It's no secret I'm a big fan of Head Trauma, one of my Top 10 Experiences of 2006. Filmmaker Lance Weiler distributed the film himself, and obviously has been thinking extensively about how to present his work to the public. He also helped created Fest Mob, a fascinating experiment in building a community vibe, and now it sounds like he's expanded on that notion with what he calls a "remix" presentation of Head Trauma.
Tonight -- Saturday, March 31, at 7:30 pm -- the good people of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, will have an opportunity to experience what Weiler describes as "a collision of music, movies, theatrics and gaming."
Read on after the jump for details as explained in the press releases, including plans for a tour of the event to other cities. If I was within driving distance of Philadelphia, I'd drop any other plans I might have and hightail it over there.
PRESS RELEASE FOR EVENT:
Come catch a very special REMIX presentation of HEAD TRAUMA as it plays on the big screen one final time in Philadelphia.
This is the kick off to a number of national and international remix HEAD TRAUMA presentations - more details soon.
WHAT:
SPECIAL REMIX screening of HEAD TRAUMA - a collision of music, movies, theatrics and gaming.
music - Live soundtrack performances by Bardo Pond, members of Espers, Fern Knight and DJ Chief Wreck'em
movies - HEAD TRAUMA and a special screening of a short claymation adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's classic THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
theatrics - sets, props and characters from the movie will emerge from the audience - lights, fog and creepy fun
gaming - use your mobile phone to interact with the movie and watch in amazement as all the phones in the theater ring at once!
WHEN:
This Sat. March 31st @ 7:30pm
WHERE:
Philadelphia's International House (37th and Chestnut) on the U of Penn's campus - on street parking and two parking garages in walking distance
HOW MUCH:
$14 for all seats - seating is on a first come first serve basis
FOR MORE INFO:
PRESS RELEASE FOR TOUR:
SPECIAL REMIX SCREENINGS OF HEAD TRAUMA ARE A COLLISION OF MUSIC, MOVIES, AND GAMING THAT CREATE A NEW EXPERIMENT IN CREEP
In what has been called a cinema ARG (alternate reality game) HEAD TRAUMA is taking a hybrid of music, movies and gaming on the road for a number of special event screenings.
The next screening takes place in Philadelphia on March 31st at the University of Pennsylvania's International House. Doors open at 7:30pm.
After Philadelphia the project will travel to New York City, London, San Francisco and a host of other cities later this year.
The event consists of three core elements.
1. A screening of HEAD TRAUMA with a live soundtrack performance by Bardo Pond, Espers, Fern Knight, Marshal Allen (Sun Ra), Steve Garvey (Buzzcocks) and others. The music is mixed live with the dialog and sound effects tracks from the film to create a new alternate soundtrack.
2. Various props and sets from the film are setup on stage and certain characters from the film will emerge from the audience.
3. During the course of the film a phone number appears on screen. When viewers call the number they begin a game that will last
through the film and follow them home.
They receive a number of cryptic clues as they are asked to solve a series of riddles. The interaction involves phone calls and text messages from the characters of HEAD TRAUMA that will lead viewers to hidden clues spread across the Internet.
"We're trying to change the cinematic experience. We want to take the concept of narrative storytelling and move it across multiple devices and screens, so it is engaging the audience in new and different ways. People have been calling it a cinema ARG and the response to the initial screenings has been amazing. Not to mention I'm always looking for new ways to scare the audience." Says HEAD TRAUMA creator Lance Weiler.
Prior to the screening of HEAD TRAUMA a stop motion short based on Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale "The Pit and the Pendulum" will screen. Ray Harryhausen Presents THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, Executive Produced by animation legend Ray Harryhausen and directed by Marc Lougee, is the result of a long distance working relationship, resulting in the classic Edgar Allan Poe tale brought to the screen using the traditional animation technique of stop-motion animation.