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!