Gary Beeber
Gary Beeber is an American filmmaker/photographer who has been exhibiting since the early nineties and continues to promote his work in film festivals and galleries across both the United States and Europe.
"Messenger", which was completed in May of 2006, is Mr. Beeber's first documentary film. It won "Best Documentary Short" at the 2006 Coney Island Film Festival, "Best Documentary Short" at the 2007 Staten Island Film Festival, and so far has gone on to be selected by 20 other film festivals.
"Bally Master", completed in September of 2007, is Mr. Beeber?s second documentary. It won "Best Documentary Short" at the 2007 Coney Island Film Festival, and has just started on the festival circuit.
About Scott Baker
Scott Baker, the lead actor in "Bally Master", fronts the Coney Island Circus Sideshow as the Outside Talker (known to the uninitiated at the "barker") who talks you into opening your wallet and buying a ticket to the show. Not surprisingly, Scott is a trained Broadway actor with many stage and film credits.
When not in Coney Island, Scott often delights audiences with his hour-long one man show, wherein he performs many of the most dangerous sideshow acts, all on his own.
Director's Statement
"First I'd like to explain a few terms. The term Sideshow harkens back to the early days of traveling circuses where the really bizarre stuff was performed in a separate tent beside the Big Top, hence side-show, or to the side.
"Bally refers to an outside stage where an Outside Talker (known to the uninitiated as the "barker") talks you into opening your wallet and buying a ticket to the show.
"In this film my definition of Geek is not a person who sits at a computer all day. I define Geek as a person who bites the heads off live chickens.
"In this short, 22-minute documentary, we focus on Scott Baker, magician, Broadway actor, sideshow performer, and master of the Bally stage at Coney Island's "Sideshow by the Seashore". There are many sides to Mr. Baker, but I chose to focus mostly on his geek-magic-sideshow life.
"Scott performs many of the classic sideshow-geek routines he's known for, closeup. This might be the first time that any film-maker has ever captured any of these weird performances in this way. We also filmed Scott as he worked the Coney Island Bally stage. You've got to see him to believe him, his Bally spiel is witty yet outrageous, and for that matter The Coney Island Circus Sideshow is also outrageous!
"It's my hope that after seeing this film the viewer will be motivated to spend a few bucks and take the Q Train from 42nd Street out to Coney Island (it's the last stop) and see the sideshow.
"This film took about eight months to complete. It was was really great to meet and work with many of Mr. Baker's fellow performers who were kind enough to grant interviews. I would like to also thank Dick Zigun and Coney Island USA who were kind enough to let us shoot on their property.
"It was a pleasure to work with Scott Baker. It took so much time to figure out how to film him as he performed his hair-raising routines. He normally plays to large audiences, so we had to reinvent some of the routines so that they looked right on camera.
"I promise you that the routines are not fake, they are real and very dangerous. I saw him break a real wine glass and eat it, and I saw him stick a long needle through his arm, and it was really shocking.
"Scott is a great actor and a real trooper, no matter how many times we had to reshoot, he always did it better. We shot the Times Square footage outside on the coldest day of the year, and he did a great job.
"In any event, I hope that everyone enjoys this film."
- Gary Beeber
2007