Posted by Fetch Sat, 08 Jul 2006 15:17:00 GMT
Congratulations to Diana Whitten, the cast and the crew for The Muse: A Girl’s Delicious Daydream About a Dangerous Man on your win at the 2006 Indie Gathering. The Muse took home 2nd place for Short Film Experimental.
Muse make-up artist, Trisha O’Connor and actress Laura Faye Smith
Posted by Fetch Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:33:00 GMT
Planning a party is never easy. There are a million questions you must ask yourself. Where should it be? What’s the best venue? What would make your guests happy? What’s hip but not obnoxious? Will everyone come?
These questions are even more pressing when the party is for the launch of your latest project. With every hostessing question that comes to mind, you have to think of two promotional questions. Can we get press there? How can we keep everyone’s mind on the project we’re launching? Can we ensure that the guests will pass the word on about the project?
These were only a few of the questions we asked ourselves when working on the launch party for the “The In-Betweens of Holly Malone.” While we’ve already released the first four episodes (and viewers can now vote about Holly and Dimitri’s future on our website: www.ontheleesh.com/holly), we thought a party would be a great way to remind everyone that the episodes were out there while we get them ready for the next four.
We decided to hold the party at Elmo in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. They had a great downstairs room that we used with a separate bar and a dj playing. We had our list of people and got the invites out as soon as possible. We also made up some Holly coasters and matchbooks to give out which looked really cool. So when the big night rolled around we were ready but nervous.
With one drink down the hatch, we welcomed all our guests and offered them a free drink on us. The whole evening worked like clockwork which was awesome. People who hadn’t seen the episodes yet got to watch them on computer screens we had set up and we had Joffre Myers going around getting some footage of the party. Lots of people came who had worked with On the Leesh on previous projects: Daria Polatin, writer of “Happen to Know,” Thom Rivera, actor in “Soap Scum,” Jeanie Dorsey, writer of “Compliments to Amanda” and Chris Borg, actor in “What Are the Odds,” to name a few. What’s so great about that is that, when you’re in the midst of a project it’s sometimes hard to get to know someone as just a cool person. So having the chance to hang out with all of these artists that we love working with and talking about lots of things that have nothing to do with work was incredible.
Now, did we keep people focused on the project at hand. I think so. Are people going to spread the word about Holly? We hope so. Did everyone have a good time. Seemed so. People drank, chatted, mingled, and enjoyed the matchbooks and coasters. What more can you ask for?
As for us, the night was a blast because it’s always rewarding to kick back and enjoy what you were able to accomplish. Even if just for an evening…
Have a look at some of our pictures from the event below!
Party!
Desmond listens in to some Holly episodes.
People gather around the listening station.
PG Kain has a drink.
Jess and Marc have a photo op.
Julie and Alicia keep watch at the door to meet and greet.
Chris and Pete share some talk-time.
Daria and Julie discuss very pressing matters.
Posted by Fetch Wed, 21 Jun 2006 20:55:00 GMT
Last night, we screened What are the Odds? at DEKK Restaurant in TriBECA as part of SuperfilmNYC. Hosted by Johnny and Nami, SuperfilmNYC is a fantastic opportunity for local filmmakers to screen their films for the public in a wonderful screening room in downtown New York. Superfilm screens a local short before a classic feature film. In the spirit of What are the Odds? and in support of Manhattan, we were teamed up with Martin Scorsese’s After Hours.
Our turn out was impressive. We needed to bring in extra seating to accommodate all of the fans. Even though we’ve had fun bringing our film on the road, there is nothing like screening it in New York. It brought a refreshed live spirit to the film.
If you’re interested in submitting your film to SuperfilmNYC, contact them at superfilmnyc@gmail.com or visit their website at www.superfilmnyc.com
NY IT Awards, Jason Bowcutt and our leading man, Christopher Borg
Alicia shows her enthusiasm for On the Leesh’s resident House Manager, Kristin David
The Big Screen
SIN writer, Ellen Shanman, and Holly Malone director, Jon Schumacher catch up with leading lady, Jessica Arinella
Posted by Fetch Fri, 16 Jun 2006 15:02:00 GMT
Two days ago we were on Location at Artepasta on Greenwich Ave in New York City filming the next two episodes of Holly Malone. In these episodes Holly finds her self on a date with Dimitri, sort of. In typical Holly fashion, she finds herself “distracted” and “occupied” while her dessert melts.
What was exciting for us to work on these episodes was the chance to work with director Ilana Levine. We’ve known Ilana for years now, meeting on the New York run of Stephen Belber’s Tape, but we’ve never worked together in this capacity. It was no surprise when her talent shown through. She adds a great comic timing to episodes 5 and 6.
We were also able to feature Joffre Myers (Help Me Help Myself) and a good friend of ours, Lt. Jack Halaby. Filming on location is always a difficult task when you don’t have complete control. You have to compete with the lunch rush and adapt to existing design constraints. The cast and crew were phenomenal, and the end result is great. We’re editing them now, and they should be online within a couple of weeks.
Check out the first three episodes now
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=157056356
Posted by Fetch Fri, 09 Jun 2006 13:48:00 GMT
What are the Odds? has been selected to screen on June 20th at DEKK Restaurant in Tribeca as part of the Superfilm NYC screenings. Every tuesday night, Superfilm selects a local short to screen before an indie, international or cult feature at DEKK restaurant & bar in Tribeca. Because the screening room is in a section of the restaurant, you can order drinks and dinner while watching.
There’s no cost to attend the screening, so If you’re in town on June 20th, please come to DEKK restaurant & bar, located at 134 Reade Street, between Hudson and Greenwich. The show starts at 8P.
This fall you can also catch What are the Odds? as part of the New Filmmakers screenings at the FIlm Anthology building in New York City. New Filmmakers gives independent filmmakers the opportunity to screen their work directly to the public and gives New York audiences the chance to see some outstanding new films. We’ve been selected for a screening on Wednesday October 4th at 7:10P. If you’re in town, please join us at the Anthology Film Archives, located at 32 Second Ave. (at Second Street).
To find out more information on Superfilm @ DEKK please visit www.superfilmnyc.com
Posted by Fetch Tue, 06 Jun 2006 16:21:00 GMT
Visiting the South of France in May is the trip of a life time, but to be able to travel to the Cannes Film Festival with your own film is truly a wild ride. Matthew Tritt, Jessica Arinella, Matthew Rashid and I reunited on the French Riviera to celebrate the success of What are the Odds? We’ve been all over the country with the film, but the International success was worth the jet lag. Sadly Chris Borg and Justin Spitzer weren’t able to attend due to their schedules. (stay tuned for updates on Justin, as he’s busy writing the latest season of The Office in Los Angeles.)
All the films we saw, won’t make it to the United States for several months. It’s always a thrill to see something before anyone else has the opportunity. We saw Babel by Alejandro González Iñárritu, Marie-Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, Bug by William Friedkin, and Red Road produced by Lars Van Trier and directed by Andrea Arnold.
One of our favorites was the latest triumph from Pedro Almadovar - Volver. We predict that you’ll hear a lot about Penelope Cruz at Oscar time. It was a very moving film about mothers and daughters that made us laugh, cry and want more. I, for one, have never seen a male actor capture women with such accuracy.
Shortbus by John Cameron Mitchell was the unanimous favorite. Not only was it fantastic, but it’s a true tribute to the city of New York and made us all homesick. The film starts with an animated arial view of Manhattan and Brooklyn like What are the Odds? Was John Cameron Mitchell chanelling the folks at Asterisk when he settled on his titles?
I cannot leave our Cannes memories without mentioning the strangest most intense film I have ever seen. Hungarian director, György Pálfi, brought his sophmore effort, Taxadermia, to the festival. It involved a fire breathing penis, sex with animals, flesh eating cats, projectile vomitting and a man removing his organs while still alive. On top of all this excitement, the production design and cinematography were wonderful. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but it was great seeing something that would never been produced in America. I truly hope this makes it state-side because if you aren’t squeemish, and have a desire to see some truly original filmmaking, be sure to check it out.
the two Matts leaving Taxadermia
Posted by Fetch Sat, 03 Jun 2006 01:05:00 GMT
Cannes is the granddaddy of all film festivals, and it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of everything. People long to fall under the alluring promise of walking the red-carpet. What they don’t tell you is how insane people become in order to obtain a ticket to a premiere at the Palais. The crowds start to collect outside the theater hours before the screening in order to glimpse a star. In French tradition, they push without any sense of order and expect you to move or be bull-dozed. If you do gain admittance, seeing a film in the Lumiere Theater is an amazing experience. The plush velvet seat cushions are the most comfortable seats in movie theater history, and the kind folks at the festival translate the film into multiple languages for worldwide viewing pleasure. Since these films will most likely get distribution in the United States, getting trampled just to enter this famous theater isn’t for the weary. It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s Cannes.
One of the more exciting opportunities of The Cannes Film Festival is stumbling into a screening without any prior knowledge of what you are about to see. With our badges, we were allowed access to all screenings outside of the Lumiere Theater. We were able to see all of the films entered in Un Certain Regard and the Directors’ Fortnight (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs).
Certain Regard has become the largest category of the festival, and it screens films that are innovative in one way or another; films are entered by first time filmmakers, or seasoned filmmakers taking risks in their careers. Think Richard Linklater’s A Skanner Darkly, Rodrigo Garcia’s Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her, or Pedro Almodóvar’s All About My Mother. Directors’ Fortnight, created by the French Director’s Guild in 1969, is another division of the festival. The included films highlight new directors in world cinema and directors who are still little-known in the West or in international festivals. In 1999, Sofia Coppola premiered her first film The Virgin Suicides at Directors’ Fortnight. This years highlights included: Jean Claude Brisseau’s The Exterminating Angels, M. Blash’s Lying, Ray Lawrence’s Jindabyne and William Friedken’s Bug. How William Friedkin was included in this category is still a mystery to me.
We were able to see some pretty amazing films months before their US release. And the best part - we breezed past the lines.
Posted by Fetch Tue, 30 May 2006 16:46:00 GMT
Arriving at the Cannes Film Festival induces sensory overload. There are people everywhere and they all have a mission: to meet as many people as possible and to see the hottest thing.
This time around attending the festival was very different for me. The first time I went to Cannes was in 1999, and I worked as an intern with the American Pavilion. If you’ve never heard of The American Pavilion, you can think of it like the Olympic Village. It’s a place to check your email, eat american food and converse in english. It’s a small taste of home. In 1999, I was a receptionist, and I was able to get a first hand look at the workings of the festival. It allowed the magnitude of the fest to come down to size, and I decided that I would return to Cannes with a film of my own.
This year I had the opportunity to attend with our film What are the Odds? We were selected to be part of the Short Film Corner, a sidebar at the festival. Started in 2004, The Short Film Corner is a continuous showing of the best that international short films have to offer. You log into a computer and you are allowed to watch which ever short you would like to see throughout the entire day. As we found upon our arrival, people can sit at these stations for hours on end. Some days we had to wait interminably to gain access. We got great feedback on our film. As usual, it stood out against the other dark and intense shorts. Seems that most people making shorts these days like to include sex, violence and drug use.
One of the best parts of the festival was being able to attend with my director, Matthew Tritt. Due to his schedule, he wasn’t able to attend the pervious festivals that have screened What are the Odds? I guess if you’re going to attend any one film festival, Cannes is the one to experience.
Posted by Fetch Fri, 26 May 2006 14:03:00 GMT
With any new project there is a lot of anticipation and a tremendous amount of anxiety. You want people to like it, be entertained by, support and tell their friends about it. What you don’t expect, is the difficulty of actually getting it out there. On the Leesh has wrapped our first set of episodes for our podcast, “The In-Betweens of Holly Malone.” The goal is to launch these episodes, among other places, on itunes. However, what we didn’t anticipate is how difficult itunes is with launching new podcasts! Thus, you can check out this great series on Holly’s myspace page (www.myspace.com/hollymalone), on utube and of course on our website: www.ontheleesh.com (google video is currently reviewing our episode). Check back here for the latest information on our itunes launch…. Which hopefully will be anyday now…
Most of all though, be sure to check out each episode of “The In-Betweens of Holly Malone!”
Posted by Fetch Tue, 23 May 2006 00:34:00 GMT
Two weeks ago we had a reading of Daria Polatin’s screenplay, “Happen To Know.” We are slated to shoot the script during the summer of 2007. Daria is an amazing writer who has written a quirky, fun script that we’re all excited to dive into. And, while we’ve all been looking forward to working on this project, there is something about hearing it out loud – hearing a different voice for each character – hearing how the pace of the story takes shape and hearing the small audience’s reaction, that makes you even more thrilled and eager.
Of course, having the cast led by none other than the notable Broadway actor, Frank Wood doesn’t hurt either! Now, if possible, we’re even more excited to pursue this amazing project! Be sure to be on the look out for more information on this one…
