DCU hits the beach!

Exciting news! "Don't Call Us" will make its World Premiere at the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. The screening will take place at the Cinema Paradiso theater on Wednesday, October 22. The festival, now in its 23rd year, only accepted about 30 short films from hundreds of submissions, so everyone involved in DCU should be proud.

If you know anyone in the area (it seems like everyone in New York has relatives in south Florida :) please encourage them to attend!

Find more details on the festival website: http://www.fliff.com/index.asp

In other festival news, we're in the process of applying to a number of festivals that will take place early next year. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. In the meantime, cross your fingers!

best,

Zack

Finished! (For now!)

The puzzle pieces are finally coming together. (I know--about time, right? I have to keep reminding myself this is just a five minute short--of course, whenever I look at it that way, I get a little dizzy, so maybe I should stop.)

Two weeks ago, Sebastian gave the film a color polish. And last week, Bret Johnson finalized the sound re-mix. Now all we have to do is combine the pretty colors with the clean sound, and... voila! One finished short film, ready to submit to film festivals all across the country.

If you're in the cast or crew: once I have a master DVD I will send out an email asking for updated addresses before I do a mailing. Watch for my email soon.

I can't wait to have everyone see the film. Feedback on the previous rough cut was strong, and now that it incorporates the re-shoot footage and has an audio and visual sparkle, I have no doubt that it is much improved.

I'm obviously pumped up about all of this, so maybe I should stop rambling before I embarrass myself. One quick reminder: if you're gonna be in the Worcester, Mass., area next Saturday at 3 pm, you can catch a sneak peek of the short (as well as Burning Annie, the feature film I wrote) at a Clark University alumni event. I'll be there with Randy Mack, who produced the feature and co-produced the short. And many of the real-life people who inspired Burning Annie will be in the house as well, so it should be a good time all around.

Z

long overdue update(s)

Sorry for the long delay between updates. After the positive response we got at the screening party in December, we re-shot a few scenes in late February. (I know it sounds counter-intuitive to say that the screening went so well that we decided to re-shoot a few scenes, but that's the truth. We didn't want to let a few technical imperfections doom a film that we feel has a lot of potential.) The re-shoots went great... thanks again to everyone who participated.

Then I went to India for a week and a half, and was sick for week or so after I got back, and suddenly it was late March. Sometimes life gets in the way--blah. Since then, Russell and I have come up with a new semi-final (aren't they all) cut implementing the new footage. In my humble opinion, the new footage has significantly improved a film that was already pretty decent. It looks better, the acting is a little more consistent, and the new version of the ending (basically a shorter version of the original ending idea) seems to work really well. I can't wait to let everyone see it and get some feedback.

We've now locked picture, and handed the wheels over to Bret Johnson to do the sound mixing. We also plan to begin color correction this week. The goal is to have all of this wrapped up by May 1, in time to apply for the big fall film festivals. Around that time, we'll also mail out DVDs to the cast and crew.

I know this is a slow process, and I appreciate your patience. I hope you'll agree that it was worth the time when you see the final cut.

IN OTHER NEWS... my previous short film, Yin/Yang, (which starred Dayci Brookshire, was produced by Janna Trevers and edited by Russell Dreher, who all played similar roles on Don't Call Us) is in negotiations to be picked up by Mini Movie, a European all-short film cable television network and online short film portal. Mini Movie plans to expand to the U.S. later this year.

Also, if you should happen to be in the Worcester, Mass. area on Saturday, May 17, you can catch a public screening of Burning Annie at Clark University. The movie, which is also available in retail and video stores nationwide, was produced by Randy Mack (who co-produced Don't Call Us) and written by yours truly. It's based on our experiences as students at Clark. This is our 10-year reunion, so on a personal level this is a very special screening opportunity.

That's about it for now. Stay tuned to this page for more updates...

Zack

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.

Update!

Hey, everybody. I thought this would be a good time for a quick update.

Editing is moving along. Russell and I have been working hard and we're getting close to a presentable rough cut. Right now, we're mostly polishing up some of the technical aspects and still playing around with music. But it is in pretty good shape, and we're happy with the way it's coming together. In fact, we should have a cut to show people soon, hopefully within the next few weeks. In the bigger picture, we hope to have a final cut by the end of the year or so, and submit to festivals shortly after that.

Speaking of music, if anyone knows a musician who would let us use their music, please let me know. We have some music, but I'd like to have as many options as possible. I'm looking for, primarily, upbeat instrumentals in different styles, to be used in the beginning and end, and in the background of some of the date scenes.

The idea has been brought up to have a screening party for the rough cut. I think that would be great, but I don't have any immediate thoughts on where we could host the party. If anyone has an idea, please pass it along.

This site is still a work in progress. Credits and bios should be up soon, and hopefully more photos. If there's anything else you want to see here, let me know. Or post, and add it yourself! Also, let me know what you think of the basic design and share any other suggestions.

I think that's it for now. I'm excited about the way the film is coming together, and can't wait for everyone to see it.

Zack

basic facts/FAQ

Semi-Official Title: "Don't Call Us"

AKA: "Don't Call Us, and We Won't Call You"; "Don't Call Us... and We Won't Call You"; "Human Resources"

Production dates: July 27-29, 2007

Production locations: various locations in Manhattan and Queens, N.Y.

Projected running time: 5-6 minutes

Production company: Ducks in a Row Productions

FAQ:
What is it about, anyway?
It's about six minutes. OK, kidding. Don't Call Us, or whatever we end up calling it, is a comedic exploration of the similarities between dates and job interviews. It follows one character through the offices and singles hangouts of New York on her heroic quest to find a career and a boyfriend. (Or at least a single man she can tolerate, and a job that won't drive her crazy.) Spoiler alert: dates and interviews are similar and frustrating.

When will it be done?
Hard to say exactly. We've been editing for a couple of months and are close to having a rough cut in place. The short is in good shape, at least in the opinion of its director and editor, but it's always the finishing touches--music, sound mixing, color correction, fine tuning--that take longest. So to answer the question, let's guess that we'll have a presentable rough cut by early November, and be applying to festivals by early next year.

How can I see the short, once it's done?
Any number of ways. Ideally, in a major festival. Eventually, on the web. Possibly, on a cable TV station. Frighteningly, by breaking into my apartment and stealing a DVD.

Why make a short film, anyway?
All the long films were taken.

Who are you people, and why should I care?
Check out the bios link on this site for more about that (once we get around to putting up our bios). That said, here's a quick glimpse of how we've all worked together in the past. Writer/director Zack Ordynans and co-producer Randy Mack went to Clark University together and made a feature film ("Burning Annie," now available on video) about their college experiences. A few years later, Zack and producer Janna Trevers made a short film called "Yin/Yang" that starred Dayci Brookshire. "Yin/Yang" editor Russell Dreher is editing DCU as well, in addition to having been DCU's script supervisor, photographer and a cast member.

What was your budget?
Less than a million dollars. In fact, it was almost a million dollars less than a million dollars.

Is it true that you blew half your budget on insurance, even though the director works for an insurance company?
Yup.

How does that make you feel?
Somewhere between :/ and :(

What format did you shoot in, and what kind of camera did you use?
We shot it in DV, using DP Sebastian Capilli's Canon XL1.

You've got a lot of stuff going on--more than 10 locations and a similar number of cast members--for a five minute movie.
We're masochists. Seriously though, that's what the script called for, and we wanted to find enough interesting actors and locations to really make it sing. Ironically, being in New York made casting easier than it would have been elsewhere (except perhaps L.A.), but it also made finding locations tougher than elsewhere (again, excepting L.A.).

What was the casting process like?
The script was written with Dayci Brookshire in mind as the lead. Zack and Janna had worked with her on their previous short, "Yin/Yang," and thought she was not only a terrific actress, but also a true professional and a pleasure to work with. Frankly, we were lucky to be able to pick up the phone and call someone as talented as Dayci, and have her agree to work on this project. Unlike "Yin/Yang," where we worked with a casting director and went through a more elaborate casting process, this time around, with a far greater number of parts to fill, Janna and Zack found their cast among friends and friends-of-friends, with a broad range of acting experience. The goal was to mix talented actors with interesting people we knew, who could essentially play themselves. Without naming names, Dayci recommended several actors. Seth Shelden, who Zack and Janna had been itching to work with for years, also suggested actors. Two of the director's college roommates (both, incidentally, inspired characters in Zack and DCU co-producer Randy Mack's feature, "Burning Annie") have roles in DCU. It's also possible that the director's mother makes an appearance. As you can see, we have our priorities straight.

Did you work with union actors?
Yes, though they're not all SAG members. We made this short under a SAG classification that allows us to mix union and non-union actors. It ended up being about a 50-50 split. Dayci, for example, is SAG, and in contrast, the director's mother is not.

Where did you get your locations?
If there was a more stressful aspect of pre-production, I'm glad I don't remember it. We made a lot of phone calls, knocked on a lot of doors, sent out a bunch of mass e-mails. After struggling in Manhattan, our big breakthrough was shlepping to Janna's neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens, where there are a number of interesting bars and restaurants that were more accommodating than much of what we were finding in Manhattan.

What's with all the different titles?
We're thinking...

What about a tagline? Have that one figured out yet, smart guy?
Um, no. But if we end up calling the flick "Human Resources," we'll probably go with a tag of "Don't call us, and we won't call you." Clever, eh?

Anything else?
I'm good if you're good.

Welcome Note/Users Guide/Blah Blah Blah

Welcome to the official, yet informal (we hope) blog for the short film, "Don't Call Us."

The idea behind this blog is to include opinionated and informative posts related to this film, with several people posting to offer different perspectives. We'll include the usual basic info, of course, but there's also going to be some behind-the-scenes type stuff about the making of a micro-budget indie short. Please note that you can add comments to posts; hopefully we'll get some lively discussions going.

Check out the links to other posts for basic information about the film, including a synopsis, production info, cast and crew bios, and a complete credit list. New blog entries with new updates or rants will appear occasionally.

In the meantime, here's contact info.

I'm Zack Ordynans, I wrote and directed the short. You can reach me at zack.a.o@gmail.com.

Janna Trevers is the producer. I'm sure she'll post on here at some point. Her email is janna.trevers@gmail.com.

Other people involved or associated with the film may also post from time to time, but Janna and I will be the most common voices.

Anyway, that's all for now. More to come, so keep reading.

thanks,

Zack