Graphic designer Rich Gurnsey can now add animator and filmmaker to his list of titles. We had the great pleasure of having Gurnsey stop by Second Cinema to talk with us about his latest project, WELCOME TO CREEPYVILLE. We first heard of his film via our friends at filmSPARK and once we saw it, we knew we had to sit down with Rich and get WTC on the show. Check out the interview with Rich followed by a screening of WELCOME TO CREEPYVILLE.

Nene Kalu, co-organizer of this year’s filmSPARK event, stops by the studio to discuss filmSPARK 2009! FilmSPARK is part of SPARKcon, which is being held this Thursday, September 17th through Sunday, September 20th at ARTspace in downtown Raleigh. For more information visit them online at http://sparkcon.com/filmspark

Century Center Cinema returns for 3rd Season Saturday, September 26th!

We will continue the music theme from Carrboro’s Music Festival with the area premiere of MELLODRAMA (2008) Music Documentary by Dianna Dilworth

Trailer:

Plus, The World Premiere of the short Melting of the Globe (2009) Music Documentary Short by Nic Beery

Mellodrama explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron—the first musical keyboard to sample the sounds of other instruments from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s.

Through the music of the Beatles, the Zombies, and the Moody Blues, the Mellotron became the “instant magic sound.”

Mellodrama is presented in conjunction with The Revolve Film & Music Festival

http://www.revolvefestival.com/

Melting of the Globe is a 14 minute short that follows Orange County musician Jay Manley and Fretted instrument maker Wes Lambe as they design and build a new 21 string guitar that features the best of an electric guitar and a sitar.   Jay discusses how his environment inspired this instrument. Produced by Nic Beery.

Curator – Nic Beery
Visit www.CenturyCenterCinema.com for more info.

filmSPARK announces line-up and sponsor for SPARKcon 2009.

RALEIGH (August 27, 2009) This year filmSPARK brings together a series of events designed to celebrate the bright and budding talent of Triangle filmmakers and provide talking points to encourage sustained film growth in North Carolina.

filmSPARK ’09 will kick off with a presentation at 7 p.m. on September 18th at Artspace in downtown Raleigh featuring North Carolina filmmaker, Chris Knight, as guest speaker. Knight will recount his tumultuous battle with VHI parent company Viacom after the media giant charged Knight with copyright infringement as a result of the posting of a clip from VHI’s “Web Junk 2.0” on YouTube. The clip featured Knight wielding a light saber and referencing Star Wars in a 2006 Board of Education campaign commercial produced by the filmmaker.

The second portion of filmSPARK will take place on Sunday, September 20th at Artspace where a roundtable event discussing “The State of Film in NC” is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the grand finale, a “Short” Film Festival, scheduled for 7 p.m.  The roundtable event features guest speakers from all arenas of the local film community and includes Aaron Syrett, Director of the North Carolina Film Office, Devin and Marsha Orgeron North Carolina State University film professors, and David Fellerath, Arts Editor of the Independent Weekly. The discussion will center on the current state of the commercial film industry in North Carolina and cover topics such as the recent budget pass of the 25% film tax incentive, the Triangle as an independent film scene, local film marketing resources, and the future of film in North Carolina. 

filmSPARK 2009 culminates in our annual screening and film festival. This year’s screening, the “Short” Film Festival, will feature film shorts from thirteen local filmmakers in the categories of “Freaks, Geeks, and Weirdos”, “Animate!”, and “Make Me Laugh, I Dare You”. Filmmakers whose works will be screened are: Preston Campbell, Mike Ferrell, Zach Finch, Michael Garske, Rich Gurnsey, Mike Holst, Nene Kalu, Tim Kiernan, A. J. Klingenmaier, Scott Renk, Nathan Rittenhouse, Marc Russo, and Todd Tinkham. filmSPARK 2009 is proud to be sponsored by Artspace.

About filmSPARK:

filmSPARK’s purpose is to join the Triangle’s film community in an ongoing dialogue about film production in order to inspire local filmmaker’s continued growth and presence.

About SPARKcon:

SPARKcon celebrates creativity in the NC Triangle. For 4 days, Raleigh’s Fayetteville St, public spaces, clubs and stages will be filled with art, music, dance, film, fashion, design and more.

Contact Information:

Kathy Justice (336) 202-1271/ k.l.justice@hotmail.com

Nene Kalu (919) 604-2827/ film@sparkcon.com

In this month’s episode we sit down with Producer / Director John Jackman to discuss Foundery Pictures’ film, “Wesley” ( http://wesleythemovie.com ) . Jackman is an award winning independent producer and director, and head of Foundery Pictures.

The Story behind “Wesley”

The Story

The year is 1732, a time of spiritual decline in England. The gulf between rich and poor is pronounced. Cheap methods of producing gin have created the 18th century’s version of a crack epidemic among the lower classes.

Into this world steps a self-righteous young Anglican priest named John Wesley. Having grown up believing he had to earn his way into Heaven through good works, Wesley spent a great portion of his time visiting prisons, studying the Bible and praying — all to escape the fires of Hell himself.

His rigorous self-discipline attracts the attention of General Oglethorpe, who has just been appointed governor of the new colony of Georgia. Oglethorpe invites the young Wesley to serve as chaplain of the newly settled community of Savannah. Inspired by an encounter with a native American, John and his brother Charles travel to America with dreams of evangelizing the native peoples.

uring the long journey to America, a terrible storm nearly sinks their ship, and Wesley’s confidence in his own faith is shaken. He is astounded to see the small group of Moravian missionaries calmly singing during the storm, confident in their faith.

Upon reaching Georgia, he falls in love with the beautiful young Sophy, niece of the local magistrate. But Wesley has made a commitment not to marry, and their star-crossed love affair ends in bitterness and a lawsuit. Charles fairs no better as chaplain of Fort Frederica, when he is sent home early in disgrace.

When John returns to England bereft and depressed , he finds that his brother Charles has found the spiritual solace and peace that Wesley’s heart is so desperately lacking. Through the friendship of a young Moravian missionary, John finally finds “heart religion,” the manifestation of grace that he has been searching for.

With renewed energy and deep faith, Wesley begins a revolutionary movement that will ultimately transform the face of England and the fledgling country across the Atlantic. Under his leadership, the first shelters for battered women are begun, the poor of England are empowered and transformed by saving faith, prison reforms are started, and the anti-slavery movement begins. Across the former colonies, Methodist lay preachers on horseback reach the remotest frontier settlements with the message of the Gospel.

This true story, filled with adventure and challenge, is one that is a natural for the silver screen. It contains many of the elements that make for a successful motion picture – and conveys a powerful message that is pertinent to our times.

Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote that “John Wesley transformed the outlook and even the character of the English nation.”

Below is the interview with John Jackman, the trailer to “Wesley, and a clip from the film. [“Wesley” trailer and clip © John Jackman and used with permission]

Our film for this episode comes to us from Second Cinema alum MT Maloney. Since we last spoke with Maloney, he has moved down to Georgia where he is the Associate Dean of the School of Film and Digital Media at Savannah College of Art and Design. We are pleased to bring you a Second Cinema exclusive with his 2009 Cannes Film Festival entry, “The Anchorite.”

Below is the ENTIRE episode of Second Cinema, which includes Maloney’s film, as well as a T3 update, and the above John Jackman interview. We would like to thank our guests, our filmmakers, and you for making this show possible.

[“Wesley” trailer and clip © John Jackman used with permission][“The Anchorite” © Matthew Maloney used with permission]

In this month’s episode we sit down with Producer / Director John Jackman to discuss his film, “Wesley” ( http://wesleythemovie.com ) and screen MT Maloney’s “The Anchorite” ( http://mtmaloney.com ), which just came back from the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. episode 9.09 ["Wesley" trailer and clip © John Jackman used with permission]["The Anchorite" © Matthew Maloney used with permission]