Cow Town Film Productions will miss Alex!

It has come time for Alexandra Gilmore to move on from her internship at Cow Town Film Productions. She will be sorely missed as she has definitely proved herself to be a valuable asset.

You can see Alex's footprint throughout this blog, throughout the Social Media for Cow Town & CIC, and in her work at the Sacramento Bee Fashion Challenge held at the Crest this past Summer.

She will continue to serve as Secretary of the Board at The Capitol Indie Collective where she will continue to make a very positive impact on Sacramento's artist community.

We are lucky to have her in Sacramento! I highly recommend her to any business that is lucky enough to have her apply. Film friends- fret not- we will see Alex again at Cow Town Film Productions on set and at special promotions.

If anyone is interested in an Internship at Cow Town Film Productions, please email Christina Marie (me) at cj@cowtownfilmproductions.com

Where the Hell is Loomis?

By Alexandra Gilmore

What is CCD Expo and where the hell is Loomis? These are the two questions that the creators of the Content Creation and Distribution Expo have had to deal with since they began planning their event. When it’s all over though, chances are no one will have anything left to ask.

Taking over the town of Loomis in Northern California made more sense than you would think. Everyone has heard of Sundance, which takes place in the small town of Park City, Utah. The smaller the area, the more exclusive it becomes, and exclusivity means YOU want to be there. Also, just because it is small, doesn’t mean its reach can’t be big. The expo will stream live over the internet with the ability to access people all around the world. As for the other question, what IS the CCD Expo? I’ll let them explain it in a nutshell –

“Content Creation & Distribution Expo is part trade show, festival, symposium, and entertainment venues bringing together companies, manufacturers, artists, and individuals that are focused on the latest technologies that make creating content easier, faster and less expensive, as well as distributing that content to the end user via hand-held devices, home computers, televisions and new digital theaters.”

Basically if you have an idea or have made of some kind of content and want to be able to make it, sell it, market it, promote it, and all around distribute it, this is the place for you. There will also be panels and classes to attend, not to mention some pretty cool concerts at night with Garratt Wilkin & The Parrotheads on Friday and Pablo Cruise on Saturday.

The Capitol Indie Collective is proud to be among the sponsors for the first year of the event, taking place on the 16^th and 17^th of September 2011, in downtown Loomis. Our mission is to promote local talent and to support artists so that their work is not only seen, but also profitable. Anyone who would like to have a booth at this event can use our promo code CIC20 to get 20% off the price. Come check out our booth located in the Video Village West for the opportunity to become a member and a chance to win some cool prizes. We hope to see you there as Northern California shows off what it can bring to the art table.

For more information please visit ccdexpo.com

Drum Roll Please...

By Alexandra Gilmore

The first ever Sacramento Bee Fashion Challenge presented by The Sacramento Film & Music Festival and created by the Capitol Indie Collective may be over, but it made an impression that still has people talking. The designs were modeled on the runway on opening night of the festival and the winners were announced this past Saturday at the Crest Theatre. The competition was fierce as each participant brought their own style to their finished look and everyone’s design was crafted with care and excellence. Although everyone deserved to be a winner, votes were cast and points tallied up to result in a top five, audience choice winner, and video blog winner. They were…

FIFTH PLACE

Lacey Taylor has been sewing since high school. Currently, she attends California State University Sacramento for Apparel Marketing and Design and will be graduating in the fall. Tim Burton movies are the inspiration for this piece. It is a combination of gothic and historic costumes and plays with a variety of textures. Our model, Madison is a senior at Pleasant Grove high school and is an aspiring college soccer player. Her hair was done by Chelsea Hockenberry whom Lacey met through friend, and competitor, Samantha. Aspiring to be in the fashion industry since a young age, at 17, Darian is already an accomplished MUA, photographer, and model. She is not your average girl, with punky pink hair and a quirky personality to match!

Lacey’s design will be displayed in the Sacramento Bee lobby and later at Urban Hive.

FOURTH PLACE

Natass'ja Price is a designer and fashion student at IADT, Jessica Fontes is the MUA/Hairstylist, and Yuri Tajiri is the fabulous model. The inspiration for this design was the Japanese style Harajuku, it instantly made since to me to use a style that is so unconventional for an unconventional challenge. When I thought of which red carpet event would look great for this type of style I immediately thought of the Grammy's, where the weird and bizarre is cool for just one night.

Natass’ja’s design will be displayed in the Sacramento Bee lobby and later at Urban Hive.

THIRD PLACE

Edward John Radanovich III created this design; modeled by Khayla Jones; with hair and makeup done by Angela Aragon. The House of Radanovich represents sophistication, elegance, sexiness, and seductiveness. It takes time and attention to get through the Sacramento Bee and the House of Radanovich wanted to represent that in this design which can also be referred to as an artistic collage.

Edward received 25% a one year membership to the Capitol Indie Collective, an eighth page ad placement in the Sacramento Bee, a certification to Lliy Koi Salon, and his design will be displayed in the Sacramento Bee lobby and later at Urban Hive.

SECOND PLACE/VIDEO BLOG WINNER

Jesus Medrano is a local freelance designer. He started his fashion career early in 2008 attending American River College where he was awarded for the Most Marketable Evening Wear. With an internship at local Couture boutique and various charity fashion shows, Jesus has polished his craft and is currently working on his Spring 2012 collection which he plans to debut this fall. The Dress is inspired by the 1950’s Glamour, it plays with the era's romance and it sends an invitation back in time.

Jesus received 50% off a one year membership to the Capitol Indie Collective, a sixth page ad placement in the Sacramento Bee, a certificate to Lily Koi Salon, and his design will be displayed in the Sacramento Bee lobby and later at the Urban Hive. For the video blog award he also received a free one year membership to the Capitol Indie Collective.

Video blog link:

FIRST PLACE/AUDIENCE CHOICE WINNER

Melinda Carrie’s dress was inspired by the dramatic floral trend in bridal and takes this soft feminine look and makes it edgy with harsh pleats and a pop of red. The flowers and vines crawl up the skirt in an organic pattern while the look is completed with a fitted bodice, belted with the Sacramento Bee title header. Modeling the gown is Miss Teen Sacramento, Michelle Parker; Hair and Makeup by Liz Guillot; and Melinda Carrie’s longtime faithful assistant Joanna Durkee. Using her Bachelor’s degree in fashion, Melinda Carrie is currently the assistant designer at Miosa Bride, while pursuing her own line.

Melinda received a mentorship session with Robbie Jeffers, fashion designer/marketer/rep for such brand names as Stussy, Nike, Zoo York, Barracuda, Heel Bruise, Oakley, and more, presented by the Capitol Indie Collective. She also receives a quarter page ad placement in the Sacramento Bee, a $250 dollar Visa gift card from the Capitol Indie Collective, a certificate from Lily Koi Salon, and display of her design in the Sacramento Bee lobby and later at the Urban Hive. As the audience choice winner she received a gift package from Hot Italian, including gift card, tee shirt, and bottle of wine.

Although the above may be the winners, all the designs were worth showing off because so much energy went into them. The designers took time away from their lives to participate and their efforts should be seen.

John Thao comes from a family of eleven children and is the third youngest child in the family. He studies fashion design at International Academy of Design and Technology Sacramento. He grew to have a passion for fashion design since the age of sixteen. He loves to create and wonder off with my crazy ideas and make it to life. His goal is to become a couture artist, the first one in my nationality as a Hmong person. His inspiration comes from everywhere and He draws many elements as he travels and researches online. He is aiming for the new look of the future, that would be his dream come true.

Rachel Goldmark-Lewis is a 25 year old budding fashion designer. Challenged everyday with chronic Lyme disease, she decided to follow her passion for fashion and channel her frustration from her illness into something beautiful. Motivated and inspired by her lifelong coping tool of creative expression, she enrolled in the International Academy for design and technology, where she will receive her Bachelors in Fashion Design and Merchandising in a few short years. She plans on making a name for herself after graduation and hopes to inspire others to follow their dreams. Carina Lampkin struts the catwalk in an original Goldmark Design inspired by the movie, The Newsies. The shorts are made from the classified ads to represent the troubles in the 20’s as well as today. The vest is then made of comic strips to remind us to not take life too seriously. Make-up and hair done by Terri Wangler.

Jennifer Nodora

Samantha Rachele’s design is feathers and taxidermy incarnated. A sweet little bird but with a twist…. she’s stuffed and mounted with her last innocent repose immortalized. Designed and constructed by Samantha Rachele, hair designed by Chelsea Hockenberry, and modeled by Kristina Lindeberg.

Diana Santibanez

Overall, everyone did a tremendous job and we hope that the turnout and results are just as good if not better next year. Thank you again to everyone who participated and helped with this event, you all MADE IT WORK!

Extra! Extra! Newspaper Hits the Runway

By Alexandra Gilmore

Wednesday night marked the first of what is sure to be an annual event at the Sacramento Film & Music Festival. The Sacramento Bee Fashion Challenge sponsored by the Capitol Indie Collective had models hitting the runway in couture made primarily out of newspaper. What started out as a competition of 16 designers was whittled down to ten who actually “made it work” in time for the runway show. These ten finished looks wowed the audience as the models strutted their stuff across the stage at the Crest Theatre to kick off opening night of the film festival. Six judges scored the designs in five categories as they saw them appear on stage, while the audience got to pick their favorite look on a special ballot. The overall atmosphere was one that was filled with excitement to see what this first ever contest would produce. There was some fear that the designers might end up dressing their models in paper boat hats, but the result couldn’t have been anything but. The looks were well crafted and all very different as each designer put his or her own personal aesthetic into the finished piece. Now the anticipation sets in as the designers wait to see who the winner will be in both the judges’ vote and the audience choice. The competition was fierce, so it’s anyone’s game. The winners will be announced Saturday, August 20^th at 6:30pm at the Crest. Be there to see who will take home this year’s prize and be sure to check out the looks as they will be on display in the Crest lobby Friday through Sunday.

Visit sacfilm.com for more information.

Sewing Paper

By Alexandra Gilmore

Last night Sacramento fashion designers packed into the Crest Theatre for the launch of a challenge they knew very little about. Going in, all they knew was that there would be a surprising twist and there was buzz in the lobby about what that would be. Some guessed their designs would be based on film genres, since the challenge is in conjuncture with this year’s Sacramento Film and Music Festival. Others were completely unsure, but had been racking their brains all day, but coming up short of ideas. After everyone had been seated and the rules were explained, a red sheet was removed from a large pile on the stage to reveal…

NEWSPAPERS!

This year The Sacramento Film & Music Festival Presents: The Sacramento Bee Fashion Challenge pits designers against each other to create a red carpet look of which a noticeably significantly portion is made from the Sacramento Bee. They will have 13 days to complete their look with the help of a team including a model and hair/makeup artist. On opening night of the film festival, August 17^th, the models will work the catwalk inside the Crest at 7:30pm as a panel of judges looks on. Their scores will determine the winner who will be announced on Saturday, August 20^th at 6pm. As an added bonus, the audience will also be able to vote for their favorite when the designs are on display opening night. This year’s first place prizes include a mentorship with fashion designer Robbie Jeffers, sponsored by the Capitol Indie Collective, as well as an advertising package in the Bee among many others. There will also be prizes for second through fifth place and for the audience favorite.

So if you want to see local designers “make it work” at this first ever event be at the Crest for this year’s Film and Music festival. You don’t want to miss out!

Tickets for each event are $10

For more information go to sacfilm.com

Documenting Second Saturday

By Alexandra Gilmore

The Second Saturday event in Sacramento highlights some of the various works that the area’s residents have to offer. That is why it was the perfect setting to film part of Cow Town Film Productions newest documentary "Undiscovered Gold". The purpose of this movie is to showcase art and artists in the Sacramento area and how living in the community helps, but also hiders their ability to create and distribute their work. The hope is that the film will reveal not only the number and variety of artists who wish to make a living in Sacramento, but what the local government and community can do to aid in this effort.

The documentary shoot began on July 9, just as Second Saturday was in full swing. The bazaar was busy, the restaurants were packed, and the streets were crowded with…zombies? Yes that right, zombies. The annual zombie walk was taking place later that night and horror enthusiasts, both young and old were decked out in their bloodied finest. An interview with three adolescent zombies showed how much they enjoy Second Saturday and being able to participate in the local art scene.

With the bazaar full of customers (even Slamson, the Sacramento Kings mascot seemed to take notice), the crew moved in to see what local artists had to say about making and selling their works in Sacramento. Most were excited about the opportunity of Second Saturday to show off their art, but offered suggestions on how to event could be better tailored to meet their needs. Physical art is not the only kind on display at the monthly gathering, but many musicians also fill the streets hoping to build a larger following of listeners. They expressed the same sentiment of optimism for what they can do with the current support they get in Sacramento, but that there is always more that could be done. Overall, Second Saturday proved to be a valuable backdrop for "Undiscovered Gold" as it offered access to the insight of local artists. As production continues, hopefully more artist interviews will shed a brighter light on what it is like to be an artist in Sacramento and what more all around support can do.

Keep the Arts Alive: Get involved!

From our friends at AMERICAN FOR THE ARTS:

Today, all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives will be sworn in, and 13 new U.S. Senators will take the oath of office as a result of the November elections. It is critical to contact them now to show that the arts are important to you and your community.

Many of the newly elected congressional leaders are focused on cutting discretionary funding, reducing the federal deficit, and creating incentives to grow the economy. It is imperative that arts advocates work quickly together to help educate the largest congressional freshman class in decades about the profound role the arts play in spurring economic growth and job creation.

We have provided a customizable letter you can send to your Member of Congress congratulating him or her on beginning their service in the 112th Congress and letting them know the arts are important to you!

Take your advocacy work one step further by becoming an official member of the Arts Action Fund. Play your part today – it’s free and easy to join.