May 9, 2019
Filmmaker Cameo Wood has been nominated for a Northern California Area EMMY Award for her work as producer of the project "Real Artists.” This is the latest of many honors Wood has received for the film, which she also wrote and directed. In 2018 she was awarded an AT&T Film Award for Best Short by an Emerging Filmmaker, and "Real Artists" has played in over 100 film festivals.
May 7, 2019
Last summer, Cameo Wood won an emerging filmmaker prize as part of the AT&T Film Awards—you can read more about her winning project here. She recently shared some thoughts with us about participating in the Awards and attending AT&T SHAPE.
January 17, 2019
The Coven Film Festival, a collection of world-class short films “made by women, for everyone.” Set to take place February 9 at the New People Cinema in San Francisco, the inaugural fest will feature a full day of curated screenings as well as filmmaker Q&As. Coven’s founders include filmmaker Cameo Wood, actor-producer Connie Jo Sechrist, and Tanji CEO and founder Melinda Fox.
December 4, 2018
Dinner with Dames SF #5 with Michele Turnure-Salleo. The dinner meeting was a detailed discussion on film financing, how to assess our needs as filmmakers and present our projects to interested parties. The event was hosted by
Cinefemme Dames SF Program Directors Cameo Wood and Monica West, and sponsored by Wood’s Charming Stranger Films.
November 20, 2018
Real Artists, like much science fiction,
puts thought-provoking ideas over examinations of human behavior. Cameo Wood’s workmanlike adaptation of the story communicates its questions effectively but doesn’t add anything new.
October 25, 2018
Dinner With Dames San Francisco #4 With Kathleen Grace. Hosted by Cinefemme and Dinner with Dames SF Program Directors Cameo Wood and Monica West, and sponsored by Charming Stranger Films and Tosca Cafe.
We sat down with Kathleen Grace at Tosca, one of San Francisco’s iconic restaurants where many patrons of the film industry have mingled and there’s a bullet hole in the wall that may or may not have been put there by a famous actor.
October 19, 2018
Dinner With Dames San Francisco #3 with Olivia Humphrey, Founder & CEO of Kanopy. Hosted by Cinefemme members Cameo Wood and Monica West, and sponsored by Charming Stranger Films.
I was particularly eager to attend Dinner with Dames this week and meet Olivia Humphrey, the force behind her groundbreaking distribution model Kanopy, because I have Produced and Executive Produced several documentaries that this unique streaming platform has acquired (among them First Person Plural and Maquilapolis). For those of you unfamiliar with Kanopy, they are an on-demand streaming video platform that’s available exclusively to public libraries and educational institutions. Users who are members of a subscribing educational institution or library can stream films on Kanopy for free.
June 18, 2018
Dinner with Dames SF #2 with Jennie Frisbie. Hosted by Cinefemme and Dinner with Dames SF Program Directors Cameo Wood and Serena Schuler, and sponsored by Charming Stranger Films.
Jennie Frisbie, co-founder of Magnet Management, is a literary manager of screenwriters and directors in TV and film. She started her career working on the production teams of now classic movies such as the American Pie franchise. During the dinner, Frisbie educated us on how to guide through the current trends in the film and television industry, and talked us through how to navigate our careers, by being the “CEOs of our own creative companies.”
June 7, 2018
Ava DuVernay Celebrates Emerging Filmmakers at AT&T Shape Conference.
Ava DuVernay co-hosted the Saturday afternoon event on the Warner Bros. lot with AT&T president of mobility and entertainment David Christopher, introducing a trio of short films from three finalists for the $20,000 top Emerging Filmmakers prize.
The 10-minute shorts were not restricted to any genre, and the variety showed: Bola Ogun’s comedy Are We Good Parents?, starring Tracie Thoms and Once Upon a Time‘s Sean Maguire, drew continuous laugh-out-loud moments from the audience; Jonah Ansell’s animated fable Moose (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) had the filmmaker himself choking up onstage during his brief chat with DuVernay; and Cameo Wood’s Real Artists (based on Ken Liu’s short story of the same name), starring Tiffany Hines and Tamlyn Tomita, was a chilling exploration of art and artificial intelligence.
June 4, 2018
Catch up on the events from AT&T Shape.
Check out these films and trailers from
the winners and finalists: After a screening of the three category finalists and inspiring short on-stage interviews with the finalists, David Christopher, president of AT&T Mobility & Entertainment and co-host director Ava DuVernay, decided to recognize the outstanding work of each film by awarding each finalist $20,000. Winner, Best Short Film: Emerging Filmmaker: REAL ARTISTS, Cameo Wood, Director.
June 1, 2018
"Real Artists" Imagines a World Where AI Replaces Human Filmmakers. If you're the sort of sentimental filmgoer who believes in the power of auteur directors and star actors to carry a movie, Real Artists, a new, slickly sinister short film, will provide much to talk about—and fret over.
Written and directed by up-and-coming San Francisco filmmaker Cameo Wood, the 12-minute movie tells the story of a young woman (played by Tiffany Hines) who lands her dream job at a major digital animation studio. She soon discovers a creative process so machine-driven and manipulative that it's impossible to tell who—or what—ultimately has control over the end product and its reception.
March 13, 2018
The Relationship Between Technology & Art Takes On A Disturbing Tenor In The Sci-Fi Short 'REAL ARTISTS'.
Based on a short story by acclaimed author Ken Liu, the award winning sci-fi short Real Artists examines the modern implications of that relationship.
Written and directed by Cameo Wood, the film introduces us to Sophia (Tiffany Hines), a young animator who is interviewing for her dream job with Anne (Tamlyn Tomita), the head of a prestigious animation studio.
March 9, 2018
Ep#1 FEMALE FILMMAKER FRIDAY'S Director: Cameo Wood. Host Paul Booth will be joined by Cameo Wood to discuss movies, art, life and the release of Cameo's multi-award-winning Film REAL ARTISTS to iTunes (now available). This film traveled most of the globe on the festival circuit.
February 15, 2018
The 13th annual Vancouver Island Short Film Festival took place at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre earlier this month and, once again, the films did not disappoint. Out of 127 submissions, 18 films were selected for public viewing. I had the opportunity to attend the February 3 viewing before the awards ceremony, to get a peek at the contestants. Here are my rants and raves:
“Real Artists” by Cameo Wood (San Francisco). This was one of my favourite films. The sci-fi story tells of Sophia Baker, a young woman with hopes of scoring her dream job at a world-renowned animation studio.
October 26, 2017
As much as our professional and social categories have dissolved, it’s still easy for society to pit art and science as opposites or enemies, rather than potential partners.
Cameo Wood has found a way to blend the two. After leaving a technology career several years ago, she set her sights on filmmaking. Despite possessing these twin passions, the writer-director knows their marriage is one that must be approached thoughtfully, critically even.
Her first short feature film, “Real Artists,” deals with big ethical questions about art and artificial intelligence as well as more elemental realities about what it means to create and sacrifice for that creation.
October 19, 2017
The short film platform presents an interesting obstacle for a filmmaker: tell a satisfying story in less than an hour. A hundred and one questions sift through the artist’s mind. Should I structure the story in three acts and risk leaving no room for plot details and character development to grow? Or should the film contain only one act and allow certain story beats to go unexplained? Sadly, there isn’t a scientific approach to telling the completely satisfying story. Director Cameo Wood has envisioned a slick and beautifully efficient future of the film industry in her 2017 short film Real Artists.
October 16, 2017
This new installment of our series of NewFilmmakers LA interviews features conversations with moviemakers Cameo Wood and more.
August 30, 2017
It's closing night at HollyShorts. Major Film Events is on the red carpet to talk with the filmmakers. Interviews Include: Cameo Wood, Director: "Real Artists".
August 29, 2017
“Real Artists” proves its real artistry, winning two awards in one weekend.
Director Cameo Wood had a very busy weekend, traveling from Indiana to California to accept TWO awards for her film, “Real Artists.”
The science fiction short won “Best VFX” at the prestigious Hollyshorts Festival in Los Angeles, and “Best Science Fiction Film” at GenCon in Indianapolis.
The Seed&Spark Blog
August 28, 2017
Success Story: Cameo Wood on 'Real Artists'. Want to know what we love as much the movies and shows that come through our platform? The filmmakers behind them! Like Cameo Wood — writer, director and producer of the sci-fi short Real Artists.
August 22, 2017
Real Artists An Award winning short film. Review and Interview with Director Cameo Wood. At the recent Hollyshorts Film Festival Real Artists won the award for Best VXF. In addition to pushing boundaries by exploring technological issues that are about to radically change the film industry, “Real Artists” was produced with a cast & crew that consisted of 75% women, and 50% people of color.
August 1, 2017
REAL ARTISTS played to rave reviews at the July 2017 FANTASY FEEDBACK Film Festival. “Winner of BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY at the Festival.”
A breathtaking leap into speculative fiction, REAL ARTISTS is a profoundly powerful portrayal of humanity, biology and entertainment. Full of rich cinematic details, exceptional casting, brilliant performances and subtle but meaningful writing, this is a piece that demands to be engaged with.
July 31, 2017
Imagine a World Where Films Are Written with Artificial Intelligence: ‘Real Artists. “Real Artists” Explores The Future of Creativity. This science fiction short film (as seen in indieWIRE) stars renowned actress Tamlyn Tomita (Four Rooms, The Joy Luck Club, The Day After Tomorrow) and marks the debut of Tiffany Hines (24: Legacy, Bones) in a sci-fi indie role.
July 7, 2017
Director/Producer Cameo Wood’s first narrative film 'Real Artists' (2017) starring Tiffany Hines (Bones, 24: Legacy) and Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club/Berlin Station) made its debut at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival as part of the 2017 Marché du Film. Adapted from the short story by bestselling author Ken Liu, 'Real Artists' takes place in the near future and tells the story about an animator challenged to choose between her dream job or her personal moral values.
I recently interviewed Cameo about her experience making her first narrative film. Here is what she had to say:
July 7, 2017
What female Director Cameo Wood did with her first narrative film “Real Artists” a magical Science fiction spell, Which leave audience asking themselves many questions about the cinematography world.
June 28, 2017
Cameo Wood’s Short Film - Real Artists Blurs The Line Between Truth & Sci-Fi. I was inspired to make Real Artists because of my background in neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and my experience as a video store clerk. What might it be like to have an AI as your main creative partner? Biometric data is already being used for neuromarketing in many different contexts, and film plots are influenced by how test audiences respond to key points. More than ever, new entertainment is developed through a process of quantitative measuring. It’s easy to imagine a near future where it’s more efficient and less risky to have an AI generate a film from millions of existing data points, test it on a human audience, and then adapt it, than to support artistic invention and experimentation.
May 28, 2017
Relatable on every level, Real Artists is an intentionally glossy beauty that never deters from the engaging significance of its emotional effervescence. The film delves deep into the layered relationship of who Sophia is in regards to the career path she seeks. Additionally, Real Artists touches on the concept of neuromarketing, artificial intelligence, and what this all means for the very real future of filmmaking.
March 5, 2017
“Through science-fiction, we focus on rapidly-approaching question of ethics in neuromarketing and the power of corporations to craft products in response to our biometric responses,” explains Wood . “We are also telling a story of a young woman's dream, and how she might hold the key to the future of storytelling.”
April 28, 2017
Cameo Wood joined us at the Seventh Annual Albany FilmFest and spoke with one of our festival organizers, Liz McBee, about her film, Real Artists.
April 25, 2017
Artificial Intelligence Expert, Cameo Wood brings her short film ‘Real Artists’ to Cannes Film Festival. Cameo Wood is heading to Cannes Film Festival with her short film ‘Real Artists’. It is a brilliant 12 full minutes that begs you to watch more. That is one reason she is on her way to Cannes with her team. They are meeting with potential partners to develop ‘Real Artists’ to a feature film.
August 14, 2017
A gorgeous film to behold. REAL ARTISTS will make you think and make you feel. As the credits rolls, a viewer may find themselves wondering what the future of human creativity it- a brave new world, indeed.
March 15, 2017
Panel discusses “Women Breaking the Mold” in the film, animation and game development industries. Brenda Chapman, Deanna Marsigliese, Cameo Wood and Robin Hunicke, all artists who work in animation, filmmaking and gaming, were the night’s panelists.
February 27, 2017
Guest Post: ‘Real Artists’ Review by Achariya Rezak.
When I read Ken Liu’s short story, I was immediately struck by his ability to translate our modern discomfort with the uncanny valley into terms of movie making. His short story is about the meta-process of filmmaking, told through the eyes of a “real artist” (“Real Artists” is the title of the film and the short story) Sophia, who has spent her whole life loving — and wanting to work for — a certain film company. Cameo Wood’s twelve-minute short based on this story adds yet another twist, layering on an additional intensity to this parable about creation.
February 24, 2017
Recently my good friend Achariya put me in touch with filmmaker Cameo Wood about reviewing the sci-fi short Real Artists. I’ll be honest, a science fiction short starring a black woman and an Asian woman, written and directed by a woman, based upon a Ken Liu short story, about a filmmaker who gets her dream job? Take me there!
With that mix of components, it would have been easy for me to just rubber-stamp the movie as ‘Great! This checks all my boxes and you should give the filmmakers money!’ and move on – but I wanted to be sure I gave it a proper, objective look.
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February 22, 2017
The Bay Area International Children's Film Festival (BAICFF) will kick off it 9th year with BRAVE: Women Breaking the Mold, a special panel discussion with four female mavericks breaking the rules. Four artists going against the norms of society and pushing boundaries in all forms of media.
The special panel discussion will be held at the Chabot Space & Science Center at 7:00 pm as part of the Festival's opening night event and in celebration of Women's History Month.
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February 21, 2017
The Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival (BAICFF) is coming up on is 9th annual edition, set for March 10-12 at Chabot Space & Science Center. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the fest will kick off with a special panel discussion titled “BRAVE: Women Breaking the Mold,” featuring writer/director Brenda Chapman, Pixar character designer Deanna Marsigliese, filmmaker Cameo Wood, and video game designer Robin Hunicke.
November 15, 2016
Film Director CAMEO WOOD - Interview ON THE PHONE WITH DAVID SERERO - The Culture News.
November 4, 2016
Connie Jo Sechrist talks to director and writer, Cameo Wood, about her new short film "Real Artists," a science fiction short film starring Tamlyn Tomita and Tiffany Hines.
October 15, 2016
We recently interviewed a talented filmmaker Cameo Wood who has been in filmmaking the last 3 years. Her recent project ‘Real Artists’ is creating a buzz in the industry. We are sharing our conversation with her here.
October 10, 2016
Sci-Fi Short ‘Real Artists’ Looks to Grapple with AI’s Role in the Future of Filmmaking. Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.