Arts A La Carte Magazine: June 2010

MONEY MAKERS

Directed by David "Cowboy" Keary

From the brilliant mind of David “Cowboy” Keary in conjunction with Northern Lights HD Video, comes a new epic film, “Money Makers.” The film digs deep into the struggles of four inner city teens, who are consumed with the common chase for the money and the power. In this new powerful movie, four friends who deem their nickname the “SouthSide MoneyMakers,” anxiously search for a way out of the hood and ways to gain prosperity. Big dreams and hopes to live a better life fuel their desire to achieve more, but before they can reach their big dreams, they are caught up in drugs, violence, and the struggles with everyday life. Eventually the money, power, and greed overcome the boy’s friendship, with causes jealousy and betrayal within the crew, which leads to their tragic downfall. Includes appearances from HBO famed "Pimpin" Ken Ivey, The Roc's Freeway, and others. This epic film will inspire, entertain, and motivate

Events are set in motion when a mysterious Trickster hurls a star through outer space. Nani, a patchwork girl, chases the star to discover a world shes never set foot upon. In her quest she saves the life of Shojun, a tortoise fisherman and warrior. Together they make their way through his surreal world to the alien star on the mountaintop. What awaits them at journeys end? Will they survive their encounter with the fallen star and other dangers thrown in their path?

From turbulent coastal waters to frozen mountains and unknown nether spaces, "Yamasong" takes the viewer on a fantastic journey filled with stunning live-action Japanese-style puppets in a hybrid world of computer-generated and real objects. Set to the music of On Ensemble, an L.A.-based percussion band, the story is an instrumental and visual metaphor for a journey taken with another across a new cultural landscape, and walking away changed from the experience.

"Yamasong" is an exciting blend of traditional puppet techniques married with new digital technology. From using green screen to After Effects to the Canon 7D camera, the story aims to create a visual world that is neither purely real or imaginary, but somewhere between and evocative as a place all of its own. This is much like the band's music, which marries traditional world instruments and overtone singing with modern digital sounds to make a unique, otherworldly sound-scape ideal for the world of the short film.