Upon graduation, Hanley made the leap from high school novice to undergraduate filmmaker. He secured a spot in Emerson College’s competitive film program and dove right in. “Working on the set of other students’ projects is really where you learn the most about the technical side of filmmaking,” he explains. The dedication and experience of the professors also helps tremendously, he says.  At 22, his hard work is already paying off. He’s already screened films at the Manchester Community College and Westport Youth Film Festivals in addition to festivals in Los Angeles and New York City. His film, Universal Superkinetics, won Best Original Comedy Script at Emerson’s Evvy Awards night in 2008.

Hanley started off filming in his backyard, so it’s fitting that he returned to his roots for his senior project. His latest endeavor, Hindsight, focuses on the concept of home. Combining old family videos with new footage, he hopes to contrast his own past with the town’s present and future. “When my parents moved to Michigan in 2006, I had an urge to make one final film about Marlborough before I became detached from it forever,” he recalls. “By exploring Marlborough one last time, I’m re-living parts of my childhood that I had forgotten. More generally, I think homecoming is a really universal event in everyone’s lives. One’s childhood home always retains a magical essence: the place where one romped around as a kid and got grass stains. I hope people relate to that emotion.”

Residents of Marlborough have wholeheartedly embraced the project. The Marlborough Arts Center currently serves as a fiscal sponsor. In addition to handling all donations to the project and making contributions tax deductible for the donors, the organization is also planning a special screening of the film in June 2010. Hanley says, “I’d like to try and include some other multimedia works about the town during my screening, resulting in a massive artistic representation of Marlborough.”

What’s next for Sean Hanley? When he’s not filming or sorting through old tapes, he’s weighing his options. “The internal battle that I face now is whether or not to stay on the east coast or move to Los Angeles,” he admits. “New England has always played an inspiring role in my work. I’d hate to leave it so soon, but there might be a lot of good work to do on the west coast. I thin I’ll have to play it by ear.” No matter where he goes, Hanley has a tight support network. Through it all, Hanley says, “My family has always stood by me and my filmmaking. Even with a sister already in art school, my parents were willing to send me to film school. I don’t really know how I can thank them. I guess paying them back the $700 for the color reversal Film 1 final project from sophomore year would be a start.”

HINDSIGHT – Summer Trailer from sean hanley on Vimeo.

Visual Music Ink, an up and coming southern Connecticut based independent media company started and run by North Haven resident Gina Capristo-Gajdosik, stands to mirror this philosophy.

“Our brand is the fusion of visuals and music in all media platforms. Long and short music video, films, television, the internet and applications, video gaming, you name it. We are only limited to what we can think up,” says Gajdosik.

With a BS in Communications from the University of New Haven, Gina has worked in media production, the radio and record industries since 1985. Her first experience with film came in 1998 while volunteering as a production assistant on an independent film shoot in Meriden. Work on other film shoots and commercials led her to discover her true passion, outside the technical aspects of film.

“It was the writing that really turned me on,” she says. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

She subsequently got into producing, a “natural progression”, she says, “when you want to get your work onto the screen.”

Gina got her first taste of this progression in 2003, while on location in Edinburgh, Scotland for the shoot of Loved Alone, a short film she wrote, financed and produced herself. The film, a vignette centered on forbidden love and the fires that we set as a result of it, was directed by the internationally acclaimed Indra Bhose and boasted a talented cast including Beth Winslet, sister of Academy Award winner Kate Winslet in the lead role.

Screened in a number of US cities and reviewed highly by several magazines such as the UK’s The Mirror, Italy’s Il Nuovo and New Haven’s own The Advocate, the film was a critical success, a terrific learning experience, and a breakthrough for Gina. Soon thereafter, she experienced a creative zenith, undertaking projects ranging from a biopic of the whirlwind life of 20’s Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso, to writing the pilot for The Rise and Fall of Lisa Fox, a syndicated TV show about a woman’s survival in the unscrupulous upper corporate rungs of the music industry, and several others.

With this creative portfolio expanding, her new company’s niche seemed obvious.

“I realized there was this common theme, most likely because music has always been a huge part of my life,” Gajdosik says.

Even as an underground DJ in the 1980’s, she recalls her childhood as the likely origin for this love affair with music. The youngest of three girls, she remembers as a five year old her two older sisters bringing home their prized copy of Meet the Beetles.

“My journey began at that moment,” she says.

For the past six years, Gina has been working tirelessly perfecting the screenplay for (Make Me) Blush, an artful, and energetic pseudo rock opera set in the backdrop of New York City, that will mix a rich soundtrack with ten original songs, and two dance sequences with such thematic elements as dreams, surrealism and personal identity to tell the story of a modern woman’s mid-life crisis, fueled by a struggle to accept her newfound sexuality, embracing and adapting to her starkly changing life.

With support of a partnership with the Baldwin Entertainment Group, notable for producing such Oscar nominated films as 2004’s Ray, (Make Me) Blush is currently undergoing a final script revision, is in negotiations with director Mary Lambert and will soon be attaching talent. As VMI’s flagship film,
it is scheduled to begin shooting early next year and will purportedly be released later in 2010.

Though still in its infancy, Gina has great plans for her company, including visions of an attached record label, an online publication, graphic novel tie-ins to projects and many others. Though branching out is no small endeavor, she is prepared to implement whatever is necessary for the growth of the company

“I have a combination of a business head and a creative head, but it’s all the same to me.”
For more information about Gina, Visual Music Ink, (Make Me) Blush or any other projects visit their website www.visualmusicink.com currently under construction.

For info on Loved Alone, visit, IMBD: Loved Alone

“For most of us, it’s a labor of love,” director T.K. Reilly states on the company’s website, “We are committed to producing quality, independent films that withstand the test of time, and we’ve enjoyed the support of many folks in our community.”

The majority of the onscreen talent found in Brooklawn’s productions is pooled locally from the Metropolitan and Fairfield County areas.

Following the release of their debut short film The Barbershop League, a comical family spoof about coaching in the “highly competitive” world of girl’s youth basketball in 2005, Brooklawn released their first full length feature, Bobby Dogs, in 2007. The film, directed by Reilly follows the story of Bobby Tucker, a down but not quite out hot-dog man struggling to sever the chain of alcohol addiction and reclaim control of his life. With little else but the comfort of knowing he can fall no further, Tucker relies upon the bonds of friendship, warmth of a newfound love and a dream to help him fight off the demons that threaten to return him to the bottle, and embrace sobriety for good.

The film debuted to much critical success at several film festivals, winning a 2008 Prism Film Festival Award for its accurate and sincere portrayal of the effects of substance abuse. Look for a powerful performance from actor Mike Boland in the title role, tight supporting contributions from Joshua Eaddy and Dawn McGee, as well as an original score by composer Rob Lynch that is at once heartbreaking and hopeful.

Currently, T.K. and the Brooklawn crew are filming their next full length feature, Local Warming in Fairfield, scheduled for completion and release in early 2010.

As always, Brooklawn reminds any actors in the areas surrounding Fairfield County interested in auditioning for future projects to sign on to their mailing list, and send in resumes. For more information about Brooklawn, Bobby Dogs, and all their current and future projects and DVD purchases, visit www.brooklawnproductions.com . Information on the status of Local Warming can be found via the film’s page on Facebook.

The Festival is open to all students and independent film makers worldwide. Think of it as an escape to the quaintest New England town highlighting the Autumn beauty with indie movies, shorts, documentaries, parties and panel discussions throughout the 4 day weekend! We are also offering a special category for Connecticut residents. Find out more info at www.silkcityflickfest.com