Indie Grits Labs Offers Experienced Artists and Novices Alike a Chance to Explore a New Creative Medium

This Sunday, Indie Grits Labs (IGL) is offering a two-day workshop on creating your own zines, accurately called DIY Zine-Making.

by Christina Xan

I was able to chat with Savannah Taylor, the Project Manager and Designer at Indie Grits Labs, who took the time to give me all the great details on the upcoming workshop. In addition to organizing this event, Taylor does the graphic design for the IGL festival & the Nick Mag, manages the social media, and makes sure things are running smoothly!

For those who don’t know, Indie Grits Labs is a non-profit organization directed by Seth Gadsen, that is dedicated to serving the Columbia community through media education, year around artist projects, and the Indie Grits festival. IGL is a part of the Columbia Film Society and a part of the same organization as the Nickelodeon Theatre.

“IGL’s main focus,” as Taylor said, “is on our education programs, festival happenings, and art projects year-round at our house at 1013 Duke Avenue.” Part of this focus is creating workshops, just like this one, that anyone and everyone can attend.

IGL facilitated a zine workshop last fall that was so successful, it prompted them to do it again this month. This year’s DIY Zine-Making is a two-day workshop that will take place on back to back Sundays: Sunday, February 3 and Sunday, February 10. Both workshops will be located at 1013 Duke Avenue from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Taylor says that she and her partner, Irving Juarez, who is a local artist and designer, have been planning these events together for over a year. Juarez is an artist who works at Bluetile Skateshop in 5 Points and was a part of the Indie Grits Visiones Project back in 2017.

“[Juarez] created a zine documenting his childhood as an immigrant,” Taylor states, “I think that was the precedent for both of us realizing the power of print to share our personal stories and to bring communities together.”

Taylor says that she and Juarez pride themselves as a print and zine duo who both love print, design, and spreading the message that art is for everyone and should be accessible to all.

For Taylor, the goal of this workshop specifically is “to do more and engage with people of all ages to do something creative and [with] local artists who may want to stretch their creative muscles with new modes of art and storytelling.” 

What will the workshop entail, you may be wondering? According to Taylor, over the course of the two-day workshop, they are going to do several small exercises that can be an entry point for anyone interested in making a zine for the first time.

“Day 1 we are going to collaborate on a zine as a class to learn about zine production and how to print out your very own zine, analog style, using a photocopier and scanner,” Taylor continues, “We will also learn about the 8-page fold zine, and by the end of the class you will walk away with your very own!”

According to Taylor, it is really important to have events like this in Columbia because it’s necessary to engage with the local community and support the arts and education. “The arts should not be seen as exclusive or elitist,” Taylor elaborates, “and should be open to all who wish to learn!”

By registering, in addition to getting your very own zine, you can learn something new and support IGL in continuing their education program and in supporting the very artists that are facilitating these workshops and making them a reality.

This workshop isn’t the end to Taylor and IGL’s plans, though. “We are also hoping in the future to do some zine showcases to further support the arts community, and we might be planning a zine fair to happen during Indie Grits 2019 this March.”

Overall, this experience is a unique one that is close to Taylor, Juarez, and the others at IGL’s hearts. “I hope that participants are proud of their final zine creation and walk away feeling that they have the knowledge and tools to keep creating zines after the workshop is over,” Taylor concludes.

Tickets are only $35 for Nickelodeon Theatre members and $50 for General Admission. Tickets are available on IGL’s website, or in person at the Nickelodeon Theatre box office (1607 Main Street). This registration price includes 10 free prints of the zine you make, so you can share with your family and friends! 

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for more updates on local artists and events!

Introducing the Roster of 2nd Act Film Festival 2018 Filmmakers

Hugo Guzman is a veteran of the French Foreign Legion. His is the owner/operator of Titan Throw Multimedia.

Katly Hong is an animator and illustrator who is most fascinated by human relationships and vulnerability

Daljit Kalsi (left) is a journalist and filmmaker from Greenville, SC whose films have been featured in festivals across the globe. His 2017 film, BOUND, won Best Overall at the Tryon International Film Festival and is streaming now on Amazon Prime.

Caroline Mobley is a Marketing Assistant with Historic Columbia by day and cinematographer by night. A native of South Carolina, she uses her understanding of Southern culture, paired with a passion for film, to create strong visuals and meaningful stories. While 2nd Act is her maiden voyage as a professional writer/director she has had films in Indie Grits and Campus MovieFest.

A South Carolina native, Ian O’Briant has studied a cross section of visual and performative arts. In an academic career spanning a decade and a half, fizzling and dying somewhere around the second year of his first year of grad school, he was the director, cinematographer, editor, writer, and boom mic operator for numerous student films. He has worked in media and journalism for 10 years.

Tia Pennix graduated from USC with a degree in Journalism, but acting has always been her passion. Eventually, Tia merged the skills she learned from journalism, with her passion for acting, and began filmmaking. This is Tia’s first time entering a festival.

Johnny Sizemore is the C.E.O. of Showtime Productions, a national production company specializing Theatre and Film and the C.E.O. of JMS Media Group, a full-service photography and videography entity servicing the Upstate and abroad.

Zack Spencer grew up in Columbia, SC and is currently a junior at USC where he is the Executive Producer of 1080C, USC's short film organization. His goal is to become a cinematographer and writer, and to share his perspectives with the world through narrative storytelling.

Barry Wheeler is an IT professional and a Columbia, SC artist, concentrating his work in digital media. He is a graduate of the South Carolina Honors College (BS, Chemistry) and the University of South Carolina (MA, Media Arts). His background in science and computers motivates his practice, which explores the relationships between technology, digital process, information design, and art. Barry’s work has been featured at various exhibitions and shows around the state.

Quaviondre Williams, Timothy Boualapha, and Bridgette James have combined their talents under the name B. T. Williams. Based in Columbia, SC the individuals are college students who recognize that when they work together, they can push each other to new heights of creativity.

2nd Act Film Festival 2018

Wednesday, November 7th at 7 pm

VIP/Filmmaker Reception at 6 pm

Trustus Theatre

Dance Scene at the Nick, a new film series

By: Susan Lenz

On Monday night, Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan kicked off the Nickelodeon's new special programming series Dance Scene celebrating the best in contemporary dance-based cinema. Four more films are slated over the coming month of Monday evenings. Programming coordinator Amada Torruella described the series as "riveting tales of spirit and commitment, capturing the passions and partnerships that subtend the dance world." Each film is partnered with a local organization to highlight area dancers, artists and community leaders and their relationships to international dance movements.

Before the theater darkened for Restless Creature, Columbia City Ballet's artistic director William Starrett introduced principal dancer Regina Willoughby. Regina discussed her journey into ballet, her support system, and future plans after retirement. For Willoughby, dance is the fabric of her life, and her upcoming retirement will be a time for celebration. Using all of the available space, Regina then performed the first half of a new work she choreographed on herself to a piece by Dustin O’Halloran. When asked about the musical selection, Regina commented on the soft, new beginnings of the piece that builds in excitement only to end, abruptly but peacefully, much like she envisions this, her final year as a professional ballerina.

Between the film and Regina’s presentation, I learned something new and was truly entertained. I highly recommend this enlivened and well-curated series. Hope to see you on subsequent Monday nights!

For tickets and additional information on the Dance Scene series, please visit http://nickelodeon.org/. Below is a list of the upcoming films:

Alive and Kicking, a dynamic exploration of the history of swing dancing, will be screened on Monday, October 30th and is partnered with a performance by Palmetto Swing Dance Association.

KIKI, a film set in the New York LGTBQ community's dance and ballroom scene, will be screened on Monday, November 6th and is partnered with South Carolina Black Pride, featuring MeMe Revlon and Babe Ebony.

Rize, a documentary on clowning and krumping in Los Angeles, will be screened on Monday, November 13th and is partnered with Fuse Arts Alliance.

Mr. Gaga, a documentary on Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company, will be screened on Monday, November 20th and is partnered with both Columbia City Ballet and modern dancer Carolina Lewis Jones.

Robbie Robertson Talks About Indie Grants & Whistler's Mother

Jasper: Tell us about your good news from the SC Film Commission.

Robbie:  My short screenplay, WHISTLER’S MOTHER, was recently selected as one of three shorts to be produced by the Indie Grants program which is administered by The South Carolina Film Commission and coordinated by Trident Technical College. I will be producing and co-directing with Lorie Gardner, CEO of Mad Monkey Productions, and one of my frequent collaborators.

Jasper:  How does Indie Grants work?

Robbie:  The Indie Grants is the only one of its kind program in the nation, using short films for production development and job training, while also creating international industry exposure for the state’s film industry. Funding the projects creates training environments for emerging crew and professional development opportunities for South Carolina filmmakers and other artists. 

Each Indie Grants project will employ Trident Technical College film students in its production, giving students hands-on training under the filmmakers and other production professionals, and acting as a bridge to full-time professional employment. Along with my project, Whistler’s Mother, the other projects selected for production include Abducted, written by Josh Barkey of Fort Mill with Ben Joyner attached to direct; and People Moving Through Time, a partnership with Indie Grits Labs & the Nickelodeon Theatre, written and directed by Roni Nicole Henderson and produced by Seth Gadsden of Columbia.

In the past, Indie Grants shorts have been official selections of top international film festivals, such as Sundance, Slamdance, Palm Springs, Austin, Stiges, LA, Cucalorus, DragonCon, Tallgrass, and many more. The projects have also attracted an impressive roster of working professionals in the entertainment industry including Oscar-winning Cinematographer Russell Carpenter (Titanic, Ant-Man), actor AJ Bowen (You’re Next, The Sacrament), DP Peter Simonite (The Perfect Guy, 2nd Unit DP on Tree of Life), writer Brad Land (Goat), Casting Director Avy Kauffman (Lincoln, Life of Pi), and Script Supervisor Martha Pinson (Wall Street, Hugo, The Aviator). 

Jasper:  Now tell us about your project.

Robbie:  My project is a fictional back story exploration of the famous painting WHISLTER’S MOTHER by James McNeil Whistler. As a child, I was always intrigued and rather scared of the painting and imagined what was the real story behind this infamous mother. In researching the real-life family, I learned the Whistler family lived in Russian in the 1830s and lost a young child and my imagination started running wild from that point forward. The story really started jelling for me when I also uncovered an ancient Russian fable about an evil child killing witch named the Baba Yaga. I found a way to blend the two stories and have created what I call a dark fable about a desperate mother, codependent relationships born of tragic loss that also result in the birth of creativity. I also hope to use the short film as a “proof of concept” to create a feature version of the same story.

Deciding to partner with Lorie Gardner, one of the most brilliant business people I know, has helped me elevate the scope of this project and we are so excited to bring this story to life. The official logline for the script is: The artist James Whistler spent years trying to capture the essence of his mother for his most famous work of art. Not to create a masterpiece, but to save his mother from possession by the Baba Yaga, an evil Russian witch. 

Jasper:  What happens next for your film?

Robbie:  Right now, we are in preproduction with Brad Jayne and Kevin Peterson from the Indie Grants program who are serving as producers on the project. I’ve also been working with a wonderful script consultant named Geoff Gunn who has helped me prep a shooting script. We are also working with a casting director from Charleston named Matt Sefick who is sending out audition notices to agents on both coasts.

Jasper:  When will we get to see the finished product?

Robbie:  All Indie Grants projects have to be shot between November 2017 and February 2018. So, with any luck—and maybe some magic from the Baba Yaga—we’re looking at next summer for a finished product.

~~~

Robbie Robertson is a playwright, screenwriter and a graduate of the University of South Carolina and UCLA’s professional screenwriting program. His first play, Mina Tonight!, was published by Samuel French Inc. and has been produced in regional theatres across the nation. In 2015, Robertson produced a sold out run of his staged adaptation of the film Satan in High Heels at both Dixon Place and TheatreWorks in NYC. Robertson’s screenplays have placed in several national contests, including his comedy, Sweet Child of Mine, being named one of the top 12 comedy scripts in the Austin Film Festival’s Screenwriting Competition. Robertson was also a Top 10 Finalist in the 2016 London Table Read My Screenplay contest with his original pilot, DENMARK (an adaptation of Hamlet set in 1940s South Carolina) and the same work was named one of the Top 100 Pilots of 2016 by The Tracking Board in Los Angeles. Most recently, Robertson’s drama, AT-RISK, was a Top 25 Semi-Finalist in the 2016 Zoetrope Screenwriting Contest. He is currently developing AT-RISK with producer/actor Kristian Alfonso (“DAYS OF OUR LIVES.”) Robertson was the recipient of the SC Arts Commission 2014 Media Screenwriting Fellow and is looking forward to producing and co-directing his first short film, a supernatural thriller that reveals the backstory of the woman featured in one most iconic works of art in modern history—WHISTLER’S MOTHER.