Cinereach » Brendon McQueen

Skip Rocks to Screen at Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival

Kelly Schramm — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:56:46 +0000

Brendon McQueen, Reach Film Fellow 08/09

Congratulations to Brendon McQueen 08/09 Reach Film Fellow whose film Skip Rocks will screen at the 2009 Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival , taking place September 18th-20th in Sun Valley, Idaho.

This year will be the 5^th Annual Sun Valley Spiritual Festival, whose mission is to “present films that explore spiritual traditions from around the world, as well as films that cherish the human spirit.” Brendon’s film certainly falls under this category, chronicling an elderly woman at the onset of Alzheimer’s sharing a childhood memory with her granddaughter. View the trailer here.

Passes to the festival can be purchased for $80 and the price for individual screenings is just $8. You can buy tickets here.

Do this now.

Brendon McQueen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Paola Mendoza, Brendon McQueen, Danielle Russell, and Jeremy Kipp Walker at Reach Out 2009

Cinereach and The Reach Film Fellowship afford the emerging filmmaker more than an opportunity: they provide a setting where curiosity is nurtured and where asking questions is what it’s all about. Being awarded the Reach Out Award (along with Danielle Russell) has made all the difference in creating opportunities for my film. Following the fellowship I have received great feedback on of my work, notable press, and the potential to start producing more films. I urge young filmmakers with a passion for a particular idea to apply – doing so only increases your chances of having your cinematic voice heard! Take advantage of this now, and fulfill your filmmaking dreams today, period. Thanks guys!

Filmmaker Brendon McQueen Springs Grandma From the Hospital

intern — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:15:09 +0000

“There have been many films made about Alzheimer’s (in fact, there’s one opening in theaters next weekend called Is Anybody There?), but few of them address it with the sensitivity and (yes) humor of Brendon McQueen’s beautifully shot and touching short film Skip Rocks. McQueen was recently honored as one of Cinereach’s four 2008/9 Reach Film Fellows, young tri-state area filmmakers who are supported, funded, and mentored in the making of socially relevant short films.” Read article.

Exclusive: Cinereach Launches the Next Generation of Socially-Aware Filmmakers

intern — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:34:37 +0000

“Monday night Cinereach — a non-profit dedicated to socially aware film and documentary — presented their first ever $5,000 Reach Out grant to fledgling filmmakers Danielle Russell and Brendon McQueen for the promotion and distribution of their films. The evening was a celebration of the four Reach Fellows — Russell, McQueen, Dena Greenbaum and Jules Monteyne — and kicked off with a full-house screening of their work: Russell’s Bridging the Gap, McQueen’s Skip Rocks, Greenbaum’s Blues, and Monteyne’s I go to War with Everything that Doesn’t Make Sense in a Bathtub. The shorts dealt with a range of topics: the Crown Heights riots of the early ’90s, Alzheimer’s, racism and teen depression, and a personal documentary of Russell’s struggle to get her parents to share their civil rights experiences.” Read article.

Cinereach Presents 2009 Awards

intern — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 19:01:30 +0000

“Cinereach presented filmmakers Brendon McQueen and Danielle Russell with its first-ever Reach Out Award at last night’s screening and reception celebrating the culmination of its annual Reach Film Fellowship, which is now in its second year. Cinereach was founded in 2006 ‘by a group of young filmmakers, philanthropists and entrepreneurs with the goal of championing socially relevant films.’ McQueen and Russell each received a $2,500 grant they can use to cover costs related to the completion and distribution of their Reach Film Fellowship films.” Read article.

Monday night’s RFF rough cut screening and workshop

Brendon McQueen — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:32:39 +0000

Last week’s rough cut screening and workshop was a useful and very productive experience.

My film, Skip Rocks, had enormously positive feedback at the preview — with many notable industry folks providing not only praise, but incredibly insightful comments on how to better our films for our audience.

Apart from the great individual comments, Ingrid Kopp from Shooting People and Leah Sapin and Felix Endara from Arts Engine provided useful information on audience building and outreach.

Later, we were lucky enough to sit down with Josh Blum from Washington Square films who shared his knowledge of the changing industry and, along with Jeremy Kipp Walker and Paola Mendoza, provided what can only be called a passionate purview on film and filmmaking. I will never forget having had the opportunity to sit at a table full of such creative, caring, and excited people talking film.

Reva also spent a few hours with me after the workshop going over some of the comments I received and suggesting how I might implement them. We are very grateful for the thoughtfulness and energy Cinereach has put into our films.

Many thanks to the other attendees, your time and consideration are invaluable. Thanks to everyone involved!!

Post Production

Brendon McQueen — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:58:35 +0000

Since getting our color corrected film back from Postworks NY – Skip Rocks’ post production has been both a learning experience and as creative an endeavor as I’ve ever been involved with… There’s a saying that goes, “you have to kill your babies” when editing, especially when the film maker is editing, but after doing so, the film becomes what it should have been from the onset. We’re so excited to get preview feedback from Cinereach, the advisors and the other fellows next week… we hope they like what we’ve put together.

In other news, The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) has agreed to come on board as a resource for our audience. NFCA “is America’s premiere organization for family caregivers reaching across the boundaries of diagnoses, age, and relationship to address the common needs and concerns of all family caregivers. Through education, support and advocacy NFCA empowers family caregivers to act on behalf of themselves and their loved ones, and works to remove the barriers that stand in the way of a family caregiver’s health and well being.” There’s a link on our website directing our audience to NFCA.

Once Skip Rocks is available to larger audiences, The NFCA has agreed to explore further information sharing opportunities. We hope this relationship will further our goal of raising awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease by connecting viewers of Skip Rocks to resources related to its themes, and helping audiences interested in these issues to find us.

Postworks NY Supervised Transfer

PS – Special Thanks to everyone at Postworks – their creative work and space was astounding!!

So Yong Kim reflects on the art of making films as a student

So Yong Kim — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:17:21 +0000

When I was making short experimental films and theater productions in school, I was working with no money, zero budget. I usually asked friends to shoot for me in exchange for some beer or food. When I made theatrical pieces and I needed to make costumes, I went to various post-offices in Chicago and took some of their overnight envelopes that are partially made of fabric. When I had enough, I sewed them together for costumes. Finding and making things with a limited budget is what I have learned in school. This remains a valuable lesson for my work.

So observes on the set of Skip Rocks

Sometimes film students have the impression that the budget of a film will dictate its quality. This is not the case. I believe the most important thing a director must do is to figure out the heart of the story. Once this can be communicated to the cast and crew, the film is on its way. When there is passion and it’s clear, then everyone on the production will support whatever decision the director makes. If the film’s budget requires scenes to be cut, then the director can evaluate what scenes can go or be modified without sacrificing the heart of the story.

Brendon and So confer privately on the set of Skip Rocks

I feel lucky that I had the chance to visit Brendon on his set. I saw that he was thinking on his feet and working well with his crew. It remains to be seen how the film will be composed at the editing stage. I am excited for him.

Marketing Skip Rocks…

Brendon McQueen — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:31:24 +0000

While Skip Rocks is “just” a short film, Co-Producer Kacie Barton and myself aim to make a big splash in the marketing of the film. In an effort to raise an audience base and raise awareness for the film’s focus on Alzheimer’s, we’ve launched a website and a facebook group. We hope these tools will help with the marketing of the film and allow us further opportunity in terms of our options after the film is completed.

Skip Rocks web page

The website offers cast and crew info, press links, a sponsor page, a tax-deductible link for fund raising, and soon enough, pictures from filming.

Check us out if you get a chance and feel free to join our facebook group for important updates on screenings, trailers, press, etc.

Cinereach and So Yong Kim visit the set of Brendon McQueen’s Skip Rocks

Reva Goldberg — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:43:24 +0000

Phil and I stopped by Brendon’s set in Goshen, NY on November 23rd and were pleased to see things running relatively smoothly. Brendon kept his crew small, which saved budget and allowed him to roll with the punches on set. He seemed to have formed a great bond with his small cast (with whom he spent two long, cold days).

Brendon McQueen and So Yong Kim

Brendon McQueen with DP Lindsay Mann

So Yong Kim stood by and made some helpful suggestions on lighting setups, the coverage of scenes, and more. She commented that she was pleased to see Brendon and Lindsay (his DP) working so well together and staying calm under pressure.