A feature-length film produced by two Penn State faculty members has made its way from Pennsylvania to California.
“Ripped!,” an intergalactic musical about a group of 1960s British pop rockers who mistakenly get launched into space, will be shown on Friday, Dec. 12, at the LAEMMLE NoHo 7 Cinema in North Hollywood, Calif.
The film follows Norman’s Normans, a mop-topped quartet that work at the British Space Agency. The Normans gets blasted into space when a trained chimp accidentally punches in a launch code and they land on a planet populated entirely by women.
On the faraway planet they meet women wary of anything male, although the queen’s daughter falls in love with the band’s music and its lead singer, Norman. At the same time, officials back on Earth are working to help the band return home.
Some groovy craziness follows in the latest feature-length comedy produced by husband-and-wife filmmaking team Rod Bingaman and Maura Shea of Penn State’s College of Communications.
The feature-length film was selected for screening at two film festivals this year. It was shown in April at the College Town Film Festival in State College and in October at the FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia. Bingaman and Shea are both senior lecturers in the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies.
“Ripped!” was produced with professional actors in lead roles but with dozens of Penn State alumni, students and community members playing vital roles in making the production possible.
Photos of the cast and production crew and more information about “Ripped!” can be found at www.rippedthemovie.com. In addition, Norman’s Normans have their own Facebook fan page, which includes an interview with the band about the film.
Bingaman has more than 20 years of industry experience, including work on feature films, broadcast television, commercials and corporate communications as a writer, director, cameraman and editor.
Shea boasts experience as a sound designer and editor on projects ranging from independent feature films to award-winning documentaries such as “Malcolm X: Make It Plain” and two segments for “Sesame Street.” She teaches nonlinear editing and beginning and advanced film-video production.
