The Wine Movie – Blog A Three Crows film

One more scene

Eric Lehman as Jake with Kiaha Rasmussen as Nevada in a scene from our biggest shooting day

We finished our second weekend of shooting, including our biggest, ugliest day. It started out rough with a dead car, a sick actress, fewer extras than we’d hoped and cold casseroles. But in the end we got every shot we needed and even made up for some lost ground the week before.

Overall it was a fantastic weekend with a talented cast and a dedicated crew. The level of enthusiasm and creativity is hard to fathom, especially when you consider that nobody was paid.

We’ve now got one final (and crucial) scene to shoot with our two lead actors. We have $35 left in the budget, a half pack of American Spirits and a barely-eaten Slim Jim. I think we’re going to make it.

Extras Needed this Saturday

Have you always wanted to be in the movies? Now’s your chance. We need extras to fill a church sanctuary and a 100-foot long picnic table on this Saturday (August 15th).

Where

Monroe, OR, 17 miles south of Corvallis. We’re filming at the United Methodist Church on Orchard Street.

When

Saturday, August 15th at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Be there a few minutes early. The two big scenes will take approximately 3 hours. We could use some extras to hang around until about 4 p.m., too.

What to bring

This scene is a country church wedding and a potluck dinner reception. We’re actually filming the reception first. So bring a covered dish if you can (no prob if you can’t), and put it in the most obnoxious avocado, orange, bright red, dark blue, mint green or any other crazy color casserole dish. You’ll get to eat the set dressing, so think of it as a brunch that we’re going to film. This is the most important scene of the movie.

What to wear

Here are some notes from our Costume Designer:

Before you decide what to bring with you to the shoot, please check out the photo gallery at:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131940&id=830214501&l=ed66161b33. Most of these items we don’t actually have available (the ones we do have are marked), but the pictures will give you an idea of the “feel” that we’re going for in the film.

We’re going for a timeless look, so avoid anything modern-looking and anything that is (or has ever been!) hip or trendy. However, this doesn’t have to mean boring! Feel free to give your character a unique look. Every wedding has the eccentric uncle, silent great-aunt, etc.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions. michelle.marie.xyz@gmail.com or 541-231-9640. I would also be happy to meet you at Goodwill to find you a great outfit! The more we can get done ahead of time, the less frantic we’ll be on shooting day. (And it’s really fun!)

RSVP and questions

threecrowsproductions@gmail.com or call 660.537.5009.

First day of shooting

Here’s a slide show from our first day of shooting “A Country Wedding.” We’re halfway through production. Everything is coming together.

First weekend of shooting

Attaching a car rig to our '69 Firebird to shoot the newlyweds.

We’ve reached the halfway point of production for “A Country Wedding,” and everything is going amazingly well. We’ve only had to scratch one scene to pick up later. The footage is stunning, the weather is cooperating, the actors are delivering great performances, the volunteers are working hard and the set has been fun and energetic.

We’re only halfway there, but by this time next week we’ll have the whole film in the can and we can start post. Can’t wait to see the finished product. There’s a lot of energy and talent in the cast and on the crew.

Last Rehearsal

We held our last rehearsal before we begin principal photography. Everyone is really nailing their lines and we’re eager to begin shooting. Photos can be found here.

Cast Bios

We’ve got an amazing group of talent appearing in A Country Wedding. Check out their bios and photos. Our second and last rehearsal is this coming Saturday. We roll cameras on August 8.

Behind the scenes footage

We cut together some of the behind the scenes footage from our first rehearsal last Saturday. With a costume designer on board and a handful of new volunteers, plus our final actor, we’re gaining momentum.

Behind the Scenes: A Country Wedding from Three Crows Media on Vimeo.

Next casting: June 20

Our next casting session will take place on the OSU campus in Corvallis, OR at the Valley Library from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Check-in will be in room 1832. You must enter the library on the second floor and take the stairs down. Refer to the first floor map.

The short film, with a working title of “A Country Wedding,” is being produced as a creative project and is not intended to realize a profit, though we hope that it will give professional experience to the cast and crew. The film will be submitted to film festivals internationally, and will also be used to garner interest in a feature version of the script. Actors and crew members will not be paid, but will come away with reel footage that they can use to build portfolios. This will be a community supported project made up of volunteers, though the producers have real film industry experience and will be focused on running a professional shoot.

The film tells a love story that takes place during a shotgun wedding in a small town. Two young people are forced to come to grips with their emotions while they are rushing headlong into uncertain and divergent futures.

We are casting for the following roles:

Charity – late teens to early 20s female lead – honest, sweet, pragmatic, she’s coming to grips with her pregnancy and struggling to keep her emotions in check

Jake – late teens to early 20s male lead – quiet, thoughtful, emotional; he’s madly in love with the bride but forced to watch the wedding from the sidelines

Mary Beth – late 30s – 50s female – she runs the church kitchen with an iron fist and supervises preparations for the wedding even if she doesn’t exactly approve of the union

Billy Ardell - late teens to early 20s; reckless, sarcastic troublemaker; the town punk with a muscle car and a six-pack, and the last person you’d want your daughter to marry.

Jan – 40s – 60s male farmer and father of the bride – stoic, rugged and barely able to contain seething angst about his daughter’s situation

Nevada – 20s to 30s female – hangs around town with a group of locals, drifting through life causing trouble and refusing to grow up

Freddy – Rugged, monster truck-driving good old boy who doesn’t shy away from a day of hard work, but always favors a party, especially if free alcohol is served

Reverend Malachi – Thoughtful, soft spoken clergyman with a new age sensibility; likes to perform weddings and funerals outside without wearing shoes; reads Whitman as much as the Bible

Email us at threecrowsproductions@gmail.com to schedule a time to avoid lengthy waiting.

Actors should be prepared to present monologues and then give a dry read of new material that we will provide.

Headshots and acting resume welcome but not required. If no acting resume is available, please bring a brief bio.