[360] PROFESSOR TEACHES FILM PRODUCTION ON VERY TIGHT BUDGET

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 12, 2009EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

PROFESSOR TEACHES FILM PRODUCTION ON VERY TIGHT BUDGET
MTSU’s Bob Pondillo Finds Internet Necessity to be the Mother of Moviemaking

(MURFREESBORO) – Media are welcomed to observe shooting on the fourth independent film by an award-winning moviemaker whose work was accepted at the Cannes Film Festival tomorrow, March 12, and Friday, March 13, at DR&A Studios, 45 Willow St., in Nashville. Dr. Bob Pondillo, an associate professor of electronic media communication at MTSU, is the writer and director of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” which, like Pondillo’s previous films, gives MTSU students interested in film a chance to gain valuable experience by working in the crew. The movie “is the story of a young man caught in a job he hates,” says Pondillo in a video intro at the film’s Web site, www.youandcharliewu.com. Wu compensates for his malaise through conspicuous consumption, thinking that things can “fill the hole in his heart,” as Pondillo puts it. But he experiences an epiphany through a mystical sequence that reveals to him his innermost desires.
The difference this time is the funding method. With a national economic recession and the threat of budget cuts hitting close to home, Pondillo is going viral and asking for donations at www.youandcharliewu.com. For each dollar contributed, the donor gets a point. The more points the donor gets, the more prestigious the mention in the credits. There are six levels of credit-- Friends, Fans, Angels, Producers, Executive Producers, and Moguls. The highest-level donors, Moguls, get their names placed above the title. Pondillo’s other short films include: “Would You Cry If I Died?,” a slice of life showing a young couple humorously dealing with a serious question; “My Name is Wallace,” the story of a socially challenged man’s misguided search for love on a phone sex hotline; and “Wait …,” the drama of a man dealing with the news that his son has been killed in the war in Iraq. “Wallace” and “Wait …” were accepted at Cannes. All three have won prizes at various film festivals.
The entrance to DR&A Studios and the parking area are on the Willow Street side of the building. Crew call is slated for 8:30 a.m. each day.

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