About a month ago we made a significant switch on THE DROP website. The adjustment came as a way to incorporate the multitude of ways that users would interact with the website. We had been using a social plug-in and it really started out working amazing. Last month I was introduced to ShareThis and I found that the plug-in was easy to use and that it actually gave the user more options to pass around the info and would be crucial in the interaction of social media to the site. The user would then be able to add or share the posts via their Myspace or Facebook but could also email them to friends if they so chose. A little while back The Drop was featured on the ShareThis site. We got sandwiched between infertility and obscure movies - I don’t think it’s a bad start.

I also had a chance to join their Publishers Group on Facebook. What I loved about this was that I then could put faces with the code writers and other bloggers/new media types who were employing the same pieces and any additional strategy that they may have. ShareThis has just been named one of the Top 20 plugins to have on Wordpress and I highly recommend it.

Film Music Weekly Magazine editor Peter Alexander released an article on the recent talk given by Dan Portnoy to the Virginia Production Alliance in Richmond, VA. Check out his take on new media, processing through the info and including a lot of links to see New Media in action.

See the article here.

Abandon Films and Superhero Pictures collaborate again for The Virginia Production Alliances Annual Film Day. This year so much is on the line in tax incentives that can allow many film professionals to keep with working in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Check out the Video by clicking the picture above (more…)

The Great American Road Trip pushed the envelope of New Media by releasing to the web. To keep with the nature of the film, the DVD release couldn’t be anything ordinary. So Spring 2008 the guys from the show will be joining up with special venues and musicians from the soundtrack for an evening of entertainment and independent film.

The Lineup

The DVD is only a part of the experience and will feature an additional 2 minutes vignette on each episode, crammed with special features including out takes and blooper reel.

In an effort to make the arts more accessible, Abandon Films and Superhero Pictures are teaming up with 4 independent filmmakers, the DVD will be pulp in nature with no feature longer than 8 minutes. Interspersed with the episodes of The Great American Road Trip will be 4 original short films by independent filmmakers. The concept of short film makers banding together to create a larger audience than any single producer could get on their own is nothing new but in this way the films will be easily accessible to thousands.

Roanoke, VA -
Lynchburg, VA -
Arlington, VA -
Washington, DC -
Virginia Beach -
Richmond -
Durham, NC -
Mt Airy, NC -

Are you an independent filmmaker? Have you got what it takes? Submit your film for consideration to be added to The Great American Road Trip Traveling Road Show. Please contact us at film@thegreatamericanroadtrip with a link to your posted work online or please mail it to:

The Great American Road Trip - Traveling Road Show
PO Box 4434
Lynchburg, VA 24502

The film side of The Portnoy Media Group launched their digital domain this week. The site currently styled in some winter wondery-goodness will be updated on all the upcoming projects for the coming year. The foremost project for 2007 will be The Great American Road Trip. (www.thegreatamericanroadtrip.net) The film project and the website aim to capture the essence of a road trip; the unpredictability, the adventure and the fun. The next step in the process will be the webisodes documenting the progress of the group. Superhero has also set up the Road Trip website as a “Rest Area” for many roadtrippers to share their stories complete with photos and video.

Check out Superhero Pictures

The Internet - Picture this: 4 Men, 1 Winnebago and 2,448 miles of seasoned highway. These three together set the stage for a journey of a lifetime on a road filled with history and painted with stories of young and old. There is only one highway that can provide such an adventure and that is “the Mother Road” herself Route 66. The highway has come be known as “the mother road,” which was given that name about 70 years ago by the world renown author John Steinbeck. The road itself gave individuals the opportunity to escape the “dust bowl” and travel where there was a greater chance of successful survival. By the early 50’s tourist attractions started to take there place along side the road of opportunity. The highway has always been a source of economic growth for all of the 8 states that it crosses through.
Before this national highway was constructed all of the existing paved roads ended at the city line, so it revolutionized the idea of traveling. Which is what we like to acknowledge as the birth of “road trips.” The art of road tripping has been lost somewhere in time. Today very few people take the time to get on the road and just drive and see what the nations highways have to offer. It wasn’t always about the destination rather the long rides in the car with the closest of friends. Presently there are only a few daring college students and many bands that dare to explore the open road.
The idea of getting out on the open road and meeting the people who have staked their livelihood on something that may not fit in a nice neat box is exciting. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, entrepreneurs of all kinds traveled to the first road that connected the country and started businesses all along the road. From greasy spoons to unique motels, they grabbed onto life and molded it to make their greatest dreams come true. The goal is to take 4 individuals with unique personalities and travel from Chicago to L.A. on Route 66 in the summer of 2007. The objective is to film the whole project and share the adventures that are made with the world. To talk with business owners and the individuals who have spent their lives along “the Mother Road” will prove to be astounding. Buckle up, Enjoy the ride, and keep checking for updates at www.thegreatamericanroadtrip.net.