If you're looking for indicators of how well Craig Brewer's "$5 Cover" project will fare as it prepares to debut on MTV this weekend, one of the strongest happened Tuesday night at Malco's Studio on the Square.

The premiere screening of the documentary "$5 Cover Amplified" -- a benefit for the Indie Memphis Film Festival -- sold out less than an hour after tickets went on sale and a second showing had to be scheduled. For those who can't get enough of Brewer's episodic celebration of Memphis' creative spirit, this was a work of art deserving of the same respect as the main event.

Photo by Mark Weber

Brad Postlethwaite performs before the premiere of "$5 Cover Amplified" at Studio on the Square Tuesday evening. "$5 Cover Amplified" is Commercial Appeal photographer Alan Spearman's 12 short films on the musicians who appeared in Craig Brewer's "$5 Cover".

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Filmmaker Alan Spearman -- also a veteran photographer at The Commercial Appeal, which was a key sponsor of the project -- directed 12 short profiles of the musicians who play fictionalized versions of themselves in "$5 Cover." Each documentary takes an intimate look at the performer, often delving as much or more into their personal lives as their music.

For singer/songwriter Valerie June, the making of the documentary was filled with trepidation. When she first saw it, she thought, "Oh my goodness, my family is not going to like the way I spoke about them." But dealing with some unresolved issues had a healing effect and June says the documentary experience made it work. "From the beginning I felt that Alan did a great job. When he came down and sat with us at our dinner table, it brought us all together."

The other documentaries also reflected the personalities of the performers, from singer Kate Crowder's life as a mom and middle school teacher to Muck Sticky's philosophy of striking a balance in life while relishing "women, marijuana and music."

Al Kapone, we find, is concerned about his legacy as a musician, yes, but principally as a father to his son. Harlan T. Bobo, on the other hand, offered a puppet presentation on love and biology that was amusing, but revealing only in an oblique way.

Cody Dickinson, also featured in the documentary, said after the screening, "Seeing all the artists back to back like that is so potent and powerful -- my goodness, it shines a good light on all the Memphis artists." His father, legendary music producer Jim Dickinson said, "I've been doing Memphis music for more than 50 years and I've seen a lot of potentially great artists slip through the cracks. Maybe this will help some of these folks stick," he said. "We go through periods of time when Memphis music is very important in the world and I think that's ample proof we've got more time coming."

Linn Sitler, commissioner of the Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television Commission marveled at the way the project came to fruition: " '$5 Cover' is so progressive and so visionary, that The Commercial Appeal sought to sponsor the documentary." Such sponsorships combined with government assistance are conducive to profitability and economic development, she says. "We at the Film Commission along with the Tennessee Film Commission and the governor's office are all so proud to have provided incentives."

Brewer, introducing Spearman and producers Andria Lisle and John Hubbell along with editor Eileen Meyer, noted the unusual partnership with The Commercial Appeal. "It wasn't the usual form where the newspaper saw something and then reported on it," he said. "They were involved from the very beginning. Thank you for listening and thinking outside the box."

Christopher Reyes, co-founder of Live From Memphis, said: "This is the biggest thing of our generation to come out of Memphis, all these creatives working together. I can't wait til the rest of the world celebrates Memphis."

A short video from Tuesday's night's premiere can be found on YouTube.