Suffering from Technology Burnout? Get Back to Basics with 'California Typewriter'

Filmmaker Doug Nichol put all the scenes he shot for "California Typewriter" on index cards , taped them up, and covered a huge wa ll. " I wou ld stare at the cards and try to find connections," he says. "It was like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle. "

I t hit filmmaker Doug Nichol hard-he had to have an Underwood 5 typewriter. The No. 5 was manufactured in the

early 1900s and was "the quintessential Underwood," according to typewriter aficionados. He found one on eBay for $6, paid $50 for shipping, and displayed it in his office as art.

The machine "didn't work," Nichol says, but he "felt it calling to me to fix it up." After Googling typewriter shops, he found only one in the San Francisco area: California Typewriter in Berkeley.

Nichol, who spent years directing commercials and music videos, thought the story about this family trying to keep a typewriter shop alive in the digital age would make a great short film.

These guys loved typewriters and thought they "were going to stick around and make a comeback," he says.

Tonight's Opening Night feature, "California Typewriter," started out as a 5-minute short. Somehow the mini-film got in front ofOscar­winning actor Tom Hanks, an avid typewriter collector who owns 270 of the machines. Hanks liked the film and agreed to be interviewed.

"What I loved about making this film was that I had total freedom," Nichol continues. He followed the stories and where they led him, and spent five years directing, photo­graphing, and editing it all himself. In fact, completing it was an obsession: He gave up making commercials and says he spent the last three years "just editing and shooting and crafting it into shape."

Yes, he still has that Underwood 5, and he's also managed to amass another 85 typewriters during the making of his film.

"Even with all the mistakes and the x'd out words, they are like little pieces of art, beautiful with their imperfections."

Nichol is honored to be in Cleveland as CIFF 41 's Opening Night film. He also notes that the city has "a special connection with our film."

Both Hanks and Grammy-winning musician John Mayer, who is also in the film, discovered their love of typewriters right here in Cleveland. Hanks bought his first quality typewriter (a Hermes 2000) at a typewriter shop in town when he was performing with the Great Lakes Theater company. Mayer decided to get a typewriter after visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and seeing original typed song lyrics on display.

Just like those fans of the typewritten word in his film, Nichol hopes the audience will find "a re-discovery of the pleasures of the tactile world after touching glass and staring at screens."

-Anne M. DiTeodoro

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! Shine On! ! : It is no coincidence that even the print : i materials from this year's Cleveland i : International Film Festival have a certain l : festive sheen to them. : : That is accomplished by using a l l reticulating varnish on the program guide l i cover and other materials. j : "This technique puts a nice shine on : : : : the artwork by dulling back the back- : : : : ground," explains Brittyn DeWerth , : : : : whose company, Type Twenty Seven, l ! has been creating the festival's image l : campaign since CIFF 37. : : : : The process "allows the cover to : : : ! 'illuminate' and shine when the light l : hits-glistening off the page," she : i continues. l : Type Twenty Seven designed all of : : CIFF's print material , merchandise, and l : signage-over 2 ,800 pieces. : : :

: -Anne M. DiTeodoro : ~ ~ : : : : : : : :

i l : : : :

i l ~ ; : : ~ ~ : : : Light it up! : ; A special ; : : : varn ish was : : used during l : the printing l l process of l ! this year's l

materials.

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Teach ing the teachers at CIFF 41 FilmSlam Teachers Workshop. More than 40 educators participated.

Festival Updates Late Additions: Thursday March 30th Citizen Jane: Battle for the City 7:00 pm

Saturday April 8th Patti Cake$ 4:30 pm

Sunday April 9th

Schedule Changes: Sunday April 2nd September 12th 6:00 pm

Playlist - Music Videos Program 8:30 pm

Cancellations: Thursday March 30th 78/52 7:00 pm

Check for the latest festival updates on Twitter or Facebook. Or visit www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/updates

Challenge Match The Challenge Match is the CIFF's annual fundraising campaign, and the only time of the year that we ask for your support (we do not send out solicitation letters at any time) . The challenge to you--0ur audience-is to raise $150,000, which will be matched by Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

A $10 DONATION QUALIFIES YOU FOR ONE OF THESE FABULOUS PRIZES!!

CINEMA PARADISO: Indulge in unlimited movies for the rest of the year at any Cleveland Cinemas location with a season pass! You'll also receive both volumes of Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground and a framed movie poster.

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM(S): Your family can visit the area's most popular attractions with memberships for the Cleveland Museum of Art and Metroparks Zoo, and tickets for the Rock Hall and Greater Cleveland

Stop by the Challenge Match table in the Tower City Cinemas lobby to donate.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

UNITED Official Airline of the 41st CIFF

The Cleveland International Rim Festival receives public support with local tax dollars from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, to preserve and enrich our region's artistic and cultural heritage.

Poster Passion: Cleveland Native Crazy for Movie Art

Film buffi don't typically focus on movie

posters.We talk about the cinematography,

the acting, maybe the special effects, but

probably not the poster. " 24 x 36: A Movie About Movie Posters" is

a documentary film that tracks the rise, decline,

and underground resurgence of the art of

movie posters.

So why movie posters?

From since he was a child, Cleveland native

and subject of the film, Matthew Chojnacki,

loved film and the art behind the posters. " I have been collecting theatrical movie

posters since I was a kid," he says. "I begged a

local VHS (and Betamax!) store owner for his ~ "' extras. The store was called In Home Video, and 0

~ videos were rented in his actual basement."

Director Kevin Burke had a similar

experience. "Movie poster art was something

I, like many others, collected as a kid," he says.

"Video stores and cinemas were a very big part

of our world, and those posters sold us new worlds to explore."

Today, before taking the plunge to see a new

movie, most of us find the trailer on YouTube

and decide from there.

Theatrical posters, says Chojnacki, "shifted from true pieces of art (think 'The Goonies'

and 'Blazing Saddles') to photoshopped head­shots ofTom Cruise, Will Smith, and the like."

But old-school movie posters are hot again.

Independent artists and art galleries have

recently picked up on the craze and again are

selling limited edition screenprinted posters.

ILLUMINATE: About two weeks ago, GIFF members, sponsors, and partners gathered at Windows on the River in downtown Cleveland for a sneak peek of this year's festival.

0..

Matthew Chojnacki is an expert on movie posters and a great source of behind-the-scenes scoop on these pieces of art .

Chojnacki has written a book series about

this topic, Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground, which explores the medium and

underground phenomenon of the covetedand

unique movie posters. The mainstreamindustry, however, is a different monster. "Often a poster

is dictated by mainstream actors' contracts,

where they have final approval of their likeness

(read: super airbrushed) and of a certain size

(read: a HUGE head shot)," he says.

Chojnacki and other artistic experts will expound on how the industry has changed, and

where it just might be going, in "24 x 36."

Incidentally, back in November, the film's poster won the Best Poster award at Toronto's Blood in

the Snow Canadian

Film Festival. -Molly Drake

Ride the RTA! It will bring you right to Tower City on many of its bus lines and all of its Rapid Transit trains. Visit www.rideRTA.com or call the RTAnswerline at 216-621-9500 for more information.

: ~~~ [Q)~~ [LW ONLINE ••••••• : • • • • • Read exclusive content not available in the

print edition by visiting The Daily online at • www.clevelandfilm.org/festival/the-daily.

• • • • • • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

1141 ILLUMINATE MARCH 29-APRIL 9, 2017 TOWER CITY CINEMAS

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