Psycho-thriller filmed in St. Marys, Georgia

COASTAL GEORGIA FILM ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES PSYCHO-THRILLER FILMING IN ST.  MARYS, GEORGIA

ST. MARYS, GA—The Goodbread House, circa 1870, was the setting for the filming of independent film “Hopscotch” this week in St. Marys, Georgia.

 

Facilitated by the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, the production includes cast and crew from around the country and has been in pre-production for six months. The short psycho-thriller was written by Christian Nelson and is directed by Kirsten Walsh.

 

“The Coastal Georgia Film Alliance (CGFA) has been absolutely incredible in helping us find the project location and they even helped arrange our planned stay,” said director Walsh.

 

A shroud of secrecy was held over the film while in pre-production, but titillating details like Walsh’s saying, “the film features just three people, but more than three bodies” is setting up horror fans’ expectations. Walsh was not referring to the adorable bulldog, Navi, who is also part of the production.

 

“’Hoptscotch’ is a SAG/AFTRA union production,” said Walsh. “We’re involved in the American Humane Association’s ‘No Animal Harmed’ program and adhere to strict guidelines for Navi.”

 

Indeed Navi seemed to have the best of all worlds during filming with everyone adoring her, especially the three leading ladies: Karen Overstreet, Amanda Ayres, and Christin Easterling—all veterans around the independent film circuit. Easterling flew in from Los Angeles for the shoot.

 

The Goodbread House in the historic district of St. Marys served well the role of a mansion in the film with a Victorian ambience that fit perfectly into Nelson’s script. Goodbread proprietor Marja Gray said that working with the film crew was delightful and is looking forward to hosting future film teams.

 

“Hopscotch” principals were so impressed with St. Marys, they intend to use the town as a location for their upcoming film, “Six and Seven.”

 

Doug Vaught, CGFA chair, said that returning filmmakers is getting to be a trend for the Coastal Georgia area citing the area’s film-friendly atmosphere and location values that include natural settings as well as a diverse collection of buildings as reason enough to entice filmmakers to come back.

 

“The internationally award-winning filmmaker Mahmoud Shoolizadeh who filmed ‘The Prisoner’ here last year will be returning to St. Marys in early 2014 to film his newest project called ‘The Debt,’” Vaught said.

 

“Hopscotch” is slated to be released this summer, then Walsh will immediately go into the production of “Six and Seven” with filming in Coastal Georgia around September.

For more information about the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, visit www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org.

 

 

 

 

FilmFest Coming July 13

 

Film Alliance Helping Valdosta

MEDIA CONTACT: BARBARA RYAN, 912-729-1103, barbara@stormersmarketing.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…

COASTAL GEORGIA FILM ALLIANCE HOSTS VALDOSTA FILM GROUP

 

ST. MARYS, GA—When filmmaker Roy Kirkland read an article in the Valdosta Daily Times about a private group in South Georgia that has been instrumental in bringing film and TV projects to their community, he knew he had discovered a resource that might help him launch a similar organization in Valdosta.

 

Kirkland and his team traveled to St. Marys on May 1 to meet with Coastal Georgia Film Alliance (CGFA) organizers to see how they got their start. He was not disappointed.

 

“We’re so glad we made the trip,” Kirkland said. “As filmmakers, we are grateful and appreciative of others who are working so hard and share a passion in stage and film. Even though we have been filmmakers for many years, we left with even more knowledge of the film industry than we thought possible.”

 

Kirkland’s company, DSP Movies, has produced several films but has not been successful in getting the powers to be to create a formal organization to pilot the effort to bring film work to Valdosta. Kirkland’s current project, a reality show about filmmaking, will include clips from his interviews with CGFA officials Doug Vaught, Chair, and Barbara Ryan, Vice Chair.

 

“We look forward to sharing the enthusiasm and wonderful friendship of the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance people in our reality show pilot,” Kirkland continued.

 

Vaught and Ryan discussed with Kirkland’s group how the CGFA was founded and funded by private individuals as a way to spur the economy of Coastal Georgia. They shared with Kirkland the process of creating a board, registering a corporation, and setting up a 501c3, and most important—how to market to the film industry once a formal organization is established.

 

CGFA chair Doug Vaught said Valdosta is not the only community interested in capitalizing on Georgia’s popularity with the film industry. Vaught, Ryan, and fellow board member L. J. Williams will be in Liberty and McIntosh Counties in the next few days to formalize alliances with those communities as well.

 

“Any filmmaking in Coastal Georgia adds to our marketing successes as more and more film makers discover all that our area has to offer,” Vaught said. “We are fortunate to have a film friendly community and business leaders and residents who embrace the film projects that come to fruition.”

 

For more information about Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, visit www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org, or call 912-729-1103.

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Help bring film projects to your community

MEDIA CONTACT: BARBARA RYAN, 912-729-1103, barbara@stormersmarketing.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE….

TREASURES BY THE TRAX TO BENEFIT CULTURAL ARTS

MAY 18, 2013 – 8:00 A.M.

Theatre by the Trax, 1000 Osborne Road, St. Marys, Georgia

 

ST. MARYS, GA—Three organizations have joined forces to raise funds for performing arts in Coastal Georgia, and the public is invited to participate.

On May 18 at Theatre by the Trax in St. Marys, Georgia, Coastal Georgia Film Alliance and St. Marys Little Theatre will join with Theatre by the Trax to host what organizers are calling “The Mother of All Yard Sales.”

Board members from all organizations encourage residents to take advantage of this opportunity to do their spring cleaning and get rid of excess clutter in their homes. Anyone can participate in the “Treasures by the Trax” events in three different ways: Reserve a free vendor space (donation of 20% of proceeds is requested); drop items at Theatre by the Trax ahead of time (to donate all proceeds), or just come and shop til you drop!

St. Marys Little Theatre vice chair L. J. Williams said, “This is a great opportunity for the public to contribute to the cultural landscape of our community while at the same time giving their home a good sprucing up.”

According to Doug Vaught, chair of Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, the Alliance plans to use their portion of the funds to promote Coastal Georgia to the international film and television community. St. Marys Little Theatre will fund upcoming productions and children’s programs with their portion of the proceeds.

“Often people forget the monetary requirements to keep performing arts alive,” St. Marys Little Theatre chair Barbara Ryan said. “Besides costumes, lighting, staging, and props, there is also a need for promotional and educational materials to assure that the public is kept informed about events.”

Treasures by the Trax organizers encourage the contribution or sale of furniture, home décor, jewelry, antiques, and collectibles for the day of the event. To reserve a space or arrange a drop-off time for contributions, call 912-552-5559.

For more information, call 912-729-1103.

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Barbara Ryan, Vice Chair

Coastal Georgia Film Alliance

912-729-1103

www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org

 

 

 

 

Talent needed for Jax film

NOW CASTING FOR THE FOLLOWING ROLES FOR FEATURE
BLACK PLANET
Location: Jacksonville,Florida
Job Opening: May 1-31
Shooting movie: June,2013
Pay: TBD

Contact Casting (904) 540-9367

ROLES:
SCIENTIST........Black male, age 25-40, slim to medium build, can articulate voice.
TERA............Black female, age 25-35, slim to medium build.
RAT............White male, age 25-40, any build, aggressive, "macho" type.
NEWS REPORTERS(4-5) White,hispanic or Asian, Male or female, ages 20 and up, any build, clear speaking voice.Second language capability preferred(spanish,chinese,arabic,portugues, russian, etc.)
Send face pic and resume to this email address. Auditions TBA

 

 

Barbara Ryan, Vice Chair

Coastal Georgia Film Alliance

912-729-1103

www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org

 

 

 

 

 

Film Alliance Secures Two New Film Projects

FILM ALLIANCE SECURES TWO MORE FILM PROJECTS FOR CAMDEN

ST. MARYS, GA—Film producer Kim Murray had such a great experience filming in Camden County in January of this year, she contacted the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance (CGFA) to see about filming a short here in the near future. Murray is the producer of “The Prisoner,” the locally shot film directed by international award-winning director Mahmoud Shoulizadeh whose film, “Noora,” took first place in the 49th International Film Festival of Taormina in Italy.  Murray’s new project is called “Mime in a Box,” and is set to film in Camden County in late Spring. On Sunday, Coastal Georgia Film Alliance co-founders, Doug Vaught and Barbara Ryan, scouted locations with the creators of “Mime in a Box.” According to the film’s writer, Samad Banks, the short is very “Twilight Zonish” in its plot and presentation, and will involve local extras as talent.

Sunday was a busy day in Camden for film projects. On the same day, Vaught and Ryan facilitated the filming of “Preserve,” an apocalyptic short that was written specifically for its film location—the old paper mill site in St. Marys.

Brandon Herron brought his film crew into Camden for shooting after his positive experience filming “The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands,” based on a Stephen King short story.

Herron said, “The Coastal Georgia Film Alliance people are the ones that made this happen. We’ve had such an outpouring of support from the Alliance who provided all the extras we needed and organized everything to assure everyone’s safety on the set.”

Wayne Degan, who wrote “Preserve,” has collaborated with Herron on other film projects and wrote “Preserve” after touring the paper mill site during a recent film production.

Degan said, “One of my mentors, Robert Rodriquez of Sin City fame, once said, ‘if you don’t have the big money, shoot around what you have.’ The property in St. Marys definitely drove the concept of this film.”

“Preserve” takes place 170 years after a major disaster that drove survivors underground. Humans are re-emerging topside as the film focuses on four people seeking safety in a rough world.

“These survivors are a lot like the pioneers in the early days of America,” Degan said. “Fighting the need to be complacent, they leave a comfortable place to explore life and improve their lot.”

“Georgia’s ‘up to 30% tax credits’ for filmmakers is a compelling reason for filmmakers to come to the area,” said Vaught, who also serves as chair of CGFA. “But with so many locales to choose from, and the potential of economic impact to a community so desirable, bringing film projects to an area can be very competitive.”

Vaught said that the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance works closely with the State of Georgia to fulfill location requests and to make sure that filmmakers have a positive experience.

“When filmmakers visit the Film Alliance website (www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org), they hear what previous producers say about filming in Camden County, and that goes a long way to selling them on our area,” Vaught continued. “We’re in the business of ‘repeat business’ so we want to make sure everything in the filming process is handled professionally.”

Since its formation in 2010, the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance has facilitated the production of two television pilots, two full length film features, two television series, four film shorts, one video production, and another short has been secured for the near future.

CGFA’s first project, “Eye of the Hurricane,” in which hundreds of locals were employed as extras, has been distributed in Canada and South America and is currently under negotiation for release in the United States through The Hallmark Channel.

Vaught said, “Every film project, no matter how small, in some way contributes to the local economy. Local services such as hotels, car rentals, carpenters, electricians, retail stores, restaurants, and more benefit. And with websites like onlocationvacations.com becoming more and more popular, film tourism can be a valuable market segment for us in the future.”

Vaught went on to say that the CGFA continues to build its resource base, just recently adding the St. Marys Downtown Merchants Association as a formal economic partner. For more information about the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, visit www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org.  To learn how an organization can become affiliated with CGFA, call 912-729-1103.

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRESERVE AND MIME PR.docx

 

Stephen King story filmed in St. Marys, Georgia

 

STEPHEN KING SHORT STORY COMES ALIVE IN FILM PRODUCED IN CAMDEN COUNTY

Caption: Wayne Degan stars in “The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands” filmed recently in St. Marys, Brunswick, and Darien, Georgia

ST. MARYS, GA—Coastal Georgia Film Alliance announced the recent filming of “The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands,” in St. Marys, Georgia. The film is based upon a Stephen King short story that is part of King’s Dollar Baby Films program. Filmmaker Brandon Herron also filmed parts of the story in Darien and Brunswick.

“The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands” is from “Skeleton Crew,” King’s second collection of short fiction. When Herron discovered that King was inclined to sometimes give aspiring filmmakers rights to his short stories, he pursued the process and ended up with one year’s non-commercial film rights to the story. Herron had previously produced a documentary, but never a narrative and wanted more than anything to have a film that could be seen at a film festival.

According to Herron, the story is told mostly through flashbacks to the early twentieth century. The “teller” relates his meeting of a man with a curse and the strange events that took place over a friendly poker game. The flashback sequences will be black and white while the modern scenes will be in color.

“I’ve been watching a lot of older black and white films,” said Herron. “My biggest influence for the look of the film is Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Killer’s Kiss.’ It has a great shadowy, moody feel to it.”

Herron said the Coastal Georgia Film Alliance made filming in St. Marys easy. “They provided me with a location that worked out great,” he said. Herron also said that finding actors was never a challenge.

“I know a lot of Stephen King fans,” Herron said. “Some of my actors even doubled as crew members.”

Herron’s goal for the film is to get it into film festivals. He plans to continue to make films, his life’s passion. “I’ve fallen in love with filmmaking and I think a few of the cast members have as well,” he said.

Coastal Georgia Film Alliance chair, Doug Vaught, said that projects like Herron’s can bring a lot of notice to St. Marys and the surrounding area when it comes to the filmmaking community.

“The Film Alliance plans to include ‘The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands’ in an upcoming micro film fest to be held at Theatre by the Trax,” Vaught said. “We are fortunate to be able to showcase local artists creating films like Herron’s that are inspired by legends like Stephen King.”

For more information about Coastal Georgia Film Alliance, visit www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org.

 

 

Film Alliance Brings New Productions to Camden County, Georgia

MEDIA CONTACT: BARBARA RYAN, 912-729-1103, Barbara@stormersmarketing.com

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…

 

 

COASTAL GEORGIA FILM ALLIANCE BRINGS AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR

TO  CAMDEN TO SHOOT “THE PRISONER”

 

 

ST. MARYS, GA—Award-winning film director Mahmoud Shoulizadeh just completed the filming of “The Prisoner” in Camden County.

 

The story is about love, life, and death and centers on two former prison mates. One is on death row and is sentenced to be executed in a matter of days. When his buddy visits him in prison, he has one last request. Whether the doomed man’s request will be honored creates the tension that Shoulizadeh often incorporates in his films.

 

“The Prisoner” was filmed totally in St. Marys and Woodbine this past week. Shoulizadeh, who won the Best Film Award for “Noora” in the 49^th International Film Festival in Taormina, Italy, is also a screen writer. “The Prisoner” is being produced by Kim Murray and was co-written by Shoulizadeh and Sharon Cobb who has sold a dozen projects to Hollywood including “Return of the Sweet Birds” produced by Danny Glover. Shoulizadeh was a film director for Iranian TV for more than 25 years.

 

Coastal Georgia Film Alliance Chair, Doug Vaught, said the entire filming took just a few days and ran smoothly with the excellent  cooperation of the Camden County Sheriff’s  Department  and the cities of Woodbine and St. Marys.

 

“We continue to prove to the film world that Coastal Georgia is a great place for film production,” Vaught Said. “The 30% tax credits offered by the State of Georgia combined with film-friendly leadership in Camden makes our community an attractive location for filmmakers of all genres.”

 

“The Prisoner” is the second film to be shot in Coastal Georgia in the last few months. “Identity Theft” starring Melissa McCarthy will be released in February and features landscapes from St. Marys and Woodbine.

 

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Barbara Ryan, Vice Chair

Coastal Georgia Film Alliance

www.coastalgeorgiafilm.org

Barbara@coastalgeorgiafilm.org

912-729-1103

 

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