Donzo.

Hi there. Hello there.

I'm sitting here, back in Brooklyn, on my couch as Bean sleeps, watching Family Guy. Peter is still in his A-Team outfit and just said "Part of me wishes we could be the A Team forever, you know?" And I think, yeah, Peter, I do know.

We wrapped production of "Nobody Has To Stay" on Monday around 3am. I went home, slept a few hours, got up and did my taxes. It was incredibly sad for a few reasons. For one, I got killed on my taxes and two I was missing the film already. The taxes were just a small part of the equation of settling back into reality. It's a bizarre feeling, being on set for 7 straight days, in a town you grew up in, working with people you know really well or don't know well at all but get to know them due to the circumstances. The process was an overall success and a great time. I had become very attached to this film. I was attached to it before it was even cast. Most of my time was spent thinking of faceless characters or talking to Dan about everything from what the content of a conversation should be like between a mother and her son or figuring out what kind of insurance we needed. It took over for a few months and I enjoyed that distraction.

It was real pleasure to work with the crew we had, the actors we cast and to shoot in my hometown. I was seeing places that were even foreign to me. For now, I'll look forward to Post Production and the million issues I imagine we will encounter during it. I'd like to say a few thank you's on here( If you're owed a thank you, it'll most likely be on the credits so don't worry...this is just a blog)

Peter Oliver did our location sound. I met Peter at Grand Central right before we all went to Poughkeepsie to shoot. Not meeting a crew member when you're crew is 5 people can be scary. Luckily for all of us, Peter is not only a talented sound guy, he's an awesome dude and funny as hell. Peter was in my Music Video class at SCAD but we didn't know each other. It's odd when you encounter those situations because you start to wonder how many people are out there, close to you in distance, that you never talk to who end up being really great people that you become friends with. We're happy he decided to take a chance and spend 7 days in a strange town to help us out.

Ethan Gutt arrived in Poughkeepsie a few days before everybody else to transform my old bedroom into Phillip's(our main character) bedroom. The transformation was amazing. Ethan designed a stencil pattern and painted the entire room. He also bought some great props for set design for the entire film. The objects that appear in the movie end up playing such a large role in the story and we owe that to him. Beyond set design, Ethan did pretty much everything else. He was an AC, a grip and was constantly picking up stuff for us when we needed him too. Though, must importantly, he let us know that a scene, where rocks are thrown at a window, is a lame thing and I'm glad he did.

Manny Valdivia, like Ethan, played almost every role on set. He was our grip, PA, helped us transfer footage and was basically my AD. He also made sure coats were kept close to Kelsey when she stood outside in the cold for long periods of time. Manny will be our editor for the film. He was also one of the first people I ever told the story too and was really great at giving me advice on things.

Dan Gutt started out as a cinematographer and like every project we work on together, his role expands and he ends up playing the biggest role on the film. Dan really invested himself in a story that I created and I am extremely grateful he did. It's a great feeling to have someone else on your side putting in a huge effort to get your vision off the ground and actually make it into something tangible. Dan was also the main producer on the film, organizing crew, equipment, permits and schedules. He played a huge role in the "script" pointing out things that I'd miss or wouldn't even think of. He was at every audition and rehearsal. He also made the film look pretty.

Kelsey and Jake are my two new favorite people. Beyond talent, they are just great people to know and hang out with. They put so much into getting to know these characters and really made them who they were or more then I thought they would be. This movie had no dialogue written. I had an outline and we knew where things needed to go but the majority of the lines delivered by those two are from them. They had a lot of patience, took time off from their lives for rehearsal and shooting and worked with Dan and I to get the best results. They also let us know when things were or weren't working. Not to mention, it was rainy and cold as hell sometimes and they were outside a lot, sometimes getting sprayed with water when it wasn't raining. Troopers.

Clint Litton and the One Bedroom Productions crew were unbelievably generous with equipment donations and their support for the film. We love you guys! Please check out their work.

Heather Camarata is the reason my cafe press store exists. She contributed to all of the designs, helped set it up and dealt with my Photoshop inabilities which can get get pretty frustrating. She is also an awesome photographer and helped advertise the film on her flickr account. Not to mention, the name "Nobody Has To Stay", stems from her giving me quotes that could work for merchandise. After hearing 'Nobody Has To Stay and putting it on some shirts, I went home and really thought about it and realized how well it worked with the story.

8-12 Casting came through with little time left and cast Cynthia Topps for us to play the role of Phillip's mother who is a crucial part of the movie. Cynthia was great and Monique Rencricca, the head of 8-12 casting, was so helpful and even took time to hang out on set with us for a bit.

Eileen Kennedy(Bff!) and the Kennedy family let us use both the inside and outside of their lovely home to shoot. The exterior served as Phillips home and the inside we used for a night scene. They were very generous and didn't hesitate to let 6 strangers into their home.

Brian Lange drove from Fredonia to Poughkeepsie with an agenda that had nothing to do with the film. Luckily for him, after only being in town for a few hours he got a call from me, asking him to come on set at 7:30am the next day to fill in for a role, stand outside and get yelled at by Kelsey(to be fair, her character was the one yelling) He gladly accepted and saved the day and even took some set photos.

Like I said, there are plenty of others to thank but I will leave it at this for now. We'll try and post some stills soon. If you're on facebook check out some set photos!

Also, donations are still very much welcome as we have post production cost as well.

Night Swimming.

Hello all. Jake Cary (‘Phillip’ in NHTS) here. We are currently setting up for the last thing that we have to shoot and as exciting as it is to get this project into the next stages of production it’s a bit unnerving too. For the past week the only thing I’ve had to worry about is this film. Tomorrow I enter back into the real world of job hunting and feeding myself. As much as I’ve missed my apartment/ my cat/ drinking at 4 PM, this shoot has been a really rich experience.

As this movie has progressed my expectations for the finished product have continually increased. I haven’t seen the footage or heard the sound or really done anything behind the camera, but I know for a fact that I have never been as proud of any project as I am of this one, and would not be surprised to hear the other people involved say that they feel the same.

I know firsthand how exhausting this shoot has been on all involved, and cannot express my gratitude in words describing my thanks to everyone that had anything to do with this film. See you in Utah.

PK to BK

We are wrapped in Poughkeepsie!

And when tomorrow gets here, where will yesterday be?

We begin shooting in 10 hours. Wish us luck! The crew and some of the cast arrived in Poughkeepsie this afternoon. We're testing the camera and sound at the moment and just bought a ton of snacks. Snacks are key.

On another note, I'd like to give a big thank you to Monique Rencricca from 8-12 Casting. Monique helped us cast the film with little time on her hands. She did an awesome job. If anyone plans on shooting a film in New York, definitely check out the site at http://www.8-12casting.com/index.html - well worth it.

Thank you again to all who have donated. It's been incredibly helpful.

You've been chosen as an extra in the movie adaptation of the sequel to your life

It's been a while. It seems I've turned on my once a week promise. I do, however, come with good news. We've just cast! Our leading roles belong to Jake Cary and Kelsey Siepser. They are both lovely people and we look forward to working with them.













We took another trip to Poughkeepsie last week. Luckily, the weather was perfect for us and completely snow free. We'll try and post some pictures of it soon. Our shooting dates are April 5-12. Get excited!

Let's make haste - Only true love waits

Hello There. Hi There.

At the moment I am watching "Family Feud", starring the brilliant John O'Hurley. You may also know him as Mr.Peterman, from Seinfeld, who is equally as brilliant. I'd like to say Thank you! to all who have donated to the film or have bought items from the Land Dog Store. It really is super helpful and we all appreciate your contribution.













The Oscar nominations were announced the other day. If you haven't seen the list you should check it out. A lot of people I've talked to aren't too thrilled with some of the decisions that were made. I haven't seen a few of the Films that are nominated so I can't judge things fairly. I don't have any huge complaints. The two things that are rubbing me the wrong way is The Boss wasn't nominated for his song for "The Wrestler" and I was hoping "Doubt" would be nominated for Best Picture. But I'll celebrate the fact Grand Torino wasn't nominated and Clint has been kept out besides Angelina Jolie being Nominated for The Changeling. And sorry, but I don't feel that the Dark Knight got snubbed. I just really don't think it deserved Best Film or Best Director, which people seem to be complaining about. If you're leaving out The Wrestler, Doubt and Revolutionary Road, it'd probably be hard to squeeze in The Dark Knight. But enough of that. Onto important matters...the Artist of the week Sean Leonard.

When I first had the idea to showcase artists that I enjoy, Sean immediately popped into my head. Sean was one of my first friends at SCAD. I met him in the film program and was lucky enough to work with him and along side of him for the three years I was there. Sean is an amazing writer, filmmaker and musician. He also acts on the occasion and was one of the leads in my Senior Thesis. I'm a big fan of his musical project, Coquette, which you can listen to my clicking on the Coquette link, going to www.txtforresults.com or going to his myspace. I recommend going to txtforresults.com so you can listen to both of his albums in there entirety. It's hard to pick a recommendation since I really enjoy all of his material and hope you listen to all of it, but if you're pressed for time I'd say The Bold Word Brat, Lipstick Together Forever and True Life. Coquette definitely has a distinct pop quality to it but his lyrics go beyond that of any pop song that I listen to. "Skipped school for a week to treat the sore on your lip, went through volumes of "Teen People" and thought about existence and it's cruelty, towards you personally. And lost in the longings for the summer at the Villa, applying your lip gloss with the flavor of vanilla, for the comfort of cherry no longer has the will to thrill you." Love it.

As far as his videos go, check some out here. I'm a big fan of Omphaloskepsis. Hope you enjoy!

We started putting out Casting Ads for Nobody Has To Stay and will be location scouting next week in Poughkeepsie. Have a good weekend and check out some of the other blogs I follow listed on the right hand side of my page.

P.S. How good was LOST?!

Winter comes too soon, Radiators hum out of tune.

Hello There. Hi There.

At some point in the next month or two I will be working along side Children's Media Project to host a Fund Raising Event. The idea is to have a night of short films from people who will be helping us with the Nobody Has To Stay Film. We'll have food, raffles, live music and of course some really great short films. Once there is more information on the event, I'll be sure to post it and keep everyone updated.

The artist that I'd like to showcase this week is a band by the name of "The National Lights from Richmond, Virginia. I met Jacob Berns around 2003/2004 in Poughkeepsie, New York through a friend of mine. He's a great guy and an awesome musician and singer. So please take a moment and check out some of his tracks. I especially recommend "O Ohio" and "Riverbed". Just click on the National Lights link  above or go straight to  www.myspace.com/thenationallights

Remember to check back every week for more updates and new artists. Don't forget, you can help us out by donating!

Side A - Track 1 - Introduction

Hi there. Hello there.

This is the first post of a weekly blog I will be composing for various reasons. Number 1: Promote a Film I will be creating this Winter/Spring. Since I'd like to be writing in this weekly, I don't feel that it would be productive to just attempt to promote the movie every week in some mundane way. so...Number 2: Promote other artists and just write about whatever it is I feel like jotting down. I'll start by tackling Number 1, The Film...

"Nobody Has To Stay" is a Short Film I've written and will be directing this Winter/Spring of 2009. The facts are the following: Dan Gutt will be the Cinematographer. Manuel Valdivia will be the editor. It will be shot in Poughkeepsie and Brooklyn, New York.

Right now we are currently raising money for the film. We are attempting a variety of ways to fund raise. This blog is one of those ways. We have put a donation button located at the bottom of this post. If you wish to contribute you can just click on that button and choose the amount you'd like to donate. Any little bit will be incredibly helpful. Even if you decide to give $1, that $1 will be absolutely helpful. We'd like to give a special thanks to Sara who was the first to donate. Thanks Sara!

Another way we are raising money is through our Promotional Designs. We have set up a Cafepress Store where we are selling T-Shirts, Tote Bags, Hats, Calendars, Mugs and a ton of other stuff. ALL profit made from those products will go directly to help fund "Nobody Has To Stay". If you have no interest in us or the movie you still might find something you'd like at our Store, so please feel free to browse though it. We also have a myspace dedicated to the film and to our store. www.myspace.com/NobodyHasToStay. You can also find some of my video work at www.myspace.com/RosarioPellerito.

Please Check back every week to this blog for updates on the film and other fun postings. I'll be sure to put up some work from other artist so you may find something new you'll like. Thanks and Happy New Year!