Dear Filmmakers and Film Lovers, Sarasota Fringe Films LLC and its on-going Film Festival activities are alive and well going into 2011.
Year two is behind us. For example, we are planning to do "Fringe Film" events around Sarasota starting in September-October that will feature more local and international filmmakers who share the "Fringe Spirit".
"Fringe Spirit" can get you where you wanna go! Regardless of age.
So what is "Fringe Spirit" anyway? The first thing you should know about Fringe Films is that they are made by filmmakers who are willing to “put it out there” and take a chance. That’s "Fringe Spirit".
Guess who was filming train wrecks at age 9?
Fringe filmmakers are not “flakes”, but filmmakers who take chances. The most noteable example of a Fringe filmmaker I can think of is probably Steven Spielberg. Steven Spielberg, huh? What? How can you say that? Throughout his early teens, Spielberg made amateur 8 mm "adventure" films with his friends. He charged admission (25 cents) to his home films (which involved the wrecks he staged with his Lionel train set) while his sister sold popcorn. His actual career began when he showed up at Universal Studios in Hollywood as an unpaid, seven-day-a-week intern and guest of the editing department. As an intern and guest, Spielberg made his first short film for theatrical release, the 24 minute film Amblin' (1968),[3] the title of which Spielberg later took as the name of his production company, Amblin Entertainment.
From train wrecks to truck wrecks...only took "Fringe Spirit" growing up!
After Sidney Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universal's TV arm, saw the film, Spielberg became the youngest director ever to be signed for a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (Universal). Age 22.
Young Andy was the father of "Fringe Spirit", here with his assistant Gerard in the Silver Factory.
Fringe Passion and Appreciation
True Filmmakers have a passion for making films and true film lovers have an appreciation for that passion. That’s "Fringe Spirit" too. If you’ve ever looked deeply into the structure of any film, good or bad, you can see the inner workings of the filmmaker’s mind. Here are the intricacies, expressions of thought, and energy that drive the idea forward. Maybe you don’t quite get it, but the filmmaker wants you to try. And you do try. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes impossible.
Young Jonas Mekas brought his "Fringe Spirit" from Europe in the late 40's.
Understanding a film can sometimes be real work, but that’s where your appreciation comes in. If you can open your mind, maybe you can understand the filmmaker. It’s like life…sometimes it doesn’t come easy, but when it does, it’s a joy! Having a passion for filmmaking is like any other obsession, you can’t get enough of it. It’s in your mind all of the time, in your dreams all night, and going strong from the moment you get up in the morning.
Young Quention Tarantino got his "Fringe Spirit" working night and day in a video store.
Film appreciation is like any appreciation. Something you like to do. Something that you look forward to doing. Getting your kicks by sitting quietly and opening your mind to that filmmaker’s idea. Like the film or not, you’re the type of person who’s willing to watch, willing to find the joy in it all…celebrating the idea of watching as much as feeling entertained or informed. Sometimes it’s a ‘ride’, sometimes it’s a mind bend, sometimes it’s boring and awful, but always worthwhile. That’s "Fringe Spirit" too!
Every young filmmaker today has "Fringe Spirit"...but age doesn't make a difference!
If you have "Fringe Spirit", perhaps you’ll join us for the next the Sarasota Fringe Film Festival Event. Whether you consider yourself to be a filmmaker or a film lover, we would like to hear from you. We invite your comments!
Sarasota, Florida...Home ot the Sarasota Fringe Film Festival
As you probably know, Arts Funding in the United States has been slashed to the bone. New York State is about to slash their fifty million dollar arts budget in half. Here in Florida, the Legislature has dropped its funding for the state's arts groups to one million bucks. Half of which, I believe, is going to one group! That leaves a half-million for the rest of the state's needy arts groups. I am told that local Sarasota arts groups represent 20% of the incomes in the area! Yikes!
Fortunately we have "Fringe Spirit", and we will put it out there one way or another!
Thanks for reading! Patrick Nagle, Filmmaker-Film Lover
Monday, November 22, 2010 at 7:05PM 
