Oliver is tied to a chair and wakes up in a staring match with Zach Donnelly.
Oliver keeps the game going until he coyly crosses his eyes at Zach.
Zach stands up and slaps Oliver hard across the face.
Oliver: That… was a bit excessive.
.:Casting
Last Saturday’s casting call went swimmingly! We had 55 hopefuls come out and try out some lines from the movie. We had some gems in there to be sure, and I’ll let you all in on a little secret… the Greyscale screenplay is undergoing a few revisions. Nothing absolutely major, but I have written in a few more roles.
There were only 6 speaking roles that were being read for on Saturday, and we had plenty more talent that I’d love to work with but didn’t necessarily have the room, so it seemed like the natural progression. Most of the roles are only in one or two scenes, and only a handful have lines, but it will still hopefully get more people involved in Greyscale, and this industry is all about who you know. But, again, a big thanks to everyone that came out! And also a big welcome to everyone that joined the mailing list afterward.
.:Crew-ing
We have a few new additions to the crew that we are very, very excited about. Hopefully we’ll have the website updated a bit more when the time rolls around for us to announce our casting decisions. Also, if you have any interest in getting plugged in regarding being a member of our crew, please don’t hesitate to e-mail us at
info@darosfilms.com.
.:The Rest
While we wait for the SAG contract to come through, we are now working on paperwork and preparations for wardrobe, makeup, locations, etc. Speaking of locations, does anyone know of a location that we could basically take over when we shoot for a couple mom & pop diner scenes as well as room that could feasibly pass as a painting studio that the main character has rented out and has to himself?
Those are two of our biggest needs right now. Keep your ear to the ground as we get closer to rolling!
Everyone, we are completely booked on Saturday, and then some.
Many thanks to everyone who replied, and we look forward to meeting the 50+ hopefuls!
Oliver: I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Gabe: I hope you find what you need.
.:Good News/Bad News
I think everyone is familiar with Good News/Bad News… here’s ours (not particularly in that order)…
Bad News: Greyscale has hit a minor snag in production, as we are in process of registering for a SAG (screen actors guild) contract, and we since we play by the rules, we aren’t going to start filming until that goes through… which might place the beginning of production sometime in mid-september.
Good News: Without going into too much detail, the reason we need the SAG contract is because we are in negotiations with several professional SAG actors to be a part of Greyscale. We won’t release names until the proverbial ink is dry on the contracts, but we are incredibly, incredibly excited about how negotiations have been going thus far as we have already reached agreeable terms with one of those actors. And we are very thankful to those that know people who know people… We feel that this is a major turning point for this project.
Overall, this multiple week delay is probably quite a blessing in disguise. We would have been ready to start filming on the 28th, but this will just give us a bit more freedom to ensure we have our locations locked up, actors well rehearsed, and wardrobe fully funded and stocked.
.:Casting Call
We have had a tremendous response to our Casting Call for this coming Saturday! In fact, we’ve had to break down the time from 10 minute to 5 minute intervals from 1-5pm in order to make room for everyone. We might hit max capacity by Friday if we keep up this rate…
As a note to those that are auditioning… there are a couple more roles that are not listed on the sheet that are speaking roles, but only have a couple lines. Just remember that if you don’t land one of the major roles, there are opportunities for a few other roles… we just wanted to make sure that we can see your range in a more demanding role.
.:Lights!
Thanks to a roundabout tip from someone who picked up a nice new lighting kit on the cheap, we were able to secure a nice (small) Lowel light kit for HALF of the regular price, still new in the box. About $400-500 savings that was immediately shunted to another part of our budget. Not bad.
.:Crew
Now that we’ve had our casting call set up, I’m hoping to reach out to those with free weekends and production experience who would be willing to work for deferred pay and the chance to be a part of a feature length movie. While we’d like to pay the crew, everyone thusfar has agreed to working for deferred in the hopes that the money we do have will go to getting professional actors/names/faces that will allow us to get a much better shot at distribution and thus be able to potentially pay everyone involved more than the little amount of money that we’d be likely to get in without professional acting (my family can only buy so many copies of the DVD, sorry… 
).
Places we’re needing people: Lighting and grip experience, location sound recording, PA’s, continuity, and script supervisor.
If any of those sound like you all over, and you have your weekends mostly free (Friday starting at 6-10, Sat 8-8, and Sun from 1-8) then shoot me a line at DarosFilms@gmail.com with the title “Crew” and we’ll see what we can work out.
.:AD
We have filled our Assistant Director position, and the lovely and talented Gloria Roundtree will be the sweet face with the iron grip that rules the set and manages what would inevitably drive me insane if I had to manage it all myself. She’s already hard at work recruiting more talented folks and handling logistics. Many thanks for those who showed interest in helping out, and we still need people for the crew.
.:Viral
What we need now is YOU. We need you to get excited about this movie as it hurtles forward, and the more buzz we get about this independent movie being shot in Tulsa, OK, the more people know about it by the time it comes out, the better chance of it succeeding. So, tell your family, friends, pets, and anyone else who will listen about a the little black and white independent film that is just beginning production!
This was a terribly long week to write, but only because so much is happening!
Casting Call for the feature length movie, Greyscale
Saturday, Aug 16th
1:00-5:00pm
5200 S Yale Suite 300,
Tulsa, OK
Please call ahead to schedule a 10 minute block. The outside doors will be locked so we need to know when to expect you to let you in.
For any questions or scheduling a time, please e-mail at DarosFilms@gmail.com or call 918-630-6169.
Audition sheets are available for the following characters: Gavin, Alex, Jamison, Jonathon, Millie, Roger, and Waitress. Due to plot sensitive scenes, the audition scripts will only be sent when requested instead of being posted online. Please use discretion upon receiving them.
Otherwise, scripts will be provided at the location.
If you are interested but want to know more about the project, look below at the roles.
Casting needs:
Note: All pay is based on deferred payment.
Lead Roles ($250 per day):
Gavin Calhoun, main antagonist
(Late-20s to Early-50s)
Leader of a crime syndicate after untimely passing of his older brother. Dresses well and keeps a trim and neat appearance.
APPROX 2-4 DAYS
Alex Farrell, main antagonist
(Late-30s to Mid-50s)
Right hand man to a late crime boss, and now adviser to Gavin. Has a slightly sadistic bent under an otherwise cool exterior. Dresses nicely and doesn’t like to get messy, with the exception of torture.
APPROX 2-4 DAYS
Jamison, main antagonist
(Late 20s to Early-50s)
Gavin’s primary muscle and enforcer with an inquisitive sense of sadism. Gets enjoyment from his work.
APPROX 3-5 DAYS
Supporting Roles ($200 per day):
Jonathon Cole, undercover cop
(Late 40s to Early 60s)
Main character’s late father-in-law. Undercover cop. Tough but kind. Only shown in flashbacks.
APPROX 1-3 DAYS
Millie, diner waitress
(Late 40s-Late 50s)
Wisened diner waitress. Outgoing facade to cover her insecurities.
APPROX 1-2 DAYS
Roger Canton, runaway teen
(17-21 Note: Could also be played by female if the role is read well.)
Younger sibling of Dan (already cast); runaway, got into trouble and is in hiding.
APPROX 1 DAY
Featured Roles ($100 per day):
Waitress
(Late Teens – Late 30s)
Diner waitress that has worked long shifts and doesn’t much care for her job.
APPROX 1 DAY
Man in Car
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
Man riding in a car that offers information for money.
APPROX 1 DAY
Police Officer
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
Man riding in a car that offers information for money.
APPROX 1 DAY
Featured Extras Roles ($75 per day):
SWAT Team x4
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
In shape, look the part for SWAT. Only photos necessary.
APPROX 1 DAY
Calhoun Thugs x2
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
In shape, look the part for a thug. Only photos necessary.
APPROX 1 DAY
Calhoun Guards x2
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
In shape, look the part for a thug. Only photos necessary.
APPROX 1 DAY
DeNofrio Thugs x2
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
In shape, look the part for a thug. Only photos necessary.
APPROX 1 DAY
DeNofrio Lead Thug
(Mid-20s to Early-40s)
In shape, look the part for a thug. Only photos necessary.
APPROX 1 DAY
Extras Roles ($35 per day):
-College students x 10-15, 1 day/evening.
-Coffee shop patrons x 7-15, 1 evening.
ABOUT GREYSCALE
Greyscale is an independent film that will be shot in the Tulsa Metro area beginning in late August until around December (certain weather and environment logistics are causing us to draw out filming in sections).
It will be filmed primarily on the weekends. Friday evenings, all day Saturday, and Sunday after noon are all fair game. We will work with schedules, but we need people to commit to agreed upon times.
The project will be shot on HVX200 with a Brevis35 lens adapter and edited in HD.
The genre is neo-noir, and without going too much into the plot, it shares similarities with Memento and Brick. It will be primarily in black and white with flashbacks and memories in color, due to the main character having gone colorblind.
Thank you for your interest, and again, feel free to send all inquiries to DarosFilms@gmail.com
OLIVER (V.O.)
My father used to tell me a story
about a young man that waited at a
train station. Every day he would
watch the trains come and go…
.:Week 12
You might be asking yourself, “Self, what happened to Week 12??” Well, we all know 12 is unlucky, so like hotels, we skipped it. Wait… Anyway, Sarah and I had an excellent trip to NYC, and took a grand total of 1,541 photos, and picked up a nice 15mm fisheye lens that might be used for Greyscale (might need to use it for looking through a peephole shot…), and I got to visit B&H’s main store (the place where we’ve been purchasing the vast majority of our equipment).
.:CASTING CALL!
We have a date and a location set, so tell your actor friends. The list of roles needed to fill will shortly be posted on www.DarosFilms.com/blog and www.GreyscaleMovie.com. Right now, we’re looking at:
1:00-5:00pm, Saturday the 16th of August
5200 S Yale, Tulsa, OK
Suite 300
If you are interested in auditioning for any of the roles that we will be posting here (probably will be up this evening), please either call me at 918-630-6169 or email me at DarosFilms@gmail.com. We’re hoping to do this by appointment, so please let us know when you would be available during this time. If any of these times don’t work for you, we may be able to make arrangements.