Props Department Visits Local Clockmaker

The props department's Dara Waxman and Willow O'Feral visit Sylvester Murphy, a clockmaker and repair man with a workshop in Brattleboro.  Sylvester, though retired, spends part of the winter season repairing clocks in Southern Vermont.  Taking our team through an array of clocks and a wall of pendulums Sylvester, the ex-submarine pilot, is donating 16 antique clocks to the production for our run of show!

Photos Courtesy of Willow O'Feral

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Team Puts Together a Staged Reading of Northern Borders Script at Brattleboro Museum

The Northern Border's Production Team headed over to the Brattleboro Museum this evening for a staged reading of the Northern Borders working script.  Lead by veteran theater and film actor Munson Hicks, Marlboro College Theater Professor Brenda Foley and Marlboro student Logan Smith the reading went smoothly.  Brattleboro High School student, Irene Shamas, also participated, playing both Cleopatra Kittredge and Hettie Hill, the role she'll be playing in the film.  Cast members also included Film Intensive and Marlboro College students.  Professor Jay Craven, who read the stage directions, explained that the purpose of the staged reading was not only to give the community a better sense of the project but also to examine how fluid the language of the script is when actually taken off the page and put into a characters mouth.  With only a rare stumble in the reading the script seems to be in good shape.  The Film Intensive team will meet today (February 16) to review script notes and further expand the dialogue.

Stay tuned.

Photography taken by James Brad Heck

All photographs courtesy of Jeremiah Davis.

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Northern Borders Art Department Visits Brattleboro Artist Terry Sylvester

The Northern Borders Art Department, accompanied by director Jay Craven, visited Terry Sylvester in her Brattleboro studio to discuss possible ideas for the look of our production.  Inviting Terry into the sometimes magical realist world of Northern Borders, our team delved into the details of the script and possible ways in which the story can be further brought to life through set decoration and design.   Terry provided the group with some input and showed us a range of work by herself and others.  Our primary focus included work by “outsider artists” since we’re thinking that one of our film’s lead characters, Abiah Kittredge, might be developed as someone who makes paintings and sculptures that chronicle her experience and imagination of “Egypt.” It looks like everyone is now fired up and ready to begin work developing these ideas and images.  

Terry Sylvester is a member of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829, a labor union and association of designers, artists and craftspeople organized to protect the working conditions and wages of people working within the entertainment and decorative arts industries (United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829).  She also plays a role in arts education, has done film work and has created a number of public murals. She worked on Jay Craven’s previous films, In Jest and A Stranger in the Kingdom.

Photos courtesy of Willow O'Feral.

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