Films and Projects by Stephen Stanley
I had the great pleasure of recording an episode of Filmback TV. I met Claire when my short premiered at Macon Film Festival and was able to catch up with her later and discuss my filmmaking, my time in the industry, and advice for people just starting out on their creative journeys. Check it out here (link to the podcast at bottom of page).
I’m very excited to bring Spark to the LA Short Film Fest. It’s my third time bringing a film here and it’s always a wonderful experience. More info on the program is here and if you’re in LA I’d love to see you there!
I couldn’t be more proud that This Is Not A Club will make its festival premiere at Newport Beach Film Fest! The doc features Chris Pine narrating and tells the story of an amazing group of young people competing in high school Speech Club (also known as Forensics to those of you back home in the South). Here’s a clip from the film:
This is Not a Club: Clip 1 from Ari Levinson on Vimeo.
We’re nearing a rough cut on the film. Click here for an update from Kickstarter with stills from the shoot:
I’m excited to serve as a juror, and feel like I’m in fine company!
From LA Shorts, the 2013 Jury:
Derek Connolly | Screenwriter
Derek Connolly is currently writing Second Act for Alexander Payne’s company Ad Hominem and Fox Searchlight, which is his first solo project since winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Safety Not Guaranteed. The film was released by FilmDistrict. Derek is also co-writing Jurassic Park 4 with Colin Trevorrow for Universal Pictures. He co-wrote Intelligent Life for Big Beach Films, and also co-wrote Flight of the Navigator and Hank with Colin, both at Disney. He spent a year writing for Pixar in the Bay Area before moving back to Los Angeles. Derek grew up in Miami before attending film school at NYU.
Stephen Stanley | Ketchup Enterainment
Stephen Stanley has a broad background in independent film finance and distribution. He is currently Head of Acquisitions at US Distributor Ketchup Entertainment, where he has overseen the development of the company’s initial slate. Prior to joining Ketchup, he spent five years at The Gersh Agency working within Gersh’s Film Finance and Distribution division, where he assisted in the sale of a diverse array of titles and helped to package and structure multiple features. Stephen received an MFA in Film and Television Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007. Continue reading “LA Shorts Fest 2013 Jury Announced”
From Comics Alliance
Yep. Marijuanaman. Reggae star Ziggy Marley, son of Bob Marley, is part of a joint effort with artist Jim Mahfood to produce a pot-powered superhero coming to stores on – you guessed it – April 20 of 2011. What’s more, Ziggy’s coming to San Diego Comic-Con International for a special poster smoking signing.
Ziggy’s new superhero, Marijuanaman, is from a planet that is in desperate need of THC. Marijuanaman seeks to save Earth’s marijuana fields from destruction by the drug company PharmeXon, and thus saving his home planet from destruction.
To be blunt, Image’s hullabaloo over a certain other celebrity comic left a less-than stellar taste in my mouth at last year’s Comic-Con. I just wasn’t really high on how things turned out. Judging from the involvement of Casey and Mahfood, however, Marley’s “Marijuanaman,” seems like it could produce a much more potent (and enjoyable) reading experience.
Read More: Ziggy Marley to Introduce Marijuanaman at Comic-Con | http://comicsalliance.com/ziggy-marley-marijuanaman-image-comics/?trackback=tsmclip
From Connect Savannah
STEPHEN STANLEY’S entry in the Savannah Film Festival sounds like it might also be at home as a skit from the Dave Chappelle Show. His lovingly satirical 15-minute homage to the long-form music vids of the early MTV era involves a toy store and a popular late ‘80s R‘n’B group. We spoke to Stanley recently about the film.
What happens in Push?
Stephen Stanley: You have eight ordinary people in a toy store, and suddenly the whole scene morphs into dance video for Salt ‘n’ Pepa’s “Push It.” We set it up so the lyrics would be the actual dialogue of film. There are two characters named Salt and Pepa, and that of course leads into the lyrics. It’s just a fun exercise meant to mimic the long-form videos of the ‘80s, where things suddenly transform from a story into a music video. For me it’s a way to let normal people get to experience this world where things suddenly burst into music.
That constantly happens in classic musicals like West Side Story or The Sound of Music, when all of a sudden they start singing.
Stephen Stanley: We looked at some of those conventions. I love all the grand Hollywood musicals.
Most student films don’t have a cast as large as yours in Push.
Stephen Stanley: All the films I’ve made somehow end up with ensemble casts. Logistically it was hard. You certainly have to run a tight ship to keep that many people in focus. We filmed it all in real time, all in one room. The first ten minutes of the movie starts with two people, and then you end up with eight or nine as more and more people enter the scene as the song gets going. That created some challenges in terms of continuity. Continue reading “Interview with Connect Savannah About “Push””
From Chris Davis, Memphis Flyer
Thursday, October 28th
Six Days in the Life of Mims
This second feature from Rocketinaditch Productions (Memphians Stephen Stanley and Boris Triko: both wrote and produced, Stanley directed and edited, and Triko was the director of photography) improves on their engaging debut, the political satire Slick Lily Vs. the Grand Canyon, which played Indie Memphis in 2001.
Stanley Johnson is extremely likable as Mims, a Dean Martin-like character who spends his days hanging out with friends and sucking down martinis made by his ever-present butler Starky. Upon learning from street preacher Elijah that the Rapture is coming in five days, Mims and his coterie of eccentrics decide to celebrate with a big party.
Six Days in the Life of Mims has some of the inside jokiness common to low-budget films made among friends, but that spirit of camaraderie is also a strength. The film is odd, funny, and generous in a manner similar to the films of Wes Anderson, with the climactic party scene here (where the Reigning Sound are the band!) rhyming with the one that ends Rushmore. The five-day countdown and clearly drawn cast of sidekicks (each with a distinct problem) give the film a strong structure. Of particular note is Talbot Fields, who is quite funny in a dual role as Elijah and Mims’ hobo friend Bums. (Overheard bar-talk from Bums: “I thought, what did I need with two testicles? So I bought my drink a drink and I got out of there.”)
