Posted by Fetch
Thu, 30 Mar 2006 17:01:00 GMT
On the first take of the first shot we filmed of the Muse, five years ago, the lights were set, the camera rolling, the actors ready and costumed and made up and a room full of crew members waiting for my cue as director, I remember taking a deep breath, and calling out,
“okay… GO!” Not much happened. The DP turned around and gently whispered,
“you might want to say, ‘Action.’”
“Oh, right… Just like in the movies!” I laughed.
Not that I’m much less green now, but we’ve all come a ways from our first on-set experience. I was thinking about that as we sat in the Brattle Street Theater last week – a charming little theater in Harvard Square – where I first saw Rocky Horror in high school – and where the Muse was screened as part of the Boston Underground Film Festival. Watching my own film there, I was happy to let go of all disclaimers and new ideas to make the film better, to just be thrilled it was playing on the big screen in front of an audience of strangers, and even be proud. And motivated to make another one! (maybe with monsters for Alicia…)
Also shown in the program with the Muse was a short called the Last Woman on Earth, a lovely stop-motion piece by BU student David Ruddick; and The Fine Art of Poisoning, by Bill Domonkos, a really beautiful, Edward Gorey-esque animated piece about, well, the fine art of poisoning (www.bdom.com ). Both were great.
For information on helping the effort to preserve the Brattle Theater, which is Cambridge’s only Independent Cinema and an institution loved by Bostonians (and by Fetch!), go to: www.brattlefilm.org
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:15:00 GMT
Recently voted Best Novelty Performance of 2006 by American Entertainment Magazine, Eric Walton, (appeared in On the Leesh’s production of SIN) is performing “Esoterica” again on April 10th – be
sure to check it out. This show will blow your mind.
Monday April 10th, 7P
DR2 Theatre – 103 East 15th Street
(at Union Square East)
By Reservation Only
RSVP - DLscript@aol.com
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 23 Mar 2006 20:23:00 GMT
One of the most exciting things about picking a new project is the possibility of working with old friends in new capacities. On our upcoming project, The In-Betweens of Holly M, we get to collaborate
with two talents we’ve known for years, but never had the opportunity to work with at On the Leesh.
PG Kain is the writer of Holly M. Currently living and working in NYC, PG teaches at The New School and NYU. We’ve worked with PG through various theater companies since 2000, but we’ve never had the opportunity to produce one of his scripts.
Frequently, projects don’t come together until you find the cast. Holly M was no exception. Brian Patacca and Jessica first met at Northwestern University, and he soon became one of our favorite
actors working in New York City. We’ve been searching for the perfect role for Brian to play, and when we read the character of Danny, we knew that we had found it. Brian most recently completed
shooting Pastoral, an independent film on location in the Adirondacks. He has appeared on As the World Turns, All My Children; and VH1’s Games People Play where he won the grand prize in the
actors’ game show. Off-Broadway Brian shook his groove thing nightly in the runaway disco hit, The Donkey Show.
Stay tuned for information on how to view this infectious new series.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:44:00 GMT
Recently our very own Matthew Rashid and Philip Kain recorded their first podcast. Available exclusively on www.mattrashid.com , (soon to be featured on itunes), the show highlights the two men’s rapport. Matt and Philip bounce ideas off each other illustrating their clever wit, expert timing and brilliant delivery. On the show Matt and Philip talk about their challenges in the world of commercial auditions. The first episode discusses their “lack of commercial appeal.” If you are a working actor in NYC, this podcast will definitely make you laugh. Matt and Philip have acted together for On the Leesh in the Opposite of Fear and Sin.
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:32:00 GMT
We’ve been so busy lately that all our entries have been about projects we’re working on. I want to take a brief moment to mention a show that our friends are producing that you should all check out. What Women Talk About is an unscripted hour long comedy centered on the friendship of four women living in Manhattan. Directed by Wayne Parillo and Hugh Sinclair and acted by Katharine Heller, Brenna Palughi, Lynne Rosenberg and Lauren Seikaly, this show is like nothing you’ve seen before. The premise is simple – four best friends talk about their lives, but what makes WWTA so much fun is the fact that it’s serial. Subjects that happen in earlier shows effect where the next show heads. Not only does it allow us a unique way to get to know these characters, but we become invested in their lives. We keep coming back to see what will happen to Bonnie, Sophie, Jean and Sara. If you’re not in Manhattan, you can check out the show on iTunes as a podcast. If you want to laugh at something original, and creative, this is one to see.
The show runs through May 2nd at the Kraine Theater in NYC
For more information please visit – www.whatwomentalkabout.net
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 09 Mar 2006 17:30:00 GMT
We just found out that What are the Odds? will be screened as part of the Short Film Corner at the 2006 Cannes FIlm Festival. Between traveling to The Boston Underground Film Festival, to the Sarasota Film Festival and to Cannes, we won’t be home in New York for much of the Spring. We eagerly await to hear from the festivals that have our applications. We hope that we’ll be traveling throughout the rest of the year in celebration of these beautiful films.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 08 Mar 2006 22:39:00 GMT
The Second screening of What are the Odds was SRO at the Durango Independent Film Festival on Saturday Night. Ten minutes prior to show time, the box office was sold out and the had to turn people away. The response to the film What are the Odds? was overwhelmingly positive. People loved the play on color, the cleverness of the script, and the playful editing style. The biggest reaction that we heard was towards the adorable characters that Jessica and Christopher were expertly able to bring to life.
The Durango Independent FIlm Festival changed management this year, but we never would have guessed that they pulled the event off in a matter of months. During the entire festival we were treated like royalty. The staff at DIFF went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. They arranged our travel and accommodations and even gave us a hospitality box when we arrived filled with local treats. Our biggest treat was when a stretch SUV limo came to the General Palmer Hotel to take Julie and I to the airport. Turned out the luxury cruiser was only for us. When does that happen for short film makers?
We saw a lot of great films in Durango. Our favorites were Spin, by Jamin Winans (www.doubleedgefilms.com ), She She She’s a Bombshell by Ben Levin (www.benlevin.net ), and A Run to Jay’s: Tournament of Champions by Brett Spackman (www.runtojays.com ).
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 07 Mar 2006 16:39:00 GMT
What are the Odds? opened the Durango Independent Film Festival on Wednesday night as part of the Short Block #1. The evening was a complete success. “By the time we got there, people had already been lined up for an hour,” producer Alicia Arinella said. The theater quickly sold out with an energetic and excited crowd. “What are the Odds? screened really well. People caught on to the humor of our film and were taken by the adorable tribute it pays to New York City.” The Festival runs until Sunday night.
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 27 Feb 2006 18:05:00 GMT
So here we are again – We survived another blizzard, the weather has gone mad, we are desperate for any sign of the spring ( the real spring not this weird global warning mess) and once again we are feeling that urge to create something new. But what and how? Last year at this time we were getting SIN on its feet and since then we have put on 2 plays, a charity event for Our Time, one for Katrina, and hit the festival circuit with What are the Odds? Diana has designed for Mike Myers, Jessica shot an episode of Love Monkey, Julie was lauded by critics and then trapped by Barry Z, Matt made his directorial debut, and Alicia has seen her first film become a festival hotcake. But now here we are all together again, in one place ready and eager to get going on the next thing. But again-what to do? Documentaries are hot this year- we saw some great ones from FUCK to The Danielson Family, ( both on the San Fran festival circuit) to penguins and Murderball- documentaries seem to be the thing to do. So do we? Oh wait- we do fiction. Ok . How about a mockumentary? Give Christopher Guest a little company in his genre? Perhaps a mockumentary on the festival circuit? On young companies in New York? Or maybe a film? Josh Ben Friedman our long time collaborator and friend is back from having his first script Barstool made into a feature- funded partly by HBO films. Do we do his next film? Perhaps a slasher flick? Get into that indie mood with a little violence- we are big into fake blood- after Compliments to Amanda.
Or maybe back to the stage? Another collaboration with up and coming artists? Another themed evening? This time maybe on War or Peace? or birdflu? Or maybe its time to take on another genre. One that is just beginning to emerge. Perhaps a series for …
wait this could be good….
Gotta go. Gotta convince the team that this might be something.
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 21 Feb 2006 03:41:00 GMT
Going around the film festival circuit has been an incredible experience. More than anything, it’s taught me that technology has enabled a single individual with a camera and perhaps not that much cash in their pocket, make a movie that a sold-out audience can enjoy. It feels like movie-making has really gone to the masses. It’s an exciting prospect to think that filming doesn’t only have to be about money and that the quality of the film can be brought back to the quality of your script, director, producer and actors. Each film festival so far: Bare Bones and the San Francisco Independent Film Festival have been very supportive and very guerrilla film-making friendly. I look forward to seeing all that the Durango International Film Festival has to offer!
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