Columns

Dope boys: Filmmakers Pablo Véliz and Manuel Garcia on their locally shot Ghost Town

By Jeremy Martin

Published: 4/1/2009

Types: Screens & Tech

Nearly every scene in The Boys of Ghost Town was filmed in San Antonio. Everything but the skyline. The few times the camera rises above eye level, there’s no Tower of the Americas; it’s all stock footage of Houston landmarks (whatever the hell those are) instead. Director Pablo Véliz explains: Ther...[MORE]

Hallettsville Premiere

Published: 3/11/2009

Types: Screens & Tech

...[MORE]

Married to murder: Local filmmaker pioneers Bridezilla horror genre

By Sarah Fisch

Published: 12/17/2008

Types: Cover Story

With her upcoming film Just Murdered, San Antonian Raina James — veteran screenwriter, shooter, and film editor — became a first-time feature director. Filmed in SA and starring several local actors, including Dawn Brooks and Rita Verreos of Survivor fame, Just Murdered is a horror-comedy that takes...[MORE]

Say-Town slugger: Local filmmaker Buddy Calvo takes his brush with vigilantism to the big screen

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 9/3/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

It’s 3 a.m., and Buddy Calvo sits in his backyard alone in the dark, with a baseball bat in hand. He’s not quite sure what’s going to happen if he actually catches the thieves who have been targeting his neighborhood for the last two years, but he does know, if given the chance, he’s going to stop t...[MORE]

High school, re-animated: How St. Mary’s Hall, SAY Sí, others are tooning up curriculums

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 8/6/2008

Types: Cover Story, Section Cover

An apple and a pear sit on a small couch inside a refrigerator and talk about the meaning of life. “Think of a world that is run by pears,” the Red Delicious says to her fellow fridge-mate. In a most facetious way the pear mumbles, “I often do.” This playful dialog...[MORE]

Teen dreams: Josiah Youth Media Fest advances righteous young talent

By Patty Delgado

Published: 7/9/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

While it seems most high-school dramas captured on camera these days are of teens plagued with puppy-love problems, dreaded essay assignments, and acne, some local teen stars are jumping behind the lens during those awkward, angst-filled years to create award-winning films. This weekend the Jo...[MORE]

Ain’t no mountain high enough: San Antonian joins climbing team in the midst of shooting decade-long film project

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 7/2/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

They’re climbing mountains, but they might as well be moving them. As you are reading this, the 10-member climbing team known as “The Regulars” is scaling 11,239 feet to the summit of Mt. Hood, the highest peak in the state of Oregon. This is the third of 10 mountains in a campaign to raise awa...[MORE]

The man from Palo Pinto: From cows to cameras in two moves

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 5/14/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

Before he could discern the advantages of different kinds of film stock, director Anthony Henslee was more familiar with grazing livestock. Raised in Palo Pinto, Texas, on his grandfather’s 3,000-acre cattle ranch, Henslee, who was born in Arlington, grew up working in the family business until...[MORE]

Mostly Marfa: Wherein the Screens Editor reflects on her Marfa Film Festival adventure

By Ashley Lindstrom

Published: 5/7/2008

Types: Cover Story

I talked to strangers; I brandished my cowboy mouth; I knocked out the best migas of my life, and even found the time to catch a few flicks at the inaugural Marfa Film Festival. A conjecture: If the festival’s organizers really believed that movies alone were going to keep a body occupied for...[MORE]

Cross-cultural cinema: 30th-annual CineFestival spotlights Latino filmmakers from here and abroad

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 4/9/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

When it comes to Latino film in Hollywood, no one can deny the impact directors Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men), Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), and Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel) have had on the industry. All hailing from Mexico, the trio has proven that cinema from south of the border ...[MORE]

Celluloid treatment: CineMujer puts women’s real issues on the big screen

By Ashley Lindstrom

Published: 4/2/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

“What film would that be?” was Graciela Sanchez’s response when Palo Alto college professors Belinda Román and Mariana Ornelas approached her about screening a single film at Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, where Sanchez is executive director, in honor of Women’s History Month in 2005. And jus...[MORE]

Reality bytes

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 3/19/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

If you’re like most non-gamers, chances are you’ve stereotyped those cyber-athletes obsessed with online games like World of Warcraft and Second Life as socially awkward virgins locked away in their parents’ basement surfacing only to heat up a Hot Pocket or attend a local gaming convention dressed ...[MORE]

Define ‘Suckcess’: Say Sí students give local band Piñata Protest (and SXSW) a music video to rock them to the core

By Sonya Harvey

Published: 3/19/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

Main entry: Suckcess Pronunciation: \sek-’ses\ Definition: A SXSW-featured musical short created by SA high-school student filmmakers Jessica Torres, 16, and Yvonne Hernandez, 17, for Piñata Protest that tells the tale of musical redemption from mundane life. As the film op...[MORE]

MyToons, our toons: Fresh off a deal with YouTube, S.A.-based MyToons.com is leading the online animation revolution

By Brian Villalobos

Published: 2/20/2008

Types: Cover Story

The elephant is eating and shitting at an alarming rate. Not to be crass, but there isn’t a whole lot more than that going on here, and there are few ways to say it. It’s impressive, actually — and more than a little hypnotic. The westernmost end of the animal describes an undulatin...[MORE]

Short and sweet

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 1/30/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

Local filmmaker A.J. Garcés says if you want to see filmmaking at its purest, look to an independent short. “There is no product placement,” Garcés, 47, said. “This is the director and his vision with a shoestring budget. He’s not trying to sell you some...[MORE]

Kicking into high gear: Local director and actor Mark Cantu sticks behind the camera for his latest feature, Echo.

By Kiko Martinez

Published: 1/16/2008

Types: Screens & Tech

It’s early Saturday evening inside Club Heat and local filmmaker Mark Cantu, 29, is watching the clock. With his lead actors, extras, and camera in position, Cantu is aware of his time constraints. The club will be welcoming its first patrons in an hour and he has a few scenes to shoot before the mu...[MORE]