Thu 4/24 @ 7pm
By John Benson
For some folks, music is food. That is, their personal sustenance is based less on calories and more on, say, beats.
This is the mindset needed to fully comprehend the premise of the brand-new animated film Kounterclockwise in Forever-Land, which was recently completed by indie animator Jim Lujan and Cleveland-based producer, writer, performer and musician Deacon Burns.
Basically, the 56-minute sci-fi film is The Wiz meets Lord of the Rings. There’s this bad dude named Infinitus who is destroying all things funky in another dimension. In order to restore the funk, Kounterclockwise (which is also the name of Burns’ hip-hop band) sets out to retrieve the glove to restore the funk. Yes, for all intents and purposes the glove is Michael Jackson’s iconic glove. What transpires is an epic battle to save the universe and also a funk-heavy soundtrack that intends to have audience members booty-shaking in their seats.
You can watch the film as part of The Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival’s Sneak Peek Fundraiser Thu 4/24.
Cool Cleveland talked to Cleveland Heights resident Burns, who became paralyzed in 2007 after a tragic accident, about the flick and the funk.
Cool Cleveland: How exactly did you and Lujan conjure up Kounterclockwise in Forever-Land?
Deacon Burns: It all started off when we did our first video together, “Moonwalk.” From there we did two more videos. And the process of making videos was so much fun, I didn’t want it to stop. So we were talking about ideas back and forth. That’s when we came up with the idea. ‘Let’s just do a whole movie.’ It took about a year coming up with ideas. Basically we wrote the movie on the phone.
Being an animated film, how would you describe Forever-Land?
Jim drew the whole movie by hand. Wow, his style is completely original. It’s a new style. It’s not like your classic kind of Adult Swim animation. It’s very unique and hard to describe. It’s almost like how graphic novels look.
What exactly is the premise and moral behind Forever-Land?
Basically what goes down is we’re there to find Michael Jackson’s glove because the glove brings the light to everybody. The underground story is when Infinitus took over Forever-Land, he littered the land with drugs and alcohol and pills to keep everybody confused and high and not willing to fight. When we came over there, we inspired everybody to let it go. So the underground idea of the whole thing is like the early ‘60s, how the neighborhoods were filled with drugs to the ‘80s where they were filled with crack. What we are trying to get people to say is we don’t need that.
Finally, what do you hope people take away from Forever-Land?
I just want them to take away basically positive rules everything, because when I broke my back in 2007, I was really negative and had a really bad outlook on life for a minute there. I felt like everything was against me and then my wife just got me more inspired to think more positive and get me a better outlook. So the whole movie is when dark times come, positivity can reign.
The world premiere of Kounterclockwise in Forever-Land takes place at 8 p.m. Thu 4/24 at the Atlas Theater in Euclid. http://youtu.be/SQqeDWBS3gM
Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.
When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com.
One Response to “Forget Computer Animation. This Local Film is Completely Hand-drawn @kountrclockwise @GCUFF”
bob
PARTS of Detroit,Lorain Ave,etc.etc.at nite?!! HEY…gotta be SOMEWHERE….better THERE at THAT time THOSE days THEN….warped way maybe a savior of sorts…up to patrons to get away,stay safe or WHUTEVER….