chalk talk, ditdahing in the house

(poster by Wyatt Ramsey)

It's almost musical, isn't it? All percussive, but that's what draws you in.
dit dah dit dah, ditditdit, dit dah, dit dah ditdit, dah dit dah,
dah, dit dah, dit dah ditdit, dah dit dah
Chalk Talk.
As a professor, I am quite familiar with the sounds of chalk striking a slate.
As a former member of the US Navy, I am also familiar with the sounds of Morse code. I used to even play around with it a bit, and one of my favorite expressions whilst stationed in Okinawa was "4 dits, 3 dits, 2 dits, a dah"!
I'll leave you to decipher that one.
When I first found this kickstarter project, I had thought support of it would be a fitting memorial for my recently deceased stepdad, who served this country during World War II. After all, the film was to feature a man from that long-past era, at an elementary school in the company of his young grandson for show-and-tell.
In late May of 2012, I saw the film at the Trustees Theatre, part of those screened for the "16 x 9 Revealed" showcase of senior films. What a treat to see it on the big screen! Even better, the film won two awards: Best Narrative Undergraduate Film, and Best Short Film Screenplay for an Undergraduate Film. Good work, Chris Durenberger!
I was able to see the film larger-than-life one more time, on October 29th, during the 2012 Savannah Film Festival, as one of the student films entered into the competition. How very sweet to see this tale of love lost and found gracing the silver screen once more! And to have that viewing in one of my favorite venues, the beautiful Lucas Theatre!
Soon, I thought, I shall have my reward and have the dvd in my very own home!
Time passed, people graduated and moved on, other film festivals (with other wins!) intervened. You know how life is, right?
In truth, I forgot to keep looking in the mail for it. I would let it be a pleasant surprise one fine day, I must have thought.
Recently, I have been reminded that the responsibility of making sure rewards are sent is partly mine.
When I contacted Chris, he responded right away. Yeah! He assured me he would locate the disks and speed one on its way from his left coast city by the sea to my right coast city by the sea.
Cool beans!
And today I arrived home to find it already in my mailbox!!! Not even a week has elapsed!
What a special pick-me-upper on this rainy, drear day, the second such in a row this week. How wonderful to watch, again, as the old man takes pause when he stumbles upon the faded photo in his box of medals, the photo of his love long lost. The film was as bright and fresh as my memory of the story still was.
Thanks, Chris, for brightening my day yet again!
I wish you much future success!

12:15 sunday safely landed

Woohoo!
I had received the above still back in March,
along with these others.
Filming had wrapped and
the creator of this kickstarter project wanted to share the good news.
Lookin' good, Taylor!

And here's the link to the trailer.
Then I was fortunate enough to actually watch the film on the silver screen. The Savannah College of Art And Design held the "16 x 9 Revealed" student showcase at the Trustees Theatre, on the two final days in May. Woohoo! Happy birthday to me!!!

The film was done beautifully. The transitions between the elderly veteran's narrative and the dramatic reenactments of the events on Sunday, January 20, 1945, were executed very well - bravo!
Apparently, I was not the only one impressed. When the 2012 SCADemy Awards were given, "12:15 Sunday" walked away with two of them! Best Documentary Film Undergraduate! Best Sound Design For An Undergraduate Film! Taylor, himself, was awarded as Best Director For An Undergraduate Film - making history at the school for being the first documentary director to win. Congratulations!
I am so very proud of the work done here. I am so grateful to have been able to contribute to something I believed in, a project which I could back in memory of my stepdad, Francis Ignacius Barry.
Thank you, Taylor Jenkins.

Speaking of such, here is the thank-you email I received from him:

June 3, 2012
Taylor Jenkins says:

Hello all!

This is the official Thank You email to all 12:15 Sunday Kickstarter supporters! We've finally seen this documentary through to the end! It's been a long journey with numerous challenges along the way, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else!

The film was completed just this last week, and screened at our local Senior Showcase as well as the SCAD Film and Television award ceremony. We were nominated for Best Sound Design, Best Documentary, and Best Director,...and 12:15 Sunday ended up winning each nomination! I'm humbled by how positively people are reacting to the film, so I can't wait to share it with everyone!

But it is only because of the support and contributions of everyone here that brought this film to life. So I now extend my thanks, and wish I could fully express how deeply grateful I truly am. I've loved people checking in with the project to see its progress and anticipating the film's completion. Well the wait is now over.

I will be uploading the film to a private online viewing website very soon! I'll notify everyone once the film is uploaded online for viewing!

The next step in the film's journey is sending it around to festivals for potential screenings! I feel confident for its future!

Again, thank you everyone so very much for making this film possible! And thank you for bringing John's story to life.

Sincerely,

Taylor Jenkins

Nice!
Tonight, he sent the link for the full-length film to me!
Sadly, I cannot share it here.
It's only for me and twelve other supporters of the project!
But, if you ask, I will gladly let you watch it with me. Gladly!

12:15 sunday

Like an earlier kickstarter project I backed last year, this one has a focus on one man's life during the dark days of World War II. Also, like that earlier project, this one is a senior-year film for a student at SCAD.
Unlike the project last year, this one by Taylor Jenkins is based on facts from his grandfather's lips of his experiences after his plane was shot down in 1944.
I can so relate to that. My stepdad has very similar tales.
In fact, my stepdad was in a plane written about in "The Diary of Anne Frank". When he read the book, he was startled to find the description of his very flight on March 22, 1944. He talked of his crew being forced by the German captors to walk through the streets, parachute in hand, with people calling him a "baby killer" because their plane had crashed into a school - an empty school, as it turns out.
My stepdad and his crew-mates spent the rest of the war in various prison camps. He was only 22 years old when captured. His time in the prison camps is documented and on record at The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force.
John Stone Jenkins, the bomber navigator who is the subject of the film, was more fortunate. After parachuting just seconds before the damaged B-17 blew up, he found a place to hide overnight, then made it back to safety. This film combines narration by the man himself with dramatic reenactments of the events.
Wow.
I know my stepdad would be most pleased that I am again thinking of him.
How did I find this project, you ask?
Sheer luck.
I was searching for projects in Georgia. I had already picked one up in Athens, a whimsical bus stop reinvention. Then I spotted this one, right here in my fair city.
Maybe I'll even get to see it on the big screen, if it makes its funding goal next month.
Here's hoping it will succeed!

chalk talk

When I saw this project on kickstarter, I immediately thought of my stepdad.
So, I have backed this, a local Georgia film, in memory of him.
I only wish I could share a screening of it in his den when I receive my award.
Yes, I believe it is worth every bit of a Benjamin to own this piece of history, to be created by SCAD student Chris Durenberger, in honor of aging veterans.
Nicely done.
No dialogue. Morse code, as interpreted through contacts of chalk on a board, transmitted from one classroom to another through the wall.
You never know what time travel machine will be used to transport memories.