Casting!

Exciting things! This tuesday we will have our first casting session at Weist Barron studios! We will be seeing 19 of the over 300 talented people who submitted for the project. Hopefully we'll get some good ones! I'll keep you posted. J.

Search for cast and crew begins

Exciting things! Today, I posted my first ad in Backstage. Here's a photo of it:

The headshots are already piling in. I'm trying to sift through some of them at work today.

We also posted two ads on Craig's List looking for crew. We are actively looking for a production designer and a costume designer for the film. If you're interested, shoot me a message at CarolinaWrenFilm@gmail.com with your resume. Emily and I will hopefully be meeting some potential crew members later this week.

That's all for now, I'll update again soon. Safe travels out there.

Albums That Inspired the Film: Lost Wisdom

Artist: Mount Eerie with Julie Doiron and Fred Squire

Album: Lost Wisdom

Download

"Songs with the expression of the face of a baby in a burning world, in the swirling dust. They hang on a theme of impermanence and destroying forces. The river is revealed to be going right through the house, the river of inevitable chaos, sorrow and love."

There are many albums that I've loved over the past few years, but there are few albums I can say really changed my life. Lost Wisdom is one of those albums. Last year it was a big inspiration on my short film Little Expressionless Animals (vimeo), and when I sat down to write the second draft of Carolina Wren, I found it bitting at my heels again. I would love to work with the artists behind this album for a score for the film. The atmosphere and sense of impermanence throughout the album is almost haunting. I know it will be in the back of my mind as I head towards a third draft.

Hello Everyone

My name is Jenn, I'm the writer and director behind Carolina Wren, a short film I'm making as my junior thesis. I'm creating this blog so that I can keep you updated about the production of the film, through posts, photos and bonus material. Hopefully we'll also have some guest posts from the film's producer Emily Tomasik. You can check out some of her stuff here. You can also check out some of my work here. So, here's a bit about the film...

Carolina Wren is a family melodrama set in rural South Carolina. The film is experienced through the eyes of Mary Ellen, a curious and naive 8 year old girl, as her Mother, Billy, struggles to leave her abusive husband Butch. The three are bound together by the things that each of them are trying to protect -- for Butch, it's his reputation in their small, southern town, for Billy it's her dignity and the safety of her daughter, and for Mary Ellen it's a family of Carolina Wren's who live in their backyard.

That's the basic setup. If you're still wondering what a Carolina Wren is -- it's a bird, dummy.

Take a look.

The film should be 15 to 20 minutes, and will be shot on the Panasonic HVX with a 35mm adapter and lenses. We are currently working on script breakdowns and starting the early stages of casting. We'll keep you posted as more develops!

Thanks for reading. J.