03/ 13/ 2009

March Update

Hi everyone,

Brendan Davis here.  I wanted to take a moment and first say thank you for your interest in Rough Hustle, and to also share a few developments from our world with you...

The film is in the early stages of post-production right now; a teaser trailer is being cut and once that is complete to our satisfaction we hope to begin cutting the film itself soon afterwards. The current economic situation has complicated things for many of us to say the least but the footage and performances look (and sound) great, and our optimism in what we have on our hands here is a feeling that we hope you'll share with us once you see the finished product.

In cast news, here's what a few of our Rough Hustlers have been up to lately:

- Our hero Matt Bushell (Dean) has been staying as busy as ever in film and on television. He has a film in the works called The Throwaways set in New York City that looks very exciting, and as soon as there's more information on that one I'll let you know.  Matt also played a superhero in a recent project but the details of that are under wraps for now...

- The lovely and talented Natalia Livingston (Allie) also has a new movie in the works; this one's called Fight or Flight and she's also a co-producer on it.  But the big news for her "General Hospital" fans is that she has returned to the TV show that kick-started her career (playing Emily Quartermaine), this time playing a mysterious NEW character who (of course) everyone can't help but remark looks a LOT like Emily.  Last time we spoke she was having a blast and I wish her well while also hoping she gets some rest when she can - soap shooting schedules are brutal!

- Funnyman and reluctant heartthrob Michael Welch (Jimmy) has been very busy as well lately.  He recently shot a few PSAs for the National Wildlife Federation's "Chill Out!" campaign that begins airing on Planet Green later this month; I was on set for that and he was hilarious, so be sure to keep an eye out for his spots.  But probably the most anticipated role for Michael fans is his return to the Twilight franchise playing Mike Newton in both of the upcoming sequels.  New Moon is getting started as I type this, and once that film is wrapped the case will have a short break before diving in to the third film, Eclipse.  Word is that Mike Newton has a more prominent role in the next couple of films and both New Moon and Eclipse have very talented new directors onboard, so I'm looking forward to seeing them myself.

- The hardest working man in the movie business, Joe Estevez, is kicking 2009's door off it's hinges.  He has multiple projects lined up to star in and is also currently directing a feature film called Horrorween.  Joe is so busy that Rough Hustle is now six spots down the list on his IMDb profile of his recent projects, and we're not even done yet!  :)  Joe is about as talented and hardworking as they come and one of the funnier people to ever breath air as well, and Delaney and I are really glad we were able to have him be such a big part of our film.

- Sci-fi / conspiracy fan favorite Dean Haglund is likewise busy as always.  I don't want to let any cats out of bags regarding what he has coming up - better to listen to his great podcast with his film partner Phil Leirness, "The Chillpak Hollywood Hour", which is brought to you almost live each week from the offices of their production company Rational Exuberance to get all the latest in Dean's world - but I CAN tell you that he has a movie in the works as not only an actor but also writer-producer that will make "X-Files" fans VERY VERY happy.  Check out Dean and Phil online at: http://www.chillpakhollywood.com/

- and speaking of the National Wildlife Federation's "Chill Out!" campaign, Isaac C. Singleton, Jr. (Stretch) (like Michael Welch) also took some time out of his day a few weeks ago to shoot several PSAs for the cause.  Contrary to his having played so many tough guy roles and his booming voice and large size, Isaac is - in reality - a smart, warm and extremely quick-witted and funny man, and it's always great to watch people realize that when they're first getting to know him.  And in addition to his iconic 'tough guy' roles in films like Pirates Of The Caribbean and Anger Management, Isaac is also a very versatile voiceover actor; he can be heard on all of the Lord Of The Rings video games and most recently has done voices for such projects as the new World Of Warcraft titles.  He also has a part in a truly major motion picture coming out later this year that he can't talk about yet, but once it can be TRUST ME you will hear about it!

Okay, back to work for me now; thank you again for reading this and following the 'making-of' saga of Rough Hustle, and we'll have more behind-the-scenes videos and other news coming soon...

12/ 09/ 2008

Dec update - Movieset.com

So check this out:

http://rough-hustle.movieset.com/home

It's a link to our home page on a very cool new site called Movieset.com Movieset was created to bring the "behind the scenes" part of filmmaking to everyone WHILE IT'S HAPPENING instead of a year later on the Special Features section of the DVD. We're just getting started there (since making the movie is Job Number 1, of course) and our very own roughhustle.com site here is and will remain our home base, but I think these Movieset folks are on to something big and I am glad we get to be a part of it.


In other news:

Right now we're getting everything in order to have our wrap party for cast and crew and friends and we are gearing up to begin post-production. The holidays mean that lots of people are heading out of town soon so the race is on and there's a lot to do, so that means I have to go for now. There's more coming soon, though - including another behind the scenes video for anyone who's sick of the one we did a month ago! - so stay tuned, take care, and we'll check in again as soon as possible.

11/ 24/ 2008

My Highlights of the Week

This was a big week and everyone's experiences will be different, so this is very much a partial list and very much my own, but some key moments for me were:

- watching Matt Bushell and the rest of our cast roll with the craziness of shooting in live casinos while still managing to make their performances appear effortless on camera. We really couldn't have asked for much more from everyone, and they've continually surprised us by delivering above and beyond our already high expectations;

- speaking of that: working in sensitive locations when shooting can either be really stressful and difficult, or a better time than you'd ever imagine otherwise - if you plan obsessively and also get really lucky. Our hosts from the Black Gaming casino properties we shot in (and stayed at) in Mesquite, NV - the Oasis, Casablanca, and Virgin River casino hotels - were not only as accommodating as we could ask for but they even helped us make some good luck here and there, too. They really worked hard to make it a great experience for us and the shots and work look amazing as a result, so we're very happy with the time spent there in every way;

- and lastly for now: just like gangs of teenage girls and their mothers / big sisters across the country, a group of us night owls from the RH cast and crew went to go enjoy the midnight screening of Twilight on Thursday night/Friday morning. So what was the twist for us? Having the film's "Mike Newton" / aka Michael Welch with us turned the night into an amazing red carpet event for most of the cast and crew of Rough Hustle as well. The Stadium 6 in Mesquite's manager Ken, his super-cool staff, and the more than 400 screaming fans and their enthusiasm all combined to make it a night all of us who were lucky enough to be there will remember for a very long time. If you were there and have pictures or video you shot of the night, PLEASE SEND IT TO US at roughhustle@gmail.com and we may post your fan pix / video on our website and YouTube pages. :)

Thank you again, Mesquite! :)

11/ 19/ 2008

It Takes a Video Village

Back before the Internet when I was still in school I had a college professor who used to say "Filmmaking is hard; not like rocket science, but more like coal mining". And while that may be a little bit of an exaggeration, anyone who has spent much time on set knows that it isn't too far off the mark, either...

In fact, watching the credits of even the smallest movie reveals just how many talented people it takes to get a moving picture onscreen. In the case of Rough Hustle, for instance, it takes a few dozen people each day to put it all together and make the movie happen. And unlike some huge movies that have so much redundancy built in to the process that they can absorb the occasional bump in the road without skipping a beat, in the case of most low-budget films you don't have even one person on set who isn't busting their hump (cast or crew) for the solid 12-14 hours of shooting and prep / wrap time required five or six days a week - and our movie is no exception.

Over the next several weeks and months as we wrap up the production phase of things and move into post-production I will be singing the praises of not only our fantastic cast but also of various heroes behind the scenes as well.

And since the first thing that everyone who watches the film will notice is that aforementioned great cast, let me start by introducing the women largely responsible for introducing us to the talent represented onscreen: our casting directors!

Leah Mangum gets the credit for the principle casting of the project and was the driving force behind us finding many of the stars in the film. Leah is solid as a rock and a joy to work with, so I already know who I will call next time I'm making a movie in Los Angeles. In addition to Leah, another piece of our casting puzzle was solved by meeting Las Vegas-based casting director Julie Goldman, who is handling background (i.e. "extras") casting for us on location in Nevada . Julie is equally a dream in all respects and though she came to the process very recently for us she has done a wonderful job thus far, and we couldn't be more pleased with both of their contributions to the Hustle.

11/ 14/ 2008

Hasta Los Angeles, Viva Las Vegas

So Day 13 of the Hustle found cast and crew enjoying the splendors of the Alameda Strip Club and adjacent parking lot as a location for our first (and presumably, last) full-on night shoot. 10:00PM to 8:30AM did the trick, thankfully; a standard-issue day is 12 hours but this one felt long enough. The shots looked great, the crew rocked it hard, and the cast was on fire, so all in all it was a very good day (night) in the film business for us (thankfully; despite our obsessive prep I never take the really smooth days for granted).

Next stop: downtown Las Vegas! More soon - after we all get a little sleep...

11/ 11/ 2008

The latest from the Hustle

As anyone can see our cast is already pretty great, and our dayplayers have been no exception. Last week we were honored by the addition of Mr. Carl Bressler to the cast playing the pivotal role of Cutty Berg Gaines, the big wheel in Vegas who stakes our hero Dean and his team of guys as they...well, I can't give everything away yet, can I?

But anyway, yes: I already knew that Carl is one of those actors (and men) whose mere presence inspires everyone he meets to do their very best in general, and last Friday's shoot was no exception to this rule. Simply put he rocked the set and left a trail of good vibes and great work in his wake.

Next up: more pix and video, coming soon...

11/ 07/ 2008

First OnSet Location

Wow. Has it really been only three months exactly today since that first meeting with RH cowriter-director-producer Delaney Dragon at Lucky Strike Lanes here in H'wood?

Unbelievable.

I'm writing this parked outside our shooting location in Los Angeles playing hooky from set for a moment, where we are on Week Two of production with a cast* and crew that is blowing my mind every day. How did we get these amazing people to come be a part of this tiny little production? Yes, Delaney and Cam (Cannon)'s script turned some heads in a good way right out of the gate, and we've all called in any favors we had and asked a zillion more to make this work - but still.

In any case there's a whole lot left to do and I need to get back at it, but I'll check in here as often as possible with the latest for whoever's curious. If you're one of the many, many people who we couldn't be doing this without, THANK YOU - and thanks for stopping by regardless.

See you soon,

B

* including Matt Bushell, Michael Welch, Joe Estevez, Natalia Livingston, Dean Haglund, Andrew Fiscella, Isaac Singleton Jr...