| Lights Camera Action
. . . Jersey Pulls Enthusiastic Crowd
by Michael Schumacher
& Suzanne Poor
 |
| Left to right: Preparing for
film-making seminar at Kean University were Rick
Angeli, production head, NFL Films; Glenn Taylor,
composer and owner, Taylor-Made Productions; David
W. Schoner, Jr., executive producer of the New Jersey
Film Commission; Tom Meyers, executive director
of the Fort Lee Film Commission; and Robert I. Freedman,
entertainment attorney with Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams
& Sheppard. |
Everything you wanted to know about the
history of film making was on the wide screen February
13 at Kean University’s Little Theatre as the
Ad Club, the Art Directors Club of New Jersey and the
Media Communication Association – International
hosted a program designed to show why the designation
Film-Making Capital of the nation should be returned
to New Jersey.
As a panel of five prominent participants
in theatre focused on this topic, the audience was treated
to clips of Thomas Edison’s Black Maria, Celeste
Holm as a former head of the NJ Film Commission, The
Great Train Robbery, Perils of Pauline, Max Sennet
and the Keystone Kops and more.
Panelists were David W. Schoner, Jr.,
production coordinator for the NJ Motion Picture and
TV Commission; Tom Meyers, Executive Director of the
Fort Lee Film Commission; Rick Angeli, Senior Director
of Facility Sales & Marketing, NFL Films; Glenn
Taylor, composer and owner of Taylor-Made Productions;
and Robert L. Freedman of Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams &
Sheppard.
THE HUB OF MOVIE
MAKING
Many were surprised to learn just how prolific the film
industry was in the Garden State in the early years
of the last century, as a result of Thomas Edison’s
invention of the motion picture machine. By 1914, 90%
of all movies were created and produced in numerous
studios in the Fort Lee area. Even westerns were staged
there. “Audiences were much more forgiving in
those days,” Schoner, explained. The expression
“cliffhanger,” used to express suspense
on the screen, was coined from the Perils
of Pauline movies, which were shot on the Palisades
overlooking the Hudson River. Because of more lenient
trade laws, the nation’s film capital was relocated
to Hollywood by the 1920s, relegating New Jersey to
a mere footnote in film making annals.
The biggest surprise of the evening was
that 90 feature films and more than 400 commercials
were shot in New Jersey in 2004, Meyers pointed out
— calling attention to the marketing and advertising
audience that the state has it all when it comes to
creating a movie, commercial or corporate film.
Fascinating was the description of the
modus operandi of NFL Films. Not only do the studios
in Mt. Laurel, N.J., produce the more dramatic coverage
of all NFL games, their clients also include Ringling
Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Christopher
Reeve Foundation and Harley Davidson. As one of the
most successful sports companies in the world, the NFL
licenses its footage and is vigilant about rights violations.
Bob Freedman, the entertainment attorney,
captivated his audience with a definition of fair usage
and copyright violation. In most cases, one cannot use
clips from films of any kind without permission, a license
and a fee.
Glenn Taylor, while not a film maker,
adds, with his music, sometimes original, sometimes
from a music library, sometimes live, one of the most
important dimensions to film making.
In keeping with the movie theme, refreshments
included hot dogs, popcorn, pizza and soft drinks.
return
to March 2006 Adtalk |
