Zeke Zelker’s Ground-breaking Cine•experience Stars John Robinson, Heather Matarazzo, Leo Fitzpatrick and Eric Roberts Begins Nationwide Theatrical Release on April 5th, 2019
(New York, NY) As media envelops our daily lives we’re bombarded by information from different directions uncertain what to believe. Any truly informed citizen would evaluate their information from at least two different perspectives to formulate their own opinion of what is true. This is exactly what filmmaker Zeke Zelker explores with his latest film, web series, and virtual radio station which he calls a cine•experience.
Billboard is about a struggling independent radio trying to thrust itself into relevancy by hosting a billboard sitting contest where four people live on a billboard hoping to out survive the other to win a mobile home and “nine sixty thousand” dollars.
Zeke Zelker launched the project by creating a virtual radio station, WTYT960.com, where over a 1000 bands from around the globe upload their music and get exposure beyond the story-world. The station hosts live events, offers contests for the bands to win gear, gigs or greenbacks, and the bands on the site become eligible to be on the soundtrack for the project.
A feature length movie, being released in theatres beginning April 5th 2019, centers on the radio station and the owner’s struggle to succeed. “Any entrepreneur will understand Casey’s struggle,” states Zelker. “The film is about the mastermind behind the spectacle and what goes on behind the scenes when you’re subject to public evaluation – the good, the bad and the ugly.”
The movie stars indie darlings John Robinson (Elephant, Lords of Dogtown), Leo Fitzpatrick (Kids, Bully), Independent Spirit Award Winner Heather Matarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Princess Diaries) and Academy Award Nominee and Independent Spirit Award Winner Eric Roberts (Run Away Train, Dark Knight).
A 25-episode web series, The Billboard Sitters, focuses on the four people who live on the billboard as part of WTYT 960’s publicity stunt. The contestants last much longer on the billboard than anyone anticipated. The station can only keep up the spin long enough before it falls apart. A limited number of episodes are being released across social media, but all of the episodes are currently available on the project’s web site.
The 2016 presidential campaign caused Zeke Zelker to re-evaluate the story he was telling. “We were shooting the film in the midst of the last days of the 2016 campaign. Everyone one was affected by the gravitas of what was going on. I’m in the midst of the most challenging production of my career and I would go home to the news. We were making a comedy but it was feeling hollow/forced.
We went back into production and shot about 40% of the film over the course of nine months with only two people on my staff and myself. I realized I had a greater responsibility with this story and how I was telling it. We crafted Billboard in a way that people would have to evaluate what was true and what wasn’t based on conflicting reports in the media and within the community.
To get the full story I would encourage people to consume all of the media that we’ve created. I’m not saying you won’t be entertained by just consuming the movie or web series but to get the whole picture you should try and see both.”
Zeke Zelker credits his way of story-telling by growing up at an amusement park his great grand-father founded. “When you go to an amusement park there are themed worlds or lands so people can be more easily amused, I’m taking this same approach to my movie-making. Sure it’s a lot more challenging, but also extremely exciting and freeing as a story-teller.”
About iDream Machine
iDreamMachine has been crafting stories through moving images that entertain, provoke thought, stir emotions and inspire ideas for over twenty years. The company creates immersive story telling experiences that engages audiences and enables them to become a part of the story.
The company produced the first trans-media project at Sundance, Pandemic 1.0 and was on the production team of David Cronenberg’s Body Mind Change. The company experiments with new technologies and distribution.. Their last feature film InSearchOf was in the top 20 drama’s
Follow Zeke Zelker on Social Media
Website
IMDb
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
LinkedIn
In Conversation with Michael Oblowitz Director of Confidential Informant
Confidential Informant stars Mel Gibson, Dominic Purcell, and Kate Bosworth
