Greetings from Scranton!

So Ryan, Christina, and I are all up here in beautiful Scranton, PA. It’s nice to be able to be up here and have the ability to go and actually meet with people up here in Penn and down in NYC. We’ve been really busy crewing, setting up casting, and our favorite endeavor fundraising.

We’re really excited to be getting a new draft of the script Friday. Ryan has been locked up in his room and in his car scribbling manically in his note pad and typing at his computer for almost a week straight. And we expect to see him emerge sometime on Friday with an impressive beard looking haggard and in dire need of food and water.

Ryan: Post New Draft of Script

We’re going to be holding another casting call in Scranton sometime soon, we shall let everyone know when that will be soon! Hopefully we can find some good people from the area for some of the roles. Theodore remains a character that eludes us, but Randy Finch has been so kind as to offer us some help for casting Theo, which is amazing.

Everyone should definitely check out the website. Thanks to our amazing web designer and graphic designer, Mike Santini and Sara Englehardt, our website has been updated and now looks really awesome. They even put up some fancy looking widgets for Twitter and Facebook! If you’re not following us on Twitter and Facebook, you should. Cause everyone else is, so why not just jump on the bandwagon?

This is a band wagon.

Currently and for the next few weeks, Ryan has been using the Twitter to tweet his random musings and nonsense. It’s entertaining, you should read it. But soon you’ll be delighted to find out everything you ever wanted to know about our production, our progress, and lots of stuff you probably never wanted to know about.

Check out the updated website and if you might be so inclined donate today to help us make the movie!

Hug,
allie

Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase! Yay!

So you must check out this year’s Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase. It consists of many short films produced in the state of Florida that demonstrates a wide variety of potential filmmakers. Every year the Florida Film Community comes together to witness the talent emerging from near by. I am excited and most delighted to announce that this years Brouhaha Showcase surpasses the rest primarily because it features yours trulys. Yup that plural stands for for Allie Kenyon’s Air Heart and I, Christina Santa Cruz’s, March 31. Both films were shot our senior year at the University of Central Florida BFA Film Program. It has been a thrill to witness these films evolve from the writing stage to now be viewed by a theater audience. If you are bored, busy, or in the area you must attend the Film and Video Showcase. ‘Nuff Said. As you can see we are really happy.

Check them out!

Air Heart – Allie Kenyon

Program 1
11:00a
http://www.enzian.org/festivals/program_1/

March 31 – Christina Santa Cruz

Program 2
1:30p
http://www.enzian.org/festivals/18th_annual_brouhaha_film_video_showcase_program_2/

Yours Truly,

Christina

PS -IMPORTANT UPDATE! The Central Florida Future has just published an article about the Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase on their website. The article talks about the University of Central Florida faculty and filmmakers involved with the showcase. Don’t forget to take a really good look at the interview section because there may be a Theodore is Dying reference in there.

CASTING CALL!

Hey everybody, so our first set of auditions is set up for the first week of November in NYC!  Look below for the casting notice. Yay actors!

.. and by your momma we mean US.

‘THEODORE IS DYING,’ PA

Moving Picture Party, LLC (prod.) is casting Theodore is Dying, an HD feature film. Ryan Pomeranz, dir.; Allie Kenyon & Christina SantaCruz, prods. Shooting mid-Jan. to Feb. 2010 in Scranton, PA.

Seeking—

Theodore: male, late 60s-70s, Caucasian, an escort for elderly women, has more than a healthy skepticism of the world and everyone in it, maintains his decades-long relationship with alcohol, pills, and cigarettes, possible brief partial rear nudity required for sex scene, LEAD;

Renee’s Mom: female, late 30s-40s, Caucasian, heroin addict, mother to a teenage daughter;

Laura: female, early 20s-early 30s, Caucasian, stuck and dissatisfied in her work at the diner and her relationship with longtime boyfriend Clair, partial topless nudity required for sex scene, principal role;

Dan: male, 20s, any ethnicity, Clair’s best friend, grown up paperboy by day, drug dealer by night;

Sydney: female, 60s, Caucasian, Theo’s ex-wife, recently remarried to a man 10 years younger, family oriented, can’t help but still feel motherly towards her ex-husband Theo;

Darlene: female, early 60s-70s, Caucasian, one of Theo’s clients, lonely, no inhibitions, lives solely for pleasure, possible partial topless and rear nudity required for sex scene;

Frank: male, late 50s-70s, any ethnicity, Theo’s best friend, a pimp for elderly male escorts, rational but crude;

Dennis: male, early 20s-30s, any ethnicity, established concert pianist, working at a diner, involved with Laura (who is in a relationship);

Carol: female, early 60s-70, Caucasian, the gossip of the retirement community;

John: male, late 50s-early 60s, Caucasian, Sydney’s husband, quiet and unassuming.

Auditions will be held by appt. only in NYC. To schedule an audition appt., email pix & résumés to casting@movingpictureparty.com or send to Moving Picture Party, PO Box 239, Audubon Staton, NYC 10032.

Some pay, plus credit, meals, travel, and lodging provided. Producer plans to apply for SAG Ultra Low Budget Film Agreement.

Everyone is welcome to submit. Union or Non-Union. We’d love to see you in November! Love Always – Ryan

REWIND!

So we’ve been bad about updating the blog. But that’s a good sign, because that means we were busy so we have lots things to share! So, let’s go back and recap…

REWIND>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> to 4 weeks ago:

        So we had our 2nd big fundraising event, which went great. We had a really good turnout and we were able to raise some money, which is awesome. The screening and the presentation went so smoothly, and it really would not have been possible without Georginia Hurge, Brittney Hazboun, Matthew Richards, Dan Watkins, and Jon Perez. They came down for the event and we really couldn’t have gotten anything done without them. They’re awesome, but you probably already knew that if you’ve met them.

 

Theodore's Army

 

 

Anyways the event went well and we raised some money. If you would like to help our cause and donate to Theodore is Dying, there’s a link on our website to donate directly through PayPal.

REWIND>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> to 3 weeks ago:

Our Office. Not to be confused with The Office (copyright NBC).

 

So as we type, we are sitting in our fancy new office down at the UCF Expo Center (thanks to Rich Grula). So now we can summon people to our office and feel important. No, but seriously, we do. 

REWIND>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> to 1 week ago:

So Ryan has officially left Orlando. Yes, indeed kids, Ryan has moved up to Scranton, PA as phase 2 of our master plan for Pennsylvania domination takes effect. We (Allie and Christina) will be making the move in the coming month (yey?). We look forward to documenting our journey as we too make the transition.

 

Ryan frolicking on the beach in Scranton last January

 

 

Never fear! Even in our isolation up in Scranton, we will be staying ‘connected’ to the world through a series of videoblogs and short films to be pieced together by Christina tracking our slow and gradual loss of sanity in the frigid isolation of a Pennsylvania winter (for any future crew: it’s quite nice up there in the winter, think Maui in April, truly beautiful). But that’s not for a while so we’ll come back to that.

 

PAUSE>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>  today:

We’ve been indoctrinated more people into our production army. Our most recent acquisitions are:

Marco Cordero- Gaffer

Marco- can gaff with his eyes closed.

Having already DPed Driving & Crying, we’re lucky to have Marco on-board as gaffer. We promise, his eyes will be open when he gaffs. Maybe.

 

Rebecca Kenyon- Environmental Impact Coordinator

Theodore is Green

Yes, we made that title up, but it sounds good, right? But! It’s important, we’re trying to be the first micro-budget feature film to work with the Environmental Media Association and get their seal of approval for being a ‘green production’. Becca will be there every step to make sure we are being as environmentally conscious as possible, to help coordinate the greening effort and hug trees.

 

Ashley Hooker- Head of Make-up Dept.

A day in the life of a. hooker

Ashley Hooker will be taking care of all of our beauty and special effects in the make-up dept. She’s got tons of experience with both. After spending the past 2 years as a freelance serial killer, Ashley decided to use her powers for good instead of evil and found herself as head of make-up dept for the local slasher movie Scare Zone as well as lots of other professional and student projects.

Yey for Marco, Becca, and Ashley!

 

Ok, that’s it for now. In the coming weeks, look out for a massive update to the website. It should be getting a face lift to make it prettier and easier to navigate. 
 

We love you all.

Hugs and kisses,

Allie & Christina

HUGE UPDATE!

OK people. Things are happening.

In this update:

The South Florida Screening/Fundraiser!

New Crew!

UPDATE PART I

Just recently Christina and I (Ryan) made the move down to South Florida to put together the fund raiser. It’s weird leaving everything in Orlando behind, but I can say we’re really excited for what’s coming up here.

The 1st day was spent canvassing the streets of Ft. Lauderdale for a suitable venue to house us, and fortunately we hit the jackpot, so mark your calendars! Here’s the official info:

THEODORE IS DYING FUNDRAISER

SCREENING OF THE SHORT, DRIVING & CRYING/ PRESENTATION ON THE PRODUCTION/SILENT AUCTION!

SUNDAY AUGUST 30TH, 12PM – 2PM

LOCATION: CINEMA PARADISO  503 SE 6TH ST., FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33301

We really want to say thank you to the folks at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival and Cinema Paradiso for showing their support for our lil venture. The venue (Pics Below) is beautiful and the projection and sound systems are incredible, and we can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve been up to.

Please, if you know ANYONE in the South Florida Tri-City Area that would be interested in coming out, let us know.

Here’s the place:

Beautiful Old Building

UPDATE PART II

So as we get closer to the production dates (January) we’ve begun filling out our crew!

From the beginning it was incredibly important to us to work with people that we knew not only had a track record of great work, but also people that were going to be able to do the project justice, in terms of their understanding of the themes and tones of the film, and their ability to serve the script. We’re nowhere near finished with the crew list, but we’re really excited to be bringing on some really great people. Here’s a little introduction to the most recent additions to our growing team:

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY – SCOTT UHLFELDER

Scotty!

Scott, besides being one of my bestest friends in the world, is also one of most talented DP’s I have ever come across. Don’t believe me? Check out his REEL.

In addition to shooting Danny Daneau’s beautiful film, The Attic Door, last year, Scott’s credits include shorts and music videos that have been featured at Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, Austin Film Fest, and on HBO.

The Attic Door; Dir. Danny Daneau, DP. Scott Uhlfelder

Everybody say “HI SCOTT!”

Ok Next:

EDITOR – ERIC CARDEN

Eric Carden - Stoic, Confident.

Eric’s another brilliant new addition to the team. Check out his reel HERE. Additionally, take a look at his film Imancifi Pulsifi, which is one of my favorite shorts everrrr. It’s the story of what you’ll never see… which incidentally is quite unfortunate.

Everyone say: “HI ERIC!”

Ok so last but not in any way least:

GEORINIA HURGE – PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Georginia Hurge - Always Working

Georginia just got done working on UCF Grad Student, Andrew Kenneth Gay’s, feature film, Beautiful Belly, where she acted as 2nd Assistant Director. She has a long list of administrative credits on both student films and professional productions. We are really excited to have her on board. Furthermore, she gives seriously THE BEST HUGS. That in itself, we feel, is enough, but add in her experience and skill in production and it makes her the perfect match for our mini army.

Ok so that is the latest update. Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming CINEMA PARADISO EVENT, as well as our reveal of the new Theodore is Dying poster in the next few days, which is being designed by master artist, Sara Engelhardt. We hope everyone’s summer is going… Summerly. We Love You – Ryan, Allie, Christina

WE DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN!

Just a snapshot: Christina and I on the bus, serenading the high schoolers at the Orlando chapter of The New York Film Academy. I think we were doing “Girl from Ipanema” here.  Helping kids make movies is a decent way to spend your summer, if not also an entirely relentlessly time sucking sleepless nightmare full of 5am mornings and 2am nights.

Favorite story: I’m standing in the lobby of the Celebration Hotel (Where we house and feed the sheep I mean children) about 5 minutes past curfew when an unsuspecting 1 week student just happens out of the elevator.

Ryan: Hey what are you doing?

Student: Huh?

Ryan: Why are you down here after curfew? What are you doing down here?

Student: Huh?

Ryan: The curfew. It’s this thing that means you’re supposed to be in your room.

Student: Oh yeah. Well I’m going up there.

Ryan: You just walked off the elevator on the 1st floor.

Student: Oh yeah I was looking for something.

Ryan: Oh ok. What are you looking for?

Student: Um… I left it down here.

Ryan: Well what is it?

Student:…um…… I can’t tell you.

I stare at him in silence while the realization of how deep of a hole he’s digging himself into sweeps across his face.

Ryan: Ok, well you can show me then.

Now the student proceeds to start looking around the floor of the lobby. I join him, searching for what I am convinced is going to be a crack pipe and some roofies.

Ryan: What are we looking for?

Student:…

Ryan: Hey. What are we looking for man?

Student: Uh…

Ryan: Hello?

Student:…

Ryan: We’re not looking for anything are we?

Student: Um…

Ryan: Ok, you’re grounded tomorrow.

Student: WHY!?

Ryan: Cause you’re out after curfew and you’re lying to me.

Student: GOD FINE! WHATEVER! I WAS GOING BACK TO MY ROOM! GAWWWWWWWWD!

THE END

Sometimes the little things can make it all worth while. Love Always. – Ryan

DRIVING & CRYING IS ONLINE!

Hey everybody! I know it’s been a long time. Christina and I have been spending our summer as indentured servants, I mean RA’s at the New York Film Academy in Celebration, Florida, and Allie has been… well everywhere… doing everything…. ever, including acting as 1st Assistant Camera on A BEAUTIFUL BELLY, Andrew Kenneth Gay’s UCF Graduate Thesis, which has been shooting for two weeks now. They should have a trailer up soon.

Before we get to the meat, I want to thank everyone who came out to the July 4th Fundraiser Fundraiser. These events require a decent amount of capital that has to be paid upfront and the money we raised is going to go a decent way to helping us out. It is all greatly appreciated, and everyone who attended is on our fastly growing sexual favors list.

Speaking of sexual favors; in a few days we should have a Paypal link up on the site so we can start begging everyone else for money.  Thanks in advance!

Aaaanyhow, we finally have the short up online!  Please take a look at it and tell your friends.  (Click the pic or Click Here)

For anyone who aint in the know, Driving & Crying is a short that we filmed earlier this year, featuring scenes from the feature script that I sort of retooled and re-contextualized to work as a complete… thought… if you will.

So the next step for us is to start gearing up for our South Florida Fundraiser at the end of August. Wish us luck. We’ll be in touch soon. I love you. – Ryan

Make it ICE!

Free Association:Pennsylvania, Scranton, Theo, Cabin, Winter, Cold, Snow Flake, Vanilla Ice….

Lately I have come upon a brand new craze; watching and listening to 80’s and early 90’s musical scores. The most popular work song that’s been blasting up in the hotel room where my New York Film Academy crew and I live and breath  (that includes Ryan) is – “Ninja Rap” by Robert Matthew Van Winkle (a.k.a. Vanilla Ice) from the 1991 critical darling, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze“

Here’s why I bring it up: The Ninja Turtle Marketing Group knew something ~ They said to themselves,  “Not only should we have new EXTREME  villains like Tokka and Rahzar AND a new and improved Shredder (SUPER Shredder!), but let’s also have new up and coming rapper and artist Vanilla Ice perform during the climatic fight scene.

VANILLA

And so it was. After a TURTLE triumph (you know before Shredder goes ego centric and decides to drink the rest of the ooze and stuff), The Ice Man seemingly makes up “Ninja Rap” on the spot, and the crowd goes crazy and man sized turtles begin dancing.

ICE

The point is, marketing wise, if you give something extra… or what we have begun to term “Making it ICE”,  you guarantee that audiences will remember it forever.   We want people to go crazy for our movie too. Not like insane crazy, but bodies moving in the seats kind of crazy.

… So anyways, I will leave you w/ this next video as a promise that we will give that something extra to our “Theodore is Dying”.

Give it!

Love,

Christina Santa Cruz

HEADLINE: SOME PEOPLE ARE MULTITALENTED

So it turns out that occassionally a genetic mutation occurs within the human race that allows for it’s recipient to be well versed and talented in not one, but multiple areas of study.

Somehow we were lucky enough to land one of these evolutionary trend setters as one of our lead actors in “Theodore is Dying”.

This gentleman, Kevin Laibson, not only excels at performance (see Driving & Crying) but also apparently, to everyone’s shock and disbelief, he can direct this shit too.

You know some people say that it’s better to specialize in one thing then try to tackle too many careers. I see what they’re saying, but I am telling you, this Laibson kid is the Proctor & Gamble of the media world. With one hand he’s making metaphoric laundry detergent and in the other he’s grating the figurative parmesan cheese….. of life.

Point being, check out fullcircletheatre.com (click on the logo above) and then specifically make your way over to the teaser trailer for his new show, “Unaccustomed to My Name” .

Congrats to Kevin on his show, and seriously, when you are a huge star because of your freak of nature talent, and you are sitting on your penthouse balcony overlooking central park west, and you are snorting coke off of Lindsay Lohan’s boob, while the Olson twins are Tweeting about your rather public breakup…. well you better take a moment and look back and remember where you came from. God you’re such a douche bag.

"Blah Blah Blah Manly Arms Blah Blah Purge Blah Blah Binge Blah"

Should be big news of some kind comin soon folks. Love You All – Ryan

MOVING PICTURE PARTY HAS A MOVING PICTURE PARTY!

Tiny Hispanic Girls Can't Jump

AND SOMEONE GIVES A SHIT! (Click on the expletive.)

We really appreciate Roger Moore coming out to the event and letting his readers know what we’ve been up to.

If I Look Blurry it's Cause I Was Shaking

So on May 31st, we had a small gathering at The Enzian Theater in Maitland, where we premiered our short, “Driving & Crying”, which was taken from the feature. We should have the short up for streaming in the next couple weeks, and also have DVD’s of it up for sale in the near future.

Overall we think the presentation was a success, and we really want to thank everyone who was able to make it out. It meant a lot to us, not to mention me personally to have people who came out to show their support for our little endeavor.

We have plans for 2 more of these events; 1 in South Florida in August, and then another in NE Pennsylvania sometimes in late September or early October, and of course we will keep you updated as these things become official.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be in touch soon. More pictures below. I love you all. – Ryan

Moving Picture Party Will Kill Your Family

Look How Impressive We Are!

Hooray!