From Arthouse to Microcinema

I shall be forthcoming that I feel biased to this article. The entire time I was reading I thought of Cucalorus and my decade of programming indie films. Meeting filmmakers who make their films for the love of the art regardless if they financially pay off. That is a true filmmaker at heart. Seeing so many people in these art house cinemas reminded me of the days when I lived in a larger city, Columbus, OH. We had multiplexes and IMAX, but I always gravitated toward four microcinemas and a larger screening atmosphere at the Wexner Center for the Arts. They'd often have Q&A session which were sometimes as good as the films!!! My appreciation for these passion pieces gave me confidence that I could do the same. With a will there is a way. I moved to Wilmington to be a part of this type of community. The section in the article about a film being screened in a school bus made me smile. I shot a commercial for Cucalorus in their magic bus and can completely envision smashing a dozen people in there for an experimental experience. Without arthouse films and microcinemas, I wouldn't be where I am today. I wouldn't be working towards creating and screening my films in these smaller venues. As odd as it sounds, there is something more meaningful about a packed house in a microcinema of an indie film than a sold out show at the Regal Cinemas. Speaking of which... I don't understand The Passion of the Christ being an "independent" film that would screen at these types of theaters. I understand the content is not for everyone, but $30 million dollars isn't low budget.

Comments

  1. thebLogladyFebruary 23, 2021 at 8:35 AM

    I totally understand your love for "arthouse" and microcinema! I too have worked with small arthouse theaters (in fact I came from one to UNCW) and there is something about having a small packed house of dedicated people as opposed to a large "mass market" audience.

    ReplyDelete
  2. silvashanMarch 1, 2021 at 3:23 PM

    I completely relate. When we interviewed here I asked to visit Jengo's. Pre-covid, in addition to the festival, I've held installation parties in the backyard for the experimental classes. It changes the experience and makes it more about community and gathering. <3

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meg's Presentation - Martha Colburn and Kelly Gallagher

I am grateful to Shannon for assigning me these two incredibly artists who have inspired me ever since I watch a minute of each of their films. The complexity of their work and devotion to ensuring a stellar product is something I have great respect for. I had a great mentor who would always say, "you can't rush art". I love that Colburn sometimes spends years on her projects and am in awe of her work in progress of the 52 minute stop motion animation, The Garden. After finding out Colburn was Gallagher's mentor, the commonalities fell into place. Gallagher did not create works mimicking those of Colburn, but used a lot of the same techniques. Since Colburn is 15 years older, Gallagher had the privilege of working with another strong female who had trailblazed this path. Kelly was blessed to have a mentor who had already figured out most of what works and what doesn't, so she had an advantage in stepping into this genre without having to do a plethora of tests. ...
Read more

Joseph's Presentation - Nam Jun Paik & Aaron Koblin

I had not heard of either of these artists befor this presentation, but suppose that is the purpose! Nam June Paik is extremely interesting and unique to his art because it's base is complicated technology I could never understand! The K-95 Robot Synthesizer was unreal and appeared very expensive, although it was mentioned it was not at the time. My favorite of his shown works was the Black Box museum installations. The vast number of television screens creating different images flowing throughout as time passed is not just art, it's an experience... and one I'd like to have!!
Read more

Final Project Plans - Choose your own Adventure #5

Meg Lansaw Final Project: Adventure #5 Surrealist Stop Motion Animation Research: Martha Coburn and Kelly Galliger are my assigned artists for my presentation and they create stop motion animation, so I will definitely drawn inspiration from them. I also plan to research tutorials online the best way to technically accomplish this film. I will be experimenting with several phone apps designed specifically for stop motion, Description: Arrow is a stop motion animation about a feral dog surviving in a landfill as he awaits his forever home. The set is a shoe box sized landfill comprised of items my previous dog destroyed, as well as trash accumulated from the project. The dog is made from a flexible plastic-coated wire my old dog ripped out of a cat toy. Adjustable toy bulldozers and construction workers will doze in the background, and aluminum birds will litter the top of the frame. Trains and planes will pass by in the background with a backdrop o...
Read more