Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival 2008 Schedule

10:00-11:30 Comic-Con Film School 101: Preproduction and Screenwriting— For the fifth year in a row, Comic-Con Film School returns with a four-day, hands-on, nuts-and-bolts series of classes on how to make a movie for very little money, using available video technology and desktop postproduction software. Whether you're shooting your first Zelda fan film or that story about the leather-clad girl who hunts werewolves, this course will take you from script to DVD so that you, too, can enter your own movie into the CCI: IFF. This first class covers the specifics of preproduction on the cheap, including screenwriting, casting, scheduling, location scouting, crewing-up, getting equipment for nothing, and so on. Panelists for the class include Matt Kohnen (NYFA, writer/director of Wasting Away), Valerie Perez (producer/star of Paula Peril—Trapped in the Flames and Tears of the Dragon, a Lara Croft Fan Film), Nick Murphy (director of Tears of the Dragon), Aaron Shoenke (director of Batman Legends and Patient J), and Sean Rourke (writer/director of 1st Person Shooter).

Action/Adventure

11:30-12:10 A.W.O.L.—1972. An American soldier (David Morse) is captured and tortured in Vietnam. At the height of agony, suddenly he’s home living an idyllic life with a wife and two children he doesn’t recall ever having known. But the cruel torture of war is not over after all. It resumes at midnight every night—an unending cycle of pain he has one chance of breaking. Escaping will take wits and require a gun. Jessica Wethington (producer) and Lynda Nicolay (director of photography) talk about the making of the film.

12:10-12:40 The Living Sword—A short film about three high school friends, Sheen, Kwan, and Madison, separated by a bus accident and reunited through the phenomenon of dark fables and folklore. But when friend turns against friend, one is forced to become dependent on a sword enchanted with the soul of a legendary sword-maker. Participating panelists include Patrick Hurd (director), Mick Minh Nguyen and Kevin Leung (supporting actors), Richard Chiu (lead actor), and Gabriel Smith (final audio mixer).

12:40-1:15 Bookie—At a raucous soul/R&B nightclub in 1963, a gambling bookie risks everything he has for a waitress down on her luck. Tran Quoc Bao (writer/director), Shaun Mayor (cinematographer), Ken Quitugua (An Act of Revenge), JT Jackson (Bacardi and Cola), and Sam Looc (Rush Hour 3) will be present to talk about the film.

1:15-2:05 ATF: Asian Task Force—In this tongue-in-cheek homage to shows such as The A-Team and Miami Vice, an elite police force is assembled to investigate Asian crimes in Southern California. In this "pilot episode," the ATF is on their first mission to take down one of Los Angeles' most nefarious drug lords. Participating panelists include James Huang (Women's Murder Club), Teddy Chen Culver (Shadow Man), Aaron Umetani (director of photography), Jerome Lu (producer/visual effects artist), and William Lu (writer/director).

2:05-2:30 Shinobi Warriors—Two words: ninja mayhem! Featuring Hanna Jun (female stunt ninja), Shaun Charney (stunt ninja/ fight choreographer), Jeff Centauri (camerawork/wire stunt coordinator), and Phil Guye (set construction/ 2nd camerawork), talking about the creation of their film.

2:30-2:55 Citizen—In an eerie not-too-distant future, a young man tries to escape from his homeland in the dead of winter. As this teenage boy is chased by hunters through the harsh wilderness approaching the border, he recalls the perilous steps of his journey and the fateful doctor's visit that motivated his departure. Boy or man? Hero or traitor? Refugee or fugitive? Citizen. Participating panelists include James Darling (writer/director, Love Train: 1 2 3, Mom Vs. The Undead), Erik Desiderio (composer, Tomten Hollow, Rusty Forkblade), Tim Meyer (Hunter #2), Rebecca Blake (concept artist), and Helen Truong (writer/director, 2012, Double Vision).

Comics-Oriented

3:00-3:30 New York Chronicle—B, a comic book artist, decides to create a graphic novel based on a ten-day relationship he had in order to move on. Peov, writer/artist from Comic Book Tattoo and writer/director of New York Chronicle will talk about his film.

3:30-4:10 Woman’s Work—A mild-mannered housewife accidentally discovers that she is a superhero. Navigating her way through the fantastic world of comic book illustrations and the harsh live-action reality of life at home, Janet Sancy juggles the jobs of fledgling crime-fighter and mom-at-home and fights for respect from both.  Writer/director Chad Benton, actor Tiffany Laufer (Christmas At Maxwell’s). and editor Rebecca Aldana (Little Wings) talk about their film after the screening.

4:10-5:55 The Crusaders #357: Experiment in Evil!—Taking the secret identity of Furie, Connie Ferranti joins a team of working-class superheroes as they go up against a billionaire mogul who may or may not be the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. And the greatest threat of all may be the darkness within themselves! Panelists include Robb Wolford (director/producer/co-writer), Bruce Heinsius (director of photography), Lyn Macomber (La Femme Fatale), Jeffrey Stackhouse (Warlock), and Dov Schwarz (editor).

Documentary

6:00-6:25 Masked—As with many, what started off as creative Halloween costumes grew into a long-time hobby and real art. In this short documentary we see cosplay at its finest and we meet the man behind the mask. Participating panelists include Jenny Sargent (director), JJ Conway and Jen Fiore (subjects of the documentary), Nicole Exposito (crew), and Jim Holmquist (music).

6:25-8:00 Independents: A Guide for the Creative Spirit—What does it really take to be a successful comic book creator? This documentary explores the personality traits and driving passions of the successful writer/artist, through interviews with dozens of acclaimed comic book creators. Post-screening Q&A participants include Wendy Pini (Elfquest), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Jim Woodring (Frank), Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man), Keith Knight (The Knight Life), Dr. James Kaufman, and director Chris Brandt.

8:00-9:45 Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown—A chronicle of the life, work, and mind responsible for the creation of the Cthulhu mythos, featuring interviews with Guillermo Del Toro, Neil Gaiman, John Carpenter, Peter Straub, Stuart Gordon, Ramsey Campbell, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Robert M. Price, Andrew Migliore, and S. T. Joshi. Participating panelists include Frank H. Woodward, writer/ director; James B. Myers and William Janczewski, producers; Mars, composer; and Robin Atkin Downes, narrator of Lovecraft and co-star of Babylon 5.

9:45-11:00 Night Gamers: A Tale of LARP—This verité-style documentary explores LARP, a theatrical game in which participants dress and act like vampires and battle one another using paper, rock, scissors. Follow players like Scott Lynch, a fantasy writer, as he struggles for his character to remain Prince of the Vampires. Geeky fighting words are said...“I hate you even more now, Jesse. My spider sense is tingling,” as the Machiavellian battle ensues. Juliah Inez Rueckert (director/producer), Brad Greenspan (Fop Productions web cinematographer), Marvin Cheng (Fop Productions web producer), and gaming enthusiast Ian Dull, discuss the film.