The Domino Effect

This weekend, our three casting wizards will meet to go over the videos we shot of the auditions. As a director I am very open to the idea of call-backs, but want to be sure we're not wasting valuable time -- both ours and the actors'. So, with that in mind we'll make our "best decisions, go forth and conquer" (a line from the film, hee hee).

Selecting Joan is probably the most challenging part. She IS the whole story really. And while one actress captured the first part of Joan, another actress was able to play the second part with real emotion... The dynamic nature of her character is challenging, and we wished at the end of it that we could merge the two actresses, but that (as we all know with old boyfriends) can never be. Then, once we pick Joan, that will in some ways define who her daughter will need to be. Thus we're in the midst of the cliffhanger: a real fist-clenched, white-knuckled domino effect. Knocking off one will make choosing the rest easier. God Bless Joan.

Emmanuelle put it best: We want to be very deliberate in this final step.

This film is an internal film; that is, it takes place in the minds of the characters... what they're thinking, feeling and experiencing. There are no crashes or chase scenes or multiple locations. Just one place at one time with a bunch of people kind of losing their mind in this strange and superficial way.

Our actors will have to be top notch, or at least work very well together, and that's the key. A call-back would be ideal to see who plays off of who best. But we filmed everything as a screen test for a reason. We need to *feel* something from the actors... and what I remember may not be what I end up seeing on the screen. AD says, "It's the screen that counts, baby" but at the same time, I'm loathe to ignore my instincts. So we will have one final pow wow before making this next big CHOICE. Freedom can be a curse and a blessing, n'est-ce pas?

I have developed a great appreciation of the casting process, and cannot begin to fathom how actors channel characters and nuances. It is magic, truly.

Below is our list of finalists, and yes, we have made the final call for a couple of characters. Here we have it (drum roll, please):

HELEN
Dee Marshall
Holly Nugent

JOAN
Jennie Floyd
Dorothy Gallagher

KATIE
Larissa Kasian
Jennifer Linkous

MARY
Heather Shaw

GIL
Randy Hurst
Jeffrey Davis

CONCEPCION
Christabel Savalas

BRIDAL ASSISTANT
Juliet Heller
Mawiyah Johnson

HOSTESS
Juliet Heller
Mawiyah Johnson

Round 2 Audition Finalists

With a room full of talent, visualizing the character and watching him or her come to life is an amazing experience. That being said, there are always those people who simply stand out--not only with their talent and interpretation, but more importantly by virtue of their fit for the role. Congratulations.

Actors still under consideration from Round 2:

JENNIE FLOYD
JULIET HELLER
JEFFREY WEISMAN

Pictures and summary to be posted later.

Pre-Production Pow-Wow

We met on Saturday for a 3+ hour meeting to talk scenes, shooting plan and wardrobe, but had a big setback. Mick, our beloved co-writer and editor, has decided that he just didn’t have the enthusiasm or energy to stay with us. It’s sad, but not really unexpected… so we’re now going to have to find a creative, generous and hearty editor willing to do a rough cut for us. His contributions to the script cannot be underestimated and he will, as always, be welcome back to the team any time.

We went through the script scene by scene, breaking them down by where we can cut and what elements will be included. Visions of shots, pacing, deleting some things, adding other elements, aiming to develop a pace and a flow, and ultimately aiming for an authentic and engaging story -- that's what we're tackling right now.

We'll be meeting every 10 days or so from now on, with a full crew meeting in early September. Casting will taking place in July & August.

For information on cast and crew needs, audition dates and production timeline, some details are below.

CAST Table Read - Sept 26-27
CAST Rehearsal - Oct 3-4
Set-up & Blocking - Oct 11
Shoot - Oct 12-15
* Possibly one extra pick-up day for two characters

We'll also post more on the blog and on our Facebook page once we get our casting notices out.

We haven't had much support yet, so we encourage you to help us make this happen. PLEASE donate to our film! Without your support, we'll have bad lighting, bad sound, and it will look much more amateur than we intend. We want to submit it to Sundance and to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and can't do that without your help. THANK YOU!!