by Allyson Lipkin

Pro-Jex Gallery, located in the Artplex at 1705 Guadalupe, has a special show to offer in and out of towners during the SXSW film festival and conference. From March 5-20, Neal Coleman, curator of Texas Film Art, presents a show of photography, storyboards, sketches, posters, miniatures, replicas, and sculptures in the Artists Coalition of Austin Gallery located inside the Artplex. Neal Coleman has been involved with Texas filmaking since 1985 and is a member of the Austin Film Society. As owner of Pro-Jex, Coleman has a mission for his gallery: presentation, preservation, and promotion.

Presentation:

To show people how to display and matt photography.

Preservation:

To preserve in archives old photos and fine art.

Promotion:

Eight to nine shows a year and 90+ exhibits in 11 years that range from documentary, portraiture, and experimental exhibits.

"Back in September I was talking with Rachel Koper from the Artist Coalition of Austin about doing a bigger scale exhibit than I do in my gallery," Coleman said. "I threw out some ideas, and had just joined the Austin Film Society, and wanted to tap into the film groups here. I started thinking, 'Why don't I do something for the artists that I have been working with?' They do such an amazing job and are very gifted people, artists in their own right making the props and sets. I also knew quite a few photographers: Alan Pappe was a big inspiration. Alan moved here years ago when filming Kafka. He heard Salderburg was filming in Austin and he jumped on the bandwagon. He's a special units photographer, or a still photographer. The special unit photographer is a person who comes in and gives the director a tone for what direction their movie is going to. Alan shoots probably twelve rolls a day. He's got well over a quarter million images taken since the '60s -- everyone from Jimmy Hendrix to Buffalo Springfield. He's got an image of Liza Minelli from Cabaret that's in the Smithsonian. He got an award for it! Alan's worked on four Texas films and other smaller budget films, among which are The Underneath and Lonestar, a John Sayles film shot a few years ago in Del Rio and in Eagle Pass.

"We're using the image of Kris Kristofferson from that movie [for the Texas Film Art Poster]. Through Alan's work I have gotten to know Richard Linklater; he's a big poster collector. He's contributing the original artwork for the Newton Boys poster which Twentieth Century Fox didn't go with. The poster is wonderful. It's '30s-style. They ended up going with something that looks like Young Guns. There is an original painting for [the poster]. I'm also working with Michael Peal. He does storyboard. Storyboards are done in most feature films. The director hires an artist to draw or paint out the scenes that are in the picture. There are some from Lonesome Dove. Also there is a miniature from Suburbia of a street scene they made. Weve got work coming in from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, both I and II. Furniture that is made out of bones.

"As far as the whole concept, there is a whole wealth of films right here in the neighborhood of Texas to pick from. So I narrowed it down to just displaying work made here in Texas. They don't have to be Texas directors or anything. For example, Lonestar is a John Sayles film. But Alan, who lives here in Austin, worked on that film. So we have Alan Pappe and Cary White (an art director for several films), Rick Linklater and John Frick. We will have some signed posters for sale. Also I got a call from Van Reddon who worked on Rushmore so we'll have some photos from Rushmore and maybe Bottle Rocket. You'll see first hand the genesis of a film. Mike Solovan has shown me a lot of his sketches. He might work on a western, for example. It might call for a wagon. They will make a whole covered wagon. They will do this research, and make it from scratch. Or make a log cabin. It is interesting. In Lonesome Dove they had to build a log cabin in New Mexico where they were filming. The wood was cut here in Bastrop, rough sewn logs and numbered. They just put them together in one day, like a lincoln log.

"Most filmmaking is a facade. They are all props. I was looking at some photos that Mike Sullivan brought in for a western. They recreated the rocks out of styrofoam -- that you swear were boulders -- that they had to blow up with dynamite to get through the passage. So they had to do it all in styrofoam. It's kind of like a necessity is the mother of invention type of thing. So it happens a lot in movies where a scene calls for a certain thing. Here's a chance for people to really spread their wings and do things that they have never done before, so they are writing the book while they are doing it.

"A lot of things are invented while moviemaking. So there is educational stuff to show the process that's involved and how they get their project together by sketching, drafting, and getting materials. Getting it made, photographing it and getting it dressed up for the set. There is a lot more involved than a lot of people realize when making a feature length film. I wanted to show the community and the artists that we have in our town the good work they do on films that is overlooked."

Again, the show opens March 5 and runs until March 20. As with all grand productions, there is even more. Short films will be showing Friday the 12th, Saturday the 13th, and Sunday the 14th. Local filmmakers from the Cinemakers Coop, Cinematexas, Austin Filmworks, and digital filmmaker Ken Adams will be showing.

Thanks to Neal and Pro-Jex fo promoting photography in Austin for the past 11 years and curating this event. Stop by and visit Pro-Jex in the ArtPlex at 1705 Guadalupe suite 122, or call 472-7707 for more information.

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