John Paul Clark, a 2006 graduate of The University of Memphis in film and video production, recently became the grand prize winner of a nationwide movie trailer contest.
"The contest was advertised on a Web site," Clark said. "I just decided to go for it."
The contest called for participants to make a trailer for the upcoming movie, "Black Snake Moan," which was filmed in Memphis and stars Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci.
"Since the movie was filmed in Memphis, we had an advantage because we were able to get a lot of original shots," Clark said. "I thought that the original footage would make our trailer stand out from those that were made using only the materials that were provided," Clark said.
Clark was right. Although Clark's trailer will not be used to promote the movie, Clark's winning entry earned him and his co-producer, Daniel Carter, a current student at The U of M, two VIP tickets to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, for the "Black Snake Moan" screening and party.
"One night a couple of weeks ago, I got a phone call from Paramount, telling me I had won the contest," Clark said. "It was exciting."
The two week long annual festival, which ended Sunday, is internationally renowned as the most prestigious and highly regarded showcase of independent film, both American and international.
"Black Snake Moan" was written and directed by Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer. The movie, which was filmed in and around the Memphis area, follows a deeply religious bluesman (Jackson) who goes to great lengths to prevent a young woman (Ricci) from continuing her sinful ways.
"It was really cool because Craig picked the winner of the contest himself," Clark said. "It was really awesome to be chosen by him."
According to Clark, a crew of six filmed the trailer in 14 hours. The trailer was produced with a $300 budget, and was shot in a house in Hernando, Miss.
Clark acted as the cinematographer, director and editor for the production.
"Making the trailer was really difficult," Clark said. "We worked with limited resources, but we pulled together what we had and made it happen."
