Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Meet Our Gaffer...


Ian Webb began shooting black and white 35mm photography at age 14; he developed and printed his own pictures. Webb continued to study the art of black and white photography until age 20. While attending community college in Sacramento, he served as a photojournalist for The American River Beaver and The Lincoln News Messenger. In 2008 Webb began studying Digital Film & Video Production at Art Institute of Sacramento – California; he instantly fell in love with Cinematography.

In 2010, Webb received the “Best Cinematography Achievement Award” from The Art Institute.

He has served as cinematographer for two music videos, both of which received the ‘Best Program Music Video’ award at The Sacramento International Film Festival.

Webb can operate a multitude of digital film cameras including, The Red Cam, Sony Ex-3 & Ex-1, Panasonic HPX-300, Panasonic HVX-200, Canon 5d, 7D & T2i.

Webb also specializes in digital video editing. In 2011, Webb’s editing skills awarded him with national air-time on ESPN.

In June 2011, Webb graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production from The Art Institute of California, Sacramento.

Presently, Webb works at M Entertainment as the finishing editor for the show, “Bringing it Home”.
Webb also works as a freelance cinematographer and editor.

He currently resides in Northern California.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Meet Our Assistant Director, Bob Mills



Bob Mills graduated from the film department at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. While both in school and out he has worked in many capacities on an assortment of commercials, features, short films, DVD projects, corporate videos, and music videos. He plays lots of computer games, reads lots of books, loves his wife dearly, and loves his cats a little too much.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Getting a Close-Up of "Scraps" Director of Photography, Aaron Leong


Aaron Michael Leong grew up in Benicia, CA where he attended middle school and high school. Upon graduation he attended San Francisco State University where he earned a degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Performance and Directing.
He has performed in theatre for SF State’s main stage productions, Ancient Chinese Secrets Theatre Company, Breaking Ground Collective Theatre Company, Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Programs and other smaller theatre companies. He has also done costumes, make-up, and lighting for theatre and has even stage-managed productions while attending SF State.
With a strong background on and around the stage, Aaron slowly transitioned to work in front of the camera; acting in films independent features, and commercials. His resume also includes voice over work.
From there he eventually moved behind the camera, starting a video production company in 2002. His company, 4th Wall Productions, is funded through weddings and other events, however, the slow progression of the company is to accommodate small independent shorts and feature films. His background in martial arts helped him do fight choreography and stage combat in some theatre productions and independent short films in L.A.
He is a founding member of Zeitgeist ArtWorks, a film and theatre based production company, through which, he has acted and directed theatre, short films and a feature film. He is currently represented by Cast Images Talent Agency in Sacramento, and SF Casting and Nancy Hayes Casting, both in San Francisco.
Aaron currently resides in the Natomas area of Sacramento with his beautiful wife and 2 beautiful young children.

You can find out more about Aaron, his production company, and his projects by visiting his site.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Scraps Casting Call

Casting Call for Independent Short Film “Scraps”



Date: Saturday, August 20, 2011 (Callbacks will be held the following day from 9am-12pm)


Time: Auditions run from 10am – 2pm (REPLY TO EMAIL BELOW TO MAKE APPT)


Production Title: Scraps


Director: Imani C. Davis


Director of Photography: Aaron Leong


Writer/Producer: Melody Claussen-Furry


Studio/Independent/Student: Independent
Union/Non-Union: Non-Union
Project Type: Short Film
Project Format: HD
Production Location: Sacramento, CA, various locations
Shooting Schedule: Projected shooting dates are October 8, 9, 15 & 16. Rescheduling might be necessary in case of rain. Actors must have open availability these weekends.



Character Breakdowns:


Maggie (at age 14), female, ages 13-15 years, slender, Caucasian or tan, brunette with hazel or brown eyes. She’s intuitive, smart, sensitive yet scrappy. She makes connections that others her age wouldn’t. (This character is also the NARRATOR. *Must be available for vocal recording sessions on weekends after shoot*).
Maggie (at age 10), female, ages 9-11 years, Caucasian or tan, brunette with hazel or brown eyes, slender.


Nadine (at age 10), ages 9-11 years, Caucasian/ tan brunette with brown or hazel eyes, slender or medium build.

Rhonda Parrot, female, mid-to-late 30’s, brown hair, Caucasian or tan, slender build, any eye color. She’s terse, erratic, mentally disconnected, and only concerned with meeting basic primal needs. She trades sex for money, food or drugs. She’s an occasional huffer.

Nadine, female, 13-15 years, Caucasian/ tan, slender or medium build, brunette with brown or hazel eyes. She’s a slightly naïve, kind, and loyal friend to Maggie.

Amy, female, 13-15 years, any ethnicity, slender or medium build. She’s a conceited girl who regularly verbally abuses Maggie and Nadine.

Mr. Klein, male, late 30’s-early 40’s, Caucasian, any build, brown hair, any eye color.

Sister Ann Marie, female, short, any ethnicity, 40-60 years, Caucasian or tan, any hair and eye color, medium build. She’s the stern but compassionate principal at Maggie’s school.


Sister Mary Elizabeth, female, 40-50 years, any ethnicity, brown or gray hair, any eye color and build. She’s a sarcastic nun who teaches Maggie and Nadine’s sixth grade class.

Sister Mary Catherine, Caucasian, female, in 40-60 years, any hair, eye color and build. She is a very traditional and stoic nun who teaches Maggie and Nadine’s ninth grade class.

Old Nick, male, Caucasian or tan, late 40’s-mid-50’s, gray or graying hair, medium to large build, any eye color. He’s a generous and loveable homeless man who gives Maggie advice and whatever he has on him.

Woman in Laundromat, female, 40-55 years, any description. (Must be able to shriek in horror)

First Girl, female, 9-11 years old, any build, ethnicity, hair and eye color.

Maggie (at age 6), female, must look six/seven-years-old slender, Caucasian or tan, brunette with hazel or brown eyes. (non-speaking)

Mrs. Klein, female, Caucasian, mid-to-late thirties, light brown/blond hair, light eye colors, slender or medium build. (non-speaking)

Crazy German Monocle Man, male, 30-50 years old, brown hair or blonde hair, Caucasian, any build. (non-speaking)

Telephone Game Scene extras, various 10-12-year-old girls, any build, ethnicity, hair and eye color. We need six or so girls for this scene. (non-speaking)

Street scene extras: Any description to walk by in the background of feature actor. (non-speaking)

Classroom/School yard extras: we will be looking for boys and girls ages 8 -17 years of all types and ethnicities to walk and socialize in the background of the feature actors. (non-speaking)

Laundromat girl/Maggie’s mother, female, 16 – 21 years old, Caucasian or slightly tan. (non-speaking; legs for Laundromat scene and model for photo)

Models

Part of this film will be presented in a slideshow motif. In order to accomplish this, we need to construct fake family portraits of the main character’s various foster families. Here are the model types we need for these portraits:

The Brady Family:

Father Brady, male, thirties or forties, Caucasian, any hair and eye color and build.
Mother Brady, female, thirties or forties, Caucasian, any hair and eye color and build.
Oldest Brother Brady, male, 15-17 years, any hair/eye color, ethnicity and build.
Middle Brother Brady, male 12- 14 years, Black or Hispanic, any hair/eye/build.
Youngest Brother Brady, male, 8-10 years, Asian, Black or Hispanic, any hair/eye/build.
Oldest Sister Brady, female, 14-16 years, any ethnicity, build, eye/hair color
Middle Sister Brady, female, 10-12 years, Black or Hispanic, any hair/eye/build.

The Hyde Family:
Mr. Hyde: male, early thirties, Caucasian, slender, any hair/eye color.
Mrs. Hyde: female, early thirties, Caucasian, slender, any hair/eye color.


The Starkweather Family:
Mr. Starkweather: male, Caucasian, late thirties, blonde/brown, any build/eye color.
Mrs. Starkweather: female, Caucasian, late thirties, blonde/dirty blonde, any eye color.
Older Starkweather boy: male, Caucasian, 11-13 years, slender, blonde hair, blue eyes.
Younger Starkweather boy: male, Caucasian, 9-10 years, blonde hair, blue eyes, any build.

Below are the terms of this production:

Paid/Non-Paid: ALL POSITIONS are Non-Paid (volunteer)
Other/Additional Compensation: Film Credit, DVD Copy
Meals/Lodging/Transportation Provided: Snacks/Meals provided during work hours.


ACTORS: Please come prepared with a 1-2 minute dramatic monologue. Please bring a headshot and resume at the time of audition if you have them prepared.

Email Your Casting Submissions To: scrapsthemovie[at]gmail.com. Please indicate your name, which part/s you are interested in, and a contact phone number. We will be scheduling times for auditions.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Kickstart My Art!

Dear Scraps Family and Friends,

In order to fund our film, we launched Scraps on Kickstarter.com. "Kickstarter is a funding platform for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, inventors, explorers, etc. It's a new way to fund and follow creativity."

Currently, our financial need to make this a quality short film will be over $3000. I'm calling on the kindness of friends and family to help us fund the making of Scraps. Where would the Italian Renaissance be without the philanthropy of the de Medici family after all? Ok, I'm not comparing my artistic vision to that of Michelangelo's, but I believe that what we are creating will be a cinematic wonder to behold. We plan on entering our short film in festivals and competitions to garner notoriety for all involved in its making. It will serve as a stepping stone or a foot in the door.

Please be the doorholders...share whatever you can spare. You can pledge as little as a dollar a pop or fund our entire project if you feel so inclined. ;) Regardless, we are forever grateful for the help!