“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre“, my short film musical Edgar Allan Poe classic short story adaptation (intake of breath) will screen Feb 4 on line. Co-producer Henry Borriello and editor Stolis Hadjicharalambous will join Ed and me (co-producers and co-actors and husbands) for a Q&A after the screening. More on all that soon.
NEW UPDATE: 12/7/22 – The new time for the Horror Island Film Festival has been posted. December 31st. Looks to be the same location as before.
It can now be part of your jet setting New Year’s Eve extravaganza:
31 Dec, 19:00 – 23:50
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
C. República Dominicana, 18, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spagna
UPDATE: So, right after I posted this, I got an email from festival director Domiziano Christopharo that “due to logistic problem the fest is delayed”, with the screenings to take place “in another location in the end of December.” So, stay tuned for that and don’t hop onto your private jet for Gran Canaria just yet.
INITIAL POST: So, if you happen to be in the Canary Islands this Friday, or happen to be a jet setter for whom a weekend jaunt to the Canary Islands on the fly seems like a great idea, you can catch my short film musical Edgar Allan Poe classic short story adaptation “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” screening as part of the Horror Island film festival:
02 Dec, 19:00 – 23:50
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria,
C. República Dominicana, 18, 35010 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spagna
I woke up early, still on New York time, the Sunday morning of my Skiptown Film Festival visit in LA. The actors panel I was participating in was scheduled for 1pm, so I had time to play tourist on Hollywood Boulevard and check out the stars of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Dolby Theater, home of the Oscars, and the celebrity cement hand and foot prints at the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Plus a view of the iconic Hollywood sign.
The metro station at Hollywood and Vine is rather splendid. The subway itself, on an early Sunday morning, is populated with many who apparently spent the night in the train…
I started on the south side of Hollywood Boulevard, walking West from Vine.
Seems somehow fitting that Mary Pickford and Amy Adams are neighbors.
“Driving Miss Daisy”‘s Jessica Tandy just across from “Do the Right Thing”‘s Spike Lee.
The Apollo 11 astronauts are honored at every corner of this intersection.
For the time being, Frank Borzage has to bear the indignity of being obscured under scaffolding.
Bogie will show off even better later at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
Scott C. Biery from Guru Reviews interviewed me in conjunction with “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” screening at the Spooky Empire Film Festival in Orlando, where my musical Edgar Allan Poe adaptation won an award for music and was nominated for its special effects.
The video of Scott’s interviews is up exclusively on YouTube. You can watch it by clicking HERE. My interview starts at the 12:38 mark and runs through 30:29.
I’ll get to that, but let’s rewind a bit, and start at last Saturday’s screening for my musical short film adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story.
I arrived at the Skiptown Playhouse just off Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood about 10 minutes before the screening of the shorts block that included “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”, having touched down at LAX only a few hours earlier. As you can see, the Skiptown Playhouse gives off a very Indie Burlesque-chic / Downtown vibe, something this New York off-off-Broadway veteran is very comfortable with. The film festival featured a high quality selection of Indie shorts and features from filmmakers from all over the world. Many came from even further away than New York, like Montreal, London, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome …
The couple in front of me, I later learned, came from Amsterdam. I quietly and surreptitiously sneaked a few shots from the beginning of P&P’s screening, including of the logo of Ed’s and my production company, and my first scene…
At the conclusion of my Edgar Allan Poe musical, one woman blurted out “Wow!”, which felt even better than the applause. We met later and hit it off very well (not only because she liked P&P so much) – her feature film ended up sweeping the feature length film awards in the festival – I’ll share more on all that further down this post.
After “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” concluded that screening block of shorts I got up on stage for a Q&A with two fellow filmmakers who shared the bill; at left Jean-Luc Servino, all the way from Rome, who presented his whimsical short “I Fell in Love with a Balloon”; and next to him Will Grave, from London, whose achingly lovely “The Last Jack O’ Lantern” required the carving of something like 90 pumpkins to produce. All our films rely heavily on music.
The next day I participated in an Actor’s Panel. That’s Olga Montes next to me. She’s the “Wow!” lady. Her husband and co-star in the movie Scarpedicemente, John Vamvas, is at right.
Central Park was in fall splendor this recent November Monday as I walked from Sheep Meadow through to the Plaza at the 5th ave / 59 Street exit, but the hot sun and blue sky framed the autumnal scene in a nearly incongruous summery light.
There will be three opportunities to attend a screening of
“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”
coast to coast in the next 10 days.
plus an on-line screening opportunity
1st chance – NYC – 11/11
“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” is helping kick off the first night of the CK Film Festival this Friday, Nov 11, in Long Island City, Queens. I will be there. [UPDATE: the festival decided to show my film again the following Sunday.]
CK Film Festival is dedicated to “creating an exclusive, safe and interactive yet intimate screening experience for filmmakers and artists alike. We denounce the “gatekeepy” nature of festivals and welcome a wide array of unique styles from Animation to Narrative Shorts to experimental Features & more.
We look forward to sharing some beautiful & memorable nights with you and the 30+ film’s from around the world!”
The next day, Nov 12, “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” is playing in Los Angeles at the Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival, at 5pm at The Cat’s Crawl theater at 660 N Heliotrope Drive. Yes, I will be there too, having just flown in earlier that day from NY!
And then it’s back to NYC for me in time to attend the P&P screening Wednesday, Nov 16, 6:30pm for The Short Film Awards AKA The SOFIE Awards. All the nominees for Best Styling will be showcased in the same screening block at The Producer’s Club Theaters, 358 W 44th Street.
Incidentally, “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” is nominated for 2 SOFIE awards, Best Actor and Best Styling, with the awards event taking place Nov 18 at Symphony Space.
4. Chance – On-line until 11/27
Meanwhile, the Artist’s Forum Festival for the Moving Image, where “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” recently swept the awards winning five out of seven nominations, has moved its festival program on-line through November 27. You will find “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” closing REFLECTIONS: PROGRAM 3.
If you choose to watch P&P on your laptop, I recommend using ear buds for a more effective, immersive sound experience.
Notes from a Composer 