One Night At The Neon



Neon Cinema - October 30, 2010


A few nights ago, I went to the Neon Cinema in Dayton, Ohio, where they were showing the zombie movie "Revelation" and a few other short independent local films. The prologue trailer for my brother's new film "The State" was in the line-up, as were a film shot down the street from me, a short comedy filmed in downtown Cincinnati, a short, brutal film shot at Wright Pat AFB, the trailer for a weird turtle movie, and a webisode that starred a guy I work with!

I was thrilled that the small cinema was nearly full. Everyone in the audience had some connection to one of the films. I recognized several moviegoers as actors on the screen. Some of the people in the theater were directors and writers. Others were involved in make-up and production. It was a roomful of enthusiastic supporters and we all cheered each other on for our attempts on the big screen. It was such a safe environment. It reminded me of my writing group; a safe place where we can all share our stories and ideas without fearing rejection. The same was true in that theater.

Some of the films were more polished than others, but what an appreciative audience! We were each studying the cinematography, the lighting, the acting, etc.. We all had a personal connection. We saw things we liked or might want to try in the future. We saw what worked and what didn't, and how we could apply new techniques in our own work. It was a wonderful collaboration of minds. So much creativity here in Cincinnati and Dayton!

The full line-up included:
"Bubbly"  - directed by Josh Flowers & e.E. Charlton-Trujillo
"The State" - Itzahobby Productions - Troy Berry, Jeremy Johnson and Ryan Wetz
"Turtle Heat" - produced by Zachary Shierloh
"Fallen (The Revolution)" webisode #7 - http://www.fallentheseries.com/
"Destroyer" - directed by Rocky Smith
"Intangible" - directed by Josh Flowers
"Revelation" and "The Making of Revelation" - directed by Will Graver

I loved it all. What a great evening. I hope I find more opportunities to experience local efforts like those on the big screen  that day.