynes (Cardboard Junction.)

Book videos or video book trailers aim to do what movie trailers do for film, or music videos do for song – aim to get your message out there using video, the all powerful captivating moving image.

With the rise of the video on the web, the Internet is a natural medium for book trailers, and a great way for authors to promote their books, their art, their speaking abilities…and build relationships with their fans.

Book videos can take many forms:

• Author Biographies
• Video Book Trailers
• Themed Book Series
• Book News
• BookShorts Films – fully realized short films meant for the festival and/or TV broadcast.

What do you do with your book video? You distribute it and spread it around. Put it on your author web sites, your Facebook fan pages, YouTube and MySpace pages. Use Tubemogul to distribute to up to 20 other video and social networking sites.

Ask your fans to put it on their blogs.

Put it up beside your Amazon page. Ask your local book retailer to set up a kiosk in their store and play it.

Book trailers  can also help you build relationships with your readers, and grow your legion of fans.

In this era, authors are ever more responsible for their own publicity and promotion. Luckily with web tools and social networking this is becoming more and more accessible.

I luvs it here.

I luv the sound of the fog horns blowing loudly right in my backyard, now that I am accustomed to them and know that a ship will not be crashing through my picture window. I love the view of the narrows that astounds no matter how many times I see it – or not – depending on the fog.  I even love the slugs that I find under my desk, or more frequently,  the slug trails on the carpet that just start and disappear – with nary a critter in site.

Maybe if I could learn how to do a slug call – I could call them out.

But I am here.  Hanging with the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, the musicians, comedians, and other arty members. And my new friend BABS! of moovy.ca.

Check it out. Join. Participate. Make great film.

I also sat on the panel for the Film Byte Workshop: Artists Crossing Platforms, which was moderated by Judith Keenan with Filmmakers Sherry White, Mary Lewis, Katerina Cizek

I was also the Official Blogger of the festival. Catch up on this shenanigans at bittertonic.com.

The screening starts at 7pm and runs until dawn. It will be held on the patio at the Rhino Bar and Grill, 1249 Queen St. W. (two blocks west of Dufferin Ave.). The bar has an extended liquor license and will be serving drinks until 4am.

Scotiabank Nuit Blanche is an an all-night arts festival that will be taking over the city on Saturday night (September 29, 2007). See you there!

But then again, I didn’t think I would get kicked out of clown school either.

Click here to read the interview I did with co-creator Diana Galligan.

But then again, I didn’t think I would get kicked out of clown school either.

Click here to read the interview.