Hi !

I'm pleased to announce my 2nd Blog Site. I created the first one, "pennickspen," a few days ago. Interesting that I now have 2 Sites to write on and at the same time, I have 2 companies, motion picture companies, at that, that I've had for some time. Although I haven't had any comments written on the first Blog Site, pennickspen, I anticipate that this will soon change.

I have many interests, as you will note by what I read in my introductory blog a few days ago. I'm going to go into more detail, become more specific, in this particular blog.

I'm a writer. I write what there is that needs to be written. I put pen to paper in any way, shape, form or construction, as suits my purpose. I directed 5 mini Digital feature films - 60 minutes in length in 1983. I'm beginning another series of mini Digital films entitled: "Prelude: Hum Harper," that I'll begin on July 31st, 2005. All of these films will usher my creative work into the global international film festival circuit from 2006 - 2007. I entered a Super 8 mm. film entitled: "Pohop," at the Berlin Film Festival in 1990.

"Pohop," is an interesting title: It means, "From the poorhouse, to the outhouse, to home, home, to the outhouse, to the penthouse, or the "panthouse," if you will, depending on your perspective, mood or sense of humor. I had varied reactions to my film. 2 individuals were interested in financing me further, but other events militated against their doing so. Nevertheless, I didn't let this stop me. I still need to complete some shooting on Pohop as well as edit it and it will be another element of the filmic puzzle.

"Prelude: Hum Harper," stars Mr. Bob Mitchell, founder of Mitchell's Boys Choir. He will discuss Eddie Cantor and Frank Sinatra, as well as Mitchell's soloist, my brother, Frederick Warren Penick. Fred is no longer with us; however, Marlo Thomas requested that he sing at her wedding to Phil Donahue. He sang like a lark, did my brother Fred. I know that he'll be quite curious as to how well I hum in "Prelude: Hum Harper."

Actually this project examines the limits of the feature film style and approach even though it starts out as a rather innocuous documentary wherein 2 men, Mr. Mitchell and myself, discuss our lives. Naturally, I tell Mr. Mitchell that I plan to re-enter the film business in a "Heavyweight Way." His response is that I hum. It is a gentle reminder to do something small and well and then gradually move up into the big budgeted world of filmmaking. There are some aspects of the film that will be reminiscent of the Italian Neo-Realistic cinema. Since I graduated from UCLA with Charles Burnett, not too much has been done in this area; although Charles was the Director of Photography and Cameraman for my Project 1 film at UCLA. I still have the regular 8 mm. film. It is called "29 Pick-up." I Directed it, Wrote it and Edited it.

I've had a rather illustrious career in the film business. Perhaps the highlight of my editing occurred when I worked as Michael Kahn's First Assistant Editor on 3 successive pictures. Michael begged me to work on Steven Spielberg's film, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." I turned Mike down 3 times before I finally came to my senses when I was in D.C. trying to direct a project called, "You Gotta Have A Lot of Luck," that an editor friend of mine, Aaron Stell, had given to me so that I could direct it. I never did develop much interest in that project. I spent a lot of time flying from the West Coast to the East Coast. Incidentally, I did fall in love with a young lady while I was in D.C. I had driven my Porsche Red Alfa Romeo Spyder Convertible from LA to D.C. in 3 days because I couldn't wait to see her again. Maybe this was the underlying reason that I passed on Close Encounters.

I spent 2 years helping Charles Burnett get his first color feature film, "My Brother's Wedding," off the ground, produced and edited. I was his production manager, film editor and I played a cameo role as a "dead body in a coffin." I always felt that I should have acted in Charles' film in the lead role. Charles wanted, essentially, someone with long fingers. You'll have to be the judge of my acting ability since I do quite a bit of it in the films that you'll see on the international film circuit starting around February of 2006. The names of the projects: "The Assistant," "The Cane Collection," "Prelude: Hum Harper," "We are Friends," "Backyard Blues," "Stalkin' Aye," and an assortment of shorts.

These are all hand made, personal films that have no special effects. Most of the talent are friends of mine from the arduously long, hot summer of 2003 when I directed an aspiring producer from the Ivory Coast, Sebastian Dehi's script, "The Backyard." Dehi told me that everyone was producing his picture but he needed me to direct it. This moved me so much that I decided to leave my humble abode, the place that I call home, and set about bringing his vision to live. I wound up doing more on the picture than I thought I would be doing, even operating the mini DV camera on many occasions.

Well, it's getting late, Charles Burnett is directing a feature film in Namibia, Africa with Danny Glover of Lethal Weapon fame and Carl Lumbly is in the leading role. From what Burnett tells me, the project is about Freedom Fighters. The country of Namibia shut down the production for a month and I understand that the producers didn't pay the talent or the crew; however, Charles is now shooting in northern Namibia and I'll speak with him around the first week of August, 2005. I should have finished principal photography on "Prelude: Hum Harper," by August 3rd, 2005. Stay tuned to further developments on that front as I plan to update this column regularly, depending on the response from all of you in the nether world of the galaxy. Say, what do you think of the title: GlowballSight?

Best, Thomas Penick

P.S. You might check out my other site:
http://www.pennickspen.blogsite.com