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The life and times of ToddleFly
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| Casting Call |
[Apr. 15th, 2009|11:59 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | film, uni | ] |
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| | gregor | ] |
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| |  excited | ] |
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| | The Arcade Fire | ] |
I'm looking for cast members for my new short film (my 4th-year project for Fine Arts), working title MIDNIGHT CLIMAX, to be shot in June during weekends and evenings (TBC once cast is determined).
The script isn't fully written yet, hence some character descriptions being kind of vague. Also the characters may change - I'm primarily looking for interest at this point, with a view towards casting in the next week or two.
All cast must be available for the shoot period (there probably won't be more than 5 or 6 days of shooting all up, but I'll figure the details out once I have an idea of who's in it) and be able to do a convincing American accent.
The story (based on true events) concerns part of the CIA's mind-control experiments in the 1950s, specifically Operation Midnight Climax, in which prostitutes were hired to lure clients into CIA safehouses, at which point the clients would be drugged and observed from behind two-way mirrors. The film will centre around George Hunter White, the old-school narcotics cop hired to run the operation (who, by day, would hunt down drug pushers, and by night would feed drugs to strangers while chugging back martinis and taking notes). It'll be set in 1950s San Francisco (I'll manage it somehow).
CHARACTERS:
- GEORGE WHITE: 40-50yo. Tough, disgruntled old-school narcotics cop with a thirst for alcohol, kinky sex, and power. A son of a bitch, but with a sort of charming side too.
- SIDNEY GOTTLIEB: 40-50yo. Head of Project MKULTRA (the parent operation of Midnight Climax). Has a stutter and a club foot, and is religiously enthusiastic about the use of LSD in espionage.
- IKE FELDMAN: 30-40yo. White's partner/assistant, very patriotic. Poses as a drug dealer and a pimp in order to catch drug dealers and recruit prostitutes.
- ALBERTINE CALEF: 40-50yo. White's wife. Bubbly, intelligent, aware but consciously ignorant of her husband's activities. (may be cut from final draft)
- PROSTITUTE(S): 20-40yo. Drug-addicted and hired by White to do the dirty work for him. Kind of scared by the whole operation (understandably).
- CITIZEN/CLIENT: 30-40yo. upstanding citizen who loudly applauds White and Feldman for arresting the junkie, then visits White's prostitute, and gets drugged and observed.
- DRUG BUYER: 20-30yo. seedy 50s junkie type, roughed up and booked by White and Feldman trying to buy drugs.
- EXTRAS: for potential exteriors/group scenes.
If you're interested, flick me a message (or comment here). Additionally, spread the word if you know anyone who might be keen (and capable). And any questions, ask me. Rock. |
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| Notes on MKULTRA |
[Mar. 9th, 2009|12:37 am] |
So I'm now looking at making my film about Project MKULTRA, the secret CIA überproject that dealt with all things to do with the mind: mind-control, truth serums, chemical warfare, Manchurian candidates and so on. What follows are some notes to do with it and related things that I've been reading about:
- Mind control was looked into using "chemical, biological and radiological means".
- In many cases the subjects were unconsenting.
- Operation Midnight Climax: the CIA sets up fronts of brothels, hires prostitutes to lure unsuspecting citizens in and drug them, then studies their reactions. Pictures of women being whipped or tortured were on the walls.
- These, along with mental patients and prisoners, were chosen to be subjects due to their relative lack of credibility if they chose to talk.
- Those who DID volunteer tended to get the most extreme experiments, including one person who was subjected to 77 straight days of constant LSD intake.
- US Army biochemist Frank Olson threw himself out of a tenth-story window after having a major psychotic episode. He had been slipped a drugged drink (presumably by a colleague, as this kind of thing seemed to happen reasonably frequently for testing purposes before they decided to test on random civilians).
- LSD was being weaponised for use on the battlefield (to make the enemy more docile). Program director Sidney Gottlieb was ordering it in "tonnage quantities" for practical application.
- One interrogation experiment involved IV drips of barbiturates and amphetamines; the barbiturates would be fed in until the subject started to fall asleep, at which point the amphetamines would start, prompting incoherent babbling.
- "Perfect Concussion" used ultra-low frequency soundwaves to attempt to erase memory.
- Project Artichoke: explored hypnosis, and also forced addiction to and withdrawal from morphine, to produce amnesia and other vulnerable mental states...to be used as an offensive program to get people to do their bidding.
- Operation Paperclip: a program to recruit former Nazi scientists and spies (particularly experts on torture and brainwashing) for employment in this project (among others), including some who had been marked as war criminals.
- The whole thing started soon after the Nuremberg medical trials impressed upon the world the illegality of experimentation upon unknowing human subjects.
- Jonestown has been considered a possible testing site for MKULTRA.
- Sidney Gottlieb, head of the project, also hatched many schemes to assassinate Castro, including a poisoned wetsuit and an exploding conch shell.
- Gottlieb was also known to have funded research into paranormal phenomena such as remote viewing and ESP.
- He also had a club foot, but that didn't prevent him from indulging in his lifetime hobby of folk dancing.
- Dr Ewen Cameron, notorious for unconsenting ECT/drugs/lobotomy experiments, was funded and sponsored by the project, including for his "psychic driving" experiments, involving drugged and shocked patients being played tapes sixteen hours a day in an effort to dictate their "new personalities".
- Major General William Creasy, chief officer of the Army Chemical Corps, strongly advocated use of acid and other chemicals being put in water supplies as a "humane" alternative to bombs in terms of essentially nullifying a population's threat to the US.
- He was also reportedly very disappointed that the US government prohibited large-scale testing of such concepts on the American public. "It was denied on reasons that always seemed a little absurd to me."
- Ken Kesey was a subject of MKULTRA, which allegedly led directly to his promotion of LSD and his role in the birth of the hippie culture.
There are quite a few cool character/story ideas here. I don't really know where to start. I'm quite keen to centre a film around Gottlieb and/or Creasy, since they seem to be quite interesting characters potentially...and the Midnight Climax concept seems appropriately bizarre and inhumane. I don't know. Brainstorm, rarrr. |
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| Up on the ladder |
[Jan. 22nd, 2009|12:12 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | film, theatre, uni | ] |
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| | gregor | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  confident | ] |
| [ | music |
| | GTA4 theme stuck in my head, AGAIN. | ] |
I've sent all my festival applications away...now it's just a matter of time before I get the inevitable rejection letters. :P
On the other hand, I've picked up another job at the Court - which is actually kinda scary-big, this time. I'm gonna be doing A/V and sound design for THE GREAT GATSBY, which is being put on for the Christchurch Arts Festival in Court One this July. This is quite a big deal...a lot of pressure but should be heaps of fun. Ross is directing too, which is cool. And I get a free pass to the CAF as well. It's lucky I'm being told about this early, so I can plan my shooting schedule for my OWN film around it.
Speaking of which... |
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| Film Festivals |
[Jan. 14th, 2009|08:34 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | film, uni | ] |
| [ | where |
| | gregor | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  okay | ] |
| [ | music |
| | The GTA4 mission-complete musical sting is stuck in my head | ] |
I'm submitting NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH to the following film festivals:
- New Zealand International Film Festival (everywhere in NZ)
- Melbourne Underground Film Festival (Melbourne, Australia)
- Fantastic Fest (Austin, Texas, USA)
- Zompire Undead Film Festival (Portland, Oregon, USA)
I don't expect to get into any of them, but this is more about the process of submitting to festivals than anything else.
Wish me luck anyway :) |
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| Updatotron |
[Oct. 29th, 2008|02:02 am] |
Ah, LiveJournal. It's been a while.
You might well ask what I've been up to all these weeks (or is it months now?). Well, I'll tell you - in order of how much weight I give them at this particular moment in history:
1. Nearing three months with Lucy, which is (rather unimpressively, but nonetheless still awesomely) a record for both of us. We're both just ludicrously happy with each other, and all is well. Went away for a couple days last week (to Le Bons Bay out past Akaroa), which was very nice. And yeah, it's just great. I don't know how we're gonna handle her going away for 10 weeks next month. And apologies for all those who I have spurned of late in favour of hangin' with m'girl. Dave, for example, has just had to come to accept that he is just no longer the prettiest person in my life.
2. I made a film. Enjoy (many have).
3. I designed the audio-visual components to the Court's production of KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, now playing in Court One. This meant that a) I got paid film work (w00t!); b) I got my picture on the wall of fame and a page in the programme (w00t!); and c) I will be working on at least three shows next year (double w00t!). Got into a good relationship with a buncha people around the Court, and even shot an audition video for the director Geraldine Brophy, which landed her a role in Sam Raimi's new TV series LEGEND OF THE SEEKER (based on Terry Goodkind's SWORD OF TRUTH series, of which I was a fan as a kid).
4. I performed in (and sort of co-produced) 3some (performing in Dave's play). It was a good 3some, with some cool scripts and cool performances, and reasonably well-attended.
5. I stepped down as Dramasoc president, succeeded by the very capable Emma Cusdin. We're planning stuff for next year, and looking for Orientation proposals currently (to be followed up by a Term One 3some).
6. I won the Madcap for Best Actor (for the Iago thing). Hells yeah (though the Madcaps were a total fiasco this year).
7. Have gotten thoroughly sick of the Science Play - partially due to the incompetent douchebag who was in the last run of it, partially just because I've done dozens of shows of the damn things and it's kinda losing its touch. However, I will still be doing it next month - I'll have to make money somehow.
8. Enrolled for summer school...doing a scriptwriting course. Yeah.
9. I have pretty much decided I'll be voting Green this election. Got a problem with that? I don't give a shit.
10. I have been, as a result of all these things, very tired a lot. I currently am in this state. So I shall...sleep. |
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| What's (been) up |
[Jul. 20th, 2008|01:54 am] |
OTHELLO: opening next Friday. Lines are 95% there, just need to get confident on them (which is coming fast too). Feeling good about my actual *performance*, as well. We've got over 200 bookings already, and we're expecting something of a surge within the next week as well. Should be awesome.
FILM FESTIVAL: I'm doing a lot more for the film fest this year - effectively part of the publicity team. I'm covering it two days a week on RDU (focussing on genre film) and writing a two-page spread preview article for Canta with potentially more reviews in the future. I'm also spreading posters and stuff around campus (or will be next week, anyway) and trying to get people interested. Seriously guys, the film festival this year KICKS. ASS. I've said it so many times in so many different wordings, but the message remains, and can be summarised with a Monty Python quote: "get off your fucking arses and into the sodding cinema!" The apathy that seems to enshroud this godforsaken city sickens me sometimes.
FILM SCHOOL: Planning a horror film. The bottles gag will be in it. I think I've got a clever kind of twist on vampires...just need to figure out how to present it. And to figure out a second half to the story. The film itself will be an attempt to bring production values into my filmmaking (which up til now has been entirely script/acting driven). The script/acting side hopefully won't suffer. But it's basically my last chance to try something new before my 4th year project (which is the one that has to really fucking count).
PERSONAL: Sweet fuck all, really. Feeling like I'm just barely on top of things, which are threatening to overwhelm. Might have to bow out of 3some this year in order to make my film (which I really don't wanna do, but you know - might have to). Was briefly on the opposite end of the "asking someone out via the intertron" deal to where I'm accustomed being, which was a new thing. Discovering once again that I'm a terrible person for having pointless crushes. But meh - that's just the way of things.
AWESOME - currently sharing top spot on my patent Awesom-O-Meter are the WATCHMEN trailer and the Rotten Tomatoes page for THE DARK KNIGHT. God damn, I cannot wait for that fucking movie. Either movie, really.
I hope I can keep everything together over the next month or so. Christ, I'm gonna be busy... |
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| Finished! |
[May. 18th, 2008|08:30 pm] |
We got in with 11 minutes to spare. Our film, Übermensch, is awesome. I'm intensely proud of it.
Come see it Wednesday, 7.40pm, at Reading Cinemas.
Do it. |
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| Pre-48Hours post |
[May. 16th, 2008|10:54 am] |
So tonight we begin the 2008 48HOURS marathon of pain, filmmaking, and joy.
I feel as though we are ready. I'm going to get some gear this afternoon, charge it, test it, and so on - then it's all on. I think one of the best things we've got going for us is that we're really film-literate. That should help us with genre-adhesion, at least. Hopefully this year our tech is better than last year. I don't know. We also have an awesome cast at our disposal thanks to Othello.
So yeah. I've started throwing together a rough kind of bash-cut for my documentary, which hopefully I will have in some state of half-completion for when I go to film school today (which I bunked yesterday to be sick).
Yes, I'm a bit sick at the moment - just a nasty cold really - but it couldn't be timed more poorly, really. |
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| Sample transcripts from the raw DIRK PALMER footage |
[Aug. 29th, 2007|02:10 am] |
TAKE 1:
JOHN. That’s right actually, we’ve got a lot of projects coming up now, so we’ll, we’ve got your number, and, um, we’ll, we’ll give you a c- a buzz. You know? And you just hang - tight - we’ll be - you know.
DIRK. Yeah.
JOHN. So, um -
DAVE. See you man.
DIRK. Yeah, you too. Um-
JOHN. Thanks Dirk.
Exit Dirk.
TAKE 2:
JOHN. Yeah, that’s right actually, we’ve got some projects coming up, actually, so we’ve- we’ve got your number and - um - when we - we need that character we - give you a - you know, a - . So you, um, you go and, um, we’ll - I’ll just - we’ll just -
DIRK. Okay.
JOHN. Alright.
DAVE. See you man.
DIRK. Yeah. Yeah.
JOHN. So goodb- thanks, thank you for coming in.
Exit Dirk.
TAKE 3:
JOHN. That's right. You see, yeah, we, uh, we do have some, uh, a few other projects coming up, so you know, we've got your number and we've seen what you're all about, and, and, you know, you've seen what we're all about, and so, um, we'll just, you know, network, and, um we'll, we'll call, and uh, so we'll see ya.
DIRK. Yeah, um...
JOHN. You know?
DIRK. Yeah. Uh...
DAVE. Nice to meet you man.
DIRK. Yeah.
Exit Dirk.
CONCLUSION: This thing is going to be a nightmare to edit. |
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| It's finished |
[May. 4th, 2007|02:52 am] |
I present: Park Thing. In all its soundless, 16mm, heavily encoded glory. I'll probably do some music for it at some point, but right now I'm too freakin' busy writing my next one.
Speaking of which: I need a cheesy action hero, a lead henchman (main character), a couple of anonymous henchmen to be killed, a corporate villain, and a love interest for the henchman. Shooting will be within the next three weeks, and can be at essentially any time (most of it is interior shooting). Action hero and dispatchable henchmen have to be able to do, well, action. Volunteers? |
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