» Darla Grese

Atlantis Rising TV Show Launches in Sunday Night Prime Time

Ethan Marten — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:12:55 +0000

Atlantis Rising: The Making of Atlantis Down launches this Sunday in prime time. The show chronicling the behind the scenes of the sci-fi motion picture shot in Virginia will air at 10 p.m. on Cox 11 in the South Eastern Virginia market. To borrow from Ian Fleming, and Confucius: You only live twice; once when your project is born, and once when you watch it come to life again on television.

Hope you enjoy the journey as much as Max and I did. Scheduled air dates. Many thanks to cast, crew, Virginia Film Office, and a myriad of supporters.

Any town USA and America’s worst economic crisis serve as the backdrop for two Independents embarking on launching a Hollywood quality sci-fi motion picture and space adventure outside the Hollywood system. The countdown clock is already ticking for Director Max Bartoli and Executive Producer Ethan Marten. They are faced with quickly approaching deadlines and personal economic ruin – their space race is on! Climb on board and witness the triumphs and tragedies of these two brave hearts attempting to defy odds, raise money, build a space ship, cross language barriers, and strike deals to launch “Atlantis Down”.

Will their space adventure take off or come crashing down around them? Stay Tuned to “Atlantis Rising: The Making of Atlantis Down”.

Cox 11 PROGRAM SCHEDULE
2/14 Sunday @ 10pm
2/19 Friday @ 530pm
2/20 Saturday @ 1pm
2/21 Sunday @ 10pm
2/26 Friday @ 530pm
2/27 Saturday @ 1pm
2/28 Sunday @ 10pm
3/5 Friday @ 730pm
3/6 Saturday @ 1pm
3/7 Sunday @ 10pm
3/14 Sunday @ 10pm
3/19 Friday 730pm
3/20 Saturday 3pm

They Shoot Hearses, Don’t They?

Ethan Marten — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 11:06:19 +0000

Monter’s Ball Director Richard Keel’s favorite surreal moment of the 48 Hour Film Project (in retrospect) comes when we go to start an actual hearse acquired specifically for a staged scene where said vehicle needs a jump start. (No spoilers before the premiere – that’s all your getting here.) We troupe over to where the hearse is parked; ready for its close up. We had been waiting for the hearse to arrive with great anticipation to get this crucial shot. Ironically, The hearse is now dead. Muerte. Pushing up spark plugs. The darn thing then needs an actual jump start in order that we can drive it to the location so it can look like it needs a jump start! It takes about 10 minutes to resuscitate the battery, and we dare not turn it off on location when it needs to look like it’s broken down. Aaaaand cut! Next stop, the premiere at Naro Expanded Cinema.
According to Heir Director who “Won’t post the film yet, we’ll show our cast and crew first but here’s the music, uncut, set to cast dancing. The singers were amazing. Lyrics were written, one song composed and recorded, tracks laid down and mixed (Erik Watts is a hero) and then matched to film. Oh, yeah, in 48 hours. Singers had to nail lyrics and rythym and tune in minutes.” Enjoy.

Having a Monsters’ Ball with 48 Hour Film Festival!

Ethan Marten — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:23:21 +0000

Okay, deciding to participate in the 48 Hour Film Festival might sound crazy enough, but deciding the project conceived, written, shot, edited, looped, and delivered is also going to be a musical – that’s insane! Welcome to the world of Richard Keel and company. Apparently he and co-writer James Shearer had already been suffering from sleep deprivation when they hatched this plot. But, as they say in the movies; “This idea might just be crazy enough to work!”

An insanely good time was had by all, and cast and crew had a Monsters’ Ball working with each other.

Hope all my best fiends, and ghoul-friends can come out to the Naro Cinema next Wednesday night at 7:00 to attend the screenings of all the short films, and vote for your favorites. It’ll be a blast and tickets are only $8.00 The winning team will go on to compete in the annual international competition. The Hampton Roads entries will all be screened Aug. 15 and the winning films will be announced and screened the following Saturday, Aug 18.