C-U Biz-en-scène: 08.26.2010

“C-U Biz-en-scène” appears every Wednesday/Thursday on C-U Blogfidential to give our readers a succinct snapshot of the cinema activity in and near Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, USA. Please support the artists and their work, attend screenings and events, and otherwise become active in our esoteric little world!

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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!

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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. 5 © 2010 Jason Pankoke/C-U Blogfidential.

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