SYRFILM’s October Surprise

Garrett Brown revolutionized film-making with the inven-

tion of the Steadicam. Nearly 100 people packed his talk and demo here last week, part of SYRFILM’s October Expo/Fo-

rum on Sound and Music in Film.

Last week, the Syracuse International Film Festival (SYRFILM)took the first step toward moving its annual program from a late April time-slot, where it ran for the first six years, to October. Partnering with LeMoyne

College, the Mellon Corridor,the Society for New Music,the Syracuse Film Office and others within Syracuse University, SYRFILM hosted a two-day expo of still and moving camera and film production equipment at the Renaissance Hotel with vendors from six countries and a crowded talk by Garrett Brown.

The two-day Forum on Sound and Music in Film followed, which included talks by leading scholars, a master class in sound design by Italy’s Mirco Mencacci, and both keynote address and seminar by London’s Richard Dyer. Screenings most nights tied all together, from Fritz Lang’s classic Metropolis (1927) to previous SYRFILM award-winning Billo (which SYRFILM will distribute on DVD), to the Steadicam version of La Traviata shot live in Paris for the Millennium.

Our film columnist Nancy Keefe Rhodes talked with both Garrett Brown and Richard Dyer and reports on the week’s proceedings at cnylink.com — click A&E.