Donnybrook Production Services

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…

So it’s looking like I’ll be making the ever-popular ‘Turnpike Trek’ tomorrow, when I head up to the Big Apple bright & early for my latest field-producing assignment.  Teaming for the first time with Director Doug Spangenberg, we’ll be jumping around the City capturing some EPK footage for Universal Music.

The camera, helmed by local Philly-based DP JR Campbell, will be pointed in the direction of the trio of teen sensations “Il Volo”.  These Italian youngsters, on the heels of their crowd-raising appearance on “American Idol”, will be in NYC for just over a day.  While there, they’ll embark on a marathon PR tour that will witness them making pit-stops at a number of national talk-shows.  In between their scheduled visits, our crew will look to capture the teens taking in some of the sights and sounds synonymous with New York, with Times Square, Central Park, and Little Italy set to make our list of backdrops.

I think that my Caribbean-bound vacation plans are coming just in time, as I’m sure I’ll need my stint in Jamaica to recover from and abusive day in the ‘City that never sleeps’…or, as I’ve come to know it as, the ‘City that kicks your butt’!

Over the years I’ve taken to including a variety of daily sponsors for call sheets I’ve developed for my many shoots.  At first, it was a ‘beg, borrow, steal’ approach that followed in the footsteps of my brother Gary when it came to listing a “song of the day”.  Moving forward, and always having harbored a love for words as much as music, I opted instead for the inclusion of a “word of the day” in an effort to expand the vocabulary of the crews I put together…they were eternally grateful, I’m sure!  No wonder there are a slew of eloquent set technicians running around the streets of Philly these days.

Now, with my looming involvement in this summer’s Philly-based indie “Backwards”, I’m thinking of shaking things up again with the notion of a “hat of the day” approach.  My goal will be to show off a variety of what has come to be a staple of my daily attire…the ever-popular baseball cap!  While I’ve never actually taken the time to count all of the hats I’ve accrued over the years, I’m willing to bet I’ve got at least enough to cover the film’s planned 21-day shooting schedule.  In fact, it’s likely I could make it to the project’s halfway point on a steady diet of Phillies caps alone.  It will be interesting to see how deep into the ol’ closet I’ve gotta reach in order to go the distance, as some of the hats in question haven’t seen the light of day in quite some time.  Hopefully there’s nothing stuffed back there that would be too embarrassing, as I’m pretty sure I’ve gotten rid of those Sesame Street hats from my younger days…here’s hoping, anyway!

While the wheels of progress for any indie film in development are tough to keep in motion, it’s highly likely that most indie-filmmakers would list the fundraising campaign portion as the most arduous.  The entire process of bringing an indie film to life is unquestionably and uphill battle, but perhaps nowhere along the way does the incline feel quite as steep as securing funding.

Unfortunately, easy or not the process of fiscal hide & seek is the most integral part of the journey, and the notion of funding a film through private equity is what truly defines a project as an independent.  Having said that, and outside of hypnosis, there are no shortcuts to finding the funds.  A project’s chances of finding money are directly commensurate with that of its fundraising plan, and only the strongest of fundraising packets are able to succeed in these stingy economic times.

Never one to back down from a challenge, I’m looking forward to working with the production team behind “Sufferance” in helping them to develop a sound (and hopefully convincing) financing game plan.  From there, Producers Gary E. Irwin, Jason Contino, and Courtney Custer will begin pounding the pavement in search of philanthropic support.  Plans for moving the indie-horror film into full-speed development and pre-pro are being slated for spring of 2012.

Well, it’s seeming pretty official…local Director Ben Hickernell will be helming this summer’s Philly-based indie film “Backwards”, which is set to commence principal photography sometime in mid-July.  Written & Produced by Sarah Megan Thomas, and Line Produced by Brian David Cange, “Backwards” is a dramedy focused on an Olympic-hopeful rower who’s faced with  a few 30-something life decisions that leave her at an emotional crossroads.  Thomas will also play the lead role of Abi Brooks, in addition to producing.

As it stands, I’ll be joining Mr. Hickernell as well this summer in the role of UPM for the film.  I’m looking forward to yet another chance to team with Ben, as we’ve developed a long-standing relationship of successful collaborations over the years.  It’s good to see another indie select Philly as their backdrop of choice, as the CoBL will be featured pretty heavily in the film.

OK, so yes it’s still a week prior to June and I’m already running the central air full tilt, but fortunately the weather isn’t the only thing in the Greater Philly region that’s heating up these days…the indie film scene here in the CoBL is also on a hot streak as of late.  In addition to the lauded success of Sean Kirkpatrick’s “Cost of a Soul”, here are a few add’l Philmmakers worthy of a shoutout…

Ben Hickernell’s film “Lebanon, PA” has been met with critical, festival, and now distribution success, after premiering at last years SXSW Film Festival.  Ben, along with fellow producing partner Jason Contino, opened to multiple sold out screenings last month as well, right here in Philly at the Ritz @ The Bourse, and rumor has it that ‘Lebanon’ has also secured add’l distribution as well, but more on that in the weeks & months to come.  And, speaking of news to come in the world of Director Ben Hickernell, there may be other big news in the not-too-distant future…stay tuned for updates possibly as soon as next week.

Another local indie-filmmaker enjoying well-deserved praise for her efforts is Jenny Deller of “Future Weather” fame.  Jenny has been selected recently as one of 10 up & coming Directors to watch out for by “Independent Magazine”.  All good things for Philly Philm, and all good praise for local homegrown indie filmmakers!

Opening today to a nationwide audience, local indie darling  “Cost of a Soul” will benefit from the largest theatrical opening ever for a film of its budget range!  Pretty impressive stuff, and great for the CoBL’s indie film scene.  Sean Kirkpatrick’s gritty drama was a festival favorite at last month’s Cinefest, where it was awarded the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.  Shot locally right here in Philly, and produced by longtime Phila-freelancer Edward J. Eberwine III, ‘Cost’  represents the collaborative efforts of some of Philadelphia’s best freelance crew folk.  It was a labor of love, and shot for an impressively low budget, given it’s success thus far.

The film is being released by Relativity Media and Rogue Pictures in a variety of AMC theaters in the country.  It will be a standard indie-minded platform release, so a lot will be riding on the film’s opening week success.  Buzz for the film has been building, and an interview with Director Kirkpatrick as well as some of the film’s key talent can be found here.  So get out there and support local indie filmmakers…and while you’re at it, you can friend the film on facebook as well.  The more support the better!