Co. promotes Jim Huie to director of production
Alkemy X has added director/DP James Bartolomeo to a filmmaking roster which includes Robert Adamo, Glenn Holsten, Kris Magyarits, Rob Markopoulos, John Romeo, Bex Schwartz and Scott Whitham. Additionally, Alkemy X executive producer Jim Huie has been promoted to EP/director of production.
A product of the New York film scene, Bartolomeo credits much of his varied storytelling acumen to long hours spent on sets with the likes of David Chase, Darren Aronofsky, James L. Brooks and Barry Levinson while working in the camera department on feature films and high-level episodics. Bartolomeo has been crafting visual stories in the commercial space for the past 15 years with a focus on comedy and character-driven performance. His work has developed an appreciation not only for aesthetics, but for offbeat moments that reveal human nature. One of his favorite projects to date was directing a PSA featuring Michelle Obama, the Sprout Channel’s “Sportacus,” and the puppet character known as Chica, which he shot in the East Room of the White House. In the commercial realm, Bartolomeo has worked with national clients including Fox Network, Under Armour, Walmart, Chevy, Southwest Airlines and Comcast.
Among the factors drawing Bartolomeo to Alkemy X was it being a 360º company with well-established talents in original programming, VFX, editorial, promos, as well as commercials. He cited its EPs’ expertise and experience in multiple disciplines and platforms. “After years of producing work as an independent through my own production company,” he explained, “it became clear to me that I wanted access to more parts of the content development process and greater support as I continue to evolve as a director. Offering more than a traditional commercial production company can, Alkemy X provides me with the support I’d hoped for and encourages me to grow creatively and reach beyond my comfort zone as a filmmaker.” He hopes that growth will also take him into more long-form narrative work spanning TV and features.
Bartolomeo’s current projects include a comedic web series shooting in late spring, a collaboration with members of the Upright Citizens Brigade in New York. The series is currently in the script revision stage. Bartolomeo is also finishing a short documentary film about the “Baltimore OrchKids,” an after-school music program for disadvantaged kids in Baltimore City that was created by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema program. The film will hopefully tour the festival circuit and in doing so raise awareness of the social change a program like this can facilitate.
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More