Featured Film
The Pitch
You learn something new ....
As I’ve grown older, my taste in films has changed. In my teens and 20s, horror movies were a staple. Sure, I was studying film and expanding my appreciation for genre and international films, but even then, give me all the zombie movies George Romero and Tom Savini can imagine.
Back then, the fact that Romero and Savini were from Pittsburgh (only two hours away from my home in Ohio) was icing on the cake. Only today, though, have I discovered Savini’s Special Make-Up Effects Program at Douglas Education Center in Monessen, Pa. Filmmaker Mark Cantu talks about leveraging students from the program for his horror-comedy Wolf Hollow (scroll down to learn more).
Through the program, students learn “a diverse range of skills in special make-up effects, including the science behind creating camera-ready looks, sculpting and mold making, airbrushing techniques, prosthetic make-up, prop making, digital sculpting, eyes and teeth and more.”
They also collaborate with filmmakers studying the medium through George A. Romero’s filmmaking program.
And mark the time, because that’s when I discovered George A. Romero’s filmmaking program. A two-year associate program also offered by Double Education Center, classes offer students an intensive, 16-month program that teaches the tools students need to “understand every aspect of filmmaking, including directing, producing, sound, editing, and post-production standards.”
Wow. Who knew?
Dailies
Devo documentary in the works
Are we not film? Arguably Akron's most famous band (with apologies to The Black Keys), we'll soon get to know much more about the eclectic group, featuring the classic Devo lineup: Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casales and Alan Myers.
Chris Smith, who directed Netflix’s Fyre, about the troubled Fyre Festival, and Tiger King, is helming a new documentary about the band. (Yes, we considered saying Smith was "whipping it" into shape, but thought better of it. You should probably thank us.)
What's so 'Freaky' about Cleveland screenwriter Michael Kennedy?
Revisit our interview with Northeast Ohio's Michael Kennedy, writer of last year's horror hit Freaky, a twist on body switching ala Freaky Friday. Kennedy is in the midst of working on his next scary movie, titled Time Cut, which, if we understand correctly, is a horror riff on Back to the Future and similar time travel adventures. Follow Kennedy on Instagram @michaeltjkennedy for all the behind-the-scenes peeks!
Horror-comedy 'Wolf Hollow' producer praises plethora of Pittsburgh make-up FX artists
We love low- and no-budget movies produced locally by talented and passionate filmmakers, and we really want to see Mark Cantu's horror-comedy Wolf Hollow. Cantu shot the flick for $70,000 in and around McKeesport and at the Haunted Hills Hayride near North Versailles Township in Pennsylvania, not too far from Pittsburgh.
Cantu talks about the movie with The Tube City Almanac, heaping praise on Tom Savini’s make-up special effects program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessan, Pa. “Students come out of Savini’s program, and they are ready to do Hollywood level productions, so we just did our best to find them,” he explains.
Behind the Scenes
Ohio native and 'Linoleum' director Colin West talks about his buckeye roots
Jim Gaffigan stars in writer-director Colin West’s Linoleum as Cameron, an Ohio-based family man who dreams of being an astronaut and has to settle for hosting a children’s science program – until he decides to build his own rocket. Linoleum is Colin West’s second feature directorial effort.
The Columbus native produced alongside Chadd Harbold and Chad Simpson, also from Columbus.
“I had always looked up to Chadd Harbold. He was doing really big things, even back in high school, and was very serious about film,” West tells Filmmaker magazine (no relation). “Chad Simpson and I were a bit more interested in film for the joy or goofiness of getting behind a camera and playing and having fun. Harbold, meanwhile, was out there making serious films and submitting them to festivals!”
Film School
Young Pittsburgh filmmakers say they have more opportunities than ever in the local scene
Aditi Sridhar, an undergraduate film student at the University of Pittsburgh, took her senior thesis project, the short film Aloo Poori, to Pitch-Burgh, hoping cast the film’s remaining roles and drum up some buzz about the project.
It’s all part of Pitch-Burgh, a networking event for film students in the Pittsburgh area where attendees pitch film projects and seek collaboration from peers. Nearly a dozen universities, from big schools like Pitt and Community College of Allegheny County, to smaller private colleges like Chatham University and the recent addition of Westminster College, took part. The event was hosted by the Pittsburgh Film Office.
Ohio State senior filmmakers show off thesis shorts
Seniors from The Ohio State University’s moving-image production program recently screened original short thesis films at the Moving-Image Production Senior Showcase. Seniors are required to participate in the showcase as part of the year-long capstone course.
“It’s a really nice celebration of the journey,” says Roger Beebe, professor of art in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts, about the showcase. “Not just of the year of making [your] film, but also the four years in the major.”
Call Sheet
Toledo's favorite daughter, Katie Holmes, discusses her new film
Katie Holmes, who grew up in Toledo, Ohio, has reintroduced herself to the filmmaking community in recent years, not only as an actor, but also as a writer and director with two feature credits.
In this MovieMaker article (no relation), Holmes discusses her new film, Rare Objects. The film is about a young woman named Benita (Julia Mayorga), recovering from PTSD after a sexual assault, who takes a job at a Manhattan boutique that sells rare artifacts to wealthy clientele.
“What drew me to [the project] were the two female characters — their friendship, the hardships that they were going through, and yet they maintained that friendship,” Holmes explains. “I felt like it reflected the best of female friendships, and it wasn’t afraid to reveal aspects of these characters that were difficult and scary and not fair.”