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A sampling of early poster art. The designs of the early 1900 movie posters reflected some of the art-nouveau influences and also borrowed from the art used in large circus banners. Fancy border designs were evident on early posters. In the early days of movie posters they were showing “scenes” and did not feature any…
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Fictional Dream Technology: Dream Sharing Synopsis In the real world, she is the renown and highly intelligent Dr. Atsuko Chiba. In the dream world, she is the spunky redhead “Paprika”. Thanks to a new technology developed at Chiba’s lab called a DC Mini, Paprika is able to jump into people’s dreams with the ease of…
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Anime: Grave of the Fireflies — Story of Survival, World War II Grave of the Fireflies Recommended ages: 8 and up. Synopsis In the waning days of World War II, American bombers drop napalm canisters on Japanese cities, creating fire storms. These bombs, longer than a tin can but about as big around, fall to earth…
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Independent Comedy Filming in Milwaukee The independent comedy Port of Call, filming in Milwaukee, exposes the lesser-known side of drinking in Milwaukee. The side with inter-dimensional portals and visitors from places like hell. Port of Call follows the misadventures of three friends on a quest to return The Holy Dice Cup of Antioch, a dice cup that…
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This article reveals a unique view of filmmaking in the 1920’s, as it focuses on the history of moving pictures from the perspective of an era long passed. The accompanying photographs reveal the troublesome but energized beginnings of the film industry. The source book may be available in some libraries. These photos may not be copied or…
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What? Color in the Movies Again? Reprinted from Fortune Magazine, October, 1934 October, 1934, the nation, indeed the world, was strangling in the Great Depression. It was a time like no other since. President Roosevelt assumed the responsibility of bolstering the national morale. Prohibition had just been repealed and yet the nation was still gulping…
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In 2004, after a series of false starts on other projects, filmmaker Ross Bigley began production on the first feature length film from Dirty Job Films, DISEMBODIED. During February of that year Ross worked on the main story with fellow filmmaker Mariko Ujihisa who was locked in as the lead. Shooting began three weeks later with the film’s…
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Tommy Richards, early TV 12, Milwaukee, WI “Richards appeared as an old theater usher named “Pops”, who worked at the fictional Bee-Jou (Bijou) Theater. With a studio audience full of cub scouts and brownies, Pops told tasteless jokes, talked about his wife Effie, and introduced the showing of old Three Stooges shorts by shouting “Roll…
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Born in rural Louisiana, at age 16 he was heading across the Deep South picking up blues, spirituals, reels, cowboy songs, folk ballads and prison hollers. He was eking out a bare existence playing guitar when he could and working as a cotton picker when he had to. While picking cotton Leadbelly would have heard…
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Slaves attempted to preserve the culture that they had brought with them from Africa. A Southern woman recalled: “During my childhood my observations were centered upon a few very old Negroes who came directly from Africa, and upon many others whose parents were African born, and I early came to the conclusion, based upon Negro…
