clapboard jungle

CLAPBOARD JUNGLE Will Offer a Man-Behind-the-Curtain Look at Filmmaking

If you’re a movie lover, chances are you’ve watched some behind the scenes bits of making of videos. Maybe you’ve seen a documentary on a film you like. But have you ever wondered what an indie filmmaker has to go through? Is movie making as glamorous as we think it could be? Arrow Video will be releasing CLAPBOARD JUNGLE on April 19. Not only does this film follow five years of the life and career of independent filmmaker Justin McConnell, but this documentary does a deep dive into the reality of the film business. According to the press release, Navigating the current film business is more difficult than ever before. Rapidly changing technology and an overcrowded marketplace have led to an industry in which anyone can now make a film, but few can make a living. I am friends with an independent filmmaker and know some of his struggles. CLAPBOARD […]

Fantasia XXIV Review: Justin McConnell’s CLAPBOARD JUNGLE Defies Conventions With Exemplary Lessons In Survival

Lee B. Golden III

If you love genre cinema and filmmaking so much so that at some point you decide to take that definitive plunge – be it acting, writing, filmmaking, or even journalizing or vlogging, then there’s ten times more you need to understand about the industry, and tons more to comprehend about the process. From an observational perspective, the weight of that comprehension comes undoubtedly with talking to multiple industry film professionals who’ve been around the block and have developed thick-enough skins to have stood the test of time amidst the constant hustle and bustle of pursuing their craft. Independent filmmaker Justin McConnell dives into more than plenty of that time in his new documentary, Clapboard Jungle, dating back to his early teens, all leading up to the near-twenty year period in his professional career, from his heyday as a curious up-and-comer with bare bones equipment and a skeleton crew, to a […]