Friday, July 15, 2005
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Lite Brite Test celebrates the best of indie
By
Kate Westrich
Creating a fusion of creative energy, flowing through Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, the second annual Lite Brite Test will celebrate independent film and music from July 29 - 31 at Southgate House in Newport.
Returning to this year’s test will be movies projected onto the Levee wall, used last year with great success. Dan McCabe is founder and producer of the Lite Brite Test and his favorite memory from last year was “the first ever showing of Porchlite Cinema -- projection across the street onto the facing Levee wall -- and the crowd that gathered in the Southgate House front lawn to enjoy it.” This year, crowds will certainly have reason to gather with the great films McCabe and his team have lined up.
Heather Whinna and Vickie Hunter both produced and directed “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music,” a film about Christian artists making rock music. “The movie explores how they themselves and how non-Christians feel about Christian rock,” Hunter said. During the four years it took to create this film, Whinna and Hunter tried to approach the Christian rock scene with an open mind and explored the issues with the genre.
One of the most rewarding things about how the film has been received thus far is the reaction of people within the Christian rock scene. “I think I can fairly say that the audience felt their scene was treated with respect and the film was an honest representation of the conflicts that exist within it,” Whinna said.
Hunter quickly points out the hardest part of creating the film was “taking 150 hours of footage and paring it down to 90 minutes that not only made sense, but had focus.”
Molly Donnellon, producer of the quirky film “Three Barbecues” had another challenge. Being married to the director and co-writer of the film, Rob Gray, her whole household was consumed by the project. Donnellon, who has experience working on other films, such as “Traffic” and Michael Moore's film “The Big One,” now gets to experience another side of film production. “The most rewarding part is getting it out there for people to see,” she said. “The Lite Brite Test will be such a fun venue for ‘Three Barbecues.’”
The couple has also started a production company called Stupid Johnny. “We do freelance film production and also do our own projects,” Gray said. Integral to the success of the Lite Brite Test, in addition to the films being shown, is the musical lineup such as indie pop hero Beulah on their final tour.
Zeke Buck, from VHS or Beta, describes himself as the “stage left guy with the hair every which way but combed” and remembers Cincinnati fondly for “good ‘ole Sudsy Malones.” He is looking forward to playing this year’s Test because of the crowd this event attracts. “It seems like the audience comes expecting to hear a lot of music, and so they commit to sticking around for a lot of different acts,” he said. “For a typical show most people seem to stick around solely for the band they came to see.” For those checking out VHS or Beta, expect music that Buck compares to as a cake that is “one part rock and one part house.”
Nate Martinez, who plays guitarfor Pela, is looking forward to participating in the Lite Brite Test because of the “collaboration between film and music.” Light Borne, a Cincinnati-based motion design and production studio, is an organizing partner in the Lite Brite Test. They are working with groups likes Pela “to come up with some visuals to coordinate with the show,” Martinez said. “For us, that’s a new experience we are looking forward to.”
McCabe is also looking forward to the partnership with Light Borne, who will be “supplying much of the visual content and film-to-music accompaniment at this and future Lite Brite Tests,” he said.
Preview this year’s lineup at the Lite Brite Test’s Web site. Tickets will be available at the door nightly for $7. Three night event passes will also be available at the door for $15.
Kate Westrich is a Cincinnati native and avid flip-flop wearer.
