Headlamp Pictures

Skatopia: 88 Acres of Anarchy

www.skatopiathemovie.com

Available on DVD

A feature documentary about a skateboard farm in Appalachia where hardcore skating, punk rock and hillbilly cultures collide in testosterone charged mayhem. Mad-Max style demolition derbies and spontaneous car burning accompany all night skate sessions. Pain is a badge of honor. Tony Hawk calls a visit to Skatopia “a rite of passage” for hardcore skaters.

Behind the parties and mayhem is the story of one man following his dream. Determined to keep Skatopia a free park, Brewce Martin inspires, bullies and cajoles visiting skaters, businesses and local hillbillies into donating whatever they can – labor, money, equipment or a six-pack – to his cause of pouring more concrete.

The movie follows a full season at Skatopia. When filming begins, Brewce is at an all time high and Skatopia seems about to take off. But as his fortunes reverse dramatically, Brewce spends 45 days in jail and the farm nearly forecloses. Throughout the film, Brewce struggles to reconcile raising a new family with his wild-man image.

Both unsettling and inspiring, the film gives a rare glimpse into the human side of this rebellious, outsider culture.

You Don’t Know Me ‘Til
You Know Me

(In Development)

“You Don’t Know Me ‘Til You Know Me” showcases one man’s success at reaching troubled teens through his hard-hitting, one-man show. He and the kids take us into a frightening world of suicides, self-mutilation, hate crimes, bullying and even school shootings.

What are the magic words that make a suicidal teen put the gun down… that help a sexually abused 8th grader stop blaming herself and confide in her parents… that will prevent the next Columbine or Red Lake?

Over 350 times a year, Dr. Michael Fowlin steps up on stage in front of a notoriously tough audience – high school students – and performs his one man show “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me.” He plays 7 or 8 characters – a black quarterback hiding the fact that he’s gay, a suicidal Latino, a trench coat-wearing Goth outcast, a kid with ADD… he reads a poem from a woman’s point of view who has been date raped. He tells stories from his own childhood, about stealing, blowing things up, being sexually molested. He keeps his audience hooked by careening unpredictably between humor and profundity.

In “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me”, Michael shows us a model for how to begin reaching out. We follow him as he performs in high schools and middle schools across the U.S. The kids themselves document their own experiences and talk about what kind of help they would like from the people around them. Throughout the piece, we weave in Michael’s struggle to overcome his own troubled childhood.

In the end, his remarkable ability to reach these kids leaves us more hopeful than before.

Beyond the Bottom Line: American
Worker Cooperatives (2003)

Available on DVD

This 30 minute documentary was shot in over 15 widely varied businesses, including a propane company, a cleaning service, a software development business and a sex toy company. The piece makes a case for the real economic viability behind the utopian visions of worker-owned business, but also documents the challenges of running a business with numerous owners.

Produced in partnership with University of California at Davis, the film was completed in 2003 and is still airing on PBS. “Made In The USA” is a 35 minute educational version distributed by the Center for Cooperatives at UC Davis and is used in the development of cooperative businesses.

A longer description is available on this page. Also an extensive list of references and links about worker cooperatives can be found here.

Click here to order the PBS version.

The Future of Medicare; The Future of Medicaid; The Future of Public Health (2002-2005)

“The Future of…” is an ongoing, interactive DVD series on Health Policy topics for the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP). Running times are 45 – 60 minutes. They are distributed by USP for use by healthcare professionals, students, policy makers and the media.

Promotional Documentaries

Headlamp also produces fund-raising and historic documentaries for museums, universities and non-profits. We have developed a highly successful documentary style that emphasizes the authenticity of the client’s message.

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
“Shaping the Science of Health”
2002, 2005

Steps Foundation
“A Lot Better”
Directed by Barry Dornfeld
2004

Delaware Museum of Natural History
“Doorways to Discovery”
2001

Educating Children for Parenting
“Building for the Future”
2001