Creative
RECENT WORK
Current: Good (Working Title) – Writer
Epic
In Fall 2012, Epic Theatre Ensemble commissioned me to create an immersive “Transmedia Play”. In addition to the interactive live experience, the play will involve video and technology elements, and will deal with climate change, overpopulation, genetic engineering, and other issues critical to the future of our world. The first draft of the play was workshopped at Smith College in Jan 2013.
Some scenes played out in other rooms via hidden camera
One of the goals of this play is to allow non-linear mechanics to take over some of the traditional functions of a play. For instance, a good deal of exposition necessary to understanding the world is dealt with by allowing the audience to move about and investigate the world for the first act.
Another element of the project is a game that encourages audience participation. It’s often far too much to expect an audience to “improvise” or pretend they are someone they’re not. But a game can be a very good way to spark the audience’s imaginations and get them activated to take part. Just about anyone can and will play a game.
This play is the first piece of a new story world I’m developing in 2013. Work on this play will continue over summer 2013.
The Lost Children Immersive Event – Writer/Director
This was a live immersive event around the fictional Transmedia story world “The Lost Children” at Convergence: Film Society of Lincoln Center. This was three events in one. A live cult recruitment event featuring the fictional cult in the Story World, with demonstrations of psychic powers, testing audience members for psychic powers of their own, and secret chambers where select audience members were granted a glimpse of the cult’s most secret rituals.
Our Leader, Chance Sturges
The second piece of the event was a science lecture about the real astronomy topics in the film: NEOs and the possibility of alien life in the universe.
The last piece was an interactive screening of the film that reacted to crowd feedback in real time.
Audiences gain valuable skills
I designed this experience, produced, directed the live theater elements, coordinated the science lecture, and chose the technology for the interactive screening.
Both the premiere and encore events were sold out. The goal is for these experiences to replace traditional theatrical distribution of the film, and tour the country.
Custom scent by Institute for Art & Olfaction
The experience included the websites: http://www.thelostchildrenmovie.com and http://www.chancesturges.com. The experience also used physical objects and text messages to provide further immersion into the story.
Read a detailed account of the experience on THE LOST CHILDREN site.
Read my in depth series of posts about designing the experience in Filmmaker Magazine.
Script available upon request.
The Lost Children Feature Film – Writer/Director
Trailer:
Sample Video:
I spent a good deal of 2011 writing/directing/shooting/editing the feature film THE LOST CHILDREN. THE LOST CHILDREN feature film was invited to the prestigious IFP Narrative Lab. At this weeklong workshop, I received much-appreciated mentorship from independent film professionals in the areas of editing, marketing, and distribution. y time there was spent taking in advice on various aspects of the film and applying them to perfecting the film.
The Lost Children feature film is only one aspect to The Lost Children story world, which includes the short film EVIE, numerous extensions from the Lost Children website, and live immersive theater events centered on The Lost Children cult.
http://www.thelostchildrenmovie.com/
Script available upon request.
The short film EVIE – Writer/Director
EVIE is one entry point into the story world of The Lost Children. Shot on RED ONE “Jean Grey” by Urban Mouse, EVIE tells the story of how Evelyn Hamilton came to join The Hierarchy of The Lost Children cult.
Script available upon request.
SKILLS
- Script writing
- Editing
- Color Correction
- On-set direction (trained as an actor, very good working with actors), directed numerous shorts and one feature film
- Creative concepting on Transmedia projects
Contact
mark (at) desperatecomfort (dot) com
