Updates

Here you can find out what's new with me, my movies, and my web site. Check back frequently for updates!

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year! While recently reviewing some info on the 2006 Film Your Issue contest the year I won, I remembered that Barack Obama was a judge that year. Who knew he would go on to become our next President?

Before we move into the New Year, I'd like you all to read some of my favorite quotes. Don't rush through them though -- read them slowly and think about them. I challenge you to read these and see if your mood is not lifted. CLICK HERE and enjoy.

~Tim

December 12, 2008

Tropic Thunder has been nominated for two Golden Globes. Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise are both up for best supporting actor.

~Tim

December 01, 2008

Congratulations to the winners of the Virginia Tech YouTube contest that I judged. The top three videos were announced during the Virginia Tech versus University of Virginia football game on Saturday. The full article is available HERE.

~Tim

November 19, 2008

Tropic Thunder is now out on DVD. It's available on SINGLE-DISC DVD, 2-DISC DIRECTOR'S CUT DVD, and DIRECTOR'S CUT BLU-RAY. You can buy a copy at www.TropicThunder.com.

I just finished a temporary job working for an executive at one of the major studios for a couple weeks -- the Senior Vice President of Production and Development. Now I'm off to Virginia for a week for a wedding and Thanksgiving.

~Tim

November 1, 2008

You can listen to a live radio interview with yours truly by clicking HERE. The interview was conducted by Chris Graham and the New Dominion Magazine.

~Tim

October 11, 2008

Feel free to browse through some of the 12 new links on the Media Page.

The new links are numbered 39-50.

My picture is also on the cover of one of Virginia Tech's current magazines -- click HERE for that.

Wishing everyone the best,
~Tim Leaton

September 29, 2008

Virginia Tech made an announcement today that they are resurrecting the VT YouTube contest that was originally postponed during the events of 4/16/07.

It's been announced that I'll be a judge, although University Relations is still assembling the full panel of judges. For more information, you can check out the article HERE.

~Tim

August 13, 2008

Hello everyone -- It's been a great year. I just recently finished my first job in Los Angeles working on Tropic Thunder, which hits theaters everywhere today. I learned so much and met some amazing people along the way. I'm thankful for having landed such a neat first job right out of college.

Some memories that will stay with me were meeting the legendary Mel Brooks and hearing his reaction to Tropic Thunder, and then hearing Steven Spielberg's reactions to the film. I'll also remember sitting in the all-marble waiting room of the MPAA (where all Hollywood motion pictures are rated) with about six security cameras pointed at me and several guards standing next to me while Tropic Thunder was being viewed and rated in the back room. I also got to hear a few moments of our scoring on the movie studio that belonged to the first genius of the cinema, Charlie Chaplin, one of my all-time favorite directors. One afternoon in March, I was driving to the DreamWorks warehouse, and sitting next to me in my car was fake bloody guts and a director's fake decapitated head -- just a typical day in the life of Tim Leaton. I couldn't have asked for a better experience on this project. Ben Stiller was a true gentleman, as were all my coworkers. Ben was even kind enough to provide me with a great letter of recommendation.

My intense work schedule had kept me very busy this year and didn't allow me to have any vacation time, so during the past couple weeks I was finally able to return to the east coast and visit my family and Virginia Tech for the first time in a year. That was a long-overdue trip, to say the least. I visited the new memorial on the VT drillfield, with one Hokie Stone dedicated to each of the 32 students and professors we lost at Tech. It's important to put things in perspective and remember that there will always be more important things than work, like the memory of those we lost last year. I'm proud to have been a part of a school like Virginia Tech that stood so strong during a time of tragedy.

I'm now in the process of lining up my next gig. It's looking like a slow summer in Hollywood with the impending actors' strike, but I will keep you updated on where I end up. Now close out this site and go see Tropic Thunder. Don't take it too seriously though, just be prepared to have a laugh.

~Tim

FEBRUARY 28, 2008

Sorry there haven't been any updates during the past year. I've been here in Los Angeles working long hours for Ben Stiller for the past five months. I'm the Post-Production Assistant on the film Tropic Thunder, starring, directed, produced, and written by Ben Stiller. The film will be in theaters this summer.

By the way, one of my bosses here at work, Michael Fink, won the Academy Award in the Visual Effects category Sunday night for The Golden Compass. Congrats Mike!

Before I sign off, I want to encourage everyone to enter this year's Film Your Issue contest. Please visit the site, www.FilmYourIssue.com, and spread the word to others who are age 14 to 24.

~Tim

APRIL 19, 2007

Thanks for all of the emails and phone calls, everyone. These events have been deeply saddening, but I'm physically ok. I was safely locked in a classroom for most of the day Monday during the shootings here at Virginia Tech. My deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of all the victims.

I recorded some video footage at Tuesday night's Candlelight Vigil and cut it into a 90-second clip in the middle of the night in honor of the victims. You can view that by clicking to HERE. Many were unable to view this clip on Wednesday while it had too many hits to handle since the VT site and other sites linked to it, but it should be working today.

Thanks, once again, for everyone's support. It is truly appreciated. "This is a tragedy in American history. So for today, forget any and all of your college affiliations. For today, we are all Hokies."
~CNN, 4-16-07.

MARCH 21, 2007

I'll be judging three different film contests this year. One is VT's new YouTube contest called Let's Go Tubing (temporarily postponed due to the VT Tragedy). Anyone with a VT email account can enter that, you don't even have to be a current student. Another is the 2007 Film Your Issue contest (entries due May 15th), and the third is this year's Progeny Motion Picture Festival (entries due April 4th).

Also, the Media page has been updated with the following new links, including an article by Tamara Gaskin that ran in the Roanoke Times while I was in Park City, and a live radio interview I did recently on FOX NEWS that aired in Virginia and surrounding states.

~Tim

FEBRUARY 8, 2007

The private Film Your Issue screening in Park City was awesome! My whole family went out there with me, and it was great to see some familiar FYI faces again. Kevin Bacon and Mandy Moore also came to the screening, and you can click HERE for a picture. I also had a great time going skiing with my brother and dad at Deer Valley.

You can click HERE to read another article that came out today.

~Tim

JANUARY 16, 2007

Quick update today...

First of all, I get to return to Film Your Issue in 2007 as a member of the jury along with all the winners!

Also, on Thursday I'll be flown out to Park City, Utah, for the Film Your Issue event at Sundance. My film will be shown at the private screening on Sunday, and some of the guests will include Kevin Bacon and Mandy Moore, who will both be joining Film Your Issue as members of the Jury for the 2007 competition. The event will be covered by cameras and then broadcast on the pay-cable channel STARZ in July to launch the 2007 competition.

I'll post more details and pictures after I get back!

~Tim

P.S. Check the date at the bottom left of the Media page on this site frequently to see when articles and links were last added. That page will be updated again very shortly with a few more articles.

AUGUST 29, 2006

Pretty soon I'm going to post a long report summarizing the details from my summer, but here are a couple links you can check out for now.

Click here to see page 16 of last week's "Hollywood Reporter" magazine. There's a picture of me on the bottom left, on the same page as various celebrities. I was also interviewed on two different news stations in LA, and I've tracked down one of those videos so far. Click here for that. More updates to come!...

~Tim

JULY 15, 2006

Things have been busy here in Hollywood, so for now I'll post a brief update, courtesy of College Communications Manager for Virginia Tech, Jean Elliott. You can read her article here. Also, another article that ran today in the Richmond Times Dispatch gives additional details on my story. You can read Rex Bowman's article online here, though the picture from the U.N. only ran in the paper copy. At some point in the future, I'm hoping to track down a paper copy of some of the articles that have run so far, and hopefully I'll scan them for my site, if I get a chance. There will also be one final reception for the contest in West Hollywood where I will meet the Mayor of LA soon.

Once again, thank you so much to everyone reading this for all the support and help along the way.

~Tim

P.S. I'm typing up a long report/journal that summarizes some of the main details from the past several weeks. That will also be posted here shortly.

JUNE 14, 2006

GREAT NEWS! I won everything, the grand prize and all. But I'm sure that most of you have already heard about it by now from FilmYourIssue.com or from the newspapers. Check back for a longer update soon with LOTS of details! THANKS FOR THE VOTES!!!

~Tim

MAY 26, 2006

Dear Friends,

I entered a nation-wide contest called “Film Your Issue” (www.filmyourissue.com) for 18-26 year olds to make a one-minute film on a social or political issue they care about, mine being “Orphans in Africa.” The contest has been (and will most likely continue to be) featured in newspapers such as USA Today, and is being judged by a panel of VIP judges including George Clooney, the Dalai Lama, Walter Cronkite, Brian Williams and other famous people. The full list of judges is on the contest's site.

Anyway, I just found out that I somehow managed to get selected as one of the 35 semi-finalists out of many hundreds. As a semi-finalist, my film is now in the hands of the VIP judge panel and also the public vote. My one-minute film is on MSNBC's web site for public voting, and the winning tally will be a 50-50 combination of public and VIP Jury votes. Of the 35 semi-finalists, the five top-voted films will be awarded. Those five students will all present their films at three prestigious venues, one being the Sundance Film Festival.

Please view my one-minute film at the following link (since it unfortunately doesn't look good the way the webmaster put it on the MSNBC site):
** http://www.timleaton.com/orphansinafrica.htm **

And then I would greatly appreciate your vote (by clicking the round radial button next to the icon for my film, then clicking “vote”) at this site
** http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12721177 **
Scroll about half way down the page and mine will stand out as the greenish thumbnail image labeled “Orphans in Africa,” by Tim Leaton. I'm not completely sure yet, but you might be able to vote once a day… PLEASE NOTE that the opinions and attitudes expressed in the films of the other students competing against me are not necessarily representative of my or Virginia Tech's opinions in any way.

The public voting is until APPROXIMATELY June 7th (I think). Needless to say, I'm hoping to notify as many people as I can to help me out by voting. I would also greatly appreciate you forwarding this to as many people as you feel comfortable sending it to. I would imagine that people might enjoy supporting a fellow Virginian and/or Virginia Tech Hokie, and it could potentially be good publicity for Virginia, especially if I do become one of the five.

I thank you for your kind support!

Sincerely,
Tim Leaton

MAY 22, 2006

Hey guys -- I am so glad that you are reading this, because there is a tiny little chance that I will really need all of your help around May 24th or 25th (just a couple days from now) to vote for me for a certain something that I won't say too much about yet. Again, I'm really not counting on it since I'm competing against all 18-26 year olds in the country, so there's really just a microscopic chance. But if I do need your help, then I'll give ALL the details right on the 24th. Thanks for your support! :)

~Tim

APRIL 28, 2006

The two most recent presentations of "Uganda" in the research conference and film festival both went very well last week. (And I also won another award on Saturday, shown on the right). Check back for more updates soon.

Thanks.
~Tim

MARCH 28, 2006

Random fact of the day: Today this web site is exactly one year old, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TimLeaton.com!

Lots of updates today -- First of all, you can check out the new Virginia Tech Brochure right here that I'm featured in. It's sort of funny...

In other news, I just got back from looking at film schools, internships, etc. in Los Angeles! Besides looking at film schools, I also got to go to the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno (and saw myself on TV), and also got to see the hand prints of my famous Great Great Aunt at the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. She was a famous movie star back in the 30's and 40's, was nominated for five Academy Awards, and was even nicknamed "The First Lady of Hollywood!" Her name was Irene Dunne, and you can see

some old pictures of her here. So anyway, there's a chance I'll be returning to LA eventually for either an internship and/or for film school.

Lastly, I recently found out that my newest film, "UGANDA," will be presented in an academic research conference, and I got to have lunch with the president of Virginia Tech (President Steger) the other day because of that.

~Tim

JANUARY 30, 2006

Hello Everyone,

The film I shot in Africa this summer, called "UGANDA," is now online. (You can read more about my trip here.) There is a short version (20 minutes) and a full version (27 minutes), so set aside a time when you can watch either! The long one was meant more for the donors, and the short one more for everyone else. This film is a little different than anything else I've ever done...it's more of a documentary style, so it was a bit of an experiment for me. So without further adieu, ladies and gentlemen, UGANDA.

~Until we meet again, Tim

P.S. There is a small mistake in the subtitles during one of the interviews near the end of the film. The first person to identify the mistake correctly was Eddy Kong. Congratulations to Eddy! The mistake was during Florence Mutesi's interview, and the incorrectly subtitled word said "PHONED" when it should have said "FOUND."

OCTOBER 2, 2005

NOTICE: For some reason, the server that I am paying to have my web site hosted on has recently been running much slower than usual. Although certain videos (that are on my Virginia Tech server) still play fine, others require very long loading times. I'm doing my best to try to find out what's going on, and I have written to the company. Hopefully I'll get things straightened out soon.

~Tim

AUGUST 28, 2005

You now have the option of viewing seven of my movies (including Fruitopia) at a higher resolution! They look much better, so check some of them out! (I'm not sure, but they might only work on a cable modem and not DSL...) Also, the "Extras" section of my site has a few new pages, including a scrapbook with a few snapshots from Africa that my sister took while I was busy filming, and even an online shop -- sort of a joke, but you can really buy things! Enjoy!

~Tim

P.S. My movie from Uganda, Africa is almost ready! It should be online soon!

JUNE 23 , 2005

Finally some updates! I just finished (for now) the new section of this site, "Extras." Feel free to explore it sometime! I've also split the films page into two smaller ones, and condensed my resume. And by the way, the home page has a new flash intro containing a sound bite from the film festival. Sooooo, I leave for Africa in two days!

~Tim

APRIL 26, 2005

The Progeny Festival of Motion Pictures at the Lyric Movie Theater went well the other day (April 16th). We all had a great time, and "Fruitopia" somehow managed to win the "Best in Festival" award! There were 46 film submissions, so we really weren't expecting an award at all, not to mention first place (especially since there were several other films that could have won). Event Coordinator John Irwin, the rest of the festival board, and the judges (Steve Kark, Gabrielle Amos Minnich, Dr. Stephen Prince, Mike Gallagher, and Simone Paterson) deserve a huge thank you for all of the hard work they put in to make the festival happen.

Thanks for reading!

~Tim

APRIL 24 , 2005

This new web site finally had its 1,000th visitor. Congratulations to Jacob Bock!

Also, check out the new "Intro" (make sure your sound is on) on the home page. It's optional, so it won't play unless you click the link for it. I made it with the intent of using it as the title screen of the Fruitopia DVD, but I thought I'd include it on my site too. Quicktime and a fast connection are required.

~Tim

APRIL 15, 2005

I thought I'd give you a heads up on my current projects so you'll know what to expect within the next five or six months on this site...

1) CLAHS RECRUITMENT VIDEO (For VT): As you might have read in the "about me" section, I'm doing a short video for the home page of one of Tech's eight colleges, The College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences (CLAHS). The college contains about 5,000 current students, not including alumni. I'll be incorporating scenes from both in and out of the classroom, and the purpose of the video is to just be entertaining and really excite prospective students to come to Tech. This is probably my biggest project in a while, so look out for it at least by the end of the summer. You can read all about the plans for this video here.
2) SECOND UGANDA FILM: Yeap, I'm doing another one this year! I'll be going to Uganda, Africa with my sister and dad near the end of June to film it! :)
3) SECOND MAKEOVER SHOW: I'm worried that all of these sequels won't be as good as the originals! Well, I'm doing this again for Recreational Sports here at Tech, and it should be done by the end of the summer.

That's pretty much it for my major projects right now, but there are also a couple smaller ones...
4) VIVA FOREVER: This is the candle light video we made last year for my other, sillier, web site. I call it the "Lost Video," because it kinda disappeared right after it came out... We need to re-shoot the girls' singing scenes, but hopefully that will get done before we all die...You can view the trailer, and the Behind the Scenes for this video is hilarious!
5) BEHIND THE SCENES OF FRUITOPIA: I have about two thirds of this finished, but I haven't decided yet if I'll be finishing it, or if I'll ever have time...

Well, now you know what to look for here, and I'm sure you are just bouncing in your seat with anxiety right now! Until we meet again,

~Tim

APRIL 14 , 2005

I wasn't happy with the original "FILMS" page on this site, so I re-did it tonight. Click here to see the new version of it.

~Tim

APRIL 13 , 2005

I'll post a longer update later, but for now I added a new section to my site, "ABOUT ME." Let me know if you have anymore ideas for this site. Thanks!

~Tim

APRIL 4 , 2005

Hey! I just found out that Fruitopia will be in another film festival the weekend after next, "The Progeny Festival of Motion Pictures," on April 16th! I'll let you know how it goes later, but in the mean time, "Fruitopia" will be showing in the international festival this Thursday and Saturday. And by the way, thanks to those of you that have already given me feedback on my new site.

~Tim