Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) Vanity Fair Photos

All 15 year old girls want to grow up too fast, and it's up to the adults in their life to put on the brakes.

If similar photos had been taken of a non-celebrity 15 year old, charges would likely be laid against the supervising adults and the photographer. I am wondering why legal issues are not being explored in this case, including the publishing of such photos.

Before becoming a filmmaker, I worked as a photographer and turned down jobs of this nature several times. I am a relative unknown compared to Annie Leibovitz, but that still does not condone sexualized photos of a 15 year old girl.

If they had of waited until Miley Cyrus was 16 years of age, then the above issues would be gray, instead of black and white.

Allex Michael

ps: I am also opposed to sexualized photos of underage models, and using underage actors in sex scenes.

Net Neutrality Essential to Independent Films

We Posted this about Internet Neutrality, and I thought it was poignant!

Net Neutrality Essential to Independent Films



Net Neutrality is essential to the success of independent films like

SEARCH DOG'S RAVEN.

Having an equal opportunity Internet has allowed almost a million web visitors to find the film and the rag to riches story of Ebbey the canine star.

Telling the eerie story of a handler and her wilderness search dog, the independent production and first time filmmaker Allex Michael have received a tremendous amount of attention via the Internet, including interest from several large theatrical distributors. The film will be completed in 2008.

Unsegregated Internet exposure has also led to incredible collaborations, such as

- Spectacular Film Locations in the National Parks,

- Extensive Product Placement Support,

- Involvement with The Humane Society of the United States Stop Puppy Mills Campaign and

- Technical advice from both Alzheimer's Specialist Kimberly Kelly Falconer and NASAR (National Association for Search and Rescue) Board of Director Ken Lesperance.

Of about 40,000 independent films currently in production, SEARCH DOG'S RAVEN is within the one percentile that will obtain theatrical distribution.

None of this would have been possible for a low budget production without Net Neutrality and toll free Internet exposure.

Please keep in mind how many starving artists and upcoming filmmakers depend on Net Neutrality.

End of the World and Paris Hilton's Album Release

Though I try not to think about such things, thankfully the world didn't end on August 22 under nuclear attack by extreme muslims. This means I may actually get to finish my first film Search Dog's Raven.

With the release of Paris Hilton's debut album, also on August 22, I am now again feeling anxious. Why is my mind connecting these two events.

Hilton hired the best - including Dr. Luke who's produced a number of other big name artists like Kelly Clarkson. So I'm sure the album will have a great sound - though the single Stars are Blind is pretty generic.

This kind of financial clout and built in media attention, certainly gives Hilton a leg up in a very competitive market where about the only chance a struggling artist has nowadays is getting on American IDol.

Though I have a lot of work to get done today, I will be very happy when August 23 arrives in about 13 hours.

Snakes on a Plane Box Office

As a filmmaker, I understand how important, perhaps essential it is to listen to your audience. However, Snakes on a Plane. went too far. (Great animated snake logo by the way). Though I must admit keeping an eye out for the film’s box office numbers this weekend. It turns out the opening 15 million dollars was only half of what was expected.

It’s easy to be an armchair quarterback, but the fact is that R rated films NEVER do as well as a PG. It’s unfortunate that including several F words, one too many gory deaths and some sex scenes limited the success of a potentially great popcorn movie like Snakes on a Plane (NY Times Review).

We have received some great advice for the upcoming film Search Dog’s Raven, however some suggestions have to be taken with a grain of salt. Afterall, YOU are making the film, and paying for it (either as producer or via your resume when the film doesn’t perform), not the people spewing out free internet advice.

Stars are Blind and Music Videos

With tendencies to daydream, I often have the tv or other stimuli turned on in the background while I'm working on Search Dog's Raven.. Though it reduces my productivity, the daydreaming can be far more distracting. With the utter lack of new tv shows other than Blade the Series, I've been watching MTV.

Though Paris Hilton's song 'Stars are Blind' is predictably unforgettable, her video is sooo infuratingly watchable. This girl must practice in front of a mirror, with all her camera friendly poses.

This shows what an impact videos have had on music, as the song would likely not do very well without the memorable visuals. I would need to hear her unplugged to critique her voice, but to be honest cannot remember a single word from the song. Though a few notes from the slightly caribbean tune is in my brain somewhere. All I can remember is her in that white satin dress and the incredibly hunky guy with her on the sand.

Search Dog’s Raven Press Release

As a first time indie filmmaker, I’m astounded at how many things that need to be done. Many of which seem to have nothing to do with film making. And no one tells you about all these things until you’re already in the trenches.

A film’s first press release is supposed to come out when the film wraps production. But with the thirty thousand or so films being made as we speak, how many media bureaus really care about yet another indie film. So I thought up a different strategy. Instead of a film wrap release, the first official press release for Search Dog’s Raven reveals the rags to riches story of Ebbey the canine actor who portrays the film’s search dog. I mean how many canines do you know who have their own web site and their own blog. Plus there’s only one Ebbey on the Internet Movie Database, and she is in our film. Thanks IMDB.com.

Now some may argue that sending a press release about the canine costar is a bit out there, but dog lovers make up a big part of our audience and there are some 50 million in the US alone. And who doesn’t love to see a dog wearing antlers and holding a candy cane toy bone?

I spent a couple days capturing some incredibly cute Christmas photos and video and we’ll see if Ebbey’s story gets the film any kind of media coverage. About the only way we’ll know is via an ongoing Google search and if the film’s web site hits suddenly surge.

For an independent film, Search Dog’s Raven has been exceptionally lucky about getting media attention thus far. Let’s hope our creativity continues to give us an edge in the incredibly competitive film market.

Humane Society

Though I don't agree with every campaign, I've always supported the efforts of the Humane Society of the United States. Their heart is in the right place.

So we've arranged an interesting blurb for them in the film Search Dog's Raven, the eerie story of a young woman and her wilderness search dog. In the film, the search dog handler wears a t-shirt with stoppuppymills.com, which advertises HSUS efforts to stop puppy mills. On the official site of the Lost Raven Search Dog Team Site, it also mentions the handler's support for the HSUS. Hopefully it will help them out with this very important issue.

Internet Movie Database Poster

Finally bit the bullet. The Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB.com) graciously listed Search Dog’s Raven before the film started production, which is very rare for an independent film. This was likely sparked by our “In Production” listing in the Hollywood Reporter. Thank you HR! This led to small blurbs in Variety and Playback (Canada’s film trade magazine).

As an independent film, we’ve been very, very lucky in getting attention. However, I’ve been debating about putting the poster on the IMDB. It’s not the 35$, which is cheap considering the potential exposure on such a widely used and popular database. It’s their terms and conditions that concern me. I’m no lawyer, but it appears that you pay the IMDB 35$ to post your film’s poster, which may also entitle them to print and sell them.

So, just in case that’s the case, we decided to post just part of the poster photo, which is also a production still from the film. Though I dislike most photos of myself, I must admit, it’s a pretty compelling image. And Ebbey the search dog also looks great.