"Dinner Party" Casting! Let's DO this!

Jackal Films, an award-winning film production company, is casting “Dinner Party”, a short comedy about 7 college friends who get together for a dinner party after years of separation, and due to the actions of one guest, things stop being polite and start getting very, very real.

Audition Date: 6/5/2011

Shoot Dates: 6/25-6/26/2011

Union Status: we will be shooting under the SAG New Media Agreement, both Union and non-Union actors are encouraged to submit

CAST OF CHARACTERS:

Mike: the party host along with his wife. Mid to late 30's, average build, ethnicity not specified. Mike is a good guy, loving husband, hard-worker.

Kathleen: Mike's wife, the perfect hostess. Mid to late 30's, genuine and nice, with a Martha Stewart edge - almost too good to be true.

Sarah: Kathleen's former college roommate. Petite and adorable in spite of having 4 kids under the age of 6. Mid to Late 30's.

Shane: Sarah's husband, an accountant, very serious and studious. Attractive, but in a goofy sort of way. Also mid to late 30's, thin build.

Ben: Mike's best buddy from college, they haven't seen each other for over 10 years. Ben is your typical guy's guy - into sports, fit and athletic, a little snarky and arrogant. Mid to late 30's.

Cassie: Ben's trophy wife, early 20's, thin build. Not much going on in that head of hers, smiles and tries to politely join the conversation, but doesn't have much to add.

Ed: The instigator. The jokester of the group. The eternal bachelor who refuses to settle down. Mid to late 30's, handsome, but not overly built, with a quirky edge to him.

We will be shooting under the SAG New Media agreement, both Union and non-Union talent are encouraged to apply. When the film is compiled into the feature-length project (see below), all performers will be paid under the SAG Ultra-Low Budget Agreement. Copy, credit and some damn good food are all guaranteed.

ABOUT JACKAL FILMS AND WHERE THIS SHORT IS HEADED

“Dinner Party” is the second installment in a 5-part series of revenge-themed short films by Jackal Films, an independent film production company owned by writer/director/producer Jacqueline Gault. Initially, the short films will be used for online distribution (hence the New Media Contract) and festival submissions. While each film has it’s own story arch and can stand alone as a single short, the long-term goal is to edit the 5 shorts into a feature-length film.  The feature will follow five revenge stories that take place in a 12 hour period. While revenge is the theme that ties them all together, short #3, “Take the Groceries and Run”, will include cameos of characters from the 4 other shorts. The first short produced for this project was “Sack Lunch” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825939/) starring Brynn Baron and Shelly Lipkin. Barely out of the gate, “Sack Lunch” won Best in Show at the first film festival it was submitted to. Currently being re-scored and preparing for a screening at Indent Studios on May 20th, “Sack Lunch” will be hitting the festival circuit aggressively in the coming months.

TO SUBMIT:
Please send a headshot and resume to casting@jackal-films.com and note the role(s) in which you would like to be considered for. 

2011 - A Year in Preview

It's already February and the Year In Preview I promised has yet to be written. Where did January go?

I can already cross one accomplishment off my list. One of my goals for 2011 was to start building IMDb credits in new categories. I can now officially say I have a director, writer and editor credit for my first project: "Sack Lunch." I can't show you the full 6 minutes in all it's glory, but I can share a 24 second teaser I put together. Look for festival news shortly.

I've been writing up a storm, and have a ton of projects I am itching to get started on. But one in particular as taken hold of my heart and I'm putting full effort into it until further notice. I truly and honestly believe that it is the one project that will propel me and my career in this industry farther than I could possibly imagine. Yes, it's that good. And I have others to thank for that, particularly Deneb Catalan, my writing partner who has been instrumental in writing dialogue that gives characters dimension, and Tim Oakley, my production designer, who is talented beyond belief and is in the process of creating some amazing artwork that will help the world visualize the words that have been put to paper.

Of course that is not to belittle the work by others who are involved and whose participation will grow as we prepare to pitch our project to those that have the means to make it happen. Kc Guyer has been a part of the development team from the very beginning and Nate DiNiro, a recent addition who has already proven to be invaluable, round out the core group.

The little gem of a project I am referring to is called Warped! Apparently I didn't get the memo when newbies were told to start small, because this certainly is no small project. Which is why I am reaching out to additional folks with much more experience than I to help shape this bad boy. Pulling in resources that include CGI, transmedia, gaming, and more.

While we will have a designated online presence for the whole process of creating Warped!,  I want to use my own personal blog as a way for me to document my personal journey through this as a relative newcomer, fumbling my way through planning and pitching a television series. I'll have to change some names to keep things confidential along the way, but it's going to be a wild journey. These will be my personal notes. My successes and frustrations. The end goal is to look back on this one year from now and remember through my giddy naivete what worked, what didn't and the baby steps I took to get the job done. I don't care if anyone reads this. It's not really meant for anyone else's eyes. But if my progress helps inspire someone along the way, then that will be a happy bonus!

So, where am I at in the process right now?
- Pilot episode is in the umpteen millionth round of edits (that's the first newbie lesson I learned - the final draft is NEVER the final draft). FINALLY at the stage where we can hold a table read to work out the final kinks before we lock the script.
- Meeting with FX houses and animation studios, transmedia gurus, web designers, game developers, etc. so that we can pull together accurate budget numbers for all the different elements. The added benefit is that we will have a strong team at the ready when everything else is in place.
- Meeting with local entities to help me make a strong case as to WHY this project should be filmed in Oregon and am grateful that Kitzhaber has extended film incentives (even INCREASED them). Meeting with producers, OMPA, Governor's Office of Film and Television and pretty much everyone willing to meet with me.
- Gathering information on the people we will be pitching to so that we walk in the door well informed and ready to answer all their questions.





I'll update more as things progress. In a very optimistic place right now. Don't harsh my buzz or I will take you DOWN!



Next up will be my blog about the things I have learned so far! Stay tuned.