It's Been Busy - Sorry I Haven't Written

Well, things have been crazy as all get-out. That's how I am at times. We just finished up on our latest project: The Cordial Dead, a short film about a girl who must fight off zombie hordes and it's all about just being polite. If will be in Tucson on Friday, April 2 at 9:00 PM (21:00), you should really come out to The Loft on Speedway for First Friday Shorts. Yep, we're gonna put our three-minute video to the gong test.

Finley Wade, the latest project from Melissa at Fried-Egg Films, has been cast and primary promotions have started. We are also seeking some money to help with expenses via Kickstarter who have graciously accepted Melissa's proposal. When we have an updated link, I'll post it here and on my Facebook page.

Besides that, I am working on a new short film I am writing and directing, but who knows when I'm gonna get to make it. It's called The Waitress and it's an homage to La Femme Nikita. I'm hoping I'll be able to make it work for me with the success of my other productions thus far. It's been a slow road, but I'm feeling the natural flow of things much better now. I am quite confident I can make a few short films and I'll be ready for my feature which I won't talk about now. It's in the midst of a horrid rewrite. Neither party is happy. You understand.

Award winning Tucson filmmaker has big plans for the future

Award-winning filmmaker Nickolas Duarte is not new to film. As owner/operator and and full time filmmaker at Crown Chimp Productions, Nick has seen his share of projects. As he comments on his Crown Chimp Productions website, "...at any given moment, we were working on five different projects. This went on for years. Soon enough though, our hard work paid off and those little films began earning awards and accolades..."

To be certain, Crown Chimp Productions just won 2 Gold Addy Awards for their Brute-Adidas ad entitled 6 Minutes and a Silver Addy Award for We Need To Talk for non-profit Project Dor Habah.

Duarte and Crown Chimp Productions have not been waiting for work to arrive, either. With a few short films and music videos under their belts, they began making commercials. "I just started cold calling businesses," comments Nick. From there, it was a matter of finding similarities in current work that would apply to new business and commercials.

For new or budding filmmakers, Duarte suggests "making as many movies as you can. You can learn from books, but you will learn more by just doing." For his latest projects, he has been using the Canon 5D MK II DSLR camera and a Zoom H4n audio recorder. These represent relatively new and inexpensive equipment for filmmakers in general. Duarte suggests "avoiding verticals, extending shutter speed," to avoid the "rolling shutter" issue seen with many DSLR cameras. DSLR cameras are SLR photo cameras with an electronic sensor instead of film. Manufacturers have recently added full HD video capabilities to these normally still camera models, opening them up to filmmakers and videographers who want to have a "film" look to their work.

Nickolas wouldn't be where he is today were it not for his team: Adam Ray and Matt King. "Adam is a great writer who doesn't hold back...," notes Duarte, "...and Matt is the crown in Crown Chimp." They've recently wrapped shooting on two music videos for The Country Boys and are prepping to do another music video, edit a recent commercial, shoot a new web series, and Nickolas is preparing to do a feature film entitled Cauliflower. The name refers to his experiences as a wrestler. "I'm shooting for a late 70's Neo-Realism," comments Nick, referring to the grittier style of independent films from the early 70s with a documentary, nonprofessional feel.

Among Duarte's influences are films like Aviator. In that film, Scorsese depicts Howard Hughes' attempts at film called Hell's Angels which cost millions of dollars to produce and 3 pilots died during the making of the elaborate dogfights. Hughes ability to make a film and have people "get it" are what attracts Nickolas to movies. He advises filmmakers to be certain of how you are going to capitalize on a film once you are finished with it - know what you plan to do with it once you're done.

Nickolas Duarte can be reached via his website at Crown Chimp Productions.

Long-time casting director enjoys her independence and working in film

After working for years in the entertainment business, Helen McCready and her success have led her to be an independent casting director. McCready started as a wrangler and actress on 21 Jump Street, then "dug my heels into it in 2000 working as an assistant..." and in 2004, branched out as an independent casting director. She has much valuable advice for new actors and filmmakers to impart and has an upcoming casting director workshop in Phoenix with Peter Pappas in March.

Helen notes, "there is no such thing as a 'casting agency.' It's a made-up slang. You have casting directors and extra casting services...that's it." The Casting Society of America website notes, "Casting Directors are Studio or Production Company employees and their job is to find and hire talent -- in a sense, human resource departments for actors..." A talent agent is one who finds work for talent (ie: actors, authors, musicians, models, athletes, etc.). While casting directors may use talent agents, actors do not hire casting directors.

McCready has the following guidelines for beginning filmmakers who may not be familiar with the duties of a casting director: "They [filmmaker] provide us with a breakdown and we find the talent they want," noting filmmakers, "...can also ask us to do the breakdown and we let them know how many extras, roles, etc. are in the film..." Since the producer or director has the final say on who actually gets cast, "...It's never the casting director's decision." Helen comments, "...the casting director will file all of the proper paperwork for SAG or AFTRA when needed. That's the basics."

From her Helen Wheels Productions, LLC website, Helen has advice for actors, "To be a successful actor you really have to have a passion for the craft and the patience to wait for the big break. Although being an actor is extremely rewarding, finding work can be a challenge. The profession requires great commitment and fortitude." The site also has her 10-step Tips On How To Become A Successful Actor, an informative and insightful read for actors.

When looking for actors, Helen jokes filmmakers should be looking for "talent and a brain." She has this anecdote, "Don't let talent bring in props to an audition...that can get scary. I had a talent bring in a gun that shoots 'blanks' -- I made him put it on my desk before he auditioned...what was he thinking? It was for a mafia role. Point a finger...much less scary to a Casting Director," she laughs, "...and if you are auditioning as a cop, don't hold your 'finger' gun like a gangster; look the role!"

For actors, "Take a moment before the scene begins and take a moment when it ends so we know you're done. And just talk...most actors don't get the role because they are overacting. My guess would be 80% of the actors out there could bring the way they 'act' down several notches. Keep it real."

Before hiring a casting director, one needs to have a finished script, preferably broken-down, and some kind of financing. "Please don't call or email me saying you have a wonderful script and just know you can get money if I attach a list name to your project....Hollywood doesn't work that way unless you personally know the talent you want. Call me when you have seed money or are financed."

With the substantial work she has done, Helen likes new media, too. "I love webisodes! I think it is such a cool way for the independent film maker to get their work out there and be seen...I'm hoping it helps them get distribution deals." She also notes, "I prefer film; you have a little more time to cast roles than you do on television and you don't have 30 network executives that have to approve your choices before decisions are made."

Besides her casting work, Helen also works to provide education and training. Coming in March, Helen is bringing Peter Pappas, casting director for Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory, to Scottsdale, Arizona. "It's geared towards serious actors that would like to start networking the Hollywood casting directors," says McCready. Among the many features, actors will learn auditioning for co-starring roles, sides for guest starring roles, nailing co-star & guest star auditions (and the differences between them), how to stand out and book co-star roles, and the differences between those who book work and those who don't. "We still have a few slots available and we're always impressed with the professionalism here."

For more details on the casting director workshop (including details and payment information), visit Helen Wheels Productions, LLC. You can also visit Helen McCready's site for more information and get yourself added to the Helen Wheels Production database and watch the Agency Pro video.