Director's Statement – Vacant Era

Dear Crookedlp.com,

Sorry for postponing our pertinent sessions. A lot has happened during the month of October making our beneficial conversations tentative but not obsolete. In the end all be all, you are number one on my to-do-list.

As a site you have evolved into an informational catalyst for the Crooked Lake Productions brand; something I can safely say with conviction I am proud of. You are growing well with more than many updates to come in the future. If you have any suggestions to enhance the mechanics and aesthetics of crookedlp.com, feel free to post your comments or contact our Webmaster Nate, also known as NRV, Crookedlp’s surrogate father.

The Journey

Early in October before the Seattle leaves had fully turned color and form I traveled to Norman, Oklahoma for the Vacant Era Film Festival. Vacant Era was one of many festivals to officially select our Crooked Lake produced short “Emerald City.” I had no idea what to expect; the thought of Oklahoma was a very foreign one. “Emerald City” has seen many different continents, countries, and metropolitan cities. I personally like to consider myself “well traveled” but a place like Oklahoma seemed more distant than close. The following lists key points to my thinking Pre-Vacant-Era:

Number One: Oklahoma is known politically as a red state. My film (like myself) is far from red.

Number Two: Moore is the neighboring town to Norman. Moore is the home of Toby Keith.  Toby Keith is of Country music fame. My film is about the feelings of a hip-hop artist.

Number Three: Norman is the capital of “Sooner College Football;” I am from Dawg territory with an allegiance to the Badgers.

Number Four: I’m a city slicker but alas I have a country heart and Midwest roots and the festival fit the criteria…

The Criteria

We made Emerald City with goals in mind to take a film with hip-hop connotations to communities that wouldn’t be accustomed to the urban subject matter, i.e. Wales, London, Sydney Australia, France.  Unfortunately my pocket book almost always fights with my ambition; naturally my artist’s budget couldn’t afford the international airfare. The movie went overseas while I stayed home. Norman, Oklahoma worked with my goals and made it possible for me to watch my film with Norman’s Oklahomoian environment not just once but three times!

The People

I traveled with Seattle painter and friend Dustie, Dustie’s significant other Kevin, who is also my good friend, and their teenage son Gaige. Dustie was showcasing her latest collection at Vacant Era.

- Dustie treats canvases like a hedonist treats life; vibrant, full, extreme and passionate.  It was a pleasure to travel with this family of artists. -

We flew into Norman October second, checked into our separate rooms and rushed to the festival’s opener. That is where I got to meet the producer and creator of 1962’s “Stark Fear,Ned Hockman.”
(Charles Nedwin “Ned” Hockman began his motion picture career as a combat cameraman during World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps Motion Picture Production Unit then made his first and only film “Stark Fear”)

It is rumored that Hockman walked off the set of “Stark Fear” after differences with the cast and producers and that co-star Skip Homeier finished directing the film.

Regardless, credited Director Ned Hockman stood in front of us eighty-eight years old filled with life and eager to talk cinema. To the untrained eye Hockman’s excitement would have one thinking he had another eighty-eight years in front of him.

The festival filmmakers gathered at Coaches for live music that would push through the rest of the four days of the festival. It was at Coaches that I met future friends Richard, Cyra and Crystal from Chicago; Ashley from Palm Beach and town locals Elizabeth, Corey and Meleah.

We philosophized, conversed and drank. We had the chance to talk films and each other’s works before actually screening each other’s films making the theater experience much more intimate.

The Films

There were well over 50 films and numerous filmmakers for the four-day event but it was the names listed above that I talked with the most.

Mass Romantic

Directed By: Richard Paro

The “Chicagolites” created a film that tore me apart and put me back together again. I admire their talent and am inspired by their techniques; they created a film that makes real-life-dialogue sound scripted.Ashley showed deep passion for visual metaphors and symbolism. I haven’t seen that much excitement and love for movie making from a creator in a long time.

I saw an amazing flick called “Okie Noodling 2!” Remind me to get a copy off of Amazon; they catch 150 pound Catfish using their hands as bait!

My film ended up screening three times in the beautiful monument that is “Sooner Theater.” The first time was a private screening with hosts of the year Kevin and Dustie. Kevin gave me the greatest compliment of my life when he compared “Emerald City” to the written pages of Ernest Hemingway.

I first screened for the public on Saturday.  Oklahoma greeted me in the lobby after the screening with my newly made friends and made me feel a sense of completion with a job well done. Watching my film on an actual theater screen was one of the most liberating experiences of my life. I felt the satisfaction of painting with light on a widescreen canvas.

The Ride

The real ride however was meeting the filmmakers behind the film and creating bonds that will develop relationships for years to come. Vacant Era year one was a success in numerous ways and I cannot wait to see what Norman will be coming with next year. I saw films from multiple filmmakers, I knew the films and I found Norman.

With that being said, Crookedlp.com, I cannot let this feeling escape; I have started pre-production for my next budgeted film “PHOENIX FALLING.” The film has had me interviewing geneticists, doctors, and piles of books for my latest dramatic, Science Fiction project. But that story is for another day. I will tell you all about it next time. Until then, hugs kiss and safe wishes.

Photos of Sooner Theater Pre-opening.

Photos of Sooner Theater Pre-opening.

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