Lorre @ Berklee Film & Music event April 10, 2009

A terrific and long-time-coming event at the prestigious Berklee College of Music brings aspiring composers together with filmmakers. The Music For Film Networking Event is a fantastic way for student composers to play samples of their work directly into filmmakers' ears via a number of laptop/headphones stations at the Berklee Media Center. This is the 4th year and it promises to be an extremely popular event once again.

I will be speaking on a panel discussing the collaboration between filmmaker and composer, which is a terrific topic to me because the music is CRITICAL to a film. Many indie filmmakers overlook this fact at their own peril. Film and music - two of my favorite topics together - it's like a production Oreo cookie to me and I'm very excited to discuss it.

The list of gifted musicians to go through the Berklee program is extensive. And it is a wise and practical move to pair talented composers trying to get a foot in the door, with filmmakers who may not have a budget for an established composer. It is the ultimate win-win on both sides of the film reel.

Last year, it was packed with quite a diverse international group of young composers representing multiple genres of music. This is the official registration information:
http://learningcenter.berklee.edu/Contests/Music_For_Film_09

Berklee College of Music
Media Center
150 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Media Center - 2nd floor
The event is open to all filmmakers and composers free of charge.

Lorre opening Lowell Film Festival April 3, 2009!

Lorre will be the Guest Speaker for the kickoff reception of the Lowell Film Festival, April 3, 2009 at the Revolving Museum, 22 Shattuck Street in Lowell MA from 6-7:30pm. She will talk about her theory that as soon as grass is visible in the yard, it means it's going to snow again. Okay, really she'll be talking about MILLIES, of course, the process and the patience in this pursuit. She will also show the existing MILLIES videos to an enthusiastic, film-loving crowd. Should be a fantastic and intimate evening in a gorgeous mill city.

For more information on the film festival itself, visit:
http://www.lowellfilms.org

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Lorre @ Hillview Montessori School

The exceptional students at Hillview Montessori in Haverhill MA provided a terrific reception to Lorre's speaking engagement there on Jan. 13, 2009. The student reviewers summed it up like this:

Lights, Camera, Action!

Independent filmmaker Lorre Fritchy recently visited Hillview Montessori Charter Public School in Haverhill. The students there recently performed a play based on the Bread and Roses Strike of 1912. She talked about a movie that is in production called “Millies” which is about a group of mill worker ghosts that come back from the Bread and Roses Strike to help a bankrupt mill owner in modern times when her future threatens their past.

“I thought that the plotline was cool because it has ghosts in it,” said Grady Maguire. Lorre also talked about the importance of preserving history and how she didn’t like how people demolished mill buildings.

“She was a very good role model,” said Abby K. To show us some of her other work she showed us a clip from the first movie she completed called “Sandy ‘Spin’ Slade Beyond Basketball”. ”Millies” is her third movie. We can’t wait to see it!

By:
CJ Axford and Kevin Greene
HVM Upper Elementary Students


To have Lorre speak at your school, company, or organization, visit the Filmmaker Speaking Series page at MasterPeace Productions.

Lorre Guest Speaking at College

Excited to be doing a presentation for the Contemporary Affairs Club at Northern Essex Community College Nov. 12th. The topic will be Millies but also the labor issues and historic research surrounding the textile strike of 1912, the Bread & Roses Strike. And discussing the similarities and parallels between then and now. Can I just tell you, I love talking about the history and research aspects of the project and how I use them in a modern-day story because the lessons, for better or for worse, still apply.

Lawrence History Center geneaology talk

A fantastic discussion at the Lawrence History Center last night, a big thanks to LHC for inviting me to speak to their Geneaology Group. Since more people ask about the "glamorous" part of the actual film shoot, I hardly ever get to talk about the intense (and fun for geeks like me) research I had to do to write this film. Bringing history to life while still telling an entertaining, fictional story is nearly impossible without gobs of research. Plus, the staff at the History Center will tell you, I love the smell of history. Old books, old maps, objects from the past -- stories abound. So it was terrific to have the opportunity to address fellow researchers who understand the buzz you get from making discoveries, connections, and insights into the past.