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acamus
07-08-2008, 08:01 AM
7 July 2008

dear oscilloscope valued customers,

here's a new press release we're working on for your perusal. Please make your corrections and get it back to us as soon as possible so we can get it out to the media at large.

your friend,
bruce farnsworth
associate vp of publicity wing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oscilloscope Picture's to release Caroline Suh's High School Election Film, FRONTRUNNERS
Documentary to open 3 weeks before Presidential elections at NYC's Film Forum

New York, NY (July 7th, 2008) - Oscilloscope Pictures announced today the acquisition of worldwide rights to Caroline Suh's FRONTRUNNERS, a smart and funny political documentary that follows the student council presidential campaign at one the country's most prestigious public high schools, Stuyvesant High School in New York City.

FRONTRUNNERS will open theatrically in New York at the Film Forum on October 15th followed by a national release ahead of the U.S. Presidential elections in November. Oscilloscope will release the dvd in the first quarter of 2009.

An entertaining and symbolic campaign film, put forth in classic verité style, FRONTRUNNERS follows four charming and idiosyncratic candidates as they navigate an electoral process that is said to be one of the most competitive at the high school level.

These teenaged candidates face the same issues as candidates of any age, such as picking the right running mate, shaking as many hands as possible, preparing for televised debates, impressing the pundits and journalistic community, addressing sensitive race-related issues, and mobilizing an apathetic voter base.

A microcosm of the U.S. Presidential elections, Caroline Suh's film shows politicking and pluralities through the lens of the adolescent experience.

Oscilloscope Pictures head, Adam Yauch, says: "Caroline did an amazing job of documenting the insanity of a political race, while capturing the endearing human quality of these quirky school candidates. I loved seeing the dynamics of a fully functioning political system within the microcosm of Stuyvesant High School. From when I first saw it at South By Southwest Film Festival I was taken by its RUSHMORE meets SPELLBOUND meets ELECTION quality."

Caroline Suh, says "Erika (producer) and I are very excited to be working with O-scope. We love their approach to films and they have the same appreciation as we do for the intelligence and humor of the people in the film. I think we're all curious to see if anyone in the film will be running the country in 30 years!"

The deal was negotiated by Karen Shatzkin, Caroline Suh and Erika Frankel for the film and David Fenkel for Oscilloscope Pictures.

About Oscilloscope Laboratories:

Founded in January 2008, Oscilloscope Laboratories is a NYC -based recording studio, film production and distribution company, and post-production facility founded by Adam Yauch. Oscilloscope Pictures' line up includes Yauch's recently released GUNNIN' FOR THAT #1 SPOT (June 27th), Irena Salina's FLOW (September 5th).

alikat
07-08-2008, 01:19 PM
This makes perfect, perfect sense. You've got the general city kids theme of Gunnin, the NYC sense of humor . . . If you told me about this movie in a vacuum I'd think of the Beastie Boys. (tho admittedly i think of the beastie boys a lot)

For anyone not familiar with Stuyvesant, it's a top magnet high school in NYC. It's also in the Ch-check it out video, and Kate Schellenbach went there. I'm sure the kids they follow will be whip smart and entertaining.

(y)

acamus
07-08-2008, 01:31 PM
Thanks for the info a-cat. Where in the Ch-Check it Out video does the school appear?

alikat
07-08-2008, 01:49 PM
please excuse the content of this article!* http://gothamist.com/2006/01/31/lesbo_sluts_run.php

but it's the best pic i could find that shows where they are in the video. they're coming through this entrance toward the beginning of the video.

(btw i remember the ny mag article they refer to & it's a fascinating read and look into the high school's culture).


*not that there's anything wrong with it!! ;)

acamus
07-09-2008, 01:28 PM
nice science droppin' a-cat! i'm heading to that nymag article stat after lunch. it's nice to see that the kids are experimenting more openly than X-ers.

nice eye on catching where they were traipsing in the ch-check vid. it's all coming together. and now that i think of it i wonder if "politicking" (one of the "new" tracks) got its name from FrontRunners (seeing as how they use it in the press release and all.) "dramastically" seems to have come from pre-production on GFT#1S.

thanks for the k-nowledge. :)

acamus
07-09-2008, 04:07 PM
wait a minute. you trying to crazy me? they're coming out of rockefeller plaza in the vid. it looks a lot like that photo you linked to. are you playing?

alikat
07-10-2008, 12:36 AM
wait a minute. you trying to crazy me? they're coming out of rockefeller plaza in the vid. it looks a lot like that photo you linked to. are you playing?

honest, i don't intend to play!

it's when they're on that bridge that leads to the school. i have to watch the video again.

ok: i just googled "ch-check it out stuyvesant" and came up with this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuyvesant_High_School scroll to the pop culture section & they explain it better than i do.

it also mentions TWO more beastie connections to the school. i had no idea. :)

alikat
07-10-2008, 12:45 AM
ok, acamus, i dorked out on the interweb and hit the jackpot. this is a very clear pic of where the boys are in the video:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emry/487666785/

(rockefeller plaza's in midtown and has the nbc building and the gold statue of atlas. and sometimes a lovely christmas tree.)

i'm going to sleep now.

acamus
07-10-2008, 07:39 AM
you're right! dang good detective work. wow, this school is elite! look at the alumni list.

YoungRemy
07-10-2008, 10:01 AM
Stuyvesant has always been the elite NY High School. It will be an interesting look into their world. and yes, it is down in TriBeCa, in Rockefeller Park, not Plaza.

and who can forget the red Stuyvesant Phys Ed shirt Adrock wears...

Stuyvesant was in the middle of the 9/11 story, just 1/2 block away from Ground Zero.


here's Israel Horovitz's account (http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_20/israelhorovitz.html)

Laver1969
07-10-2008, 03:14 PM
Thanks for the link, YR!

alikat
07-11-2008, 06:19 PM
you're right! dang good detective work.

thanks . . . but i wouldn't call it detective work so much as an obessive-compulsive willingness to sift through every image on flickr tagged "tribeca bridge." weird times we live in.


and who can forget the red Stuyvesant Phys Ed shirt Adrock wears...

i guess i can! i'm officially old. carry on.


here's Israel Horovitz's account (http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_20/israelhorovitz.html)

wow, i never heard about this at the time. just saw there's a filmed version too apparently. so much has been revealed on this thread all from one high school!!

Sir SkratchaLot
07-12-2008, 06:23 AM
Yes, but can you tell us more about these lesbo sluts?

acamus
07-12-2008, 09:04 AM
Stuyvesant has always been the elite NY High School. It will be an interesting look into their world. and yes, it is down in TriBeCa, in Rockefeller Park, not Plaza.

I guess it's time I start wearing my glasses full-time. You're right, it's "Park" not "Plaza", YR. Oops. Now I remember seeing the bridge when I was there recently. Goes to show how much can just be background noise when you're not native/in-the-know.

Oscope's products are only getting better! I am definitely more interested in FLOW than GFT#1S. I really hope the message of FLOW gets out. But I'm really psyched about FrontRunners.

KENNY GUIDO
07-12-2008, 02:08 PM
Little known fact:

I was born in the same hospital where Mike D was hung up in for a while after bike riding in nyc and breaking his leg. (or arm) :)

lennox hills.

YoungRemy
07-12-2008, 03:12 PM
that's some groundbreaking stuff you've got there, Kenny! thanks for sharing it with the world!