Enci Box just reposted one of our favorite Fringe promos on Bitter-Lemons.com today; I thought I’d use the opportunity to provide a little “behind the scenes” information.

First off, this is the only promo not filmed in Hollywood (shudder). It was a rainy day in December 2009 – we all congregated very early in a wonderful space near the Downtown Arts District to shoot. The idea was to produce a promo that featured local artists. Obviously, this one was slightly challenging to coordinate, if for no other reason that artists usually don’t like 7am on a Saturday.

Ken Peterson, who directed the promo, made a whole lot of boiled eggs. I don’t know why I remember this so vividly – there were A LOT of boiled eggs. So much so that the artists involved finally needed to ask me to stop pushing the eggs on them between takes. Director: “Cut, reset!” Ben: “Anyone want a boiled egg?”

Julisa Smith, the hidden talent behind the Blue Freak (the most playful and fun loving of the bunch) was there right on time. Let me just say, Julisa is an amazingly good sport. We have dragged her around LA in spandex across so many shoots and events and she was just amazingly easy and wonderful the whole time. Cast her in your next feature film, Mr. Scorsese.

A couple other critical artists weren’t so prompt – leading to some interesting “oh god, what now?” questions and one Festival Director pathetically standing in the pouring rain peeking into every car racing by for our missing performers.

Dave McKeever had bought the new camera and constructed a makeshift dolly out of a piece of wood and a handtruck we had just purchased at Home Depot – worked like a charm. We actually refer to this promo as the “dolly shot” promo when speaking of it.

The song is the same as the title of the promo: “The Sunny Side of the Street” an oldie but goodie. The Petrojvic Blasting Company (amazing band) actually pre-recored the song in the kitchen five minutes before we started shooting. Two takes and we had it – the acoustics were actually surprisingly good, I imagine we will have more kitchen-based recording studios in the future.

And so the dolly began … past the band, into Scarlett’s feather dance and, past the Kinetic Theory contortionist, across LA Contemporary Dance/KDub Dance, beyond the folks of Need Theater and Rogue Artist Ensemble, and finally back to the band again. The mirror (which was initially a pesky problem) turned into an interesting “artifice moment” when you saw the Fringe production team (Ken, Dave, Stacy, Ben) reflected with the band moving to their second position behind us. Brecht would be so proud.

You also might notice (this promo is worth a few re-watches) that two of the band members have switched instruments in the final shot. Took us a little too long to figure this out in the editing room.

It was a pleasure to produce this promo on a rainy LA morning in December. We ended up with a whole lot of boiled eggs.

Ben

Join us this Wednesday night for the official opening of the first Hollywood Fringe Festival. An evening of the bizarre, the breathtaking, and the exotic awaits – courtesy of our venue host, King King Hollywood. Buy tickets now to guarantee your place in this historic event.

Included in the festivities:

• A teaser from Terry’s Beeman’s Mental Head Circus, devious cabaret clamoring with dance, humor, and bawdy allure. Breathtaking aerialists that will captivate the voodoo of the night, twist your stars, and leave you possessed with your own emotions.

• A performance from The Rendezvous, a teasingly, titillating rock n’roll cabaret featuring the Luscious Ladies of Cherry Boom Boom

• A dance from Catch Me Bird using art and life in works that chronicle the evolution of a marriage. Athletic contemporary, aerial dance & dialogue combine in a daring mix of intimate portraits and stunning visuals.

• A performance from Extropia: Imagine a world with no inconsistencies or imperfections. Where timeliness plus efficientness equals productiveness, and everything is in working order. Now, imagine a world with no music.

• A musical performance from Escalator Hill, the Echo Park native five piece band: vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, violin, cello, trumpet, keys, and bass.

• A tantalizing Burlesque tease from Penny Starr and friends featuring performers from The Wrong Show.

• Dance Party from one our favorite DJ’s: Ricky Vodka, spin king from the Fringe Fundraiser Bash

• A unique atmosphere of lights, sound, and experience that only a world class venue like King King can provide

Three years in the making and the Fringe is upon us, let’s party like it was 2010.

One of the nice things about any Fringe Festival is the community participation element. We have invented yet another way for the Fringe community to participate in the festival. On June 27, the final day of the Fringe, we are mounting an award ceremony including awards sponsored by the Fringe and local organizations. Our ace art director Gavin Worth has even created some wonderful statuettes (“The Freaks”) that will be handed to winners in various categories.

How are those Fringe awards juried you ask? Not by us; they are juried by YOU.

Anyone who follows the simple application procedure can join the Fringe as a panelist. It will ask you to login or create an account first.

By becoming a panelist you…

• Can rate and review any Fringe event directly on the Fringe website
• Walk around with a keen Panelist pass
• Potentially receive discount admission to shows for producers interested in providing it
• Influence who wins the various Fringe Awards

A few pesky rules:

• You can’t rate your own show or a show you are hosting
• You need to rate/review at least one show for your vote to be counted
• If you are discovered to rate a show you didn’t actually see, all your scores will be voided

It’s fun, free, and gives you the aura and prestige of an official wondering the streets of Fringe.

So, what are you waiting for? Apply to be a Fringe panelist today!

Read more on how the awards are won…

Ben

ps…if you have applied and we haven’t approved you yet, it’s just because we are a bit swamped. Everything will be well by Thursday.

We made it! After years of intense planning and preparation from producers, artists, community leaders, venue owners, and community members, the Hollywood Fringe Festival rises to life this very week.

Tickets are now on sale for nearly 200 Fringe shows. Opportunities to experience the unknown, discover diamonds in the rough, and explore the wonderful world of Fringe lie at your very feet.

What better way to begin our Fringe epic than a party: An evening that proves to be a once in a lifetime celebration. With hundreds and hundreds of artists converging to bring the Fringe into being, this week marks a grand step in our city’s cultural evolution.

See you real soon…

Ben Hill, Festival Director
The Hollywood Fringe Festival 2010
Tickets available at www.HollywoodFringe.org or by calling 866-811-4111

The Opening Party

An evening of the bizarre, the breathtaking, and the exotic awaits featuring talent from across the Festival at King King on Hollywood Blvd. Feast your eyes and ears upon aerialists, dancers, musicians, and hours of DJ-fueled chaos and glee as you celebrate the opening of a new Los Angeles ritual. Buy Tickets today and prepare to be hurtled into a magical world.

Panelists Needed for Fringe Awards

It wouldn’t be a Fringe without the possibility of awards for the most worthy shows. Check out our list of the 2010 Fringe Awards and consider joining the team that decides them. All that’s required is a willingness to see shows and express your thoughts. Have strong opinions on works of art? Itching to see as many shows as possible? Become a Fringe panelist and make your opinions count.

Volunteers

Interested in pitching in with the Fringe? We are hosting a Volunteer Orientation at Fringe Central this Tuesday (June 15) at 6pm. If you’d like to attend, please rsvp to [email protected]. We will discuss the various ways we need help and sign you up for slots throughout the Festival. Can’t make it Tuesday? Stop by Fringe Central (1625 N Las Palmas) anytime – we will happily put you to work.

Fundraiser Reflections

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the first annual Fringe Fundraiser Bash, it was successful on so many levels. Check out our reflections on the event and some pictures of the fringe community in party mode.

We’ve been making these promos for over a year now and each has a fun little story attached to them. As we near the release of the year’s final two promos, here begins a fun retrospective of “older” promos released before we had all the press, community, and following.

Follow this link to see ALL our Fringe promos to-date.

First, a glimpse back at our heady pre-HD days with THE PIE FREAK. That’s our publicity director Stacy Jones dressed like June Cleaver and Rollin Perry as the freaky Where’s Waldo doppelganger with the pie. That pie was quite delicious, by the way. At least the first pie was, Rollin had his way with the second one. Interested in owning a pie like this? Well, lucky for you – they are on sale at the Gelson’s Market in Franklin Village.

The music is the work of Dave McKeever, who does pretty much all the composition for the Fringe (hint, hint…hire him for your next film/pilot/orchestra). I believe we have footage somewhere of Dave setting lights for this shoot without pants (it was hot). Ken Peterson and Bryan Burgess wrote this little gem.

You might recognize the house in several of our promos. Yes, we live there and have tiny production budgets – so suspend your disbelief!

You may wonder – what does it mean?? We made this decision a while ago Fringe promos of this ilk would simply present a transformation of the ordinary world into the “freak world” when the Fringe comes to town; you can see this theme repeated in several of the promos.

And if you ever get the trivia question: What was the first freak introduced in a Fringe promo? Mr. Red Freak.

Enjoy some pie one more time…

Ben