RALEIGH, N.C. (Oct. 6, 2006) – When they set out to chronicle the life of legendary clay animator Bruce Bickford, little did Brett Ingram and Jim Haverkamp know they would be frequent dwellers of Bickford's basement over the next three years. Not because he locked them in, but rather on purpose to delve into his artistic philosophy, working methods, family history and unique cosmology.
Ingram and Haverkamp, the duo that created the 2004 award-winning documentary “Monster Road,” will elaborate on this and other tales at a filmmakers’ dialogue to be held on Nov. 9. The event will take place from 5:30 - 8:30pm at Trailblazer Studios, 1610 Midtown Place, Raleigh, N.C.
Heralded by the San Francisco Chronicle as "fascinating, disturbing, and often hilarious," “Monster Road” won honors at 10 film festivals, including Best Documentary at five. The film is also in broadcast rotation on the Sundance Channel until summer 2007.
“This promises to be an informative and entertaining evening for documentary filmmakers and really anyone just interested in docs,” said Ian Krabacher of Serious Robots, the Raleigh-based editorial and animation shop that is co-hosting the event. “With each success Monster Road earns, Brett and Jim continue to impress with their intelligent approach to filmmaking and resourceful strategies for film distribution. They’re both incredibly approachable and will, no doubt, make folks chuckle as they talk about shooting in Bickford’s studio, combining multiple sources in edit, running through the festival process and recently working a distribution deal in Japan.”
Serious Robots’ Scott Roy and Blazing Music + Sound’s Willie Elias, who handled the film’s broadcast online and mix, will also be panelists at the documentary roundtable. The two boutiques are co-hosting the event.
The Nov. 9 documentary roundtable is free, and food will be provided. Please RSVP by Oct. 31 at http://www.seriousrobots.com/docrsvp/contact.html or to Beth Glover at 919.645.6644 and beth@trailblazerstudios.com.
About the Filmmakers
Ingram, a native of Kernersville, N.C., is the director, cinematographer, co-producer and co-editor of “Monster Road,” his first feature film. Formerly an electrical engineer on the Space Shuttle Program, Ingram exchanged his pocket protector for a movie camera in 1990. His short documentaries and animated films have won 30 awards collectively and have screened at more than 100 festivals and museums internationally. Filmmaker Magazine name Ingram one of the "25 New Faces of Indie Film" for 2003. He currently teaches film and video production at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Haverkamp co-produced and co-edited “Monster Road.” An award-winning filmmaker and editor who lives in Durham, N.C., his short films have shown in festivals across the country, and he was awarded a Filmmaking Fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council in 2000. Haverkamp teaches in the continuing education program of Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies and is a former organizer of the Flicker Film Festival in Chapel Hill. His current project is co-directing a short narrative movie, “Willow Garden,” scheduled for completion in late 2006.
About the Event Hosts
Blazing Music + Sound provides all aspects of music and sound production, including original music composition, voiceover recording and sound design. Serious Robots is one of the Southeast’s top postproduction companies, offering an extensive array of services for editorial, animation and visual effects. Both boutiques are located at Trailblazer Studios in Raleigh, N.C., www.trailblazerstudios.com.
