JENNIE FRANKS
candid with a camera

People's creative visions are crystallized in a myriad of ways— strumming a guitar and writing poetic lyrics to its rhythms; doodling whimsical characters and coloring them with explosive colors; playing a Shakespearean character in front of an audience. These are but a few ways people tap into the right side of their brains and get in touch with their creative impulses. Being onesided isn't what it's all about, at least not for Jennie Franks, a long-time resident of Telluride. Fusing creativity with a message, a moral or educational message, is what Jennie's current artform, film making, embodies.

Jennie Franks moved to Telluride a decade ago from L.A. with her husband, Jeffrey Price, and their daughters Lucy and Sophie. Jeffrey is a screenwriter who is world-renowned for writing Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Grinch, among many others. Prior to marrying Jeffrey, Jennie was engaged in the performing arts in England . She was a professional actress frequently in the West End — London 's equivalent of New York City 's Broadway. She was a regular on the BBC's comedy show Sorry . For the majority of her life, Jennie has been immersed in the drama world. She's a showbiz gal no matter which way you slice it. Ironically, however, she's low-key, genuine and keen-visioned enough not to buy into the hype, but rather acknowledges the quintessential aspect underlying most artforms is having an aesthetic sensibility and respect for the truth. {Any works of quality should have an Aesop type tale woven into it.}

It has been rumored too, that Jennie wrote one of rock 'n' rolls most famous lyrics for one of rock 'n' rolls most famous bands—but that was another life and time ago and is neither confirmed or denied as Jennie readily admits she lives in the here and now. "I try to be true to myself and to live in the moment," she says with her Americanized English accent. Jennie lives by her ideals. "I hope my children are my greatest achievement," she says, and with that Jennie stays involved in their lives by doing what she knows and does best—theatre, film, writing— just about any and everything that has to do with performance and film production. "My first production involvement in Telluride was in '93, when I wrote, directed and produced Cinderella in Telluride , which was a Christmas show for the REP." After breaking the "glass slipper," so to speak, with her Cinderella production, Jennie got involved with one of her daughter's fourth grade projects, which ultimately turned into a short film called Telluride Lit Up Like the Fourth of July. This is when she met a woman that would be instrumental and vital to her production company, Sparky Productions.

Katie Jewett says, "I met Jennie doing a project about history in Telluride and we have been working together ever since. With my experience in motion pictures (1982-1987) and in commercials, I have helped Jennie in Sparky Productions. Jennie and I, along with Janice Gerona, are the board members and the backbone of Sparky Productions." Sparky Productions, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit company that was established in '98 with Jennie, Katie and Janice spearheading the projects. Sparky's mission is to enrich and expand the cultural experience in the community, especially geared toward young people, through video and theatre.

Their first film was Soft Smoke: AIDS in the Rural West, which examines the difficulties of those living with HIV AIDS in small towns of Colorado . Jennie claims, "Our bad choices often stem from low self-esteem." Anyone who indulges in risky behavior can put themselves in danger of getting a life-threatening disease. Soft Smoke states that an average of three people a month contract HIV AIDS or a STD (sexually transmitted disease) on the Western Slope; and these numbers are steadily growing. Soft Smoke delivers a crucial message, all should be aware of. The film is distributed throughout the country and is used as an educational tool by national and state healthcare groups.

Her next film The Ballad of Arthur Muldoon won the prestigious Celebration of Community Award at this year's MountainFilm Festival and is playing in film festivals all over the country with great success. The film comprises of a cast big enough to match Ben Hur and wild and original enough to attract a cult following. It is written in the form of an epic poem. "IN COLORADO THAT FINE STATE WHERE ALL THE RIVERS RUN CLEAR HE HOPED TO START IF IT WASN'T TOO LATE ON A PROMISING CAREER A GOLD PROSPECTOR HE WOULD BE WITH A HAMMER, PICK AND JACK, TRAVELING LIGHT AND FANCY FREE POPPING NUGGETS IN A SACK"

An albatross around America 's neck—if you will—is that Yanks focus overly much on money, material goods and work. Since Jennie has lived much of her life across the great pond, she complies to a degree with the European sentiment that American's lifestyles prioritize these things. In many ways, American's are viewed in a gluttonous light. Hence, she wrote The Ballad of Arthur Muldoon, which foretells the story of a lad who thought life was measured by riches. Through Arthur's trials and tribulations and losing his beloved mule Petal, he came to the conclusion that life should be bound by love and laughter. The simple things in life tend be the most bountiful and rich was Jennie's message in this film. Jennie's long-time Monty Python friend, Terry Jones, narrated her tale. "Rick Silverman premiered the film for MountainFilm Festival," says Jennie. "We put on a real Hollywood premiere for the kids. They all dressed up and walked down the red carpet and were interviewed on camera. Afterwards we had a premiere party, where they were treated like Hollywood stars." Over 160 local children participated in the movie. Jennie claims, "One of the great things about living in a small town is being able to experiment doing small projects that can be original because there is nobody breathing down your neck, telling you it's not commercial enough. It's been a lot of fun scooping up kids in the community, dressing them up and letting them perform. The great thing about Telluride is that when you do something for the community, people open their doors and volunteer to help. The credit list at the end of close to 300 names on the list."

To Jennie—a woman who contributes time and time again to the cultural richness of Telluride—the outdoors, skiing and hiking are her favorite things about Telluride. A great evening in Telluride is sitting around a large dining table eating a delicious meal that her husband Jeffrey has cooked for family and friends, and enjoying great conversations. Being married to a comedy writer, naturally a good sense of humor is essential in her life. It seems that Jennie's creativity spans a variety of mediums. Her next project will be entirely different from anything she has done before; but she quotes Oscar Wilde, who once said, "Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." If there is a motto Jennie lives her life by it's to "be curious, explore life safely, but with reckless abandonment, and of course, with a sense of humor." Let's hope she does, as we'd all be better off for it.