JONESY - Stand Up Comedian - Actor | Running The Light

The Conversation

Two weekends ago, I attended The Conversation, an all-day conference about the future of independent film funding, marketing and distribution. The program for The Conversation consisted of panels, discussion groups and breakout sessions, each featuring both indie fllm stalwarts (Eugene Hernandez, Scott Macaulay, Bob Hawk) and new media trailblazers (Lance Weiler, Arin Crumley.

it was made clear during The Conversation that filmmakers are having to work harder than ever for increasingly smaller pieces of pie. As panelist Richard Lorber, CEO of distributor Kino Lorber, put it, “everything’s possible but nothing’s working.”

Just as everyone was getting ready to collectively throw up their hands in despair and looked for the nearest exit, The Conversation co-host Scott Kirsner reminded us that when the film business started over a hundred years ago, when somebody started charging people to watch thirty-second reels in a kinetoscope parlor on Fifth Avenue, the average weekend box office was $120.

“I think if you were in Manhattan back then, you would have said ‘this isn’t really storytelling, this isn’t an art form, and this certainly isn’t a business,’” Kirsner said from behind his podium. “I think we’re in a similar moment right now. It doesn’t feel like a business yet, but those of us in this room are the early pioneers, ignoring the warning signals that eventually won’t mean anything.”

In the mean time, events like The Conversation are helping bring like-minded pioneers together to share and experiment so that one day, the independent film business can truly be a business again.

HERE ARE SOME LINKS WORTH CLICKING ON from The Conversation.

Cigar Quest NYC

I documented an adventure in NYC. Adam Shuty and I, on the search for cigars, encountered many ladies, met a philosopher, and discuss ancient civilization.

Black Out Baby - comedy sketch

Please enjoy this piece I wrote that was included in the 21 Hour Theatre Festival at the Wings Theatre in New York City a few weeks ago. In this video are: Alexander Hill, Annalyn Frame, Mara Dratfield, and Mary Lauren. Directed by Alicia Green.

Black Out Baby from jonesy on Vimeo.

The 21 Hour Theatre Festival

I participated in The 21 Hour Theatre Festival over the weekend at the Wings Theatre in New York City. A very cool event. How it worked was Friday night, myself and the other writers met with the show's Producer, who randomly distributed our topics. This year the theme was the paranormal and my topic which I was to cover in my piece was ghosts. In addition, we were tasked to include an animal and a specific line of dialogue in our one acts, which were to be turned in the following morning, Saturday, so that the director could get to work rehearing with the actors. All six plays were performed that same day at 5pm and 7pm.

Overall, I found this type of project very challenging to participate in as a writer. You're really put on the spot to come up with something on the fly. It's one of the most difficult ways in which to write as typically -at least in my case- a writer cannot force an idea into being. It sorta has to come to you out of an inspiration. In my experience it's usually behavior I see, hear about or, most preferred, something that happens to me directly. To put a time limit on the process, I found to be a real challenge.

For more information about this project, check out the official site for here: Phare Play Productions. In a future blog I will upload the video of my play performance entitled, Black Out Baby. Although my piece didn't win any awards, I had a talented director and cast that got plenty of laughs.

New Facebook 300

I was confused by the new Facebook. I noticed lots of folk were angry about it. So I made this. Pretty cool huh? - jonesy

My New Film Project - The Eternal Boyfriend

I am currently writing a feature length script that is a modern adaptation of a Fyodor Dostoevsky (Crime and Punishment author) novella. Published in 1870, its original title is The Eternal Husband. The story centers around a depressed man who is confronted by his dead mistress’s husband in a psychological tale of duality. One of the esteemed Russian author’s most powerful and accessible tales, it employs his favorite themes of mental torture and neurosis. Captivating and highly revealing, it explores love, guilt, and hatred.

My modern version is titled, The Eternal Boyfriend, and I am in the pre-production stages of this low budget project at the moment. I hope to be completely done the script by March and have a trailer shot in New York City during the Spring. Anyone interested in assisting in any way (other than acting) can contact me at Funnyjones@gmail.com

The official site for the movie is here: The Eternal Boyfriend.