CricketToes

Attention Filmmakers: Time for 48 Hours of Madness--Again!

2013-05-16T16:33:30-05:00

According to an equal mixture of reliable and not-so reliable sources, it takes anywhere from 9 days to 15 months to shoot the average 2 hour film, and 6 days to 3 weeks to shoot the average 7 minute short film/video. The main differences between a frantic, clipboard-throwing schedule and a leisurely, get-me-another-cocktail schedule is, of course, budget and the artistic flip-floppin' skills of the director.

But we know that real filmmakers don't need no stinkin' 6 days to shoot an awesome short film, don't we? Hell, they don't even need 3 days! All they need is 48 hours, and that includes shooting, editing, special effects, ADR--that's Additional Dialogue Recording or Automated Dialogue Replacement, depending on who you ask--and several trips to the liquor store. Am I right? Right on!

Well, for those of you who'd like to prove you/me/us correct to whole wide world, your chance has come in the form of the annual--surprise!--48 Hour Film Project, slated to take place June 14-16, 2013, right here in Milwaukee. Sweet short film/video gods be praised!

Early Bird Registration is now open for the fiscally responsible moving picture makers among us, saving them a precious $20, which they can squirrel away until the inevitable equipment failure happens at either the very convenient time of 3:27AM on Saturday morn or 7:16PM on Sunday night--psst, all films are due by 7:30PM Sunday.

So get on over to the website and register now for 48 Hours of Filmmaking Madness! And remember, kids, always check to see that your equipment is plugged in before ya think it's broken and ya freak out. If it is, freak away!

(Thanks, Jared!)

Finally, A TEDx Event Miltown-Style

2013-05-08T19:26:48-05:00

If you've been reading this here bloggity blog for a while and you haven't yet guessed that we're HUGE fans of a little organization known as TED--that's Technology, Entertainment, Design--well consider yourself admitted to the loop. Why are we HUGE fans? Because every year TED organizes gatherings of ginormously smart and talented folks representing a vast array of disciplines from around the planet for one purpose: To spread a highly contagious pathogen called "ideas"--be sure to re-read that if you missed the embedded snarky tone of air quotes 'cause it makes it sooo much "funnier."

Anyhoo, since its beginning in 1984--yeah, you heard me, Big Brother--TED has expanded its offerings mightily, taking full advantage of the ever growing power of the Internets™--most notably through its now gigantic video archive of TED Talks--and encouraging discussions, collaborations and cross-pollinations of all kinds. It also licenses groups who want to organize and present a TED-like conference through a program called TEDx. And that's where our shiny town comes in.

A local band of go-getters, whose names may or may not be familiar to ya--Jerome Knapp, Brent Gohde, Matt Richardson, Chuck Watson, David Howell, and Jeff Redmon--decided that they should organize a TEDx event Miltown-style for the first time ever. They read all the rules--which are fair and numerous--decided on an event type--Standard sounded good to them--brainstormed a riveting theme--STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Music)--came up with a snappy name--TEDxHarambee, a Milwaukee neighborhood as well as a Swahili word meaning "pulling together"--and submitted an application to TED. And wouldn't ya know it they got a thumbs-up and a license. Whoot!

And so it is that on Thursday, May 9, TEDxHarambee will take place in Milwaukee, presenting itself to a full room of 100 invite-only attendees from 12-4PM.

"What?!" I hear you cry. "What about the rest of us poor, invite-excluded bastards?" First of all, don't talk about yourself like that--leave it to those who don't know ya like I do. Second of all, you too can watch the event unfold by watching the live stream here. Feel a bit better? I knew you would.

If you're more of a gotta-be-with-the-peeps type, feel free to join the viewing party at Bucketworks, 706 South 5th Street. Doors open at 11:30am. Word has it you should bring food and beverage with ya to sustain your body and brain for the full 4 hours.

Presented by Made in Milwaukee and Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), info on speakers can be found on the TEDxHarambee site.

Fingers and synapses crossed that we'll get a renewal so more of us can attend in person next time!

(Thanks, Chuck!)

SPOILERS! Troy Freund & The Amazing Comic Book Exhibition

2013-05-02T10:05:25-05:00

Folks in and around Milwaukee who pay attention to the shutterbug shenanigans of local independent photogs--and there are plenty--know Troy Freund well. A good percentage of his work is for arts organizations and other non-profits, and he often donates his fine skills to worthy projects and causes, spreading the word on his blog, in eBlasts and on the young kids' fav communication tool known as social media.

But all positively satisfying work and no harmlessly self-indulgent play can make a person long for the days when ya had the time to bellyflop onto your bed, prop yourself up on your elbows, crisscross your ankles, and engross yourself in the latest issue of Green Arrow or X-Men or Casper the Friendly Ghost--you read it, you know it, just admit it already so we can move on, 'kay? 'Kay.

And so, in the interest of sharing his love of the comic book with the world--or at least with those within a reasonable traveling distance--Troy Freund presents SPOILERS, a comic book art exhibition running from May 4-24 at Z Chiropractic in Bay View.

During the kickoff event this Saturday, the very same day as the annual North American Free Comic Book Day--really, what are the odds?--illustrative artwork will be on display and several actors will read scenes from a variety of titles, including Daredevil, Swamp Thing, Preacher, and others. These thespians are, in alphabetical order and not in order of oratory prowess or vocal timbre, Terrence Donohue, Lisa England, Derek Freund, Jeff Ganger, Jamie Jastrab, Joanne Helmers, Jason Krukowski, Lisa Moldenhauer-Rasmussen, and Scott Radtke.

Of particular note is Lisa England's appearance as she is the Miltown author of Rise of the Tiger, a graphic fantasy/adventure/steampunk/dystopia/horror--no lie--novel that she's releasing in a serialized format on the web. Check it out, kids, 'cause it's pretty damn good!

When asked if the actors would be going full method by dressing their parts, Freund replied, "The actors will not be in costume... the emphasis will be on the scripting. There really is some great writing in comic books and this reading will be a way to draw attention to that. We're not aiming for camp--we're aiming at strong (super heroic, and character) drama."

Okay, right on, being a word nerd I'm all for that, but I'm fairly sure I'm not alone in believing that a dash o' camp at an event like this is not only super fun, it is absolutely necessary. So all you comic book hero/villain lovers are hereby authorized to bring it yourself. And when I say bring it, I mean BRING IT!

The SPOILERS exhibition opening day runs from 11AM to 5PM on Saturday, May 4 at Z Chiropractic, 2331 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue. Can't make it that day? Well you can come by any Tuesday or Thursday from 12-6PM until the closing reception on Friday, May 24 from 5-8PM.

Also, before, during or after the opening, head across to the street to Collector's Edge Comics to get two free comic books just for stopping in. They've also mentioned on their site that persons donned in "comic book theme apparel" might score more, so that's another reason to BRING IT!

(Thanks, Troy!)

The Art of Making Art from Other People's Moments

2013-04-17T13:11:52-05:00

The practice of gathering 'round to view images from your friend's trip to Idaho or Aunt Flo's cruise to Mexico while you struggle to keep your eyes open has a long and boring history. Super cool advances in technology have replaced the bulky, prone to overheating slide projectors, making the presenter yell the wheres and whens over the laboring noise of the fan, but they haven't replaced our universal desire to flee from the scene because, after all, we weren't there so why should we care? This self-centered sentiment, of course, is quickly balanced by an overwhelming feeling of guilt, and we stay and we sit, offering up agreeable little comments, like, "Ya know, you're right. That giant rock does look like Elvis."

Knowing all this, why then would two artists decide that projecting the images taken by total strangers in an apartment would make for an awesome installation? I mean, if the only thing keeping us focused on Auntie's multitude of finger-intruded slides is the emotional connection we have with her, what would keep us watching slides produced by folks we don't even know?

The answer to both of those questions can found at the point where natural curiosity and the creation of art intersect. It is a human trait that when we have the luxury of emotional distance from other people our default setting is to simply ignore them--there is no familiarity, no connection. But we can choose to override that automatic response and instead center our attention on these unfamiliars, which innately leads us to pose questions and to speculate about who they are or were.

The one-night only Gene and Joan in Lodi, etc. installation, created by Susie Seidelman and Anna Helgeson, made up of found slides purchased at Milwaukee area estate sales, thrift stores and rummage sales, gives us just such an opportunity.

When asked about the main impetus for showing these found slides through a dozen projectors scattered around an apartment, Seidelman gave me this answer:

I've always wanted to do it this way. These images were taken because, for whatever reason, they mattered. There was something in the shot worth saving, worth using a frame of slide film to capture (which, let us remind ourselves, was a more weighty and costly decision than the one we face while shooting digitally). But then, for whatever reason, they were discarded. I see a parallel between the physical discarding of these slides/my subsequent purchasing, and the process of making, revising and losing memories. This is fascinating to me, and I've always thought the best way to explore this parallel would be through an installation in a living space, because these are the places we spend our lives. In a way, and this is morbid but still true, I've always thought of these slides as clinging to life. So when I think about an appropriate staging for their presentation, I think about what it must be like at the end of a person's life. I've always figured it's probably a bit confusing, with rapid-fire memories moving in and out. This might be disturbing or comforting, depending on the memory, maybe, or the person. That's how I envision this show--rapid-fire, probably a bit confusing, and both comforting and disturbing. There's a lot here, and I like the experience of having it all come at the viewer at once.

Phew! Now that's deep, kids, and in a totally fantastic way. And may I just say that it is this kind of intellectual curiosity married with honest emotional inquiry that makes for art worth experiencing.

Gene and Joan in Lodi, etc. will be on display this Friday, April 19, from 8-11pm at 2007 N. Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee. Just look for the way-findings signs that will guide you past your default setting.

(Thanks, Susie!)

Find The Promised Land On Teevee

2013-04-10T12:48:59-05:00

Before we get to the the whoot worthy news contained in this post, let's get one thing out of the way: The world of children's entertainment is chockfull of mindless, mega-hyper tripe crafted to pander to every kid's uncontrollable attraction to anything that provides immediate emotional/physical satisfaction without regard to quality of content. Since it is the adult crowd that creates said tripe, it is certainly not the fault of the young ones because folks who have lived long enough to actually possess a matured brain in their pans should know better, right? Right.

Those facts being true, it is a wholly magnificent thing when a theater company continually presents works that actually convey deep human emotion and utilize history to give the knee-, elbow- and shoulder-biter audience members the invaluable gift theater is meant to give, which is the cathartic experience.

Just such a company is Milwaukee's First Stage. For 26 years, First Stage has been presenting and developing thoughtful, young-mind-growing and, yes, entertaining theater productions without pandering. And they have never shied away from topics deemed to be too sticky or uncomfortable, such as race, whether the audience be 8 or 80 years old. And here it comes--Whoot!

Other organizations have definitely taken notice of First Stage's great work and one, Milwaukee Public Television (MPTV), has smartly decided to help the company spread that greatness to a wider audience, including you.

On April 19 at 8PM, MPTV will air To The Promised Land on Channel 10. This play, originally presented by First Stage in January and February of this year, portrays the story of a young African-American girl named Ruth living in Civil Rights era Milwaukee. Through learning about the life of Golda Meir, the former Milwaukee resident who grew up to become Israel’s first female prime minister, Ruth discovers a way to deal with the loss of her brother and finds a path to her own promised land. Now that's what we call real theater for everybody!

Tune-in on April 19, you kids of all ages, and get your catharsis on.

(Thanks, Erica!)

The Future Of Animation: Crazy Apples And One Sad Banana

2013-03-27T11:23:15-05:00

I have no idea how I missed this back in 2011, but this animation short created by a crew of teenagers in the ArtWorks program at the Milwaukee Art Museum is absotootly trippy:

Hahaha!! That's fantasterrific!

Take note, Adult Swim: These kids have all the skills to blow a whole new generation of minds.

Reggie Watts At TED = Much Needed Hilarity

2013-03-20T09:51:09-05:00

Ya know what we need? We need a timeout from all things painfully serious by gettin' ourselves some seriously wacky laughs, courtesy of Reggie Watts at TED2012:

Phew, that felt good!

Words & Images: A Conversation

2013-03-13T08:34:00-05:00

Something's happening over at Tumblr. Something that makes me want to use adverb + adjective phrases like "oddly delightful," "playfully cryptic," "strangely gemütlich"--using a German thesaurus on occasion is not a crime people! This something is called shutters/dead ends/lens/pens--all in lowercase, thank you--and it's a something y'all should check out now and continue to take a peek at for the foreseeable future.

This collaborative project is the virtual brainchild of two Miltown artists, writer David Press and visual artist/photographer William Zuback, the latter of whom has been so prolific over recent years he's earned himself several posts on this here bloggity blog as well as attention from other media outlets.

So the way shutters/dead ends/lens/pens works is this: David posts prose and William replies with a photo, then William posts a photo and David replies with prose, and back and forth and forth and back it goes until both their minds are spent and the whole of the Interwebs explodes! Okay, that last part is a wee bit of an exaggeration but that's why you keep comin' back here, right? Don't deny it.

Thus far they've posted two conversations and David is now waiting--as are we all--for William's reply--it's been a whole day, so come on already! I must say that Chapter Three's prose reads like an argument between Hemingway and Faulkner, with Will getting impatient with Papa's short, sharp shock style and just taking over, churning out words with absolutely no punctuation and a gigantic sigh of relief. Strangely gemütlich, really.

(Thanks, Bill!)

Old-Timey Skills Are The Wave Of The Future

2013-03-06T08:46:00-06:00

We don't often blog up happenings, er, happening in our fair state's capital of Madison--there's just so much going on in Miltown, why look anywhere else, eh?--so when we do ya know it's not only gonna be off the hook, as the young kids used to say, it's gonna totally snap the line, as fishermen and women of all ages still say!

So y'all know about the rise of the DIY movement over the past ten years or so, much of it comprised of well-meaning and sincere folks, a subset of whom sometimes make ya feel funny 'cause they are so well-meaning and sincere, right? Sure ya do. But did ya know that there was a time looong ago when everybody was a DIYer and nobody gave each other funny feelings--at least not about that--'cause they were DIYing as a matter of survival? No? Yes? Answer me! Oh right, I can't hear ya--hehe!

Well, know it or not, the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters wants to show you--and anybody else ya wanna bring--the genuine DIY art of fine craftspeople from all over the state in an exhibit they're callin' Vital Skills. And a truer name could not have been chosen.

From knife making to old-school letterpress printing, blacksmithing to canoe building, these artisans apprentice for years on end and are still hesitant to call themselves Master after decades of practice and refinement. These folks are the epitome of DIY and they'll outwit us all when society collapses under the weight of its own sense of self-importance! But don't worry, they'll be super nice about it.

How can you see this impressive display of equal parts old-timey and futuristic craft? Go to the James Watrous Gallery, 201 State Street on the 3rd Floor in Madison, on Friday, March 8 from 5:30-7:30PM for the opening reception. Or, if you skidded your horse and buggy into a snow bank and neither of 'em will move, you can stop by anytime until Sunday, May 5, 2013.

Now go and learn yourself somethin'. It'll make ya feel a whole lot better about the coming apocalypse. Hooray for that!

Link (Thanks, Jody!)

Bring Your Own Artistic Creature To Life In The DanceLAB--Mwahahaha!

2013-02-27T08:48:00-06:00

The process of artsy creation is always complicated and always messy, and anybody who tells ya different has never gotten his/her brain dirty--all right now, y'all know what I mean, sheesh! In the most obvious yet poignant metaphor in English literature, Mary Shelly told us so in her Gothic novel Frankenstein--a.k.a The Modern Prometheus. While she narrates nearly nothing of what must surely be a gruesome procedure of animating inanimate matter, we gather all too well that the process of bringing a new creation into this world is filled with both wonder and terror. Ask any mom--she'll tell ya that plus more than ya ever wanted to know!

So if that's the case, if it's so damn tricky and scary to create, why do we do it at all? Fair question, kids. Ya gotta be at least half off your nut to even try, right? Well, yes, but being half off your nut just means you're human, so that's no excuse, and being human means you not only try in spite of the tricky/scary but because of the tricky/scary, right? Right on!

In that spirit, Danceworks invites you and the artistic partner of your choice to apply for participation in its DanceLAB Art to Art 2013, an experimental performance event featuring works created by multiple two-artist teams who practice different disciplines. It's an artsy cross-pollination hootenanny!

One stipulation: One member of each team should be a choreographer or at least know a little sumpin' sumpin' about choreography. Pretty sure dancing along with the Glee gang in your living room doesn't count, but if you got the gumption and a high level of what-the-hell attitude, I'm not gonna tell ya you can't apply.

For the rest of you in film, music, theatre and visual arts, all you gotta do is find yourself one of those fancy dance types to partner with and you're good to go. Easy peasy!

Go to the Danceworks website to download the Art to Art 2013 application--it's under the DanceLAB tab--so you can face the wonder and the terror together!

(Thanks, Elyse!)