Casting Begins

While we don't have the budget for an "official casting call," casting has begun. The three actors are the final (and crucial) pieces in the puzzle that is almost complete. Because we don't have actors yet, I'm raising the Doom Watch to DefCon 2. We're shooting December 3, 10 and 17.

JAMES - 30's-40's, dark sense of humor, rough-looking, thuggish, but not stereotypical, chunky/stocky build, any ethnicity, no nudity. Think Bruce Willis, Ethan Embry.

JAMES (optional version) - Early 20's, good-looking with an edge, dark features, haunting, Caucasian, no nudity. Think Ryan Gossling, Jared Leto.

HENRY - 40's, has a face with character, somber, minimal dialogue but must have presence, any ethnicity, no nudity. Think Bob Hoskins, Danny Aiello, Forrest Whitaker.

THE GIRL - at least 18, young-looking, girl-next-door-type, thin/frail, Caucasian. Long hair preferred. This is a physically/mentally taxing role, no nudity but must be comfortable wearing only underwear and shirt. Think Fiona Apple, Britanny Murphy.

Anyone interested can contact casting@rubbersquare.com to be considered. Please include headshot and resume. Must be located in Las Vegas area. Pay will be negotiated.

First Day of Shooting

We're set to shoot the first element of "The Bet" - namely the Channel 4 newscast with Donnie and Maree - on November 5th. The newscast will be seen on the TV in James' room, and is enacted by puppets through the eyes of The Girl. If you're thinking "Puppets, that's kids stuff!" then just wait. It's far from the Muppet Show. Think Kermit in hell. Mat Planet is voicing/performing Donnie, while Shannon Sarver is voicing/performing Maree. We're shooting at Francis George's studio. Now all that's left is to get the set built, do some rehearsing and Lights, Camera, Action!

Dates, Deadlines and Doom

With a location found, now comes the task of coordinating everyone's schedules. We're tentatively set to shoot the three weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hopefully it works out, since the CineVegas submission deadline is rapidly approaching. By March 15th, we need to cast, build sets, shoot, edit, score and finish. Basically everything. I'm now on a quest to see if I can do the HD edit myself and at least save one step in post.

As soon as I have a lock on the crew's availability, casting will begin. I know it's not a huge, studio feature film with relatively bottomless pockets behind it, but the script is pretty good, and in the hands of some darn good actors, the characters will really come to life. Plus, I'm hoping the short production (three Sundays of shooting) will be a help, rather than a hindrance.

So that's the dates and deadlines. What about the "doom?" Well, I'm hoping there is none. But with so many balls being juggled in such a short amount of time, i can hear it coming. It's not knocking on the door, yet. Hasn't even found the door to start knocking. But I can hear it trolling the neighborhood, just waiting to attack.

So, I'm adding "Doom Watch" to the list of things to do. Right now, we're at DefCon 0.

Location FOUND!

Imprints Day School has agreed to let us use their theatre space on weekends to shoot the film. Awesome news, indeed. Now, on to the task of contacting actors and building sets and getting the crew assembled to actually shoot.

Much, much, MUCH!!! thanks to Sheri and Imprints. They are committed to building culture and arts in the children, and this is another way of showing their dedication.

Donnie & Maree Have Arrived

and they are creepy as shit. Creepy right out of the box and even moreso once Mat and Shannon started playing with them. Chris has created a monster with this thing. In a very, very good way.

Possible Location Found

Because of the deteriorated nature of the script's locations, finding someplace that works "as is" has proven difficult. Las Vegas is renowned for getting rid of the old quickly (and "old" isn't even that old). So we've started looking at a large enough space to build sets. We may have found a location; there are two possibilities. Until then, we're figuring out the cost to actually build and dress the sets themselves. Obviously it's more expensive to build the sets from scratch, but nice to have the creative freedom to make them exactly the way we want them. Putting doors and windows where they need to go, being able to destroy sections, basically making it everything the story begs it to be. The location in "The Bet" is almost a character itself, so I'm excited to see what we come up with. We've got a lot of reference photos from abandoned asylums to pull from to give it that worn, derelict, hopeless look. Plus a few nods to the Silent Hill videogames as well.

Here are some of the references I've pulled (1, 3 and 5 are from Opacity, an amazing site that always creeps me out. 4 is from the alternate hospital in Silent Hill 2 and 2 is from a location scout website).







If one of the locations works out, we'll only have it on the weekends, so the challenge will be to move the set into the space in sections, put them together, prep, light and dress in one day to allow us the next day to shoot, then clear everything out. With three locations, this is going to take three full weekends, and due to having to bring them in sections, we'll most likely be painting or prepping walls most of the first day.

The other challenge will be blocking the shots beforehand so our one day of shooting isn't spent deciding angles and such. Just prep, light and shoot. Very doable, but it's going to take a lot of planning - not to mention a lot of work.

The Actors Behind the Puppets

The roles of Donnie and Maree have been cast. Mat Planet will be performing Donnie, while Shannon Sarver will take the part of Maree. Mat is an art director with a penchant for performing (both on stage as a drummer, as well as anywhere the moment catches him - the office, the car, the restroom). Shannon is a copywriter who also like to perform, usually in more acceptable venues as karaoke bars. The two have the sick humor needed to bring the characters to life.

Site Updated

The official site for The Bet has been updated with new artwork. Still fairly light on content, but that will change in the coming weeks. Once the photography (by Francis George) is done and the design complete, things such as desktops will be available. Hopefully I'll get a forum created and running on the Rubbersquare site (which will include postings on The Bet as well) and once production begins, some stills and soon, a teaser trailer. Lots of good stuff coming so visit the site and register for updates.

Donnie & Maree Have Been Cast

Donnie and Maree, two newscasters seen on TV in two scenes, have been "cast." Actually, they are just puppets (it makes sense, believe me). But I've gotten approval from the company that makes them to use in the film. The actors behind the puppets have yet to be cast. As soon as the funding comes in, official casting for these two characters, as well as the rest of the cast, will begin. In the meantime, Maree is going to need a makeover to prepare her for the role as newscaster.