Scene and Heard

Actually in this particular case, it is NOT heard.  It is Right There – a silent film in pre-production at the moment, written by Nathan Suher and Ian Taylor at IM Filmworks.  Nathan is currently very close to choosing his leads, but there are a couple minor roles that they need to fill as well, so they would still appreciate headshots and resumes. Please send your reel and resumes to producers@imfilmworks.com

Congratulations! Skip Shea’s horror flick Microcinema just won first prize for best short in the Jersey Gore Film Festival, shared with another film called 3 A.M. Quote from the folks at Jersey Gore, “Both were so good, we couldn’t pick one!” This is a wild ride, and a philosophical one at that, folks. When a young rich dude, with a lot of time on his hands and a penchant for snuff films decides to cross the line from observer to participant, you’ll find the twist in this tale to be quite, uh … bewitching.

Congratulations again! This time to Providence Lyceum for their film titled The Unproductive, which made news on one of the top 500 websites in America called infowars.com. The film is a provocative look at the effects of the euthanasia debate on a relationship: how it can divide and devastate, as well as create a sense of helplessness at having to make a life or death decision. The story also touches upon the ever-increasing competition between independent and established news media and the conflict it causes between two cousins whose perceptions of reality are shaped by quite different news media sources. The Unproductive was somewhat influenced by the Terri (Schindler) Schiavo saga, which occurred in 2005.

Congrats a third time? Yep! This time for Michael Shawver and his work on the film Fruitvale.  Shawver, a RI native, edited this film about the real life story of the death of a young man killed at a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, CA.  This film took home the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The movie also won the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film. Fruitvale is the first feature-length film from USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate Ryan Coogler, 26. Actor Forest Whitaker served as a producer on the movie, which stars Michael B. Jordan.

OK. Once more. This time it’s congrats to the father and son team, John Martin and Seth Chitwood.  Dad, John Martin, along with web-based stories by Jody McPhillips , reported on, produced, directed and narrated AARP Rhode Island’s multi-media exploration of senior hunger in Providence’s West End community. It was one of the official selections of the LA Web Series Festival top picks for 2013. View the series here at . Son Seth Chitwood picked up three awards at the same festival for his cop/supernatural drama, Red Circles for Best Series, Best Director (Chitwood) and Best Lead Actress (Corey Lynn Arruda). Bravo, father and son!

The 989 Project and those boys behind it, Anthony Ambrosino and Nicholas Delmenico, just signed on to a new gig: In Plain View – the first webisodic cop drama to come out of Boston, created and produced by Joe Conforti. Nick will take on the role of First Assistant Director, and Anthony will take the helm as Production Manager.  Actors Tom Kemp and Kati Salowski will star in the series, but keep your eyes open, actors, for another round of casting coming soon.  Visit their Facebook page to follow any new developments here: https://www.facebook.com/InPlainViewSeries?fref=ts

Speaking of cop dramas, I just signed on to star in the fourth and final season of Red Circles (this police training is killing me folks, but hey an actor’s gotta do what an actor’s gotta do). Anyone wishing to build up a resume and take this training (yes, that would be you, writers, directors, and actors, especially) Angelwood Pictures is offering a Detective Training Day! Yup, that’s right – join former Massachusetts State Troopers Charlie and Mel  Alejandro for a day of training (more like ass-kicking – I know, I’ve  done it).The one-day training seminar will cover the following areas: crime scene investigation and evidence collection, tactical room clearing and gun simulation handling, (my quads hurt for days),  the four types of interrogation and queues of body language, preparation for court testimony and legal lingo, and marching drills and basic march commands. If you gotta play a cop, lawyer or tactical officer, this training’s for you.  Writers and directors – get away from the computer and the cameras for a bit and go for it – this’ll help ya’ get REAL. It’s worth the 99 bucks and is taking place April 21^st from 9 am to 5 pm in Barrington, RI. For more info, go here: http://www.angelwoodpictures.com/events.phpand and to sign up or ask questions, go here: angelwoodpictures@gmail.com

Don’t forget to check out our fellow filmmakers’ work in this year’s SENE Film Festival running from April 23 through April 28: Christian de Rezendes’ films Cat Scratch and Memories for Sale, Richard Marr-Griffin’s A Date with your Family, Tony Demings  and Skip Shea’s Children of the Asylum,   Genevieve Belcher and  Eclipse Neilson’s documentary Uproar in Pawtucket – The Story of Fanny the Elephant,  and many, many more. Visit the site for more info on festival events, including the Rock ‘n’ Reel entries, here: http://www.senefest.com/

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank those RI’ers who helped make my NE Kids’ Actors Group first networking event in Whitman, MA, on April 7th a huge success. Laura Pepper of Peppered Productions photographed the festivities and educational seminars for us (amidst her shooting her Rock ‘n’ Reel entry, no less),  and last but not least, Pat O’Hara, who acted as my faithful co-pilot and event set up/ take down person. Casting directors from CT and MA, industry professionals, veteran moms ( and dads), marketing gurus,  social media experts , photographers, editors,  and filmmakers all shared their expertise with the parents  while enjoying good food and lively conversation. We all made some new friends and learned a thing or two. We are hoping to have an event like this in each New England state – so if you are interested in coordinating and/or hosting a fete like this, please contact me at rpacheco737@hotmail.com and put “NE Kids’ Event” in the subject line.

Remember, people, film is rolling. Especially in Rhode Island.