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             KRIS C. JONES              WRITER & FILM HISTORIAN

WELCOME TO THE LOBBY

The writing home of Kris Jones -- actively pursuing a colorful love affair with the flickering image. 


I specialize in researching and writing about films of the New Hollywood / Hollywood Renaissance era (1967-1976), as well as the overlooked gems of classic and genre cinema (film noir, western, and science-fiction for starters).


I'm glad you stopped in, and I hope you'll come away enlightened and inspired by my word-pictures dealing with some of my favorite flicks and 'production-related' experiences.

This blog is the offspring of a love of the movies which began at a very early age -- sitting on my Dad's lap as we watched James Garner in director John Frankenheimer's GRAND PRIX (1966)  at the Westgate Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. 


My lifelong obsession with film has taken me from the neighborhood multiplex to the classroom to the feature film set; and it is my hope and belief that the wide-ranging application of my interests and experiences will bring a sense of intimacy and personal relevance to all who read it.

Enjoy.

kcj

ABOUT ME

(aka:  "Finding Myself at the Movies")

My journey to immerse myself in cinema has been a process of learning as much as possible, in as many ways as possible. The ins and outs of the various skill-sets which make up the process of filmmaking I have absorbed via traditional film school as well as practical application.

My lifelong 'movie-adventure' has taken me from acting in high school and summer stock theatre to working in radio & television to -- the crowning jewel thus far -- working as a union member of the locations and art departments on a full-blown feature film in the summer of 2012.

My many years of being interested and/or affiliated with the motion picture industry has also led to my working in the classroom and serving as a form of film guru -- a useful source of information to fellow film-lovers / -makers seeking inspiration, help, or advice as to how they might make the leap into what is an increasingly competitive, yet highly rewarding industry. 


My writing has always been one of my creative strengths it seems, and after much urging by friends, family and colleagues I have decided to pursue freelance writing as a full-time vocation.


This blog is but one part of my master plan of owning the title of working writer by being fully intentional about it.


In case you're wondering -- my first film essay, as such, was a high school term paper on director George Lucas in 1978. (It is rather hard to believe now, but in those early, heady days very little major work had yet been written about the Star Wars universe's creator outside of perhaps, Current Biography.) 


During film school I started writing in earnest, with my first published article being a profile of post sound mixer Bob Bass in the Orlando-based Create! magazine. This was soon followed by a travelogue of my first visit to the legendary Sundance Film Festival in the winter of 2002. I've been writing about my filmic passions ever since.


I created this blog with the goal of sharing my writing on film with others possessing of that seemingly undying yen for what goes on in front of, and behind, the motion picture screen.


Take a little time to explore my blog, read something interesting and, if you like what you see -- feel free to reach out to let me know your thoughts or speak to me about a possible future collaboration. 

In the meantime, take care & enjoy the ride!

Yours in Film, 

- Kris Jones

Chattanooga, TN

Contact

There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.

Frank Capra

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WHAT I CAN DO FOR YOU

My skill sets in various areas of filmcraft

FREELANCE WRITING

CAMERA OPERATION

ART DIRECTION & PRODUCTION DESIGN

PUBLIC SPEAKING

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Film history and criticism

Videographer & Digital Instrument Technician (D.I.T.))

Sets, props, and costume concepts

Guest Lecturer on Various Aspects of Film ProductionM

Writing on both classic cinema and contemporary trends

Writing on both contemporary trends and classic cinema.

Taking the director's vision from dream to concrete reality

KRIS C. JONES is a filmmaker, film historian and curator of two long-running film series devoted to classical & international films and a mixer for independent filmmakers in the Southeast Tennessee region. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee and a former instructor of production design at Chattanooga State College.

Upcoming Events

  • HERCULES Double-Feature Starring STEVE REEVES, CHRISTOPHER LEE and REG PARK
    HERCULES Double-Feature Starring STEVE REEVES, CHRISTOPHER LEE and REG PARK
    Thu, Jun 20
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Jun 20, 2019, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Jun 20, 2019, 2:00 PM – 5:30 PM EDT
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    We're going to take Dr. Frank-N-Furter's advice and "take in an old Steve Reeves movie" (or TWO!) -- STEVE REEVES career debut as HERCULES (1958) will be followed by HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD (w/ Reg Park) as Herc matches wits with CHRISTOPHER LEE in this gothic sequel directed by MARIO BAVA!
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  • STONEWALL UPRISING: Year That Changed America
    STONEWALL UPRISING: Year That Changed America
    Mon, Jun 17
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Jun 17, 2019, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Jun 17, 2019, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EDT
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969, the street erupted into violent protests that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point worldwide in the modern gay civil rights movement.
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  • SIDNEY POITIER and JEFF CHANDLER in RED BALL EXPRESS (Budd Boetticher, 1952)(evening screening)
    SIDNEY POITIER and JEFF CHANDLER in RED BALL EXPRESS (Budd Boetticher, 1952)(evening screening)
    Thu, Feb 28
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Feb 28, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center , 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Feb 28, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center , 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    NORMANDY - AUGUST 1944: After the invasion of France and the breakout from the French bocage, or hedgerow country, Patton's Third Army has now advanced so far and so fast in its race toward Paris that it can no longer be supplied. It's up to the men of THE RED BALL EXPRESS to get the troops moving.
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  • SIDNEY POITIER and JEFF CHANDLER in RED BALL EXPRESS (Budd Boetticher, 1952)(matinee screening)
    SIDNEY POITIER and JEFF CHANDLER in RED BALL EXPRESS (Budd Boetticher, 1952)(matinee screening)
    Thu, Feb 28
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Feb 28, 2019, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Feb 28, 2019, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    NORMANDY - AUGUST 1944: After the invasion of France and the breakout from the French 'bocage'-- the hedgerow country, Patton's Third Army has now advanced so far and so fast in its assault that it has run out of supplies. It's up to the Red Ball Express to get them moving again, no matter the cost.
    Share
  • JOHNNY CASH in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (aka: DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC)(evening screening)
    JOHNNY CASH in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (aka: DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC)(evening screening)
    Thu, Feb 21
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Feb 21, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Feb 21, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    The Heritage House celebrates the February birthday of ‘THE MAN IN BLACK’ with Cult Movie Night -- screening one of only two of JOHNNY CASH's feature film appearances -- that of the character of cold-blooded killer Johnny Cabot in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (aka: DOOR TO DOOR MANIAC) released in 1961.
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  • JOHNNY CASH in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (Bill Karn, 1961)(matinee screening)
    JOHNNY CASH in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (Bill Karn, 1961)(matinee screening)
    Thu, Feb 21
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Feb 21, 2019, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421
    Feb 21, 2019, 2:00 PM – 3:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd., Chattanooga, TN 37421
    The Heritage House celebrates the February birthday of ‘THE MAN IN BLACK’ with Cult Movie Night -- screening one of only two of JOHNNY CASH's feature film appearances -- that of the character of cold-blooded killer Johnny Cabot in FIVE MINUTES TO LIVE (aka: DOOR TO DOOR MANIAC) released in 1961.
    Share
  • THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
    THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER (Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)
    Mon, Feb 18
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center
    Feb 18, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    Feb 18, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM
    Heritage House Arts & Civic Center, 1428 Jenkins Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37421, USA
    JIMMY STEWART and MARGARET SULLAVAN play two ever-bickering fellow store employees in the ORIGINAL version of YOU'VE GOT MAIL . . .
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