2008 Camp Promotional DVDs completed

The 2008 camp season was another exciting one because The Lighthouse Film Company produced twice as many promotional DVDs as usual and I helped with the writing, editing, & graphics.  I also made things more interesting by moving my office to Michigan right in the middle of editing!  But with technology these days (iChat is a beautiful thing) we didn't miss a beat.  And as usual, working with Lighthouse was an extremely positive & fulfilling experience.

If you'd like to check out the results of all our hard work, click HERE.

...And without a moment's hesitation, we've already begun pre-production on the 2009 camps!  They should be extra-exciting due to the celebrities involved.  Curious?  Well, you'll have to wait until we're done, but until then... do these people look familiar?

Sold Out!

THE ONLY THING SCREENS AT CUCALORUS!

Rachel Greenberger and Derek Tindall's independent short film The Only Thing was selected from over 900 entries and screened to a sold-out audience at the 2007 Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, NC. The film was edited by Scott Magie of the FMPC and Brad Walker of The Lighthouse Film Company.

One Down... ? to go...

The first rough cut of NO LIMIT is now done.  This means two things:

1) The raw footage is now beginning to come to life.

and...

2) It's not even close to being a good film yet.

You see, this is the worst point in the process of making a film.  It's the point where, as the filmmaker, you see all the things that didn't pan out the way you once hoped.  When you write a script, you're only limited by your imagination, but once you enter pre-production and production, the compromises begin... (We only have this location for three hours... The poker table hasn't shown up yet... The baby won't cry on cue anymore... and by the way, did somebody ever figure out what happened to lunch?)

But there IS hope.  There IS life hidden beneath the rough edges of this early draft.  There's beautiful cinematography.  There are captivating performances.  And there are happy accidents... those wonderful little surprises that weren't in the script but that enhance the story so perfectly that someone MUST have scripted them.

So now I'll put this draft aside for a bit while I work on other projects, then I'll return to the next draft with a (hopefully) new perspective on what the story needs to catapult into the next stage... the stage when I get to fall in love with this story all over again, but in a whole new way.

NO LIMIT wraps!

After months of preproduction and four and a half grueling (but fun) days of production, NO LIMIT has officially wrapped production. I originally wrote the script as something that would be "fun and easy to shoot here in Wilmington on a very minimal budget"... well... at least it was fun! Definitely not easy, but mostly because we all wanted to make the best film possible... so what started out as a small pet project suddenly became a fairly big, full-fledged, dolly-track-and-green-screen sort of moving picture production. But we still only had two weekends to shoot it, so that made for some looong days.

When it was all said and done though, we managed to shoot about twelve hours of gorgeous footage (thanks to the always fantastic Director of Photography Brad Walker & our crew!) and capture some fabulous performances (thanks to our amazing cast led by David Clemen, my brother from another mother)... all of which I now have the pleasure of editing into one kickin' short film!
And through it all, the cast and crew were kept informed, fed, and (hopefully) happy as clams by our awesome coordinating duo of Jennifer and Jeanene, who saved the movie multiple times by thinking for me when my brain sat down like an ornery donkey and refused to cooperate.
And they weren't the only ones who saved the movie, but you know who you are because I've probably already thanked you at least seventeen times, so I won't try to name you all here.

So... to my cast, to my crew, and to all the locals who donated their time, their houses, their businesses, their equipment, or their newborn babies.... here's one more big THANK YOU!
Being the recipient of your generosity was a truly humbling experience.
And that's saying something too, because normally I'm the opposite of humble! :)

I'll post some other behind-the-scenes pictures and screen-grabs soon, so check back.

CASTING CALL for NO LIMIT

LOW-BUDGET SHORT SEEKS WILMINGTON-AREA ACTORS OF ALL AGES TO BRING AWARD-WINNING SCREENPLAY TO LIFE.
(NO PAY OTHER THAN LUNCH, BUT IT WILL BE FUN & IT SHOULD DO WELL ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT.)

SCHEDULE CHANGE!!
We now plan to shoot the weekend of May 12th!

CALL FOR AUDITIONS
The Flipbook Moving Picture Company
in association with
The Lighthouse Film Company, Inc.
presents
"NO LIMIT: The Extremely Short Story of My Poker Career"
Written & Directed by Scott Magie (Harold Knows The Difference)
Produced by Scott Magie & Brad Walker (Pale Blue Moon)

CASTING CALL:
WHEN: Thursday, April 19th 1pm-7pm
WHERE: Calvary Chapel of Wilmington (**this film is not "religious"... my church was just kind in letting me use the facility**)
ADDRESS: 2831 Carolina Beach Road - Wilmington, NC
DIRECTIONS: A few hundred yards south of Shipyard Blvd on C.Beach Road - don't look for a steeple, look for the blue dove-sign by the road.

PLEASE EMAIL scott_magie@yahoo.com IF INTERESTED IN AUDITIONING FOR A ROLE. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR PREFERRED TIME between 1pm & 7pm on Thursday, April 19th.*
YOU WILL RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION EMAIL WITH YOUR EXACT AUDITION TIME (15 minute increments) AND ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION. PLEASE ARRIVE AT THIS CONFIRMED TIME, NOT THE TIME YOU REQUESTED (if different).

PLEASE BE ON TIME SO WE CAN STAY ON SCHEDULE AND FIT EVERYONE IN.

*If no times between 1pm & 7pm work for you, state that in your email and we'll try to figure out an alternative time & place for us to meet you on Thursday or Friday.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE:
The bulk of the scenes will be shot the weekend of May 12th, but additional shooting will be conducted, if necessary. Our shooting schedule will depend heavily upon the availability of locations, but most actors will only be required on set for less than one day. Some of the principles may be involved in scenes shot over two days. Only the main character is required for more than two days.

THE STORY:
The film is a quirky comedy with very stylized cinematography and editing. This isn't physical comedy or gross-out comedy. This is life comedy, because life is funny. The script won the Woods Hole Film Festival's short screenplay competition and was named a Top 25 Finalist in the American Gem Short Screenplay Competition through Filmmakers Magazine (www.filmmakers.com) so the finished film should play well on the festival circuit. We are mainly doing this film for the fun of the experience and the exposure it will bring to all involved, so actors should be prepared to have fun with this too.

THE CHARACTERS:
I've included fairly specific physical descriptions of the characters, but I would rather have someone who can act than someone who exactly matches a physical description. Quality actors should not be discouraged from auditioning if their physical appearance or age is slightly different than the description given. For example, Carl's description says he has a grey ponytail and Indian heritage. That's just what I was picturing when writing the character, but if you can act and you're an Irishman with a crew-cut and freckles, that works too. I mainly want people who look "real" not plastic.

My biggest concern is finding the right actor to play the main character ("ME") and the character of Angela. These actors need to have extremely natural line delivery and be able to say things with their eyes.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

FYI: Despite the title, this story is largely fictional and an actor will play the main character, not myself.

LEAD ROLE:
ME (white male, 30 – tall, not dark, & almost handsome)
- Main character and narrator of my own sadly comic story.
“I was one of those talented kids with lots of potential… but now look at me. I’m a complete failure.”

PRINCIPLE ROLES:
ANGELA (white female, age 30 – natural “girl-next-door” look)
- Her confidence, laid-back demeanor, and carefree personality lead her to approach me, a total stranger, at a critical point in my life. After I tell her my story, she tells me something that shifts my perspective on success & failure.
CARL ST. CLOUD (male, 50’s/60’s – grey ponytail, American Indian?)
- Restaurant owner who fires me, then shows up unexpectedly at the poker table where my poker career starts and ends in a single hand.
RON (male, 30’s – clean-cut, preppy, always a sparkling smile)
- His good looks & overly-friendly attitude make him a loveable, yet slightly annoying character. He invites me to his home for the ill-fated poker game and is the dealer for the opening hand.

SUPPORTING ROLES: (asterisk designates non-speaking role)
YOUNG ME* (white male, age 6 – skinny, blonde, quirky)
- Shown in flashbacks.
TEEN ME* (white male, age 12 – skinny, blonde, quirky)
- Shown in flashbacks.
MY FATHER (white male, 40’s – tall, distinguished)
- Shown in flashbacks. The quintessential father figure who encourages me (his talented, yet quirky son) to “Shoot for the moon… even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars!”
MY SON (white male, age 3 to 5 - skinny, blonde, quirky)
- Shown in flash-forward. Pouts, then smiles.
POKER EXPERT (male, age 50/60 - mean, mustache)
- Explains his rules for achieving poker success directly to the camera, deadpan.
MARTHA (female, 30’s – polished, preppy, born to host a party)
- As Ron’s wife, she serves as the hostess of the poker party and as mother of their screaming baby.
SOPHIE ST. CLOUD (female, 40’s/50’s – petite, quiet, Asian?)
- Carl’s wife. She’s not really into poker, but comes to the game to keep her eye on Carl, who she adores by criticizing.
STEVE DORTMEYER (male, 30’s – clean-cut, heavy-set)
- A player at the poker game who has more confidence than skill.
KELLY DORTMEYER (female, 30’s – fun-loving, cheerful, heavy-set)
- Steve’s wife, who cheerfully loses money in the poker game.
MOVIE STAR (male, 20's/30's - achingly handsome)
- Shown onscreen in cheesy fake movie.
MOVIE STARLET (female, 20's/30's - achingly gorgeous)
- Shown onscreen in cheesy fake movie.
RESTAURANT FATHER & MOTHER (male/female, 30’s/40’s)
- These tourists & their kids are my nightmare-table during my short stint as a waiter.
RESTAURANT DAUGHTER (female, 9 – cute & mischievous)
- She overwhelms the restaurant scene with the sucking noises from her straw.
RESTAURANT KID* (male or female, age 6)
- Quieter than his/her sister, but no less mischievous.

The Only Thing That Matters

"What is the only thing that matters?"

Thus begins the short film called "The Only Thing", written and produced by Rachel Greenberger's RAFA FILMS and Brad Walker's LIGHTHOUSE FILM COMPANY.

Brad and I just finished editing it, which got me to thinking about the question itself.
In the classic buddy comedy "City Slickers" the old cowboy played by Jack Palance (Curly, I believe) answers that same question by holding up one finger. He leaves it for us to decide for ourselves what that one thing is.
In this short film, however, Greenberger asks us to consider how every decision we make (big or small) can affect our lives for good or bad. Each decision is a sacrifice of any option not chosen... and what if we unintentionally sacrifice "the only thing that matters"?
Pretty heady stuff, but an interesting concept to play around with.
Hopefully the film will get some good festival exposure. I think people will enjoy the concept and the execution of it. Definitely artsy, but not unaccessibly so.