Hell on Wheels is proud to announce the Dallas premiere of the documentary about the birth of the modern era roller derby movement courtesy of the 20th Annual Dallas Video Festival.
Hell on Wheels takes a from-the-trenches look at the dizzying clash of athleticism, exhibitionism, egos, politics and business that is modern-era roller derby. A group of hard-hitting Texas women overcome myriad obstacles in resurrecting and revamping the sport, only to find internal strife ripping the fledgling organization apart. Two leagues emerge from the clash, and what follows ignites an international roller derby revival.
Filmed over a four year period, filmmakers Bob Ray (director) and Werner Campbell (producer) captured the genesis of this rowdy sport. Bob Ray is a writer/director in Austin , Texas whose works includes the critically acclaimed narrative feature Rock Opera , music videos for Riverboat Gamblers and Nashville Pussy , and several short films and animation. Hell on Wheels marks his documentary feature debut. Werner Campbell has been working in independent media since 1995. His web site www.alternativefilm.com was an early pioneer of streaming video, showcasing short films from all over the world and providing industry commentary and interviews with independent filmmakers, including Lloyd Kaufman and D.A. Pennebaker.
Edited by Conor O'Neill ( Murderball ), with an original score by …And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, Hell on Wheels is both an action packed sports film as well as a dramatic story of the creation of the first two all-girl roller derby leagues: The Lonestar Rollergirls and the Texas Rollergirls.
“ For 20 years, the Dallas Video Festival has celebrated independent vision from the subversive to the sublime: from intelligent, witty 30-second television commercials, mesmerizing video art, compelling documentaries, surrealistic animation, innovative digital features, intelligent, kid-friendly fare, thought-provoking panels, interdisciplinary performances, and narrative shorts that surprise, inspire and entertain. We're known for being authentically quirky, unapologetically independent, intellectual and irreverent. Celebrities aren't the stars here, your ideas are.”
The fest runs from July 31 through August 5. Films will screen at the Angelika Film Center and the Dallas Theater Center .
“Hell on Wheels” Saturday, August 4 at 9:30pm at the Dallas Theater Center www.dallastheatercenter.org 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd , Dallas (214) 526-8210
“Part rock 'em, sock 'em sports doc (cue Trail of Dead) and part behind-the-scenes exposé, the film is blessedly free of A&E-style jiggle and melodramatic pandering, and it makes clear the value of Derby for misfit girls who like to clothesline people. Best of all is the film's coda, which tracks the subsequent formation of Roller Derby leagues across the U.S. and the globe.” - The Austin Chronicle
“…the kind of twists, drama, cat fights and compound fractures that only happen in real life. …the story is extremel y compelling, sometimes laugh-out-loud outrageous and above all inspiring.” - Ain't It Cool News
“Hell on Wheels is a killer documentary about the Austin all-women's roller-derby leagues that inadvertently launched a nationwide (and now worldwide) revival of the sport.” - Salt Lake City Weekly
“…a fascinating story and a fun movie.” - Cinematical
Hell on Wheels , the documentary about the resurrection of women's roller derby, will have its world premiere at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival in March. Appearing in the Spotlight Features section of the fest, Hell on Wheels will unspool on Sunday, March 11 th at 1:30 pm at the historic Paramount Theater in downtown Austin , Texas .
Hell on Wheels takes a from-the-trenches look at the dizzying clash of athleticism, exhibitionism, egos, politics and business that is modern roller derby. A group of hard-hitting Texas women overcome myriad obstacles in resurrecting and revamping the sport, only to find internal strife ripping the fledgling organization apart. Two leagues emerge from the clash, and what follows ignites an international roller derby revival, forever changing the lives of those involved.
Filmmakers Bob Ray (director) and Werner Campbell (producer) spent five years chronicling the birth and evolution of modern roller derby from within the organization that reshaped the sport. Utilizing a non-obtrusive and candid style, the filmmakers were able to capture the league as it coalesced, prospered and then tore itself apart, only to rebound in unimagined fashion. What started as a grassroots movement in Austin , Texas would achieve global popularity through outlets like: The New York Times, ABC Evening News, Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, The Today Show, Playboy, BBC, MTV and more.
Working with award winning editor Conor O'Neill ( Murderball, Word Wars ) and the band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, filmmakers Bob Ray and Werner Campbell crafted this powerful and gripping tale. More information on the film, as well as a trailer and a chronology of events, can be found at www.HellOnWheelsTheMovie.com
The South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) runs March 9 th through the 17 th in Austin , Texas . More information about the film festival can be found at www.sxsw.com/film
Hell on Wheels World Premiere:
Sunday, March 11 th at 1:30 PM
Paramount Theater 713 Congress Ave. (512) 472-5470
Subsequent SXSW screenings:
Thursday, March 15 th at 4:15
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown
409 Colorado St. (512) 476-1320
Saturday, March 17 th at 4:30
Alamo Drafthouse Downtown
409 Colorado St. (512) 476-1320
The music is finished (and completely kick ass, by the way). The sound is being mixed. The online happens this weekend. We color correct next week. And the graphics are being created with loving care. Then, when all that is finished (hopefully within the next two weeks), we glue all that together and master a tape. And with that tape, we stroll down to the fabulous Paramount Theater right here in beautiful Austin,
Texas
and enjoy our world premiere courtesy of the world famous South by Southwest Film Festival.
The unofficial screening time/date is Sunday, March 11th at 1:30 pm. There will likely be an after party at Emo's Lounge following the movie. More when that firms up. Subsequent screenings TBA.
Act 1 has been getting the royal treatment. The sound is being mixed as we speak. We sent off Act 2 to the sound mix ninja earlier today and should be sending off Act 3 within the next week or so. We're getting there. Should have some info on a world premiere time and place pretty soon. We'll keep you posted.
Take that Houdini! This picture is locked up tight! In civilian lingo, that means we've completed the editing!
If you don't know why this is such a milestone, let me get you up to speed. After filming for four years, we went into the editing room with 500 hours of footage. We logged and transcribed and we edited and edited and edited for a year and a half. And now we've finished the editing part!
Now don't go getting all drunk and lazy on us, there's still a small mound of work to be done. We roll on into all the technical stuff next: recording a score, color correction, EQ, graphics, etc.
Those who've started betting pools about when we'll unleash this flick would be wise to wager on sometime in the first quarter or so of 2007.
Psssst There's a new super-secret teaser-trailer sneaking around out there… we're gonna be a bit stingy with it for the time being, but surely that thing will pop up online sooner or later.
It's official! We're in the fine fine fine fine tuning stage of editing (it follows the fine fine fine tuning stage, duh)!
Here's the low down: we've locked the story part and completed about 95% of the editing. There are a few very minor (but crucial) changes we're gonna make. Once we do that, we declare the picture locked and start on the score then it's on to all the technical BS to perty up the flick.
So the LA leg of this journey was fantastic. We re-shaped and refined the flick and really did a ton of great work. Conor O'Neill is a certified top-notch editing machine. He's a great guy to work with to boot. I guess that makes him a cyborg of some sort.
Viet Nguyen was an amazing assistant editor as well as a hell of a host (as was Veronica Mars thankyouverymuch).
Thanks a bunch to Greg Roman who provided the downtown spot for us to set up shop.
Also big thanks to the LA Derby Dolls for their hospitality.
So
you know that making a documentary is a boatload of work, right?
It’s not like we’ve just been sitting around twiddling
our thumbs mind you. In fact, here’s what we’ve cooked
up:
Crucial
to the completion of this flick is cash. Trooper that he is, Werner
Campbell’s out there taking one for the team. That’s
right, the poor s-o-b is neck deep in fat-cats and big-wigs and
he’s hob-knobbing and elbow rubbing the hell out of these
deep-pocketed bazillionaires and securing the funds needed to finish
this doc off in style.
The
other half of this two-headed snake, Bob Ray will
roll on out to LA and work with Conor O’Neill
(editor of two of CrashCam Films’ favorite docs of late: Murderball
and Word Wars
) to finish the edit. We blocked out 5 weeks for the final cut and
start on February 6.
Greg
Roman, the infamous filmmaker behind the kick ass onslaught
of brand spanking new Honky
music videos has offered up his edit room for our use. Many thanks
to our brother in arms for his hospitality.
Viet
Nguyen, filmmaker, Austin expatriate and assistant editor
on the TV show Veronica Mars will be heading up
the many vital duties of assistant editor.
And
hell yeah, we’re going tri-coastal on this thing. The newest
edition to the roster is producer Jere Orlandi.
Jere is a native Texan based out of New York City. She’s been
working as a producer at MTV for several years and began working
with Bob Ray in 2002 shooting promo spots for MTV2. Jere brings
tons of experience to the project and is overseeing the post production
process. She’s lining up some top notch talent for all the
glamorous technical mumbo-jumbo like graphics, color correction,
and sound work.
Okay,
so we hit a few snags of late. But ever since the turn of the new
year, it's been all great news!!! There are two major developments
on the horizon, but until they're set in stone, I can't tell you
what they are. Rest assured that it's some GREAT news. I'll keep
you posted.
“Yo,
that cut is fine!” Hell on Wheels fine cut!
The total run time is 85 min! That’s right, you heard me.
85 minutes of butt kicking action and gripping drama.
We’ve
also got a really bad ass band creating an original score for the
film. We’re gonna keep our lips buttoned for now, but it’s
a pretty big deal and we’re all riled up about it over here
at the CrashCam Films global HQ.
Update
on Hell on Wheels
We’re really shaping this thing up. Our current run time is
2 hours and 23 minutes. We’re still striving for a cut that
places the run time under two hours, so we’ve got some tough
decisions ahead. We’re getting pretty close to a locked picture
and have some great bans lending us tunes. I must say (with all
modesty aside), that it really is a great film. When you set out
to make a documentary, you never really know what you’ll get,
but with a ton of hard work (four years and 500 hours worth) as
well as great luck, a fantastic subject and generous access by all
the women involved, you can assemble the elements needed to make
a terrific film. Thanks to everyone who helped, let us film and
bought us drinks as forms of encouragement.
RollerCon
2005
My heart is filled with love and my liver filled with poisonous
booze… seems to be the effect 400+ rollergirls has on me.
What an amazing weekend RollerCon
in Las Vegas was. To see the national community of rollergirls come
together to share skating secrets, scrimmage in 117 degree weather,
celebrate derby and rock the fuck out was an awe inspiring thing.
It was great catching up with old friends and making hundreds of
new ones. We over here at CrashCam Films are proud and honored to
be part of a fantastic community.
Who
knew that when we started filming a lil’ documentary about
a scruffy gang of women trying to pull off roller derby in Austin
four years ago that it would explode into the national phenomenon
is has. Big thanks to Ivanna S.Pankin,
Trish the Dish, Calamity Pain,theSin
City Rollergirls and everyone else who made RollerCon
happen. It truly was an amazing weekend.
New
Orleans’ Big Easy Rollergirls need help
We met some fantastic women from the Big
Easy Rollergirls over RollerCon weekend. Unfortunately,
their weekend stay in Vegas has become indefinite as no one is allowed
to return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina had her way with
the city. Rollergirls across the nation are pulling together to
help their stranded sisters. The fine women of Atlanta
Rollergirls have set up an account where you can donate
to help out our New Orleans sisters. So please show some love for
some derby girls in need by going to the Atlanta Rollergirls site
and clicking on the red cross logo on the left hand side that reads:
The Big Easy Rollergirls need your help! Hurricane Katrina
has left them homeless and stranded on the west coast. Donate now
so they can get back to kicking ass in New Orleans.
Edit-ninja
Cory Ryan is back in action and has whittled another
90 minutes of the flick. The current cut times in at 3 hours and
33 minutes. We’re re-shuffling the first four chapters and
condensing a few items and hopefully will get this thing under the
3 hour mark by week’s end.
The
goal is 90-120 minutes and we’re getting there. We’ve
set a deadline of September 30 for a locked cut of the story and
are working our tails off to achieve that goal. The plan is to have
the narrative complete by that date and then we can focus on cutting
in b-roll, cutaways, action shots, etc. We’ll also have a
mountain of sound work (music, EQ, filtration, writing and recording
a score, etc.) ahead of us, as well as a load of title/graphic work
and color correction. Yeah, all the fun stuff!
The
new trailer is coming along slowly, but considering our self-imposed
deadline (only 8 weeks and 3 days away), the trailer is not the
highest of priorities.
July
17, 2005 UPDATE: The 5-hour barrier has
been broken!!!
At the end of June, on her way out of state for a previously scheduled
(and much deserved) two-week vacation, “Hell on Wheels”
editor Cory Ryan delivered the first rough assembly
of the flick. Endless hours were spent in the editing room as we
carved the story from a mountain of nearly 500 hours of footage
spanning four years. We knew this first cut was going to be long
and we expected a 9 hour film at this stage. Not far off the mark,
it clocked in at 8 hours and 4 minutes.
At
that point, Bob Ray stepped into the edit room
for some shuffling and trimming. Over the past week and a half,
he’s been slashing away chunks of the flick and paring it
down to a leaner, meaner storytelling machine. The latest tally
has the film clocking in at 4 hours 59 minutes and 45 seconds. Our
goal is to have the run time between 90-120 minutes.
Cory
returned on the 14th and we’re now back to full man/womanpower
and continue to streamline this awesome and riveting documentary.
We’ve only got to trim off another three to three and a half
hours…
We had to put the cutting of a new trailer on the back burner for
a while, but we’re getting that one fired up again now that
Cory is back and Bob can focus on the task.
Werner Campbell, as always, continues to produce
the hell out of this thing. That’s what producers do.
We’ve watched and logged all the tapes! Okay, so that’s
not entirely true. However, we have watched, logged and digitized
just about every tape. Actually the only tapes left to watch are
some bout footage. So what’s with all the hoopla? Well, since
we’ve been logging tapes non-stop from December ’04
until late last night, it’s something of a milestone for us
over here and we’re happy as can be.
But wait! There’s more. All the while this logging has been
going on, our super-awesome editor Cory Ryan has
been working her tail off on the first rough assembly of the film!
Yeah, 2 birds!
We’re
hoping to have the first rough cut by the end of next week!!!!!!!
Sure, it’ll run about 8-9 hours long, but considering that
we started with a stack of nearly 500 hour-long tapes (spanning
4+ years), it’s one hell of a step in the right direction.
Up next is the paring down of the flick to under 2 hours. We’ll
also be cutting a 3-5 min trailer telling what the story is about.
We’re targeting some pretty sweet film fests for potential
screenings in January and have 18 weeks until the deadline, so if
you don’t see Bob, Werner
or Cory out and about, rest assured that it’s
because we’re working our fingers to the bone to make this
the most ass kicking documentary ever!!!!
November
2002 We've
finished the teaser-trailer and have re-titled the project "Texas
Rollergirls." We thought we were nearing the end of production,
but noticed that something was brewing and it was too soon to wrap.
