next steps

By now, the screening party is old news. We all made it through the holidays, some of us with a few extra pounds and a handful of new gifts to make room for in the back of the closet.

Even so, the wheels on the "Don't Call Us" bus keep going round and round. Here's a quick summary of what's in store for the short:
--Russell and I are working on finalizing the cut. We're implementing feedback, and also replacing two of the songs (sadly, we couldn't get all the rights). The feedback was mostly very positive, and the vast majority of the changes we have in mind are very minor. We hope to be completely finished with this stage by the end of the month. If you've seen the short and have any constructive (or even semi-constructive) criticisms, now is the time to let us know!
--Next up, the hard drive with the film will be handed off to Sebastian Capilli, for color correction. Sebastian and I are going to lock ourselves into his cave for a marathon weekend session in early February to do everything we can to get DCU looking sharp, including giving it more of a "film look."
--After that, the hard drive will wind up in the hands of Bret Johnson, our post production sound mixer. Bret is going to use the same sound mixing studio as films like "The Departed" and "The Devil Wears Prada," and television shows like "Law & Order." By mid- to late-February, he should be finished.
--From there, we'll output the digital file to other screening formats, like DigiBeta, MiniDV and of course, DVD. By late February, DVDs should be in the mail to the cast and crew.
--Once we're done with all that, we start applying to festivals. We already have a "short list" of about 50-60 festivals we're considering. The earliest are in the fall; we're starting at the top by applying to Telluride, Hamptons, Toronto, etc. and as the season progresses we'll continue to apply to a range of other festivals. We're looking for a good geographic balance of major national fests and small regional festivals; a mix of short film festivals and more general festivals; and festivals that are well organized and attended. If anyone has a specific suggestion, let me know, especially if you have an in somewhere.

That's it for now. As you can see, this little film is still a big project... but I'm loving every minute of it.

Zack

party recap

If you've been reading this site, you know that we had a premiere party for "Don't Call Us" this past weekend at Stone Creek in New York. I'm thrilled to report that the party was a huge success, not to mention a blast. (I'm writing this post three days later because it took me that long to recover!) We had a terrific turnout, with easily more than 100 people packing the tight venue, necessitating three screenings of the film. I'm thrilled with the feedback we received--just about the worst thing anyone had to say was that they couldn't hear some of the dialogue because of all the laughing. I hope that doesn't come off like bragging; I've been involved with three produced films, and this was the most consistently positive feedback I've heard about anything.

Thanks to everyone who attended. It was great to see so many faces I haven't seen in a while, and it was a lot of fun.

I'd also like to thank Joanna Rudolph, for allowing us to screen two films she produced (including "Yin/Yang," which I wrote and directed, Janna Trevers co-produced, Dayci Brookshire starred in, and Russell Dreher edited). Joanna's latest film, "Night of Adventure," is currently ranked first on blowtorch.com--visit the site, watch the film, and vote!

I included a couple of a photos, from the few I took. If anyone has any photos they'd like to pass along, that would be appreciated.

So what's next for our little film? The to do list includes finishing the edit, polishing up the visuals (color correction, etc.) and sound (in a professional mixing facility), then beginning the process of applying to festivals. DCU probably won't officially premiere until next summer, if not fall. I know that sounds a long way off, but we want to do everything we can to make sure the film is ready to roll. In the meantime, keep watching this site for more updates.

Thanks again to everyone who attended. Pass along photos.

best,

Z

finishing touches

The screening party is next Saturday night (December 8--see previous post for details), and the film is now ready for its closeup. In the last few weeks, we've added the title (the graphic above is cut into the film) and credits, played with music and background sounds, and color correction, and done a little bit of re-cutting. All the hard work has been worth it, because the film has really come together.

Now comes the fun part: screening it for friends and getting some feedback, so Russell and I can get back behind the computer and make this little film the best it can be.

I hope to see you at the party, and if you can make it, please let me know what you think!

Zack

SCREENING PARTY!!!

DCU Producer Janna Trevers checks in, with this exciting news:

On July 27, 2007 at 5:00 PM, a small group of people started the weekend with a director, a camera and a dream. Four months later, this dream has become a reality...well, a 7-minute rough cut version of reality entitled, "Don't Call Us."

And now we want to show it to all of you--those who fought Upper West Side traffic, lived on the same cut-up veggie tray for the whole three days, lugged heavy lighting equipment while enduring the rain and suffered horribly in a 100 degree office as the makeup dripped off your faces. And of course all our friends, co-workers and family as well.

The place is Stone Creek at 140 E. 27th Street between 3rd Avenue and Lexington (back room). The date is Saturday, December 8, 2007. The time is 9:00 PM until 12:00 AM. The bar/lounge is a block from the 6 train so it's easy to get to.

We strongly encourage you to invite EVERYONE you know and ask them to tell you and/or us what they think of the film in a brief discussion after the screening. We need your constructive criticism and feedback so that we're able to go back to the editing room and make it the absolute best it can possibly be before we put on the finishing touches and send it down the festival circuit. We'd love to have as many people as possible attend and, we're encouraging everyone to help us make our screening party minimum by purchasing lots of drinks and appetizers/salads/sandwiches...

Check it out here to plan ahead: http://www.stonecreeknyc.com/menu.html

Kindly let us know by Friday, November 30 if you're coming so we can have time to reduce our minimum if necessary. Respond to singalittle@gmail.com on or before that date...

We hope to see you all there to share what we hope will be a creative, funny and realistic short film.

Thanks!

Janna Trevers, Producer
"Don't Call Us"

Ducks in a Row Productions, Inc.

credits for "Don't Call Us" (5/11/08)

**Credits are temporary, incomplete and subject to change**


Written and Directed by Zack Ordynans

Produced by Janna Trevers
Co-Produced by Randy Mack

Directors of Photography
Sebastian Capilli
Dominic Perez

Sound Recorder/Boom Operator Kenneth Jackson
Script Supervisor Russell Dreher
Make-Up Mary Przybylski

Gaffer/Production Assistant Anita Flores
Production Assistant Emmett Harty, Jr.
Production Assistant Chris Ruggero

Edited by Russell Dreher

Re-Recording Mixer Bret Johnson
Color Correction Sebastian Capilli

Starring Dayci Brookshire as Sara

Additional Cast (in order of appearance)

Seth Shelden Steve
Tom Roy Tom
Joan Dupre Kim
Michelle Ordynans Annette
Chris Stetson Mark
J.D. Brookshire Chris
Michael Dorrian Michael
Damon Johnson Edgar
Deborah Ludwig Nancy
Russell Dreher Ted
Ferdia Burke Sandy
Susie Cremin Mandy
Clay Adams Brad

Extras

Anita Flores
Elliott Lipper
Randy Mack
Dana Maher
Alexandra Zack
Michael Zack

And introducing Callie, as the dog.

“Let Me Love You”
Written by Roger Anthony Mapes
Performed by Yolanda and The Plastic Family

“Cool Intellect”
Written by Roger Anthony Mapes
Performed by Yolanda and The Plastic Family
Courtesy VIVA Records

“Sky Bulb”
Written by Leon Bernstein
Performed by B.L. Burns
Courtesy SouthNorthport Records

“Primal Sensation”
Written by Roger Anthony Mapes
Performed by Yolanda and The Plastic Family

“In a Trance”
Composed by Steven M. Tuerack

“Daydream”
Written by Jen Urban
Performed by Jen Urban and The Box

“Reflections on Elections”
Written and Performed by Funky Monk

“Prelude to an Afterthought”
Written and Performed by Funky Monk

Equipment Rental

Du-All Camera, New York, NY
DV Depot, New York, NY
Eastern Effects, Brooklyn, NY
Liman Video Rental, New York, NY
Professional Sound, New York, NY

Special Thanks

Bliss Bistro, Sunnyside, N.Y.
Dayci Brookshire
Aubrey Bryan
Jeanie Cheek
Andrea Chen
Susie Cremin
Ethiopian Restaurant, New York, N.Y.
Foley's, New York, N.Y.
Jill Goodman
Liberty Insurance
Ben Jaffe
New York State Insurance Fund
Dana and Brian Maher
The City of New York
Henry and Michelle Ordynans
Quaint, Sunnyside, N.Y.
Screen Actors Guild
Seth Shelden
Sidetracks, Sunnyside, N.Y.
Stone Creek, New York, N.Y.
TempTrends, New York, N.Y.

Extra Special Thanks

Andrew and Elyse Trevers
Josh Trevers
Newman & Green
Danielle Newman
Barbara Newman

Filmed on location in Manhattan and Queens, N.Y.

© 2007 Ducks in a Row Productions Inc.
43-06 46th Street, Ste. 2C, Sunnyside, NY 11104

a short film with a soundtrack album?

Okay, the title of this post is an exaggeration. It's hard to actually foresee any scenario in which an official soundtrack album to Don't Call Us is ever released commercially. But for a short film, DCU does pack a lot of music, at least in its current (still somewhat rough) form. In the current cut, there are six or seven songs, and the film runs less than seven minutes.

I'm not quite ready to send around the rough cut, but in the meantime, I thought I'd give a sneak preview of some of the music. I hate to link to MySpace pages, but, well, I'm about to link to MySpace pages. Brace yourself, 'cause here goes.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves contribute the song that will probably play over the end credits. You can sample it on the MySpace page; it's "Take My Love With You," the third song listed. I recently saw Mr. Reed and his cohorts live, and I highly recommend checking them out if you get a chance. They put on a live show that's even better than their band name, and that's saying something.

It's unlikely that any of these songs will appear in the film, but it's a good bet that DCU will feature music by Chicago's enigmatic bl burns. The talented Mr. Burns was the leader of the now-defunct Chubb Sessions Band, which contributed a couple or three songs to the Burning Annie soundtrack.

Brooklyn's Jen Urban and the Box are a more recent discovery. I really like the song "Something in the Dark," which you can check out on their MySpace page, but right now we've got a different song off their CD cut into the movie.

That's it for now... just wanted to give you a taste of what to expect.

Zack

PS The photo above is Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves at Crash Mansion, New York, 10/20/07. If it's not a great photo, that's probably because I took it.

Randy checks in, offers his update on the editing process (about which he knows nothing)

Breaking news: all of Dayci's scenes have been cut. Russell is now the main character.

In related news, Russell has announced he's almost done with his cut of the film.