• Home
  • About The Herald
  • Local Agencies
  • Daily Email Update
  • Legal Notices
  • Classified Ads

Contra Costa Herald

News Of By and For The People of Contra Costa County, California

  • Arts & Entertainment
  • Business
  • Community
  • Crime
  • Dining
  • Education
  • Faith
  • Health
  • News
  • Politics & Elections
  • Real Estate

East County Grand Community Chanukah Festival and Menorah Lighting in Brentwood Dec. 18

December 6, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Biggest Menorah in Eastern Contra Costa!

You are invited to join us for a grand Chanukah Celebration

Come celebrate the Festival of Lights with Chabad of the Delta and our surrounding communities as we light the Grand Menorah on Sunday, December 18 at 4:30 pm in Brentwood City Park.

Our local community leaders will participate in kindling the giant “Menorah of Freedom”. There will be fun activities for everyone including:

  • Chanukah crafts, glitter art and a photo op!
  • Delicious traditional latkes and donuts!
  • A Grand Raffle!
  • Fire and LED performer Aaron Zamarron

For many of us, Chanukah prompts warm, loving memories from our childhood. We light the Menorah every night of the 8-night holiday. These lights offer warmth, joy, strength, inspiration and renews our sense of identity.

Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid, director of the Chabad of the Delta Jewish Center, describes Chanukah as “a holiday that enriches our lives with the light of tradition. In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jersusalem with the Menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place.”

As we celebrate in East Contra Costa, we join millions the world over, promoting the universal message that good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness!

Make sure not to miss this opportunity to celebrate with your family and friends! Outdoor event, please dress accordingly.

This is a FREE event. All donations are appreciated! Register by clicking here.

For more information, contact Chabad of the Delta at (925) 420-4999 or online at JewishDelta.com/Chanukah.

 

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, Community, East County, Faith, History

Alice in Winter Wonderland ballet in Brentwood Dec. 18

November 29, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Fabulous Feet Dance Studio presents their Winter Ballet Performance of “Alice in Winter Wonderland” Sunday, Dec. 18 at Heritage High School in Brentwood. The ballet begins at 4:00 p.m.

Artistic Directors Kimberley Karbowski and Denise Williams.

Tickets are $20 each and available at Eventbrite.

For more information about the studio visit Fabulous Feet Dance Studio or their Facebook page.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, East County, Youth

Performances of Joy – The Urban Nutcracker in Pittsburg Dec. 10

November 15, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Aspire Visual & Performing Arts Academy is performing at the Pittsburg High Creative Arts Building on Saturday, December 10 with a cast of some 100 scholars, grades Kindergarten to 12th grade from across Contra Costa County for our annual holiday production of Joy – The Urban Nutcracker!  This urban take on the classic ballet, The Nutcracker, is a fun filled, colorful and moving, holiday production that includes singing, dancing and acting.

Tickets available at joytheurbannutcracker.eventbrite.com.

 

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, East County

East County filmmaker to host SFO Short Film Festival at Antioch’s El Campanil Theatre Oct. 28-29

September 6, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Founder of Studentfilmsonline.com platform brings competition to her hometown

Submissions accepted through Sept. 30

East County filmmaker Sophia Rivera is bringing the SFO Short Film Festival to her hometown at Antioch’s El Campanil Theatre in historic downtown Rivertown on October 28-29, 2022.

The festival is a LIVE event dedicated to showcasing short films created by college film students, high school students, and independent filmmakers locally in the Bay Area and across the U.S. Studentfilmsonline.com was founded in 2011 by Rivera who wanted to give back to the community. Its mission is to encourage networking and motivate emerging filmmakers to create more content, as well as to promote a career in filmmaking and talent through screenings.

Genres include: Short Drama/Action/Crime/Thriller; Short Comedy/Romance; Short Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Documentary and Short Animation.

Short film category submissions include: 1) Independent Filmmaker Short Film 2) SFO Film Student Challenge Competition and 3) High School Short Film Competition

Short Film Category Award for Best Film: Independent Filmmaker Short Film Award $300, High School Short Film Competition Award $250, and SFO Film Student Challenge Competition Award $500

SFO Short Film Festival is still accepting submissions until September 30, 2022.

Films can be submitted by visiting filmfreeway.com/SFOShortFilmFestival.

If you wish to attend the event tickets are available at ElCampanilTheatre.com. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, contact customerservice@studentfilmsonline.com.

El Campanil is a classic theatre with food concession available. We hope you will come join us and share in this festive event.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, East County

Hometown Antioch filmmaker brings The Dark Fest Film Festival to El Campanil Theatre Sept. 17

August 22, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Film submissions from other, local filmmakers still accepted until Sept. 5th

Jason D. Morris

Award winning filmmaker, Jason D. Morris is bringing his love for films to his hometown of Antioch with The Dark Fest on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. Co-founder of the short film festival featuring genres of film noir, mystery, science fiction, horror, dark comedy and more, Morris grew up in Antioch, and as so many others who grew up here in the 80’s and 90’s, one of his best memories is watching films in the historically beautiful Stamm and El Campanil theaters. Those very experiences are ultimately what pushed him into filmmaking.

A graduate of Antioch High School and attendee of the Academy of Art University in San Francisco led to his career in film. After having produced and directed several feature films, including some in Antioch, he co-founded Resurrection Films with several other likeminded filmmakers which eventually led to the creation of The Dark Fest, after their experiences of taking their first film out on the festival circuit.

The first major production from Resurrection Films was a documentary based on Chris Carter’s (of The X-Files) television show Millennium, titled Millennium after the Millennium. Millennium starred film actor Lance Henriksen (The Right Stuff, Aliens) in one of his most enduring roles as Frank Black, an FBI profiler. Millennium paved the way for shows like Criminal Minds, Mindhunter and many others. The documentary screened in eight countries and garnered 21 awards during its festival run, including screenings at the LA Comic-Con, Monsterpalooza in Burbank and Horror Hound’s Horror Convention in Indianapolis. But festivals are expensive and far away for the average filmmaker, this can make getting your film seen expensively prohibitive.

Since Morris had already shot four films in Antioch, bringing Hollywood talent such as Academy nominated actor Eric Roberts, Ricco Ross and Henriksen to his productions, he thought “why not set up an event for other local filmmakers to have easier access to getting their films screened?” With such a creative hub of activity in Antioch and the surrounding areas many film productions go unnoticed and have little options for an audience. The Dark Fest aims to alleviate this issue for local filmmakers looking for a way to screen their films without the hefty expense of renting a theater or having to travel to far away locations. The members of Resurrection Films have hopes to continue the festival and expand it into a bigger event with more community involvement and celebration of local filmmakers.

Film Submissions

If you’re a filmmaker, submissions are still open until September 5th by visiting filmfreeway.com/thedarkfest  and email info@thedarkfest.com. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please reach out at info@thedarkfest.com. As for the rest of you we hope to see you in Antioch’s historic downtown Rivertown on September 17 at El Campanil Theatre for a night of dark cinema.

About The Dark Fest:

Resurrection Films presents The Dark Fest, showcasing short films from the dark side of cinema with genres of film noir, mystery, science fiction, horror, dark comedy and more, as we celebrate local filmmakers from the bay area, and around the world. Join us at 5:30pm Sept. 17 at the El Campanil Theatre for musical pre-show entertainment by local musicians Matthew Gatsos on piano and Evan Morris on saxophone while enjoying concessions provided for purchase by the venue. Screening begins at 6pm and ends at 10pm.

Tickets

Tickets are $10 for Adults and $8 for Seniors & Youth.

THIS EVENT IS RATED R. NO ONE UNDER 17 WILL BE ADMITTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT. To purchase tickets, visit elcampaniltheatre.com or click here.

El Campanil Theatre is located at 602 W. 2nd Street.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, East County, People

BAY AREA: Joey Travolta’s film camps for special needs students create videos for positive message campaign

July 21, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Two students from Class 1 of Joey Travolta’s Vallejo Film Camp hosted by Touro University of California pitch their idea to him (center in grey shirt) and teacher Roger Welch while their classmates look on and a crew from Travolta’s Inclusion Films, including cameraman Danny Sarokin (left), shoot the proceedings on Thursday, July 14, 2022. Photos by Allen D. Payton

Each class develops theme, pitches Travolta then creates a film for use by Pass It On of The Foundation for a Better Life

By Allen D. Payton

Director, actor and former special education teacher Joey Travolta held his third of three film camps in Northern California, last week, for students between 18 and 24 years old with an intellectual disability, to create short videos for use by PassItOn.com for their positive message campaign in theaters, as well as on TV and billboards.

Each film will be five to seven minutes long and “every story has to have the theme of kindness or doing something good, and the thought is don’t hesitate to pass it on,” Travolta explained.

According to his Inclusion Films’ website, “over the two-week session, campers work together in small groups to develop a script, act, and shoot their film with professional support and equipment. The program encourages communication, confidence, and collaboration through acting and digital filmmaking. Stay tuned for future dates & announcements.”

Joey Travolta questions the students from Class 1 pitching their film idea as teacher Roger Welch and the other students look on and cameraman Danny Sarokin shoots the scene.

Travolta and a crew from his Inclusion Films, which includes neuro diverse adults from his brick-and-mortar school in Bakersfield, were also in Antioch last year filming a brief documentary entitled “Music Heals” for the biennial Stand Down on the Delta for military veterans planned for last fall. But due to COVID, that event didn’t occur, so the film was shown during the Music Heals Concert at El Campanil Theatre earlier this month. (See related articles here, here and here)

Travolta and staff held the latest camp last week on Mare Island in Vallejo, inside the campus of Touro University, following camps with the same theme in Livermore, with partners Futures Explored, in Stockton with the Lodi School District and the first one in Arkansas at the end of April.

The Vallejo camp was supported by the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) and Susan Labrecque, SCOE Senior Director, Kesha Lovett, SCOE Program Manager for Workforce Development and the entire staff from SCOE Workforce Development Department were on hand to assist the students and watch the process.

“All participants are clients of North Bay Regional Center services which is how the camp is funded, along with the Solano County Office of Education to provide youth with skills that transition into the world of work,” Labrecque explained.

The camp was divided into three groups of students and the classes were each led by a separate teacher. On Thursday, July 14, the students presented their film concepts to Travolta, with two of the classmates chosen to make the pitch.

The film pitch by students in Class 1 continued.

Class 1 Pitch

The first class was led by Roger Welch who’s been teaching at the camps since 2018.

“I’m a family friend and real close with Joey’s sister, Ellen,” he said. “I ran a theater company in Idaho, and she lived in the town and acted in several shows. I got to know the whole family.”

Asked how he connected with the camp Welch said, “when I left that job and was in New York at a dinner with Ellen, Joey, who I’ve known for years, and his wife Wendy, he asked me what I was doing that summer and said, ‘come work for me’ so, I did.”

“I’ve been doing professional theater and film all my life and I’m a teaching artist,” he continued. “I’ve never worked with a neuro diverse population before. But I’ve just worked with them like any other students, using improv as a teaching tool. I’ve found it very challenging but very rewarding.”

“When I’m not doing this, I’m a freelance director for theater all over the country and the director and choreographer of entertainment for the American Queen Voyages,” which is a fleet of river boats on the Mississippi and Columbia Rivers and Great Lakes.

After approval by Travolta of their film concept, students from Class 1 celebrate and congratulate each other.

Two students were chosen to pitch the film concept from their class.

“I’ve only rejected one story. So, good luck,” Travolta said to laughter from the students. He later said that was true and it was because the film’s theme was too depressing.

The first pitch was a sci fi film about friendship and involved a spaceship.

Travolta asked how much it was going to cost him.

The students suggested it could become a series.

“Have you cast this, already?” Travolta asked.

“No,” Welch said.

One of the female students then offered to be an actress in the film. Another student, Sean volunteered to be an actor for it, too.

“I don’t have any say in that,” Travolta responded.

“I don’t like it. I love it!” he then said to cheers and applause from the class.

Class 2 student Jaylon speaks with teacher Barry Pearl before he and classmate Daniel prepare to pitch to Travolta, as they await his arrival.

Class 2 Pitch

The second class was taught by actor Barry Pearl, who portrayed the part of Doody in the movie “Grease” in which Joey’s younger brother John had the lead role playing opposite Olivia Newton John.

It’s an amazing program,” Pearl said. “I’ve been with it for nine years.”

The Inclusion Films crew, which includes adult students Travolta’s school in Bakersfield, prepares to shoot the pitch by Class 2.

Two students in his class pitched their film ideas to him and Travolta.

“This is my third year of camp but my first pitch,” said student Jaylon. His pitch partner, Daniel said this is his third pitch.

“I hope Joey approves” he said to Barry.

Travolta then entered the room asking the students which way he should go to get to his chair.

“I’m really excited about this pitch. The first one went well,” Travolta said after he was seated.

Travolta speaks with the students from Class 2 about the film they’re pitching him and Pearl.

“The name of our film is called ‘The Kindness of the Heart’ about two students who don’t have enough money for lunch,” Daniel explained.

“Two other students raise money to help,” Jaylon shared.

Travolta asked where the film would take place. They said it will be in a school in the cafeteria and outside.

Travolta then asked a female student he named “Princess Sophia”, her thoughts.

“I think this is good, Joey Travolta,” she said.

“If Princess Sophia says it’s good, then you’re approved,” he stated to cheers from the two who pitched and the other students from the class who were sitting and watching the pitch.

Class 3 Pitch

The third class was facilitated by Jessica Saul, a teacher with Inclusion Films. Her background is in neurodiverse theater with a company based in New York and she’s working to bring them to California.

She lives in LA and works with the camps. It’s been a wonderful experience because it brings together my two passions of performing and teaching.

“I connected with Joey through an organization called RespectAbility and he was looking for another teacher and here we are,” Saul said.

The film crew and class prepared for the pitch and Travolta’s arrival.

Students Brian and Cassidy from Class 3 pitch their film concept to Travolta and teacher Jessica Saul.

When he entered the room to applause from the students, Travolta walked toward them asking “how ya doing?” He then said, “I have a question before we start” then like a big kid, turned around and asked, “does my butt make these pants look big?” to laughter from the class.

“No answer from me,” replied one student.

The two students to give the pitch, Brian and Cassidy, placed leis around Travolta’s neck saying, “Aloha”.

“The title of this film is called ‘The Competition’,” they said.

“I like that,” Travolta responded, “What kind of competition?”

“It’s in Hawaii. It’s a talent competition,” Brian explained. “Elvis needs to win the competition so he can afford to go to the Berklee School of Music.”

Each story from the classes has an antagonist.

“Mark and Charlie plan to sabotage Elvis and steal his guitar,” said Brian.

“You’re scaring me,” Travolta said.

“You’re not giving me the end, now, right? Travolta asked.

“No,” they responded, then continued explaining the storyline.

Travolta listens to a joke by one of the students in Class 3 who used a special computer to speak for him as the Inclusion Films crew shoots and his classmates listen.

“I gotta tell you, you guys have me on the edge of my seat. That’s because I have a bad back,” Travolta joked.

The students continued with their pitch.

He then asked, “Are you going to use a green screen?”

Cassidy said, “Brian is going to play Elvis.”

“What are you going to do for Hawaii?” Travolta asked.

Saul pointed to the trees outside saying, “they were inspired by the outside.”

Travolta asked, “who’s going to play Elvis?”

“Thank you very much,” Brian responded giving an elvis impression.

He then asked if Travolta wanted to hear him sing Burnin’ Love.

“I’d like that,” Travolta responded. But before he had Brian start, he asked another student to call “action”.

Brian then sang part of the song to cheers from the class, Travolta and Saul.

Travolta responded by singing, “You’re nothing but a hound dog” to laughter from the students.

“I like this a lot,” he said. “You’re utilizing the area, which is very, very practical.”

“So, I have to approve this,” Travolta stated.

As Saul led the sound of a drumroll with hands on thighs, Travolta turned and asked one of the other students for his opinion of the film idea. The student gave a loud approval.

“OK, guys, you’re approved!” Travolta exclaimed to cheers and high fives from the students.

Brian had to then chase down Travolta, who had left the class, to get the back leis which were needed as props for the film.

See video of Class 3 film pitch and approval: Joey Travolta Vallejo Film Camp Class 3 Pitch 07142022 – YouTube

Inclusion Films Crew

The film crew for the day consisted of staff of Inclusion Films some of whom were previous students in Travolta’s classes.

“I had experience in the music industry,” crew member Mobley said. “So, I stepped up and I’ve been doing sound ever since.”

Crew member Brandon said he’s a student at Inclusion Films in Bakersfield. “I’m part of the upper class,” he added.

“Often times the students get positions in the film industry, including films with John,” Pearl said.

Danny Sarokin, Travolta’s lifelong friend, and NYU film school graduate, was a cameraman at the school.

“I grew up with Joey in New Jersey,” he shared. “We were on the wrestling team. I was a freshman, and he was a senior and he kind of took me under his wing. He’s been mentoring me ever since.”

“In the mid-90’s I co-wrote a children’s film called ‘Everyone Loves Mel’ that starred Ernest Borgnine. Joey directed it and was involved in the producing of it,” said Sarokin.

“I was a camera operator on Carol of the Bells and that was a great experience,” he continued, referring to Inclusion Films’ first full-length movie. “In 2018 Joey brought me back and I’ve been working at the summer camps, as a camera man. We get to mentor the kids, and we get to pass it on.”

Sarokin works for Travolta’s school in Bakersfield, teaching screen writing by Zoom as he lives in L.A. He also filled in as an editing teacher.

“We’ve actually filmed the first script that we wrote in the class just recently,” Sarokin shared. “That one is 30 to 40 minutes long. They cut it down to 25 minutes and show it on cable. It’s called Lost Luggage.”

According to the film’s logline which provides the plot, it’s about two African American sisters who find their grandma’s diary in a hidden suitcase in the basement. Upon reading, they learn about her teen romance with a white classmate in a racially charge environment. The sisters try to reunite with this lost love.

According to a Dec. 10, 2021 report by Lodinews.com it was filmed at McNair High School in Lodi, California last October and was created with Lodi Unified students.

“Now, they’re in preproduction on the second script we wrote in the school,” Sarokin added.

Travolta Shares About the Camps and His Organization

Travolta takes a moment for a photo with the Herald’s Administrative Assistant (and the publisher’s mother) DeeAnn Payton at the Vallejo film camp.

Following the three class pitches, Travolta took some to answer questions, mostly asked by the Herald’s administrative assistant, DeeAnn Payton, who was also at the camp and saw the pitches of all three classes.

“Now, they actually make their films on site,” he said. “Each class will show the rough cut of their film at the camp this Friday.”

“Some of these films will be on the Pass It On website,” he continued. “Then we have the big, red-carpet screening. The kids dress up in tuxedos, have limousines and they get little Academy Awards.”

“The camps are for the younger ones and the location in Bakersfield is for adults,” Travolta explained. “We do the training year-round and do movies like Carol of the Bells.”

“They learn soft skills like communication,” he added.

Asked how decided to start the film school and camps, Travolta said, “I was a special ed teacher in 1973 before I got into show business. I’ve been doing this since 2006.”

He also hosts workshops for adults in San Jose, San Diego and San Bernardino with partners Options For All and in Livermore, Sacramento and Stockton with Futures Explored, as well.

“We’re getting a lot of work from the state and regional centers and every time we do a job half the crew is made up of students trained at the various workshops,” Travolta said.

They have seven brick-and-mortar studios in California each one 5,000 to 8,000 square feet in size, that operate year-round with professionals teaching.

“They’re all funded through the Regional Centers,” he said.

“Then once the students have honed their skills, they get work with one of the three production companies” – Futures, Options and Inclusion – Travolta shared.

“It’s a gift for us to work with this population and we probably get more out of it than the kids, and they get a lot out of it,” he added. “I wish I was 20 years younger.”

Travolta has lived in San Francisco since last year when he and Wendy moved up from L.A. to help take care of their grandson who is two years old.

Host Touro University of California

Asked how Touro University of California’s campus was selected to host the camp, Provost Sarah Sweitzer, PhD said, “Our connection is actually through SCOE who approached us to host this fantastic camp for our young people with disabilities in Solano County. This is our first summer.”

“Our mission is to serve, lead and teach and our function is to serve as an anchor institution in the North Bay counties,” she continued. “It’s at the heart of our mission to create equity in health and education to close the opportunity gaps, especially for our underserved communities.

“We’re a graduate school for healthcare, education and public health – the heart of the pandemic,” Sweitzer stated.

According to their website Touro is America’s largest private institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices with over 19,000 students across 35 schools in four countries and first opened in 1971.

The California campus is a graduate school with about 1,300 students. They’re renovating building number eight and they’re celebrating their 25th anniversary, Sweitzer added.

One of the many positive PassItOn messages.

About Pass It On

According to PassItOn.com, for 21 years, the Pass It On campaign promoting positive values has provided uplifting and encouraging messages. It is a project of The Foundation for a Better Life, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, Bay Area, News

Byron-based Patriots Jet Team planes and pilots help make Top Gun: Maverick movie magic

July 20, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

CineJet video screenshot and Cinejet with Shotover F1 Camera. Source: Patriots Jet Team

Two pilots, five crew chiefs and other team members participate

“it’s real flying” – Randy Howell, Patriots Jet Team owner and one of two CineJet pilots

By Allen D. Payton

Planes, aerobatic pilots, crew chiefs and other members of the Patriots Jet Team based at the Byron Airport in Contra Costa County helped make the new movie Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, now in theaters. As in the original Top Gun film, the sequel features a variety of jet training and combat scenes in which the team provided their L-39 CineJet™ to film the high-speed, in-air shots.

According to their website, the Patriots Jet Team is the largest civilian-owned aerobatic jet team in the western hemisphere. The team was started in 2002 by founder and owner Randy “Howler” Howell, a Discovery Bay resident, who also helps pilot the special jet. Howell has more than 26,000 hours of flight time and over 30 years of flying experience with United Airlines. He has been an advanced instructor in aerobatics, formation, UPRT (upset prevention and recovery training) as well as a Check Airman and Simulator Instructor in a multitude of aircraft.

The CineJet™ high-speed, cinematography platform was launched in 2017 when the Patriots Jet Team partnered with Helinet.

In a March 2 post on the team’s Facebook page it shows a brief video during filming of the movie from the CineJet™ Facebook page asking, “Recognize the jet?”

In another Facebook post on April 1 it reads, “The Patriots are so excited to finally see Top Gun Maverick come out. The #cinejet was key to many of the aerial scenes, can’t wait to see them on the big screen.”

Then on April 18 the team posted, “Lots of Patriots L-39’s in the latest #topgunmaverick Trailer. https://twitter.com/tomcruise/status/1516039183332216838…”

A June 6 post on their Facebook post reads, “If you haven’t already seen Top Gun: Maverick, you won’t want to miss our Helinet CineJet aerials on the big screen! #TopGun #TopGunMaverick #TGM #CineJet #PatriotsJetTeam” and includes a brief trailer from the movie.

At the Top Gun-themed, Patriots Jet Team Foundation annual fundraiser last September, the Guest of Honor and speaker was American actor, writer and producer Glen Powell, who is co-starring in Top Gun: Maverick. He plays the part of pilot, Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin. The evening’s program also included a special behind the scenes look at the involvement the Patriots Jet Team pilots had in the aerial shooting of the new movie.

Patriots Jet Team founder and owner Randy “Howler” Howell with one of his CineJets specially equipped for the Shotover F1 cameras inside the Hangar of Dreams in Byron, California. Photo by Allen D. Payton

Howell Provides Details of His Team, CineJet, Filming and Training Cruise and the Other Actors

According to Howell quite a few members from the team participated in the making of the film, which includes two pilots, Howell and Scott “Intake” Kartvedt, and five crew chiefs to mention a few.

He provided more details about his organization and the filming of the movie.

The team provides three services, “one is flying a six-ship airshow similar to the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds,” he shared. “We also provide upset training, teaching corporate and airline pilots how to recover from an unusual attitude or an upset due to wake turbulence, weather, or mechanical failures, flight controls.”

The third piece of the puzzle, is “the CineJet operation for filming,” he stated. “We partnered up with Helinet, a company in Southern California. They own the Shotover F1 which is a large, gyro-stabilized platform which can hold many different types of cameras for filming.”

“We designed, engineered and mounted it to the front of a highly modified L-39 Albatross jet.”

“This all started when my good friend, Kevin LaRosa, Jr., who I have shot commercials and movies with, in the past, came to me and said, ‘hey, would you be interested in partnering up on putting a big, Shotover F1 system on the front of an L-39?’” Howell explained. “My first question was that’s usually used on helicopters with a maximum speed of 150 knots. We need to go a lot faster if we’re going to start doing aerial filming of Top Gun and the likes.”

LaRosa has worked in the film industry for over 16 years as a stunt pilot and aerial coordinator. He and Howell are the pilots for the CineJet.

“So, we worked with the company Shotover based in New Zealand and they then started doing modifications to the six-axis, gyro-stabilized system that can be controlled, to look straight up, straight down, behind you, right and left,” Howell stated. “We needed to do 350 knots and sustain three G’s for maneuvering with the Super Hornets in the movie. So, they modified the arms, gears, motors and other items within the unit. They would then send it to us, and we’d test it up to the next speed, and the next until we reached 350 knots and 3.5 G’s. They did a lot of studies in the wind tunnel and a lot of engineering prior to this.”

“Once it was ready to go, we started launching every jet that every friend had, corporate jets.  I flew the Mig-17, the Saberliners, as well as multiple L39’s intermixed with the Mig-17 and we created an exciting, one-minute sizzle reel,” Howell continued. “We sent that to Paramount, and they contacted us and said, ‘we like it. We want to talk.’ So, that’s how it all started.”

Patriots Jet Team Foundation 2021 fundraiser invitation. Source: Patriots Jet Team

Work on Top Gun: Maverick

“We were then contracted to work on three different areas for the movie over about a year-and-a-half period,” he shared. “First was filming the Super Hornets in flight and the majority of the tactics that you see in the movie. The second was training all of the actors and actress, Monica (Barbaro) is the only actress who portrayed a pilot in the movie. We flew with every single one of the actors including Tom. He then wanted to get checked out in the airplane because he loved the L-39 so much. I flew with Tom many times getting him up to speed in the airplane.”

“The purpose for training all the actors and Tom was the Super Hornet was going to be pulling up to seven-and-a-half G’s,” Howell explained. “So, we went up in the L-39 which is stressed to eight G’s and we flew over, and over and over again at eight G’s. We flew up to 18,000 feet, we’d get a lot of energy up and we would put it into a spiral and sit at eight G’s for long periods of time. That was to get all of them into a mindset that they could act, which is a lot of energy. Acting, you can’t be putting energy into getting sick and nauseas, throwing up and all of that, and acting. So, we flew a lot with all of them.”

“Then Tom loved the airplane so much, and Tom is an awesome pilot, a really, really good pilot, and a really good formation pilot, as well, which is a whole different skill set from normal aviating” Howell shared. “I trained him, and he took a check ride with the FAA. Now, he’s qualified to fly by himself in the L-39 or with other people.”

He then mentioned a video of Cruise in which he flew TV talk show host James Corden in the L-39.

“The other piece of the puzzle was to paint two of our L-39’s in movie grey, sort of a flat, grey color and then put targets on both sides of the tail, both sides of the nose, top and bottom of each wing,” Howell explained. “Production was not able to get a flying F-14 because they don’t fly anymore, they’re all retired and they couldn’t get a Russian Sukhoi 57, either. We did the flying for that.”

“So, it’s real flying,” he added.

“They blocked off 40 miles of the Feather River for us up near Chico,” Howell said. “Then one of our pilots, Scott ‘Intake’ Kartvedt, a former Hornet and Blue Angel pilot in the Navy, and I flew all the two-ship stuff with the two Su-57’s and the F-14 through the Feather River. When we did that, it was about a six-week project, and we flew two to three times every day. We also flew off the coast of Point Mugu for the over water, ocean scenes with the two airplanes along with the CineJet filming us.”

“The first time we flew, we scouted the river in a helicopter,” he explained. “There’s a lot of hairpin turns, reversals, with granite walls, a thousand, two thousand feet high on both sides of you. So, as you come up on these switchbacks, come back the other way, you need to know you’re going to be able to come around there and some of them you can’t, they’re too tight. So, now you’ve got to come up over top of the mountain, roll inverted, pull down the other side of the mountain and roll out. All while being filmed by a helicopter or the CineJet with Shotover systems on them.”

“After we flew the first one in the L-39’s and spending several days scouting the area, taking notes, memorizing exactly which turns you were going to make all the way around, which turns you had to come over the top in,” Howell shared. “And we were down in the dirt, we were down 10 feet off the trees through a lot of that and the first time we landed the two of us were visibly, our hands were shaking. We walked toward each other and hugged, ‘Intake’ backed up and said, ‘I have 153 combat missions under my belt. I’ve never been under such high stress flying, before.’”

“So, it was definitely high-risk, but very calculated in the way we executed with all the scouting ahead of time,” he continued. “We started flying up higher, first. Then we came down as we got more comfortable and then we started filming once we got really comfortable down low.”

Asked how many times they flew the canyon route Howell responded, “many, many, many times.”

“You know to get one second of film, you’re gonna film an hour,” he said with a chuckle.

“Every last, little detail in the Super Hornets, everything, everything is the real deal,” Howell stated. “All the internal cameras they would mount inside one of our L-39’s for proof of concept to show what it would look like to the producers, to the director, and what angles they wanted. Then they could go the Navy and say, ‘we’ve already tested all these cameras in the airplane now, we need to mount them inside your airplane’.”

“That’s the whole story of Top Gun. A year-and-a-half involvement, but we were not filming for a year-and-a-half,” Howell shared. “We might film for six weeks, then have a month or two off. Then we’d go back and film for a month or two months, and then we’d have time off. So, it was just over a period of a year-and-a-half.”

They started filming in 2018 and finished up in 2019.

Patriots Jet Team airshow. Source: PJT

Filmed Another Movie Set During Korean War

Howell then shared about another movie they filmed, “which is going to be spectacular. It’s based on a true story, during the Korean War era where there’s an African American and a white pilot in flight school. The African American was a sharecropper’s son. He was homeschooled. He only wore shoes on Sunday. The white pilot’s dad was a prominent attorney, he belonged to the country club. The two of them became best friends in flight training.”

“They finished flight training and started flying in combat. They were assigned to F-4U Corsairs, the gullwing Corsair, and they went into battle,” he continued.

“I won’t ruin the rest of the story for you,” Howell stated. “There’s a book out called ‘Devotion’ by Adam Makos. You can order it on Amazon. It’s a really, really good story and it’s a true story. I love true stories. It’s going to be a great movie.”

The aerial scenes were filmed in 2021, January to March in Wenachee and Pasco, Washington and then Savannah, Georgia.

The name of the movie is the same as the book, “Devotion” and will be in theaters Thanksgiving weekend beginning Wednesday, Nov. 23.

“Our good friend, Glen Powell, who starred in Top Gun and others, and who was our speaker at our fundraiser is one of the two stars, he plays the pilot/character ‘Tom Hudner’,” Howell shared.

He also played John Glenn in the movie Hidden Figures, “and he’s starred in other movies, as well,” Howell added.

Q&A

Asked how many members from the team participated in the filming of Top Gun: Maverick he said, “There was probably seven of us at different times. We took different crew chiefs who would maintain the airplanes. We have a big hauler, an 18-wheeler and it carries spare everything for the L-39’s. Then we took Jet 7 and Jet 8 which are both set up with the Shotover wiring. There’s a lot of mods to the airplane before mounting the camera. So, we had both airplanes at every event. We had other airplanes there too for doing other training, as well.”

Asked how many pilots the team has Howell said, “we have six airshow pilots.”

According to the Patriots Jet Team website, “they have logged over 105,000 hours of flight time and performed in more than 1500 air shows.” Most recently, they performed over Venice and Mandeville Islands in the Delta prior to the fireworks show on Sunday evening, July 3.

The Patriots Jet Team Foundation

Lastly, the accomplishment that Randy is most proud of is the Patriots Jet Team Foundation, a separate non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation which he founded in 2011.

“The Foundation educates and mentors youth in America in aviation/aerospace and STEM career paths. The Foundation has partnered with other STEM based Foundations, as well as public, private, charter and University school programs.” Howell shared. “We cater to nearly 10,000 kids a year with rocket launch competitions, high-altitude balloons, introduction to aviation classes, aerodynamic classes and many more that we do, right here, at our facility as well as in the public schools system.”

Be sure to attend the PJT Foundation Benefit Gala on September 17th.  You can learn more and register at PJTF.ORG.

To learn more about the Patriots Jet Team visit www.patriotsjetteam.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, East County, Education, News, Youth

Concord Jazz Festival August 3-7

July 15, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Four days of free admission!

Don’t miss the 2022 Concord Jazz Festival! Celebrate Concord’s 50+ year jazz legacy with ‘Take 5’ – five days of special jazz performances and events at different locations around town from Wednesday, August 3 through Sunday, August 7.

RSVP NOW: https://bit.ly/3xmSLZP

Weds, Aug 3 – Jinx Jones at 2022 Concord Jazz Festival: The Veranda Unplugged. 6:30-8:00 pm, FREE ADMISSION

Thurs, Aug 4 – Carlos Reyes Music and Market, Todos Santos Plaza. 6:30-8:00 pm, FREE ADMISSION

Fri, Aug 5 – KJ Focus & Glib Rig at Concord Tap House. 5:00-7:00 pm, FREE ADMISSION

Sat, Aug 6 – Howard Wiley, Brian Ho Trio & Chaz Gunter at Jazz In the Park, Todos Santos Plaza. Marketplace and food trucks open at 12pm, and music starts at 1pm, FREE ADMISSION.

Sun, Aug 7 – Stratify & KJ Focus at Java and Jazz, Concord Museum & Event Center, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Admission: $15

Get your ticket: https://bit.ly/3ahvcZX

Each attendee gets a souvenir Concord Jazz Fest cup with unlimited iced coffee and iced tea (while supplies last). Proceeds goes to the Concord Historical Society.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, Central County, Concord

Art at BART: 15 years after its installation, a mural at Richmond Station continues to inspire

July 12, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Artists Jos Sances (left) and Daniel Galvez (right) in front of their three-panel mural. Photos: BART

When creating an art installation in a highly trafficked public space, duration matters. While some artworks are intended to celebrate the ephemeral and the fleeting, BART often looks for the permanent and the durable when adding another mural to its portfolio.

Given this constraint, Bay Area artists Daniel Galvez and Jos Sances set out to create a mural that would stand the test of time and speak to its community for years to come. Galvez primarily works with paint. Sances is the “high-tech guy,” said Galvez, his longtime friend and collaborator. It was up to Sances to take Galvez’s original oil painting and create something monumental – and long-lasting.

In 2007, the duo joined forces to create a large-scale mural at Richmond Station. Fifteen years later, the mural’s colors are nearly as vibrant as the day it was installed.

BART recently joined Galvez and Sances at the foot of the mural, which is owned by the City of Richmond, to reflect on its creation and its impact. The two artists, whose works blanket the region (you can spy their joint mural, “Future Roads,” at BART’s 16th St. Station), spoke as candidly as you would expect of two old pals. The pair met in San Francisco in the early 1980s, and they’ve been collaborating on giant works of public art ever since.

“It’s been up for 15 years, and the mural hasn’t been graffitied,” Sances said of the Richmond Station mural, titled “On the Right Track.” Graffiti, after all, is the bane of muralists’ creations.

Galvez thinks he knows why no graffiti artists have dared touch the mural. An artwork that “engages the community, is reflective of its history, honors their culture and their work” has a profound impact on community members.

“People respond to that intimately,” Galvez said, “because it’s about them.”

The mural features three eight-by-twelve-foot panels of durable tile. Each panel spotlights a different aspect of Richmond history, from its original native inhabitants – the Ohlones – to current residents.

Galvez described the mural like “a movie.”

“You can move into one scene from the next,” he said. “People are sucked into it; they follow the story. They want to know more.”

The mural began in the Richmond library, where Galvez and Sances researched local history and major events and figures. With ideas swirling in their minds, the artists then hosted a series of community meetings, in which they met with locals bearing photographs of themselves and family. Some of the photographic imagery was incorporated into the mural (you may even catch the smiling face of Sances’ grandson as a baby. He’s now 16).

To create the strikingly colorful tiles, Sances had to get creative. He decided to tap into new techniques that enabled him to print Galvez’s painting directly onto the tile in a process known as sublimation.

“It’s a heat transfer process,” Sances said. “You make a print on transfer paper, then put that on a raw tile that’s receptive to ink. Then it gets sublimated onto the tile. You peel off the paper, and there’s the image.”

Sublimation is now ubiquitous, but Galvez and Sances continue to find new ways to utilize it. A recent co-mural used the sublimation process to print a painting onto stainless steel.

If you can look past the colorful tiles and lower your gaze a few feet, you’ll notice a series of beige, hand-carved ceramic pieces that depict a railroad, carrying everything from a mariachi band to a bear cub and his mom. The handcrafted tiles spotlight Richmond culture and history, while adding a certain playfulness and tactility for children passing through.

“I like the fact that it was Jos’s idea to introduce the lower ceramic pieces because it’s more children’s height,” Galvez said. “If they’re really curious, they could stand on the bench and look at the mural and feel it.”

The goal of the mural, ultimately, is to engage people. Galvez’s painting philosophy derives from “Los Tres Grandes” – Mexican muralists who painted on a grand scale throughout the twentieth century.

“The point of [Los Tres Grandes’] work was for people to see art daily and enrich their lives and see their history,” Galvez said. “It’s art that’s integrated into people’s lives.”

Painting actual Richmond residents was a major component of integrating the artwork into the fabric of Richmond culture.

“When people see images of themselves done in such a particular way, it’s really elevating,” Sances said. “I think the whole community gets a lift from that.”

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, BART, West County

The California State Fair & Food Festival returns July 15-31 in Sacramento

July 7, 2022 By Publisher Leave a Comment

Photos by CA State Fair

Back Together!

After a two-year hiatus the California State Fair & Food Festival is back July 15-31 at the Cal Expo. It will include exhibits, programs, competitions, thoroughbred horse racing, carnival rides, freestyle motocross shows, concerts and lots of food! We’re excited to be BACK TOGETHER with everyone!

SPECIAL FAIR DAYS

$2 Taste of the Fair – Wednesdays & Thursdays, 11 am – 4 pm – Sample a variety of fair foods with $2 menu specials from your favorite food vendors.

Senior Savings Friday – Discount admission of $10 for seniors 62 & better.

Tuesday Kids Free Day & $2 Rides for All – July 19 & 26 FREE admission for kids 12 and under. Rides cost $2 each for all fair goers.

Military, Veteran & First Responder Appreciation Day – Thursday, July 21 – FREE admission all day for active duty, reserve and veterans from all branches of the military, active first responders.

SMUD Giving Mondays at the Fair – Monday, July 18 & Monday, July 25 – BRING 3 non-perishable, non-expired food items to the Fair Gates before 3 p.m. and receive FREE admission. The collected food items will benefit the Elk Grove Food Bank.

FOOD FESTIVAL

Over thirty food vendors will have a special Food Festival item for you to eat by yourself or share! There’s something delicious for every palate.

From savory – like sweet BBQ pulled pork, to sweet – like the bacon and pecan cinnamon roll and fried of course! – deep fried apple pie anyone?

Come visit all of our award-winning Food Festival Pass participants, see their well-deserved ribbons displayed at their booths and taste their delicious entries!

  • Tickets now available!
  • Toyota Concert Series on the Golden 1 Stage
  • Competitions
  • Programs & Exhibits

Main Gate Hours

  • Monday – Thursday: 11 am – 10 pm
  • Friday – Sunday: 10 am – 10 pm

Carnival Hours

  • Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday : Opens at 2pm
  • Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday: Opens at 11am

Kids Park Hours

  • Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday : Opens at 1 pm
  • Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday: Opens at 11 am

The California State Fair & Food Festival is located at the Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento. For more information and details on all events, activities and competitions visit http://calexpostatefair.com/event/ca-state-fair/  and for the programs and exhibits visit https://calexpostatefair.com/fair/.

Filed Under: Arts & Entertainment, Fairs & Festivals, State of California

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 11
  • Next Page »
Celia's-01-23
Delta-RC-8th-12-22B-1
Deer-Valley-Chiro-06-22

Copyright © 2023 · Contra Costa Herald · Site by Clifton Creative Web