HANK NEUBERGER, Chicago’s sound guru, is currently in Palm Springs where he will head a 90-member crew, including lots of Chicago guys, to produce a three day webcast of the big annual Coachella Music Festival of contemporary rock and pop music.
The festival will be captured with 18 HD cameras, with video support provided by Trio Video.
It will run on website www.at&tblueroom.com for 10 hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The following weekend, the entire crew moves to the Empire Polo Field in nearby Indio, Calif. to cover the Stagecoach country and western music fest with some of the biggest names in the field.
The Saturday and Sunday capture will be for a CMT music special this summer.
Neuberger is working solo as Springboard Productions, after an association of several years with composer/producer Terry Fryer in Third Wave Productions.
While certainly well known here, Neuberger is nationally famous as the supervisor of the Grammy Awards sound, leading an army of 50 of the country’s best audio engineers for the show.
“THE DARK KNIGHT,” Warner Bros.’ latest “Batman” installment could be “the largest single production ever shot in Chicago,” says the CFO’s Rich Moskal.
Christopher Nolanagain directs, and Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman return in the cast. They’re joined by Maggie Gyllenhaal and, in a surprise twist, Heath Ledger as the Joker.
Crews shot preliminary scenes last week and will return from London in June to film here throughout the summer.
WIN SOME, LOSE SOME. “The Playroom” was set to film here for a month starting in May. But the producers pulled out and returned to L.A. when it wasn’t feasible for their L.A.-based child star to travel to Chicago.
A STILL PHOTO EXHIBIT by cinematographer Del Hall will be exhibited at the Bette Cerf Hill Gallery, opening with a reception May 11, 5-9 p.m. through June 16 at 1821 W. Hubbard St. Hall shares gallery space with two other movie veterans, Jane Nicoll Sahlins and Teresa Neptune.
CONGRATULATIONS three local film-related nonprofits that received grants from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Academy Foundation.
Facets Multimedia benefited with a $10,000 grant for Facets Film; $7,000 went to DePaul, and $5,000 to Chicago’s Community Film Workshop for its career development program.
The Academy awarded a total of $500,250 to 56 organizations through its Institutional Grants Program.
MARK YOUR DATEBOOKS for the June 2 Gene Siskel Film Center annual gala honoring Oscar nominees William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.
Icing on the cake: John Mahoney will lead the discussion with the husband-and-wife team at the Four Seasons hotel.
Did you know that Macy’s acting career was launched in Chicago theatre in the ’80s? That’s where he first met and worked with playwright David Mamet in whose movies he’s often starred. See Screenings for details. Which is a good lead-in to remind you to send your event info to ReelChicago.com.
NAVY PIER is the expanded venue for the third HD EXPO June 6-7 for its third year in Chicago — a packed house of exhibitors and techniques fresh from NAB and educational programs led by top creative talent and technology experts.
Chicago transplant and HD expert Evie Silvers, is an account exec with the rapidly expanding, L.A.-based HD Expo organization, headed by Kristin Petrovich.
LOCAL 476’S MEMBERSHIP has swelled to more than 700 members as a result of its commitment to diversity program. Out of 67 new members, 13 are women, 11 African Americans, six Hispanic and one Asian. ?Ruth L Ratny
