Imbroglio update!

Time for some updates about Imbroglio! It's been a while since I've mentioned the action short Christopher wrote/directed, and I produced, last year, but we've been hard at work on it these past few months. Now, at long last, the editing, sound mix, color correction, etc etc etc are all done - and it looks GOOD. We're so happy to have it finished and to finally be able to share it with the world.

And fortunately, that's going to happen soon! Imbroglio will be making its World Premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal this July. Fantasia is a very cool genre film festival, and we're super-excited to be part of it. Looks like a few trips to Canada are coming up!

Exciting news from Threadbare Mitten!

It all happened so quickly I didn't even have the chance to post about it, but Girl Meets Roach was accepted into the first annual Threadbare Mitten Film Festival in Charlotte, Michigan, which took place this past weekend. I was really happy about being part of this festival, because they were looking for quirky, unique films - which meant Girl Meets Roach was a great fit.

We unfortunately weren't able to attend the festival, so I didn't find out at the time, but I learned today that Girl Meets Roach won the People Pleaser Audience Award! It's the only Audience Award available to non-Michigan productions, so we're very honored to have received it, and so happy that the audience enjoyed our film so much.

We pleased the people!

Many thanks to the festival organizers and the audience at Threadbare Mitten! Next stop, Toronto!

Festival Updates!

Our festival run continues! This July, Girl Meets Roach will be screening at two different festivals - the ReelHeART International Film Festival in Toronto, and the New Hope Film Festival in Pennsylvania. I'm so looking forward to both of these festivals. I was born in Toronto (yay dual citizenship) so it's going to be such a treat to bring Girl Meets Roach to my native city. And New Hope is the coolest town - I used to visit there while growing up in New Jersey, and it's such a fun, artistic area.

Good times ahead!! Stay tuned for more details as they come in.

Farewell GSFF!

We had a really nice time at the Garden State Film Festival this past weekend. Christopher and I were beyond thrilled to have so many members of our family there to support us - our parents, our brother, a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins. Our screening was in a beautiful event space at the Resorts Casino Hotel, and watching Girl Meets Roach with an audience was even more fun this time, since I'd gotten over the first-screening nerves.

A bunch of different groups of people approached us after the screening, to tell us how much they loved the film and how it made them laugh - one girl said it actually made her cry! And over the course of the weekend, other audience members who recognized me (a perk of being the lead in your own movie, I suppose) kept introducing themselves and saying how much they enjoyed Girl Meets Roach. Between that and the dance parties each night, it was a really fun time.

The best part of the weekend, though, was getting to share it with my family. The hardest part about living out in LA is being so far away from most of them. It's always a good time when we get to spend time together!

The Siblings Zatta

New Jersey bound!

It seems like we were just up at SLOIFF, but it's already time for our next festival - this time, Garden State Film Festival in Atlantic City, NJ! We can't wait to have our East Coast Premiere in our home state, not least because we have a lot of family coming to the screening. New Jersey here we come!

After SLOIFF

We got back from San Luis Obispo a few days ago, but I'm still smiling about what a great time I had. San Luis Obispo International Film Festival was the World Premiere of Girl Meets Roach, and I'm pretty sure having this as our first festival experience has spoiled me a bit - it's certainly set the bar high! From the personal festival concierge, to the amazing swag bag filled with local goodies, to the filmmaker tent with social gatherings every night, Wendy and Nancy and the rest of the team at SLOIFF went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed. I was a little nervous to head up to the Festival by myself on Wednesday (the rest of the Girl Meets Roach group couldn't join me until the weekend), but from the moment my train pulled into the local station and my concierge Amy was waiting to meet me, I knew I was in good hands. The first people I met at festival headquarters quickly turned into awesome new friends, and from there, my days were filled with excellent films and excellent people. (And excellent wine!)

Obligatory selfie with my badge.

Our two screenings for Girl Meets Roach were so much fun - it's hard to describe the feeling of watching the film with an audience for the first time, but it was a mix of elation and terror. The audiences really seemed to enjoy the film, though! They laughed in all the right places and asked some great questions during the Q&A sessions. One audience member came up to me afterward and told me the film was "painfully relatable" - which is pretty much exactly what I was going for, so I'll call that a success!

In addition to attending our own screenings, I had the chance to see a bunch of other wonderful films over the course of the Festival, including a large selection of powerful and fascinating documentaries, all of which completely blew me away. Getting the chance to talk to the people who made these films only enhanced the experience. It was fantastic to meet so many talented, friendly filmmakers and film lovers. SLOIFF is certainly an experience I will cherish, and I can't wait to go back!

Thank you SLOIFF!

Off to SLO!

The time has come! I'm on the train to San Luis Obispo for the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival - and the World Premiere of Girl Meets Roach! Our screenings are on Saturday and Sunday at the Palm Theatre, and I'll also be participating in the Women In Film Panel on Saturday morning and the Filmmakers Panel on Sunday morning. If you're in the area, come join us!

Festival details, as promised!

Exciting news! The schedules have been released for both the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival. We're so excited to share Girl Meets Roach with audiences for the first time. Here's the info:

SLO Film Fest - our World Premiere!

Saturday 3/18 @ 1.30pm and Sunday 3/19 @ 1pm

Palm Theatre, San Luis Obispo CA

Garden State Film Fest

Saturday 4/1 @ 12pm

Resorts Casino Hotel, Atlantic City NJ

Tickets are available on the festival websites, and we'll be posting more news and updates on Twitter and Instagram so be sure to follow me (Twitter feed is to the right) and our production company @kingfishfilms to stay in the loop.

Festival news!

Exciting news! This week we learned that Girl Meets Roach has been chosen as an Official Selection of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, which will be taking place in March. We're beyond excited to be a part of this really exciting festival, and cannot wait to attend.

And as if that weren't enough good news for one week, we were also notified that Girl Meets Roach has been chosen as an Official Selection of the Garden State Film Festival! New Jersey is the home state of King Fish Productions, so we are very proud to have our film screening there.

More details to come about our screenings at both festivals! Stay tuned!

Post-production update.

The holidays are approaching, and we're busy over here at King Fish Productions. Post-production always takes longer than I'd like (it will be so nice to have finished films to show people!) but we're making a lot of progress on both Girl Meets Roach and Imbroglio. We're starting to show rough cuts of both films to our community of trusted advisors, and so far the reactions have been positive and extremely helpful. Next step, picture lock! 2017 is going to be an exciting year!

Summer break!

Our pick-up day for Imbroglio is done, and we're officially heading into post-production. Woohoo! But first, it's time for me to take a much-needed vacation - a trip to Texas for a wedding, and then to New Jersey for some fun in the sun.

I'll be back soon with more shenanigans to write about, but to tide you over, here are a few more photos from the set of Imbroglio...

In between takes. 

Kiralee & Robert, two of the sweetest actors ever...despite appearances here.

The (nearly) full cast and crew of Imbroglio!

And last but not least, here's one of me and our wonderful lead actress...

Just a normal afternoon.

Imbroglio: Tales from the Set

Hello from the other side! Our initial week of production on Imbroglio is complete. One rehearsal day and five shooting days later, we are very nearly done. And what a week it was!

Our location was a run-down old house, near Downtown LA, owned by a very friendly gentleman we met while working on a previous production. He's redoing the entire property later this summer, so we were allowed to use the whole house and the back lot however we needed to - graffiti, holes in the walls, blood splatter, you name it! It was ideal for our purposes.

The back lot was perfect for filming - if a bit sunny.

Our cast, led by the wonderful Zoë Bell, was professional, kind, and amazingly talented. I could not be happier about the actors we chose, and they all worked so well with Christopher.

Director Christopher gives notes to our lead actress Zoë.

As producer,  my days were filled with paperwork, phone calls, emails, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee. I spent most of my time in our production office, which was at the front of the house, but I managed to sneak out to set now and then to catch the most action-packed scenes. Between our Stunt Coordinators, Weapons Master, FX team, and extremely capable group of actors, we were able to create some fantastic action sequences.

Our Stunt Coordinator Tim and part of our amazing cast!

Of course, as with any production, there were some bumps along the road - but that's all part of the experience! Nothing that couldn't be overcome with a positive attitude and some quick thinking - and did I mention the coffee? Our entire crew was great, but I'd like to particularly mention the awesomeness that was our female-driven production team. I am both so proud of and so inspired by those amazing ladies.

Amy and Zhandra, our beyond-amazing PA and 2nd AD.

We have one final day of shooting scheduled for later this month - there's just a little more to film, and then Imbroglio will be complete! To be continued...

Imbroglio: T minus 2 days

It's been a busy couple of weeks, with lots of ups and downs both personally and professionally, but we finally start filming Imbroglio this coming Tuesday morning. So much has happened recently - we found a location (at last! It's different than what we originally imagined, but weirdly perfect); the crew list is complete; and our CD Kate has once again proven herself to be amazing by confirming a seriously awesome cast with whom Christopher and I could not be more thrilled.

The past days have been a complete blur of emails, phone calls, equipment lists, permit fees, contracts, and more - and I'm sure there will still be plenty to do once we're on set! I'm really looking forward to seeing where the actors take their characters, and to working with the amazing crew that we've assembled - some of whom I've known well, and for a while, but many of whom will be brand new to King Fish Productions.

As with any project, it feels like there's more to do than there is time to do it. We've done our best, though, and I think that it's going to turn out really well. It will certainly feel good to see this script come to life! See you on the other side of production!

Auditions from the Other Side

Today we held the first round of auditions for Imbroglio. Well, the first round was a self-tape, so I suppose today was the second round - but it was the first in person! Our Casting Director, Kate, put together an amazing group of actors, and we had such a great time meeting everyone and seeing their takes on the characters.

As always, when I'm behind the table instead of in front of it (in this case a figurative table, but you get the idea), I'm reminded that CDs and producers really are on the actors' sides. Every single person who came in today was brought in because we already liked them, and we went into every scene just waiting and wanting to like them more. Sometimes it's so easy to psych oneself out and get nervous - I know I do! - but I've honestly never met a CD who wasn't wishing all the actors the absolute best. A good thing to remember.

We saw so many talented people today, and have another round of auditions coming up next weekend. I can't wait to see how the cast takes shape!

Pre-production, my old friend.

Girl Meets Roach is in post-production, which means it's time for a new project to begin! Pre-production is one of my favorite stages of filmmaking (so much to organize!, so much to plan) and I'm excited to be back at it alongside my brother Christopher. Today we went on our first location scout for King Fish Productions' upcoming short film, Imbroglio. Christopher wrote the film and is directing it, and we are co-producing.

Imbroglio is a short crime drama about two rival groups of criminals, divided by a past betrayal. The film follows them as they meet to exchange hostages, each side unaware that the other harbors a deadly secret. Dun dun DUN. There are tons of stunts and blood and action - it's definitely the most ambitious project that we've taken on, technically speaking! Auditions are coming up, but first we need to nail down a location. Today we saw a few possibilities, but I think it's going to take a bit more time before we find the perfect spot.

And because all work and no play makes for a boring blog, we spent the morning at Universal's The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on an early access pass that Christopher got from work. (Thanks, Supernatural!) Here's a photo of us enjoying our time in Hogsmeade:

We solemnly swear that we are up to no good!

That's a wrap!

Well, we did it! That is, we officially completed production on Girl Meets Roach. We wrapped on Sunday night after a second long, but super-fun, weekend of shooting. I can't wait to see how it all comes together! Next stop for the footage is our editor, my supremely talented friend Kylie. There's still plenty to do, but for now, we celebrate!

The final slate! Me and Christopher (director/brother extraordinaire).

Production Post

Not to be confused with post-production! We are still very firmly in the middle of production on Girl Meets Roach. We decided to film over two weekends, to best accommodate everyone's schedules, and we've now reached the midway point! The first weekend went really well; it's a small cast and crew, and everyone is extremely friendly and professional. We're also thrilled to be working with Icemen Audio again, our friends from At The Maple Grove. If anyone in the LA area ever needs some top-notch sound guys, they're the ones to call. I couldn't be happier with the team that we've put together!

Our sound and camera teams! Clockwise from top: Chris, Ryan, Jordan, & Evan. 

Our second round of filming won't be for another couple of weeks, but there's plenty to do in the meantime. Can't wait to dive back in!

A girl (and a roach) on a mission.

Happy New Year!

2016 is upon us! And it's already shaping up to be an exciting year. King Fish Productions is currently one week out from the first day of production on Girl Meets Roach, a short film I wrote and am producing (and am acting in, of course!).  It's a breakup comedy about a brokenhearted young woman who hides in her apartment after being dumped... and makes an unlikely friend.

There's plenty left to do to get ready! Producing uses an entirely different set of brain cells than acting and writing, which is good - it lets me revel in my obsession with list-making, and I get to surround myself with cute office supplies and organizational aids. Our production team is coming together - and of course the film will be directed by Christopher Zatta! Lots of work ahead, but it should be a lot of fun too. Check back soon for more updates! And Happy New Year!