The countdown begins

ONLINE COUNTDOWNS

RSVP for the Free Screening!!!

As most of you have already read, "Victims of Circumstance" will have a one-night advanced screening this coming Tue (4/17) at AMC Showplace 16 Theaters in Schererville IN (875 Deer Creek Drive). The movie starts at 7:00pm sharp so don't be late.

There will be no ticket charge at the door (simply let the Theater Reps know you are there for the VOC screening) though we will be accepting donations at the end of the night.

Please remember that though we are in a very large theater seats are going quickly.

To make sure that you and yours have seats locked away, please send an email to: paul@jilange.com

This will ensure that you have a seat. The night of the event, you definitely want to show up early, though. We will have a section of the theater roped off for those who RSVP'd, but seats within that section will still be first come/first serve.

And don't forget: after the screening all are invited to the official After Party being held at Northwoods (8101 Wicker Ave, St. John IN). There will be a cash bar and live music entertainment. You never know, a few of the cast/crew might even take the stage so bring your cameras.



Can't wait to see you guys there. Let the countdown begin...

-paul

Advanced Screening!!! April 17th

Well here’s the news of the week.........

Victims of Circumstance 

Advanced Screening 

April 17^th at 7pm 

AMC Showplace 16 in Schererville, IN

Want to come out and see it?

Please do!  

You are cordially invited to catch the screening and afterwards hang out with the cast at Northwoods in St. John, IN.  They may even show you where some of the scenes were shot for the film.

AMC Showplace 16                                                      Northwoods Restaurant

875 Deercreek Drive, Schererville, IN                            8101 Wicker Avenue, Saint John, IN

And many many thanks to all of our fans, supporters, and members of the Cast and Crew!

-Mike

www.vocfilm.com

#vocfilm

Popcorn and an Indie Film...

What do I write here?  

I’ve seen VOC up on the big screen.  I’d say I’m speechless, but that was on Saturday and now it’s Monday and I think I am still a little stunned.  You know it is one thing to watch dailies, see rough cuts of the movie on your computer.  Or if you are lucky, to see it projected on a 18’ screen.  

But to walk into a theater, sit down and hear the haunting opening as composed by Mr. Buddy Wayne Goettsch is a whole other thing.  I almost missed seeing Paul Celestin’s name three feet tall staring me down in the middle seats.  And to see Ms. Amanda Maul’s reveal is priceless.  There they are up on the big screen.  I think I teased Buddy about having two foot tall eyebrows…  Well you will have to see for yourself.

So where are we…yep, I’m getting that a lot.  And Paul is too, but he’s busy tinkering and polishing.  This week is very busy for VOC and the production team.  I’d like to say thanks, in advance, for all of their hard work and that they are all keeping their cell phones on 24/7. 

When are we going to see it?  Well… We will be making an official announcement this week.

So… if I had them in my hands (and I’m not saying I don’t), who would want a free ticket to see VOC in the theater?  Leave a comment below and watch for responses.

-Mike

#vocfilm  

The Movie is over...wait, what?

Oh looky...credits...from like a real movie.

Okay…I get it, as if the angry emails and random texts/tweets wasn’t enough.

Yes we teased you.  (Sorry...about that.)

We showed you pretty pictures and told you interesting stories.  But the demands for a movie or blood is a little excessive don’t you think? 

And Yes….Steve I’m looking at you too.

So what’s been happening since last we chatted?

Well I could give you the short answer and say “post production or editing” but I don’t think that will suffice.  Victims of Circumstance has been developing from its pieces.  We have seen a couple of passes with all of the video put together and that’s pretty cool to see because you start to see the story coming together.  Meeting Devin, Caitlyn, Charlie, Carter, and Doc in the context of a film is awesome.  Of course I know how the movie ends, I know all of the plot twists and turns so I wasn’t surprised when I watched the film from beginning to end.  After this stage, the film gets its score or musical layer.  I have always been a sucker for music in movies.  A great score will keep you on the edge of your seat when you should be scared, or reassure you that everything is going to be okay when all seems lost.

If watching the assembled video is like watching a baby crawl... You can see where it is going and pretty much how it is going to get there.   Then watching the film with a score is like watching a ballet.  The story doesn't change; the video doesn't change, but so much more is communicated through and accented by the music.  Tone and pacing become much clearer, scenes blend together, emotional engagement goes up.  Before you know it, the credits are rolling and you find yourself wondering how an hour and a half just flew by.  That’s where we are at right now.  This week in fact, the producers are sitting down to watch (what is pretty much) a final cut of the movie with score.  The only thing that is missing is Foley work.  That’s “sound special effects”, for those of you who had to look it up.  

*You know, the breaking of celery standing in for the snapping of a neck.*

It’s at this point that I would like to thank everyone who has been involved or supported our project!

And many thanks to the talented musical artists who have lent their voices and skills to making the soundtrack rock!

Mike

#vocfilm

Who is...Sarah Moore?

Sarah Moore has a set of Eyes that are a filmmaker's dream. I've yet to enounter an actress who can throw so many emotions as quickly or as intensely as she can, all without saying a single word.

Captivating. That's the best word I can use.

I've known Sarah for a number of years now and for a host of reasons she was my first choice to take on the role of Caitlyn. When the film eventually drops she is going to take you on a roller-coaster ride of highs, lows and everything in between. Trust me on that.

Many of you know Sarah from her other theatrical/web adventures, but for those of you have yet to have the pleasure, allow me to introduce you to the First Lady of VOC.

Paul: How long have you been involved in performance art?

Sarah: I did my first play when I was in second grade and started singing shortly after. I was heavily involved with it in high school and went on to get my B.F.A. in Theater with an acting emphasis from Millikin University in 2003.

Paul: You write, direct, produce and choreograph. If you had to pick just one...

Sarah: Of those? I'd rather write. But honestly, I'd rather act.

Paul: You're Mom to two adorable kids. How do you find the time to pursue your projects?

Sarah: I don't sleep. It involves a lot of late nights, copious amounts of coffee, and stolen accidental naps during the day when they are at school. Also, my house doesn't get cleaned as often as I would like.

Paul: As a writer, do you create on a schedule or do you wait until inspiration strikes?

Sarah: I'd love to wait until inspiration strikes, but I've had to keep myself to a schedule. I try to write something every single day. I also try to make myself accountable to another person to keep me motivated. I set a table read or a production meeting that requires a finished script so that I stay on the ball.

Paul: What was your favorite aspect of working on VOC?

Sarah: I loved that all I had to do was show up and say my lines. It was a refreshing change. For Gamer Chick I am writing, producing, costuming, acting and a million other things. For VOC I just played one character. One hat on my head. That was nice. It let me focus.

Paul: Professionally, where are you hoping to be in 5 years?

Sarah: I just want to still be creating.

Paul: Last question, and now it gets tough: You can have one dessert...just one...for the rest of your life. What is it?

Sarah: This is a completely unfair question. Desserts are very important to me. I'm going to go with cupcakes. They come in so many different forms and they are adorable.

-paul

Spotlight On: Jeff Moore, DP Victims of Circumstance

I first met Jeff Moore in highschool, some 19 years ago. We shared a passion for storytelling and spent hours upon hours developing various theoretical projects and discussing the movie we would someday make.

It seemed only fitting, then, that VOC was birthed through similar conversations with the man. Back when I decided that I wanted to start production on a web-project, Jeff was the first person I contacted. In the early stages, VOC was to be a throw-away endeavor; something quick and easy I could cut my teeth on. As time went on, the story (and my passion for it) grew exponentially and it became the film you are all soon to experience.

Early on I knew that I was asking a lot of Jeff as DP: take a movie that is exposition heavy and make it look interesting. He was more than up to the task and his work on the project still amazes me.

All that being said, I now invite you to take a few moments and get to know the man behind the camera.

Paul: We’ve known each other for a long, long time, sir. What’s your most interesting memory of us from back in the day?

JM: Wow… That’s an amazingly tough question. We spent our high school theatre days – which suddenly seem like a terribly long time ago – causing various kinds of innocent trouble. If I could narrow it down to one thing, it would be an incredible feat. Let’s just let it be known that there are plenty of good times behind as well as ahead.

Paul: What made you decide that Film (be it web series, shorts, features, etc) is what you wanted to pursue?

JM: My wife and I started a live theatre company when she was fresh out of college, and we did that for a while. As time went by, we discovered that the particular challenges of that type of production were becoming obstacles to our goals that were not worth pursuing – both financially and creatively. I had a bit of experience with the film process, and the idea of the web series was just startingto become a “thing.” Since we also had some experience with podcasting, we transitioned to video for the web and found it – and its own unique challenges – to be exactly what we wanted to tackle next. It’s a comfortable discipline for me to work in, and I have a great deal of interest in working and learning. It just made a lot of sense.

Paul: You’re a whiz when it comes to Post Production effects. What scene (in any project) are you most proud of?

JM: I’ve got a pretty elaborate composite that I’m working on for Gamer Chick that includes multiple greenscreen[sic] and CGplates. I expect that to be pretty great when it comes together. If you want one I’ve already finished, I visualized, directed, shot and completed work for a pretty neat comp for season one of Gamer Chick. It involves a single character playing all the villains in a shot, and the timing of the whole thing worked out much better than I had expected.

Paul: What made you decide to sign on as the DP of VOC?

JM: I had been working on a project that my company is producing. As a creative partner and the only technical artist currently working on it, I end up doing many, many jobs; it’s very time-consuming, and can be exhausting. When the opportunity came up to do a single job on a project, I jumped at it. I still ended up lending some equipment and my varying levels of expertise on a few other subjects, but I really only had the one job. That was a nice feeling.

Paul: What was your biggest challenge during this production?

JM: My biggest challenge during the production of VOC was to continually find ways to use the camera as a tool to heighten the on-screen action. The show has a lot of dialogue-heavy scenes,so I really had to push myself to keep finding new angles and new moves to amplify their mood.

Paul: The movie is being edited as I type. Regarding your camera work, is there one scene in particular that you are most proud of?

JM: I honestly couldn’t pick one. There are always going to be things that you feel like you could have done better or differently or whatever, but I feel like my work was consistent from start to finish on this show. That was actually something I was fairly proud of, now that I’m thinking about it – maintaining a consistent look with minimal gear in various interior and exterior locations over the course of close to a year.

Paul: You’re given a multi-million dollar budget. Whatproject would you green light?

JM: I’ve got a feature script in the early stages that I’d love to make one day. I think a multi-million dollar budget would enable me to finish the first draft.