Submarine Channel

Remember that scene from Pulp Fiction in which Travolta injects adrenaline into the heart of a woman who od’d? It’s based on a true story. In 1978, Martin Scorsese made a documentary, American Boy, about his friend Steven Prince, whose life was more fascinating than what any screenwriter could dream up. in 2009, director Tommy Pallotta draws out Prince once more to recount his days since American Boy. Watch the full documentary on Vimeo:

American Prince and Submarine Channel

Media has changed a lot over the years. YouTube and online channels now provide the world with many outlets. And then there’s BitTorrent – the peer to peer file sharing protocol that’s often associated with piracy. The music and film industry are faced with a growing group of consumers that embrace these new technologies of distribution. People want to choose how, where and when they consume their music, movies, or tv shows – even if their preferred way of distribution is labeled “illegal.” The locus of control is shifting away from the media moguls to the consumer. So what’s the answer?

Scorcese’s ‘American Boy’ never got a proper release in the theaters but found its audience through bootleg copies and now via YouTube. Even though not that many people have seen it, the movie’s impact is evident. American Prince is a low budget indie doc made by a small team with a passion for film.

About Tommy Pallotta

Tommy Pallotta received a degree in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin. While at UT he met Richard Linklater and that began their long friendship and collaborations starting with his film career as an actor and production assistant on Linklater’s directorial debut, Slacker. Pallotta went on to direct his first feature The High Road and music videos for the band Zero 7. He has also produced several short films including Snack and Drink, which resides as part of a permanent collection in the New York Museum of Modern Art. He then continued his extensive animation experience with two more collaborations with Linklater by producing Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick.

About Minimovies

A Minimovie is an episodic documentary consisting of 8 to 10 episodes. Episodes are 7 to 10 minutes each. Put together, they form a self-contained story. With MiniMovies SubmarineChannel explores a new narrative and visual style of documentary filmmaking. You can watch the Minimovies here or simply download them to your digital device of choice.

Credits

a Submarine Channel production in collaboration with VPRO Television and Vrij Nederland magazine.