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Six Weeks and Three Days to Communication That's how long it took writer/director Christopher Banks and producer Andy Jalfon to produce the award winning film short Communication. Communication centers on an Orthodox Jewish student's relationship with his much older mentor and the estate that he unexpectedly inherits. Banks finds the title of his film ironic since "it's about people who, for various reasons, are unable to communicate." He adapted it from writer David Blakey's one-act play. The subject of how the inability to communicate can be so damaging to our lives struck Banks deeply. "We’re often subject to pressures," Banks shares, "both inside ourselves and imposed on us by others that affect our decisions." "Learning what’s right can take a lifetime of experience, and I liked the idea that a younger man and someone much older, and supposedly wiser, could be equally crippled by this." Once the script was optioned, they only had six weeks before shooting was to begin. "The shoot itself lasted three days," Jalfon says. And he has every right to be proud. Pre-production alone can take months, but the New Zealand filmmakers didn't miss a heartbeat when their Director of Photography pulled out not even a week before shooting. "My background is in camerawork," says Jalfon, "so I stepped into the role myself." A lot of people stepped up to make Communication happen. "During the six weeks, we managed to get a casting director on board," adds Jalfon, "cast the talent and organize the crew, equipment and location as well as the logistics of getting everybody to a relatively remote location." All that-- plus holding down a full-time job. The play was about forty minutes and their film was twenty, so Jalfon and Banks needed to cut and modify the story in order to make it work thematically for a film short. "Two of the supporting characters," says Banks, "were cut as we focused more on the two main characters-- Jacob and Andrew. And a new character, Charles, was added. Charles had been referred to in the play but never seen. "David Blakey, the playwright, saw the script before we shot the film, but I worked on the screenplay alone." Banks did, however, confer with his producer Jalfon over the various drafts. The film was entirely self-funded. Jalfon and Banks did try to seek other avenues of funding first. None came. So they funded it through Number 8 Films, a charitable filmmaking trust set up by the filmmakers in 2009. "Christopher and I decided to fund it ourselves as we both believed in the project so strongly and had to shoot it before the end of the year." Otherwise, the film wouldn't have been ready in time for the festival circuit. To date Communication has won two awards: Best Dramatic Short in the Fort Worth Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival and Outstanding Short Film, Qbliss Creating Change Community Awards 2010. The film has played in GLBT festivals in Italy, Switzerland, Miami, Boston, Fort Worth, Toronto, and, of course, New Zealand. Banks and Jalfon's previous film, Teddy was also an awarding winning short. It was the pair's first film together and was completed in 2009. Teddy is the story of two men and a Teddy Bear. Londoner Tony travels over 10,000 miles to rural New Zealand to visit his ex-boyfriend who abandoned him. Teddy's success led to Number 8 Films. This dynamic duo's next project is The Colonel's Outing. Based on a short story by local gay author Steve Attwood, the film is about eighty-something Tristan Arthur Jones, who used to write about fictional war heroes, and suddenly his dreams come true when a retired colonel becomes his roommate at a rest home. The home's patronizing matron seems determined to interfere with their blooming friendship. The men are left with no choice but to escape. "We rarely see older gay characters on screen," shares Banks. "Particularly center stage, so we’re really looking forward to making this one." Fans are probably looking forward to it, too.		Producer Jalfon (l.) and Director Banks Andrew (Alexander Campbell) and Jacob (Rudi Vodanovich) say their goodbyes. Chris Banks' Tips for New Directors Don’t get caught up in the romanticism of making a film, where you think that every idea sprouting forth from your head is original and brilliant. It’s a surefire path to knuckle-sucking, awful clichés. Try and speak with your own voice, and resist the temptation to create a homage to anything. Banks and Jalfon try to get a shot. Andy Jalfon's Tips for New Producers For producers, don’t be afraid to ask people for help. Also, remember that a dollar saved on a production is just as valuable as a dollar raised. Getting people to give up their time or to donate something useful for the production is just as important as money. Charles (Richard Lambeth) confronts Jacob.

Photo by Jeremy Charles Photo by Liz Ingersoll		Success in Reverse We all know the cliché. Band fights their way out of obscurity, and if they're lucky, they actually start making their living as musicians. Band becomes a regular chart topper. Lead singer drops the band and goes on to a successful solo career. Gay favorite Eric Himan did just the opposite. He built up a following and supported himself by touring and releasing albums long before he met his current bandmates Jimmy and Angel Adams. "My heroes were all solo acoustic musicians," Eric says, "and now I want to broaden my sound and challenge myself as my influences are in more of a band direction." When Eric met his bandmates, he decided it was time to take his music to the next level. "Angel plays drums, sings backup, and Jimmy [plays] the bass." Now they're Eric and the Adams. "They bring so much energy to our performances," Eric smiles before adding, "and some humor as well." Pop, rock, folk, soul, and a twinge of rockabilly. Eric and the Adams paint with them all. As a band, they end up spending a lot of time together, and making big decisions for themselves is part of it. "These days," Eric says, "a band is more than just the music. It's the marketing, social networking, [and more]." For the band's first music video, "Every Move," Eric and the Adams pursued the art of storytelling instead of simply playing their instruments while other people acted. "Since this song is about wanting someone you can't have," Eric shares, "we thought it would be fun and funny to take it [to] the office and have it be stalkeresque-- like a horror film." Eric, despite his boy next door looks, took on the role of the nerdish stalker. The band came up with the idea for the video along with their collaborators, Tulsa-based visual artists Jeremy Charles and Kelly Kerr. Both ended up directing it. "Little Boy Blue," a popular music video Eric did when he was still solo, also has dark overtones. In it a "gay bashed" teen is literally on the edge of suicide. Some might think the song was about neglect or coming of age, but Eric brushes those ideas aside. "I wrote it in honor of a transgender boy I met at a gig a few years back when I was touring LGBT youth centers." Eric was still learning about trans issues and really gained a lot of insight by meeting "Blue." That inspiration helped him write the song. Recently, Eric won an award from We Are Listening for best Singer/Songwriter. And, unlike many popular singers, Eric doesn’t rely upon electronics to sound great. In 2008, he performed a capella before a live audience. "I just bought a voice pedal for some covers we are working on," Eric says. But-- he cautions, "I think using it to cover up a bad singing voice is not good at all." Eric also was nominated for a LOGO New Now Next Award for his video, "There's Gotta Be Something," which features gay couples, male and female. "My main goal with a video is to capture the song in an interestingly visual way." Still, fans can look forward to him addressing gay issues in future videos. And as if it isn't enough that Eric is good-looking and a talented songwriter/performer with a good business sense... the man also loves to cook. Watch his music video, "Every Move" and check out his tips for "newbie" musicians.