hallelujah for family

more soon...

Grover's Corners

The Asbury Memorial Theatre first made an imprint on me near year's end in 2003, with their production of "West Side Story". Incredibly talented cast, fabulous use of space (the very active play was performed in the social center at the church on East Henry Street and Waters Avenue), and beautifully rendered songs. The play was one of Mama's favorites, so I knew it well.
In 2008, they reprised portions of that play in the not-yet renovated sanctuary. That was done as part of the church's annual "God on Broadway" series, a fundraiser that brings in a good number of visitors.

This is the 75th Anniversary of performances of "Our Town". Performed in the now-beautiful sanctuary, with the flexible seating arrangements afforded therein, the audience was allowed to, literally, be part of the townsfolk of the fictional Grover's Corners. Some of the cast members even sat amongst the audience between their performances. Newspaper and milk deliveries were made using the wide "lanes" through the segmented seating areas. Children walked to and from "school" on those same lanes, the wedding party came down "Main Street", the police officer made his rounds through the paths laid out on the sanctuary floor.
All in all, a very memorable evening for all in attendance.
This was my first experience with Wilder's play; I'm very glad to have seen this group's performance. I don't know that the play would have had such an emotional impact on me if it were held in a regular theatre setting, with the audience separate from the cast.
I proudly will continue to support them in their endeavors.
I encourage you to do the same.

sunset viewing of the sunset starlet

Tonight
- or should I say last night? -
I was finally able to take a little time to watch
"The Curse of the Sunset Starlet", my latest kickstarter reward.
I received it a few weeks ago, but school was in full-tilt boogie, pre-midterm, mode, so my head needed time to get past that rush.
The delay was a good move on my part.
I really did need a little time to reacquaint myself with Lori Precious and her lovely butterfly-wing portraits and the backstory to this film.
After all, it's been more than a year since the project began.
The listing of my name on the page of thanks has been about that long, too.
Filming was completed during a one-week rush last June, then began the arduous task of editing, with a change of personnel along the way.
Time just went rolling along while the magic happened.
It has all been worth the wait, because magic has been imbued into this finished product. Sally Kirkland and Kathleen Wilhoite were fabulous as the footloose mother-starlet, Gigi, and her grown daughter, Zarianne. Zarianne is a divorced mother of two teens, trying to bring in some extra money through her art. She is to have a show in two weeks, but only if she has at least eight butterfly-wing portraits for the gallery. She is trying to finish just one more when who should appear to her wondering eyes?
No, not Santa Claus. Her dying mother, out of money and out of places to go. The last time her mom appeared, the children had not yet been born.
Estranged is definitely an apt description of their relationship.
The daughter, giving in to her children's wishes, allows Gigi to stay.
Along the way, the daughter learns that maybe she can have a relationship, as an adult, with her mom. Even though there is no substance to their bond, perhaps it can be something they both agree upon.
As Zarianne says of the sunset moth, its brilliant wings have no pigment, but the broad range of hues are the result of optical interference, a matter in which "the light and the eye agree on a color."
Definitely a different perspective on love, but appropriate for two people bound together by genetics alone.
The "COTSS", as Ms. Precious abbreviates it, is now going the rounds of the film festival circuit. It has already screened at the Charlie Chaplin Theatre in Hollywood! Here's that news:

Update #41
Jan 29 2013
Screening
1 comment

Hi All

I screened Curse of the Sunset Starlet at the Charlie Chaplin Theater in Hollywood across the street from Paramount Studios. It was a full house of about 175 cast, crew and contributors. I'm happy to report that it was a huge success! Cloris Leachman was at the screening and she stood up after it was over and said "it was perfect from beginning to end" and joked that the only way it would have been better would be if she had been in it. WOW coming from an actress who has won more (9!!) Emmy's than any other actor (plus an Oscar) I was thrilled.

Sally loved it---it was her first time seeing it. She said the fake murder scene was one of her favorite scenes from her 53 years of acting.

Some of the other comments:

"a real movie with lyrical power. "Poetic" seldom defines a film, but it's the perfect description for yours"

"you've produced something very compelling and distinctive"

"it's a really special little film with a strong point of view"

On to submitting to festivals! Im hoping to send out DVDs next week.

Thanks for all your help getting us to the finish line!

Lori Precious

My response had been:
fliss on February 13, 2013
Lori, what fabulous responses to your work! I know that must be so very gratifying after such a struggle to get the film completed, with you having to learn so much along the way.
Very good! I am so proud of you!!

I do wish it much success - break a leg, y'all!
See you at the Academy Awards!

up the creek, with a good paddle

Sen3Productions completed their film in December of last year, thanks to me and the other four kickstarter backers. I received the dvd in the mail just a few days ago and finally made time to truly sit and watch.
Most impressive and gratefully real.
I sent the following to the makers of "Allegheny Creek".
fliss wrote on March 12, 2012
I have just finished watching your film on dvd. Wow.
When I provided support to your project, I had only the knowledge that a man was seeking redemption. I had not expected the story itself to so closely parallel that of my youngest brother. When he is released, I will be sure to have him view it.
BTW, not all Southern accents are as thick as those of others. I'm a Georgia peach, but not a Southern belle, and appreciate the opportunity to to dispel stereotypes. :-)
Again, thank you for the dvd and do keep making strong films such as this. Difficult subject matter needs a firm voice.

Apparently, they must have been right there in kickstarter at the time, as the writer immediately replied!
Sen3Productions wrote on Mar 12, 2012
Faustina,
Thank you so much for the kind words, I actually laughed when we watched the behind the scenes footage and said. "Oh no, I believe one of our sponsors is a Georgia peach and I hope she doesn't take that the wrong way."
I'm very sensitive to accents so I can tell a peach from a belle, but most New Yorkers just hear twang and assume its all the same. That was why I wanted to be sure not to just blurt out a "southern accent" and made sure to study the appalachian accent in particular. I stressed soooo much to Marcin that southern dialects vary and it needs to be distinct, so I was happy that he was able to come through (and hopefully I did as well) :)
You are the second person to say this story hit home, so that really touches me as a writer. It's good to know the story can speak to even ONE person let alone two, so thank you again.
All the best to you and to your brother.
Always,
Sashia

Nice, but also sad, to know others can relate to the story.

friends of the sunset starlet

Well, look at that!
Second column, ultimate listing, in purple.

Fliss

Pretty sweet! And all I had to do was be there when the spontaneous girl needed funds for her film. That's right. Lori Precious sent out her call, via kickstarter, for the money to make her dream film, and I was fortunate enough to find the project in time to help it.
Maybe my position in the listing is an indication of my late arrival to the funding party? No matter! It's all about timing and I was there!
"The Curse of the Sunset Starlet" will become a reality and not a dream.
That's magical.
The script, by Lori and her husband, Steve Erickson, combines elements of magic and mystery with her own use of butterfly - and moth! - wings for portraits, among other works of art.
Hold up, you say? Her husband is the novelist and writer for various magazines such as Rolling Stone and Esquire??? Yes, he is, and he has even written for the New York Times. That particular piece was an interview with rock star Neil Young.
Color me impressed!
But please do so with iridescent, bejeweled gossamer wings...
I do so look forward to this film!

owen's hobby - a narrative short

This is not Zachary Burke's first project posted on kickstarter. Actually, this is not the first time this SCAD senior has posted to raise funds for "Owen's Hobby". In fall of 2011, he was trying to finish the film and had a pretty high financial goal - which fell short. So, that meant he received no funds for that campaign.
This time around, he's done with filming and has it in post-production status. So, the funding needs are less and the goal is more within reach.
I like the premise: a stalker has to choose between outing himself as a pervert or allowing harm to come to the object of his attraction. It reminds me of the plot in one of my favorite Melanie Griffith's movies, "Body Double". (Aside: Excellent Brian de Palma movie and a soundtrack that includes "Relax" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood - magnifique!)
I'm hoping others will join me in the funding - I would love to own the hard copy of this film!

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!

allegheny creek

When you go to the kickstarter page, the tagline tells you right away that this is a serious piece. A man, newly released from prison, is trying to start over with his estranged family.
Why he went to prison is not the focus.
He performed a crime, did his time, and is trying to be a better man.
This story is from the perspective of the mother of his son. Written by, and starring, Sashia Dumont, and directed by Paul Robinson, Sen3Productions is clearly a family affair. I expect the finished film to have a story with a lot of heart, a lot of hope, and a large dose of reality.
I seem to be finding these prison projects quite a bit lately... or maybe they are finding me. This makes the third one I've backed in as many weeks. (You can see here and here.)
I look forward to seeing the film, though I'll have to wait for the postman to deliver.
I'm sure these folks in New York will.
It was a close call on the funding, but my last-minute $50 has done its job.