Donnybrook Production Services

After a recent stretch of producing shoots OUTside of the Philly philm production world, it’s nice to be playing in my own backyard again. This month, Donnybrook had the chance to join forces with MG Pictures as I jumped on board to co-produce a promotional spot for Hawaiian Airlines with Director Mark Gambol. Mark and I have been friends and colleagues for years, so it was bound to be fun to step behind the camera together for his longtime client Barclaycard while managing the creative reins for the Delaware-based credit card provider’s latest production effort.

The shoot was a 3-day endeavor that witnessed location filming pit stops in West Chester, Media, and Swarthmore…in addition to a green screen sponsored layover at the client’s own swanky digs in Riverfront Wilmington. Local Philly-harvested talent included Patrick Michael, who’s always a blast to work with. And Patrick might have reason to get the Guinness folks on the horn, after donning more than 2-dozen authentic Hawaiian leis in a single take…who knew Orchids weighed so darn much.  That’s gotta be some kind of record, right? I’ll look into it, and get back to you…as well as Patrick, who’s still nursing a sore neck (& a free Mai Tai)!

As of 2012, the Greater Philadelphia Film Office will be undergoing a pretty extensive overhaul, not only to it’s staple film.org website, but also to its professional listing service.  The GPFO will discontinue publishing their film guide, and will instead be transferring over all listings to a digital service.

The film office’s website has always added the amenity of a digital listing to anyone filing for a space/ad/listing in their annually published film guide.  But as of this year, the office will do away completely with the hard copy version of their guide, and instead rely solely on the website & digital listing.  Primary markets the likes of New York & L.A. have been moving in this direction as well, and secondary arenas such as Chicago, DC, Dallas, and North Carolina have adopted similar mindsets.

It will be interesting to see how smoothly the transition goes, and whether local crew, vendors, and production facilities offer push back or embrace the tech advances with open arms.  Regardless of the reaction, it’s my hope that the Philly Philm Market witnesses a surge in production activity this coming year, after sub par offerings over the past two years.  After all, someone needs to steal some of that tax incentive money back from neighboring Pittsburgh.  Here’s hoping that the production activity warms this coming spring in tandem with the weather.

Every once and a great while, the Philly Film Office ‘Hotline’ offers up some legitimate virtual body dragging.  In my case, it happened when a listing posted by Producer/Director Bernard Gray of Diamond Entertainment Productions caught my attention.  The post led me to reach out to Bernard directly, and it didn’t take me long to realize he was a sharp fella.

Bernard, along with his Diamond Entertainment producing partner Richard Harris, are currently developing a feature film script penned by local Philly Screenwriter David J. Greenberg.  “Angus” tells the story of Brian Brooks, a successful model who has grown tired of being treated like a piece of meat, and decides to make a go at a possible acting career…awkward & laughable/relatable moments ensue.

This actually marks my second go-round with Writer David Greenberg, as we optioned a script of his while I was staff producing at GK…& as for Bernard and Richard, I’m intrigued, and eager to see where the collaborative possibilities might lead.

OK, so it’s Monday morning, and I have yet to resort to diving out of any windows in despair over the heart-wrenchingly early departure of the Phil’s from the 2011 Post Season.  That said I’m reeling, and still feeling more than a little frustration over the whole debacle that was Friday night.  It might’ve felt better if we got blown out…it might have felt better if we lost 1-0/2-1 in extra innings, given the pitching match-up…perhaps the frustration may have been rivaled if we goofed and blew some sort of huge, cushy lead.  But alas, none of those were the case.  Instead, we limped offense-lessly through a disparaging nine innings of torture!

My brother put it succinctly (as he’s often able to do with the Phil’s when I’m struggling to find the logic), when he addressed the fact that the Phil’s have never been a good ‘small ball‘ club.  And it’s true, they’re just not.  Rather, they’re at their best when exhibiting an awe-inspiring performance, and lack the steady attention to the fundamentals of the game.  In their recent playoff success stories, they rode the long ball all the way to the World Series for two straight years.  Since then, with injuries prevalent, they’ve been unable to capitalize on the basics and principals that make most baseball teams successful.  Now granted, two things are a given: 1 – I’ll feel a heck of a lot better if the Card’s ride their late season hot streak all the way to a parade, and 2 – I’ll be sporting my Phil’s caps all through the year, anxiously awaiting them to take the grass @ Citizen’s Bank in April.  I cant help it…I’m a lifer!

Having said that, and as I’ve often done this past season, I started to see correlations to the film production industry here in Philly…another often frustrating situation.  The fact of the matter is, all major film markets (New York & L.A. first among the list) witness a sustaining, year-round level of consistent ‘small ball’ production activity.  Episodic TV, reality-based TV, indie level feature film production, and big budget studio offerings all balance the slate.  Here in the CoBL, however, it seems we’re more ‘flash in the pan’ when it comes to our annual production docket, with typically only a handful of big-budget films swooping in for short stints before leaving the scene vacant for even longer stints.  And just like the Phil’s, with their impressive collection of Aces, Philly has all of the key ingredients to be a perpetually strong film market, making it all the more frustrating that it cant seem to capitalize on them.

I’m as loyal to the Greater Philly film region as I am to the Fightin’s, but sooner or later the draw up the turnpike will prove to be a sweeter temptation than I can ignore.  And while I’ll no sooner become a native New Yorker than a Yankees fan, there’s no arguing that the fruitful production-sustenance of the Big Apple is an appetizing proposition.

Having spent a part of this past weekend helping out with some loose ends on the indie feature “Backwards”, as they were back in the saddle for some pick-up footage, I’m hearing rumors that the film is coming together quite nicely.  And while it was fun to get back into the field with a collection of the department heads & crew again, I’ll admit to being at least mildly distracted by NLDS Game 1 (the Fightin’s were also hosting the visiting Card’s down @ CBP).

While balancing my UPM-esque duties with my addictive Phil’s fever, I was reflecting on the growing collection of local philmmakers that are proud to set their sticks in the Greater Philly region.  The gents over at the South Jersey-based Kphat Productions always seem to be up to something feature-film related, and have begun to amass an impressive collection of company credits.  Meanwhile, the Producer/Director team of  James Madison &  Nic Reader seem to be ready to take their Expressway Productions moniker to the next level, hot on the heels of their successful short film collaboration “Runner”.  And with the likes of Ben Hickernell’s “Backwards”, the environmentally conscious indie darling “Future Weather”, and the horror treat “Alpha Girls” all bound to hit screens in the coming year, we could be in store for a potential hat-trick of Philly-based philm fare witnessing some much deserved exposure.

As I ramp up talks this week with the philmmakers behind the comedy “Angus”, penned by local screenwriter David Greenberg, I remain as optimistic as ever that Philly will soon witness its full potential as a viable and sustaining film market.

With principal photography officially in the can (or, more appropriately, stored efficiently on the hard drives), it’s on to the post-production leg of things for Director Ben Hickernell, Producer Sarah Megan Thomas, and their rowing infused feature “Backwards”.  Editor Phillip Bartell (“In Her Shoes”, “Undertow”) has been in Philly since week two of production back in July, and has been working out of ODM in Old City.

The film, lensed on the RED One by DP Harlan Bosmajian, took full advantage of the tapeless format by enlisting the services of NYC-based post house Mega Playground for all digital intermediate duties.  With twice-weekly treks up the turnpike, footage runners were dropping off fresh drives for transcoding.  As a result, the filmmakers were able to stay on top of the projects aesthetic and coverage benchmarks while viewing dailies from footage only a couple of days old.

The film, starring James Van Der Beek, Glenn Morshower, and Margaret Colin (alongside Thomas herself) is slated for a 2012 release.  You can stay on top of the latest news, notes, and nods by visiting the “Backwards” facebook page.

There’s something to be said for a gig that solidifies nearly two straight months of steady work…long live feature film opp’s!  However, I’m finding a number of fringe benefits to my current run as the UPM on “Backwards”, in addition to the welcomed financial stability.  Chief among those benefits has been a privileged glance behind the curtain of Philly’s very own Boathouse Row.

With more than a week’s worth of production along Kelly Drive, and pit stops at the Waterworks and Philadelphia Art Museum, we’ve set up camp in Vesper Boat Club…one of the more prominent rowing clubs along the waterfront stretch that is Boathouse Row.  Surrounded daily by more than a century’s worth of history, it’s been a humbling experience to say the least.  And the funny thing is, I’m one (of many, I’m sure) that’s come to take this world-famous strip of Philly real estate for granted.  I’ve driven, peddled, and even strolled past these houses countless times over the years, all the while largely oblivious to the daily goings on taking place on their docks.  It’s been fun to gain such all access status to such a historic location, and i’ll never look at this section of the Schuylkill the same way again.

In fairness, working for weeks on end with the talented crew and cast has been a noteworthy fringe benefit as well.  Director Ben Hickernell and I have been pals for years, so working with him was bound to be fun.  The film does, however, mark my first teaming with Line Producer Brian David Cange, and only my second with 1st AD Michael DelPolito…both of whom I look forward to subsequent collaborations with for sure.

With wrap looming ever closer, it will be equal parts refreshing to get some much needed R&R, yet a bit of a bummer to part ways with the crew…bittersweet.

So I’ve admittedly been struggling to find the time to update lately, or much of any free-time at all for that matter.  As mentioned recently, I’ve jumped on board as the UPM for the indie feature “Backwards”, and the 70+ hour work weeks have a way of impeding things.  Nevertheless, I did want to carve out time to bring attention to a group of philmmakers well worthy of mention.

Currently, in tandem with the filming of “Backwards”, a group of dedicated indie filmmakers are in the midst of production on the horror film “Alpha Girls”.  I know a number of the crew members personally, and have the utmost respect for what these fellas (and ladies) are putting together.  I would strongly suggest to anyone of you out there who support Philly-based indie film production to visit the film’s Kickstarter page and make a contribution…no matter how modest.  After all, in a world where budgets are micro-cosmic, every penny helps!

I’ve recently been in contact with a group of indie filmmakers, in a largely consultative capacity, after a mutual film friend put us in touch.  Director/Producer Dwight Wilkins and Writer/Producer Joseph Ruggiero, the filmmaking duo behind A Rose on Ninth Street Productions, are currently in the developmental and fundraising stage for their feature film.  ‘Rose’ is a feature-length script, based on Ruggiero’s book of the same name, that focuses on an Italian-American family in South Philly.  And while the book is a period piece, set squarely in the Italian Market in the 1950’s, the script is a contemporary take on the same plot.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a fundraising event that the filmmakers held this week, at Cesare’s in Bristol, and it was encouraging to see that level of passion and commitment to a project.  It never ceases to amaze me when I come across a dedicated group of filmmakers, caught full-tilt in the midst of kick starting a passion project.  I wish Joe and Dwight all the best as they continue to bring “A Rose on Ninth Street” to life, and hope to be a more active part of the project as it moves forward into development.

In some respects, the City of Philadelphia is clobbering the competition when it comes to PA-centric bragging rights.  The Fightin’ Phil’s hold a significant advantage, after all, over the trailing Pirates, when it comes to the State’s baseball rivalry.  Regardless of their 1-1 split in the pre-season ending On-Deck Series, the Phil’s have established themselves once again as the team to beat in the NL East…or, even arguably, in the NL overall.  With the team well on its way to another championship season, their four straight NL East division titles offer them a hefty edge against the woeful Pirates (who haven’t even witnessed a winning season during the same stretch).

Having said that, the efforts of the PaFIA seem to be tilted strongly in favor of our sister city to the west, as Pittsburgh continues to attract high profile films looking to take advantage of the State’s tax incentive.  Already this year, films like “Steel Town”, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, and “The Dark Knight Rises” have all staked a claim in the vicinity of the three rivers, while Philly sits in absence of any features of note thus far in 2011.  A disheartening statistic after recent years have witnessed the likes of “Transformers 2”, “Limitless”, “Law Abiding Citizen”, and “The Last Airbender” setting up camp in the CoBL.

I’m fortunate enough to be jumping on board the first feature of note (the indie “Backwards”) to visit Philly this calendar year, but remain conscious of the dwindling options nonetheless.  I, for one, love our fair city and decided long ago to settle in the Greater Philly region.  It’s for that very reason that I remain hopeful (or dare i say optimistic) that Philly will once again start to hold its own in the production showdown.  Maybe not in lopsided Phil’s versus Pirates fashion, but at least enough to even up the odds!  Here’s hoping…