Apollyon Case File #20110611PSC : ECHELON Capture

The only difference...is Perspective

For the 12th time today I've checked my Task Calendar and realized that, while technically On Schedule, I have miles to go before I sleep. Very soon Victims of Circumstance will debut to the world and I can't tell you how terrifying and invigorating that fact is. It is the double-edged blade that calms my nerves and keeps me up at night.

At the moment I am staring down notes...lots and lots of notes. Notes from the Editor. Notes from the Social Media Marketing Firm. Notes from the Executive Producer (though to call those Notes is somewhat misleading; Mike Trentz deals in Volumes). Notes from musicians. Notes on the pending website. Notes on the pending marketing blitz. Notes on things I'm not free to talk about at the moment (but trust me, they're very, very groovy). It's gotten to the point that even my legal pad has hired an assistant and my wife has resigned herself to the fact that, after the children are put to bed, at least 2 hours of my night is devoted to VOC.

Considering everything going on at the moment I realize that it would be all too easy for me to let Frustration overwhelm me and alter my perspective for the rest of eternity. Don't get me wrong, I've tight-roped that line once or twice but one of the things that brings my feet back to the ground is my memory; specifically my memories of the first day of the VOC shoot.

Almost 12 months ago the cast and crew assembled on a frigid and blustery morning. Hot coffee turned cold within minutes. Fingers were thawed through the windows of parked cars. Actors were bundled with blankets in between shots. The wind was painful. Our throats were raw from speaking through the cold. And I was never happier while working on a project.







The adrenaline. The anticipation. The knowledge that I was starting something I knew would be amazing. Those are the memories that keep me grounded and those are the memories that make me enjoy every second of my current chaotic existence.

Amidst the mountain of notes on my desk, one stands out amongst the rest. It is a weathered and beaten post-it that I stuck to my computer almost a year ago today.

It reads:

And that I do.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some work to get back to.

-paul

#vocfilm

Who do I have to kill to get this movie made?

Hi!

I’m Mike.  I am the Executive Producer of “Victims of Circumstance”.  I was recently asked why I got involved with VOC.  So I’ll do my best to explain the set of events that led me to this project.  In a weird way, I was the first “Victim” of circumstance.

Twelve years ago I was fortunate to meet a talented artist named Buddy Wayne Goettsch.  Over the years, we’ve kept in touch and I recently needed to book some performance talent.  So I called Buddy and he said he had the perfect guy to work with for the small production I had going.  Buddy introduced me to Paul Celestin and here is where "chance favors the prepared".  It turns out that Buddy and Paul were exactly what I was looking for and we immediately clicked.  A few weeks later, I was dropping off their paychecks and Buddy happens to mention this other project that Paul wrote and directed.  I ask for some details like why it wasn’t done yet and Buddy tells me I should talk to Paul for more information.

So Buddy sends me a copy of the script, and swears me to secrecy.  I read the entire thing in an hour (and loved it!) and dropped Paul an email.  We chat that evening and he fills me in on what the current state of the project is.  From his description “Indefinite Hold” would have been an understatement.  I make him an offer to help get the project moving again and he agrees.

Here is where things get weird.  We made a short list of ideas to self-promote the film.  Maybe 3-5 things total on the list.  I won’t share it with you here because some of the ideas got shelved or replaced and now the running list is much closer to 30 things.

Needless to say… if you every see me doodling on the back of a napkin….

Well let me put it another way….as I am writing this post, I have a napkin hanging from my refrigerator that calls for some VOC material to be released on YouTube in the very near future.  Stay tuned!

Everything we have done to date has brought more energetic and creative people into the VOC fold.  And more ideas crop up daily. 

So I would like to take a moment to say “Thank You!” to all of the people who have given time and energy  to get VOC to where we are now: Paul, Andi, Jeff, Sarah, Buddy, Amanda, Dan, Matt, Randy, Geoff, Aaron, Robby, Chad, Kristel, Brandon, Dan R, Michael, Tom, and all the friends and family who take the time out to ask how it’s going, give a word of encouragement, and stop by to read this blog.

Thanks to stopping by, we have more First Look material coming your way!  -Mike

#vocfilm

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

VOC: An Insider's Look

A professional assassin working for a shadow division ofthe government is faced with a crisis

of conscience and must choose between the man he is and the hero he longs to be.

The lines of Good and Evil become blurred on his moralcompass as the

clock ticks down to his final, life-changing decision.

J.I.Lange Productions Proudly Presents:

“Victims ofCircumstance”

a film by Paul Celestin

Starring: Buddy Wayne Goettsch, Sarah Moore, Amanda Maul, Dan Maul

Director of Photography: Jeff Moore        Musical Score: Buddy Wayne Goettsch 


Director: Paul Celestin


Executive Producer: Michael Trentz        Screenplay: Paul Celestin

#vocfilm