Scene and Heard
Hotter than July – that would be an accurate statement for the world of indie film in Rhode Island right now. All of New England actually. Dramas, web series, supernatural thrillers, love stories and documentaries are all being made. More than a few interesting and talented filmmakers live and work in Rhode Island and I want to tell you about them because small films are radiating like the July sun with some big, hot talent.
Waiting
“You have to walk into places and tell them, ‘I’m Hutch. I rule. And you need me.’” This statement was made by none other than the former boss of Providence’s own Mark Hutchinson. Hutch, as he is known, has crewed on five of Richard Marr-Griffin’s films and is a former Avid editor, a video go-to guy in Boston, and a talented filmmaker. Hutch’s first film, Waiting, has hit the internet. The film centers around a couple that has become bitterly disappointed in each other and their relationship. They are at a crossroads, but have yet to realize it. The film stars Nat Sylva and Elyssa Baldassari in two very fine performances. When Hutch isn’t making films, he’s working full time as a virtual database engineer, but you can find him doing more fun things like DJ’ing on the first Thursday of the month at E&O Tap and the 3rd Thursday of the month at Trinity Brewhouse, putting on metal/punk/oi/ska shows with The Gentlemen Soundsystem. This dude also likes to make hip-hop music in his basement and he contributes to New Noise Magazine. I’m looking forward to more of Hutch’s work on paper, in film or with the turntables. He’s a well-rounded, truly talented gent. Please check out his film Waiting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LzFZ_BecJg. I give this one a thumbs up.
News from Newport!
Newportant Studios, in association with Ship to Shore Media and with cooperation from Aquidneck Media, is pleased to announce the world premiere of the first Newport RI: The Series original song and music video. The series that is inspired by William Heydt’s art and his “Newportant People Series” finished the pilot episode and is in post-production with the music video “Paint Your Picture,” with music by John Monllos, vocals by John “Papa” Cunha and lyrics by Jeremy Harple and Tom C. Erb.
The world premiere will take place on August 1, the closing night of the Newport County Arts and Cultural Alliance Bridgefest event, with a live performance by the composer John Monllos at Queen Anne Square at 8:15 pm followed by the premiere of the long-awaited music video at Seaman’s Institute on Bowen’s Wharf.
Newport RI: The Series, coming in 2013, will bring to life the paintings of world-renowned, local artist William Heydt who has produced hundreds of watercolor paintings of the local people and landscapes of Newport. The series pilot has many local and Rhode Island actors including Tom C. Erb, Michael Healy, J. Daniel Knerr, Richard Hatch, Louie Stravato, Ellen Becker Gray, Kristin Gorman and Ken Goyette. For more information contact Tom C. Erb at 401-207-4812 or email [email protected]
Pizza Pizza!! Nope, that’s Pizzer Pizzer. Yep, “Pizzer Makers.” This is that wacky web series created by actor, writer, director and radio DJ, Chris Palermo, and starring Robert ( Bob) DiCicco, former East Greenwich resident, Frankie Imbergamo, and Chris himself. The story centers around Frankie (Imbergamo) and Louie ( DiCicco) at Frankie and Lou’s Pizza Palace, which happens to be a front for a mob operation run by Tony, (played by Chris Palermo, who grew up in the pizza biz). Well, let me tell you – deez guyz ain’t foolin’ around. We all had lunch together at Joe’s in Dedham, and I fit right in with them as all of our last names end in “O” ( except for my sidekick that day, Pat O’Hara. She may be Irish, but she fit in anyway). Between the three of them, they‘ve got some history in the film biz. All three are union actors, and Palermo has been in radio and voiceover for 20 years. He’s now at the helm of his own radio show. He’s casting roles for the “Pizzer Makers” series, and is involved in a short film that he is writing and directing. Imbergamo has 33 films under his belt, including The Heat, GU2, American RIPD, and American Hustle, which just came through Boston, among others. DiCicco works in films, but the love of his life is music. He has performed in a variety of musicals including, Anything Goes, Mame and Company. Bob spent the last 10 years pursuing work in movies, and had the pleasure of working on such films as Mystic River, 21, What’s Your Number, Knight and Day and his most recent, God Only Knows with Harvey Keitel. His latest film, Conned is out on DVD and can be ordered through Amazon.com or BestBuy.com and can be seen on NetFlix. Like I said, deez tree guyz got it goin’ on. The series also stars Laura Pizzutti as Danni and Kathryn Shasha as the bartender. Connect with Pizzer Makers online at www.youtube.com/pizzermakers, www.twitter.com/pizzermakers or www.facebook.com/pizzermakers
Hollywood East Actors Group
Hollywood East Actors Group had its first networking event on Friday, June 21, and it was a huge success. The brainchild of actor, host and producer Erica Derrickson, this group now exceeds 2,500 members. She planned this party with partner Ben Maitland-Lewis at NAGA in Cambridge, and let me tell you, folks, this was a smashing success! There were raffles, interviews by casting director Jodi Purdy, A-list actors on board, directors, and filmmakers of every sort. I ran into so many people there that the time flew by before I had a chance to reach everyone. HEA, as we actors call it in the Northeast, is a veritable treasure trove of insights, education, workshops, helpful advice, networking, and best of all, new friends! The community is very welcoming and encourages members to give advice as well as seek it, and to pay it forward to fellow actors. Erica is a fine example of this philosophy, having produced her own how-to videos, organized meetings of union and non-union folks, encouraged actors to grow and learn as much as they can, hosted workshops and seminars of industry professionals and produced magazine articles on professional actors and crew. She even has become one of Boston’s premier photographers, as she can produce some of the finest headshots around. A social media guru and networker extraordinaire, she has become extremely well-known throughout Hollywood East both for her give-back positive attitude and her acting abilities. Learn more about Erica at www.ericadactress.com and www.ericaseye.com. And if you’re not a member of HEA already, check it out and follow HEA online here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hollywoodeastactors/. Go here to see pics of HEA’S first networking event http://bit.ly/HEAgroup or follow our girl Erica on Twitter @EricaDactress and do join the conversation by using #HEA. There’s no better place to be if you‘re in the film biz in New England.
Lungs
This is one web series I am looking forward to. Angelwood Pictures will premiere a new web series titled “Lungs” in December 2013 with Kimberly Mae in the lead. The series is about a woman who walks the Hope Trail, which goes from Westerly to Manhattan, to find herself again after being lost within her chaotic life. Created by Seth Chitwood, this will be his fifth web series. More news to come at www.angelwoodpictures.com.
In Memory of You
Bryan Casey of BC Films Releases has just wrapped his film called In Memory of You. The film is about a young woman who returns to a special place from her childhood and reminisces about the single father she lost to cancer, who she honors by keeping a family tradition alive. Chris Esper served as the DP and the film stars Ali Robins, Talli Clemons and my NE Kids Actors Group member, Tovah Duffaut. We look forward to the release of this film and will keep you updated.
As always, please join Nick Iandolo and me for the latest episode of “Take Two.” Next, we will review Martha Marcy May Marlene, which is about a young woman who is held captive by a cult, and eventually finds her way back into society. But what is real and what is paranoia? You’ll have to watch it and see.
That’s it for now, folks. Remember, film is rolling.
Mawwage Is What Bwings Us Togeva Today
It’s wedding season, folks, and what better way to get pumped for it than to take a look back at some cinematic classics involving the fine institution of marriage?
Here’s the thing: most movies about weddings suck. Try as they might by packing them full of stars (i.e., The Big Wedding; this time, De Niro, I am talking to you. How far will you sink?) or by following a played-out, once popular formula (the father can’t handle it, she’s marrying the wrong guy, or both), they all still suck.
Maybe it’s me. I hate weddings. There’s always been something sickening about lavish, costly parties filled with miserable, gossiping people. Most folks are there to get a free meal and hopefully an open bar, not to join in the celebration of a blessed union.
That being said, my wedding was awesome. My wife, a brilliant wedding photographer, and I created a unique, rustic experience. She reads these articles. Did I mention my wedding was awesome?
There are actually some mainstream films that include weddings, or at least threats of them, that aren’t all that bad. There’s Steel Magnolias, no doubt the inspiration for Barbershop, Barbershop 2: Back in Business, and of course, Beauty Shop. It really is like a lifetime movie for most of the film (albeit sans Steve Guttenberg) though Tom Skerritt saves it from being such in an hilarious turn as the bird-killing, gun-toting father.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the highest grossing wedding movie of all time. A winning formula really. Take a one-woman show, add her crazy Greek family, and then equal parts former boy band member and “Northern Exposure” hunk (and Applebee’s voiceover man) and there you have it. Seriously though, this is a cute little film. Made for $5 million, it grossed over $241 million, paving the way, in a sense, for other independent films to be picked up and released by major studios.
High Society was Grace Kelley’s last film before moving to Monaco and crushing my dreams of a Mrs. Robinson-style affair. In the film she plays a wealthy Newport, Rhode Island, socialite who falls into a love square. That’s right – not triangle, square. Three men are vying for her attention: her ex-husband (Bing Crosby), the man she’s supposed to marry (John Lund) and the tabloid reporter (Frank Sinatra) sent to uncover some dirt about her old man. It’s a fun, musical version of The Philadelphia Story and definitely worth a look.
If you don’t like The Princess Bride, I don’t like you.
Beetlejuice, while certainly not a wedding movie, does contain a wedding – a prearranged one that is both terrifying and fun. The Maitlands (Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis) get exorcised and begin to decay in their wedding garb. Lydia, typically played by Winona Ryder, summons the title character (the awesome Michael Keaton) and agrees to marry him to save her new ghost friends. It really becomes a carnival of the grotesque as sculptures come alive, a creepy preacher appears, and Mr. Juice performs a tap dance duet with a set of chattering teeth. It is pure, old Tim Burton: darkly funny but without Johnny Depp playing a caricature of a character he played successfully in one movie once.
Probably the most iconic wedding scene of any movie has to be from The Graduate. Benjamin decides, most likely out of guilt, to marry the daughter of the woman he’s been schtupping all summer, but she don’t wanna marry him. Elaine Robinson wants to marry some other dude, or not. It’s all very 70s. Either way, Benjamin makes it to the wedding just in time to passionately bang on the window yelling “Attica!” or some shit and then, after a fight with the mayor from Jaws, he and Elaine run away together.
Anyway, here are some lesser known wedding movies that are worth checking out:
Emir Kusturica’s Underground is fucking brilliant. During the opening sequence a marching band, which later becomes the wedding band, tries to keep up with a carriage carrying two drunken guys, one of whom throws money in the air while the other randomly fires a gun at them. This film is a true epic – maniacal and wonderful with multiple wedding sequences with singing, dancing, drinking and eating – all framed as a satire of war, World and Civil, in Yugoslavia.
Robert Altman’s A Wedding is another satire, this time on the rituals of American weddings. This is classic Altman with a huge ensemble cast (Amy Stryker, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Carol Burnett, Geraldine Chaplin, Mia Farrow, Lillian Gish, Viveca Lindfors, and Lauren Hutton), multiple plot lines and seemingly ad libbed dialogue. There’s dark comedy here as usual, too. In the opening scenes, a senile bishop forgets the lines to the wedding ceremony and the groom’s grandmother drops dead in an upstairs bedroom. That’s comedy.
After the Wedding (2006), directed by Susanne Bier, stars Mads Mikkelsen as the manager of an Indian orphanage trying to keep the place afloat. In order to receive financing, he must return to his hometown in Denmark and personally meet the CEO of the Danish corporation that is promising the money. For some reason he gets invited to a wedding where the plot thickens, so to speak. What follows are many twists and revelations of familial proportions.
Speaking of the Danish, Lars von Trier is known for creating films that “should be like a stone in your shoe,” to quote the man himself. And most of them are. There isn’t necessarily a genre or style to peg Von Trier to, though his films are unified in the fact that they successfully make the audience uncomfortable. From unsimulated sex scenes to graphic hangings, his films exist on the edge. His 2011 film Melancholia is no different. Part of the “Depression Trilogy,” along with Antichrist and Nymphomaniac, Melancholia is an apocalyptic melodrama looking deeply at how people react during times of impending tragedy. The film takes place during and after the wedding of one of the two sisters we follow through the narrative, while the news of a rogue planet crashing into Earth threatens their existence.
Sisters and marriage you say? Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married has that, along with depression and drug abuse. Anne Hathaway plays Kym, the depressed recovering drug addict, who leaves rehab to attend her sister Rachel’s wedding. The dysfunction of family rears its ugly head as we realize that Kym isn’t the only family member who’s fucked up. Everyone’s got their baggage. The film is honest and real, something we see rarely in Hollywood.
Finally, perhaps the greatest, most beautiful and star-studded movie wedding appears in The Muppets Take Manhattan. Every Muppet, including the Sesame Street crew, is there to witness the Frog and Pig finally getting hitched after so many years of living in unmarried sin. It’s just perfect. code: bridal-2013
Scene and Heard
Swoon in June?
If it’s up to the boys at Scorpio Film releasing, you will. Multiple award winning film director, Richard Griffin of Pawtucket, RI, is well-known for his internationally distributed feature films in the horror genre. However, Griffin has been inspired once more by his love of William Shakespeare’s stories. Griffin is in pre-production for his screen adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Scorpio Film Releasing’s 15th feature film.
“Earlier in my filmmaking career, I did a number of Shakespearian films,” says Griffin. “It’s only now that I’ve been drawn back to that influence.” Griffin’s adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy, is a return to the classics for Scorpio Film Releasing after a 12- year hiatus. Ted Marr will produce.
Midsummer will begin its production shoot in September 2013. “We have a powerhouse of actors lined up,” says Griffin. The players include Elyssa Baldassarri, Patrick Keefe, Nat Sylva, Shannon Hartman, Ryan Hanley, Rich Tretheway, Michael Thurber, Christopher Ferreira, Erin Olson, Kevin Killavey, Jesse Dufault, Johnny Sederquist, and many more.
Scorpio Film Releasing creates works that are highly imaginative and often anarchistic. The project will be cast, filmed and edited almost completely in Rhode Island.
Griffin and Marr set up an indiegogo.com fundraising account at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-midsummers-night-s-dream-the-movie. Their goal of $25,000 will help to cover pre-production, production and post-production costs. Donating also will allow Scorpio to continue giving many people their first shot at their dream of working in a motion picture – not only cast members, but also the hard-working and dedicated crew.
For more information about Scorpio Film Releasing, please visit www.scorpiofilmreleasing.com. Check out their FB page at: https://www.facebook.com/AMidsummerNightsDreamTheMovie?fref=ts
Provoked The team behind the feature-length independent horror film Provoked is excited to announce the launch of their official website, ProvokedFilm.com
ProvokedFilm.com went live early this week and has been met with nothing but compliments . The site’s designer, Paul Flebotte, spent countless hours building this site. In the site, Paul (who is also an executive producer on Provoked) created a Provoked community where members who sign up (free of charge) have the opportunity to communicate with the film’s cast and crew.
When asked about the website, Provoked director Jordan Pacheco said, “The site is beyond my expectations. It’s talent and dedication like Paul’s that will bring this film to the next level.”
Provoked producer David Langill worked with Paul a few years ago and is beyond thrilled that Paul and he get to work together again.
Visit ProvokedFilm.com to view pages full of exciting content, and enter to win your chance to receive two tickets to the premiere screening of Provoked.
Provoked follows a group of amateur investigators who, despite investigating for months, have never found any proof of the paranormal. During the group’s most recent investigation, like many times before, they come up empty. At this point, team member Matt (played by Chris O’Reilly), losing faith in the existence of the paranormal, performs risky attempts to provoke the spirits. At first, Matt’s taunts appear to go unanswered but while on his way home, the investigating equipment starts to register at its highest level. The spirit answered Matt’s taunts and followed him home. Terror quickly escalates for Matt, and his girlfriend, Jamie, (played by Nicole LaSala) who attempts to defend his house from the ghostly intruder.
We’ll keep you updated on the premiere and what’s next for Langill and Pacheco and the rest of Team Provoked – stay tuned!
Angelwood Pictures
He’s at it again. Seth Chitwood of Angelwood Pictures never stops. I’ve worked with him in one short, The Women of Harry, due out in July, and currently “Red Circles: The Final Season,” and I still don’t know how he does it. Right now, he’s in production for Season Two of the web series “Family Problems.” Marie Brandt, Alex Pires, Paula Delatte, Sean McPherson, Lorrie Bacon, Michael Thurber, Scott Shekerow, Jen Lynn, Lisa Coleman, Alexander Hauk, Evan Clinton, and Susan Waletkus joined the cast. Wendy Hartman (Detective Ellison) joined the cast at the end of Season One. “Family Problems” is about a family covering up a murder and stars Theresa Chiasson, Peter Morse, and Natasha Hatalsky. The second season has yet to announce a premiere date. www.angelwoodpictures.com/familyproblems
“Red Circles: The Final Season” also started production. Nicholas Dimaio, who plays partner to my Detective Gretchen Lewis, recently joined the cast as Detective Walker. Eilis Quinn was also announced to be the new Officer Penny Jones (replacing Season Three’s Thais Vieira). The series premieres October 13, 2013, at 9 pm EST. www.redcircles.ws
The web series “World’s Worst Director” will air the season finale on Sunday, June 30, 2013, at 8 pm EST. The series will return for a third season in March 2014. Seth Chitwood (Moses), Mary C. Ferrara (Katie), and Erica Derrickson (Penny) plan to return along with most of the cast for the next season. Catch new episodes every Sunday at 8 pm EST. www.worldsworstdirector.com
Angelwood Pictures also started production for the short A Single Intervention. Casting has begun for the ensemble piece about a family and friends who throw an intervention for Charlie, a single gay guy who needs to get a date and stop complaining about being single! Johnny Sederquist will play Charlie. Paul Kandarian and Jeanne Lohnes will also co-star. Lorrie Bacon and Pat O’Hara have also been cast. If you want to submit for a role, e-mail [email protected]. Looking for all types. The series will be filmed in August and premiere in December 2013.
If all that is not enough, Angelwood Pictures announced a new web series called “Lungs,” starring Kimberly Mae, Dave Sackal, and Ellen Levenson. “Lungs” is about a woman (Mae) who hopes to find meaning in her life by walking on a trail that runs from Westerly, Rhode Island, to Manhattan, New York. She meets Daniel (Sackal) and Saree (Levenson) while on her journey. The series will air a 10- episode first season on Sundays at 8 pm EST in December. www.angelwoodpictures.com/lungs
To the Edge
Recently, I had the pleasure of appearing on a TV show called “To the Edge” with another guest, Seth Chitwood. This show pays homage to indie filmmakers and their projects, along with the local talent that appears in these projects. The show’s host, Roland Khorshidianzadeh and his sidekick Mike Messier interviewed us about “Red Circles” and other upcoming projects, including that fabulous publication Motif Magazine.
In 2011, Roland began producing “To the Edge” for BTV Access Corporation. At first, the series focused on pop culture and current events and he was not the host. In 2012, he radically changed the series and after guest-starring on an episode, Mike Messier, an independent filmmaker, became the co-host, and Roland then jumped in front of the camera and became the host. From there, “To the Edge” began to focus on spotlighting independent films, web series, publications and the film industry in general. This is when the series found its niche, and because of “To the Edge,” he has become involved in independent films projects as well.
Episodes of “To the Edge” can be found on the BTV website and on YouTube. With an online presence, “To the Edge” can raise awareness and bring exposure to independent projects throughout New England. It gives the audience an appreciation of what it takes to put together a production and all the effort that goes into it. Thanks, Roland. This is a great service to indie filmmakers and we love you for it!
48 Hour Film Project
Two, four, six, eight, who do we appreciate? 48! 48 Hour Film Project that is. Yes, I know this was quite possibly the corniest opening to anything I’ve ever written here, but it rhymed. I just had to. With that piece of prose out of the way, many film folks in New England have just gotten over the Boston 48 and the New Hampshire 48. Guess who’s next?
That would be our fair city of Providence. I did my first one last summer and have not looked back since. It’s what got me back into acting! We had a blast, and we’re gearing up for another one on the weekend of July 12. I’ve joined Laura Pepper’s team again, and who knows what wacky farce she will pen this time? Last weekend Pepper was at it again with team member Jennifer Scharf and cutie pie Deirdre Robins from the NE Kids Actors Group. They headed up to NH for a wild weekend of furious filmmaking, and we are awaiting the results of that particular 48 project with bated breath. Bravo Laura Pepper for taking on all five 48s in the New England area!
HEA
Okay folks – if you haven’t heard of HEA and you’re in the film biz in New England, then you’re not in the film biz. Hollywood East Actors group, otherwise known as HEA, is a multi-layered group that facilitates the networking, connections, projects and talent from all over New England. It originates on Facebook and is the brainchild of Erica Derrickson, a talented actress, host, photographer, producer and cheerleader extraordinaire. HEA is having its first Meet and Greet on June 21 at NAGA in Cambridge, MA. I’m hosting this shindig with Erica and Cailey Kilpatrick, and we want to see you there. Seriously guys, I’ve never seen a group more helpful than this one – for actors, singers, musicians, directors, writers, you name it. I even run a spin-off group called the New England Kids’ Actors group with Natasha Colonero. Come to the event, and I guarantee you will walk away with all or some of these things – friends, connections, new projects, alliances and inspiration! You can’t beat this group on Facebook for information on how to, where to, who to, what to, and why. I’ve made great friends here and worked with some of the finest talent New England has to offer. Be there or be square – Cambridge Square that is – and head over to NAGA on June 21 from 6:30 pm to 10pm. I’m sure you can hang out and party longer if you wish! Please visit the page here for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/656037554423251/
As always, stay tuned for Nick Iandolo and me on the next episode of “Take Two” as we review a chick flick – probably a really sappy one. (Sorry Nick, gotta get you back for Star Trek Into Darkness).
Remember folks, film is rolling.
This One Time, at Film Camp
Why would you go on some long, expensive vacation this summer where all you do is stand in line and get treated like crap by bleach-blonde nerf herders with a semester of community college under their belt and more acne than brains? You shouldn’t! Nor should you ship your spawn off to any number of Walmart-sponsored day camps chaperoned by slack-jawed yokels and creepy Mister Rogers look-a-likes where they will be forced to swim in bodies of urine-tainted water and probably catch lice. Sleep-away camps are no better. Your kids will just smoke pot and imbibe copious amounts of four loko only to be chopped in half by a masked killer while trying to lose their virginity. If you really want your summer camp fix, just watch Meatballs, Earnest Goes to Camp, or Camp Nowhere and save yourself a whole mess of aggravation. Or better yet, send the little scamp over to one (or all) of these excellent film and art programs happening all over Rhode Island this summer. These are professionally run, quality programs where kids and teens can learn filmmaking, cooking, dance and many other fun and educational arts-related skills.
Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education offers many classes and certificate programs for kids and teens throughout the summer, including classes in animation, digital video production, and a Young Artist Program where artists ages 7 and up participate in printmaking, claymation, ceramic sculpture and more. Where: RISD campus Providence When: Classes begin June 10 Contact: ce.risd.edu
KidsEye™ Summer Camp with Rhode Island International Film Festival (RIIFF) is in its 15th year! KidsEye is an intensive and fun five-day summer camp held at the University of Rhode Island that exposes young people to the basic elements of the filmmaking process, culminating in a premiere screening of their finished work. Where: URI Kingston campus When: July 8 – 12 Contact: film-festival.org/kidseye.php
RIIFF offers another wonderful teen summer film opportunity for high school juniors and seniors, including those who just graduated. The youth film jury is a program where students will attend multiple screenings, Q&As and other events during the Rhode Island International Film Festival. It’s not a class, but it is a great way to get young filmmakers involved in critique and discussion. Where: Multiple locations throughout RI When: August 6 – 11 Contact: film-festival.org/YouthJuryProgram2013.php
URI, Adoption RI and First Star is having the First Star URI Academy for Foster Youth where students entering 9th grade will get full on-campus immersion with a month of academic classes, including media and communication, video game design, web design and videography. Students will receive college credits and have fun learning many different skills such as martial arts, cooking, yoga and painting. Where: URI Kingston campus When: July 1 – August 3 Contact: Matthew Buchanan: 401-865-6000; firststar.org
VSA Arts Rhode Island is also premiering “Adventures in Video Game Design” with Central Falls Expanded Learning where Central Falls students in grades 7 through 10 will work with a digital media artist and learn how to use computers and digital tools to create their own video game. No prior experience is necessary. Where: Central Falls When: July 8 – August 14; Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30 – 3 pm Contact: Jeannine Chartier , VSA arts RI Director 401-725-0247; [email protected] Andrea Summers, Central Falls School District 401-727-7726 x 21030; [email protected]
Hendricken High School will put on a summer camp for boys and girls ages 12 to 16. Programs include New Artist Writer’s Workshop, where students will learn the fundamentals of playwriting or screenwriting through practical demonstrations, guest lectures and hands-on exercises, and Summer Screen, a week-long camp in filmmaking where students will write, produce, edit and star in their own short films. Hendriken’s summer program will also offer Showchoir and Stage workshops. Where: Hendricken campus Warwick When: July 1 – August 16 Contact: Richard Silva, Director of Arts: [email protected]
Everett Company’s Summer Arts Program includes film as well as dance and theater. Students will work with professional artists in intense and fun classes, including filmmaking, acting, hip-hop and creative dancing. Students must be at least 10 years old to participate. Where: 9 Duncan Ave Providence When: Session one is July 15 – August 2 and Session 2 runs from August 5 – August 23 Contact: 401-831-9479 or [email protected] This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are many more educational and fun programs for you and your brood to get involved with this summer all over New England Do it!
Scene & Heard
June is a month for events! Present, twist, animate! Check it out below, and make sure you get involved – it’s gonna be good. 2013 Pell Awards Trinity Repertory Company announced recently that screen and television actor John Krasinski will be honored with the 2013 Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts. Krasinski is a Massachusetts native, known for his work on NBC’s hit comedy “The Office,” and the recent film Promised Land with Matt Damon. Krasinski will be honored alongside recently announced Honorees Kate Burton (Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts), Tony Estrella (Rhode Island Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts), Joseph A. Chazan, M.D. (Pell Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Arts), and Martha Douglas-Osmundson (Charles Sullivan Award for Distinguished Service in the Arts). The 17th annual Pell Awards will be held on Monday, June 10, 2013, at 7 pm at Trinity Repertory Company with a cocktail reception to follow next door from 8 – 10 pm at the Grand Hall in the Providence Public Library. Before the ceremony, a VIP reception will be held at 6 pm in the Ship Room, Providence Public Library, 225 Washington Street, Providence. Tickets for the full event, including the VIP reception cost $500. Tickets for the ceremony and post-show reception cost $250. Keep in mind that ticket availability is limited. Corporate sponsorships are also available. For more information, visit trinityrep.com or call 401- 453-9237. Twistflix Twistflix? Does it bear any resemblance to that other company with the “flix” in it? Why yes! Read on and find out why it’s gonna be good for all you indie film makers out there (and actors, directors, writers and anyone else in the film biz). Boston native Joel Greenberg graduated from Emerson College and currently resides in the Los Angeles, CA, area. During his career, he has directed two feature films and produced four. His films touch upon many genres from drama to thriller to comedy and horror. But, it’s his latest venture put a halt to his filmmaking career so he could help other filmmakers all over the world. Greenberg is the founder and creator of Twistflix. After being offered several so-called “deals” from Hollywood-based companies to distribute his own works, Greenberg soon realized that the offers Hollywood had to present him were – in his words – “disgusting … bogus … all for them, nothing for me. Nobody cared that I had name talent in my film. Nobody cared that I shot my film on the red camera. No one cared about anything that filmmakers always think will help them land their big deal. Bottom line is that I made all these movies, and I have no way to show anyone what I’ve made, unless I print a large number of DVDs and sell them myself, which really is a huge risk and most likely, financially, a losing battle,” Greenberg said. Thus, Twistflix was born. Greenberg moved to Los Angeles in search of the right people who could help him make his vision come alive. Having the bandwidth to be able to do this was just one obstacle he had to overcome, but after about nine months in LA and a ton of meetings, he found his team to help create his vision to make Twistflix a home for independent films, where anyone could see the trailers and subscribers to the network could watch all the available features and shorts. Greenberg said he believes that all quality films are someone’s baby, and as long as they don’t look like or sound like they were made by a second grader with a camcorder, they all deserve a home. And that is the mission of Twistflix – to be THE home for indie films. The site is fully functional, but Greenberg says it’s only in its infancy, and new content is constantly being added. Filmmakers can submit their work directly to the site through the link on the bottom of the homepage (www.twistflix.com). The site offers a unique compensation plan where the film content contributors own a piece of the site’s revenue and are paid by subscriptions. The more subscribers the site gets, the more each filmmaker makes. Greenberg recently was contacted by some music writers and producers who are behind many of the pop songs you hear on the radio. They ended up writing “The Twistflix Song,” which was recorded by an up-and-coming singer they are currently developing, and it is due to be released this summer. That in itself, Greenberg says, will be a huge marketing push for the company. He also created a coded coupon system that will allow anyone the opportunity to make some extra money. “Anyone can do this,” he said. “A restaurant owner, a police officer, a teacher… anyone who comes into contact with people will be great for this!” With the coded coupons, you simply hand them out and tell people about the great indie films Twistflix offers. When someone goes to the site, enters your coupon code into the computer, and subscribes to Twistflix, you get paid a commission. The customer has the incentive to enter your code because when they do so, they get free subscription months. And the codes are tracked so that Twistflix knows exactly who to credit for the sale and pay. Greenberg will be in Boston on June 13 for a Twistflix Dinner Presentation night. For more info, e-mail Greenburg at [email protected] or check out the event on Facebook at facebook.com/events/135542643303372. I am Woman – Hear Me Roar! And, Hear Me Create! Animate! The 2013 edition of Womanimation!, now in its fifth year, comes to the Cable Car Cinema and Café in Providence on Sunday, June 22. Toni Pennacchia, Creative Director of MergingArts Productions, explains the festival concept. “As the name implies, the festival is a celebration of women in animation, presenting acclaimed animated short film stories created by women from around the world.” With a vivid mix of styles and techniques – from oil on painting to ink on paper to stop motion – the festival presents whimsical tales of coming of age, kinship, love and loss, nostalgia and journeys into the unknown. It’s a spirited blend of narrative and emotion, both with and without dialogue. Pennacchia elaborates, “We want to both entertain and challenge the audience, regardless of what films we’re showing. Animation is naturally sort of an experimental style, but these women are really engaging storytellers offering a unique perspective. On the other hand, it’s not agenda-driven. The films are more personal than political.” The diverse stories in the program include: Isabel Herguera’s Bajo La Almohada, from Spain, a bittersweet animated documentary made with voices and drawings from a group of children who live in a clinic in India showing the treasures and dreams the children keep hidden under their pillows. Bao, from Sandra Desmazières, a French animated short about a boy and his sister who take the train every day and always have a fabulous adventure. But today will be their final journey together. The Other Side, by Jing Li, a surreal Chinese anime-style tale about unawareness of one’s own identity transitioning to the awakening of a stronger ego. The German animated short, Keller Kind, from Julia Ocker, a Bergmanesque tale where after a woman gives birth to a child, she hides him in the basement. In Vino Veritas, by Czech animator Aneta Zabkova, a wry look at a woman preparing for a reunion with her girlfriends after 25 years, when everything seeming to go wrong. Screenings take place throughout the day on Saturday, June 22, along with DJ Madame B spinning tunes from women around the world in a pre-show set prior to the screenings. Screening times are at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 pm, and festival organizers will be in attendance to introduce the program. Due to some mature content and themes of the films, the program is recommended for ages 14 and up. MergingArts Productions is an organization dedicated to cultural programming encompassing film, music and media, reaching out to communities both locally and globally. For more information, contact Toni Pennacchia, Creative Director of MergingArts Productions, [email protected], 401-359-2576. As always, stay tuned for more film news and Motif’s film review show called “Take Two” starring Nick Iandolo and me. I get to pick the next one, folks, so look out Nick – this won’t be a sci-fi flick! That’s all for now, folks. Film is rolling.
Take Two: Into Darkness An Opportunity to Support “These Three Words”
These three words — nope, not “I love you.” These three words happen to be more along the lines of something more unpleasant, and terribly frightening. They are, “You have cancer.”
These Three Words is also a film exploring how the heart and soul are changed when a life threatening disease takes over.
The film will feature five individuals in various stages of brain cancer, facing the medical and emotional repercussions of diagnosis, including the all too real human will to survive and the challenges of research, clinical trials and insurance, all from some surprising perspectives.
“There is no better time to educate the world about brain cancer. Coming at the end of Brain Cancer Awareness Month, this is a fitting time to celebrate the research, the doctors and clinicians who help those with this deadly disease,” says Executive Producer Paul A. Roselli, who will lead the production team.
The Rhode Island Film Collaborative (RIFC) will act as the fiscal sponsor for the film. Donations to the film are made to the RIFC. Those funds are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by IRS rules and regulations.
These Three Words, LLC in association with the Rok Bar ‘N’ Grill will also hold a fundraising event and celebration to support the film. The evening will feature a clip from the movie and an original song produced and performed by brain cancer survivor Ace Diamond and Amber Betz.
Rok Bar ‘N’ Grill owner Brandon Sweet will provide the venue and food for this event. “We care deeply about the impact this disease has on the individuals and their families. We are honored to do our part,” says owner Sweet.
A buffet featuring vegetarian and vegan foods will be among the offerings. A cash bar and valet parking also will be available. The restaurant is handicap accessible for wheelchairs. So, save the date! It’s Tuesday, June 4, 2013, Rok Bar and Grill, 11 Main Street East Greenwich, RI. The event runs from 4:30 – 9 pm. For more information, contact Paul A. Roselli at (401) 447-1560 or [email protected]
Admission is $20 per individual or $35 per couple.
Rhode Island Film Warriors Fight the Good Fight
Read the full version of this article here.
There’s a 3 pm crew call, but don’t let that fool you – it’s gonna be a long, long day (night actually). For Rhode Island film warriors Anthony Ambrosino (1st Assistant Director or AD), Nicholas Delmenico (2nd AD) and Mark Greene (2nd, 2nd AD) it’s par for the course. These guys from Pawtucket’s The 989 Project production company know what it’s like to roll up their sleeves and get in the filmmaking trenches.
Today, an unusual Saturday shoot, they’re working on a SAG ultra low budget independent feature titled Mary Loss of Soul (MLoS), a supernatural thriller about a young girl who loses part of her soul, directed by Jennifer B. White.
Anthony had to call a Saturday shoot to get the production back on schedule after being rained out earlier in the week. “When you’re on a tight budget production, every second counts. And if that means we have to add another day, then so be it. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting the film done,” he tells me.
While Anthony works hard to run the set and keep the production on track, Nick works equally hard in the production office, managing the schedules and the call sheets, and making sure that the next day is totally ready to go.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Mark ensures that what’s supposed to happen next actually happens.
It was a long and exhausting 13-hour day for the cast and crew of MLoS, but these Rhode Island film warriors will be back on Monday, bright and ridiculously early, to do it all over again.
Scene and Heard
It’s an a-MAY-zing month for the film industry – actually an amazing time in general for the local film world, especially indie film. There’s so much going on that I have to take a deep breath and really think about what I want to tell you first. The process of talking with people, visiting sets and interacting with these visionaries is exhilarating (and exhausting!). Rhode Island is a hotbed of activity of right now. Never thought that about Little Rhody? Well think again – we’ve got everything from soup to nuts here – and what an inimitable smorgasbord in between.
Soup, nuts … and apples? Remember the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”? Good, because you’re about to get a serving of those sweet, delicious fruits in a documentary designed to educate you about their origins in RI, from sunny orchards to right there in your retro lunch box. For the past several years, Americans have been turning away from highly processed foods in favor of fresh whole foods picked when they are ripe, tasty and at peak nutritional value. Informed consumers are buying produce from farmers markets and local produce stands, and availing themselves of seasonal pick-your-own opportunities.
Vanishing Orchards: Apple Growing in Rhode Island tells the story of how Rhode Island farmers continue to succeed in a business that is inherently risky and fraught with economic uncertainty. Growers have to balance the traditional approaches that were handed down to them from their parents and grandparents with the realities of today’s business climate. The film follows apple growers over a 10-year period to show how this historically significant way of life in Rhode Island, which seemed on the brink of extinction, has managed to survive. Watch as Rhode Island farmers respond to changing technology and markets with resourceful adaptation. Get your sneak peek of the story about the apple in Rhode Island at the Jane Pickens Theatre in Newport, Rhode Island, on May 23, 2013. See the trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBo0_P6-1mw. Doors open at 6:30 pm, the film is at 7:30 pm, and there is a Q&A after the film. Contact producer, Alex Caserta, at [email protected] or 401-943-5228, or the director, Rocco Michaluk at [email protected]. For more information, visit their website at vanishingorchards.org.
Hmm … apples and now baseball? Is this an Americana edition of Scene and Heard? Nope, it’s RI’s documentary about that lovable pastime we call baseball. The Balls to Prove It is a documentary film about a baseball fanatic who catches piles of foul balls. Eric Sutcliffe’s deep and unquenchable life-long love of baseball and his uncanny ability to predict where a foul ball will be hit garnered him a haul of 224 balls last year while attending a mere 32 games at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. You do the math! This is a rare treat for anyone passionate about our national pastime, and even baseball haters will enjoy this film about a real guy with an simple passion taken to a level of analysis and fandom unseen before! The film is scheduled to premier after a game at McCoy Stadium this summer, and we’ll let you know exactly when to go see it. Meanwhile catch the trailer here: vimeo.com/59858349. The film was produced by Muriel Productions, LLC, Dan Becker and Murray Scott, and stars Eric Sutcliffe. The music in the film is provided by Torn Shorts, that awesome band that just won the WBRU 2013 Rock Hunt!! Congrats guys, you deserve it.
Clamcakes, chowder and film? YES! Well, I for one can’t think of a better combo than that. Films, food and fun is to be had at Rhode Island’s first South County Film Festival. Films from all over the world in all genres will be served up by founders of the festival, Ann Mulhall, Skip Shea and William Smyth. Mulhall is a well-known casting director and owner of LDI, and has been casting both principal and background performers for feature films, independent films, television, corporate video and commercials for the past 11 years. Shea is an award-winning, well-known talented filmmaker, writer, director, artist and actor from Uxbridge, MA, and has just taken first place for Microcinema in the Jersey Gore Film Festival, Best New England Film at the Mass Indie Film Festival for Choices, and Audience Award for best Regional Short for Children of the Asylum. Smyth is also a seven-time Emmy award-winning filmmaker and photographer, with over 15 years of experience in television production. His work has appeared on Discovery Health, The Hallmark Channel, MTV and TV Nation. He also shot the critically acclaimed horror-short Microcinema for director Skip Shea.
FILMMAKERS – deadline for entry is June 15, 2013. Join the filmmakers and the film aficionados after the last screenings for a traditional RI style clambake. Yum! Can’t think of a better way to spend the evening. All info is available here for both filmmakers and attendees: www.so-coriff.com. Hope to see you there!
Okay people – you all know the 48 Hour Film Projects are all over the universe right now. Boston just had theirs (saw some hilarious RIers/Bostonians in those) and now it’s Providence’s turn. I’ve done it with Peppered Productions, and last year it was a blast. This year, the 48 runs from July 12 through 14. For those of you who don’t know what a 48 is, beware. Participants receive their genre, tag line, and prop on one evening, and then commence to write, cast, shoot, edit, score and hand in their films all in 48 hours. The films are then shown at a local theater venue complete with Q&As with the filmmakers and awards. If you have never joined a 48 team, I suggest you’ve got to ride that roller coaster at least once and experience the thrill! Check out the website for the Providence 48 here www.48hourfilm.com/en/providence and view the teams. Join up either as cast or crew – it’s a hoot!
Box(ing) office draw – famed director Martin Scorsese has reportedly agreed to help produce a movie about the life of Rhode Island boxer Vinny Paz. Scorsese will be an executive producer on the project, which is being spearheaded by East Greenwich native Chad Verdi of Woodhaven Films. Verdi bought the rights in 2009 to make the movie about Paz, the boxing champion who overcame a broken neck suffered in a car accident, to again fight for a world title in 2002. Scorsese directed the acclaimed 1980 boxing film Raging Bull, about the life of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta. Verdi says the working title of his movie, which is scheduled for release in 2016, is Bleed for This: The Vinny Paz Story. The film is slated to be shot in RI and possibly will star a RI a-lister. We’ll let you know more as the story develops. RIers winning awards all over the place! A native Rhode Islander who studied creative writing and film at the University of Rhode Island won a film festival contest for screenplays focusing on the state. Rachel Smith’s Fix You Up is the winner of the Rhode Island International Film Festival’s ‘‘Spotlight on Rhode Island’’ competition.
Her screenplay tells the story of a workaholic transplant surgeon who cares more about the organs she operates on than the people they belong to. When an injury sidelines her from work, she meets a musician who prompts her to question aspects of her life.
Smith was raised in Scituate. She developed the screenplay while at The London Film School.
This was the second year screenwriters were invited to submit works that feature Rhode Island’s geography and demography as main characters. Congratulations to Rachel, and we look forward to the production of Fix You Up.
Enter Michael Reed all the way from LA – to appear on the set of Normal – the amazingly creative script by Lenny Schwartz and directed by Richard Marr-Griffin of Scorpio Film Releasing. Former RI A-lister, Reed is definitely someone who has the chops and looks of someone who could be a future favorite genre actor, as you can see in his earlier films, such as The Disco Exorcist, Nun of That and The Dark Feed. The film just wrapped last week, and I wanted to chat with Michael, who appears in the lead role in the film. The character Reed plays in Normal is “Jim” a darkly depressing chap who appears normal, but is anything but. This is Reed’s sixth feature film with Scorpio Film Releasing and director Griffin, but it’s the first time they had to fly him out from Los Angeles to work on a film. He relocated to the west coast about a year and a half ago with his wife Sarah Nicklin (also a co-star in Normal), and subsequently missed several of Richard’s films. Reed was thrilled to come back and work with familiar peers on cast and crew, but also some new faces as well, such as Ben Royer, Patrick Keefe and Elyssa Baldassari. He knew for a few years that Normal was written with him in mind.
”I was so happy that the script got green-lit and I was able to reconnect with so many great people and work on an amazingly creative script by Lenny Schwartz,” Reed said. He added, “Shooting a feature film in 10 days has it challenges. Typically when one hears that you’ll be shooting a feature in a short amount of time, it’s a slightly scary feeling – especially when you’re in almost every scene. A lot of work and preparation goes into shooting a feature, and we were lucky to be working the majority of scenes on a sound stage where we built our own apartment building set. This allows for a lot of material to be shot in one day without lugging a ton of gear and people around from location to location. Another daunting task was the amount of dialog I had in this picture. Extensive dialog doesn’t typically frighten me, but this was the first time I had to keep a laser focus on what I was doing at all times. Also, I’m not the type of actor who reads the script a thousand times and rehearses extensively. I like to keep things fresh and not kill the character with over-rehearsal or script memorization. Because of the professionalism of the cast and crew, their incredible readiness and most importantly, being backed by a wonderful director who knows exactly what he wants, I was able to remain focused and relaxed during the entire shoot.”
Thanks, Michael, for sharing your experience with us at Motif Magazine! We wish Michael and Sarah safe travels back to LA and we look forward to the release date of Normal for its RI premier. We will keep you updated on that event as well. You can also learn more about Michael and his work at michaelreedactor.com.
This past week also featured student screenings at all levels. The annual GiveMe5 event, a teen filmmaker showcase produced by the State Film & Television Office in cooperation with numerous local film and educational institutions (see www.giveme5ri.com for details). The teen work was, overall, refreshing and interesting. Work from schools all over the state was screening, including Portsmouth, Westerly, Woonsocket and Providence. Highlights included fun time-lapse work by Portsmouth HS, an intriguing film that explored what you would do if you could stop time, comic ruminations on the perfect way to dispose of a dead body, one woman’s jump into Parkour, and a striking silhouetted dance performance. Kudos to all the talented teens around RI who made that happen!
RISD also showcased the work of its intrepid seniors. RISD’s FAV (Film, Animation, Video) showcases are reliably stunning when it comes to animation, and this one did not disappoint. Whimsical and striking images were presented and brought to life. These ranged from explorations of intimate moments to musings on quantum theory and its ramifications for the universe. But when it came to storytelling, the live action pieces took the night, with a few gentle musings about choosing your future (Pussyfooting by Jess Paek, Santulna by Namrata Desai), creepy horror (13akers dozen by Paul Bertolino), and a rousing homage to canibalism (Donner Party: The Musical by Andrew Migliori). Congrats to the FAV graduates on their hard work and mesmerizing results.
By the way, don’t forget to catch me with Nick Iandolo, who usually disagrees with me, in our film review show for MoTiV. We will review Star Trek Into Darkness this week on Take Two.
That’s a wrap.
Additional reporting by Mike Ryan
Rhode Island Film Warriors Fight the Good Fight (full version)
There’s a 3 pm crew call, but don’t let that fool you – it’s gonna be a long, long day (night actually). For Rhode Island film warriors Anthony Ambrosino, Nicholas Delmenico, and Mark Greene, it’s par for the course. These guys from Pawtucket’s The 989 Project production company know what it’s like to roll up their sleeves, get in the filmmaking trenches, and go, go, go all day!
Today, an unusual Saturday shoot, they’re working on a SAG ultra low budget (under $200K) independent feature titled Mary Loss of Soul (MLoS), a supernatural thriller about a young girl who loses part of her soul while vacationing at her family’s lake house. Years later, the entire family is haunted by a malevolent spirit – none more so than the unbecoming 15-year-old Mary (played by Disney XD actress Kaylee Bryant). Her family races against time and the supernatural to restore her soul before they lose Mary forever.
With a Hollywood cast, Secret Service-like radio walkie-talkies, and all the trappings of a major motion picture, from racks of equipment and props to trailers and craft services, you would think you’ve stepped onto the set of a Mark Wahlberg film.
Writer/Director/Producer of MLoS, Jennifer B. White, is helming this project. She’s a remarkable artist with a solid-steel resolve and a gregarious nature (ideally suited for this line of work). This is her baby and she’s going for broke making this film worthy of Hollywood and beyond. She’s even using her own house as one of the main sets!
The film is slated for an August 2013 release with an eye on Sundance.
Backing her is her business partner and MLoS producer Stewart Huey – a man she couldn’t live without on this project. You can see the respect and loyalty they have for each other when they’re in the room together. And together, they’re making a great movie that the studios had better stand up and take notice.
“I’m living in the chaos [literally] and filming in the chaos!” she tells me while reminding the crew to be careful as they haul heavy movie-making equipment from room to room. Her house is virtually covered in Ramboard sheets and movers’ blankets – it looks like a Hollywood set meets Home Depot.
There is so much more to say about this remarkable artist and I invite the reader to check out Rosemary Pacheco’s exhilarating profile on her as part of her Women Behind the Camera series!
White will be the first one to tell you that she couldn’t do what she does without her amazing crew and wonderful cast. This extends to Anthony, Nick and Mark, most assuredly. Anthony is the 1st AD (Assistant Director), Nick is the 2nd AD and Mark is the 2nd, 2nd AD (that’s not a typo!).
Here’s what these guys do day in and day out …
While White focuses on directing the actors and camera people, getting those precious shots that make a great film, Anthony directs everybody else. He runs the set, which includes the crew, PAs and anything else you can think of. It is the job of an AD to make sure the job of the director is unfettered by all the crazy logistics that have to happen while she is doing her job.
In fact, the whole reason they’re shooting on a Saturday is because the fickle New England weather rained them out on a lot of important outdoor shots, so Anthony had to call a Saturday shoot in order to get them back on schedule. “When you’re on a tight budget production like this, every second counts. You can’t let rain stop you from getting the shots. And if that means we have to add another day, then so be it. At the end of the day, all that matters is getting the film done on time and on budget,” he tells me as he and Nick go over the call sheet for the day’s scenes.
Walking around the set, I got a chance to actually see Kaylee Bryant getting into her apparition makeup as Mary’s disembodied soul – an eerie, spectral all-white motif from wig and body suit to dance shoes. She’s a talented and committed young actress, “Getting her soul on,” as she jokes before the camera starts rolling. Visiting with her mother, Kristina, in the green room, she tells me what it’s like to have a child star, “She’s a driven artist, but it’s a bit weird. However, she’s a great kid!”
Rain that day wasn’t the only issue the AD had to deal with. From the creative side, Anthony also sometimes has to serve as a mediator in order to settle differences of opinion and keep everyone on the same page.
Here’s one example. A fight scene was shot early on during principle photography; however, the DP (Director of Photography), Matthew Boyd, felt that what they had wasn’t good enough. So he made his case to both White and Anthony and they all agreed that it should be reshot.
The problem is with less than a week to go before principle photography wraps, they have to somehow reschedule this complicated shot – a logistical nightmare in the film business.
And that’s where Nick comes in. As 2nd AD, he prepares for what’s to come tomorrow. And down in the production office in the basement of White’s home, this is his domain. Nick, along with the UPMs (Unit Production Managers), Ellen Vander Wyden and Jil Sacco, are the behind-the-behind-the-scenes people making what happens upstairs in front and behind the camera possible. They handle the money, travel arrangements for the actors, a million other logistics and of course, scheduling. With this new wrinkle to an already super crowded schedule on the day’s call sheet, Nick now has to figure out when and where to add time and resources for the fight scene reshoot.
When I asked him what it takes to keep a production like this going he tells me, “It takes Jill and Ellyn!” They all laugh but it is true. He also added, “A lot of planning and re-planning, and then a ton of improvising. Thinking on your feet is a job requirement in this business.”
He and Anthony should know. They co-wrote and produced an award-winning indie film back in 2010 called Sleather, with Anthony directing. That was no rinky-dink amateur production; it was a seven-year project with two years of shoots and reshoots (mostly on the weekends); a ton of negotiating with local business for props, sets and resources; and a ridiculous amount of improvising in order to make it work – like getting the whole damn crew to literally hand-lift an unattended car out of the way in order to get the shot!
That’s what it takes!
And the result was a film that they are immeasurably proud of, and that experience gets them here working on another potentially great movie with an incredibly talented director, crew and cast – like Kaylee Bryant (Disney’s Kickin’ It), Nick Mancuso (Under Siege, Wild Palms) José Zúñiga (Twilight), Catherine Black (American Psycho), and many more.
So after a few soirées between the director, DP and Anthony, Nick manages to lock down a working day and time for the reshoot with a back up – and to top it off, the weather looks perfect for those days. On to the next thing!
As I walked around with unfettered access to the entire production, I occasionally crossed paths with Mark Greene. The job of the 2nd, 2nd AD is to make sure that what’s supposed to happen next actually happens. If Nick is Anthony’s right-hand man, then Mark is his left. I’ve seen Mark grab branches with leaves to bring to the lighting people so they can use to break up the light and make a nighttime shoot look like it’s in the middle of the day. I’ve seen him running interference between departments, making sure the right equipment was in the right place at the right time. And I’ve seen him quietly, but assuredly, wrangling the crew like only he can, freeing Anthony to focus on the director’s needs.
“I do what they tell me,” Mark humbly says to me, but he’s way more valuable to this production than he lets on.
Anthony has such faith and trust in Nick and Mark (and all his crew) that he doesn’t even wear the customary Secret Service-like earpiece to his radio, instead opting to keep the volume down. “I need to focus on what’s going on here at the set, so I leave it up to my army to handle everything else.”
Then he gets back on the radio and quietly announces, “Rolling, rolling,” after White says, “Action.”
Just before lunch at 9 pm – yes, that’s right, 9PM – MloS has another mishap. The cast’s youngest member, Anne Bex (who plays Mary’s little sister, Sophia), slips and falls on the stairs while leaving the set after finishing a scene she was in. She was accompanied by her mother who made it clear that Anne was all right, but needed some food and rest.
Anthony went into full AD mode here, projecting what it might take to have to reschedule the remainder of Anne’s scenes and how that would affect the rest of the shoot. But it’s not just logistics he was concerned with. Being a father, he immediately went to check on Anne and saw to it that her needs were met and her mother felt comfortable with how they were being taken care of.
After a nice catered Chinese food lunch (where I got to sit with the jovial and charming make-up and wardrobe women, Julie Le Shane and Sarah Lynn Bys, respectively), I passed by the green room where Anthony was enjoying Anne’s rendition of “Tomorrow” (from the musical Annie, coincidentally) She was back and ready to go! At 8 years old, this little girl was such a trooper. She even kept telling Anthony how much she wanted to get back to work!
On to the next thing!
As the night progressed (after an even longer week), with the end in sight, it’s only normal that people’s patience can get taxed and frayed.
Jennifer takes me aside for a moment and tells me, “You can’t take the human out of it. We’re all artists – even the most technical people among us. And as an independent filmmaker, you have to wear many hats. It’s not like Iron Man or other big budget Hollywood films with layers and layers of money and layers and layers of people to handle everything. I’m at the top, but I’m also at the bottom.”
And this level of involvement can sometimes really challenge a director’s mettle. That’s when an AD like Anthony is needed most.
Late into the evening, there was to be a dolly shot on Mary (Kaylee) in the bedroom as she is Skyping with one of her off-screen friends. Boyd would ride the dolly running the RED Epic camera all the way into the room getting the shot. It would take two guys to push it with Nick feeding the cables as they go.
On the monitor it looked great, except for one thing: the damn noise. In order to get the dolly track to fit from the hallway into the bedroom, the ACs (Assistant Camera personnel) had to narrow the track somehow. This caused the dolly to squeak like crazy as they were filming the scene.
What was called for was a good old-fashioned can of Pledge to grease up the dolly tracks. But there was none to be found. In fact, the “Pledge Incident” got so heated that White had to take a few moments to chill away from the set while someone ran out and got some.
That’s when Anthony took it upon himself to use his smartphone to get on the Internet and find a Lemon Pledge commercial that he broadcasted over the radio. That lightened things up.
And when White returned to her director’s chair, once the shot got rolling again, Anthony played the commercial in her ear. At first she was surprised, and then she started cracking up. It was all good from there.
Anthony’s job is not only to keep the whole production running smoothly, but also to keep people from losing their minds!
Well done.
Topping out at around 3:30 am, the crew was exhausted from a long, long night’s work. And even though most of the crew put in a 12-plus hour day (super commendable), Anthony, Nick and Mark’s day started way before and ended way late.
With a, “That’s a wrap people,” Anthony calls it a night.
But they will be back on Monday, bright and ridiculously early, to do it all over again.
For the Rhode Island film warriors, they stay to the bitter end and never say die.
Nicholas Iandolo is a freelance writer from Boston, MA. He is also the author of two books on screenwriting: Cut The Crap and WRITE THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY! and Cut The Crap and PITCH THAT DAMN SCREENPLAY!, as well as the Sci-Fi eBook series NLV (a.k.a. New Las Vegas). He also hosts Motif Magazine’s Take 2 with Rosemary Pacheco on MoTiV. Follow him on Twitter @cutcrapwrite, email: [email protected].