Audience members at the Scissormen concert in Redkey, Ind., tonight might see their faces on national television later this year.
Robert Mugge, Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball endowed chair and professional filmmaker, and several of his students will film the blues band's performance at Key Palace Theatre as part of Mugge's newest documentary. The project, tentatively called "Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues," will focus on how blues music has been preserved in the Midwest.
Mugge said he hopes to finish the documentary by early August and promote it on national television. He is also negotiating an agreement with the National Geographic Entertainment to broadcast some clips worldwide, he said.
The Scissormen, described by Mugge as an amplified "acid blues" band, is known best for its innovative live performances and audience interaction. The Scissormen's lead guitarist, Ted Drozdowski, has played slide guitar with items such as light bulbs, a 9 mm pistol and a plate of spaghetti, and he encourages audience members to bring new items for him to try, according to a press release.
Drozdowski, who is also a music journalist, first met Mugge when he reviewed the filmmaker's previous Southern blues-centered documentaries and agreed to being filmed during the band's stops in Indiana and Ohio during its international tour.
Stan Sollars, instructor of telecommunications, will lead the audio recording of the Scissormen's performances and create an audio CD, Mugge said.
"Big Shoes" will also include the group's performances at Indianapolis' Slippery Noodle Inn and Cleveland's Beachland, but tonight's live performance will be "the nucleus of the film," he said.
Senior telecommunications major Brian Moore, one of five cameramen involved in the project, said despite his lack of experience in live concert recording, he hopes to enjoy learning as much as he can about the reality of filmmaking.
"[Recording] is very fast-paced and can be very stressful for the director, but the best thing for us to do is be calm and always have a creative mind," he said.
The students' preparations for tonight included learning more camera techniques and watching footage from foreign films, movies from other time periods and works by Alfred Hitchcock, he said.
Tickets for the concert are $5 for students and $8 for community members. They can be purchased by calling Key Palace Theater at 1-800-369-0075.
Scissormen concert:
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Key Palace Theatre in Redkey, Ind.
Cost: $5 for students, $8 for community
Documentary:
Performances included in "Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues"
Tuesday, Feb. 23 – Slippery Noodle Inn, Indianapolis
Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Key Palace Theater, Redkey, Ind.
Saturday, Feb. 27 – Beachland, Cleveland, Ohio
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