Community Corner
Movies In the Park Series To End on High Note
DreamWorks animator to host live video chat prior to screening of "How to Train Your Dragon," Friday night.
As summer winds down, so does the township’s series, but officials hope to end on a high note.
The third and final installment of the series will be held at in Breinigsville Friday, and features the animated film "How to Train Your Dragon," – as well as some interactive extras for the whole family.
As one of several events before the film, the audience will have the opportunity to take part in a live video chat with DreamWorks animator and Harrisburg-area native Kemer Stevenson.
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Stevenson works in the studio’s Character Effects Department. “I’m a digital hairdresser and digital tailor,” he joked.
Character effects animators work on any type of effect that’s a result of interaction with a character. Movement of hair, clothing, and fur are what they’re primarily known for, but that’s not the limit of their work. Stevenson recalled one scene in the movie when a net is thrown over the dragon. He had to animate the net, which he noted is harder than it sounds.
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“For this film, we had lots of ropes and lots of chains. They want them to be animated but this was one of those things they wanted to be very realistic and believable and convey weight and things like that. It’s very difficult to sell on the street and make it look legitimate.”
The public can ask him about that, or anything else they want to know, during the live chat.
The evening’s events will get underway at 7 p.m. with a karate demonstration by Hoover Academy, and a water balloon toss. At dusk, around 8:45, p.m. all are invited to participate in a quiz game sponsored by Amazon.com, which owns the Internet Movie Database, or IMDB.com. The game is tentatively scheduled to feature trivia questions about Pennsylvania’s contributions to Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
Kemer Stevenson’s video chat will begin after the quiz game, and the movie will immediately follow.
Upper Macungie Parks foreman Jim Soltis says in only its second year, the Movies in the Park series has been very successful, drawing 500 people to the first movie, "Furry Vengeance," and approximately 200 to its showing of "Grease," last month.
“We’re trying to find an activity that the whole family can enjoy together and bring them outdoors and bring them out to different parks,” Soltis said.
The event is free and open to the public, and lawn chairs or blankets are recommended.