Axes to Action Figures, Northwest collecting fanatics are featured in American Collectors Film

Portland, Oregon (MMD Newswire) October 30, 2009 -- Most of us
know someone who collects-at least 30% of Americans do-and we
love them anyway. But what drives obsessions such as this? That is
the beating heart and prime directive of American Collectors, a
verité documentary film that examines the relationship between
people and their objet du désir.

One of the featured collectors is Portland's own ?Chuck Palmer, a
co owner of Palmer Wirfs Inc. Chuck not only runs "America's
?Largest Antique and Collectible Show", he is an avid collector of
prison ?items. His collection runs the full gamut, from books and
historical ?documents to nuts and bolts prison items, uniforms,
restraints and even a ?prison toilet!

Find out what drives Chuck to accumulate these types of things at
the film's Oregon debut, happening as part of the Northwest Film
Center's 36th Northwest Film & Video Festival.

More information at
www.nwfilm.org.

When: Monday, November 9, 2009 at 7PM

Location: Northwest Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium at the
Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, Oregon.

Rick Kennedy
Marketing
(360) 483.9333

rick@binaryrecordingstudio.com

http://www.americancollectorsmovie.com

American Collectors film Screening in Portland OR. Film Festivial

NEXT SCREENING

AMERICAN COLLECTORS.

PORTLAND OR. NW VIDEO AND FILM FESTIVAL

http://www.nwfilm.org/festivals/nwfvf/

Nov 9th Monday night 6:pm

NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, inside the Portland Art Museum at 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR.

Seattle Post Globe reviews American Collectors Film, by Bill White

Documentaries about eccentrics are often exploitive things that play on the viewers’ sense of superiority to the on-screen subjects, Not so “American Collectors," (Oct. 5 at 7 pm) which respects the obsessions of those afflicted with “More-itis" without denying the entertainment value of entering the private worlds of borderline maniacs.

From a relatively tasteful collection of handcrafted purses to the near-catastrophic proliferation of AOL promotional discs, directors Bob Ridgley and Terri Krantz offer a fast-paced romp through the bedrooms and garages of our most single-minded citizens. We meet a young woman who feeds all her quarters into gumball machines as if they were slot machines and an old woman who still delights in playing with her Barbie dolls. One of the most articulate subjects explains that by collecting the toys he owned as a child he can trigger lost memories, while a guy who boasts the world’s most complete collection of Duran Duran posters is on the edge of tears as he tries to communicate just how far this band has gone to defining his own life.

In addition to the excellent interviews, the film is a wealth of visual delight. Hundreds of bobble-headed dolls shimmy and shake to generic metal music. A theme-park for artifacts from science fiction movies of the fifties takes up residency in a donut shop. Finally, the sight of 100 idle tractors on a plot of unbroken land is a once-in-a-lifetime vision of displaced consumerism gone wild.

Paste Magazine Online about American Collectors Film

Paste Magazine September 2009

Source: digital.pastemagazine.com

McPhail is one of the subjects of American Collectors, a new documentary by independent filmmakers Terri Krantz and Bob Ridgley, who spent months inter- viewing collectors of everything from tractors to axes to Gene Simmons nest- ing dolls. ...

http://digital.pastemagazine.com/publication/?i=22168&p=21

American Collectors film picked for Local Sightings Film Festival Seattle

American Collectors , a film about people who collect things will be part of the Local Sightings Film Festival in Seatlle Oct.5th at 7:pm along with some other hand picked films by the NW Film Forum. http://www.nwfilmforum.org/go/localsightings/schedule.html

Paste Magazine talks about American Collectors Film

July 2009, Rachel Dovey, a writer from Paste Magazine made the trek from Seattle to Bellingham to interview the directors of American Collectors, a new documentary film about people who collect things. The hour long film is no antique road show, the primal question that directors Terri Krantz and Bob Ridgely ask is, WHY do we collect things.

Bob Ridgley is a passionate collector of bobbing head dolls and Terri Krantz has been buying and selling antiques for 25 years. They bring their combined perspective on collecting and introduce you to a cast of colorful collectors, from an elegant purse collector, an antique tractor collector, to a woman who collects bubble gum machine jewelry.

The film runs the from the slightly disturbing guy whose home is so full of toys that he has to have his interview outside, to the jovial and charming Larry McPhail also know as Ax Man who has a collection of over 1000 axes. McPhail, the runaway favorite charactor in the film is an endearing fellow who has one of the most unusual collections and has been featured on the history channel as well as in American Collectors.

The article appears in the September issue of Paste Magazine and a four minute clip of American Collectors featuring Larry the Ax man can be seen at PASTEMAGAZINE.COM/September2009.

You can see a trailer of the film at American Collectors, a film about people who collect things

Worlds Largest Duran Duran Poster Collection by Collector Durandy

Hello! I wanted to share a fun little happening.... From Durandy ,a collector in the American Collectors Film

Ever wonder who the Northwest's biggest collectors are?

Last year, I was approached by Bob Ridgley and Terri Krantz, a filmmaking team who were making a documentary called American Collectors. Their film profiles people who collect a variety of things: purses, pianos, tractors, free AOL internet CDs -- a marvelous, eclectic array of personalities. Bob and Terri had heard of me, and wished to learn more about my particular passion. As curator/owner of the world's largest collection of Duran Duran posters, I was happy to fill them in. With a trip to the archive and a little on-camera exposition, I tried my best to convey the breadth and depth of my Duran-designed devotion.

After interviewing 40 collectors, the film's scope was narrowed down to 16 featured subjects, and I had the pleasure and privilege of being one of those 16. Last night, the film premiered at Bellingham's Pickford Theater.

The documentary was delightful! A colorful assortment of people shed light on the collecting phenomenon with a mix of humor, pride, and revealing honesty. Among the highlights: a big KISS memorabilia collector adorned his bathroom with rare artifacts from floor to ceiling, and his young son showed signs of following in his father's footsteps; and two men who collect axes and tractors respectively, proudly displayed their treasures, illustrating the vast spectrum of what is collectable. Even Bob Ridgeley, one half of the filmmaking team, showcased his collection of vintage bobblehead figures which numbers in the hundreds, eliciting gasps of awe from the audience.

Eventually the spotlight was turned on me, and I shifted nervously in my seat. Very odd to watch myself on the big screen. Bob and Terri were able to use some footage from my first poster exhibit, accompanied by a few seconds of Hungry Like The Wolf, which was all I needed to emerge from the theater afterwards, smiling from ear-to-ear.

Here is a press release from when Bob and Terri recently won a film award from the Indie Fest. Included is some further detail about their doc, including a link to the film's trailer at the bottom:

The Indie Fest recognizes film professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity. The award was given for Binary Recording Studio's documentary film, "American Collectors" which was produced and directed by Bob Ridgley and Terri Krantz. American Collectors is a film which looks at the psychology of collecting and features interviews with 15 unique collectors. "In our research for this film we found that 30% of the American population collects, and has more room and space to fill with their collections than any other country in the world. Because of this unique set of circumstances we decided to focus on American collectors," says Krantz. "The film was crafted in a Cinema Verite style that lets the viewer come up with his own conclusion of why this behavior occurs," adds Ridgley. " After watching this film you will see some interesting repetitions in how they see themselves and why they do it."

To see the trailer of this film go to the website, AMERICAN COLLECTORS, a film about people who collect things.