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Ants in her pants
Bastrop auteur Carolyn Banks is in post-prod for her indie comedy-romance-horror movie “Invicta,” and sends us this nicely written update:
Carolyn Banks is sputtering, and to many, what she’s saying may sound crazy. “The ants,” she shouts, “the ants will be done on St. Patrick’s Day.”
But she isn’t talking about real ants. She’s talking about computer-generated ants that are being drawn by Austin artist Craig Staggs. And the ants are an integral part of “Invicta,” a feature-length movie Banks wrote and directed.
The film was made entirely in Bastrop, and was shot in October and November. The local non-profit, Upstart, produced “Invicta,” along with River Road Studio, Banks’ production entity.
“People remember the publicity we got when we were running around town with cameras and lights and stuff,” Banks says, “but after that, it’s as though the movie drops out of sight.”
This period marks the tedious and lengthy post-production process, where the scenes that were acted out over and over again from various angles are scrutinized and put into a sequence that appeals to the eye.
“Audiences don’t realize all that goes into it. It isn’t like a play where you get one continuous view. The camera moves around, shows the scene from over one person’s shoulder, or from above, or with one actor in the shot and then two. The editing is tough because of all those choices, but that’s what gives movies a special kind of life.”
Banks is pleased with the completed footage she’s seen so far. “Jessica Gardner is doing 98% of it. Her creative eye and the decisions she makes are fabulous. My input is minimal, because she and I are so much in sync about the way a movie ought to move. I just sit there and go, ‘Maybe that should be shorter.’ But mostly I just say, ‘Oh, Jess, that’s great!’”
More about “Invicta” HERE.
Metalheads and Mickey Rourke should be salivating over this smash-rockin’ dose of heavy metal at SXSW this year: a pair of rock docs, “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” and the North American premiere of “Iron Maiden: Flight 666.”
I saw and loved “Anvil!” at Sundance 2008 and the Maiden flick holds promise. My euphoric response to “Anvil!” is HERE (scroll down a little).
More about “666,” screening March 18 at the Paramount Theatre, HERE.
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