UPDATE: By the Dashboard Light 11/17/2014

Hello friends and followers! Joe here, director of By the Dashboard Light, to give you a little insight as to what we've been up to these days and what the status of the film is.

First off, I just finished my first attempt at a movie poster. We shot a handful of stills on set of our Promotional Featurette (more on that later in this post) and I decided to turn one of them into some promotional artwork.

Secondly, regarding the trailer… It's almost finished! Our Promotional Featurette is currently out for sound design with David Willis-Lorenz and should be wrapped in the upcoming week. As soon as it comes back I plan to launch our Indiegogo campaign and get our fundraising started.

The trailer will surely be posted here in our blog upon it's completion - and all over social media outlets.

Regarding the feature film, production has been delayed until October 2015. This has been done for several reasons. One, the film is meant to take place in the fall. I personally LOVE the fall, the colors, the smells, the crisp air and I know the film will look… and feel better with autumn as it's backdrop. Second, waiting nearly a full year to begin shooting will allow us nearly 12 months of pre-production and fundraising. This is key. When you're shooting a low-budget film, planning is EVERYTHING. Any filmmaker can attest to that. I really want to take my time perfecting a shooting schedule in order to be as efficient as possible. So with all of this in mind, it just made sense to push it back. The final film will be better for it.

A couple other fun notes to mention… Michael Volpicelli, an artist that produced a handful of portraits for the Promotional Trailer will be on the Steve Harvey show this Wednesday (11/19).

Joe Rose, the actor portraying Peter in Dashboard has recently starred in a short film that won the Jalopnik Auto Film Festival. It's called "Ignition" and its very good. Give it a watch by clicking here: Ignition

And finally, the star of By the Dashboard Light, Keith Chandler, has entered a short film that he directed, produced, wrote, edited and starred in - into the Tiny Film Festival with the Thriving Artists Circle. Check out his film here: Deadline Ep.2 "Hard Day's Night" and be sure to give it a vote. Voting closes on December 1st, 2014 - so please, check it out.

I'll check back with you all once the Dashboard Promotional Trailer is finished. It's hilarious and I think perfectly represents our talented cast and crew. Hope you are all well. Thanks for following our progress.

"Dashboard" Trailer in Production Now!

Hello friends, Joe here, director of the upcoming feature film "By the Dashboard Light" and subsequently director of the Dashboard Light "Promotional Featurette" as well.

For three weeks now we've been hard at work shooting a trailer that will launch on our Kickstarter/Indiegogo pages in mid-August / early-September. We have one day of shooting left and things are looking great. 

Cinematographer Sergio Herrera has been shooting on Canon 7D's with a 14mm wide angle lens for our car interior two-shots. We've been using a mint 1976 Toyota Corolla, generously loaned from the Jeremias family. 

The car, as cool as it looks, has been quite a challenge to shoot with. Our interior shots require the car to be off and the windows rolled up for the best sound. The weather has been in the mid 90's and this car turns into an oven. The camera is overheating (along with the talent) and we have to take frequent breaks for cool-downs. In addition, sound-man Dave Willis-Lorenz is crammed into the back seat... leaving the only one for me to direct... the hatch-back trunk. Lol. 

The actors have been troopers. Keith Chandler who plays the part of main-character Roger, the driving instructor, has been spot on - take after take after take. Pair him up with acting veteran Joe Rose and the up-and-coming Blake Williams (who play two of Roger's students) and you have a powerhouse team of talent. 

This past weekend feature the uber-talented Aly Miller as the young angsty teen Shannon and newcomer Stevenn Beck as the creepy, straight-laced instructor Verne. The acting duo was spot-on and the scene was HILARIOUS. Verne currently has my favorite line in the whole movie and he nailed it. (Keep an eye out... It's the last line in the trailer.)

Finally we had a shoot that didn't take place in a car. (which was like a vacation from the ordinary) Brian Kerrigan plays the part of Mr. Engle, Roger's boss. He slurped up Chinese Lo-Mein noodles inbetween his lines and was absolutely hilarious. 

Next week, on our final day of shooting, we will be joined by Nora Hunmel (Orange is the New Black) and James Lyden (Boardwalk Empire & The Leftovers) as the bullied kid's parents

In all, things are moving along nicely. Were all looking forward to wrapping production next week and I personally am looking forward to watching all the footage as the trailer is cut. 

Thanks to everyone for their help and support. The trailer will premiere on our Facebook page (and possibly even as a trailer in a local movie theater...shhh) 

Stay tuned true believers! 

Cheers! 

Dashboard Light UPDATE 4/26/14

Hello friends! 

It's been a busy month! I've been flipping through headshots and browsing Backstage.com everyday trying to fill the last couple roles that are still uncast. 

I met with Sergio Herrera, the director of photography to start breaking for the script for a trailer shoot in June.

We met at Forest & Main Brewery and sat outside for a bit before the thunderstorm moved in Tuesday night. 

Tomorrow, (4/27) is the first cast meeting in New York City. The primary cast is saying hello for the first time over drinks and dinner. Earlier in the day I'll be joining Keith Chandler and Aly Miller to take a couple photos.

Exciting times! The next blog post will introduce the cast! Stay tuned friends! 

VIDEO BLOG #1 - "THE AUDITION"

Hello friends and happy Friday!

This morning I'm happy to present the first part of our video production blog, "The Audition". Photographed and edited by our friend (and soon to be crew-member) Trevor Senhouse.

The auditions were held at 1812 Productions in Philadelphia on March 1st and 2nd, 2014. Thank you everyone who came out and read - you were all wonderful!

More to come! Our next production blog will take place in New York City as the cast and crew meet one another over what's sure to be an interesting dinner :)

Stay tuned!

Moving right along...

Hello friends! 

I've been so busy with making my casting selections. For those of you who are wondering if you made the cut, the following roles have been filled:

Roger

Shannon

Peter

Dr. Wellston

Felicia

Mrs. Corr

Andy

Phil

A number of other roles are in their final stages of selection. These include:

Janna

Kim

Penny

Mr. Engle

Verne

Mr. Corr

Eric

And a handful of other smaller parts. 

Actors for the above parts will be contacted this week and may be asked to attend callbacks or asked to fill smaller parts in the film. 

Stay tuned!!! More to come! Check our IMDB page for our casting decisions. 

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt3453328/

Thank you to everyone who came out and auditioned. You were all fantastic. This hasn't been an easy decision. 

First Round of Actors Selected!!!

Hello friends! 

After a long day of watching reels and audition-tapes, I'm pleased to announce that we've selected the actors to play the lead roles of Roger and Shannon in the film. 

I'm not going to list any names just yet, but the selected actors will be getting a call tomorrow afternoon (3/17) to discuss these parts and be officially offered the roles. 

In addition several other actors have been selected for the following roles:

Peter

Mrs. Corr

Felicia

Verne

Mr. Engle

Dr. Wellston

These actors will be contacted once our SAG paperwork has been processed and we can make official offers. Thank you to all who auditioned. If you were selected you will be contacted soon. We will not, however, be contacting those who were not selected.

There are still around 25-30 roles that still remain un-cast. To those who auditioned, you may be receiving an offer to play a part you didn't read for... So don't be discouraged if you don't get a call for a lead role. 

It's been a busy week but I can say it's paid off. The faces of our film have been selected and for the first time we can actually SEE the future of this movie in front of us. 

Exciting times are ahead friends. Stay tuned. 

PS: The first episode of our Behind the Scenes Video Blog, "The Audition", will be airing soon! Keep an eye out for it! 

Cheers! 

Joe Ronca

Producer/Director

Deadline Set for "Dashboard" Submissions

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to the Dashboard auditions over the weekend. Everyone did a fantastic job! 

Here's the talented Joe Rose reading with Jeff Soles for the part of Peter. 

To those of you who are planning to submit an online audition read, a deadline has been set for you to do so. 

We will be accepting auditions up to and no later than: FRIDAY, MARCH 14th by days end. 

Here are a few guidelines for video submissions. 

1. Keep it simple. We're not looking for production value. Use a phone or webcam and record your video. If you feel like sitting in a car, by all means do so. If you want to sit on your couch or bed, that's fine. We want to see you BECOME the character, not your directing or cinematographic skills. 

2. Read with someone. Have a friend, family member, acting coach or partner read with you. Part of acting is reacting. We don't want to watch you talk to yourself. And please don't read all the parts yourself. This winds up looking ridiculous. 

3. Upload Your Video. Email puts a limit on how large of a file you are allowed to send. We've gotten a couple emails saying "I can't send my video, it's too large, what can I do??" Upload it to YouTube or Vimeo and send the link. You can even make the video private or password protect it. It's free and easy. 

4. Don't Send Multiple Character Reads in the Same Email. Our emails with attached videos get filed into folders marked with a characters name. If you're reading for more than one character, send more than one email. Put the Roger's together and the Phil's together. 

5. Be Yourself. It's okay to get into character, but we're not looking for accents or impersonations. We don't care if you can do a great Heath Ledger Joker voice. This isn't a Batman movie. You don't even need to memorize the lines. We just want to see YOU. 

Good luck to you. We've already received a number of incredible reads and are looking forward to watching yours. 

Again, no videos will be accepted after our deadline. We will be making our first round of selections by mid-month. Those accepted will be contacted. (We will not be emailing those not selected as we have over 200 applicants. If you haven't heard from us and wish to know if you made the cut, feel free to email.)

Thank you everyone. 

Audition Location

I received a couple emails asking for clarification on the location of the auditions. It's somewhat difficult to find. 1812 PRODUCTIONS is located on the 2nd Floor of an old brick building next to a huge old church. I made a quick map on my phone: 

There is a sign on the door that reads 11th HOUR. Go up the stairs to the door marked 1812. 

See you soon! 

Audition-Eve

The stage is set for this weekends auditions. Here's the space we rented from 1812 PRODUCTIONS in Philadelphia. We have over 140 people reading over the next two days. Let the madness begin!!! 

Dashboard Light Update 2/28/14

Well, here we are! Audition time!

This is my favorite part of the pre-production process. We have over 140 people auditioning over the next two days and couldn't be more excited. In addition, I've received a number of fantastic reads emailed to me from people who can't attend this weekend's audition. Great job everyone, and thank you! It always gives me chills to hear words on the page come to life for the first time.

In other news, I've reached out to David Gechman to bring the Keasbey Mattison factory logo to life. Gechman is the special effects wizard responsible for the visual effects on the upcoming sci-fi thriller "Apocalypse Kiss" set to come out April 8th. His animated logo will be in the vein of Paramount Pictures' "stars over the mountain" or Dreamworks' "fishing boy"… and will be seen before the movie, trailers and featurettes.

I've also contacted talented filmmaker Trevor Senhouse to produce a behind the scenes video series documenting the making of By The Dashboard Light. This series will be available to watch here on our production blog and on our various Facebook pages. Look for the first episode "The Audition" in the middle of March.

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the Oscars! (and is it a coincidence that our auditions fall on Oscar weekend??) :)

Stay tuned friends!

"Dashboard" Audition Sides Posted

Sides for select "By The Dashboard Light" roles have been posted.

If you are planning on doing a video audition, please select a character below. If you are planning on reading for several characters, please send them as separate submissions - as they will be filed into different folders.

If you are submitting a read via video - please… nothing fancy. You're not being evaluated on production quality but your ability to BE the role. Feel free to have someone read with you. If your scene takes place in a car, by all means, use one - or use the sofa in your house. It doesn't matter.

Please email video submissions to: joeronca@comcast.net

ROGER

SHANNON

JANNA

PHIL

DR. WELLSTON

ANDY

PETER

KIM

MR. ENGLE

ALICE

FELICIA

ERIC

VERNE

MR. & MRS. CORR

BULLIES (1, 2 & 3)

For people planning on attending the auditions in March feel free to browse the sides provided. They will also be available in paper form at the door in limited numbers.

If you have any questions regarding the characters or video auditions - please don't hesitate to ask.

As a reminder, auditions are being held on March 1st and 2nd from 10am-6pm at:

1812 PRODUCTIONS
2329 S. 3rd Street
Philadelphia, PA. 19106

It's a theater rehearsal space located next to (sort of connected to) an old church.

Good luck everyone. We look forward to watching your video reads and/or seeing you at the auditions.

Audition Space Filling Up Fast

If you haven't already RSVP'd for the Dashboard Light please do so as soon as possible. 

We have had a huge number of actors respond and are looking forward to the auditions. 

If you are planning to audition online via Skype or by email, an email will be sent out with the details - but if possible we'd really prefer to meet you in person. 

Please prepare a monologue (this film is a dramatic comedy shot in the Wes Anderson vein). Sides are still being chosen but will be available for cold reads at the audition. 

We're hoping to find actors who, if not chosen for a primary part, will be interested in a secondary or minor part. Remember folks, it's for the good of the movie. We're trying to make the best possible film we can. 

Here's the master list of available roles. We will be auditioning all roles on both days.

Roger: Male, 25 - (lead) Driving instructor.

Janna: Female, 21 - Roger's sister. 

Phil: Male, 30-40 (foil) Stoner friend. 

Shannon: Female, 17-18

Peter: Male, 65+

Dr. Wellston: Female, 40's

Andy: Male, 16-17 - Bullied teen. 

Penny: Female, 21-22

Kim: Female, 21-22 - Light nudity or underwear - Implied sex scene. 

Eric (Shannon's Father), Male, 50's

Felicia (Shannon's Mom - may require light nudity or underwear) 50's

Examiner Bill: Male, Mid-30's - 40's. 

Student: (Opening DMV Scene) Male, 16

Mr. Engle: (Roger's Boss) Male, 50's Pref. overweight. 

Verne (Driving Instructor) Male, 40's Pref. thin.

Mr. Corr: (Bullied child's dad) Male, 50's

Mrs. Corr (Bullied child's mom) Female, 50's

Alice (Roger & Janna's Mother) Female, 50's.

Mrs. Baker (Phil's Mom) Female, 50's - Pref. overweight. 

Bully #1 (Resembles Jimbo from the Simpsons) Male, 16 - Tall

Bully #2 (Resembles Dolph from the Simpsons) Male, 16 - Longer Hair

Bully #3 (Resembles Kearney from the Simpsons) Male, 16 - Stocky

DJ: Male, 40's

Bartender: Male, 30's-40's - Studly

Cop: Male, 40+ - Built like a cop. 

Woman (Opening DMV Scene) Female, 50's - Pref. overweight. 

Daughter (Opening DMV Scene) Fm, 16

Party Girl #1: (partial nudity) 18 to 20's

Party Girl #2: (partial nudity) 18 to 20's

Male Karaoke Singer: 45-50's Pref. Fat

Female Karaoke Singer:45-50's

Ticket Booth Girl:Female, Teens to 20's

Principal: Male, 50's

Mr. Timothy: Male, 50's+

Guest: Male, 20-30's - Studly

Gregor: Male, 20-30's - Studly

Old Woman in DMV: 70+ (Pref. Short)

Redneck in DMV: Male, 50's

Bikini Beach Girl #1: 20's-30's Hot body

Bikini Beach Girl #2: 20's-30's Hot body

Game Show:

Host: Male, 50's

Contestant #1: Male, Any age. 

Contestant #2: Female, Any age. 

10-15 DMV Extras

10-15 Bar Extras

10-15 Drive-in-movie Extras

As of now (2/1) this is the complete cast list. Please be ready to apply for several parts. They're all memorable. Trust me. 

March 1st & 2nd from 10am-6pm both days at:

1812 PRODUCTIONS

(Rehearsal space near the church)

2329 S. 3rd Street

Philadelphia, PA. 19106

Hope to see you all there! 

Dashboard - Audition Dates Posted

Auditions for "By The Dashboard Light" will be held on March 1st (Sat.) and March 2nd (Sun.) from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on both days. 

They will be held at:

1812 PRODUCTIONS

(Rehearsal space)

2329 S. 3rd St.

Philadelphia, PA. 19106

We will be auditioning scheduled talent and welcome walk-ins. However people who reserve time will get prioritized. 

Saturday we will be trying to audition mainly primary roles:

ROGER: Male, 25 

SHANNON: Female, 16-17

JANNA: Female, 21

PHIL: Male, 30's+

ANDY: Male, 16

PETER: Male, 65+

DR. WELLSTON: Female, 40's

MR. ENGLE: Male, 50's (Pref. Overweight)

Sundays auditions will be primarily secondary and minor roles:

ALICE: Female, 50's

KIM: Female, 21

PENNY: Female, 21

FELICIA: Female, 50's

ERIC: Male, 50's

VERNE: Male, 40's (Pref. Thin)

MR. CORR: Male, 50's

MRS. CORR: Female, 50's

There are also 28 minor roles to fill. So please, come out and audition - even if none of the above roles fit you. 

Please come prepared with a monologue. You may be asked to read from sides. Please (if available) bring a copy of your headshot to leave with us. 

For an advanced reservation please email info@keasbeymattison.com - and you will be added to the list.

Dashboard Light Update 1/27/14

Hello friends, 

Lots of exciting things going on here in production land. 

Last night I finished the shooting script of By The Dashboard Light and emailed it over to writer Sienna Golden Malik for her approval. It's running a bit long right now at 147 pages - however a Final Draft script report (that removes camera direction, lengthy descriptors and notes) brings it back down to 119. So that's comforting. In my draft, I tried to consolidate as much as possible to avoid repetition and redundancy - but it's hard cutting lines you love. My friend and Philly commedian, Jeff Soles says "Cutting down a script for time is like removing songs from a mix CD because they won't fit." And he's absolutely right. It can be heartbreaking. 

Anyway, in other news. Two days ago I put an ad in Backstage magazine looking for talent. We are now up to our necks in actors and actresses of all ages, shapes and sizes... and couldn't be happier. We received literally hundreds and hundreds of submissions from some very talented people. It's going to be difficult to pick only a handful. (I am however already making a few mental notes - some of the applicants are exactly what I'm looking for and their reels are spot on.

I'm going to be posting audition dates in the upcoming weeks. 

On a technical note, camera components are still funneling in. As you may have read in previous blog posts, this film will be shot digital HD on the brand new Panasonic Lumix GX7 with a series of vintage Nikon lenses. I've been ordering a handful of components to build the camera system including a 15mm rod support system/shoulder rig, follow focus, matte box, counterweights, and an iPad Mini to act as a wifi preview monitor. I'm going to be posting pictures and a list if components once it's finished and tested - as well as some test footage. 

Stay tuned friends! More on the way! 

Dashboard Light Casting

Hello friends, 

Our upcoming feature film, By The Dashboard Light is now casting and will be announcing audition dates soon. In the meantime we are accepting headshots, reels and resumes. 

We have 44 roles to fill - 10 or so are primary and secondary characters. (Paid gigs) 

Here is a quick breakdown:

Roger: Male, 25. 

Shannon: Female, 16

Janna: Female, 21

Phil: Male, 30's

Kim: Female, 21 (Sex scene - possible partial nudity)

Penny: Female, 21

Mr. Engle: Male, 50's (pref. overweight)

Verne: Male, 45-55 (pref. thin)

Dr. Wellston: Female, 40's

Andy: Male, 16 - Gets bullied. 

Peter: Male, 65-75

Alice: Female, 50's (Roger's Mother)

Felicia: Female, 50's (May have a brief nude flashback scene)

Eric: Male, 50-60 (Shannon's father)

Bully #1: Male, 16-18 (Thin)

Bully #2: Male, 16-18 (Stocky)

Bully #3: Male, 16-18 (Short)

There are more minor parts available too. 

Please send your headshots, reels and resumes to: info@keasbeymattison.com

Auditions will be held in mid March. Dates to be announced. All auditions will be by monologue and sides. 

The film will shoot on location in the Philadelphia area in August & September. 

Thank you and good luck. 

Dashboard Light Update 1/18/14

Hello friends! 

Things are moving along nicely. Script writer Sienna and I met again at Earth Bread & Brewery in Mt. Airy to discuss her latest draft (which is absolutely hilarious). I'm about half-way through writing the shooting script and incorporating all of her draft changes. 

I braved the cold today to shoot a couple exterior street demo shots to try out some new equipment. I'm 99.9% sure this film will be black & white - the Lumix GX7 shoots an amazing B&W picture and I pretty much fell in love with the look... Much crisp. So amaze. Wow. (and the two or three shots looked like every French student art film you've ever seen - lol) 

I expect the final draft of the script to be finished next weekend - which means the fun of budgeting, casting and location scouting begins soooooon! I'm looking forward to starting up our Indiegogo campaign with a short featurette consisting of cast/crew interviews and a trailer. 

Can't wait!

Joe Ronca

Director - By the Dashboard Light

PS: Just created the IMDB page for the film... It's official :)

Creative Minds Meet

After months of email and text coorspondence between scriptwriter Sienna Malik and I, we finally met Sunday night at the Forest & Main Brewery in Ambler, PA. 

A lot was discussed... I got a chance to review all of the notes I've been taking on the script with Sienna and we came up with a gameplan for revisions. 

The script is already hilarious and so well written - and it's only going to get better. The inner-nerd in me suggested a handful of hidden Easter-eggs ranging from Star Wars to the Simpsons - and we developed an exciting mid-way plot twist that will surely take things in an adventitious direction - breaking down that old status quo. 

As soon as the final draft is finished (in the next month or so) we're going to start the casting process. (Something I'm really looking forward to - as it's one of my favorite parts of pre-production) and starting up our Indiegogo fundraising campaign. 

Stay tuned friends - more to come! 

Joe Ronca

Producer/Director "By the Dashboard Light"

PS: "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" has been stuck in my head for a week now...