Friday, July 30, 2010

And Now, ANOTHER Words from our Co-Producer...

Me Again, Leigh Again....with more things that I've learned in the process of working on Dark of Moon.



* Both the cast and crew are encouraged to do surprise, drive-by BOOMings to the rest of the cast and crew. BOOM rules will be posted shortly. Those who want to buy BOOM t-shirts should check out the CafePress site. No. Really.



* Because of my disturbing attempts to draw stick figures during a storyboarding session, I've become the unofficial Disturbed Artist of the Dark of Moon shoot. (Although I don't know what's wrong with anthropomorphic blob man spearing a giant eyeball with acid soaked tridents. T'cha.)



* Storyboarding with Barbie Dolls is both creepy and ineffective for blocking scenes. Once we find enough dolls we will be doing it for as many scenes as possible.



* I’m fighting a loosing battle to have Dylan and Roger making out in the background of one of the scenes where they don’t have any dialogue.



* Anyone who knows an artist who might be willing to draw a Dark of Moon comic book/graphic novel, please have them contact us ASAP.



* A commercial for Jesus Chrispies (now with marshmallow fished, loaves, and goblets of wine!) now must be shot as an end cap for the Dark of Moon credits.



* Upcoming spinoffs for Dark of Moon: Skippy the Crackhead Underground Comic, Greeny the Stoner Alien, and Taliesin's Novel of a Time Travelling Vampire that he needs to finish immediately.

- Leigh

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

DarkOfMoon.com is on the air!

The movie website has gone live. Check out DarkOfMoon.com and let me know what you think!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

More Casting News!


First up, Kelly Rogers has been cast as Beth. Quiet and loyal, Beth is the heart and soul of the group of friends at the centre of the film. Her quest for true love drives her out of her comfort zone, and into a quirky and frustratingly funny world.

A veteran of stage productions going back into her childhood, this is Kelly's first film. She's also a multti-tasker... aside from acting, Kelly is a talented singer/songwriter who will be featured on the film's soundtrack (check out her music HERE). Behind the scenes, she will also be filling the important role of hair and make-up artist for the production.




Next up is Angelia Deluca, who will be playing Sammi. Acid-tongued and quick-witted, Sammi is the truth-teller of the group, often saying what needs to be said in the bluntest manner possible. She's Beth companion in the search for a mate, but often regrets it.

Angelia is also a newcomer to film, but has shown the ability to fall into a difficult part with ease and good humour. She was a softball MVP in Cleveland for eight years, and has a self described "superb Edward Cullen resistance"...which also means the lady has good taste.





Brad Arner has been selected to play the role of Zeke in the film. Quiet and contemplative, Zeke is Beth's partner in running the show until a restless spirit leads him to find his path elsewhere. His exit causes the rest of the gang to re-think the direction their lives are taking, but his compassion prevents him from abandoning them completely.

A veteran of numerous stage performances, I first met Brad while working on the independent TV show Quarter Bin. He's a real pro who shows up prepared, and can find the emotional centre of a character with little prompting.




Finally, the role of Miller will be played by Barberton resident DJ Remark. Miller is the sarcastic foil of the group, intensely loyal yet refusing to take anything TOO seriously. He's also the stress-relief director for his friends, always ready to help people burn off a little tension.

DJ is a media student who originally answered an ad looking for technical crew for the project. His own skewed outlook onlife made him the perfect fit for Miller, however. He's also drummer who's band, Wixor (listen HERE), will be featured on the soundtrack as well.



Now that we have our cast, it's full steam ahead on the production. Welcome aboard, everyone!!!





Sunday, July 18, 2010

Casting News!

True alternatives Media is proud to announce our first role cast for the upcoming motion picture "Dark of Moon".

William Roger Conners, who has been seen in such films as "Hellementary", "Random Violence", "Hellweek", and the upcoming "VooDoo Rising", has been cast to play the part of "Drew".  An artist who's frustrated at the lack of traction in his career, Drew is the life-long friend of the strong-willed character "Sammi", and is the free-spirit amongst the circle of friends at the centre of the film.

As Director of the film, I'm thrilled to have Roger on board.  He's a real pro, and lights up the screen whenever he's on it.  Roger and I, along with the rest of the cast and crew of the film, are excited to make this movie, and we can't wait for everyone to see the final result!

Check out Roger's IMDB Page here

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

E-Mail Problems

Hi there!

Some people who e-mailed me this past weekend got their messaged bounced back.  Here's why:

What happened was that I went out of town on Thursday, to attend a weekend festival. When I came home, I found my telephone not working, the cable TV down, and my internet non-existant. When I called my cable company (who runs all three), the conversation went something like this:


ME
Excuse me, but my services aren't working.

CABLE COMPANY
Māpha karanā bēvakūphī paradēśī, lēkina maiṁ āpakī bhāṣā nahīṁ bōlatā!

ME
Uh, could you transfer me to someone who speaks the strange imitation of English that we speak in America?

CABLE COMPANY
Bhāṛa mēṁ jā'ō tuma, pakaṛa kr̥payā...(different voice) Hello, Daniel my name is. How can you I help?

ME
Uh, my services are down...

CABLE COMPANY
Check on that for you I can...hold please. (Several minutes later) OK...your services are out, but a good reason there is.

ME
And that reason is...?

CABLE COMPANY
You owe us money.

ME
Money?

CABLE COMPANY
Yes. (X amount).

ME
(X amount)?

CABLE COMPANY
That's right.

ME
What about the (X amount) I paid you rwo weeks ago?

CABLE COMPANY
What (X amount) you paid when?

ME
The (X amount) I paid on June 25th.

CABLE COMPANY
You made a payment?

ME
Yep. And the confirmation code was (long pointless confirmation code).

CABLE COMPANY
Oh...THAT payment.

ME
I'd like to speak to a supervisor please.

CABLE COMPANY
No problem! (line clicks) Tuma phira sē? Aba kyā?

In the end, I got everything turned back on. However, this caused my e-mail to be suspended over the weekend, so if you sent anything, It more than  likely bounced back to you. Sorry about that. Also, allow me to apologise for this mass e-mail, but It will take time to get back to everyone, and I wanted you all to know A: What went wrong, and B: That I WILL be getting back to people individually if we were already corresponding about something. 

 If you sent me something new, please re-send it. And as always, my apologies for things being a bit behind, e-mail wise. Some day, I'll be able to  send messages just by thinking about it. Until that day, I'll need to depend on typing, which is NOT my fastest skill!

If you aren't talking to me about anything and don't have anything new to say, then go ahead and check your tire pressure. Or your blood pressure.  Just do SOMETHING...I like to be useful!


 - Taliesin

Monday, July 5, 2010

And Now, A Word From Our Co-Producer

Howdy all. Your co-producer Leigh here, in her first 'Dark of Moon' related blog post.

Now, despite having experience with independent shoots before, I have to say things are somewhat different from the co-producer's chair. The decisions are strangely personal, and knowing what our DP, Ass-Prod, and Writer/Co-Producer/Creator o' Worlds think has become critical. Unlike some of my earlier projects, everyone at the top is on the same wavelength and coming up with the same conclusions. And man oh man... is that ever a good feeling!

But like any new experience, I've been learning things about the process of film-making as we go forward. And I thought I might share a few things I've learned so far, just during the first round of auditions for Dark of Moon:

* SOMETIMES IT'S JUST NOT YOUR DAY - We've seen dozens of talented and ambitious actors audition for us. Actors with stellar resumes and true, honest skills. But if they can't make us see them playing one of the characters, we have to wince and move forward. We've already start thinking of how we could write several people into a project further down the line... but that's not helping things right now.

* THE AMOUNT OF TALENT IN 'NEO' IS OBSCENE - Don't get me wrong. We had more than a few 'American Idol' moments during the audition. (Our DP Noelle had to physically restrain herself from screaming 'Next!' once or twice.) But, overall, we have some damn talented people up here. I fully expect to be as blown away during our second round of auditions as I was during our first.

* LOOKING AT AN ACTOR'S AUDITION FOOTAGE IS CRUCIAL - People we thought were spot-on, can suddenly seem just a little off. And actors who we were less than impressive start looking like George Clooney. The suave can look goofy and the drama queens can come across as subdued. And at the end of the day, it's how a person looks on film that counts.

* I SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN BOOZE OF ANY KIND WHILE REVIEWING BAD AUDITION FOOTAGE - Let's just leave it at that.

 - Leigh, Production Goddess

 Cross Posted To  Freerange Thinking