30 City: Music And Movies

Scene from the animated short "WIND." 

(C) 2014 Luke T. Bush

PLATTSBURGH CITY, NY - Monday  8/18/14

Eric Ayotte tours with an acoustic guitar and a notebook computer.  The guitar, of course, is for his musical performances.  And the computer?  To share a compilation of DIY/low budget movie shorts that prove much less is more.

Location: 30 City Hall Place, a retail spot that has been renovated into a visitors and art-performance center.  Event format: live music by local musician/songwriter Justin Passino (AKA For The Kid In The Back); followed by Eric, sometimes accompanied by his songstress friend Charlie, performing his own original works; and then the movie shorts shown via a digital projector on a large screen for easy viewing.  A full program for the evening just for a contribute-what-you-can donation in the large glass goblet on the front table.

For The Kid In The Back

Eric oversees the Gadabout Traveling Film Festival.  According to its site, http://gadaboutfilmfest.com/, he is now touring over 70 cities for the two months before returning to Europe for another tour there.

He explained he initiated the project back in 2002 with a DIY punk band ethic, focusing on short films driven by creativity, not a need for money.  Each year he views and curates a number of independently-made shorts, creating a "new batch" to take on the road.

The 12th Annual compilation is entitled "Speechless."  While each film does have an audio track there is no dialogue, a limitation that spurs more originality.  

And the shorts were indeed offbeat.  I haven't been so entertained since viewing the classic "Bambi Meets Godzilla" decades ago.

In the animated "WIND" by Robert Loebe people have to think more horizontally than vertically while dealing with a relentless ferocious gale.  Another work, "Luminaris" by Juan Pablo Zaramella, uses a light bulb motif to comment on conformity and freethought.

Eric invites DIY filmmakers to participate in his Instant Gratification Movie Challenge, more info at http://monthlymoviechallenge.com/ .  Your work might up in the next Gadabout Film Fest.

[L to R] Eric Ayotte and Charlie.