Matthew Tailford
| Matthew Tailford | |
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| Born |
Matthew Tailford July 8, 1968 Toledo, Ohio |
| Alma mater | |
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Matthew Tailford (born July 8, 1968) is an American film producer, actor, art director and founding partner in 10 West Studios and EMC Productions. Tailford was the producer and lead actor in War Prayer, the 2006 winner of the Best Director Award at the Beverly Hills International Film Festival.
Early life
Tailford was born in Toledo, Ohio to Jacquelyn Ann Dawson, a homemaker and sister of jazz singer Sheila Jordan,[1] and William Donald (Bill) Tailford, an advertising executive with the firm of Tailford Cooper Smith, notable for its handling of the Frusen Glädjé marketing campaign.[2] Tailford graduated from Sylvania Northview High School in 1986, completed his bachelor's degree at Hope College in 1997 (Fine Art and Elementary Education) and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2004. Tailford served in the United States Marine Corps, from 1986 to 1989, at Camp Pendleton, California. Tailford was active in the Theatre department and played hockey in college.
Career
Tailford was working as a student and substitute teacher, in the Holland, Michigan area and was also active in the Hope Summer Repertory Theater.[3] Following a teaching assignment at the Liverpool Church of England Schools in 1998, Tailford landed a position as an Art teacher at Reed City elementary school in 1999. Harold Cronk, the Art teacher at Evart High School introduced himself to Tailford and the two found that they had a lot in common. Both were teachers, both had participated in college athletics, both had studied sculpture and both had acting experience in school.[4][5]:2
During Spring break (2000), Tailford landed a job as the Art Director on a television pilot called Dear Doughboy, Tailford and Cronk traveled to Los Angeles to perform Production Design and Art Direction for the show.[5]:2 The brief experience in Los Angeles motivated the pair to try their hand at producing Cronk's screenplays, South Manitou and The Agent. Using their own funds, Cronk and Tailford completed the South Manitou and The Agent projects and associated the production experience as some equivalence to film school coursework.[5]:3 Upon completion, a film screening was set up by Compass Film Academy with producer Ralph Winter in attendance. Winter enjoyed the film(s) and encouraged Cronk and Tailford to continue with film-making, both men were encouraged by this positive reception of the work.[5]:3 Within months Tailford and Cronk had relocation plans, destination Hollywood, Tailford and Cronk soon found employment, on location in Ireland, working on the Secret of the Cave (2006), starring Kevin Novotny and Patrick Bergin, with Tailford credited as Art Director and Cronk serving as Production Designer.[6][7] Other credits from the 2004 time period are: The Red Veil (American Film Institute, 2006) with production design by Cronk and Tailford and Midnight Clear (special thanks, Jenkins Entertainment, 2006).[8]
Returning to Michigan in 2006, Cronk and Tailford's ambitions returned to screenplay development. In addition to writing, Cronk had discovered that he enjoyed directing and Tailford was still interested in producing and acting. With some industry experience behind them, they pooled resources and created a ten-minute short film. The film, War Prayer (2006), is based upon Mark Twain's short story, The War Prayer, a controversial war-story that was embargoed by Harper's Bazaar, until six years after Twain's death.[9] A wind-damaged stand of pine trees near Evart, Michigan served as the set and battlefield props were fashioned from junkyard remnants.[5]:4 War Prayer was accepted by the Beverly Hills International Film Festival, after no announcement for War Prayer in the short-film categories, Cronk and Tailford, still pleased with the acceptance into the festival, had almost departed when the film won the festival's Best Director Award for 2006.[5]:4[10]
10 West Studios
10 West's goal is to produce more lead driven content, film that are going to uplift, rather than tear down society.[11]
The win for Best Director at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, resulted in a three picture deal with Origin Entertainment.[12] Cronk had already written the screenplay for one of these films, Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy, a children's comedy adventure film, which is set in Northwest Michigan. Cronk had spent summer vacations in the area, so the location of the film set and 10 West Studios was never in doubt.[5]:2[11][13] Cronk and Tailford decided upon Manistee, Michigan, the town has a Victorian look with farms, forest, beaches and sand dues, and nearby Lake Michigan can be used when an ocean setting is required. Seven large buildings in the marina were converted to five sound stages and an adjacent iron-works factory was converted into production offices.[14]
Northwestern Michigan residents embraced the arrival of film production industry and the new employment opportunities. Tailford and Cronk pressed their teaching experience into service in a partnership with West Shore Community College, developing film production training courses: Production Assistant, Art Department, Tradesperson, Entry Level Grip and Entry Level Electrical. Serving as the Film Crew Training Program instructor from 2007 to 2009, Tailford's university experience includes: Guest Adjudicator at the University of Michigan, and as a Guest Speaker at Cedarville University: Cedarville, Ohio and Malone University: Canton, Ohio.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Capacity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Last Big Attraction | Acting | Hopwood Productions (Hopwood DePree) |
| Production Design / Art Direction | TicTock Studios | ||
| 2000 | Dear Doughboy | Production Design / Art Direction | Donut Productions, Directed by Penelope Spheeris |
| 2004 | The Agent | Directing | 10 West Studios [5] |
| Acting | |||
| The Red Veil | Production Design / Art Direction | American Film Institute Jordan Cronenweth Student Heritage Award (Brian Burgoyne 2005)[17] | |
| Midnight Clear | Production Design / Art Direction | Jenkins Entertainment | |
| 2005 | Secret of the Cave | Production Design / Art Direction | Southern Adventist University, County Mayo, Ireland [7] |
| 2006 | War Prayer | Producing | 10 West Studios Best Director, Beverly Hills Film Festival (2006) [10][14] |
| Acting | |||
| 2010 | Johnny | Producing | 10 West Studios [18] |
| llumininarium | Acting | Dusk Films, Glendale, California | |
| What If... (film) | Producing | Jenkins Entertainment [19] | |
| Acting | |||
| Johnny | Acting | Pure Flix Entertainment, Scottsdale, Arizona | |
| Tug | Production Design / Art Direction | TicTock Studios [20] | |
| 2011 | Jerusalem Countdown | Acting | 10 West Studios[21][22] |
| Christmas With A Capital C | Production Design / Art Direction | Ranch Studios, Seward, Alaska [21] | |
| 2012 | Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy | Producing | 10 West Studios [21][22] |
| Acting | |||
| Jerusalem Countdown | Producing | 10 West Studios [21][22] | |
| Screen Writing | |||
| 1812: The Twilight's Last Gleaming | Screen Writing | 10 West Studios | |
| Beautiful Prison | Producing | Joel Vallie Productions, Soltillo, Mexico | |
| Return To The Hiding Place | Producing | Spencer Productions, Garden Ridge, Texas; Haarlem, Netherlands [23] | |
| Edge of Apocalypse | Acting | Tim LaHaye Ministries, San Diego, California | |
| 2013 | The Painting | Producing | 10 West Studios |
| Directing | |||
| Ragamuffin: The Rich Mullins Story | Producing | Color Green Pictures | |
| ISRA-88 | Producing | Eenie Ienie Over, Detroit, Michigan | |
| Beautiful Prison | Acting | Joel Vallie Productions, Soltillo, Mexico | |
| The Book Of Daniel | Acting | Pure Flix Entertainment | |
| 2014 | Jerusalem Countdown II | Screen Writing | 10 West Studios |
References
- ↑ "William Donald Tailford January 8,1935-August 6, 2012". Reeb Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
A Patriarch to both his own and Jackie's families, Bill's siblings include Thomas and Joan Tailford, Donelda 'Sis' and Chuck Sampson, and Michael and Janet Tailford. He loved the Dawson family as his very own Donna and Richard Peters, Rose and William Wielinski, Carol and Dave Lister, and Sheila Jordan.
- ↑ ZABORNEY, MARK (9 August 2014). "William Tailford, 1935-2012: City ad firm founder got national jobs". The Blade. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ↑ "Lights, Camera, Action" (PDF). Hope College. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ↑ "V-Day West LA 2006 Director Harold Cronk". Celebrity-Network.net. 2006. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Smith, Jeff (27 April 2010). "Two Filmmakers Bring Michigan Movie Industry to Manistee". Traverse (magazine). p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ "Harold Cronk". Filmography. Fandango. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- 1 2 "Secret of the Cave (2006)". Overview. AllMovie. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ Buckner, Deborah Ground (25 December 2007). "The Men Behind Midnight Clear". A n E Vibe. Archived from the original on January 1, 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
The WayBack Machine
- ↑ Twain, Mark. "The War Prayer". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- 1 2 Guis, Dee (16 April 2006). "Beverly Hills Film Festival: And the Envelope Please...". Canyon News. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
Harold Cronk won the Best Director Award for War Prayer, an intense short film inspired by a Mark Twain story, proving that great art can come in small packages.
- 1 2 Harold Cronk, Paula Homes-Greely (9 March 2009). Newsmaker: Harold Cronk, filmmaker (MP3) (Radio broadcast). Retrieved 3 March 2013.
- ↑ Ratny, Ruth L. (30 March 2009). "10 West Studios ready for business in Manistee". ReelChicago.com. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
- ↑ ALWAY, ROB (19 January 2012). "Scottville director nears completion of movie". Mason County Press. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
Cronk wrote and directed the movie, which was filmed exclusively in Mason and Manistee counties.
- 1 2 YUNG, KATHERINE (26 October 2009). "Manistee studio steals the show". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- ↑ "10 West Studios opens doors to public". Ludington Daily News. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
Subscription required (free)
- ↑ "Workforce Development - Film Training". Film Training. West Shore Community College. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
West Shore Community College and 10 West Studios of Manistee have partnered together to provide training for various production positions in film making. The training provided, is significantly heavy in hands-on experience in four areas: Production Assistant, Art Department Tradesperson, Grip, and Basic Electrical Training.
- ↑ "2006 AFI Alumni and Fellow Awards and Honors". American Film Institute. 2006. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ↑ "Johnny". Amazon. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ↑ "What if...". Overview. AllMovie. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ↑ "Tug: Production Credits". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 "Harold Cronk on AllMovie". Credits. AllMovie. Retrieved 23 February 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Harold Cronk". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ↑ Boissoneau, Ross (July 2010). "Northern Michigan's Movie Moguls". Vol. 16 - Number 12. Traverse City Business News. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
Right now, the duo has four films in various stages, from the completed What If starring Kevin Sorbo, to Jerusalem Countdown, which found the two back in California wrapping up production. The others are Johnny and A Return to the Hiding Place.
External links
- Official website (Requires Adobe Flash Player)
- Matthew Tailford at AllMovie
- Matthew Tailford at the Internet Movie Database