In the Works: Raise It Up For Ma Dukes

In the Works: Eerie "Inn," Crude Story, Quiet Hunt, Immigrant Mess, Microloan Impact & Raise It Up For Ma Dukes By Brian Brooks and Basil Tsiokos (Updated 13 hours, 58 minutes ago) Director Ti West in front of the The Yankee Pedlar Inn where he's currently filming "The Innkeepers." Image courtesy of Dark Sky Films. This week in our production column, ‘In the Works’, indieWIRE checks in with Ti West – the maker of recent horror smash “The House of the Devil” – about his new project, “The Innkeepers,” then takes a look at a number of documentaries with crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter. EDITORS NOTE: “In the Works” is a weekly column taking a look at upcoming films, in addition to projects in production. It spotlights films in development, as well completed films that are taking creative paths towards distribution and occasionally ventures away from films to look at other types of projects, such as interesting new film distribution, funding, or exhibition mechanisms. “The Innkeeper” Director Ti West unexpectedly found the story for his newest film in the hotel he stayed in while shooting his previous film, “The House of the Devil.” He’s returning to the Connecticut inn for “The Innkeepers,” inspired by unexplainable occurences during their stay. “We stayed here during ‘House of the Devil’ and all this crazy shit happened,” West told iW. “So, it’s allegedly haunted. It’s weird stuff and I must say I’m a skeptical person, but the lights would turn on and off on their own and even the TV turned on by itself.” Employees told West that they believe one of the ghosts in residence at the hotel, called “The Yankee Pedlar Inn,” is a woman who committed suicide there after being stood up at her wedding. West, who penned “The Innkeepers” following “Devil,” began production this week with Dark Sky Films. The film stars Sara Paxton (“Last House on the Left”) as the lead, and the cast includes Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis, and George Riddle, among others. “The Innkeepers” follows the story of two employees working in a haunted hotel before it goes out of business after a century-plus in existence. According to Dark Sky Films, the plot centers on “the last remaining clerks, Claire (Paxton), a twenty-something that has come to terms with her lot in life, and Luke (Healy), a computer-smart loner, are convinced that the hotel is haunted and are determined to prove it. As time ticks down to the final days of operation, mysterious guests check in including Leanne Rease-Jones (McGillis), a former TV actress turned psychic, and an old man insistent on staying in room 353. As several strange occurrences begin to add up, both Claire and Luke must make the crucial decision on what to believe and what not to believe…” West will work with much of the same crew who worked on “Devil.” He said that after they saw the script, they were eager to work with him again on “The Innkeepers.” “They were all on board to do it,” said West. “They saw the script and said [to me], ‘We know this film, we can do this…’” Continuing, West added, “I’m still skeptical about all this stuff and I’m still not sure if I believe it, but there was a lot that happened when we stayed here and if it continues, I might have to be a convert.” More projects “Oil in the Family” Logline: “Oil in the Family” follows filmmaker Jon Goldman in his attempt to understand his family’s connection to the oil industry and the classic 1948 documentary film “Louisiana Story.” Using Robert J Flaherty’s final masterpiece as a touchstone, Goldman returns to his bayou roots sixty years later and discovers the price of progress on the land and its people. The team: Jon Goldman, Director/Producer; Ed Slattery, Cinematographer; Bill Lattanzi, Writer; Daniel Neiden, Co-Producer; Roger Day, Co-Producer; Kevin McCaffrey, Producer; Jean Dunoyer, Editor; Nicole Guillemet, Advisor; Jay Spain, Producer “Raise It Up for Ma Dukes” A scene from Dana Bartle’s “Raise It Up for Ma Dukes.” Image courtesy of the filmmaker. Logline: When celebrated hip-hop producer J Dilla was struck by Lupus, his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, sacrificed everything to help him. After his death, she lost her home and her life savings, and is forced to fight for her son’s estate, even as she herself combats the same disease that took her son’s life. The team: Dana Bartle, Director/Producer/Cinematographer; Jude Ray, Executive Producer; Greg Boas, Editor; Jeremy Deputat, Cinematographer; OUTLAW KOPPS, Animators; Michael “task” Hudson, Photographer/Graphics About the film: Director Dana Bartle has been a fan of J Dilla since the early ‘90s, recognizing his work producing for celebrated musicians including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Roots, Common, Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes. While Dilla kept to the background during his life, his early death brought him media attention, and introduced Bartle to his mother and her role in caring for her son both physically and financially in his last years, and its continuing aftermath. She explains her motivation for making the documentary: “The bond that J Dilla and Ma Dukes shared throughout his career and his illness is an aspect of hip hop culture that is rarely examined.” Current status: Principal photography is scheduled to begin in September. A Kickstarter campaign is currently underway to raise the $5,000 needed to complete the trailer, which includes footage from a benefit party for Ma Dukes hosted by Questlove of the Roots. For more information and to support the film: http://kck.st/cn3dnr. As with all Kickstarter campaigns, the filmmakers will not receive any donations unless they meet their fundraising goal of $5000 by their May 11th deadline. Also currently In the Works: Faith-based urban drama “I’m in Love with a Church Girl,” directed by Steve Race and written by Galley Molina, recently announced the addition of Stephen Baldwin, Vincent Pastore, Michael Madsen, Michael Rivera, and T-Bone to the cast already featuring Ja Rule and Adrienne Bailon (from the “Cheetah Girls”). The production is scheduled to begin principal photography on May 13, and is the first feature from Reverence Gospel Media, a new independent production company specializing in developing and producing faith-based films and other media. “Church Girl,” based on Molina’s life, focuses on a former high level drug trafficker who has gone legit but struggles to keep on the right side of the law, and the relationship with the titular figure who helps him find redemption.

IndieWIRE article on Raise It Up For Ma Dukes!

Last week IndieWIRE contacted me and asked if they could feature my film Raise It Up For Ma Dukes in their column In The Works, which highlights films in production to watch. The article will be published this Thursday, April 29th!

The column was just launched at the beginning of April and they have featured some great films from some heavy hitters in my industry including Ted Hope, Producer of Adventureland, 21 Grams, American Splendor and The Devil and Daniel Johnston, as well as Paul Rachman, Director of American Hardcore and some ladies I know, Academy Award nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady who Directed Jesus Camp and Boys of Baraka.

For those of you who are not familiar with IndieWIRE it is the leading news, information, and networking site for independent-minded filmmakers, the industry and moviegoers alike, indieWIRE launced on July 15, 1996.

Winner of the Webby Award for best film website, indieWIRE was lauded as a "must read" by Variety, branded the "online heartbeat of the world's independent film community" by Forbes, and dubbed "best indie crossroads" by film critic Roger Ebert.

Aside from all of that it is run by four of my favorite New Yorkers, Eugene Hernandez, James Israel, Peter Knegt and Brian Brooks. The In The Works column is written by Brian Brooks and Basil Tsiokos, another one of my favorite Manhattanites, who is, among other things, the Programming Associate of Documentary Features for the Sundance Film Festival. Thank you guys so much for considering me and for always being so supportive of my career!!

Timeless featuring A Suite for Ma Dukes on tour...

If you love J Dilla chances are you love B+. Former photo editor of the  since departed Rap Pages, frequent contributor to Wax Poetics and co-founder of Mochilla, B+ was also a close personal friend of J Dilla and the Yancey family. Since I began working on my film I have had the pleasure to speak to B+ and ask him to be the Director of Photography for Raise it Up For Ma Dukes. His talent is pretty much unsurpassed in my mind. Looking at his photos of J Dilla you get a much better sense of who Dilla was than any of the myriad mixtapes and tributes that have come out in the four years since his death. Since Dilla's passing be has continued to be one of the Yancey family's champion supporters so it should come as no surprise that his latest project includes a tribute to J Dilla. 
After an incredibly succesful premiere at SXSW, Mochilla is taking their film series Timeless on tour. The second film in the series celebrated the music of J.Dilla. Composed and arranged for a 60 piece Orchestra by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson feat. special guests Bilal, Dwele, Posdnuos, Talib Kweli and more. This premiere performance is still on the minds of many. Mixed and mastered by legendary Grammy award winning producer/mixer, Bob Power. The man behind hundreds of pop and jazz recordings for such artists as Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest and more, he had also worked with Dilla while he was alive. Hiphop has never sounded or looked like this, welcome to a new era, a new scale and a new sound. Part of the proceeds of all Suite for Ma Dukes performances and recordings will go towards Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey and the heirs to the Dilla Estate.

 Instead of showing all three films back to back or indeed making a screener edit of all three films, we will be doing something historic. At certain screenings J.Rocc, of the World Famous Beat Junkies and also maybe the greatest DJ on the planet right now, will be DJing all three films, using the latest Serato technology. J.Rocc will be manipulating the films using vinyl on turntables to control the hi-res film files, creating an amazing megamix of all three films. (see the sneak peek here) This, as far as we know, has never been done to premiere a film or indeed a series of films ever.

The screenings will be followed by Q&A w/ B+, Eric Coleman and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson,
with after-party to follow, J.Rocc as the main guest DJ.

For more info go to http://mochilla.com/timelesstour