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 - 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! 

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... 

KMF Selects Script for 2014 Feature

Keasbey Mattison FilmWorks has selected Sienna Golden Malik's "By The Dashboard Light" for production. 

In August, I posted an ad on ISA (International Screenwriters' Association - networkisa.org) and Craigslist - looking for an original feature-length screenplay to produce and direct in the summer of 2014. Out of the 81 scripts submitted, I was finally able to narrow it down and select one. 

In her own words, writer Sienna Malik summarizes the story. "A driving instructor struggles to move his dysfunctional students forward and has just as much trouble progressing in his private life" 

I was immediately drawn to the simplicity of the story. At first the subject matter wasn't really what I was looking for, but the snappy dialog, well written characters and quirky chain of events kept me turning the pages. 

The final draft of the script is currently being written and soon an Indiegogo account will be created to secure funding for the production - slated for August & September 2014. 

On a techical note, the film will be shot with the new Panasonic Lumix GX7. My production friends John Martineau and Christian Jude Grillo of Potent Media have recently purchased two of these Micro Four Thirds camera systems and we're looking forward to putting them to the ultimate test... a feature film. 

More to come! 

Joe Ronca 

Producer/Director "By the Dashboard Light"