Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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eg THE mix Page 10 1 1 1 A JL. 1 _l I A. m Wednesday, Sept. 14,2005 ^ Hello, my name is: Whitney Bradshaw, second-year film studies student Chelsey flloore FOR THE GAMECOCK IF YOU WERE ON A REALITY TELEVISION SHOW, WHICH STEREOTYPICAL CHARACTER WOULD YOU BE? “I would be the plotter, the one, who’s always thinking. You know, like the strategist.” WHAT COMES FROM A SESAME SEED? “I don’t know! I know they come on top of bread!” DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER? WHAT SONG DO YOU SING MOST OFTEN? “Yes! Anything that’s loud and kind of obnoxious. But I only sing in the shower at home .... I don’t do that here.” WOULD YOU RATHER BE ON “WHEEL OF FORTUNE" OR “JEOPARDY"? “‘Jeopardy.’ You have to be smarter to be on 'Jeopardy.’” WHAT IS THE ONE OBJECT YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT? “My cell phone. I’m always on the phone with my family.” DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC? “Sure. I think everyday stuff can be magic. You know, meeting the right person can be magic. Getting everything done when there’s not enough time is magic.” WHEN I SAY THE WORD “CROAKY,” WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND? “‘Croaky’? Like a frog?” Special to THE (JAMliCOCK “Take Out” is a comedic attack on fast-food merchandisers. } Writer turns 1 bad meal, ' spare budget into comedic examination of fast-food industry • Laura Solos FOR THE GAMECOCK “Good service is hard to find” is becoming a familiar saying for those connected to the food industry scene. Writer/director Seth Landau’s film “Take Out” expands on this maxim. The movie is based on Landau’s real-life experience at a restaurant at a farmers’ market in California. “The wait was extremely long, the service was terrible and the order was wrong. The meal was a disaster; it just almost became comical. It seemed as though someone was trying to ruin everything as a joke, but no, this restaurant was being serious.” Landau’s memorable dining experience inspired him to write a comic movie about the fast-food industry. The central character of “Take Out” is a reporter named Zack Turk (Landau) who is fed up with the service and prices of fast food and decides to take action by attacking fast-food merchandisers. The movie was filmed in Phoenix, Ariz., although taping was completed in Los Angeles. Landau was writer, director and one of the actors. He handpicked the rest of the crew by drawing on his connections and recruiting people he had worked with in the past. As “Take Out” is an independent film, its budget was tight, and every expense had to be considered. The overall cost of the film was $13,000, which Landau said is approximately what “most Hollywood films spend ... on the catering for their n crew. “This film is a perfect example of what can done with a modest budget,” said Justin Walker, who plays a columnist in the film. “It was a miracle of independent film-making.” Walker has worked for Landau in the past and intends to work with him again in the future, adding, “(Landau is) an enterprising Hollywood force, real upcoming talent.” The producers of “Take Out” are sending applications to film festivals such as Sundance, Slamdance, Aspen HBO, New Directors/New Films, South by Southwest, Tribeca, San Francisco International, Gen Art, Seattle International, Cannes International, CineVegas, Montreal Comedy and Telluride. These festivals are where “the big guys” can notice an independent film. The producers look for the big debut of “Take Out” to take place next year. “Take Out” is Seth Landau’s firsL full-length feature fdm, although he intends to make more films in the future. For more information, visit www.chaseclub.com/takeout.htm. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.eclu Skateboarders take falls, make friends Special to THE GAMECOCK The Midlands area features skateboarding parks such as Owen's Field and Plex Indoor Sports. Another skate park is being built in Irmo. ® - R Despite sports individuality, surfings street-tough spawn remains crushingly cordial Seth Bailin FOR THE GAMECOCK The child of surfing and cousin to snowboarding, skateboarding is a very loose sport. There are no uniforms and no rules, and the skating method is left to the skaters imagination. Although it started as an underground game, skateboarding has grown into a giant industry and is becoming more mainstream with the release of skateboarding video games and news coverage of contests all over the world. Mike Johns, a third-year media arts and film student, started skateboarding “because of the chicks” and has continued for nine years. His favorite aspect of skating is learning how to fall down and get back up; “Some days, you are bleeding in five places with a broken board ... and you’re like, ‘let’s do this.’” Determination is not the only lesson to learn from skateboarding. Adherents say the close-knit sport promotes friendship and camaraderie. Skateboarding is, however, more individualistic than team sports, an aspect reflected in Columbia’s limited number of places to skate. Try skating the stairs at Gambrell Hall or the rail at the Russell House, and see what the campus police have to say. The architecture of many USC buildings and landscapes has the potential to entertain skateboarders for days on end, but it is not easy to dodge a ticket. “It’s ridiculous how numerous students are engaging in alcohol use on an hourly basis and all cops want to do is harass some teens having fun on a skateboard,” said Andrew Park, a first year video production student. There are a few local skate parks in the Columbia area. Owen’s Field, which was built about seven years ago, www. dailwamecock. com is a metal park near rive Points. Owens Field is frequented by locals and is only about 10 minutes awa'A from campus. Downsides are a exceedingly hot mini-ramp at high noon and an overflow of young students during after-school hours. Plex Indoor Sports is an indoor sports arena with a skate park. The facility also includes a basketball court and soccer fields. The Plex is located in northeast Columbia. For the poor college student who might not be able to afford the $12 that buys a two-hour session at the Plex, a new park in Irmo is in the making, and will be the third skate park in the Columbia area. Johns said he believes that culture should be more diverse. “Where are the females who skate? he asks. “People should be aware that skateboarding is not just a punk-rock thing.” Skateboarding attracts many people in search of a creative outlet. Those who enjoy playing “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” or watching the X Games or who want to learn more about the semi-underground community are invited to buy a deck and come skate. Comments on this story? E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm. sc. edu