Big Vision Empty Wallet Teams with Canon for
National Film Pitch Competition In Search of the Next Great
Feature Film with Grand Prize Valued Over $100,000
Judging Panel Includes Academy Award-Winning Cinematographer Russell Carpenter
(Titanic), Producer Maureen Ryan (Academy Award-Winning Documentary, Man on Wire)
and Actress Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, – Big Vision Empty Wallet (BVEW), the networking
organization dedicated to bringing both emerging and established artists and innovators together and
helping them collaborate, create and showcase their work, has teamed up with Canon to launch its first
National Film Pitch Competition. The purpose of Big Vision Empty Walletʼs National Film Pitch
Competition is to find the next great feature film and get it made. Canon will be awarding the Grand
Prize Winner with a 30-consecutive-day HDSLR Camera and Canon EOS EF “L†Series Lens Package
Rental, plus a 1-week re-shoot. The winner will also receive other free rental packages and services to
help them get their film made from additional sponsors, including a Producerʼs Package from Media
Services/Show Biz Software, Quick Film Budget, Konsonant, Rotting Television and Daryl Eisenberg
Casting. The Grand Prize is valued at over $100,000. An additional prize furnished by Media Services
will be awarded to the Viewerʼs Choice Winner for Best Pitch Video, selected through online voting.
When contestants submit to the competition they receive a free one-year membership to Big Vision
Empty Wallet. Contestants must be residents of the United States. To submit, visit:
http://www.bigvisionemptywallet.com/national-film-pitch
Participants must submit the following by January 30, 2012:
A treatment for their dream feature film that they would make using the valuable prizes
provided by the competition sponsors.
A promotional video, trailer or scene that pitches their film.
Bios of the creative team.
The Top 10 Finalists will be announced on BigVisionEmptyWallet.com on February 10, 2012, at which
time, online voting will open to decide the online winner. The esteemed judges will give each finalist a
score based on originality, style, professionalism, marketability, quality of work and so on. The Top 3
Finalists will be announced on March 1, 2012.
The Top 3 Finalists will have from March 1, 2012 – April 1, 2012 to complete the first draft of their
screenplay and submit it for judging in the final round. Online voting for the est pitch video will
continue throughout this time.
The judging panel will select the Grand Prize Winner, which will be announced on
BigVisionEmptyWallet.com and RottingTelevision.com on May 1, 2012.
The judging panel includes:
Russell Carpenter – Academy Award-Winning Cinematographer, Titanic
Maureen Ryan – Producer, Academy Award-Winning Documentary Man on Wire, Project Nim
Heather Matarazzo – Actress, Welcome to the Dollhouse (Independent Spirit Award)
Rik Cordero – Award Winning Commercial, Film and Music Video Director
Alex Buono – Academy Award Nominated Cinematographer, 10-year veteran Saturday Night
Live
June Diane Raphael – Writer and star of upcoming feature Ass Backwards, Writer of Bride
Wars
“It isnʼt our goal to simply find the next great feature film, we will also enable the winner to get their
dream film made,†said BVEW co-founder Dani Faith Leonard. “The grand prize package is huge. I
wish I could win it!â€
“We are extremely grateful and excited to be teaming with all of our sponsors, especially Canon during
the exciting launch of their brand new cameras,†said BVEW co-founder Alex Cirillo.
ABOUT BVEW:
Big Vision Empty Wallet is an international networking organization dedicated to bringing together
artists and innovators and helping them create, collaborate, and showcase their work. We inspire the
creative class to create great change by creating great work.
Members Can:
FIND ARTISTS TO COLLABORATE WITH:
- Attend our ongoing events in cities around the world.
- Post casting and crewing notices on our projects board and in our member bulletin.
- Create a profile on our site where you can share your work and information about yourself as an artist
and the art you create.
- Interact with other members who you want to work with by sending them a private message on the
site.
CREATE WITH EASE:
- Take advantage of our exclusive member deals and discounts.
- Use our resource guide, including over 125 production forms, NY and LA vendor directories, as well
as our listings of film commissions and unions.
SHOWCASE YOUR WORK:
- Screen your films or exhibit your work at our events.
- Gain free online entry to all of our online competitions.
- Upload your work onto your member profile.
AFFECT CHANGE:
Give back to your community at our local Chapter events in NY, LA, Philly and DC. We host events in
other cities around the world too and will be expanding our events to Chicago, Boston, Toronto,
London and Madrid! Each Chapter is associated with local charities and non-profits. Our members’
work is always showcased through screenings, exhibits and performances as members network and
give back.
ABOUT BVEWʼS NATIONAL FILM COMPETITION JUDGES:
RUSSELL CARPENTER won the 1997 Oscar for Best Cinematography on James Cameronʼs Titanic.
His work with Cameron began on the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy/action hybrid, True Lies.
He is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC). In the 1980s, Carpenter shot
many memorable horror films including Critters, Critters 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The
Dream Child. In the 1990s, he DPʼd the Jean-Claude Van Damme hits Death Warrant and Hard
Target. His next project, This Means War, is due out in theaters sometime next year.
MAUREEN A. RYAN is a producer based in New York concentrating on feature films and
documentaries. She is co-producer of James Marshʼs 2009 Academy Award-winning Best
Documentary, Man on Wire, as well as on Marshʼs latest feature documentary, Project Nim. She
produced the independent film Bomber, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in
2009, as well as 2008 Peabody Award-winner, The Gates, co-directed by Albert Maysles. Ryan also
wrote the book, Producer to Producer: The Step-by-Step Guide to Low Budget Independent Film
Producing.
HEATHER MATARAZZO, a successful actor since her feature film debut in Welcome to the Dollhouse
at the age of 11, has been captivating movie-going audiences for over a decade. Her unique talent and
on-screen charm have earned her critical acclaim, including an Independent Spirit Award. Heather
quickly followed up Dollhouse with a breakout performance in Taylor Hackfordʼs thriller, The Devilʼs
Advocate. In the following years, she worked non-stop on such films as 54, Getting to Know You,
Scream 3, Sorority Boys, and Freshman Orientation. In 1997, Heather joined the cast of the smash hit
series Roseanne for the final season. In 2001, Heather starred in Disneyʼs box office hit, The Princess
Diaries, directed by Garry Marshall. That same year, Heather starred in Service Men off Broadway and
made her Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatres production of The Women. Following up her
Broadway debut, Heather went into production for the sleeper hit Saved. Heatherʼs focus continues in
film and theatre as she chooses to diversify her body of work securing a lead role in the sequel to
HOSTEL. In 2010 Heather produced and starred in MANGUS!, and independent feature film directed
by Ash Christian.
RIK CORDERO was born and raised in Queens, New York and is known for applying unusual, non-
traditional shooting methods in his work. He was nominated for Video Director Of The Year at the 2009
BET Awards and was the recipient of the Best Film Award for his feature film, Inside A Change, which
made its world premiere at the 2009 HBO New York International Latino Film Festival. In 2010,
Cordero was seen in Spriteʼs print and television ads for their “Spark†campaign. The ads featured him
as a Hollywood director discovering inspiration in very unlikely ways. He recently wrapped his latest
feature Starla, a thriller executive produced by Chris Robinson and The World Is Watching, a
documentary about the culture of New York City high school basketball produced by Nike and narrated
by Spike Lee. Cordero was also a featured director for SHOOT Magazineʼs 9th Annual New Directorʼs
Showcase held at the DGA Theater on May 10, 2011. He is currently in production with a documentary
about the closing of Peninsula Hospital Center in Queens, New York.
ALEXANDER BUONO wrote and produced the theatrical documentary, Bigger Stronger Faster, which
he developed and guided through every stage from financing and production to final delivery and
distribution. The film premiered in competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed
by Magnolia Pictures. Alex was the co-producer and director of photography of Green Street
Hooligans, about Londonʼs football subculture starring Elijah Wood, which won both the Jury Prize and
Audience Award at the 2005 SXSW Film Festival. In 2003, Alex received an Oscar nomination for the
short film, Johnny Flynton, which he produced and photographed. He recently completed the Chinese
co-production, Shanghai Kiss, starring Hayden Panettiere, and has been the director of photography
for the Saturday Night Live Film Unit for the past 9 seasons. Other credits include the Emmy-
nominated ESPN series Mayne Street. Alex is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema Arts and
spent his early post-collegiate years on the camera crews of studio ï¬lms including Twister, Conspiracy
Theory and Armageddon.
JUNE DIANE RAPHAEL has appeared in such films as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Zodiac, Going the
Distance, Year One, The Dry Land and Bride Wars, which she co-wrote with Casey Wilson. She
currently plays Piper on the Adult Swim series NTSF:SD:SUV, and has been seen on Flight of the
Conchords, Party Down, Funny Or Die Presents, Happy Endings and Players. She currently is
developing a pilot for ABC with Will Gluck called, “Walk of Shame” in addition to numerous features
currently in development.
ABOUT BVEWʼS FOUNDERS:
ALEX CIRILLO is a filmmaker born and raised in New York. In May 2010, she and Dani Faith Leonard
launched Big Vision Empty Wallet after having produced film screenings and competitions through
their sister company, Industry Power Play. Cirillo is also a Producer at Washington Square Films
where she works on feature films, documentaries and commercials, and specializes in TV & New
Media development. She recently worked on Margin Call, a feature film starring Kevin Spacey, Jeremy
Irons and Stanley Tucci, which premiered at Sundance 2011 & opened in theatres this October,
and Francine, an independent experimental drama starring Melissa Leo slated for release in 2012.
Cirillo also serves as Grant Manager for Emmy-winning Director Robert Leviʼs and Bowery Arts &
Scienceʼs National Endowment for the Humanities Grant for a documentary about legendary jazz
musician Hank Jones. Additionally, Cirillo is the chairwoman of New York Women in Film &
Televisionʼs Gift Bag Committee. This summer she had the honor of serving as a judge for the Boston
Comedy Festivalʼs New York Showcase and she is currently in pre-production on a documentary about
children in inner city Baltimore gaining confidence and life skills with the help of The Tender Bridge.
DANI FAITH LEONARD is a writer and actress based in New York City. She has acted in
independent films and theatre in the US and overseas. She can be seen writing and performing with
the sketch comedy troupe Really Sketchy. In June 2008, she founded Preen Productions under which
she and business partner Alex Cirillo ran Industry Power Play, a series of monthly film screenings and
events for the independent film and performing arts community of NYC. In May 2010, they launched
BigVisionEmptyWallet.com, a networking organization dedicated to bringing artists together from all
over the world. She currently has two films in pre-production and is looking forward to what this
exciting year will hold personally, and for Big Vision Empty Wallet.
For more information and to become a member of Big Vision Empty Wallet, visit
http://www.bigvisionemptywallet.com/join