The P.R.E. In Film

HORSES IN FILM - THE PRE

LAUREN BURRIS DIRECTS DRESSAGE FILM

As a graduate student in her last semester at the Film and Video Department of Columbia College Chicago, a window of opportunity arose for Lauren to have the chance to produce and direct what is considered her thesis film  Fortunate to have grown up in the world of Dressage, Show Jumping, and Eventing, she is inspired by the natural cinematic qualities of horses, their raw beauty and the innate feeling of fantasy  Of the three disciplines, Lauren sites the Musical Kur of Dressage as the epitome of what is beautiful, harmonious and artistic in our human onship with the horse  Her intention with this film is to utilize all aspects of the filmmaking process to further emphasize, or dramatize, those qualities  For Lauren, fulfilling that artistic intent began with the desire to use a white horse against the backdrop of nature’s lush and green summer landscape  Lauren found a perfect trio with the white PRE stallion Tamaro owned by Linda Cramer,  dressage rider Mary Ann Grant, and the beautiful Michigan countryside at Equistride International Dressage  Lauren was emotionally drawn to Tamaro saying “I have yet to meet a PRE that fails to uphold the horse’s reputation as an incredibly beautiful and noble being  To say that Tamaro is no exception is an understatement  Not only is he a stunning Grand Prix horse but he possesses an incredible temperament that allowed us to film take after take with two large cameras that much of the time were set up on large rigs that moved the cameras in any direction needed  He did not blink an eye  His performance over three days of filming was amazing”  Filming the Grand Prix movements individually, Lauren is now in the post-production phase creating a Musical Kur through editing and music composition  She hopes to have the finished product ready to send out as a non-narrative short film to national and international film festivals for the spring of 2010  Tamaro is a 1994 Gray Stallion from Yeguada Ayala, Spain He has had a successful Grand Prix career in the United States and achieved a Gold Medal for his rider Tonya Grant from the United States Dressage Federation Earlier this year he was featured in the LLS “Equestrian of the Year” event and is tentatively scheduled to make additional appearances for charity events this coming winter in Wellington He has been a joy and confidence-builder to amateur rider and owner Linda Cramer