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Pressing On: The Letterpress Film

“Printing is a privilege”

When Johannes Gutenberg invented moveable type in the 15th century, the world changed forever. The printing press ushered us out of the Dark Ages into the Age of Enlightenment. Fast forward today’s Information Age and we still have much to thank Gutenberg for how the printing press revolutionized the world. For centuries, letterpress, a form of of pressing ink into paper with the use of engravings carved into wood, metal, linoleum or zinc cut plates, was the standard for creating books, newspapers, magazines, brochures, pamphlets, posters and many other forms of printed words on paper. Over the years, the craft of letterpress was fine tuned byartisans who learned how turn type into an art form. Unlike today’s flash in the pan technology which quickly becomes replaced or obsolete, letterpress machines were improved upon in such a way they became timeless. A machine from a century ago could still function the way it was intended if handled with care. With the birth of offset printing in the mid-Twentieth Century and the advent of computers, letterpress became obsolete. But a group of letterpress printers who value the art and craft of the process are keeping it alive and hoping to pass on their knowledge to the next generation.

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Co-directed by Andrew P. Quinn and Erin Beckloff, Pressing On: The Letterpress Film is a love letter to this art form. It asks the question, why is there still a love for this obsolete technology? The documentary seeks out to answer this with interviews of letterpress printers, both professionals and hobbyists who honed their craft, appreciate the process and ultimately find joy in it. The film revels in the romanc and nostalgia of this form of graphic design. The beat up blocks, the machinery, the colorful designs, the beautiful typography are all part of a long tradition handed down from generation to generation. The interview subjects hail from mid-west and mid-Atlantic. We hear from people who operate independent presses whether at established shops or out of their garage. We learn about the long tradition of Hatch Show Print in Tennessee which made concert posters a collectible art and the Hamilton Museum which keeps the history of letterpress alive. I was particularly taken with the interviews with hobbyist Dave Churchman who collected, you could even say hoarded, letter press equipment. He passed away in 2015 and within the film we also hear from his son who was left in charge of the vast collection his father left behind.

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Dave Churchman

There is a “pressing” need to pass on the knowledge of the art of letterpress to the next generation so it won’t be lost. Today we can appreciate the unique aesthetic of letterpress as a form of graphic design (everything you do in your Adobe Suite is influenced by letterpress!) but can we save the process? When the master printers pass on, who will carry their torch?

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Pressing On: The Letterpress Film is a sensitive and reflective documentary that is clearly in love with its subject. It’s joyful about the form but melancholy about the future. If you have any interest in the history of technology, in graphic design or even in what drives people to pursue their passion, I would highly recommend watching this film.

Pressing On premieres on digital today. You can find it on iTunes, Vimeo or your favorite VOD platform. It’s also available on DVD and Blu-Ray which you can find on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Best Buy!

Pressing On: The Letterpress Film Official Trailer

 

Aesthetic and Process: Exclusive Clip

Beauty Mark

A timely story for the #MeToo era, Beauty Mark (2017) explores the ramifications of sexual abuse and how the cycle affects multiple generations. Written and directed by Harrison Doran and inspired by a true story, Beauty Mark follows Angie (Auden Thornton), a down-on-her-luck single mom as she struggles to make ends meet. She’s the primary caretaker of her Autistic son Trey (Jameson Fowler) and has to deal with the prejudice that comes with raising a mixed race child. She’s also taking care of her addict mother Ruth Ann (Catherine Curtin) who refuses to work and can barely stay sober enough to take care of her grandson. When their home is condemned by the local authorities, Angie must secure the funds for a down payment for an apartment. Haunted by the memory of former pastor Bruce (Jeff Kober) who sexually molested her when she was 5 years old, she fights back hoping that suing him help her get the money she needs to keep her family off the streets. She reaches out to other victims but when faced with a system that protects abusers and driven by the urgency of her situation, she gets help from her stripper friend Lorraine (Laura Bell Bundy). Can Angie fight back or will she have to give in?

“It’s not about sex. It’s about power.”

 

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Catherine Curtin as Ruth Ann in Beauty Mark
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Auden Thornton and Jameson Fowler in Beauty Mark

Star Auden Thornton delivers in her performance of the sympathetic and complex Angie. There are two distinct phases in Angie’s story line. There is one of an overworked mom at her wits end, searching for a way to fight back. Thornton’s physical appearance contrasts greatly to the second phase when she breaks down from sheer exasperation and finds a job as a stripper. There are several heartbreaking scenes throughout the film that linger long enough to give viewers a sense of the desperate circumstances Angie is dealing with. I was particularly impressed with Catherine Curtin as the strung out grandmother who is both a pathetic and repulsive figure. I enjoyed her performance in Victoria Negri’s film Gold Star. Curtin is a modern-day Shelley Winters and one to watch.

Beauty Mark is an engrossing movie with a poignant message. It’s a warning, a call-to-action but most importantly a candid look about a serious problem that’s been swept under the rug for far too long.

Beauty Mark is available to own or rent on digital HD today.

Update: Beauty Mark is now available on DVD. You can purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Best Buy.

“A powerful film. Survivors must no longer be silent.” – Ashley Judd

Exclusive Clip

 

Official Trailer

 

Six L.A. Love Stories

6 couples, 6 different stories, 1 afternoon in L.A.

Directed by Michael Dunaway, 6 L.A. Love Stories is a raw and bare bones look at the complexities of love and relationships. It offers six different vignettes, not interconnected in any way other than they all take place in Los Angeles. Ashley Williams and Ross Partridge play strangers at a pool party whose conversation gets off to a rocky start. Matthew Lillard plays a husband who just discovered his wife, Carrie Preston, has been cheating on him. Jennifer Lafleur is a stage manager who reconnects with her ex-girlfriend, a motivational speaker played by Ogy Durham. Jamie Anne Allman is a Hollywood studio exec meeting up for a drink with her struggling actor ex-boyfriend Marshall Allman (both actors are a couple in real life). Director Michael Dunaway and actress Alicia Witt play a divorced couple who rediscover their emotional and physical connection. And the final vignette, which is my personal favorite, follows a Will Rogers scholar, Stephen Tobolowsky, as he battles with a Will Rogers estate tour guide, Beth Grant, who is strictly by the book.

6 L.A. Love Stories offers multiple insights into relationships, how they can go wrong and how couples can reconnect. Three of the couples are exes, two are meeting for the first time and one is at a crossroads in their journey. Legendary director Peter Bogdanovich has a small role as a speaker in the Lafleur/Durham vignette. He delivers a motivational speech using a “big stick”, in reference to president Teddy Roosevelt. His daughter Antonia Bogdanovich served as producer and production designer on the film.

Available on DVD, digital and VOD today from Random Media, 6 L.A. Love Stories is a quiet unassuming indie film that offers a genuine look at relationships.

Six L.A. Love Stories from Random Media on Vimeo.

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