NONAMES

Order Your Copy Today...

2012-01-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

Central Wisconsin is representing! Lots of you are stocking up on the feature film shot right in your back yard. Tell your friends to pre-order their copy today to get free shipping and bragging rights that you'll be the first to own NONAMES. Here's a different look at the drama featuring a very talented ensemble cast including: James Badge Dale, Gillian Jacobs, Barry Corbin, Darren Burrows, Alexandra Neil, Jamie Harrold, James McCaffrey, Jennifer Ferrin, Michael Chernus, Casey Greig, Bill Heck, Dan Hopman, Lindsey Kraft and Peter McCain and music by the White Iron Band - "Devil's Gonna Win"

PRE-ORDER YOUR DVD TODAY!

2012-01-20T14:43:00.000-05:00

Order this award winning indie starring James Badge Dale (24, The Pacific, Rubicon, The Grey, Shame) & Gillian Jacobs (Community)

Pre-order your copy by using the Paypal checkout to the right.

All pre-orders will receive FREE SHIPPING

Official DVD Release date is March 6th

From our Fans - Dade and Sandy Grode...

2011-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

As we sat for the fifth, yes fifth, time in a movie house watching NONAMES all we could think of was, “When and where will it be showing again so we can see it on the “Big Screen”? (It has been shown in magnificently restored old movie houses.) You can sit and watch a movie on your TV but when it is over, do you ever say, “Wow, I felt like I was right there in the movie.”? That is the special feeling you get seeing NONAMES in the theater. You feel that you are transported to a rural small town; you experience the life-sized cast with life-sized joys, problems, comedy and heartaches. You are as much a part of them as they become a part of you. You are able to vividly see the beauty and details of the film surrounded by an eclectic soundtrack that can only be properly felt and absorbed in a big theater.

The movie NONAMES is about life and growing up in rural America--my town, your town, any town. It could have been me or you that the story was about instead of Kevin, CJ, Miller, Rich, Dave, Simon, Danny, Carter, Steph, Molly, Ed, etc. Watching it in the theater gives you the feeling that you were right there walking with them.

We have heard many comments after the movie was over like: “How did they know that about my life?” “The movie really hit close to home!” “It was an easy movie to relate to.” “It was easy to relate to the characters.” “I felt it captured that small town Wisconsin feel.” “The cast all made us feel "there" with them!” “I thought the camera work and editing was spectacular and highlighted the great cast and emotion throughout the story.” “I was truly moved by this film. I want to watch it again.” “It was like a time warp for me - so many things looked the same, it was almost hard to believe it was set in the current time. However, given the current economy, it probably could have been set in Any small town, USA.”

See it at a theater soon.

Then, Now and Next

2010-08-09T10:02:00.001-05:00

Gillian Jacobs (CJ) and James Badge Dale (Kevin) in NONAMES

NONAMES has traveled from Bermuda, to LA to Madison, WI to Phoenix and Atlanta, Hawaii and several other places in between. We are screening the film in theaters throughout the Midwest this summer and fall and planning an extended theatrical release throughout the states and internationally.

By this summer (2011), NONAMES will be available on DVD, On Demand and various online distribution sites, like Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and more. This will be preceded by a Wisconsin Public Television premiere after a special Director's Cut episode - http://www.wpt.org/directorscut/

We'll keep posting our screening updates and information on our actors as they work on other exciting projects. So please continue to follow the action and please continue to spread the word. This independent film could not have traveled this far without all of your support, social networking and word of mouth. Our independent film, fueled by independent spirits, will continue to succeed if you continue to tell your friends to follow us on Facebook and our website http://www.nonamesthefilm.com/

This film has resonated with so many people and we want you to see the wonderful work from our talented and award winning, cast and crew. So as the summer Hollywood blockbusters come and go, know that NONAMES is standing strong and will eventually be available for everyone around the world to watch. We may not have the resources to open on thousands of screens at once but we'll get this to you, one step at a time, one way or another.

Thank you for following NONAMES and please pass it on...let's keep this moving and growing! Be a part of a grassroots film marketing effort that proves that independent projects of all kinds can be successful and that more authentic stories need to be told in and outside of Hollywood.

Indie Slate article on NONAMES

2010-05-19T15:24:00.013-05:00

NONAMES Breaking out on film: By Jay Burgin

It's long been said that 'you can't go home again' - especially in
small town America. But two filmmakers have done just that with
their indie feature, NONAMES, capturing life and family tensions
in a small Wisconsin town.

Captured on 35 mm Fuji film stock, the movie is even more
personal as it is based on a true story about family and friends of
co-producers Kathy Lindboe and Robin Van Ert. "We shot in the
town where the story takes place," Lindboe explains during a break
in post production at Atlanta 's Cinefilm Lab, "so it became very
real again, which at times was difficult for my family, but they are
very proud of the story and final product."

Written by Lindboe, NONAMES follows Kevin, played by James
Badge Dale (The Departed, HBO's The Pacific) and his family of
friends as they struggle within the confines of a small town. After
his mother's death, Kevin decides to make a life for himself in his
childhood home. In the wake of tragedy, it becomes clear that
he must leave the town he loves in order to save himself from it.
Filming the story became even more complex since it was shot in
the town where the events occurred with many real-life family
members seeing their lives portrayed. "I didn't realize how emo-
tional some of the scenes would be until we got on set," observes
Lindboe.

All independent movies have unique struggles to get to the
screen, and sometimes there can be an extra hurdle when the
project is lead by two women in an industry dominated by men.
But Van Ert dismisses that premise, "I don't think the challenges
we faced were any different than men face in the industry. The
challenge of raising funds, casting, assembling a crew are all
there regardless of gender." Lindboe expresses some reservations
however, "I didn't feel challenges as a producer, but as a director,
perhaps. It's hard to say though. It was my first film and we had a
large cast and crew on set. The most frequent question I receive in
regard to being a female writer-director is why I chose to write a
story where the majority of the characters are men. Often women
want women to write stronger female roles. I agree, but it just
wasn't for this story."

While this was the first collaboration on a feature for Lindboe
and Van Ert, they have been friends since they were seven years
old. Lindboe has worked primarily in theater in Minneapolis and
New York, and Van Ert owned her own business in the health and
wellness industry in Madison, Wisconsin. Since both had personal
ties to the story, with two of their characters being based on their
brothers, Van Ert was eager to collaborate when Lindboe asked
her to co-produce. "The script went through a long and arduous
process," she explains. "Once we were confident that the script
was strong enough to shoot, we put together our development to
distribution proposal and started Iooking for investors."

Their first step was to raise development money to shoot some
35 mm exterior landscape footage of the locations, along with
interviews of the real-life characters the story was based on and
the actors who would portray them. "Then we just met as many
people with money as we could find," says Lindboe. "It took
patience and persistence to find people who believed in us."

NONAMES has a richness and depth that gives it the feel of a
studio production coming both from the look of the film and the
quality of the cast. "We had such great support from Jessica Kelly
at Chrystie Street Casting," raves Van Ert. "She helped us secure
James Badge Dale who worked on Fox Television's 24 and stars in
AMC's Rubicon, along with Gillian Jacobs who's done
many indies and appears in the NBC comedy Community."
Veteran actor Barry Corbin rounds out the talented ensemble.
Others had worked locally with Kathy on stage productions
and all were willing to work on a small budget and tight schedule.
"Shooting in areas where we grew up and were familiar
with, we were able to utilize our resources and keep our budget low,
while keeping our production value high, " states Van Ert.

When budget drives most indies to digital acquisition, the
producers chose film. "We love the richness and history of film and
with the landscapes of Wisconsin as a backdrop, film was the
obvious choice for this project," says Lindboe, "Film is
expensive but so were the digital routes. In the end the
35 mm Fuji stock contributed to the mood of
the story." That look was created by a talented
new DP out of North Carolina, Kenneth Wilson,
whom Lindboe had become acquainted with
years before. Wilson had worked with Cinefilm
Lab on two other features and brought the
project there for dailies and the digital intermediate finish.

Wilson set the look he wanted on the dailies from location
in Wisconsin with Cinefilm colorist John Petersen using
the lab's Virtual Telecine support. "This was our third feature
together, and Kenny always has a vision and
knows how to communicate that well,"states
Petersen. "He wanted the SD dailies to have a
'forgotten, faded tonality, like clothes that have
been through too many washes,' which we re-created
at the DI stage."

After picture lock, the 35 mm anamorphic film was transferred to 2.35
flat in 1920 x 1080 4:4:4 digital. Final color correction took place
in Cinefilm's DI projection suite working in Apple Color and Tangent
Controls while the DP and producers supervised as they reclined in
leather theater seats.

"We had looked into a DI in New York and LA but Cinefilm had
great rates and gave our small film high priority," Lindboe remarks.
"It was the first time we saw our movie in high resolution in a theater setting.
Being my first experience in color correction, I was amazed at the control you have
in the DI process and what John did to enhance the mood and emotions of the image.
But since it's easy to manipulate the look of each shot, you need to go in with a
clear idea of what the end result is supposed to look like, otherwise you can
waste a lot of time and money."

Despite its small town origins, the film took on a nationwide workflow -
from principle photography in Wisconsin, to dailies in Atlanta, editorial and
sound mix in New York, original score creation in Los Angeles, and final
DI back in Atlanta. "Now, it's our time to show off our hard work," exclaims Lindboe.

The next step is the festival circuit and distribution. The movie is already booked
for seven fest screenings this spring - Bermuda, Method Fest, Phoenix, Wisconsin,
Atlanta, Tallahassee and Newport Beach. Other festival entries are pending.

In the meantime, Van Ert says that DIY distribution seems to be on everyone's minds.
"We're ready for it. We have a film that will speak to so many people, so we really look forward to the day we can finally say, "NONAMES is coming soon to a theater near you."

The deeply personal story of a young man breaking out from the limitations of his small-town home is echoed in the adventures of two female filmmakers who have bucked the odds and collaborated for the first time to bring the story to the screen. Like the protagonist in the film, they're striving to make a name for themselves.

Follow their progress at www.nonamesthefilm.com

This article can be found in Indie Slate magazine - Issue #60

OFFICAL NONAMES HATS AND SHIRTS FOR SALE - HURRY!!!

2010-04-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

You were at the Wisconsin Film Festival to support NONAMES and you forgot to get your Limited Edition WFF NONAMES shirt for yourself and family and friends? Well fret no more, we still have some in stock - in all sizes but they are going fast.

We also have those cool, official, great quality NONAMES hats available too. They are not festival specific. It's just the NONAMES title on the front.

Thanks for supporting us and for sporting the NONAMES gear. Show everyone that you are a part of the team as we get into theaters and on DVD. We're going to have a lot of fun touring with this film and meeting everyone that is following us. More tailgating, raffles and parties to come!

Hats and Tees are $15 + sales tax and shipping. Just click on the ADD TO CART PayPal links to the right. If you do not want to do PayPal - email us at info@nonamesthefilm.com and we'll do checks.

THANKS!

WFF Review - Dane 101

2010-04-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

Post by Adam Schabow on 4/20/2010 10:00am

Post Image

I fell in love with Barry Corbin in college. It was my afternoon delight. You see, back in the day, the A&E Channel would run "Northern Exposure" during my free lunchtime period. I’d come home from classes, cook up some Ramen noodles and turn on the tube for my daily Cicely Alaskan update. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the show as well as the actors behind it. Corbin played Maurice, a rich, conservative astronaut, so well that I wondered why I didn’t see him in more film or TV.

That’s when I suddenly started seeing him in everything (perhaps he was there all along). Corbin is one of those character actors that you may not know by name but certainly know by face. He’s been in everything from "Walker Texas Ranger" to No Country for Old Men. On screen, he’s immediately enjoyable to watch and creates his own unique and original electricity. Not many actors have the ability to do that.

I was excited when I heard he was coming to the festival with not one, but two films to promote. They both played back-to-back Friday night at The Chazen. NONAMES played first.

NONAMES

NONAMES is a melodrama loosely based on writer/director Kate Lindboe’s older brother, Kevin. It’s a story about choices made and some serious bad luck that’s thrust upon him.

Kevin, with his group of close-knit friends, is repeatedly getting into trouble. But after receiving a $50,000 check from his late mother’s settlement, Kevin is determined to change his life around and prove to his father as well as the whole town that he’s not a fuck up. He buys a house for his girlfriend and gets a job. Things start looking up. Then one shitty event after another happens and Kevin repeatedly makes the wrong decisions. As an audience member, it’s the right decision and you selfishly root for him to make them, but unlike Kevin, we don’t have to deal with the consequences.

First-time director Kate Lindboe has a right to be proud. She has made her extremely personal story into an entertaining and moving piece of cinema.

Meet our Costume Designer - Abby O'Sullivan

2010-04-04T11:57:00.001-05:00

All this festival talk is great but we need to break for a moment and get back to the individual elements that made this a whole. We've highlighted our Director of Photography, Composer and many musicians on our soundtrack but we have yet to introduce you to our Costume Designer - meet Abby O'Sullivan.

Abby understood the world we were about to create and the scale and vision of the film we wanted to produce. She came with samples of iconic American images and the item that really sold us (besides her obvious talent and fantastic energy) - a red, white and blue friendship pin. I think our character Molly O. ended up with this pin in the film. If your Costume Designer understands these characters down to the cigarette holes in their clothing and how long it's been since they've washed their clothes or even bought new ones, everyone else on board better keep up.

I think NONAMES alternate title could be summed up from the wardrobe decisions - Flannels, James Dean and Sleeveless Tee's. There's some pretty iconic image references in our film - from James Dean to Deer Hunter to Midnight Cowboy. We've got a wide range of fashion and who knows...maybe the sleeveless tees, jean suits, one sleeve shirts and bathrobes with cowboy boots will start a new trend? Be sure to note your favorite character look and let us know after you see the film.

This film was brought to life with the look of these characters. She should be recognized for her work on this and certainly will be on future projects. For those that saw the Oscar nominated Frozen River, that is also Abby's work of art, which I find brilliant.

Now, without further ado...Designing NONAMES costumes in Abby's own words....

After reading NONAMES I spoke with Kathy Lindboe the director and the DP Kenny about the look they had in mind for the film. There was a clear ” lived in” quality to the ideas mentioned. The economic and geographic restrictions on the characters and their wardrobe choices would have to be based on use, longevity and availability. Prepping for NONAMES I worked with Kathy building references using quotes, and iconic American imagery that may have influenced and help narrow the esthetic of each personality. Each character had to have touches of their childhood idealisms in their wardrobe, it was important to see the group of kids within these adults. The solidifying factor of the wardrobe design for me was accurately portraying a group this close. Each character had to be very unique unto themselves but there was a unifying thread that connected this nuclear group .The history and close relationships in the town define NONAMES, and the wardrobe needed to reflect those ties and estrangements as they developed throughout the film.

Speaking with Kathy, initially we discussed the idea of being unknown, it’s as if these characters are chameleonic to their surroundings. All of them fit in so well to the background it takes a minute to look closely and realize the uniquely interesting stories that play out day to day. The script spoke a lot to the isolation in a world of your own creation. Kevin chose a life for himself based on the availability and comfort of his surroundings and then could not disappear into the background. His costume needed to represent the deliberateness of his striving. We stuck with a classic white tee’d James Dean reference and noted his surrounding in the utilitarian nature of his other wardrobe.

The look could best be described as a concert t-shirt tee after to many washes. The hope still there but life has acted some visible erosion upon it.

Meet Takeshi Furukawa

2009-11-14T12:54:00.000-05:00

Takeshi Furukawa, also known as TK, is our composer for NONAMES. This brilliant musician submitted a short demo reel that resonated so deeply we contacted him immediately. Hundreds of talented musicians submitted reels but there was something really special about TK's work that spoke to our film and us.

So many indie films use very simple scores that effectively tell the story. We decided we wanted a fuller sound to enhance the grand scope of the look of the film and underlying heartache and struggle of our main character. TK understood exactly what we were looking for and we're so lucky we all had that connection because he had a very short period of time to write 16 original orchestral pieces - two weeks I believe.

Since the post-production was based in NY and TK lives in LA, we had to work remotely, constantly uploading new versions of each cue, emailing and calling each other back and forth and truthfully, it was hard to keep up with him. Thankfully he was so patient and giving throughout this process and the end result is absolutely beautiful. I am deeply moved each time I listen to our score. You can hear a few of the tracks from our film on his website, www.snowingmusic.com

Robin (Producer) and I flew out to LA for the recording and mix of the score. We recorded a few cues and completed our mix at The Village Recorder in West LA - where there's so much history of rock-n-roll coming out of the walls you can feel it. It's been home to Bob Dylan, The Stones, Pink Floyd and the list goes on and on. We also recorded a large portion of the score at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank. This beautiful Studio hosted our amazing 19-piece Orchestra consisting of 15 Strings, 2 Woodwinds and 2 French Horns. Watching TK conduct the orchestra while observing his talented team work in the recording room was a gift. His team consists of Matthew St. Laurent (Orchestrator), Shin Miyazawa (Sound Mixer and Recordist) Jorge Velasco (Digital Sound Recordist), Judy Yoo (Music Production Coordinator), Scott Smith (Mixing Assistant Engineer) Ron Vermillion (Music Copyist) and Brendan Dekora (Scoring Assistant Engineer).

This experience was amazing, surreal and one of my favorite chapters in the making of NONAMES. This little film has a big score and sometimes, I do believe the stars align so that creative artists find each other to collaborate on projects like ours to create something very special. TK is already doing outstanding work and has his whole career ahead of him. There will be quite a few awards on his shelves on years to come, mark my words.

And now, a word from TK himself...

To me, scoring NONAMES was like writing a symphonic tone poem. The film is incredibly well crafted and doesn’t need the music to patch up any weak spots. Hence it really gave me, as the composer, liberty to write music that stands on its own while contributing an emotional layer to the picture.

The entire score is based on a single motif, which unfolds itself through the main title cue. From there, I was able to manipulate the thematic material to reflect the subtle tones and emotions of each scene. Working on the score this way was a truly artistically rewarding process, and one of the main reasons why I sought after the project.

Kathy had a very strong (and tasteful) vision for the score and I decided to rely heavily on the piano and string orchestra to create an intimate yet posh tone to the music. Overall the score is very subtle and understated to give space for the beautiful visuals play itself out on screen. The last thing I wanted for the score was to bombard the film with sonic clutter, an unfortunate trend seen too often these days. Hence the composition and orchestration is kept very simple and light, taking well-placed broad strokes instead of overly intricate writing. Through our creative collaboration, I believe Kathy and I were able to come up with a score that compliments the film very elegantly.

An independent film of this caliber doesn’t come along too often, and it was absolutely a privilege to be a part of the team. From the moment I saw the first frame of the opening montage to the final hours of mixing the score, NONAMES reminded me why I chose this as my profession.

Meet Kenny Wilson

2009-11-05T19:43:00.000-05:00

Meet the guy behind the camera, our Director of Photography, Kenny Wilson. We often give so much credit to those in front of the camera we forget to honor the artists with vision that play a significant role in creating the look of the film. NONAMES is a beauty and much of that is due to Kenny's attention to detail and passion for storytelling.

When we first met Kenny, we knew he was the right visual interpreter for NONAMES, as he referenced the same looks and storytelling of our favorite films of the seventies. Filmmakers Terrance Malick, Peter Bogdanovich, George Roy Hill and Hal Ashby were all influential but moreover than their specific films, we talked about their unique styles. We had many discussions about 'patient storytelling'...traits all of those directors shared. We missed the era when films were able to take a deep breath and then slowly exhale instead of running and gasping for air just to get the point across. We made a decision early on that we would take our time, shoot it on 35mm film with anamorphic lens and exploit the beauty that exists in celluloid. It was our unwillingness to compromise using film over digital and Kenny's dedication, waiting a very long time while we raised the funds to shoot in this medium that we can now celebrate this film and collaboration that provided us with an end product we are all very proud of.

On set, even with the many obstacles of shooting an independent film with little time and money, Kenny rallied for shots he strongly believed in and adjusted accordingly when weather or set difficulties challenged us. It is reassuring to have someone that knows exactly the look and mood you wish to create, behind the camera. We did have our limitations on perhaps an overly ambitious script for a first film and many that are inherent to indie films overall but we accomplished a great deal for our budget and schedule, thanks to a very talented cast and crew.

We were very lucky to find Kenny and wish him the very best in his career as a Director of Photography/Storyteller/Visionary.

And now, in Kenny's own words:

“A photograph is not an objective interpretation of visible reality, but rather a subjective interpretation of what we feel. I approach every film with a few key broad strokes, but really try to uncover the thousands of 'telling details' that organically construct a scene, like an architect developing a dream. For me, filmmaking is a perfect, harmonious blend between science and art...the technical and the aesthetical."

Kenny's work spans multiple genres. His passion for indie dramas has furthered his relationship with David Gordon Green, lending second-unit photography to ALL THE REAL GIRLS and UNDERTOW, affording him the opportunity to work with all-time fave TERRENCE MALICK. Well versed in comedy and action flicks, between THE GUATEMALAN HANDSHAKE (second unit) and the vfx-intensive thriller EYEBORGS, Wilson has come to make every shot count. Lingering, explosive, poetic, realistic. And sometimes strange.

Least we forget the small screen. His credits include the reality series ROUSCH RACING: DRIVER X for DISCOVERY, THE DRIVE for CMT, WINGS OF MAN for THE HISTORY CHANNEL, the PBS documentary BATTLE OF SAILOR’S CREEK, and a really great chance to meet Tammy Faye Baker on her last series, DEATH DEFYING (WE network). Oh yes, and lots of NASCAR, MTV and BET.

AWARDED: Kodak Outstanding Cinematography, Slamdunk Jury Award (Fudgie and Jane), Indy Spirit Nomination (George Washington), Reelwoods Best Feature Film (Chicks 101), New England Film Fest-Best Feature (You Are Alone), Wired Magazine's Best Something (IBM: Launch), Sundance Special Jury Award (All the Real Girls), Discovery Award-Toronto Film Fest, NYFCC Critics Award (George Washington), Slamdance Jury Award (The Guatemalan Handshake), Gold Space Needle-Seattle Int'l Film Fest (DoubleTime), Excellence in Filmmaking--USA National Board of Review (Undertow).

Next, we'll continue introducing our creative crew members with a spotlight on their work on NONAMES and beyond.

Q: When is the release date of NONAMES?

2009-10-01T12:47:00.001-05:00

Great question. Release dates are a little different with indie films at our stage. We made our film without a distribution deal in place, so unlike bigger budget studio films, we need to try and find a distributor that will help get our film to a theater near you. To do this, we will hit the film festival circuit, starting in early 2010.

Film festivals like Sundance, are ideal places for films like ours to find a distributor, well, it used to be anyway. Just like every other industry, things are changing in the economy and there's no guarantee that we will find a distributor for our film, even if we are accepted to great festivals along the way. So then what?

Well, we gain exposure and press and you can follow us on the festival circuit and hopefully we'll be at one near you. Festivals are open for the general public to buy tickets for the screenings and usually there are audience awards for favorite films too. We need these festivals to gain momentum to sell our film. But at the end of the day, it's the audience we care about, so eventually the film will be available, if not at a theater near you, then definitely on DVD.

It's impossible to predict our fate at the moment but soon we will know the path that will eventually lead our film to you, in 2010. Once we know what festival that journey begins at, we will let everyone on our Facebook and Twitter community know immediately.

It's definitely a waiting game and we are as anxious as you are to release NONAMES. So, in the next couple of months, as we all wait patiently (yeah right) for the big news on which festival we will premiere at, please continue to follow us because your support is the most important factor of our film being a success. Please tell your family and friends to sign up on our Facebook fan page if you haven't already. The quick link to that page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/NONAMES/42637917463?ref=nf

We hope this answers your question about our release date. It's all the info we have to give right now but 2010 will be an exciting year for us and our cast, so hang in there. In the meantime, we will continue to post updates, photos, new trailers and random facts about the shoot and the story that should pique your interest even more.

Next question?

Coloring @ CineFilm in Atlanta

2009-05-25T15:55:00.025-05:00

CineFilm's Office's in Atlanta

CineFilm in Atlanta had been developing our dailies during shooting and we (Kathy, Kenny, Robin & Simon) headed to Atlanta last week to oversee the coloring of the film.
With great help and hospitality from John, Joe and James of CineFilm in Atlanta we reviewed every scene of the film to balance the color, brightness & framing to develop the story.

The film is projected on to the front wall of the room via a High Definition Projector, John our Colorist sits behind us with a deck of computers and control panels.
The lights go down and music is pumped through the speaker system
(Radio Music - The film's sound is not played during this process).

To begin with we find a scene or frame that we want to set as our template or basis for the others to match up against. We are then able to control the look of each scene individually to look as we desire. We can control the scenes overall color saturation, Brightness, brightness of the highlights, the color palette (each primary color). Changing a scenes colors and tone allow us to link scenes together that maybe one conversation or the same scenes in different light (Day/Night) or the same scene outside but maybe a Flashback or current day. Through this process we are also able to re-frame a scene if necessary, change the brightness of elements in a scene to change the focus to a character if needed.

It was great to see the film projected onto a large screen for the first time and it's looking great.
Even watching it for 9 hours a day for 5 days straight, it never gets old.

I'm looking forward to seeing it all complete in a full theatre.....coming very soon

Kevin, Kevin and CJ, Rich, Simon Kevin and Danny, Rich Kevin and Dave, Carter and Molly O

2009-03-14T17:58:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Elles, Miller, Amanda and Steph, Brady and Cori and Mr. Williams

2009-03-14T17:55:00.005-05:00

Dave, Darter, Dale, Ed and CJ

2009-03-14T17:49:00.004-05:00

SOUND just in, Can You 'Dig It'?

2009-02-10T20:53:00.005-05:00

That's right, Digit Audio, in NYC, is our post-sound facility and we are so excited to work with the cool staff that's worked on some really great indies such as, Half Nelson, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo, Sugar, Grace is Gone, well here's a list, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0250593/ - let the fun begin.

AND...we've hired our composer!!! After weeks of sitting on some pretty amazing temp tracks, like Thomas Newman's work from In the Bedroom, we can confidently move forward replacing all of it with Takeshi Furukawa's amazing work, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1804052/ - creating an original score.

So close...

"NONAMES"??

2009-01-25T17:58:00.004-05:00

Casey Greig, Bill Heck, Dan Hopman, Peter McCain and Trevor Torseth are five of the actors in the NONAMES ensemble. All from the Midwest, all extremely talented, all my friends.

I directed Casey and Trevor in my first play in college. I adapted Quentin Tarantino's, 'The Man From Hollywood' segment from the film 'Four Rooms'. Casey played 'Ted the Bellhop', (Tim Roth's role) and Trevor played Chester, (Tarantino's role). They were brilliant. My final student directed play was John Patrick Shanley's, 'Beggar's in the House of Plenty'. I worked with Trevor and Casey once again on that production, an experience which solidified that I wanted to pursue directing.

After college, all three of us would work together again in Minneapolis on stage. Trevor eventually moved to LA, Casey remains in Minneapolis and I am now in New York. Casey was voted Best Actor in the Twin Cities and continues working as a stage actor - not only in some of the best reviewed productions in Minneapolis but also with The Actors Theater of Louisville and at The La Jolla Playhouse and Berkley Rep. Trevor works as an actor on stage in LA, in film and is a musician in the band, Trevor Torseth and The Boards. Two of my favorite songs ever are written by Trev, 'Gary Jane' and 'Christmas Shakes' - the latter, making it's debut in NONAMES.

Then there's Dan Hopman, another college cohort. I knew Dan would be a working actor when I first saw him in productions, 'Anything Goes' and 'Fool for Love'. I never worked with him until many years later during a NONAMES workshop in Minneapolis. It was then, I was convinced that Dan and only Dan could be 'Rich'. Not only is Dan amazing in this film as an actor, he also gets to show off his musicianship talents, performing, 'She's a Rail' and 'Grind My Bones'. Dan continues to work on stage in Minneapolis and mark my words, you will hear more about him in the coming years.

Peter McCain, is an actor I met in Minneapolis and now work with in New York. I met Pete while doing the choreography for a Minneapolis production of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. I was offered to choreograph scene changes in the next production at the theater, 'The Importance of Being Earnest'. Pete was playing the lead. I was blown away by the new talent in town and cast him in my next play. Soon after, Pete was accepted to the NYU Tisch Graduate Acting program and continues to work on stage in New York and independent films. Pete was a major part of the story editing process of NONAMES and is currently co-writing a story along with myself, Casey and Dan.

Finally, there's Bill Heck. Bill and I met while he was also attending NYU Tisch Grad Acting. He was in Pete's class and after seeing every production they were in together, I was intrigued to work with him someday. Not until seeing Bill in a two-hour 'The Closer' (Kyra Sedgwick TNT show) special, did I know how and when we would work together. I loved his performance so much and soon-after, offered him a role in NONAMES. Bill now lives in LA, working in film, tv and theater. He's as charming as the role he plays in this film and as likable as anyone I've ever met.

It was a dream come true, working with my friends on this film. They are hard-working, talented actors that deserve infinite recognition. They are some of the best actors I know and I hope to always have the honor of working with them. This experience would not have been as positive without their presence and friendship. To their continued success and "nonames" no longer, not that they ever were.

Casey Greig is Carter
Bill Heck is Simon
Dan Hopman is Rich
Peter McCain is Dave
Trevor Torseth is Brady

A Look in Each Direction

2009-01-04T15:23:00.011-05:00

Last January, I made a decision. I bought a plant, named it 'June' and told myself that June would be my constant reminder to move forward every day to make NONAMES a reality by that sixth month of 2008. It worked, with a lot of help from my friends. Now, we launch into 2009, with just a few months to go before the film is complete and out to festival land. With that, here's a quick look to our past and future.

2008

Bought JUNE the film plant, in JANUARY
Set big goals and deadlines in FEBRUARY
GREENLIGHT on NONAMES in MARCH
Pre-Production in APRIL
Hired Casting Agency and Lawyer in MAY
Location Scouting in Wisconsin in JUNE
On Location with cast and crew in JULY
Began Principle Photography AUGUST 12th
Wrapped on SEPTEMBER 12th
Began Editing in late OCTOBER
Picture Assembly in NOVEMBER
Screenings and rough cuts made up DECEMBER

2009

It's all a crapshoot. We'll work hard, have fun and keep you posted. Might buy a new plant too. And yes, June is still thriving - with thanks to her caretaker during the filming. Thanks Orit!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

James Badge Dale

2008-12-18T17:54:00.001-05:00

James Badge Dale plays our lead, Kevin in NONAMES. He's just been cast as the lead in a new AMC series.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5f45653915ac11243875e36b3454e597

Post-Production

2008-11-08T12:49:00.007-05:00

With Frank Reynolds on board (Editor of the film In the Bedroom and many others) we are now entering week 3 of Post. The footage is beautiful but it takes great patience to stand by quietly waiting for an assembly. So while he does his thing, we do ours, meeting composers, sound editors and finding the best route for our film to travel once it is all complete. The journey continues.

So, as usual, I occupy myself watching other great films that inspire and the most recent must see is Tom McCarthy's, The Visitor, his sophomore film after one of my other favorite films, The Station Agent. Beautiful, simple, moving.

Also see the film Control starring my new favorite actor, Sam Riley.

NONAMES is now on FACEBOOK too, please add us to your profile and we'll send you updates.

http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?networks&ret=2&n=67108866#/pages/NONAMES/42637917463?ref=s

RICH

2008-10-15T21:33:00.003-05:00

Another old/young pic of one of the lead actors RICH played by Dan Hopman and Tyler Martin.

Carter

2008-10-14T15:44:00.003-05:00

Another old/young picture of one of our leads, CARTER - Casey Greig and Kendel Williams.

Deep Water Reunion

2008-10-06T20:54:00.006-05:00

A big thank you goes out to this Wisco band. They make a special appearance in the film and recorded some great music for us on a very last minute request. Please visit their MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/dwreunion and look for their cameo when the film is released, during one of our favorite days of filming. They also recorded a 'NONAMES' song - thank you Deep Water Reunion. All the best.

Sending Pictures

2008-10-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

For anyone that has pictures of the shoot and would like to share them on the blog, please forward them to jottifilms@gmail.com

Thank you.

Pictures, Pictures

2008-09-26T12:42:00.004-05:00

At some point, when we have some video clips from the shoot we'll be changing our website again. Until then, we'll keep posting things little by little on the blog. Someone posted on our last blog that they would like to see side by side pics of the younger and older "nonames". Here are a couple of them - Young/Old Danny and Young/Old Kevin. There's also our lovely ladies of NONAMES, our youngest star with her real and film family, Justine Freedlund (Wisconsin local) with our cast members Trevor (Brady), Jen (Cori) and Pete (Dave). Finally, our lead, Badge, "Kevin".

That's a wrap!

2008-09-14T21:13:00.004-05:00

We have completed principle photography on location in Wisconsin. Next up, we sit and edit for a few months putting together all of our hard work over the past 2 months. There are literally thousands of pictures to sort through and once we do we will update our website for some show and tell of the shoot and this great experience.

Another big thank you to the Wisconsin Rapids, Milladore, Dexterville, Babcock, Port Edwards and City Point communities that were patient with our cast and crew allowing us to make this film. Thank you to all of the extras that worked long hours to fill our scenes with life. We hope to screen the project here in the next year.

Until then - all the best.

THE YOUNG "NONAMES"

2008-09-05T20:21:00.004-05:00

These talented Wisconsin locals played the younger versions of our main ensemble cast. The crew had a blast working with all of them. THANK YOU!

YOUNGER NONAMES (from left to right)
Young Rich - Tyler Martin
Young Kevin - Colton Janz
Young Dave - Garrett Frels
Young CJ - Payton Sorenson
Young Simon - Ben Wessling
Young Danny - Evan Wirtz
Young Carter - Kendel Williams

MOHAWK

2008-08-03T11:22:00.003-05:00

actors are arriving on location and getting right into character. first, Casey "Carter", gets a little help from Dan "Rich" and shaves his head - it's mohawk time.

let the fun begin.

Lost Town Blues

2008-07-28T09:49:00.005-05:00

A while back I came across this article from New York Time's journalist, Timothy Egan (link to article above). It's an important observation on what's happening in our country during this election year and turmoil in our economy. The towns we are using as locations in our film are feeling the effects of an economic downward spiral. Just recently, a local mill was shut down and hundreds of people have lost their jobs. To witness art imitate life and life imitate art at such a close proximity while we sit in our production office, build sets and rehearse with actors is troubling to say the least.

People and businesses here do prosper - people and businesses here do fall. We are taking a look at a fictional American small town's struggle and survival and hope there are some poignant illustrations of real life and what's really happening, to simply address the forgotten towns that still have a voice. We should all listen before it's too late.

The following comments are from the reader Dennis Egan - posted from the Lost Town Blue's Article from Timothy Egan.

Small town America is a bedrock of values, hopes, and dreams. It is also a tumbleweed, wind-blown ghost town of misery and lethargy. Feelings wash across this land with the connectivity of the internet - somehow giving the impression that the world is moving on without us and we are part of a glacial decline - a backwater - yet an early indicator of national trends as much as a canary carried by coal miners to sense the toxic atmosphere…by dying first.

There is much at stake and it is the core of the rhetoric of politicians. Small towns provide the incubator for our economy and future success in technology, business and politics. Tim Egan (New York Times journalist) one of my favorites, comes from the State of Washington where the barefoot schoolboy law prevailed, providing a threshold of funds for rural schools to offer education to kids that would build their understanding and incubate their dreams. Kids were so smart they saw their opportunity far, far away from their small town - they migrated to the big city. This has been the rule for the last 100 years. Some stayed and invested in the local community, some made it big then came home, some vowed like Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind - Lord I never want to be poor again…and never, never came home.

As I travel the world I find old friends from my small town of Sunnyside, Washington in every imaginable walk of life - many very successful because that small town was an incubator of big dreams of the greatest nation of the world. We still believe that stuff. We benefitted as a community of farmers from the huge public works projects that provided good jobs for our families building the national highway system and running the huge energy research laboratories at Hanford, Washington. The schools eagerly polled their students to get a piece of that federal money that was distributed to schools of federal worker children. We attended Community Concerts provided by the federal government grants bringing artists from the New York Metropolitan Opera and the Chicago Symphony into our little town - we learned about diversity and respected culture.

It is true there were twice as many taverns in town as there were churches, but the churches were on every corner. Sunday morning was a rousing chorus of church bells coaxing mothers to bundle up their kids and attend services. In small town America fathers and sons sneaked out on a Sunday morning and went fishing and hunting - still do. We had our Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, our Rotary Clubs, our Masonic Lodges and our Kiwanis Clubs, our American Legion, VFW and our Little League baseball teams sponsored by the A&W Root Beer Company and the local John Deere distributor. Yes we learned how to shoot, how to survive in the wilderness and how to respect life and preserve our freedoms. This deep love of freedom and soul and trust in God are values deep seated in American culture - not bitterness about lost American Dreams. These values are strong as bedrock and can be reinforced to bolster the strength of our hopes for a brighter future of our nation and its leadership role in the world community.

We have our heroes - those who leave our small towns and make it big- by careers in public service, the military, business or professions. We are not - repeat - are not psychotically clinging to religion and guns - we simply associate guns and God with our love for individual freedom. Despite our reliance on occasional federal programs creating opportunities for good jobs and future for our kids, we are wise to maintain a healthy distrust of the federal government's insufferable tendency to want to dictate how we are to run our daily lives in our "village". We may be bitter and frustrated - but we are proud - we have dreams - and somehow - with our faith in God - we know our kids can be anything that they want to be - with hard work and sacrifice. We only wish that more would finally come home and reinvest in the intellectual capital that they left behind for the opportunity of the big city.

The Cast - recent additions

2008-06-23T17:15:00.006-05:00

JAMES BADGE DALE

BARRY CORBIN

DARREN BURROWS

As our website is currently under construction, we'll start adding more updates to our blog to keep everyone informed.

We are very excited to announce our lead actor, James Badge Dale, playing 'Kevin', the wonderful Barry Corbin, playing 'Ed' and Darren Burrows as 'Officer Dale'.

More on the way!

Fall Footage Clips

2008-01-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

A few of our scenes take place in a cemetery and for now, unless it seems too much of a nightmare with sound competing with the traffic that drives by, this is our location. The story is based on the lives of these unknowns, living in this little, forgotten town and this cemetery is longing to have people stop and remember. It lays next to a highway with Semi-trucks barreling by. The land is pure with woods in the backdrop and weeds growing between most graves. Plastic flowers and little American flags decorate the land and pine needles cover the gravel roads. It is beautiful, lonely and hopeful. Perhaps this is the reality of all cemeteries but my own personal connections to this one are a part of our story.

The innocence of this town shines through nature. Sunsets setting through tree-lined highways, creeks, ponds, lakes, and wide horizons bring peace to our story that is sometimes bleak. Shooting this beauty on Super 35mm film, brings a poetic grace to the dying town and troubled lives our characters lead.

These images are rarely seen in film...if ever, I can't recall. Cranberry marshing is a way of life for many people in this area. It is a hit or miss means of income every season. One early frost or hail could ruin the entire crop. There is a very small time-line to capture the harvest and we think the beauty of this landscape juxtaposed with the laborious work involved is a meaningful backdrop in our characters lives.

The dirt, the grind, the sport, the fun. As much as we want to show off some of the landscape for its beauty, we also want to show the landscape for its drab reality. These characters live quiet lives, tucked away in their safe small world until every so often, their brief interactions led by boredom, drugs or alchohol finds them mixed up in bad situations. For this particular shoot, we tested everything will available light. Some images are obviously too dark but overall, we will shoot the raw scenes sans prettying up any rough edges.

What Doesn't Kill Us, Only Makes Us Stronger

2007-10-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

Not flights being missed, nor lack of a van to haul equipment, or no ball hitch to pull a trailer, the failure of a GPS, the presence of rain, and definitely NOT film not arriving on time (yes, I said no film), could make the shoot last week anything less than amazing. As director, producers, DP, and PA, we overcame a few debacles and made this shoot a success. What would filmmaking be without a few obstacles??

A huge thank you to the Wisconsin Rapids, City Point, Babcock and Dexterville communities for allowing us to bring our small crew to the area and welcoming us with open arms. An extra special thanks to all of you who let us into your businesses and onto your properties and allowed us to do what we needed. And also to those of you who provided us with vehicles and your great acting skills as extras. You all contributed to the success of this amazing week.

I speak for all of us when I say that we are looking forward to being back in the land of cheese, beer, and cranberries (and tuna pizza) in the spring for the "big shoot." I hear Kenny misses the Midwestern accent already!!

Coming soon.... behind the scenes footage.

Cranberry Dreams and Tuna Nightmares

2007-10-21T16:07:00.001-05:00

We did it. We officially began rolling the camera. The crew: Kenny our DP, Robin and Simon the Producers, myself the Director and Connor aka MacGuyver, our PA, all came together to film some fall footage and start this journey towards the big shoot in the summer. We'll have more about this experience with pictures and tales and an explanation on this Blog title, soon.

Thank you Central Wisconsin, your genorousity is very much appreciated.