This portfolio has been viewed 869 times. Member since August 31, 2007
City / State / Zip / Country:
Seattle / Spokane, Washington, 99206, United States
Representation: chuckswann@gmail.com
My profession: Directing - Television, Film & Video
Current/Upcoming Shows: Wayne is presently completing his Master's thesis, an autobiographical novel titled "X-Ray Rider" (formerly "The Boy Who Saw Through the Walls of the World"), about a boy with a macabre imagination coming to terms with his mother's terminal diagnosis in the 1970s. He is also prepping a film adaptation of Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows," titled "The Place."
About my work: Wayne Spitzer is a filmmaker, author and academic from the Northwest. His work and interests range from writing historical nonfiction to directing independent horror films. His resume may be found below, or, if you prefer live links, at the Internet Movie Database.
Cast and Crew Interests: Writing, Directing and Acting
EDUCATION
Master of Fine Arts, Literary Nonfiction, Eastern Washington University, Cheney WA, expected 2008 / Thesis: X-Ray Rider / Chair: Natalie Kusz, Co-chair: Jonathan Johnson, Ph.D.
Bachelor of General Studies, English/Humanities, Gonzaga University, Spokane WA, 2006
Associate in Applied Science, Television Production, Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane WA, 1989
TEACHING
EXPERIENCE
Instructor, Creative Writing, Airway Heights Corrections Center, Airway Heights WA, September 2006—March 2007
Co-Instructor, Creative Writing, Greenacres Elementary School, Spokane Valley WA, October 2006
Workshops / Lesson Plans Taught (Selected):
“Young Poets Workshop” (Greenacres Elementary School, October 25, 2006)
“What Writing Is: Introductory Module” (AHCC, October 16, 2006)
“Fear as Catalyst: Writing Popular Fiction with A Supernatural Theme” (AHCC, October 30, 2006)
“Dynamic Character, Defining Moments and Epiphanies” (AHCC, November 20, 2006)
“The Spell of Place: Dickens, Blackwood, and Setting as Character” (AHCC, December 01, 2006)
“You Can Say That Again! Recognizing and Eliminating Clichés” (AHCC, January 22, 2007)
“Poe’s Brain: Unusual States of Consciousness as a Literary Tool” (AHCC, February 19, 2007)
HONORS /
AWARDS
Patrick F. McManus Scholarship, Eastern Washington University, 2006—2007
Masters Literary Awards Honorable Mention (“How About a Coke and Some Fries?”), Titan Press, 2004
Winner, Best Short Film (Last Stop Station), Hollywood Scarefest, Buena Park CA, 2003
Puget Sound President's Scholarship for Academic Merit, University of Puget Sound, 2002
National Dean's List, Eastern Washington University, 2000—2002
Spokesman-Review Golden Pen Nomination, Spokane WA, 1994
Presidents/Dean's List, Spokane Falls Community College, 1987—1989
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Spitzer,Wayne K. Flashback. Spokane, Washington: Books in Motion/Classic Ventures, 1993.
http://ipac.arrowhead.lib.mn.us/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1184YF579926P.
ESSAYS /
SHORT FICTION
Spitzer, Wayne K. “Flying the Fogroads of Cascadia: How a Northwest Anthropologist Spent His Life Stalking an Enigma, and Why It Matters.” Forthcoming. Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History, 2007. http://www.washingtonhistory.org/wshs/columbia/
Spitzer, Wayne K. “How About a Coke and Some Fries?” subTerrain Magazine, Volume 4, No. 37 (2003): 31—33. http://www.subterrain.ca/subterrain/main.htm
Reprinted in: Generation X National Journal, Volume 2, No. 3 (2004): 20—21, 24, and 27.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “I Am the Ferryman.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 1 (1993): 90—120.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Operation.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 6 (1995): 119—122.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Escape.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 5 (1995): 91—98.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Torturer.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 4 (1994): 115—125.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Project.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 3 (1994): 131—139.
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Institute.” Hemmingstein's Word Weaver's Review, Volume 1, No. 2 (1993): 105—113.
GRAPHIC
ARTS
Osborne, Tadashi and Wayne K. Spitzer. “Todd.” Serialized in Ninety-9, No. 7 (1993): 32—37; Ninety-9, No. 6 (1993): 7—14; Random Effects, Volume 1, No. 1 (1990): 64.
ELECTRONIC
MEDIA
INTERNET
PUBLICATIONS
Spitzer, Wayne K. “The Return of the Soldier: Anger and Alienation in Pat Barker's Regeneration.” Helium: Where Knowledge Rules (July 2007). http://www.helium.com/search/search?search_query=wayne+spitzer
Spitzer, Wayne K. "Joseph Conrad: A Prayer Against the Darkness." Helium: Where Knowledge Rules (July 2007).
http://www.helium.com/search/search?search_query=wayne+spitzer
Spitzer, Wayne K. “Our Thoughts Make Spirals in Their World: Further Discussion on Film Adaptation and ‘The Willows’ with Blackwood’s Biographer, Mike Ashley.” From regular column, Oil of Dog, appearing in Dog Pile Magazine: an independent film e-zine (March 2004). http://waynespitzeroilofdog.blogspot.com, http://thedogpilemagazine.blogspot.com/
Spitzer, Wayne K. “Letters for Algernon: Talking Film Adaptation and ‘The Willows’ with Blackwood’s Biographer, Mike Ashley.” From regular column, Oil of Dog, appearing in Dog Pile Magazine: an independent film e-zine (March 2004). http://waynespitzeroilofdog.blogspot.com, http://thedogpilemagazine.blogspot.com/
Spitzer, Wayne K. “Ghosts of Saint Helens: Inspiration, Collaboration, and Why The Alpha Male and the Rogue Male Don’t Always Get Along.” Feature Article. Guest Writer. Monsters at Play (August 2004). http://www.monstersatplay.com/features/reports/spitzer-article.php
Spitzer, Wayne K. “An Open Letter to Horror Fandom.” Random Sanity (October 2003).
http://www.randomsanity.com/cgi-bin/boardpower/discussion.cgi?forum=3&discussion=47
Spitzer, Wayne K. “Dedication.” Poem. Buried.com (October 2003).
http://www.buried.com/cgi-bin/horrorfiction/fiction.cgi?action=view&id=125
FILM /
TELEVISION
Co-writer/director, Monstersdotcom, feature-length dramatic film for Brimstone Media Productions LLC, Brighton MI, 2004. http://www.indievisionfilms.com/trailers/horror/Monstersdotcom.asp
Cinematographer/Actor, Snakeman, feature-length dramatic film for American Film Partners International (AFPI), Hollywood CA, 2003. http://www.buried.com/interviews/horror.php?id=110, http://www.americanfilmpartners.us/horror
Writer/Director, Shadows in the Garden, 22-minute dramatic film for Shadows and Fog Media Ventures, Spokane WA, 2002. http://www.indieflix.com/FilmDetail.aspx?tid=10276
Cinematographer/Actor, Last Stop Station, 15-minute dramatic film for Shadows and Fog Media Ventures, Spokane WA, 2001.
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Award_Winners_of_Hollywood_Scarefest_2005/70040861
Creator/Co-producer, Dead of Night, dramatic-format television series, Cox Cable-Spokane, Spokane WA, aired 1994—1998. http://www.youtube.com/spitzerkumpon
Creator/Co-producer/Co-host, Phantasmagoria, discussion-format television series (topics in speculative fiction, film and culture), Cox Cable-Spokane, Spokane WA, aired 1993—1994.
Producer/Editor, Echo of the Drum, feature-length documentary about Missionary work in Zaire Africa, for Grace Ministries International, Grand Rapids, MN, 1991.
Production Assistant, Serious Choices, feature-length documentary for the Washington State Crime Education Task Force, Spokane WA, 1990.
Production Assistant, Rx for Rural Health, feature-length documentary for KSPS Public Television, Spokane WA, 1989.
SELECTED
STUDENT
FILMS
Writer/Director, Eye of the Storm (60-minute video, dramatic format), Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane WA, 1988.
Writer/Director, Shades of Black (45-minute video, dramatic format), Spokane Falls Community College, 1987.
PANELS /
PRESENTATIONS
“In the Dead of Night: Film Noir and the Process of Creation.” Multimedia exhibition and panel discussion presented to Seventh Annual Inland Empire Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (Incon 1995), Spokane WA, October 1995. Revised version presented to Incon 1996, October 1996.
“The Art of Workshop, Word Weavers’ Style.” Panel discussion co-presented by John Dalmas (The Regiment, Fanglith), Loren Robinson (Search and War), and members of the Spokane Word Weavers writers’ group to Incon 1995, Spokane WA, October 1995.
“Phantasmagoria: SF, Horror and Fantasy in the Popular Culture & Beyond.” Multimedia exhibition and panel discussion co-presented to sixth annual Inland Empire Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention (Incon 1994), Spokane WA, October 1994.
“The Art of Critique, Word Weavers’ Style.” Panel discussion co-presented by John Dalmas, Loren Robinson, and members of the Spokane Word Weavers to Incon 1994, Spokane WA, October 1994.
Public reading (w/Word Weavers) from novella, Behind a Pale Mask, at Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane WA, 1992.
SELECTED
WORK /
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Securitas Security Services-USA, Spokane, WA / Kevin Stumph, Supervisor / July 2004—July 2007 / Security Officer for Community Colleges of Spokane (CPR Certified)
Inland Northwest Center for Writers, Eastern Washington University, Spokane, WA / Steve Hirst, Nonfiction Editor / September 2006—March 2007 / Editorial Assistant, Willow Springs
JFK Library Archives and Special Collections, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA / Charles Mutschler, Ph.D. / September 2001—May 2002 / Research Assistant/Data Entry
CWI Security, Yakima, WA / Wesley Parton, Supervisor / August 1995—June 2002 / Patrol Officer
Aesop Productions, Cheney, WA / Rick Kisely, Owner / 1996—1997 / Copywriter/Editor/ Videographer
Hillyard/Heritage Press, Hillyard, WA / Bob Kaumstra, Owner / 1991—1992 / Managing Editor, Hillyard Express
Lon Gibby Productions, Spokane, WA / Corey Burgess, Supervisor / July 1989—February 1990 / Production Assistant
KSPS-TV Channel 7 PBS, Spokane, WA / Jim Zimmer, Bob Lawrence, Supervisors / 1988—1989 / Production Assistant
Spokane Falls Community College, Office of Student Activities, Spokane, WA / Ron Johnston, Supervisor / 1989—1990 / Multimedia Logistics and Support
Spokane Falls Community College, Channel 19, Media Services, Spokane, WA / 1987—1988 / Editor, Audio-visual Support
Washington State Department of Agriculture, Civilian Conservation Corps, Spokane, WA / Johnny L. Minyard, Supervisor / 1985—1986 / Field Supervisor, Apple Maggot Quarantine Program/Forrest Fire Suppression
Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Spokane, WA / 1984—1985 / Forest Fire Suppression/Pesticide Application
COMMITTEES /
COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT
Safe P.L.A.C.E. (Positive Licensing Awareness for Childcare Environment) Committee, Eastern Washington Family Child Care Association. Donated skills/man-hours toward production of Public Service Announcement (PSA) for national television, Spokane WA, 1996
Member of Spokane Word Weavers Writing Group, studying under science-fiction author John Dalmas, Spokane WA, 1992—1996
FESTIVALS /
SCREENINGS
KYRS Short Film Festival to benefit Thin Air Community Radio, Spokane WA, June 2006. Work screened: Shadows in the Garden.
1st Annual Spokane Falls Community College Horror Film Festival, Spokane WA, June 2006. Awarded prize for second place. Work screened: Shadows in the Garden.
8th Annual North American Science Fiction Convention/Cascadia Con, Seattle WA, September 2005. Work screened: Monstersdotcom.
Cinema Wasteland, Cleveland OH, September 2003. Work screened: Shadows and Fog.
Spokane Independent Film Convention (SPIFCON), Veradale WA, October 2003. Works screened: Shadows in the Garden, Last Stop Station, Monstersdotcom.
Tromadance 2002, Park City UT, October 2002. Work screened: Last Stop Station.
2nd Annual Spokane Film Festival at the Bing Crosby Performing Arts Center (formerly the Met), Spokane WA, September 1999. Works screened: Dead of Night, Don't Look Up, and ad spots produced for Aesop Productions, Cheney WA.
1st Annual Spokane Film Festival at the Bing Crosby Performing Arts Center (formerly the Met), Spokane WA, September 1998. Works screened: Dead of Night, Don't Look Up, and ad spots produced for Aesop Productions, Cheney WA.
Spokane Art Supply Film Festival, Spokane WA, December 1997. Work screened: Don't Look Up.
Screening, Eye of the Storm, Spokane Falls Community College SUB Lounge AB, Spokane WA, December 1988.
Screening, Shades of Black, Spokane Falls Community College SUB Lounge AB, Spokane WA, May 1987.
CITATIONS
(PRINT)
Moll, Jessica. (June 15, 2006) Inlander Picks. The Pacific Northwest Inlander: 41. “This is an easy one. Just get yourself to the Community Building Wednesday night….” Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Webster, Dan. (October 28, 2005) Spookane's horror critics' picks. 7/The Spokesman-Review: 23. Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Webster, Dan. (July 1, 2005) Silver screen loves shooting in Spokane. 7/The Spokesman-Review: 20. Works mentioned: Monstersdotcom, Shadows in the Garden.
Webster, Dan. (January 15, 2005) A bloody genius. Inland Northwest Life/Arts. The Spokesman-Review: D1, D8. Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Amos, Melissa. (July 24, 2003) “Spokane's No-Budget Horror Filmmakers.” The Local Planet Weekly, Volume 4, No. 29: 8-9. Works mentioned: Dead of Night, The Snake Man, Shadows in the Garden.
Corrigan, Mike. (October 24, 2002) “Dark Shadows.” The Pacific Northwest Inlander: 34-35. Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Webster, Dan. (March 9, 2001) Festival explores Spokane film world. Events/Art. The Spokesman-Review: 16. Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Jensen, Chris. (March 8, 2001) “Night of the Local Indies.” This week at the movies. The Local Planet: 14.
Webster, Dan. (September 21, 2000) Film festivals planned at brewery, gallery. Entertainment. The Spokesman-Review: D7. Work mentioned: Shadows in the Garden.
Palpant, Andrea. (September 21, 2000) Indie auteurs unite: Local independent filmmakers show their work at E Gallery. Film. The Pacific Northwest Inlander: 19. Work mentioned: Shadows and Fog.
Sanderson, Ward. (September 1, 1996) Dead men stalk airwaves: It's science fiction in River City before dawn. The Region. The Spokesman-Review: B1, B8. Work mentioned: Dead of Night.
Webster, Dan. (March 20, 1994) Easy reading/Talking books: Booming industry caters to busy world by giving voice to the written word. Inset: Audiobook firm specializes in works of regional authors. E & T. Cover story. The Spokesman-Review: 4-5. Work mentioned: Flashback.
McCoy, Jeff. (Fall 2005) Review of Shadows in the Garden. Micro-Film Magazine, No. 7. Quoted from review: “The filmmakers … dare to tell this story in a non-traditional manner, providing exposition through dictionary definitions, newspaper clippings, talk radio voices, and even a motivational speaker that seems to mirror Sylkk's inner thoughts. Balancing the literate ideas are various intriguing images representing Sylkk's fantasies and psychic visions, often mated together in complex visual compositions….”
Scifilm. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“… a solid if simple story, artfully told, and polished until it shines. … It’s films like Wayne’s that made me fall in love with indy films in the first place.”
http://www.scifilm.org/reviews3/shadowsgarden.html
Ziggy’s Video Realm. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2004.
“Atmospheric, thoughtful, and captivating … Spitzer has put together 20 minutes of film that are easily as good or better than a fair percentage of the stuff that used to air on The Outer Limits every week … a triumph….”
http://www.ziggysvideorealm.com/reviews/shadowsinthegarden.html
Horrorview. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“The film packs a lot of emotion and cohesive visual storytelling into its trim running time, not wasting a minute on forced narrative or expository imagery … Lean, mean, and effective, Shadows in the Garden delivers.”
http://www.horrorview.com/shadows%20in%20the%20Garden.html
The SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review. Review of Monstersdotcom. 2003.
“… another evocative piece that comes with an ambitious professionalism that quite belies the next-to-no-budget it was made on ….”
http://www.moria.co.nz/horror/monstersdotcom.html
Horrordiva. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“… stumbles through its technological road blocks to deliver an atmospheric, kitschy cult potential … genre bending ….”
http://www.horrordiva.com/new/essays/shadows.php
Cinema Eye. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2004.
“… the surreal imagery and steady downpour of rain really create a creepy and lonely atmosphere … Note to aspiring filmmakers: There's a lesson to be learned here.”
http://www.cinemaeye.com/index/reviews/rev_more/lo-res-shadows-inthe-garden/
Film Festival Today. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2004.
“Told with a touching fairytale simplicity matched with a flair for grand guignol … it makes for a spooky little fable that, at the climax, reveals itself as being well intentioned and effectively Capra sentimental.”
http://www.filmfestivaltoday.com/article_item.asp?ID=361
The Astounding B Monster. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“… it isn't pernicious or overly cynical ….”
http://www.bmonster.com/may2003.shtml
The Horror Review: Horror, SciFi & Fantasy Movie Reviews. Review of Monstersdotcom. 2003.
“All film students or people interested in seeking out filmmaking as a career should buy this film and study it ….”
http://fast.horrorseek.com/horror/horrorreview/sequels/past0203.html
Film Threat Magazine. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“The big difference here is that Wayne has obvious talent and a vision all his own, not one he's borrowing from someone else and then shredding it for all to wince at.”
http://filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=5232
Monsters at Play. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2004.
“… a nice homage to the classic b-movie creature features of yesteryear.”
http://www.monstersatplay.com/review/vhs/mdotcom.php
b-independent. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2004.
“… bring [s] to the table exactly what I've always found lacking in Lovecraft's work, humor and pathos.”
http://www.b-independent.com/reviews/shadowsinfog.html
CultCuts Magazine: Films for the rest of us. Review of Shadows in the Garden. 2003.
“… original … atmospheric … surpasses in story and emotion over typical monster films. Highly recommended!”
http://www.cultcutsfilms.com/
Personal Website:
http://theboythattimeforgot.blogspot.com/
PERSONAL, PROFESSIONAL
AND ACADEMIC REFERENCES
UPON REQUEST
May 23, 2007
I chose this occupation because: There's never been a choice. As Vonnegut writes, "Everyone does just precisely what they have to do."
The best lesson I ever learned was: Not to changes lanes without looking.
The greatest influence on my work is: My own life and childhood presently. In the past it depended on the type of work I was doing: if it was television I was probably under the influence of '60s "Star Trek," "The Prisoner," "The Outer Limits," "The Twilight Zone;" Dan Curtis, Jerry Anderson's "UFO." For film it's been everything from Roger Corman--especially "X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes"--to Stanley Kubrick. Love Nigel Kneale's "Quartermass and the Pit." Love Larry Cohen's "Q." Love Samuel Arkoff; drive-in bigfoot pictures from the '70s; Brad Anderson's "Session 9;" Fessenden's "Wendigo." As for writers, I'd say Vonnegut, Algernon Blackwood, Joan Didion, Gustav Hasford, Annie Dillard, Edward Hoagland, Robert Michael Pyle, Ira Levin, Gene Wolfe...Bradbury. Ellison. King. So-called art and so-called junk sit pretty close on my shelf.
Why you'd want to hire me: Vision. Understanding the frame--what belongs there, what doesn't. What's off-tone, what isn't. Because I understand that every medium and every genre comes with its own lexicon and its own traditions. "Wagon Train" isn't "Requiem for a Heavyweight" nor is it trying to be; same likewise. It sounds cheeseball but it's true: A soupcan is just a soupcan. A bunch of them are a Warhol. It's all about the frame.
ADDITIONAL LINKS:
Curriculum Vitae for Wayne Spitzer. IMDb. Same as above but with live links.:
Click Here
