Robby Celestin...'nuff said

At least once every day I have the honor of saying the words: Yes, Robby's my brother.

For those of you still living in a cave, or on the Moon, or in Iowa, Robby Celestin is hands down one of the greatest vocalists and performers ever. Bar none. For over 20 years (he started his first band at Age 5) Robby's music has served as the soundtrack to thousands of lives all across the world.

When I was writing the VOC script I developed a key scene between Devin and Caitlyn, a moment of raw emotion that I knew would transcend words. I realized that what the scene needed was something deeper, something personal, something that would reach people in a completely different way. What I needed was a song by Robby.

Working with one of his favorite musical collaborators, the uber-talented Buddy Wayne Goettsch (who has his hands all over VOC, by the way), Robby set to work crafting what promises to be a truly fantastic, new original song. This was new ground for him as I challenged him to write a song about longing for that which you cannot have, a theme he had yet to explore in his music.

The tune is being written as I type and based on the preliminaries I've heard I believe it is going to be more than I was hoping for. But that is one of Robby's greatest assets as a singer/song-writer: He always gives you more than you thought you needed.

Don't take my word for it, though. If there is any truth to Nepotism I could possibly be biased. So do your ears and soul a favor and head on over to http://www.robbycelestin.com/ to see what the man is all about.

-Paul

#vocfilm

"What in the hell is V…O…C?" A graphic interview with artist Matt Winecke and director Paul Celestin.

Graphic artists are like ninjas or special forces sent in before the army to soften up enemy defenses.  Their work is the tip of the sword in a marketing war.  For every product brought to market there is some thought put into, who are we selling this to?  With that in mind, a film is no different, but adds a layer of complexity because a film has an inherent visual style that needs to be captured and communicated by the graphic artist.  The logo for Victims of Circumstance went through a few versions before it was ultimately polished and locked.  My first notes were, “definitely something strong, I’m seeing black and red”. 

“What the hell is V…O…C?” was Matt’s first question.

But he set to work and within a couple of days he produced some first pass ideas.  One of which you can see below on the left.  A few weeks later we had the final on the right.

The following is taken from an NSA intercept transcript:

 

Unidentified Agent:  What’s your favorite part of the logo?

MW:  Typography, the fonts are my favorite.  That’s the coolest thing I like about the logo.

PC:  The letters look like weapons, totally fits with the theme of assassination in the film.

Unidentified Agent:  Well now that the logo has been launched and has gone international, how do you feel about that kind of pressure?

MW:  I don’t view it as a pressure.    I view it as a challenge.  I think ‘how can I build them an image that meets their needs’?  It’s very cool.

As it turns out the O was a creative lark that ended up being a key component in the final design.  According to director Paul Celestin “[It’s] such a catchy logo….it just pops.  Whether I’m two feet from it or twenty it just catches the eye.”  If you like Matt’s work, drop us a line.

#vocfilm

Victims, aren't we all...

Greetings True Believers,

Paul Celestin, here. I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to a new world, a new experience, a new story I call "Victims of Circumstance." VOC is my debut film as a Writer and Director. Very soon the wired-world will be set ablaze with our marketing campaign but before you find yourself completely engulfed in our viral flames I wanted to take a second to offer some details.

"Victims of Circumstance" is an independent feature film that will debut for purchase (dvd's and digital download) in early 2012. The movie tells the story of Devin Reeves (Buddy Wayne Goettsch), an assassin for hire currently working for Apollyon, a shadow-division of Homeland Security. A career criminal, Devin is experiencing a crisis of conscience as his past and current sins are slowly beginning to catch up with him. As a result, he is in a constant state of conflict with his handler Charlamagne "Charlie" Medina (Amanda Maul). Charlie knows that Devin is Apollyon's finest asset but believes that his current state of mind is keeping him from reaching his full potential. As a means to get him past his dilemma, Charlie forces Devin to begin sessions with Caitlyn George (Sarah Moore), a brilliant psychologist who specializes in Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Right and Wrong become blurred as Devin embarks on a quest for identity, torn between these women who come to represent the two worlds he needs to choose between.

A dark and gritty character drama, VOC takes the audience on an almost documentary-style trek through the dichotomy that is Devin Reeves. The limited number of actors involved helps to create the sense that Devin's world has almost completely closed in around him.

Rounding out the cast are Dan Maul as Carter, Charlie's #2 assassin; Brandon Berk as Hantover, one of Devin's marks; Paul Celestin as Anthony, another of Devin's targets; Kristel Pischner as Tara, Anthony's wife; Tom Petrizzo as Doc, a mysterious player on the board; Robby Celestin, Chad Celestin and Daniel DeRousseau as a trio of adversaries and Michael Gutierrez as an agent of Apollyon.

The film was stunningly shot by the fantastic Jeff Moore, scored by the multi-talented Buddy Wayne Goettsch and Executive Produced by the evil genius known as Michael Trentz.

More information is on the way. Stay tuned to this blog for the pending details.

And remember to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times. This promises to be one hell of a ride.

-Paul

#vocfilm