A GOOD MAN PREMIERE Don’t miss the Broadcast Premiere of Bill T. Jones: A Good Man on American Masters! It airs on PBS Friday, November 11th at 9 pm Eastern Time (and 9 pm on WTTW, Chicago). The DVD will be available for purchase on the same day. The DVD is well worth purchasing: it includes nine additional scenes, behind-the-scenes of editing A Good Man, an interview with Bob Hercules and Gordon Quinn, and Bill T. Jones commenting on historical text used in the dance work featured in the film, “Fondly Do We Hope…” The film had its Chicago Premiere on September 23rd to a sold-out crowd at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Co-directors Bob Hercules and Gordon Quinn, Director of Photography Keith Walker and editor David Simpson did a Q/A afterward. Many of the Kartemquin & MPG staff were present for a warm reception celebrating the premiere, as well as Kartemquin’s 45th anniversary. The film has been garnering excellent reviews in Time Out, Chicago Reader, New City, and the Windy City Times.
Reception for the Chicago Premiere.
A Good Man is a co-production of Kartemquin Films, AMERICAN MASTERS, Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Media Process Group, in association with Ravinia Festival.
Follow A Good Man: Keith Walker at the Chicago Premiere.
Photo by Russell Jenkins
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Gordon Quinn at the Q&A with Bob Hercules, Keith Walker & David Simpson
KEITH’S GLOBAL ADVENTURES MPG’s
Keith Walker has been abroad yet again for Jessica Stuart and her company, Long Story Short Media. He went to India at the end of August with Stuart and freelancer Matt Vogel. The trip was the third installment of a series of shoots for The Sabin Vaccine Institute. The team filmed in schools in New Delhi and Patna. The Sabin Vaccine Institute’s deworming campaign, DeWorm the World, partners with local government and the Department of Education to get necessary deworming medicine to all children enrolled in school. Keith loved India, having wanted to go and shoot there ever since seeing Slumdog Millionaire. He finally got his wish, and even got to visit the largest mosque in India, the Jama Masjid—although they wouldn’t let him enter in his Western clothes, as you can see from the photo.
Keith Walker at the Jama Masjid.
Keith then ventured to Tanzania and Mozambique with Jessica Stuart and freelancer Kenny Geraghty on a shoot for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The foundation partners with local nonprofits, working with mothers (and often their children) who are HIV positive. Together they set up prenatal clinics to give women free checkups, counseling, and nutritional care. Keith was struck by one area in Mozambique where 30% of the local population was infected with HIV. The foundation is raising awareness in these areas to let women know that there is a 95% cure rate for babies born with HIV. Find out more about Long Story Short Media here: www.jessica-stuart.com And more about the incredible work of The Sabin Vaccine Institute and The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation here: www.sabin.org www.pedaids.org
Keith photographing some students at a local school in Patna.
Jessica Stuart, Keith and Prerna Makkar with DeWorm the World.
Sunrise overlooking the ocean in Tanzania.
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AN OHIO GREEN STORY
MPG’s
Bob Hercules and independent producer John McCarthy have teamed up for a new documentary examining three ‘green’ inventor/entrepreneurs who are working on new technologies to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Set ironically in the very heart of coal country, Appalachian Ohio, the film will follow these start-up companies for over a year to chronicle the challenges they face as they try to raise capital and eventually bring their products to market.
Bob Hercules shooting a sunrise in Appalachian Ohio.
With seed funding from a Kickstarter ‘crowd-funding’ campaign and a small grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, McCarthy and Hercules, along with D.P. Mike Swanson and soundman Hayden Jackson, spent six days in southeastern Ohio in early October filming footage for a fundraising trailer. The three subjects in the film include former Bill Clinton campaign manager David Wilhelm, octogenarian inventor William Beale and his 28-year-old sidekick T.J. Cyders, and Venezuelan-born scientist Gerri Botte. To see our original video from the Kickstarter campaign go to:
Gerri Botte demonstrating her invention to John McCarthy.
www.kickstarter.com/projects/2135014964/appalachian-spring-a-green-story?ref=email
Mike Swanson preparing for some aerial videography from a Cessna two-seater.
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HARPO’S NEXT CHAPTER The end of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” was certainly not the end of production at Harpo Studios! Mike and Keith have been busy bees, working on three new shows for The Oprah Winfrey Network: “Oprah’s Life Class,” “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” and a behind-the-scenes promo for “The Rosie Show.” Though the subjects of these new shows must remain undisclosed for the time being, rest assured that fabulous things are being shot for OWN, and Harpo is keeping MPG’s shooters busy. Mike was quite taken with Rosie when he shot the promos and said, “She was hilarious the entire time, whether the cameras were rolling or not!” (Tells one of her jokes.) “I don’t think you can put that in the newsletter.” Matt Vogel did sound for the “Oprah’s Next Chapter” shoots, and Hayden Jackson did sound for “The Rosie Show” promo. Find out more about “The Rosie Show” here: www.oprah.com/rosie “Oprah’s Next Chapter” premieres in January 2012.
“BOSS” SERIES SHOT IN CHICAGO Earlier this summer, MPG’s Mike Swanson and Keith Walker, as well as freelance shooter Stephan Mazurek, followed the production of “Boss,” the new Starz series. “Boss” stars Kelsey Grammer as a fictional mayor of Chicago who receives a devastating diagnosis. Episodes of the first season were directed by Mario Van Peebles and Gus Van Sant.
Kelsey Grammer, star of “Boss”
Freelancer Matt Vogel did sound for the majority of the shoot, supplemented by several other freelancers. Mike, Keith, and Stephan filmed much of the footage for the Electronic Press Kit for the series, including interviews, behind-the-scenes, and the series promos.
Asked what his favorite part of the shoot was, Mike responded, with typical passion for culinary delights, “The craft service table was magnificent.” Check out some of “Boss” behind the scenes here: www.starz.com/originals/Boss/ScreeningRoom
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RANDOM NOTES Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, our brand new film, will premiere in New York City in January 2012, followed by a theatrical tour in select cities. Stay tuned for more news at the film’s new website: www.JoffreyMovie.com .
Father Pfleger from “Radical Disciple”
Radical Disciple: The Story of Father Pfleger (our 2010 film) was nominated for an
Emmy Award in the category of Topical Documentary.
The Joffrey Ballet performing Trinity.
MPG’s edit suites have been busy with several projects these past few months. Judy Cole produced a video for Ferring Pharmaceuticals, edited by freelancer Karla Svatos. Todd Wood edited videos for Magnani Continuum Marketing, as well as a video for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, produced by Andy Greenspan.
Feel free to stop by MPG for Fiesta Friday, the
For booking crews or edit suites, contact Lisa Pooler
latest lunch tradition. We’ve become obsessed with this fabulous new taqueria that has opened on Ashland, La Lagartija. They may or may not make the best salsa in Chicago.
at lisap@mediaprocess.com or call 312.850.1300.
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