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Solid French Production Co. Brings You ‘Section Eight’ on MySpace!

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Some pretty exciting news was announced this evening via The Hollywood Reporter who writes that Paramount’s digital unit and French producer-distributor Gaumont are teaming up for an online original series that will premiere exclusively on MySpace entitled Section Eight. Gaumont has brought you the forthcoming The Broken, High Lane and the Guillermo del Toro produced Splice. Read on for the skinny.
The series, titled “Section Eight,” is a supernatural thriller with a “Ten Little Indians” conceit: Characters are knocked off one by one, with viewers given clues as to who is trying to kill them and why. About 12 episodes are planned, with production set for June and the first episode likely to begin streaming in September.

Unlike past efforts from the studio’s digital group, “Eight” will attempt to create an entirely new content brand. “We’re not relying on branded talent or a well-known franchise,” Paramount Digital Entertainment president Thomas Lesinski said. “We’re trying to do online original content for the first time.

The initiative follows in the footsteps of Paramount Digital Entertainment pushing off of existing properties with content like last year’s “Jackass 2.5,” a feature follow-up to the studio’s two hit movies showcasing the male-themed gonzo adventures.

Episodes of “Section Eight” will run between six and nine minutes, execs said, and at least one new episode will premiere each week during the run. A heavy social-networking component — viewers will be able to interact with cast as well as guess solutions to the series’ puzzles — also is planned.

Lesinski said that the episodes, which are fall in the PG-13 category, will be promoted on both MySpace and via a host of Viacom assets like MTV.

MySpace has been aggressive in the online originals space; it was the first platform to debut the Marshall Herskovitz-produced “quarterlife,” among others.

After a period of MySpace exclusivity, “Eight” will go out via other platforms, including iTunes, and also could eventually be collected as a single feature that will be distributed on DVD.

The companies are formally announcing the series Monday morning at the MIP confab in Cannes, with Endemol peddling foreign rights at the show.

About a half dozen projects are currently in development at Paramount Digital Entertainment, some of which derive from existing Par movies. But execs said they want the unit to undertake more than just online extensions of the studio’s efforts.

I think it’s important that we start testing original content,” Lesinski said. “It allows you more flexibility, and there’s a lot more upside.

Horror movie fanatic who co-founded Bloody Disgusting in 2001. Producer on Southbound, V/H/S/2/3/94, SiREN, Under the Bed, and A Horrible Way to Die. Chicago-based. Horror, pizza and basketball connoisseur. Taco Bell daily. Franchise favs: Hellraiser, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Scream and Friday the 13th. Horror 365 days a year.

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Indie

“Bite Size Short: Her House of Horrors” Announce Short Grant Program!

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Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.

The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.

The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:

“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.

“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.

“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.

“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”

Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.

WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.

To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.

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