Traverse City Record-Eagle

2010 Traverse City Film Festival

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July 29, 2010

Local couple's movie wins bumper contest

By MARTA HEPLER DRAHOS mdrahos@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — A is for art. B is for Bardon's. C is for cherries.

The "ABC's" bumper that answers the question, "Why Traverse City?" took the top prize — $1,000 — in this year's Traverse City Film Festival Bumper Contest.

The 42-second short film by husband-and-wife team Joe and Kathy Carter of Traverse City drew chuckles and applause before Tuesday's night's films at the State Theatre and the City Opera House. It's one of about 10 that will be shown before feature films during this year's festival, said Lars Kelto, pre-show content manager and a contest judge.

"Having been a person who's created these before, I can say there's nothing more fun than having people laugh or clap at the end of your short," Kelto said.

Other winners include Gym Hinderer's "Inferiority Complex," a comic comparison between Traverse City and Hollywood; and Ian Prokes' "Rap," a rhyming take on Traverse City in the summer. The films took second and third prizes — $500 and $250 — respectively.

Two runner-up prizes also were awarded to John Paul Morris for "Bay Awareness" and Scott McCambridge for "We Heart TC."

The annual contest was sponsored by the festival and the FIM Group and drew a bumper crop of about 40 or 50 submissions, Kelto said. It was the first time prize money was offered.

"They wanted shorts that spoke to why Traverse City is a good place to live, start a business, make your life," Kelto said. "I think all the primary winners tapped into that."

Carter said he learned about the contest two days before the deadline.

"I went home and pitched the idea to my wife, and we had 72 hours to create this thing," he said. The bumper features the alphabet represented by images of Traverse City icons and scenery and magnetic letters mounted on crazy straws. M is for Moore, S is for the State Theatre.

Kelto said bumpers were submitted by filmmakers as young as 14, many locals or Traverse City natives now living elsewhere. About half are college age or younger.

Angeline Piotrowski of Kids Creek Productions searched YouTube for bumpers from past festivals before creating her own with husband, Michael.

The couple's first-time effort, "Big Shorts," is a 30-second melodrama that plays on both the film industry term "shorts" and the "creative and helpful" community of Traverse City.

"What I love about this bumpers tradition is that it lets people who don't have the studio resources showcase their talent in an amusing way," said Piotrowski, who lives in both Traverse City and Los Angeles. "It's really the spirit of the festival."

Bumper prizes will be handed out at the festival Closing Party on Sunday. The winning bumpers will be showcased on the Traverse City Film Festival website after the festival concludes.

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