“In the Loop” host Scott Rinehart, far left, interviews the actors and filmmakers from the Colorado-made film, ink. 

“In the Loop” was organized by an all-volunteer crew from Denver Open Media in January 2009. The show features footage from filmmakers on location to their film openings as well as interviews with audience members. The highlight of this program is when cast and crew from the films are welcomed into the studio, where they are interviewed about their movie, their craft and their success in getting the film into distribution. “In the Loop” also announces upcoming news in the Colorado film industry such as opportunities to watch and make films in Colorado and ways to support and become part of the industry.

“Colorado has a lot of talented and inspired filmmakers, and through “In the Loop,” I hope to introduce their films and dreams to the wider community,” producer Tanya Ishikawa said. “ I would love to connect novices with professionals, technical people with creative types and the audiences with the artists.“ 

The first show is airing the weekend of April 17 on Denver Open Media at Comcast channels 56 and 57 and will feature the filmmakers of ink, director/writer Jamin Winans, producer Kiowa Winans, and actors Jeremy Make and Quinn Hunchar. ink is a film about opposing forces at war over souls in which one force gives good dreams while the other gives nightmares. Showing at the Starz Film Center in March and April, its unique look and an imaginative narrative drew sell-out audiences. 

“We had a really great experience with the “In the Loop” gang - very courteous, professional and well-researched,” Jamin Winans said. “They put quite of bit of thought into the clips they showed from our film and the questions asked during the interview portion of the show. Questions that help reveal the struggle of filmmaking and the lessons learned. Overall it was a great experience and an honor to be the subject of their first show. I really hope that they are able to continue because we all hear about people making movies but the most exciting part is figuring out how it all came together.”

By visiting filmmakers in action on sets, “In the Loop” provides viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the various work involved in creating a film. These visits also give the cast and crew an opportunity to voice their vision. The first show includes the On Location segment featuring The Sacrifice of Old San Juan, a short film written and directed by University of Colorado senior AK Hottman and produced with the cooperation of many local film companies. The film is a dark tale about a young man named John who finds himself lost in a small, gritty town on the open plains, where he stumbles upon a mysterious duffle bag and realizes that not even his own perception can be trusted. 

Ken Hendricks, an award winning director of photography and camera operator with REDRUM Digital Cinema Production believes a show like “In the Loop” is well overdue in Colorado.

“I think that a show like this is a much needed element for the Colorado film scene,” Hendricks said. “I believe that with success stories like ink and Skills Like This, Colorado is poised to become a force in independent film. “In the Loop” will make a difference and help provide communication among Colorado filmmakers.”

On the set of The Sacrifice of Old San Juan in Milliken, about an hour north of Denver where director/writer AK Hottman, middle, and director of photography Pablo Berron, ltalk with Scott Rinehart. 

Skills Like This, directed by Monty Miranda and written by Spencer Berger, will be appearing on “In the Loop in May.” The film is a comedy about a man who realizes he won’t ever be a writer and decides to commit larceny, changing the lives of him and his two friends.

Debra Massey, a Denver Open Media member and crew member for “In the Loop,” recently expressed her enthusiasm and her thoughts on the benefits she is seeing from her involvement on the show.

“I work on the show because I think it is important to get the word out about independent filmmaking in Colorado,” Massey said. “There are resources here to begin exploring film and production aspirations as well as venues to get the work shown. Other than “In the Loop,” the publicity focused on the beginning filmmaker is not widespread.”

You can view the shows of “In the Loop” on Denver Open Media channels at Comcast channels 56 and 57, on the station’s web site at www.denvero penmedia.org, and at www.intheloop-cofilm.com, as well as other video sites like youtube.com and blip.tv. If you are a Colorado filmmaker and would like to have “In the Loop” visit you on the set, be at your screening, and interview you at the studio, please contact Tanya Ishikawa at Tanya@intheloop-cofilm.com.