Wednesday,
April 25, 2012 - Tampa Film Revolution Post by C. A. Passinault
Tampa
Bay Film School Is In. Go Make Indie Films.
Early on in
the Tampa indie film war, which started in early 2008 with my Tampa
Bay Film sites addressing issues with
the Tampa indie film clique and others who sold out the interests of
filmmaking in Tampa Bay, I foresaw a time where those interests would
be crippled, and a time where the seeds of progress would have to be
sown for the foundation for what was to come.
That time is now.
We’re taking this all one step at a time, and we still have a
way to go before anything is really accomplished. It takes time, especially
since the war is continuing right now, and we are still in the Tampa
indie film war stage.
I did not start this war. I entered what was claimed to be an independent
film scene in Tampa Bay, and a so-called Tampa Bay indie film community,
in 2005. When I did so, I treaded lightly, and simply only wanted to
help other filmmakers, as I had experienced issues before which made
me cautious (and which caused me to delay my introduction
to the Tampa indie film scene until 2005, when it should have been around
2002). That caution was needed, as it seemed, although taking the precautions
that were needed were not able to change what was to come. In retrospect,
it almost seems as if I was destined to fight with those no-talent,
insecure idiots, although I am not alone. It seems that their
M.O. the entire time, in my educated and experienced opinion, was to
sabotage and to discredit anyone who came along who could compete with
them and conceivably threaten their interests. They maintained
their status as king of the dirt mound known as the Tampa Bay indie
film scene by pretending to support indie filmmaking, all the while
undermining it to preserve their own egos and delusions of self-importance.
This is why, in my opinion, that Tampa indie film has never been able
to get on the map in over fourteen years of “trying”, and
why no one, the large film festivals included, does not take indie filmmaking
in Tampa Bay seriously. For the most part, they were able to hold back
progress with their tactics over the years, as genuinely talented filmmakers
and aspiring filmmakers were discouraged by the slander and by the shady
politics. Those talented filmmakers, as a result, gave up or went away.
With me, though, it was different. I am very good at fighting for what
I believe in, and had been fighting, and winning, at various causes
for most of my life. They underestimated me when they started their
nonsense with me. I stood up for my rights, and the rights of others,
and I fought back. I’m winning, too.
2005 was not my first foray into independent film in Tampa Bay, though,
and there was a time, long, long ago when we had a film scene here where
the idiots did not hold back progress, and where people made independent
films because they were passionate about making independent films. That
time was 1993. In 1993, I had already been published as a writer, had
been producing events for five years, and had produced 19 popular underground
DJ programs as DJ Wiz Kid. In that year, though, I knew that more had
to be done, and that was the year that I became DJ Frontier, and it
was also the year that I founded a secret underground subculture known
as the Frontier Society. Innovation and progress, as it was, indeed,
has the best innovation in in the endeavors of the underground. For
me, too, the underground was a Phoenix arising from the ashes of what
once was.
The era of DJ Wiz Kid, of the first incarnation of my event planning
company, Party Systems INC, and of the first two generations of my underground
DJ releases, came to an end in 1991. The beginning of the end came on
November 2, 1991, in Apollo Beach, Florida, as a beach party that I
produced ended in a riot. The end itself came in March 1992, when my
roommates left me without anything, and one of them, the girl whom I
loved, destroyed my DJ production equipment. 1992 was a trying time,
and I found myself in a place where I had to start over while building
upon a legacy of what came before. By the end of the summer of 1992,
I finally had a place to live again, and began rebuilding my life.
During my DJ Wiz Kid days, I toyed with the idea of doing video releases
where I hosted these video programs which played music videos. I never
had the equipment or the resources to pull that off, however, so it
remained an idea. Reading
a newspaper article about public access and about television programming
done by enthusiasts while I resumed my college courses in early 1993,
I knew that I had to learn those skills. I certainly had talent, as
my fanbase could attest, but not the skills that I needed; I would have
to work hard to turn talent into skills that were professionally viable,
and would have to work those skills to make them grow and to obtain
the experience that I would need for what was coming, and to realize
some of my concepts, which were literally decades ahead of their time.
So, by auditing courses at the University of Tampa, which I could not
afford to actually attend for a degree, I learned those skills. My friends
would go clubbing in 1993 and in 1994, and I spent my spare time and
my weekends working, for free, at a television station by the University
of Tampa. From 1988 to 1991, I had spent my time having fun with casual
friends, and had even started and run a successful fraternity and sorority
my first two years of college. My party days were over, as far as partying
without being paid, although I did not have time to organize any event
for pay at the time because I was too busy studying, learning, and investing
in what was to come. I was back in school. Despite the lack of money,
those were good times, as I worked hard at something that I was, and
still am, passionate about. During this time, too, I invested in a new
CD library and in professional DJ equipment, as I would return to DJ’ing
soon as DJ Frontier.
In 1994, I resumed my underground DJ releases, this time as DJ Frontier,
with my 22nd release, Futura. Futura was the beginning of a new era,
and with that release, I had a co-host with this cool 18 year girl that
I became friends with, Nicole, who co-hosted Futura as DJ Cricket. Futura
was followed by more releases, such as Party Zone 2, with each release
easily besting my best work as DJ Wiz Kid that came before. That 3rd
generation of cassette program releases, in a 90 minute format with
titles and custom themes, had production standards which were superior
and more refined. Despite this, and despite some rather revolutionary
programming with these releases (Waveform 3, Generation, Party Zone
3, Horizons RMX, and Futura 2 being rather brilliant, IMO, with repercussions
and influences which resonate even today in all of my work), those releases
were not nearly as cost-effective to produce compared to my rough-cut
and creative early work as DJ Wiz Kid. Those 3rd generation (GEN 3)
releases pushed my limited funding and resources to their limits, and
I did not have nearly the audience that I did before (higher overhead,
slower production times, and higher costs of running copies led to a
smaller audience). Still, I pushed on, putting a lot of hard work into
those releases, and the 3rd generation ran for 4 years, covering an
additional 10 releases. Most of them did not have the covers that I
had formatted for them, because of each cover cost a lot of money ($70.00
to $90.00 and six to eight hours of work at local print shops for releases
which I could not sell due to legalities) to create due to the limited
analog production technology of the time, but I created programs which
pushed the limits of their technical shortcomings.
From 1993 to 1995, I did a lot of work in television, too, becoming
professionally certified in just about every production job, and obtained
my producers certification. I aced my editing course, crewed a lot of
television programs, and took a lot of courses taught by working industry
professionals (and my experience doing this, which cost me time and
effort, but no money, is why I am not happy about all of the so-called
film schools and workshops taking advantage of aspiring filmmakers in
the Tampa Bay area today. It should not cost us a lot, if anything,
to learn this stuff until we have a thriving, established independent
film scene which is respected in the industry, and until we have verifiable
results and successes as a result of these film schools and workshops).
In one of my computer graphics courses, too, I hit it off with my instructor
(which was common, as I am very likable and make friends rather easily),
a local television producer who worked for Time Warner by the name of
Jim Moss, who then began to have me help with his independent film projects.
Back in 1994, most indie film projects in Tampa Bay were shot on 3/4
inch video tape. I spent a lot of time on the
sets of some rather cool independent films, working just about every
type of job. Jim was planning a series of comedy shorts, too, and during
one reading in a studio above the Wooden Nickle in Tampa, we had a troupe
of actors from Ruth Eckerd Hall, but were short on actors. I called
my friend Alain Juvert, who worked with me at the Bank, and who also
was an actor. He showed up minutes later. I also read lines with the
other actors.
By the end of the night, I was offered the lead in a play by a director
who was there. It seemed that my years of underground DJ’ing had
helped prepare me for acting. It was that night that I began working
in both the production aspects, as well as the talent aspects, of independent
film. Although I decided to pass on the stage play lead, Jim Moss also
began casting me in lead roles in television commercials produced by
Time Warner for Tampa Bay businesses. I acted in commercials for the
Florida Aquarium, the City of Tampa, the Tampa Museum of Art, Lowry
Park Zoo, the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), and many local
businesses, including an electronics store and a golf pro shop (my first,
and only, time at the Florida Aquarium was being in a commercial for
them). I became one of the first independent actors in Tampa
Bay, and was booked into commercial work without going through a talent
agency and without the Internet; experience that would prove invaluable
years later. I was also one of the few actors who were working
in television commercials who routinely helped out with the production
aspects, too.
My coworkers at the bank thought that I was lying when I told them of
my other jobs. When they started seeing me all over television, well,
that changed everything. When I was out and about with friends, though,
people began recognizing me, which was weird. That experience, however,
did prepare me for later work with celebrities, as celebrities do not
phase me one bit. Years later, about five years ago, in fact, I worked
for a local television station for a year and a half in a non-production,
non-talent job, and I routinely worked with the visiting celebrities
because I wasn’t phased by them. I got along with them quite well.
So, I helped with independent films. I did television commercials. It
was experience that proved later to be invaluable. In 1998, however,
upon moving back to my home town (and initially acting in commercials
while there), I had some orthodontic work done, so I took a break from
television work. I was too busy with my event planning, my web site
courses, my writing, and my budding photography career at that time,
anyway.
In 2000, when I began dating a fashion model and a art director by the
name of Diana, she helped me to become a professional photographer.
I also had aspirations for independent filmmaking, too, especially with
the new digital 3 CCD camcorders such as the Canon XL-1 coming out.
Computers back then were slow, and hard drive space was expensive, and
1 TB of hard drives alone was about $19,000.00. Back then, you might
as well do a feature film from the onset, because the digital filmmaking
equipment cost about $30,000.00 . Comparable gear today costs less than
$2,000.00, which is good for filmmakers, especially when the filmmakers
are aspiring filmmakers who are looking to get their films made.
As far as independent filmmaking went, however, I planned on making
films as far back as 1994. I was working toward making a television
series at public access called Futura, with short film segments used
throughout the series, such as a graveyard film based upon the legend
of Bloody Mary, which would have been titled Bloody Mary, which eventually
became the first Reverence, a feature film project. Around that time,
however, a lot of controversy was going on down at the station because
there were producers abusing the system under the guise of the first
amendment, and making trashy programs. That caused new rules to be drafted,
limiting what you could do at the station if you did not live within
Tampa city limits (I lived near Carollwood, which screwed me). So, my
television series never came to be, despite all of the work. Some of
the concepts which I developed for the Futura television series translated
well to my Futura DJ program; initially, the Futura cassette program
release, my 22nd release and the first under my new DJ Frontier name,
was to be a counterpart and a lead-in to the television series. When
the Futura television series was cancelled, Futura became a stand-alone
audio program. Those concepts also worked well with Futura 2, which
was created in 1996, and will also work well with the upcoming Gen 5
Digital Program Releases (MP3 programs) Futura 3 and Futura RMX, due
out in 2014 under my DJ Frontier name, of course (I’ve been working
on Futura 3 and RMX for a while now, and have a ton of great ideas for
those programs. I will also be remaking/ remastering the earlier Futura’s
and will be retro-applying the current concepts to them for series continuity.
With all of these concepts, it is possible that there will be a Futura
4 and a Futura 5, as well as more). Ironically, the work that went into
the Futura television series was so ahead of its time, that it is STILL
cutting-edge 18 years later, with advanced concepts which still have
not been done; I’ve been toying with doing the series as an online
series, with no changes needed to anything, for a while now. With development
of another project, however, which is an online television series which
I am already committed to and working on now, I may not have the time,
however, although some of those Futura concepts are being used, and
adapted for, the online television series. Still, that set that I designed
for Futura back in 1993 and 1994 was very cool, and would still be current
with a new Futura program. At any rate, the online television series
is a more advanced program, and it is far more entertaining the way
that it is formatted, so I’m going to go with that for now. I
will begin filming episodes of this project this summer, and will begin
releasing episodes in 2014, with an initial plan of producing three
seasons, and more, if it works out.
By 2001, digital filmmaking technology brought hope to my filmmaking
aspirations, although the investment needed to make films was still
very expensive. So, I did what I was supposed to do, and set about making
a feature film.
To Be Continued
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Pauly
Gee - Posted 04/25/12: 0905
Jesus....
I was just alerted to this nonsense from my gang of minions, who are
mindless followers, but they serve their purpose, well, MY purpose,
so I’ll just let them think that I am their savior and that I
genuinely support them. I can’t believe that Passinault has put
up another Tampa Bay Film site to slam us with! I can’t wait to
see the B.S. be writes next. Go on, Passinault, write another 10,000
words about me, and sink your credibility by your attacks on me and
my minions! We are a real independent film community, you psycho, and
we’re trying to do something great here while you try to tear
us down! I hate you!
Oh, and F.U. M.F-er for branding Tampa Film Revolution TFR! TFR stands
for The Tampa Film Review, you ass! The Tampa Film Review was a monthly
film festival event, which ended its successful five year run in 2009!
How DARE you!
Tizzum
- Posted 04/25/12: 0912
Passinault
just keeps going and going with his attacks. First, he destroys the
TFR and the Tampa film community with his slanderous Tampa Bay Film
sites and his constant barrage of criticism. He ran my once-popular
pop culture web site into the ground by running off all of our readers
and causing most of our writers to quit! Then, he launches Frontier
Pop, forcing us to go back to the drawing board because he destroyed
what was left of our pop culture site. Frontier Pop rules all, now,
and we can’t do anything about it! Now, he is doing the same thing
with this Tampa Film Revolution site, which is like Frontier Pop, and
he will use it to destroy what is left of the Tampa film community!
Damn you, Passinault! You witty villain! Cuddles......
Nolie
Canoli - Posted 04/25/12: 0922
That will
learn ya, my boys! I was the original owner of that pop culture site,
and Passinault discouraged me so much that I finally quit. He is a hater,
I tell you! Unfortunately, we are not as smart as he is, so there is
no way that we can compete! We need to regroup, my boys, and fight the
good fight!
Puff
Sissy - Posted 04/25/12: 0936
Passinault
kicked my ass on the pop culture web site message board. I’ve
never been so humiliated in all of my life, and he really gets me mad.
He is so witty and smart, that I was unable to come back at him or debate
him. He then gave my book, which I could not get a real publisher for
and had to self-publish on amazon, a bad review! I, too, hate him. Can
anyone stop this lunatic genius?
Woody
- Posted 04/25/12: 0949
I kind of
betrayed Passinault. I told everyone what I thought were secrets just
to stir crap up in the Tampa film scene. I later found out that he gave
me fabricated information to test me. Despite this, I am beginning to
realize that Passinault was truly my friend, and that I was the one
who wronged him. I feel bad. I hope that the bad reviews that he is
giving my latest films are not personal, and that he is not attacking
my work because of what I have done!
Lil
Johnny - Posted 04/25/12: 1006
Yo, Passinault!
You have stepped over the line again with this Tampa Film Revolution
B.S.! I’m going to get you! I’m going to hit you in your
ho ass face for dissing on me, yo! Now, you are mocking the film gang,
too! Oh, and our grindhouse sleaze videos do not suck! At least I make
films, for real, Passinault, you fake, phoney, and fraud!
Just wait until I see you in public! You will be meeting up with my
fist of fury, M.F. er!
Joe
DaButt - Posted 04/25/12: 1018 Passinault is trying to destroy me! He gives my films bad reviews,
and says that I cannot act! I am the true leader of independent filmmakers
in Tampa! Damn you, Passinault! I’ll get you, too! What, now this
Tampa Film Revolution, and also Tampa Bay Film?!?! When are you going
to stop putting up hate sites to slam us with?!?!?
Tizzum
- Posted 04/25/12: 1019
YEAH! Do
you see? Frontier Pop destroyed our pop culture site, and Tampa Film
Revolution is going to do the same to the Tampa film scene! He is going
to smear us again. See what Frontier Pop did to us? It is happening
again! Cuddles......
Passinault
- Posted 04/25/12: 1030
Guys, you
need to chill out. Don't be idiots.
I’m not a villain. I’m not your enemy. I’m just telling
it how I see it.
I’m not trying to destroy or attack anyone, really, but this is
a war for change in the Tampa Bay indie film scene.
The bottom line is that, in my opinion, if you guys were professional,
straight-up with others, and if you made good films, you would be happy
with me because I would be saying good things about you regardless of
how I felt about you. I’m not going to lie, like some people do.
I try not to make this personal, and merely tell it how it is. I don’t
really like many of you guys, but I do not allow my personal feelings
to dictate what I do and say (the course of action doing double duty
for addressing how I feel IS poetic justice, however, and quite amusing
for me, but rest assured that how I feel is NOT the motivation for what
I do to you).
As far as branding the Tampa Film Revolution “TFR”, it not
only fits, but it also demonstrates my complete and total lack of respect
for some of you, and you deserve it the way that you have treated me
and others. Your credibility attacks and slander will not be tolerated.
Besides, you guys gave up the TFR branding when you failed and shut
The Tampa Film Review down. The TFR branding stays, as it fits Tampa
Film Revolution, and I intend to redeem the acronym by associating it
with something that will genuinely support indie filmmaking in Tampa
Bay as well as Tampa Bay filmmakers. I will not sell out filmmakers
and pretend to support them like some of you, in my opinion, have. I
am sincere.
You guys started with me by trying to assassinate my character and by
spreading lies about me. I’m merely addressing this with you,
and am putting you all in your place by speaking out about what I really
think instead of keeping my opinions to myself. Politeness went out
the window once I found out what you guys were doing behind my back.
I didn’t start this. You did. I’m finishing it. I am not
the fake in this situation. I'm the solution.
Blessings
- Posted 04/25/12: 11145
Passinault,
you are a looser, you hear! You slander real artists and filmmakers!
Shut the F up, you pathetic looser! Stop attacking my friends and start
actually helping people. You are a bad person, M.F.-er!
Passinault
- Posted 05/17/12: 0900
You guys
are going to love this! It seems that I had to put this site on standby
in May of last year, when I had a lot of sites that had to be redone.
Well, most of that work is done, now. I get to start publishing on here,
again, as I now have the time again. Also, an all-new Revolution Class
Tampa Bay Film site has launched, using the latest SES (Search Engine
Superiority) tactics, and no more mistakes made (I also now own Tampa
Bay Film Commission, Florida Independent Film, and several more brand
new resource sites, and more are coming). I did some things that you
are currently unaware of, too, which you may or may not eventually find
out about (And if you did know, you will be really, really mad), You
will all have plenty to hate soon enough, as I am not stopping! I'm
expanding.........
TAMPA
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