Donnybrook Production Services

Let’s face it, this winter sucked…plain and simple.  Brutal weather, miserable commutes, and lest we forget another ‘Storm of the Century’.  It’s enough to make a fella abscond with his 5-year old to greener (and sunnier) pastures.  As a matter of fact, it was exactly enough.  So with my NY stint for ‘Deadbeat’ recently wrapped, I took advantage of the timing and set off for Phillies’ Spring Training with my little man.  Carpe diem, right.  As it turned out, it wasn’t any harder for Chase & I to trade the frozen tundra of the Northeast Corridor for the sunlit palms of Clearwater than it was for the Fightin’s to trade J-Ro11 to the Dodgers!  Not that I’m totally on board with the latter decision, mind you.

Energized by the high-temps and crystal clear conditions, we took in the pre-season opener at Brighthouse Field against the dreaded Bomber’s from the Bronx.  And even though the game ended in a tie, which is allowable in Grapefruit League play, we still enjoyed front row seats behind home plate, fed our faces with hot dogs and pretzels (as any self respecting fans should), and finally departed late in the day, armed with plenty of spring-themed souvenirs for our favorite girls back home.

Now having finally taken the trip myself, I’d encourage any fellow baseball enthusiasts out there, whether parent or perpetual bachelor, to make the trek at some point if possible.  They say that there’s nothing as inspiring as spring baseball, and it’s true.  But unfortunately, it’s the October baseball that will be depressing for Phillies phans this season.  Nevertheless, we’ll all still dare to dream, and come playoff time it will be up to the finicky baseball gods to dictate the fate of the mighty Fightin’s!

And because this getaway has me reminiscing already, here’s a quick throwback ad for the Phillies Majestic Clubhouse Store, shot in 2010.  It features a mini version of Chase, as well as several friends and family cameos, all of whom were happy to lend a hand…for the free Phillies swag, of course.  I managed and coordinated the spot, with Sue Redmond @ Rubberband Producing.  Watching it still brings back a wave of nostalgia…and little man still has the Chase Utley blanket.  We ‘share’ it, of course.

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.

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…

An interesting little tidbit, which some of you may know, but the Philadelphia Phillies are quite the sustaining club.  Established in 1883, the Fightin’s are the oldest, continuous one-name/one-city franchise in all of professional sports…now that’s quite an impressive claim.  And like their MLB namesake, the CoBL has a similar work ethic, and strives to adhere to a matched sense of continuity.

A recent example of this is a small victory for the City’s filmmaker community, which benefited by the renewal of the ever-so-helpful Film Tax Credit for at least one more year.  This was in large part due to the constant lobbying efforts of the Pennsylvania Film Industry Association (PaFIA).  The Association has worked tirelessly over the past 18+ months to be a unified voice for the Film & Video Production Industry in PA.  And while the victory was no doubt an impressive milestone, PaFIA’s efforts are a constant uphill struggle as they work to impact policy making in Harrisburg on the film community’s behalf.  To help in the effort, you can think about an annual membership…by doing so, you will become a part of the collective effort.  The Association has set the goal of reaching 1500 members this year, and currently sit at roughly the 65% mark, so help push them over the edge and join the effort today!

So, it would seem that the Fightin Phil’s aren’t the only thing in the CoBL gaining nationwide momentum & buzz these days.  Add to the list of noteworthy Philly-based fodder two indie features set to hit theaters across the continental US this month!

First up is Writer/Director Ben Hickernell’s “Lebanon, PA”, which premieres at the Ritz @ the Bourse this Friday.  Produced by Ben & Jason Contino, ‘Lebanon’ is a true indie, and a terrific character study.  Starring Josh Hopkins, Samantha Mathis, & newcomer Rachel Kitson, the film will benefit from a well crafted platform release that will look to build on audience buzz.  For a full overview of the current release schedule, check out the film’s official site.

Also set to hit theaters on May 20 is Writer/Director Sean Kirkpatrick’s gritty action drama “Cost of a Soul”.  Produced by Sean and Edward J. Eberwine III, ‘Cost’ is a down & dirty tale of two Iraqi War veterans who return to the streets of their youth in North Philly, only to find it’s tougher to make a go of it back home than it was on foreign soil.  “Cost of a Soul” is partnering with Rouge & AMC Theaters, and hits theaters at the end of the month.