The videos below are available on our channel, C-U Confidential Revue, and consist of trailers we haven’t posted before on C-U Blogfidential. First up is for PRELUDE, the Shatterglass Studios drama directed by Luke Boyce that we featured two years ago. Although the entire half-hour production is available to watch here, only the preview has gone legit on YouTube:

Next up is an atmospheric teaser for part 2 of SAMSARA which we talked about briefly here. Directed by former University of Illinois undergrad Roshan Murthy, this contemporary play on Indian mythology and rebirth through a slightly sci-fi lens features possibly the moodiest student-in-the-campus-vicinity footage you will ever see:

And then we have a promo for the short subject MISTER UNDERSTANDING, which we discussed a while back with director Joe Stoltz of Accident Films. This strange little story about the broken lives of a man maimed in a car accident and his angel/devil girlfriend is unevenly realized if likeable; at least its makers had the cojones to give the screen over to our man Nate Jones, seen at the 32-second mark:

Finally, this one is hardly worth discussing … until after you’ve watched it, that is:

One can start to address (if not understand) the madness by reading over JB’s interview here.

~ Jason Pankoke

p.s. Ah, yes, the geographical scorecard: PRELUDE and SAMSARA were shot entirely in Champaign-Urbana, MISTER UNDERSTANDING filming was split between Bloomington-Normal and Decatur, and a forest in the netherworld of literary consciousness (known to commoners as Meadowbrook Park in Urbana) provided the backdrop in WAITING FOR GODOT.

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MFHQ & YOU:
C-U Confidential Goes to the (YouTube) Movies!

Something ornery must have been rolling around in the atmosphere of the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters this past weekend since we felt compelled to spend time on YouTube, experimenting with your humble editor’s dormant Crimson Mole channel to finally see what makes an account tick. (No, he doesn’t remember what exactly he intended to do with a channel named after his Eye Trauma alter ego.) We briefly transformed it into a prototype C-U Confidential channel before doing it all over again when it became clear that established YouTube URLs can’t be changed. Therefore, we have this functional “Beta version.” (We guess that distinguishes it from a VHS version.) Watch us, befriend us, subscribe to us, and otherwise let us know how we’re driving … even though we still have our training wheels on. Vroom!

PRODUCTION

Line producer Johnny Robinson tells C-U Blogfidential that the Dreamscape Cinema production MY DOG THE SPACE TRAVELER has wrapped principal photography. “We shot at a private residence north of Mahomet,” he says. “Most of the shooting was done on a Panasonic HVX on a jib and dolly track. We had a crowd scene [for two evenings and] about half of the shooting was at night, often working all night.” The crew numbered more than 40 for the two-week schedule, led by writer/director/producer Robin Christian, director of photography Tony Nako, who works under various screen names as a lighting tech on Hollywood films (THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE, BURLESQUE), and gaffer Jim Andre, who has logged numerous features and shorts on his resume including prior Dreamscape films DISPOSABLE, DISCONNECT, and TOXIN. Along with young lead Logan Peters, the cast includes Chris Lemmon (LAND OF THE FREE, WISHMASTER), Tonja Walker (ONE LIFE TO LIVE, THE DERBY STALLION), and Phillip Edward Van Lear (PRISON BREAK, MEET THE BROWNS). Presumably, the studio will have SPACE TRAVELER ready for lift-off in 2011.

Per an announcement posted in this week’s Illini Film & Video e-newsletter, a production opportunity is available through NCSA on campus: “The Public Affairs Division at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) is seeking a University of Illinois student to pursue non-traditional storytelling projects for the fall 2010 semester. The student will have the opportunity to tell science and technology stories with video, multimedia, social media, and other novel techniques. Must be available 10 hours per week from September 2010 to December 2010, with the potential to continue into the spring 2011 semester. Salary: $9/hour. Applications are due September 7, 2010. Direct any questions to Trish Barker at tlbarker [at] ncsa [dot] Illinois [dot] edu or (217) 265-8013.”

MEDIA LINKS

Is the end of the physical video disc at hand thanks to high-quality streaming video? Maybe, maybe not, but the physical brick-and-mortar chains offering them for rental and sale to the viewing public have been crumbling as a result of video’s omnipresent on-line supremacy. We may just witness the trend’s nadir this month when Blockbuster Video will reportedly enter a long-rumored bankruptcy, according to a report filed last week by the Los Angeles Times. Earlier this year, the co-owned Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video stores bit the dust in highly publicized fashion and we’re not particularly sure how many tears have been shed since their demise, even though we feel the pain of those who lost employment because of it. (Your humble editor will admit to having a “just in case” membership card for the HV in the Katsina’s plaza at Neil and Green streets in Champaign for the occasional rental he could get nowhere else…) Granted, we’ve always encouraged trips to better stocked and more personable local stores like That’s Rentertainment and The Movie Fan, but if Blockbuster should go bye-bye the distribution methods for movies in secondary channels will shift dramatically, particularly for independent and self-released work. We’ve been warned for some time about this inevitability and here it comes…

PLAYING THIS WEEK

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: RESTREPO, WINNEBAGO MAN (9/3 on)

@ The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL: Pizza + Pitcher and Movie – FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, WEIRD SCIENCE, REVENGE OF THE NERDS (9/5, 6 p.m.)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: GET LOW, GOING THE DISTANCE, WINTER’S BONE (9/3 on)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: The Complete METROPOLIS (9/2-9/5), THE ART OF THE STEAL (9/7-9/8)

@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: SHREK FOREVER AFTER, TOY STORY 3 (9/3-9/5)

@ Route 66 Drive-In, Springfield, IL: DESPICABLE ME, GROWN UPS, THE KARATE KID, THE OTHER GUYS (9/3-9/5)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: HARRY BROWN, OSS-17: LOST IN RIO, RED RIDING TRILOGY, I NEED THAT RECORD!, MARMADUKE, more! (8/31 on)

COMING SOON

9/10-9/12: “Lost Survivor” multi-media performance
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL, 7 p.m. Fri/Sat, 2 p.m. Sun

9/17-9/19: Route 66 International Film Festival
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL

9/17-9/22: Latin American Film Festival
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL

NEW! 9/21: Champaign Movie Makers meeting
@ Class Act Interactive, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.

9/24-9/26: 2010 B Movie Celebration, Franklin, IN

9/25-9/26: LEADING LADIES
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 5 & 7:30 p.m. Sat, 2:30, 5 & 7:30 p.m. Sun

9/25-9/26: REVOLTING
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 3 & 10 p.m. Sat, 12 p.m. Sun

10/7-10/21: Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

10/14-10/23: Heartland Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN

10/22-10/23: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL, Midnight

10/23: REVOLTING
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL, 8 p.m.

10/29-10/31: Freeky Creek Short Film Festival
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL

11/5-11/7: Illinois International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

11/11-11/13: Embarras Valley Film Festival
@ EIU campus/Will Rogers Theater/Charleston Public Library, Charleston, IL

11/11-11/21: St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO

11/19-11/21: Dark Carnival Film Festival, Bloomington, IN

2/18-2/27, 2011: Big Muddy Film Festival
@ Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

3/22-3/27, 2011: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI

3/30-4/1, 2011: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI

4/27-5/1, 2011: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL

UNIVERSITY FILM SERIES

NEW! AsiaLENS: AEMS Documentary/Film Series
@ Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
9/7: JOURNEY OF A RED FRIDGE; 10/5: 1428; 11/2: UNMISTAKEN CHILD; 12/7: BURMA VJ

NEW! Global Lens 2010: International Films
@ Main Lounge, Allen Hall/Unit One, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, 7 p.m.
9/22: GODS, Peru; 10/13: LEO’S ROOM, Uruguay; 10/27: MASQUERADES, Algeria; 11/3: MY TEHRAN FOR SALE, Iran; 11/10: OCEAN OF AN OLD MAN, India; 11/17: ORDINARY PEOPLE, Serbia; 12/1: THE SHAFT, China; 12/8: SHIRLEY ADAMS, South Africa

NEW! IPRH Film Series
@ Room 62, Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, 5:30 p.m.
10/7: FAST, CHEAP, AND OUT OF CONTROL; 10/28: NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968); 11/11: THIRTEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING; More TBA

NEW! Israeli Movie Club
@ The Cohen Center, University of Illinois, Champaign, IL, 7:30 p.m.
9/13: KIPPUR; 9/20: TIME OF FAVOR; 9/27: OUT OF SIGHT; 10/4: TURN LEFT AT THE END OF THE WORLD; 10/11: VOSSI & JAGGER; 10/18: VITZHAK RABIN; 10/25: LEMON TREE; 11/1: THE SECRETS; 11/8: HALFON HILL DOESN’T ANSWER; 11/29: OR (MY TREASURE)

OUTRO

As you can see, we’ve added some “bulk” movie listings to the calendar. These film series take place on the University of Illinois campus and provide a cultural and educational alternative to the usual offerings playing at the usual places. For the longest time, we’ve had a silent gripe here at MFHQ that information about UIUC movie screenings like these are not centralized in the slightest, disseminated to the Champaign-Urbana community in a wildly uneven fashion. Promotion seems to consist of departmental e-mail blasts as well as random fliers and postcards scattered in key buildings; ambitious volunteers or professors may enter the shows into Internet calendars or distribute extra paper collateral to coffee houses and other communal spots. (We found postcards for the Israeli club and AsiaLENS/AEMS at That’s Rentertainment, as good a place as any to leave them, while WILL-TV’s David Noreen was kind enough to post the Global Lens schedule on a forum.) However, if the event is not nicknamed “Ebertfest” then it doesn’t seem to receive a wholesale push. Is there no one person in the hallowed halls of UIUC with thoughts about collecting this information onto a dedicated calendar? Wouldn’t the long-standing Cinema Studies department (now pseudo-morphed into Media and Cinema Studies (MACS) under the auspices of the College of Media) be the ideal stewards of such data? Bueller? Bueller?!?

To wit, the following quote from MACS assistant professor Christine Catanzarite is taken from an introduction to this year’s Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) Film Series, the entries for which are usually chosen to address an annual theme. Catanzarite discusses how she almost shelved the series for 2010-2011 but instead decided to revisit early choices, saying that “while the films themselves have represented some of the finest examples of cinematic art, in the early days of the IPRH, our mechanism for spreading the news of our upcoming events was still a work in progress. Consequently, some of those early films didn’t find the audience they deserved.”

We can only imagine that not all UIUC departments and clubs have equal resources for promoting their respective screenings. To be fair, we can also imagine that the appeal of particular programs will be different in intensity and range even if well-advertised, thereby influencing turnout. Regardless, it would be great if an entity like MACS attacked the disparity and coordinated campus-wide cinematic information for the enlightenment and accessibility of all … including your friendly neighborhood chroniclers at C-U Blogfidential.

That’s it for the “business of our scene” this week!

~~~~~

If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CUBiz, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.

Compiled by Jason Pankoke

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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no. 6 © 2010 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are gearing up for an upcoming “Dance for Camera” production to be shot in Champaign-Urbana this fall. It will be a medium-length project (around 50 minutes) to be presented at film festivals as well as Dance for Camera festivals. If you are not familiar with the concept, please see DV8: THE COST OF LIVING and Mitchell Rose as references.

Estimated Production Schedule: Flexible; principal photography to start in mid-September/October and tentatively end in December. Most shooting will take place early in the morning in the outdoors, when traffic is at its lowest. Detailed schedule will be discussed with all participants in the projects to fit everyone’s individual schedules to the best of our ability.

Talent: We are looking for…

• Extras: Dancers, Actors; no restrictions (such as experience, age, gender, etc.)
• Musicians: If you would like to appear in a project such as ours, please contact us for details.
• Composers: We need an individual or team to lead the creation of our score. Think The Art of Noise meets Gabrielle Roth.

Crew: We are looking for…

• 1st AD, Script Supervisor
• Camera Crew: 1st AC, Steadicam (or equivalent) owner/operator
• Lighting Crew: Gaffer
• Sound Crew: Boom Operator

The project is for SCREEN CREDIT ONLY. We have a good concept (we think) and you are welcome to discuss it with us prior to committing to our project. We will also contractually guarantee that the participants’ names will be on every single piece of distributed material – such as fliers, postcards, Web presence, on-line trailers, etc. – unless you choose to opt-out. If you would like to be involved in a different capacity, such fund raising, marketing, etc., we welcome you with open arms.

Important note: If you have no prior experience as a crew member, please do not shy away. I will provide training; it is the least I can do considering your willingness to help and our inability to provide payment.

Please find below a link to a temporary Bio page of myself:
http://evolutionaryexploration.com/HB/portfolio/html/bogdan_heretoiu.html

My wife is a dancer/choreographer with vast experience in her field, ranging from major ballet companies to several years of teaching. She is currently teaching at the Dance department of the University of Illinois while also taking classes.

This project is her Master’s Thesis project but will be independently produced and entered in various festivals. What we can guarantee is that this will be fun and intense. If you are interested, you can contact me directly at bheretoiu [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Your support is greatly appreciated! Looking forward to meeting and collaborating with you.

Bogdan Heretoiu

###

On the flip side, CONTINUE director Ed Glaser happily indulges his fascination for “remakesploitation,” those international genre movies aping popular American films with reckless abandon, via the new Web series DEJA VIEW. Of the five episodes posted so far, your humble editor’s favorite ones cover the Bollywood supernatural thriller MAHAKAAL (1993), an extrapolation of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET series, and SUPERMEN DÖNÜYOR (1979), the infamous “Turkish SUPERMAN,” so we’ll include these below for your enjoyment. Other episodes to be found on the Dark Maze Web site will introduce you to a Bollywood MATRIX/WHOLE NINE YARDS mishmash called AWARA PAAGAL DEEWANA, a comedic Brazilian goof on PLANET OF THE APES translated as O TRAPALHÃO NO PLANALTO DOS MACACOS, and the English-language Italian JAWS knock-off GREAT WHITE which Universal Studios successfully kept out of American theaters. Their histories are very interesting and Glaser does a great job characterizing each film by the milieu in which it was produced.

Oh, for an exposé on that awful looking, brand-spanking-new bastardization of KING KONG which swipes footage and audio from, of all things, the 1976 remake produced by Dino De Laurentiis – set to a Bollywood beat, of course. What, you folks don’t believe me?

~ Jason Pankoke

~~~~~

PRODUCTION

The most consistent self-promoting local filmmakers may be Ed and Meagan Glaser of Dark Maze Studios, whom we’ve covered many times here on C-U Blogfidential. Their efforts spent creating fun shorts, animations, and features funded with negligible budgets have gradually paid off as the pop culture pantheon slowly catches on to such projects as PRESS START, RAMPAGE, and ROBOGIRL. A recent e-newsletter updated Dark Maze fans on several current projects including the Webisode ‘toon SPACE NINJA, for which you can watch a promotional video featuring producer Ed, artist/animator Alex Mitchell, and prolific B-movie composer Chuck Cirino and his awesomely wild-ass hair; the ever-expanding array of PRESS START ADVENTURES episodes; and a brand new Internet show called DEJA VIEW during which Ed discusses the “remakesploitation” movies of the world. Finally, there’s the mystery wrapped in an enigma rendered in 16-bit Stereo goodness known as PRESS START 2: CONTINUE. Ed tells CUBlog that he’s finishing Foley work on the sequel to Dark Maze’s 2007 original and that visual effects and a music score will be added next. We’ll reveal more about PS2 when we can, such as tomorrow afternoon. Hint.

PHILANTHROPY

Sometimes media can be used as a powerful tool for documentation, social change, and hopefully achieving a greater good. A hearty percentage of filmmakers in our world choose to behold realities that may not be idealistic by a long shot, using their electronic eyes to capture moments that, when strung together contextually, will compel audiences to look a bit harder and think a bit deeper about life. To that end, we’re passing along a short pitch by Champaign Movie Makers members Paul Holze and Stephanie Stean about a project for which they’re raising production needs. If you feel it worth investigating, follow the link for more information and ways that you can show support:

“THE STORY OF HAPPINESS is a documentary project set to produce six short films in South Africa in 2011, featuring women speaking out about their greatest desires and shaping the futures they seek amidst a nation with the highest rate of rape per capita and the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

“Produced by local movie makers Paul Holze and Stephanie Stean and initiated this past summer via an award from the World Bank Institute program Urgent Evoke, the project is currently raising funds through a challenge on the donation site GlobalGiving.

“To support the project in the challenge, a threshold of $3,000 must be raised from at least 50 individual donors by August 31. This allows the project to indefinitely remain a part of GlobalGiving and raise further funds with access to corporate sponsors, worldwide promotions, and periods of matching donations. Additionally, the project can earn a $750 bonus by receiving the most comments by August 31.

“To donate, comment, or learn more, visit www.storyofhappiness.com or write paul [at] groundworkpublications [dot] com.”

MEETINGS

Although we just posted about the first Illini Film & Video meetings of the brand-new school year, we’ll once again encourage the young collegiate types out there to consider it a worthy choice for getting involved in the activity bluntly explained by their motto – “We Make Movies.” Regular meetings, barring the occasional break week, will take place Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. in Room 104 of the English Building, 608 S. Wright St., Champaign. Look for the students wearing black t-shirts with “Director” emblazoned on the back, should you become lost in LAS, and if you otherwise have a hard time keeping up with IFV you can consult the prominent Google calendar on the new Web site or ask Mailing List moderator Ashlea Thomsen to add your e-mail so you can receive weekly club updates.

MEDIA LINKS

Let’s turn our gaze westward for a few moments to study the changing landscape of fellow twin cities Bloomington and Normal, reflecting a movie screen saturation problem as described in several recent Pantagraph reports. We’re reminded of this phenomenon with the upcoming reintroduction of downtown Bloomington’s Castle Theater, which previously had been an independent attempt at upscale movie viewing, as a Canopy-esque music venue. Curiously, it is this very concept employed in recent B-N additions such as the Stadium 14 and Galaxy 14 Cine that has helped expedite the demise of older multiplexes as well. Parkway Cinemas, which opened in 1990, ceased operation in May when owner Carmike pulled the plug. Closer to the Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan campuses, Carmike also shut the doors of University Cinemas, that area’s first multi-screen theater which began doing business in 1971. (It retains the distinction of being the only theater where your humble editor sneaked into a show without paying, for opening night of BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA. His peers made him do it.) Even the Normal Theater didn’t completely escape “uptownization” with the new Marriott hotel complex looming right behind them, so thank goodness saner heads prevailed and (mostly) left well enough alone. Considering the rumors floating around our neck of the woods concerning one or more possible theatrical additions in Urbana, we wonder just how many frames per second Champaign-Urbana itself can withstand. Should we find out?

PLAYING THIS WEEK

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (8/27 on), SPLICE (8/27, 8/28, 9/2)

@ The Canopy Club, Urbana, IL: Pizza + Pitcher and Movie – SUPER TROOPERS, WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (8/29, 6 p.m.)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: WINTER’S BONE, THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, EAT PRAY LOVE (8/27 on)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: WAY OUT WEST (8/26-8/27), A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (8/28-8/29)

@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: DESPICABLE ME, THE EXPENDABLES (8/27-8/29)

@ Route 66 Drive-In, Springfield, IL: DESPICABLE ME, GROWN UPS, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, SALT (8/27-8/28)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: THE BACK-UP PLAN, THE SQUARE, THE GOOD THE BAD THE WEIRD, A PROPHET, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD, more! (8/24 on)

COMING SOON

9/10-9/12: “Lost Survivor” multi-media performance
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL, 7 p.m. Fri/Sat, 2 p.m. Sun

9/17-9/19: Route 66 International Film Festival
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL

NEW! 9/17-9/22: Latin American Film Festival
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL

9/24-9/26: 2010 B Movie Celebration, Franklin, IN

NEW! 9/25-9/26: LEADING LADIES
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 5 & 7:30 p.m. Sat, 2:30, 5 & 7:30 p.m. Sun

9/25-9/26: REVOLTING
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 3 & 10 p.m. Sat, 12 p.m. Sun

10/7-10/21: Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

10/14-10/23: Heartland Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN

10/22-10/23: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL, Midnight

10/23: REVOLTING
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL, 8 p.m.

10/29-10/31: Freeky Creek Short Film Festival
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL

11/5-11/7: Illinois International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

11/11-11/13: Embarras Valley Film Festival
@ EIU campus/Will Rogers Theater/Charleston Public Library, Charleston, IL

11/11-11/21: St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO

11/19-11/21: Dark Carnival Film Festival, Bloomington, IN

2/18-2/27, 2011: Big Muddy Film Festival
@ Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

3/22-3/27, 2011: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI

3/30-4/1, 2011: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI

4/27-5/1, 2011: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL

OUTRO

Starting in next week’s CUBiz, we plan to introduce MFHQ & YOU where we regularly discuss projects, upgrades, and “wins” directly related to C-U Blogfidential. We’re also going to consistently address the concepts that A. the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters could always use the smarts and talents a few good women and men to add to our worth, and B. the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters can also use the business (e.g., purchases, ad buys, mysterious cash donations appearing in our P.O. Box without warning) of anyone and everyone to help fund particulars such as the print C-U Confidential magazine, promotional collateral, and potential excursions into local movie excess such as DVD releases. After willingly slogging through the brunt of the chores at MFHQ for more than a decade, your humble editor would like to effectively open things up and share the love. To demonstrate the possibilities, CUBlog will welcome back the fabulous (and extremely patient) Michelle Kaffko and her Chicago indie film column, “A Knife in a Gun Fight,” twice in the next few weeks. We’re also establishing a regimented on-line publishing schedule – which is not the same as a regularized, daily publishing schedule – to give you, the discerning reader and hoped-for contributor, a better understanding of what might fill our virtual space.

That’s it for the “business of our scene” this week!

~~~~~

If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CUBiz, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.

Compiled by Jason Pankoke

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Prior “CUBiz” | Next “CUBiz”

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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no. 5 © 2010 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

This year’s officers are Beanz Ramierz (President), Ariel Ranieri and Ashlea Thomsen (Co-Vice Presidents), Jonathan Lifflander (Treasurer), Ashwin Torke (Equipment Manager), Adam Dreyfuss, Robert McBeath, and David Andersson (Event Directors), and Jeremy Davis (Webmaster). Presumably, regular weekly meetings will take place on Tuesday nights in the same location, also at 6:30 p.m.

IFV begins its second decade of active existence on the UIUC campus this fall. A hearty congratulations goes out from C-U Blogfidential to all members present and past!

~ Jason Pankoke

Springfield’s Renowned Author/Playwright, Thomas R. Jones, Hits Stage with Multimedia Play

Based on his book Lost Survivor (A Historical-Fiction Novel of a Black Soldier’s Journey to Vietnam and Back), Thomas Jones is premiering A Long Way Home, an original and creative multimedia stage play, at the Springfield Hoogland Center for the Arts in the LRS theatre. The show will run three consecutive nights from Friday, September 10, through Sunday, September 12, 2010. Show times are 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. All seats are reserved. To order tickets, contact Hoogland Center Ticket Service at (217) 523-2787 or www.scfta.org.

Opening night will be a major gala starting with valet parking, red carpet entry, and photo sessions for sponsors, and cash bar services. Guests have four options for attending. 1. Play only: $20/person and $15/Veteran (with vet ID); 2. Pre Play Dinner Buffet at 5:30 p.m. (seating limited to first 100), Play, and After Play Party: $50; 3. Pre Dinner Buffet and Play: $35; or 4. Play and After Party: $29.

Dedicated to all Veterans, VFW Post 755 will “Post the Colors” before the start of the play on Friday and “Retrieve” them Sunday. The September 11 performance will feature a Memorial conducted by American Legion Post #32.

About A Long Way Home

A Long Way Home is a creative presentation of actors on stage within a multimedia (videos, pictures, and sounds) environment. It will be recorded by high definition cameras for television. All the production staff, cast, and technical support are local. Directed by Springfield’s Tony Young and with technical direction by David Cain, the audience is in for a theatrical experience unlike any other.

This stage adaptation of Thomas R. Jones’ historical fiction book Lost Survivor is a blend of Jones’ Vietnam personal experiences combined with people he knew. A Long Way Home is a powerful drama that pulls you into the conundrum of a young man facing war, and then facing the culture shock of returning home from the horrors of war. This gripping tale offers powerful insights into the clashing worlds of war and civilization, civilian and soldier, and their loved ones. And the immense struggle between identity and memory faced by all who have fought in any war. The play is dedicated to veterans, their families, and future veterans.

About Thomas R. Jones

Thomas Jones’ works include science fiction, historical fiction, stage plays, and poetry. Twenty years ago, his mind still hounded by his war experiences, he began writing Lost Survivor. Published and distributed nationally in September 2006 by Independent Publishers Group of Chicago, this book shows the human experience of war like Red Badge of Courage and All Quiet on the Western Front. The crux of Lost Survivor is, “What you lose to survive is what you need to live when you come back.”

Jones’ activities include the American Legion, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, VFW Post 755, Rotary International, Hoogland Center for the Arts, and Central Illinois Film Commission. He also received the Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust Award on September 26, 2008.

CONTACT:
Rochelle Arjmand, Publicist
(217) 685-165
JPublications, Inc,
P.O. Box 7458, Springfield, IL 62791
lostsurvivor@jpublications.com

###

Your humble editor has seen prior cuts of the film and can attest to its low budget, high concept goodness. Community theater writer-in-residence Jeffrey, played by Bill Kephart, is talked into drafting a sequel to his most successful play, The Madcap Murderesses, which he loathes to no end. As things progress, the farce’s characters – stubborn murderess Penelope (Julia Megan Sullivan), trusting sister murderess Janice (Leslie Boedicker), and loquacious inspector-turned-lover Frederick (Eric Sizemore) – seemingly materialize in the real world, bent on jeopardizing the completion of the new play as well as the survival of Jeffrey’s sanity. Below you can see the effects of this illogical conundrum in a Johnny Robinson publicity photo:

On occasion, I’ve been known to do a double-take in the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters late at night while digging deep into my own written words. I always find that no one is sitting next to me despite the echoing remnants of voices in the air. I imagine my facial reactions are not too far off from how poor Jeffrey looks above, although you’ll see that he has it far worse than me. I think.

~ Jason Pankoke

[Updated 8/21/10, 5:15 p.m. CST]

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PRODUCTION

Danville independent filmmaker Mike Boedicker of Roselawn Productions, Ltd., dropped CUBlog a line to let us know what is happening with his new film, REVOLTING, which had its public debut last weekend. “We had about 75 people at the screening,” says Boedicker. “The crowd we had was responsive and appreciative.” He and wife/co-producer Leslie have scheduled several more shows in the immediate area starting on Friday, August 20, and Saturday, August 21, at the Fischer Theatre in Danville, to be continued on Saturday, September 25, and Sunday, September 26, at the Art Theater in Champaign as well as Saturday, October 23, at Sleepy Creek Vineyards in Fairmount. They’re also looking beyond the local horizon for audiences and distribution. “I’ve entered the film in the Oxford International Film Festival out in Cincinnati and am investigating other festivals to enter,” continues Boedicker. “The process will probably last a year.”

MERCH

As of last week’s premiere at the Kathryn Randolph Theater in Danville, Roselawn Productions is offering a REVOLTING DVD-R for perusal on your home entertainment system. Included are a 16×9 presentation of the 81-minute feature (letterboxed for 4×3 television screens), an “Anatomy of a Scene” demonstrating the editing changes made to the climactic scene, an “About the Music” essay explaining the director’s choices in music and musicians, a Shooting Script in PDF format, a Trailer, and Cast and Crew Biographies. The first batch only numbers 100 so visit the REVOLTING Web site – or attend any of the upcoming shows at the Fischer, the Art, or Sleepy Creek – to nab one quick! A Blu-ray release may also be issued in the fall.

MEETINGS

Keep in mind that on Tuesday, August 24, 7 p.m., Champaign Movie Makers will meet at Class Act Interactive, 114 S. Neil St., Champaign, to afford area filmmakers and talent an opportunity to discuss and join forces in the making of independent cinema in the area. This month’s presentation by Bill Kephart and Joe Taylor will cover the creation of their PopTent.net spec commercials; additional topics TBD. Feel free to contact Johnny Robinson at johnny [at] johnnyrobinson [dot] com for further information!

We’ll also remind you that the Central Illinois Film Commission meeting will take place tonight, Thursday, August 19, 7 p.m., at the Route 66 Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield!

MEDIA LINKS

Returning to the Windy City press this week, we unearth a commentary by Chicago Tribune media columnist Phil Rosenthal posted on August 11 about the final taping of AT THE MOVIES with A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips. Your humble editor remembers way back when ATM aired on its original station, WTTW-Channel 11 in Chicago, with original hosts Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel. It’s been a long road paved with thousands of movie reviews, various content tweaks, and controversial talent substitutions; will the traditional aisle-seat format be missed? Hopefully we won’t get a chance to find out if Ebert himself has his way.

Also threatening to vanish, according to current operator Joshua Caudle, is the venerable two-screen Lorraine Theater in Hoopeston. According to this August 14 article posted by the Danville Commercial-News, Caudle notes that attendance has been off so much in 2010 that he is losing favor with the studios to show first-run titles and thereby attract enough attendance to pay the bills. He then challenges the community to step up their support or likely lose the Lorraine as a movie house. Caudle’s slightly desperate tone is warranted, given how hard he’s busted ass to keep the Lorraine operational and in good shape since his arrival in 2008.

However, threatening to reappear this Friday, August 20 – according to the note currently displayed on the home page – is a new and improved Web site for the Illini Film & Video club at the University of Illinois. Incoming president and swell dude Beanz Ramierz hopefully will have additional surprises in store for the group’s 2010-11 school year; you can trust CUBlog to pass along the scoop once we have it!

And finally, leave it to America’s Finest News Source to break the story on how the State of Illinois is earning itself some funding – if not an improved reputation – through the nether regions of the entertainment industry. Can’t wait for the Illinois Film Office to proudly show this product as part of their “IFO Night at the Movies” series!

PLAYING THIS WEEK

REVOLTING: Friday, 8/20, 8 p.m., Fischer Theater, Danville, IL

REVOLTING: Saturday, 8/21, 8 p.m., Fischer Theater, Danville, IL

@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL: MILLENNIUM: THE STORY (8/19, 6 p.m.), THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (8/19, 7:30 p.m.), HIGH FIDELITY (8/19, 10:30 p.m.), THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (8/20 on), HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (8/20, 8/21, 8/26)

@ Independent Media Center, Urbana, IL: MILLENNIUM: THE STORY (8/22)

@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL: THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, EAT PRAY LOVE, SOLITARY MAN (8/20 on)

@ The Normal Theater, Normal, IL: MID-AUGUST LUNCH (8/19-8/22)

@ Harvest Moon Drive-In, Gibson City, IL: DESPICABLE ME, THE EXPENDABLES (8/20-8/22)

@ That’s Rentertainment, Champaign, IL: FURRY VENGEANCE, CEMETERY JUNCTION, THE LAST SONG, CITY ISLAND, NOLLYWOOD BABYLON, VIVERE, more! (8/17 on)

COMING SOON

8/19: Central Illinois Film Commission meeting
@ Route 66 Hotel & Convention Center, Springfield, IL, 7 p.m.

8/24: Champaign Movie Makers meeting
@ Class Act Interactive, Champaign, IL, 7 p.m.

NEW! 9/10-9/12: “Lost Survivor” multi-media performance
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL, 7 p.m. Fri/Sat, 2 p.m. Sun

9/17-9/19: Route 66 International Film Festival
@ Hoogland Center for the Arts, Springfield, IL

9/24-9/26: 2010 B Movie Celebration, Franklin, IN

UPDATED! 9/25-9/26: REVOLTING
@ The Art Theater, Champaign, IL, 3 & 10 p.m. Sat, 12 p.m. Sun

10/7-10/21: Chicago International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

10/14-10/23: Heartland Film Festival, Indianapolis, IN

NEW! 10/22-10/23: THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
@ The Avon Theater, Decatur, IL, Midnight

10/23: REVOLTING
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL, 8 p.m.

10/29-10/31: Freeky Creek Short Film Festival
@ Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL

11/5-11/7: Illinois International Film Festival, Chicago, IL

NEW! 11/11-11/13: Embarras Valley Film Festival
@ EIU campus/Will Rogers Theater/Charleston Public Library, Charleston, IL

11/11-11/21: St. Louis International Film Festival, St. Louis, MO

11/19-11/21: Dark Carnival Film Festival, Bloomington, IN

2/18-2/27, 2011: Big Muddy Film Festival
@ Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL

3/22-3/27, 2011: Ann Arbor Film Festival, Ann Arbor, MI

3/30-4/1, 2011: Wisconsin Film Festival, Madison, WI

4/27-5/1, 2011: Roger Ebert’s Film Festival
@ Virginia Theatre, Champaign, IL

OUTRO

With a month of “C-U Biz-en-scène” under our belts here at the Secret MICRO-FILM Headquarters, we just have to ask – how do you like the new column? What additions or improvements would you want to see? Post your constructive and civil thoughts below, if you could!

That’s it for the “business of our scene” this week!

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If you have relevant news, opportunities, dates, or promotions that you would like included in CUBiz, please forward the who, what, where, when, and how much to cuconfidential [at] gmail [dot] com.

Compiled by Jason Pankoke

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“C-U Biz-en-scène” no. 4 © 2010 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

Route 66 International Film Festival News Release

Films by several local residents are included in the line-up for the 9th Annual Route 66 International Film Festival to be held September 17-19, 2010, at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, IL. Their films were selected from an international competition of independent filmmakers from all continents except Antarctica. This year’s 62 films represent 19 states and seven countries.

CEREAL and LIVE TO RIDE, two films by seventh grader Tobias Bergdorf of Rochester, will be shown in the Student Showcase, along with EVEN OR ODD by the Springfield High School Film Club, co-directed by Andrea Heath and advisor Dave Heinzel. TELEMAFIA, co-written by Rochester resident Jan Militello won the Best Comedy Award. Former Chatham resident, Daric Gates’ film DEAD CAT BOUNCE won the Best Thriller Award, and former Springfield resident Matt Brookens’ film GUITAR PARTY NIGHTMARE will vie for Audience Favorite Comedy.

The Route 66 International Film Festival has grown each year, getting a special boost after being named one of the “25 Festivals Worth the Fee” by Moviemaker magazine in 2008 and being a featured festival at the 2009 International Film Festival Summit in Las Vegas. The festival screens short and feature narratives, documentaries, experimental, and animated films, awarding trophies to judges’ favorites. Short comedies, dramas and debut films may also be selected to compete for Audience Favorite Awards. This year the audience also can vote for their favorite thriller/horror film.

“Our judges look for originality and pacing when selecting films,” said Festival Director Linda McElroy. “Our main advice to filmmakers is ‘don’t bore us.’ Show us something new and don’t try to make a short film idea into a feature. Because our festival has only one screen and is only one weekend, we have to pass on a lot of good films, but we pride ourselves on offering something for everybody.”

The complete schedule and more information can be found on the festival website www.route66filmfestival.net and on its Facebook page. Passes and tickets are on sale at www.scfta.org or by calling (217) 523-2787.

CONTACT:
Linda McElroy
(217) 220-0669
route66filmfestival@hotmail.com

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