First Pass: What the Constitution Means to Me

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My first pass at the poster had the statue of liberty in place of the actress. I didn’t know who the actress would be yet since she had not been cast.

I liked this version and it set the color palette for the posters to follow. The problem was that Lady Liberty is too serious. I suppose I could have put a big smile on her face but that just felt wrong.

The American Legion photos in the background also were too large. There was some debate about if they were needed, but they stayed. I would reduce them in size and multiply how many there were.

This is really just a sketch so the painting is very rough.I would polish it up if the idea was approved. Since Lady Liberty was trashed, I didn’t push the painting any further.

What the Constitution Means to Me will be performed at the Edyth Bush Stage in the Orlando Family Theater, right across the lawn of fabulousness since the Orlando Shakes is undergoing some major  renovations. The show really shouldn’t be missed especially considering how divided the country is and the upcoming presidential election. It runs October 2 -13, 2024. Tickets are on sale now!

What the Constitution Means to Me.

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The posters I created for the Orlando Shakes are starting to appear with online variations. What the Constitution Means to Me is a truly inspired one woman show written by Heidi Schreck.

Heidi brings the audience back to when she was 15 years old and gave talks about the constitution at competitions held at American Legion Halls for prize money. She presented the constitution as a hot sweaty document that recognized that the person you are today might not the be person you are in the future. For all its short comings, the Constitution presents hope that it can and will evolve. I teared up every time I watched the play, there is a visceral joy in the hope that we can evolve.

Becky Baird will be playing the lead part. I had no idea what Becky looked like since she was not yet cast for the part when I created the poster, but I must say the smile on my poster is a close match to her smile. Any time I see a new actor taking on such an ambitious role, I feel inspired. It takes bravery just to audition, but to tackle such a large sweeping role is beyond brave. It reminds me that I need to keep putting myself out there. The creative process is a long road and seldom traveled on a straight line.

This poster evolved quite a bit as it was created and faced approvals. I will share those variations over the next few days. I was just so happy to see The Constitution make an appearance online that I had to share. Tickets are on sale now.

Out on a Limb

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I was arranging a sketching opportunity with Mark DeMaio who is doing amazing work harvesting food for the hungry.

Anyway the day before he had been working at the Mennello Museum of American Art and cut down this tree limb which was threatening to scratch employee cars that parked in the lot.

The added benefit is that a long obscured section of the mural was brought back into the light. Vines have been snaking their way across the top of the mural, one having crawled right across journalist Seth Kubersky‘s face. The vines were pulled off but the tiny vine suction cup marks remained behind. The crowd at the back of the mural line are more saturated with more contrast to the colors. The shade of the tree limb had protected the paint from the harsh Florida Sun. Though others in the sun were bleached, they still hold together as a whole.

It is interesting to watch the mural age. Michael Mennello who is seated, is no longer with us, he died of COVID-19, nor is Harriet Lake who is seated in her wheelchair reading Catcher in the Rye. I am seated at the end of the line sketching. I hope that has no bearing on my limited mortality. It makes sense that I would be hiding in the shade of a big tree limb.

Iowa Independent Film Festival: Awards Ceremony

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The last film to screen in the Mason City Community Theater was Stockton to Table Rock. the film was about a high school senior who faced her abusive mother hoping change was possible. The mother deflected and denied while claiming her daughter was manic depressive.

The entire film I felt myself urging the 18 year old to just leave, but relationships are complex and change is scary. There was love even in the alcoholism and abuse. The actress for the film was in the audience and was there for the question and answer session. She seemed so much older and mature in person. I guess that is the sign of a good actress. After the screening the theater had to be made ready for the awards ceremony. Stars had to be hung on the curtains. I stood outside and tried to recover from Stockton. It is a film that lingers and leaves you thinking. It was hard to shake.

The hosts for the awards ceremony where The Other Guys, a local comedy duo in red tuxedos. Most awards went to filmmakers who were not at the festival. Those awards were stacked up on an oval shaped table to the right. As I mentioned in a previous post the filmmakers for a music video called Infinite Battleground were seated next to me in the back row. Unfortunate they did not win, that honor went to Obsessed directed by Ashley Cherie Long. Obsessed got a good laugh when the singer suddenly woke up from a dream and found herself in a harvested cornfield.

Then came the Best Animated Film Award category. I was pleased to be nominated and they played what seemed like a good solid minute of the film. I kept sketching as the other animated films were shown. My fountain pen literally snapped in half over the movie screen in my sketch and a single blob of ink dripped on the screen before I could get a rag to stop the flow of ink. The winner of the best animated film category was Truth Detector, Directed by William Reliford. I finished this sketch in the airport with a sharpie, prismacolor pencil and watercolor.

COVID Dystopia: PPE Fashion Show

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The bottom line in the PPE fashion show is that the police wear several thousand dollars worth of PPE and weaponry while a nurse might get by with a garbage bag and home made plastic visor for as little as $27.

Mark Esper who was secretary of defense was told by then president Trump that he should have the military shoot protestors in the legs in the nation’s capitol. THe nation wide protests fired up after the murder of George Floyd by police which was captured on a cell phone video. Since Esper refused to follow the order from the commander in chief, he was fired with a tweet from the POTUS.

This scene had a depth map and very subtle animation of the angel wings rising. Nurses who lived through the height of the pandemic now refuse to wear masks to keep themselves and patients safe. Many went from being angels of mercy to angels of disease and death.

COVID Dystopia at Cordillera Film Festival in Reno

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COVID Dystopia will screen in Reno on September 27, 2024 at 10:30pm in the Music Videos and Party-Short Films Program #4. screening. The screening is at the Greater Nevada Field, 250 Evans Avenue, Reno, Nevada. I had hoped that the film might be shown on the jumbo tron under the stars, but the 1992 feature film A League of their Own starring Tom Hanks, Genna Davis  and Madonna, will be shown on that huge screen. The short films will be shown in a VIP  lounge upstairs inside the stadium building. Hopefully they will cobble together a decent screening room. If they screen it on a bed sheet with a tin can for a speaker,  I believe there will be tears. They say there is no crying at Film Festivals.

Festival organizers let me know that my art bag would not get through the stadium security. I’ll just have to pocket a few pencils and carry my sketchbook if I want to sketch. Art supplies are often a weapon that is hard to get through security.

Mygration Films Meet and Greet 2

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The first sketch I did of the Mygration Films meet and greet was done while the filmmakers were looking over the envelopes they had picked to learn about the subject of their documentaries. The room was quiet as they read and thought.

Once the artists entered the room and were introduced to the filmmakers the room buzzed to life. There was a definite excitement as plans were hatched for the following two days of shooting. Unfortunately I am not sure who the artists or the filmmaker was who was seated right in front of me. They stood in for all the excited conversations that were happening at all the tables in the room. I will learn the story about the creative people seated in front of me when the films are shown as part of the Global Peace Film Festival.

I introduced myself to the filmmakers at Stella’s table briefly but didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the conversation.  A creative marathon was about to begin. Mygration films will capture the stories of Central Floridians who came here from around the world in short 3 to 5 minute documentaries. The filmmakers had just 2 days to shoot the films. The title of the film about Stella Arbelaez is titled Path to Healing and I can’t wait to see how it turned out. The films will be shown on September 22, 2024 starting at 5PM at Afro TV, 7220 International Drive Orlando Fl. Tickets are $10. Stella’s wrote her story in Footprint Magazine should you want to read more and see some of her art. I am curious to see how such an epic story can be told in a 5 minute short.

 

Mygration Filmmaker Meet and Greet

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Stella Arbelaez let me know about a filmmaker meet and greet happening at Full Sail. Lori Turchin was running the event.

Fusion Fest was having filmmakers create short documentaries about local creatives. The films had to be shot over the course of 2 days. It was to be a fast marathon of creativity.

I arrived at Full Sail a bit early to start the sketch. Lori explained that pairing so many creatives was an arduous process. Filmmakers would meet their prospective subjects in the Tree House, which was a student lounge with a small stage up front. When a filmmaker would arrive they would meet Lori who had a series of numbered envelopes they could choose from. Each envelope contained the name of a local artist along with biographies and other pertinent information. The filmmakers sat at their tables and poured over the material in the envelope.

Stella explained that she did quite a bit of work prior to the meet and greet. She acquired permits for the shooting locations and UCF required a script, so she essentially build a script around the questions the filmmakers would be asking. The theme of Stella’s short would evolve around her love of nature and the sense of place the brought her back to Orlando where she put down roots. She knows who she is creatively and she knows what brings her joy.

Stella’s filmmakers, M.D. Elliot and Ethen Paonessa, came from Ringling and after this initial met and greet they went out for dinner to continue to plan the filming production. The following day Stella’s daughter arrived. Five hours of footage might be shot which would need to be edited down to 3-5 minutes.

One aspect of Stella’s story  of healing that really fascinated me was her decision to walk the full 1,500 mile length of the Florida Trail. She had a home made backpack. Her small dog followed her on the journey. Hikers on this trail often are given nicknames and hers became acorn. She met up with other hikers along the way and there is a sense of community among those who feel the drive to walk the length of the trail. When blisters halted her progress, other hikers carried her gear so she could keep moving forward. COVID hit when she had just 80 miles to go to complete the trail. The trail was shut down. The open air of the trail was probably the safest place to be, but she had to return to civilization. That final 80 miles stretch was completed much later when lock downs were lifted. A person’s strength and resolve is tested on such a journey, and a love of nature is given room to blossom. The trail will provide.

All of the short films, which are referred to as Mygration films, will be screened as part of the Global Peace Film Festival on Sunday September 22, 2024 at Afrotainment, 7220 International Drive Orlando Fl. The screenings start at 5pm. Tickets are $10. I will be there to cheer on my fellow Florida Creatives.

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COVID Dystopia is an Official Selection for the Orlando Film Festival

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I really didn’t think COVID Dystopia would ever be screened in Florida. There are so many scenes that feature Florida Governor Ron DeathSantis that I assumed any juror who is conservative would guarantee the film is never seen.

The Orlando Film Festival runs from October 28 to November 4, 2024. That means COVID Dystopia will be screened right before the November presidential election. The film also features many scenes of Trump’s failed COVID policies. This is, I am assuming, another reason many film festivals consider the short to be poison for the big screen.

A Rhode Island film festival organizer e-mailed to let me know that she contracted COVID-19 at the the in person screenings at the film festival. This meant that approvals for the festival had to be delayed while she recovered. I thought, that might mean that COVID Dystopia might have a better shot at approval, but the film was still side lined. People prefer to pretend that life has returned to normal even as they get repeatedly infected. Every film festival is a super spreader. One in 35 people are infected right now. We are just now starting to come down from a COVID wave that peaked in late August 2024. I think I am still a COVID virgin. Even though I take every precaution, I will likely become infected at one of these Film Festivals as I promote COVID Dystopia.

I am finishing up the design work on a 200 plus page book with over 600 COVID themed illustrations. If the copy editing is done by late October, I could publish the book in November of 2024. The COVID Dystopia book gives a more sweeping overview of everything that has happened in the ongoing pandemic. The short animated film would become a teaser to promote the book.

Charlotte Film Festival

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The schedule is out for the Charlotte Film Festival. COVID Dystopia will be screening in the Animated Shorts block on Saturday September 28, 2024 at 11am. at the Independent Film House, 4237 Raleigh Street, Charlotte, North Carolina. A general admission ticket is $12.

Unfortunately I can not get to Charlotte since I will still be in Reno Nevada at the Cordillia International Film Festival. COVID Dystopia will screen on September 27, 2024 at 5pm at the Greater Nevada Field 250 Evans Avenue Reno Nevada. I suspect it is being shown on a jumbo tron in the baseball field. I have to see what that looks like. If they have a dance party in the outfield that would be even better, but details are scarce.

I am sad I can’t get to Charlotte. I love that the animated short 8th Day is screening right after COVID Dystopia. 8th Day shows a world of animals all interconnected by colorful fibers. A dark fiber spreads taking over the world. Should anyone who helped in in producing COVID Dystopia want to go to the screening, let me know and I will arrange to get you my filmmaker pass.