‘Grasso, Beyond the Paint’ Film Showing at Middle Township PAC May 12

Grasso, Beyond the Paint is a cinematic fruition of two unique artistic minds: filmmaker Frank Weiss and painter Victor Grasso.
It will show Monday, May 12, 7 p.m., at the Middle Township Performing Arts Center located at 212 Bayberry Drive, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased by calling 609 463-1924 between the hours of 9 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday or at the door. There will be a Q&A with Grasso, director Frank Weiss and producer Bill Horin after the film.
Weiss, of Wildwood, describes the film as a hybrid, a project that blends both traditional documentary narrative with artistic cinema. The goal was to part the curtain to reveal a glimpse of the man behind the work, while communicating the essence of the Cape May artist’s unique creative vision on film.
The film was produced by ArtC, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting the arts in southern New Jersey. “This is without doubt the most ambitious and creative project ArtC has initiated to date,” said Bill Horin, ArtC executive director and the film’s producer. “Frank is one of the most talented photographers and filmmakers I’ve encountered. And Victor’s work is always on the edge, both technically and aesthetically. I knew putting them together would result in something extraordinary,” he said.
The film includes a one-on-one interview conducted by painter Frank Kallop of Ocean City, as well as interviews with some of Grasso’s mentors, models, collaborators, admirers, family members and competitors. The soundtrack includes performances by area musicians.
“We had Victor’s full cooperation, but we definitely challenged each other,” Weiss said. Grasso wasn’t keen on every idea Weiss came up with and vice-versa. But in the end, the result was greater than the sum of its parts as Grasso stretched into the world of cinema and Weiss worked to capture Grasso’s inspiration. That required a lot of improvisation and even the design and creation of some custom filmmaking hardware, on the fly.
“We’re both obsessed with film, so I was excited to get into the project with Victor,” Weiss said. But the collaboration also represented a challenge. As a painter, Grasso has near total command of his subjects and medium. Ceding control to director Weiss was occasionally outside his comfort zone.
“But as many an artist will tell you, the best work usually happens outside the comfort zone,” said Weiss.
Tickets are $8. Tickets can be purchased by calling 609 463-1924 between the hours of 9 am – 4 pm Monday to Friday or at the door. For more info visit www.middletwp.k12.nj.us/pac.
To view trailer, go to: http://artcnow.com/grasso/.