JULY 27, 2024
Benjamin Harris is an independent filmmaker in Chicago. He studied Film at Southern Illinois University and holds a BA in composition from Northeastern Illinois University...but that doesn’t really mean much to him. He doesn’t generally speak like an educated person and isn’t entirely wild about being deemed an educated person as it seems to carry stigmas of elitism within the general population...but I digress. Benjamin is an Associate Producer and co-founder of Rogue Lumen Productions (www.RogueLumen.com). Started in 2009, Rogue Lumen is a group of independent filmmakers driven by the pure love of creating films and sharing art. They are currently in post production on their first feature film, written and directed by Benjamin. As a writer, Benjamin is always eager to toss his voice in the ring and always happy to hear a response.
The question was recently posed to me, “What constitutes art?” More specifically, would John Grisham be considered an artist even though his books are unlikely to find themselves in a class amongst Vonnegut or Fitzgerald? Will film students of tomorrow be dissecting film director Michael Bays’ explosions? Is every youth that spray-tags a railroad car to be held in the same class as Banksy or even Picasso? Continue Reading...
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago in the 90’s during a tumultuous time. The US waged a war, dropped bombs around the world, and we Americans witnessed unspeakable acts of domestic terrorism. But that was all of secondary importance, especially in Chicago. Indeed, only a god would stand a chance against this man in an opinion poll, and God might come in second, for our imaginations and our hearts belonged to Michael Continue Reading...
Starving artists around the world have long struggled hoping that their persistence would be met with their being “discovered.” Many spent as much time working on the art as they did jumping through the hoops of their respective industries by “paying their dues.” It’s what artists did; they had to expose themselves in complete honesty to whoever in the world would see them, and hope that one day they Continue Reading...
During my senior year of High School, I played Otto Frank, Anne’s father, in a production of Anne Frank. It wasn’t the greatest production ever. The whole cast stumbled through the show with ridiculous German accents. (Never mind that half the cast was supposed to be Dutch). Otto and his wife shared a pullout couch with their eldest daughter, while Anne’s diary was read by a ghost-Anne that randomly Continue Reading...
Hollywood loves bringing back cherished black and white classics, giving them shiny new casts, a fresh coat of lacquer, and popping them into movie theaters (or more likely now, streaming them to your local cable/satellite provider). As if they had an expiration date, every movie, from Spiderman to Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, is just waiting to be remade. It’s common practice to take previously successful ideas and Continue Reading...
