Split Pillow has three films in progress

Among the three films Split Pillow has in the works are a feature that starts shooting in May, and a documentary in progress that will finish shooting this year.

In the meantime, the collaborative will premiere “Chicago 360:Play,” the fourth installment of its “Chicago 360” documentary, May 20 at the Music Box Theatre at 7 p.m.

“We work only with Chicago talent and subjects, and we want to be a presence in the community rather than a fly-by-night production company,” says executive producer Dennis Belogorsky. “We’re making films for Chicago about Chicago.”

“Chicago 360:Play” is a portmanteau documentary about characters within the city.

Segment directors John Pappas, John Firak, Jennifer Thornton, Sam Barker, and R.J. Buckler each handled one of 5 sections of the approximately 90-minute, $8,000 feature.

Chapter subjects include an adult cheerleading squad, house music, and a dating service for ?nerds.’ “We wanted a more fun, visually-orientated follow-up to last year’s ?Work’ film,” says Belogorsky, who oversees the majority of Split Pillow’s production output.

The directors were provided with a small stipend and some equipment, but generally work on their own before delivering their films to Split Pillow. “We’ll be assembling the final cut in the next couple of weeks,” says Belogorsky.

“It’s a model that works, and one that we’ll continue to follow for sometime,” he adds. “We have a number of different voices and styles combined together, and it’s done in a way that adds to the story and the audience experience.”

Split Pillow will be self-distributing the film, and is looking at online release models for this and future projects.