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| Joel Paul Reisig in the collaborative improvisational feature “The Cliffhanger,” premiering Nov. 17 |
When “The Cliffhanger” screens Nov. 17 at the Lakeshore Theater, it will be more than the premiere of a local feature. It will be the manifesto of what its creators hope to build into a distinct Chicago filmmaking aesthetic.
Inspired by the surrealist game “Exquisite Corpse,” “The Cliffhanger” is a story in eleven episodes, each one by a different filmmaker or collective, building on the work of those who have gone before. Each filmmaking team had a week to view the prior segment, then write, shoot and edit their own segment to rough cut.
“The first team threw out a lot of random characters and events, and said, ?okay, you guys figure out what this all means,’ which was really a great way to start,” says creator Jason Stephens. “We encouraged them to put their own stamp on their segment, continue their storyline, be respectful of what others had done but not mimic their style.”
What emerges is a tangled web of scheming characters populating an underground Chicago; at the center of the web is a mysterious tape containing “perverse secrets” over which the ensemble vies for control.
“The Cliffhanger” is a prototype of improvisational filmmaking, a burgeoning movement Stephens wants to cultivate with Chicago as its epicenter.
“There’s a lot of great talent in Chicago, but we tend to lose it to places like Los Angeles and New York, because there’s a certain aesthetic and style popularized and branded to those markets,” Stephens said. “But film can have other aesthetics branded to other cities.
“Being the capital of stage improv, and having a great talent pool to draw from with some of the greatest film schools in the world, we can make Chicago the place you come if you want to be on the cutting edge of an innovative style that we think is going places.”
“The Cliffhanger” is a production of Split Pillow, a nonprofit group Stephens founded with fellow Columbia College arts management grad student Jackie Lewkovich to foster improv film. Over Memorial Day weekend they hosted the 72-hour Feature Project, which they plan to make an annual event. And more “Cliffhanger-style” films are in the works.
Split Pillow is also developing an outreach program for students, “to expose them to the art of improv filmmaking and start building an appreciative audience for this style of film.” “The Cliffhanger” will screen at Visions Cinema in Washington, D.C. in January. Stephens is seeking more exhibition opportunities at festivals and art theaters.
“The Cliffhanger” plays Nov. 17 at 9:30 p.m. at the Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway. $15 tickets include reception with complimentary h’ors d’oevres and cash bar beginning at 8 p.m.; the debut of musician Thomas Lisa’s music video; and live entertainment featuring urban artists Toeknee B the MC and Swak One with breakdancing troupe Chicago Champions.
See thecliffhanger.org. ? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com.
