KGB Productions

Blanc de Blanc is a small film with heart.  Originally made on a bet that the director could make a film in 2 weeks.  The film is quite professional for its limitations, and it works.  The story is bare bones, yet the plot is somewhat engaging.  A young women  meets a mysterious man, and they start a relationship.  It's as simple as that, and thats the films charm. How  Lucas McNelly (director) presents his film is at times slow and plotting, but it is the actors that make this a fascinating film.  Both Rachel Shaw and Jason Kirsch are brilliant in their performances.  Watching these actors is what riveted me to the film.  The film is shot beautifully by David Eger , and the music by Jerome Wincek is effective and does set the tone of the film. What I felt was weak was the stories structure.  There is a lot of dialogue that seems to be used as padding for the film.  I felt that a lot of the scenes could have been cut....

This is really interesting, and should be seen by others, so hence it's here.  Hope it inspires, and that you learn something.

Stella's Secret from Karl Bauer on Vimeo . This is my 400th entry here, and I wanted to post something I'm quite proud of. I've met many people throughout my life, and I've had the honor and the privilege to meet some extraordinary men and women. Though I seem to be going through a transition of sorts I still want to continue meeting these extraordinary men and women, and get their story out. Every one of us has a story to tell. I truly believe that. Those stories need to be shared. We all have commonalties together, and telling these stories helps us understand our fellow neighbors, and citizens. We have to stop building walls and start building bridges to each other. It frustrates me to see a house divided. When I was growing up I heard the stories of my father, mother, grandmother, and grandfather. I heard what they went through, and being young at the time I truly didn't understand all that they had to say. Now being older I get it, and I understand. More ...

I had wanted to see this film for sometime now, and heard good things about the film.  To say that I wasn't disappointed is an understatement.  Battlefield: Los Angeles is a film that brings chills to one soul.  It is a film that is quite relevant in today's world were we Americans find ourselves engaged in several different wars.  Maybe because of the current events this film hits home.    The plot is simple: "A Marine Staff Sergeant ( Aaron Eckhart ) ,who has just had his retirement approved goes back into the line of duty to assist a 2nd Lieutenant and his platoon as they fight to reclaim the city of Los Angeles from alien invaders". The movie starts with the invasion, and then flashes back to introduce us to our platoon.  We have the marine who is married and expecting, the one who is going to get married, the big strong marine who feels protective of his buddy who is marrying, and the marine of the dead brother who died under the le...

Finally completed the script.  Wanted to do something creative in a year where everything gets turned upside down.  I have to say that I thought at times why am I doing this, but it was a great creative endeavor, and it's fun to flex that creative muscle once in a while.  In a world where things are upside down it's good that I can concentrate on something creative and force myself to completion. Is the script any good?  It's got potential I think.  It needs some re-writes, but every GOOD script or movie is done with re-writes.  I enjoy creative criticism, and there aren't many people who do that.  It's usually "it sucks" or "its great".  No in-between.  Constructive criticism is what its all about, and if you have people who can do that you should defiantly take advantage of it.  If it's anything I've learned in my years on this earth it's that criticism can be helpful, and hurtful sometimes.  You yourse...

"Finally, movies are art....the amount of attention paid to movies is directly related to pictures of quality.....my job is to care about and be responsible for every frame of every movie I make.  I know that all over the world there are young people borrowing from relatives and saving their allowances to buy their first cameras and put together their first student movies, some of them dreaming of becoming famous and making a fortune.  But few are dreaming of finding out what matters to them , of saying to themselves and to anyone who will listen. "I care".  A few of them want to make good movies." - Sidney Lumet    Making Movies

It seems that CLOSE-UP has been announced as an Official Selection of the SoHo International Film Festival 2011, which will run April 15th - 21st, 2011 I just came across this fellow Philadelphian, and I took a look at the trailer, and it really looks and sounds good. It has peaked my interest, and I'm very impressed to hear that it was shot on the Canon EOS 7D . How cool is that.  Charlie Anderson is the director of Photography, and it is produced in conjunction with Lucky Basturds Productions . A lot of who is in the film are local talent from here in Philadelphia. The budget for the film according to the director was $7,364, and it looks like a lot of blood sweat and tears went into the making of the film. I always want to praise a fellow filmmaker who gets his or her story out there, and so that's why it's here. The film has its premiere at the SoHo International film festival in NYC on April 19th at 1:00pm. It's to be held at the Quad Cinemas in NYC on 13t...

Documentarian Heather Quinlan is looking for finishing funds to complete her film about New York accents.  Check out the trailer down below, and if you know people, or if you have services like an editing bay, or a mixing facility I'm sure she would be greatful. The trailer is a good piece of work.  It would be awesome if someone could help her out.  For the record I don't know Ms Quinlan, but the trailer screams finish me, and being a "Nu Yorker" I'd love to see this film get a release somewhere.

After being in the SXSW festival last year this film got some notice, and some really good reviews.  After hearing about it I was interested and I finally got a chance to see it this week-end, and I have to say that the first third of the movie I really enjoyed, but after that for me the film falls apart.  The film is about Erica a young woman living in Austin who is promiscuous, she picks up men and dumps them immediately after having sex, never allowing herself to get too close to anyone. This changes when she gets better acquainted with her neighbor who has just moved in.  His name is Nate and he is a quiet man, slightly creepy, but he persists in being kind to her, and he wins her affection in a non-sexual way.  Now this happens all within the first twenty to thirty minutes of the movie, and then we are introduced to other characters who become the movies motivational piece for the violent ending. Like I said before the first thi...

Where do I start.  If your into comic book violence, bad character development, and just plain blood and gore this is your film.  For me it is not, and I can't recommend this film at all.  The film is suppose to be a send up on the 80's exploitation films, but it NEVER does it for me, and in truth I walked out on the film.  There are few films I walk out of and this was one of them.  No I did not get squeamish because of the blood, and violence.  I left because because it was not worth my time, and a total waste . Now I would like to just end this review here now, but I can't.  I like to write about why did or didn't I like a film, so in as brief possiable as I can be I will try and do so. Hobo with a shotgun stars Rutger Hauer  as the Hobo, and I really can't see why they used him.  I love Hauer in " LadyHawk ", The Hitcher , and even " Blade Runner ", so for the life of me I don't know why they use him the way they...

It's that time of year, and I'm kicking myself in the ass and writing once more.  With all that is going on I really don't know how, but somehow I'll manage.  If anything it will be an excuse to finish the screenplay I stopped working on last year.  need to keep the creative juices flowing, and it's self satisfaction for me. It's a real B-type film.  If you feel stagnant in the creative department give Script Frenzy a try.  You may just get out of it a screenplay.  It doesn't cost a thing. Also using the new and improved Celtx screenwritting program .  It's very good, and easy to learn.

I had to put this up here. Thinking that the guy who did this filmed it with a BIG old Arriflex 16mm camera while recording sound on a Walkman is so cool. I remember having to sneak shots of the subway when I was in film school. Taking an old filmo B&H DS70R camera was more my style. I even still have one. Never had the heart to get rid of it. If your unfamiliar with a DS70R camera their the cameras that are built like tanks and saw action as far back as World war 2. You had to wind them up, and you got a good 30 to 40 seconds till they stopped and then you would have to wind them again. That's of course if you shot at 24 frames per second. You could get more if you shot at a lower F.P.S, but if you did that you better be rock steady or you'll see every shake and shimmy. Those cameras also had parallax viewfinders so shooting with a 10mm lens and going hyper focal distance was the key to getting some good shots. You did that because you wanted to get everything in focus, ...

Last weekend the family saw Rango, and I have to say I liked the film a lot. The animation is much better then in other animated films out there now. The film is simple. A lizard whose name we don't know has an accident and is stranded in the desert alone. Our protagonist seems to be a thespian of sorts though he has little interaction with individuals. After all he is a lizard in a glass cage, so his people skills, if I can call them that, are limited. But wait if you examine the film "Rango" there are deeper meanings. Don't some of us live in a glass bubbles? Are we not all living our own reality? And when the bubble breaks such as in Rango's case we must confront the harsh reality of the outside world? What am I talking about? Isn't this a cartoon geared for children? On some level it is, and that's its main purpose. To entertain and sell Rango merchandise . Oh! sorry was that a bit of cynicism on my part? Well in essence Rango is an animated film t...

Not only was she an icon, but she was a good human being.  Her work for and on behalf of AIDS charities will never be forgotten.  She was a class act, and a great performer.  She will be missed.

Okay so I hear that the studio MGM is re-vamping it's film "Red Dawn" to have North Korean invaders instead of Chinese invaders.  First off MGM shot this way back in 2009 and shelved the film because of money issues with the company.  Now the studio is spending money to change Chinese insignias with Korean insignias, and replacing dialogue to fit the re-vamp. First off I don't know why re-making a movie like "Red Dawn" was done, but since that ship has sailed I figured maybe its one more way to sell a so-so film to a more youthful market.  Then I heard that John Milus the man behind the original "Red Dawn" was co-writing a novel with New York Times bestselling author Raymond Benson called "Homefront".  This is to coincide with Core Games releasing a video game called "Home Front". "Homefront represents a fascinating vision of the near future,” added John Milius. “After completing my work on the game, it became clear...

Let's hear it for moms! This film celebrates those moms who work tirelessly at home raising us, and getting no respect from their offspring. It was a quiet weekend and the boys wanted to see "Mars Needs Moms ", so since I'm not one to say no to a movie we all went. It was time well spent, and we all laughed. The film is about Martians needing moms because you see they’re incapable of raising their own offspring, which every so often emerge from the ground. Yeah I know, I know from the ground? What are the people at Walt Disney studios smoking? I mean really Martian babies from Mars itself? But remember it’s a film for the kids, and my two boys didn't blink. So what the heck. Suspension of belief is the name of the game, and funny thing is it works. The film gets to the point, and the action starts soon after, and that's all that matters. My boys seemed enraptured by the Martian world, and they said they looked cool. My boys especially liked the boy Martians w...

Local filmmaker Sean Kirkpatrick is getting his film ( Cost of a Soul ) released in 50 AMC theaters nationwide on April 15th.  It's good to hear about a local guy getting his due.  Take a look at the trailer below, and on April 15th support Philly film making.  Kirkpatrick’s film was shot in Philadelphia and it stars Chris Kerson and Will Blagrove .  The story is about two Iraq war veterans who struggle upon returning to Philadelphia after their discharge, and who cross paths in a very dramatic way.

    Last weekend I went to the DIY conference at the New School in New York. This was my second time at a DIY conference. The first was here in Philadelphia, and both times I was very inspired by the crowd, and the guest lecturers. For those who are not familiar with the DIY conferences it is a roving conference that happens across the United States. "The workbook Project is for those who want to be creative in the digital age. An open creative network that provides insight into the process of funding, creating, distributing and sustaining from one's creative efforts". Lance Weiler is the founder of the Workbook Project and also a story architect of film, TV and games. Lance is the one who started it and it has become a very impressive forum to voice ideas, and to network with other digital artists. Frank Rose gave the keynote lecture about " The Art of Immersion " which was fascinating. Mr. Rose discussed examples on how the audience became involved with ...

I caught this on HBO the other day and I was very impressed, and quite taken by this film.  "Don't let Me Drown" is the story of two Latino kids who fall in love in a post 911 New York.  The film is directed by Cruz Angeles, and it is also written by him and Maria Topete .  The film is beautifully shot  by Chad Davidson , and it uses it's New York locations well.  Both families are from working class parents who in some way are touched by the events of 911.  The filmmakers in an interview had an idea about the film as they saw events transpire in New York.  It reminded of them when they were growing up in Los Angeles during the crack epidemic where fear and violence was a common thing.  The director Mr Angeles said in an interview that after the events of 911 fear seemed to sweep the city, and it affected many people.  In the film the two families are knee deep in the 911 events.  One family has lost a daughter, and the other whose dad ...

CCI-Highlights from Karl Bauer on Vimeo . This is just highlights of a program I did for where I used to work back in the 90's.  Learned a lot here, and worked like a dog.  From lighting, to graphics we did it all at the Computer Channel.  I worked for a great producer by the name of Steven Lyshior.  It's been awhile, but I just got around to digitize some footage, and figured I throw it up here.  Learned how to create cheap sets that looked awesome, and all it took was a trip to your local Home Depot.  The graphics nowadays are a lot more sophisticated.  I remember running the computer over-night to render certain effects.  All shows were also cut on "The Cube" a non-linear edit system that no longer exists.  The Immix Video Cube had a control surface with faders to allow mixing and shuttle controls without the purchase of third party controller.  It's amazing to realize that what was done back then could be done with off the s...