COM 493--Cleveland and Film Seminar
Instructor:  Prof. Kim Neuendorf  (k.neuendorf@csuohio.edu)
Term:  Spring 2001

Date:  5/4/01

Announcements!!!  Please read!


Course Materials:

1.  Schedule of events--click here

2.   Syllabus and other important documentation:
        a.  Course Syllabus
        b.  Film Festival Analysis Assignment
        c.  Addendum to Feedback on Individual Journals
        d.  Imaging Cleveland Assignment

3.  Master list of class Questions for Guests



4.  Required readings

    a.  "Cleveland on Film," The Plain Dealer, 1991

    b.  "Projecting the Right Image," The Plain Dealer, 1995

    c.  "Interview with David Wittkowsky" from The Film Festival Guide, 1998

    d.  "Stranger Than Paradise and the First Golden Age" from
        Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes, John Pierson, 1995

    e.  "Roger and Michael and Me" from Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes,
        John Pierson, 1995

    f.  "Go, Ohio!  A powerhouse home team heads for Sundance Festival,"
        The Plain Dealer, 2001--Robert Banks has a short film at Sundance!

    g.  Read about Jason Tomaric and the progress of his digital feature "One"
        in several Plain Dealer articles:
        March 25, 1998
        September 4, 1998
        November 28, 1999
        August 3, 2000

    h.  Read about Cleveland Film Society/Cleveland International Film Festival
        Executive Director David Wittkowsky in several Plain Dealer articles:
        A Sunday Magazine bio., May 11, 1997
        Going to Sundance, January 21, 1999
        On the state of gay cinema, August 15, 1999

      i.  "Lights, camera--Cleveland!", The Plain Dealer, January 2001

    j.  "Screening Meemies," Cleveland Scene, January 2001

    k.  Films with area locations (from the Internet Movie Database, IMDb):
        Films with a Cleveland location (n=40)
        Films with a Cleveland Heights location (n=2)
        Films with a Municipal Stadium location (n=2)

    l.  "Manchild in the Promised Land," The Plain Dealer, January 2001

    m.  "A Feast of Pop Culture," a March 2001 cover story from
        Northern Ohio Live featuring the Cleveland Film Festival's
        25th anniversary. . . and with distinctive photos of
        David Wittkowsky.

    n.  Several articles tracing the founding of the Greater Cleveland
        Film Commission by Chris Carmody:
        Crain's Cleveland Business, January 5, 1998
        The Plain Dealer, March 25, 1998
        The Plain Dealer, March 25, 1999

    o.  Two articles that report on Michael Whitely's activities post-"Shooting Star":
        The Plain Dealer, March 21, 1999
        AP wire, December 26, 2000

    p.  News about Ford Agency director Karen Fields, and her three
        sons' Hollywood activities:
        The Plain Dealer, February 2, 1997
        The Plain Dealer, March 14, 1999
        The Plain Dealer, July 19, 2000

    q.  The Film Commission Perspective--materials supplied by Lesley Ward,
        Vice President of Film Commission Services for the Greater Cleveland
        Media Development Corporation, Greater Cleveland's Film Commission:
        GCMDC's Northern Ohio Filmography
        Crain's Cleveland Business, September 18-24, 2000
        The Plain Dealer, June 10, 2000
        Location Update, July 1999
        New York Times, May 18, 1998
        Film and Video, January 1999
        Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 9, 1997

    r.  Two sources that show the important contributions of Jonathan Forman
        to the Cleveland film scene:
        "Jon Forman's Baby Turns 25" (provided by Mr. Forman, from the
            Plain Dealer, March 9, 2001)
        The Plain Dealer, December 31, 1999 (the PD selects Mr. Forman
            as one of "those who have shaped our lives" at the end of the millenium)

    s.  Materials provided by John Ewing, demonstrating the significance
        of the Cleveland Cinematheque to the regional film scene:
        "Film for All," Cleveland Institute of Art magazine (date unknown)
        Cleveland Edition, July 30, 1987
        Cleveland Magazine, October 1995

    t.  Article that describes an example of the type of jobs done by
        Cinecraft--a corporate video for Ernst and Young:
        Crain's Cleveland Business, April 6, 1998

    u.  Articles about the evolution of the Ohio Independent Film Festival
        (from its early days as the Off-Hollywood Flick Fest):
        The Plain Dealer, March 27, 1997
        Crain's Cleveland Business, May 29, 2000

    v.  "Breaking news"!!
        1.    "Proximity" premieres on Cinemax (The Plain Dealer, April 14, 2001)
        2.    Robert Banks' works are featured in a retrospective at the
                Cinematheque (The Plain Dealer, April 21, 2001)
        3.    David Wittkowsky resigns as head of the Cleveland Film Society
                (The Plain Dealer, April 20, 2001)

    w.  Joanna Connors of the PD chronicles the "Welcome to Collinwood" shoot:
        The Plain Dealer, April 15, 2001
        The Plain Dealer, April 21, 2001

    x.  IMAGING CLEVELAND Movie Reviews, by The Class
        (REQUIRED reading; make a special entry in your journal about the reviews
        as a body of work)

more to come. . . ?



5.  Links

    a.  Cleveland Film Society & Cleveland Filmmakers

    b.  Ohio Independent Film Festival

    c.  Greater Cleveland Film Commission/Greater Cleveland Media Development Corporation

    d.  Pittsburgh Filmmakers

    e.  Cleveland Cinematheque

    f.  Internet Movie Database

    g.  MDI

    h.  Films by Robert Banks  as featured at Opensewer.com

    i.  Jason Tomaric and the production of the digital feature "One":
        Jason Tomaric's website
        The Digital Post Production site has a feature story on "One"
        The Force Net (Star Wars fan site) has bogus story on "One"!

    j.  Guerrilla Productions (Bruce Pattison's company) produces
        "niche" digital videos and markets them straight-to-video

    k.  Ohio Film Commission (look under "Picture Ohio" to find lists of
        films shot predominantly in Ohio and celebrities who came from Ohio)

    l.  ifilm.com is a clearinghouse for "films" presented and/or promoted
        via the Internet--Bruce Pattison asks that we check out the short, "405"

    m.  North Coast Stunts and Movie Extras Assn., headed by Ray Szuch,
        provides stunt performers and extras for films and videos shot in
        Cleveland.  They've provided personnel both for "local" productions
        such as "Nightowls of Coventry," "One," and "Rock Robbers," and
        for national projects such as "The Drew Carey Show," "Traffic,"
        "Proximity," and "Unbreakable."

    n.  Filmedincleveland.com, a site recommended by Ray Szuch, attempts
        to link people and organizations interested in filming in Cleveland

    o.  Jonathan Forman's Cleveland Cinemas include non-traditional
        venues such as the Cedar-Lee Theater.  Please read the interesting
        "History and Philosophy" section.

    p.  For over 60 years, Cinecraft has produced "industrial" films
        and commercials for corporations large and small.

    q.  So you thought there were no serious film venues on the West Side. . .
        check out Cleveland Filmworks, founded by Jillian Davis, George Carr,
        and Randy Rollison as a vehicle to show art & independent film,
        together with selected revivals of classic works, on Cleveland's West Side.

    r.  Local independent filmmaker Chris Young was our guest in the studio. . .
        Read about him at the website for his company, Video Verite Productions.

    s.  Columns written by our guests from the Akron Beacon-Journal,
        George Thomas and Chuck Klosterman, may be accessed by going to the
        Beacon-Journal site and then entering each critic's name in the Search box
        (found in the left frame after scrolling down).  Try to read a few columns for
        each guest (there are hundreds listed).

    t.  Writer Les Roberts shared with us his wisdom garnered from decades of writing
        for television and from the successful publication of 20 novels.  Check out his personal
        website!
 
 
   more to come. . . ?



6.    Readings for analyses of Cleveland International Film Festival films
        (see Dr. N. for copies):

    a.  Thrillers/Suspense:

        de Wied, M.  (1995).  The role of temporal expanctancies in the production of film suspense
        and emotions watching movies. Poetics, 23, 107-123.

    b.  Documentaries:

        Chapter 9 ("Documentary") from:  Giannetti, L.  (1987).  Understanding movies (4th ed.),
        Englewood Cliffs, NJ:  Prentice-Hall.

    c.  American Independents:

        Introduction and Chapter 1 ("The New American Independent Cinema") from:
        Levy, E.  (1999). Cinema of outsiders: The rise of American independent film.
        New York:  New York University Press.

    d.  Ten Percent Cinema:

        Chapter 12 ("The New Gay and Lesbian Cinema") from: Levy, E.  (1999).
        Cinema of outsiders:  The rise of American independent film.
        New York:  New York University Press.

    e.  New German Cinema:

        Selected sections (see Dr. N.) from:  Corrigan, T.  (1994).  New German cinema:
        The displaced image (rev. ed.).  Bloomington, IN:  Indiana University Press.

      f.  Outsiders:

        Chapter 2 ("Cinema of Outsiders") from:  Levy, E.  (1999).  Cinema of outsiders:
        The rise of American independent film.  New York:  New York University Press.

        g.  Women and Film:

        Chapter 10 ("Female/Feminist Sensibility") from:  Levy, E.  (1999).
         Cinema of outsiders: The rise of American independent film.  New York:
        New York University Press.

        h.  Mental Health:

        Chapter 1 ("Typology, Mythology, Ideology") from:  Gabbard, K., & Gabbard, G. O.
        (1987).  Psychiatry and the cinema.  Chicago:  The University of Chicago Press.