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Draft:Charles Schneider

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Charles Schneider (born 1960) is an American filmmaker, writer, artist, magician and actor.

Biography[edit]

Charles Schneider was born 19 February 1960 in Highland Park, Illinois to Joseph and Florette (Sackheim) Schneider. His father was a renowned circuit court judge in Chicago and his mother was an accomplished ceramacist.[1] Schneider was educated at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago and attended Wesleyan University and Pratt Institute (where he received a B.A. in filmmaking in 1983). It was at Pratt Institute where Schneider met cartoonists Daniel Clowes and Rick Altergott, establishing lifelong friendships, resulting in Schneider's participation in Clowes' films Ghost World and Art School Confidential, both as actor and as visual artist.

An internship at MGM was the motivation for Schneider's move to California in the mid 1980s. He soon began working for Propaganda Films, honing his craft writing music video concepts for directors such as David Fincher, Michael Bay and Alex Proyas. During this same time, from the 1980s-1990s, he was very active in L.A.'s underground theater and performance art scene, writing and directing many original plays and outrageous spectacles. His works drew inspiration from and helped revived the French tradition of Grand Guignol horrortheater of the early 20th century, horrifying many a jaded audience and leading to Schneider acquiring a devoted cult following. Grotesque and shocking special make-up effects were often created by his frequent collaborator Screaming Mad George, surreal Japanese make-up artist, whom Schneider met in New York City during the 1980 at the height of the punk rock era. (Schneider's early notorious gore film It Took Guts played midnight shows at CBGB alongside performances by Screaming Mad George's band The MAD). In addition to filmmaking, painting, drawing, writing, and performing, Schneider explored his love of outsider music by producing CDs for both the talented underground folk musicians Bob Moss and Charlie Cox.

Schneider relocated to Northern California in 2008 where he focused on developing several feature-length horror and fantasy films. This period also resulted in creation of books of macabre strories and art published in limited editions by European specialty presses Ex Occidente Press, Zagava, and Egaeus Press.

Charles Schneider, 2022

Published works[edit]

Schneider's literary productions embrace his love of the weird, the arcane and the gothic.

As sole author (fiction and poetry)

  • Again, the Granite (chapbook), published by Zagava, 2023[2]
  • Ruination in Bloom, published by Ex Occidente Press, 2015
  • The Mauve Embellishments, published by Ex Occidente Press, 2011[3][4]
  • Woodstock, published by Marvel Comics, 1992

As contributing author (short stories and poetry)

  • The Book of Flowering, published by Egaeus Press, 2019[5]
  • The Book of the Sea, published by Egaeus Press, 2018[6]
  • Soliloquy for Pan, published by Egaeus Press, 2015[7]
  • Transfiguration of Mister Punch, published by Egaeus Press, 2013[8]
  • Deepest, Darkest Eden: New Tales of Hyperborea, published by Miskatonic River Press, 2013

As editor and essayist

As illustrator

  • An Ossuary for M.P. Shiel[9] by Harold Billings, published by L'Homme Recent, 2015
  • Babyfat #16 (mini comic) published by Comix World, 1980

As co-translator

Filmography[edit]

Schneider's film and video work reflects a lifelong fascination with the macabre and fantastical. Schneider has worked in diverse roles in film and television for over 50 years, as director, actor, writer, special effects artist, and puppeteer.

Schneider started out writing concepts for music videos for the renowned film director David Fincher. He has directed music videos for Charming Disaster, Mariee Siou, The Centimeters, and many others.

As director

Feature films

Short films

Music videos

As second unit director

As writer

Schneider also co-wrote many music videos for David Fincher, Michael Bay, Greg Gold, Alex Proyas and others for Propaganda Films.

As actor

  • Zodiac, Cabbie / Paul Stine, 2007
  • Viva, Party Wit / Waiter / The God Pan, 2007
  • Blood Dancers, Hovik, 2004
  • Ascension, Mover #2, 2000

Schneider also had cameo appearance in several classic music videos, including Paula Abdul's Cold Hearted Snake (directed by David Fincher), the Ramones Substitute (directed by Tom Rainone), and Billy Idol's L.A. Woman (also directed by David Fincher).

As himself

As puppeteer

Theatre[edit]

Schneider continued to hone his directorial skills by particpating in the Los Angeles underground theatre scene, from the 1980s onwards. His theatre troupe found an unlikely but perfect home at Milt Larsen's Variety Arts Center in downtown Los Angeles. Larsen, he of Magic Castle royalty, loved Schneider's perverse and special effects-laden theatre pieces, and invited him to run several major plays there. An article profiling Schneider and his theatre work (Fringe Festival: The Horror of One Man's Ways) appeared in the Los Angeles Times on 12 May 1987[17]. Schneider's work in Grand Guignol theater is also featured in the book Grand Guignol: Theater of Fear and Terror (1988) by Mel Gordon. An inteview with Schneider about his Grand Guignol theatre work, titled The Methods of Charles Schneider, appeared in Headzine 2.6 in 2018. [18]

As writer and director

  • The Keaner Eye
  • The Universe is Permeated with the Odor of Peanuts
  • Punch and Judy
  • The Methods of Colin Spikes
  • Scream, Clown, Scream![19]

As performer

  • The Keaner Eye (as the professor)
  • The Universe is Permeated with the Odor of Peanuts (as Woody Schulz)
  • Punch and Judy (as junkie)
  • Peter Pandemonium (as Michael)
  • Shut Up, Little Man!,

Music[edit]

As producer

  • Bob Moss: Folknik Folknik II, and Folknik III (unreleased), Soundco Records, Salt Lake City... PHOTO OF CLOWES cover
  • Charlie Cox: Songs from the Tar Pits, Tarstruck Records, Los Angeles, 2005

As performer

Visual Art[edit]

Schneider is an accomplished and prolific painter and illustrator. He was chose to pain the "death portraits" in the feature film Art School Confidential. His work is held in many private collections and has appeared in numerous publications such as Taboo:The Art of Tiki published by Outre Gallery Press, 1999 and Outre Journal, 26 November 2012. Career highlights include Schneider's one-man show exhibition "Media Mutilations" at Los Angeles' 01 Gallery His unique diorama shadowbox The Meerschaum Pipe featuring his shadowbox artwork inspired by the story by L.A. Lewis was produced by German publisher Zagava in a limited edition. Schneider's second L.A. Lewis-inspired limited edition diorama is forthcoming from Zagava in 2025.


insert photos of visual art?

Magic[edit]

The art of magic, with a focus on storytelling and close-up sleight of hand, has played a major role in Schneider's theatrical life. He perfoms often and is constantly creating original magic effercts. He is a frequent online performer and is a longtime member of Society of American Magicians and International Brotherhood of Magicians.

The Great Merlini's Midnight Spook Show. Schneider wrote, produced, and starred in this variety show accurately recreating the great spook shows of the burlesque era. Shows were held in Los Angeles at VELASLAVASAY Panorama and Grass Valley, California.

An example of Schneider's storytelling magic can be viewed here.

PHOTO

Personal life[edit]

An avid gardener, pickle maker and collector of decadent objets d'art, Schneider lives in Oregon with his girlfriend, cats, and a library of 15,000 books.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Content, Contributed (2009-05-24). "Death Notice: JOSEPH SCHNEIDER". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  2. ^ "Charles Schneider - ZAGAVA". zagava.de. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  3. ^ "The Mauve Embellishments". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  4. ^ "Ex Occidente Press". Ex Occidente Press. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  5. ^ "The Book of Flowering". www.egaeuspress.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  6. ^ "A Book of the Sea". www.egaeuspress.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  7. ^ "Soliloquy for Pan". www.egaeuspress.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  8. ^ "The Transfiguration of Mister Punch". www.egaeuspress.com. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  9. ^ "An Ossuary for M.P. Shiel". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  10. ^ "Video Premiere: "Animals Eat The Sky" by Christine Shields". The Big Takeover. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  11. ^ "Videos". Charming Disaster. Retrieved 2023-11-23.
  12. ^ Terich, Jeff (2017-06-16). "Premiere: Charming Disaster capture Victorian gothic creepiness in their "Sympathetic Magic" video". Treble. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  13. ^ George, Screaming Mad, Boy in the Box (Short, Horror), Amy Lyndon, Milton Papageorge, Cathea Walters, retrieved 2024-06-17
  14. ^ Gold, Greg (1998-09-05), Disney Sing Along Songs: Happy Haunting (Short, Comedy, Family), Isaiah Griffin, Rachel Talbott, Tyler Hoechlin, Walt Disney Home Video, Milk & Honey, retrieved 2023-11-24
  15. ^ "Hanging Man". Beetlejuice Wiki. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  16. ^ Forsberg, Eric; Schneider, Charles (1979-09-07), It Took Guts (Comedy, Horror, Short), Charles Schneider, Players Workshop Productions, retrieved 2023-11-23
  17. ^ Loynd, Ray (1987-09-12). "FRINGE FESTIVAL : THE HORROR OF ONE MAN'S WAYS". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  18. ^ "Headzine 2.6 by Headpress - Issuu". issuu.com. 2018-03-12. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  19. ^ Shirley, Don (1987-09-17). "FRINGE Festival : 'SCREAM, CLOWN'--A TRULY ROCKY HORROR SHOW". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-11-23.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Official website

Charles Schneider on IMDB

Charles Schneider Film YouTube channel

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