Take 5 with "Gilded Age Gladiator"

Brad Lambert

As we gear up for the Oxford Film Festival 2012 to be held at the Malco Studio Theater on Feb. 9-12, 2012 and also at the Lyric Theater on Saturday, Feb. 11 as part of the Oxford Music Festival line-up where we will show music films, videos and a panel on music + film, we thought we might introduce you to some of the people behind the movies we can't wait to show you. For the full schedule and description of the films, visit www.oxfordfilmfest.com.

Meet Take 5 filmmaker, Brad Lambert, writer and co-director of Gilded Age Gladiator

Q. 1: In 140 characters or less, describe your movie and why someone
should see it.

A:  Gilded Age Gladiator is an animated documentary about 19th century boxing champ John L. Sullivan, the first sports celebrity in US history.

Q. 2: Biggest lesson learned in getting the film made? Best part in
getting the film made?

A:  Pre-production is key in animation, particularly when multiple animators are working on the project. The best part has been seeing it with audiences and hearing people actually laugh, gasp, etc., at the moments we actually intended.

Q. 3: Tell us about you. What is your movie making background?

A:  I am an Assistant Professor of Communication at High Point University in High Point, NC, where I teach classes in motion graphics and documentary studies.  I've done motion graphics and video editing for a variety of TV shows and commercials over the years, but I'm now focused on my own projects in animation and historical documentary. 

Q. 4: What's your dream distribution plan for the film?

A:  I would love to crack the academic market.  I think there could be a lot of interest in historical documentaries that try to make history less dry and more in-your-face.

Q. 5: What does the future hold in store for your film and for you?

A:  We will continue to screen the film at festivals through early 2012, and will then look for an online home for it.  I have begun work on another historical documentary that will be animated in a similar style. This one is about the Ashley Gang, a group of bank robbers and rumrunners in the Florida Everglades during the Prohibition era.