The Legend of Rockmonotone

Directed by Phyllis Chillingworth, Charles Goetz

"...We created a melodrama with a hero, a villain, and a heroine they both wanted. It was a kind of take-off on the silents, where rolling titles would carry the plot and piano track would provide the necessary emotion and suspense. With this basic structure and story line we were then able to invent so many fantasy scenes; our imaginations had no limits... Much of the film was shot 16mm, live action. Frames were then blown up onto large Kodalith sheets with colored gels added and re-animated on an Oxberry animation stand. ROCKMONOTONE is a playful visual romp! The soundtrack was created after the film was completed. We screened it at MoMA, where Charles Hoffman, noted piano player for silent films, gave the piano track, adding the suspense and drama. I toured campuses with the films, and Universal bought both films." -- Filmmaker Phyllis Chillingworth