VMX Crew Spotlight: Casting Assistant Matt Moore

Everything in our little movie world is based on the Six Degrees of Reece Rios (hence our previous short film BUTTERSCOTCH where he played Martin). After all it was the mighty Rios that introduced me to director Jon Keeyes, several actors (VMX's Jeff Hoferer who is playing our "Teacher"), and today's VMX spotlight. Reece introduced me to his good friend, and now my good friend, the multi-talented Matt Moore. Not sure what this guy doesn't do. He acts in commercials, movies, does print work, writes scripts, and helps cast movies. Matt has a keen eye for talent and it was he who brought us our two leading ladies in Virgin Mary Christmas: Cherami Leigh (Mary) and Katy Rowe (Dana). We of course put the all-call out by word of mouth that we were having auditions, but it was Matt who put the bug in Cherami and Katy's ear to audition. What's crazy is that Matt was in a shoot for JC Penny the day before VMX casting began when he told Katy she would be perfect for one of the roles. And the next thing you know it is history.

Quick shout out to Chris Johnson who brought us our amazing "Tennie" - Rebekah Kennedy.

Speaking of Six Degrees - Matt can now officially be linked to the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon himself because he is playing two roles (not one, but TWO) in Kevin Bacon's upcoming movie!

Here's a quick look at Matt's growing career:

- Just shot two roles in the upcoming film SUPER starring Rainn Wilson (6 Feet Under, Juno, The Office), Liv Tyler (Armageddon, The Strangers), Ellen Page (Juno, Smart People, Whip It), and Kevin Bacon (You know who Kevin f-ing Bacon is).

- The upcoming MARDI GRAS starring Carmen Electra, Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise, Super Hero Movie, Death at a Funeral)

- PREMONITION starring Sandra Bullock (The Proposal, The Blind Side, Speed), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck, Fantastic 4 movies)

- Played the lead Dan Miller in Academy Award Finalist Director's Jon Keeyes’ horror HALLOW’S END. (Jon also directed BUTTERSCOTCH for those who haven't been paying attention along the way)

- A zillion TV commercials

- More...

Here's some cool stuff of Matt out there on the web:

Matt Moore's demo reel SPOOF:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we6LsvOwSrI

2 Guys in Suits featuring Reece Rios: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rSatK5Ap_E

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1290275/

Thanks Matt for being such a crucial part in this process and we appreciate your friendship!

Working on director's shot list...

Today brought on the perfect conditions to work on the director's shot list for the script. Once the ball drops tonight, then the official VMX countdown is on.

VMX Spotlight: Which Wich?

When we shot our last short BUTTERSCOTCH earlier this year - there is NO WAY it could have happened without the gracious support of Which Wich? NO WAY. They jumped in and literally SAVED THE DAY at the last minute. And not only did they save the day, but they truly know how to feed a crew!!!

Jeff Sinelli (Founder of Which Wich?) and his wife Courtney Sinelli (featured writer in D Magazine/Texas Monthly) are HUGE supporters of everything that we do. I can't say enough about these people...these friends of mine. Once again they have asked to help feed our amazing VMX cast and crew! I mean - who does this?!? We feel so blessed.

If you haven't experienced a Which Wich?, then you haven't experienced a good sandwich. Plain and simple. Don't EVEN think about shoving a Quiznos in your mouth.

Here's some info about Which Wich?:

With write-ups in Entrepreneur Magazine, the Dallas Morning News, and countless others, Which Wich? is taking over the sandwich business. Frustrated by the lack of great sandwiches in the quick service restaurant sector and bored of the burned-out brands, Jeff Sinelli (founder and former CEO of Genghis Grill) set his mind to creating a fresh and innovative concept featuring superior sandwiches. No soups. No salads. Just one focus: the best possible “wiches,” served in an edgy, yet inviting environment.

You can find out more about the Which Wich? experience at: www.whichwich.com

Here's two pics:

One of Jeff and Courtney Sinelli, and in the other is Jason, myself, and my good friend Gari Gonzalez (who introduced me to the Sinelli's and who was also an extra in Butterscotch) on the set of BUTTERSCOTCH.

Jeff and Courtney - we can thank you enough!!!

VMX Crew Spotlight: Colorist Omar Godinez

What do you say when the BEST Colorist in Texas wants to sign up for Team VMX? Better yet, how did we respond when we got the e-mail from Colorist Omar Godinez today? You can pretty much insert little school girl screams of joy and interpretive dance moves on our end. We had the pleasure of working with Omar on our last project BUTTERSCOTCH. Just watching this guy work is fascinating.

For those of you who don't know what Color Grading is:

Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or television image, either electronically, photo-chemically or digitally. The photo-chemical process is also referred to as color timing and is typically performed at a photographic laboratory. Modern color correction, whether for theatrical film or video distribution, is generally done digitally.

Check out some of Omar's fantastic resume:

- Academy Award Finalist’s Jon Keeyes’ short film Angela’s Body (which was nominated for the Academy)

- The upcoming feature Rising Stars (Barry Corbin and also features VMX's own DP RON GONZALEZ)

- Carried Away (Directed by Tom Huckabee who did Frailty w/ Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey, Powers Boothe and also features VMX's own DP RON GONZALEZ)

- The hit family TV show Wishbone

- The mega festival hit documentary Torey’s Distraction

- Butterscotch (directed by Jon Keeyes and written by yours truly Van Bemmel/Wheeler) which is currently making its festival run

- Loads more…

You can find Omar on IMDB here for all his amazing credits:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2376235/

Thanks so much Omar for wanting to take part in this fun quirky project!

A quick shout out to one of VMX's peeps...

We wanted to give a shout out to VMX's Rebekah Kennedy! She's just been nominated for Best Leading Actress as Rachel in MCT's Production of "To Gillian on her 37th Birthday."

Congrats Tennie!

www.rebekahkennedy.com

VMX short script is FINALIZED!

Jason and I finalized the VMX short script! Sending off to actors! Wahoo!

VMX Spotlight: Katy Rowe

Last week we gave a shout out to Katy on the day of her big Spirit Camp feature film premiere - so it wasn't a "true" VMX spotlight. So we felt we owed her another one. Katy Rowe will be playing DANA in Virgin Mary Christmas. She's pretty much VIRGIN MARY'S (Cherami Leigh) partner in deal making with the good Lord. Katy has so many things going on right now. Let's see...Katy just wrapped a guest starring role on One Tree Hill, her big Spirit Camp movie premiere and movie release (which you can now get on DVD), and shiny new headshots that she sent our way.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ms. Rowe's work, here's just a quick glance:

- Played Amber in Spirt Camp w/ Brandon Smith (Jeepers Creepers, No Country for Old Men), Parco Perella (Sin City), Julin (Boggy Creek), and Roxy Vandiver (Witchcraft 13)

- Played Bunny on five episodes of the award winning web series PINK starring Natalie Raitano (hit show V.I.P )

- The upcoming The McG Produced WB series EXPOSED

- Several commercials that you see on a daily basis

- More...

Here's some links where you can find out more about the great Katy Rowe!

- Official Website (you can also find this on our links page):
http://www.katyrowe.com/www.katyrowe.com/Home.html

- Offical Katy Rowe FB fan site: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Katy-Rowe/220243197465?ref=ts

- Spirit Camp official site: www.Spiritcampmovie.com

- IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3004211/

Thanks Katy for being our DANA!

Tweaking...

We're adding some slight modifications to the VMX short script to get it out to the actors. Very excited. We orginally going to use real high school students to shoot this - so we kept a few things "cleaner" than we would have liked in order to be PC for the parents of the students involved. But casting real students from the high school gave us too many problems and restraints. So much for trying to keep it real when we couldn't cuss. F-that. Kids cuss. And now we even have real actors than can act more real than a real high schooler. So how's that for real?

VMX Crew Spotlight: Script Supervisor Eve Butterly

When VMX Production Coordinator Mike Gonzales brought us Script Supervisor Eve Butterly to the team, ginormous smiles came across our faces. Here's someone who has worked on so many AMAZING projects and yet she agreed to do our little film. Wow.

Going to throw some of her credits at you:

- THE BEACON (Teri Polo, Michael Ironside, Ken Howard)

- EXIT SPEED (Desmond Harrington, Fred Ward, Leah Thompson)

- The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team

- The new ABC series THE DEEP END

- The SyFy Channel's MONGOLIAN DEATH WORMS

- Walker Texas Ranger

- Prison Break

- Loads more...

For those of you who don't know what a Script Supervisor does:

A Script Supervisor takes written notes for the editor to use in post production (editing), and keeps track of details on the set to ensure continuity of action during subsequent shooting. The craft is incredibly complex and requires a near-photographic memory, a thorough knowledge of filmmaking, and the ability to coordinate with any department.

You can find out more about Eve Butterly here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0125313/

Visit Eve’s website at www.scriptchick.net.

Thanks so much EVE!!!

Script read-thru date finalized!

We finalized our VMX script read-thru date today. Getting closer to the big shoot date. Maybe we should start a countdown on the blog or something to Saturday January 16th. We're doing a few last little tweaks on the short, but nothing big. Wahoo!

VMX Crew Spotlight: Composer Chad Cox

Jason and I had the pleasure of working with composer Chad Cox on our previous short film - BUTTERSCOTCH. It was a no-brainer when it came time for VMX to look for a composer to ask Chad to sign up. Right now as we speak we're sure Chad has locked himself in his studio hammering out tracks.

Chad comes with a fantastic track record and we couldn't be happier that he chose to be a part of this project.

- Composed/Performed music for the short film "Butterscotch" (2009)
- Keyboard & Back-Up Singer for GRAMMY winner Shelby Lynne
- Composed/Performed music for the feature film "Good For Nothing" (Look/Listen Prod.)
- Composed/Performed music for the short film "Love Is"
- Music for "Lights, Camera, Cuisine" (Wadyko Bros./Food Network)
- Arranged/Performed music for Universal Picture's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" TV trailers
- Piano/Keys for "The Young and the Restless" star Scott Reeves' debut CD
Keys/Vocals/Guitar for Dallas, TX based "Glass Apple: Beyond The Beatles" Band

When Chad isn't composing, he also has an extensive acting resume from the feature film Powder, the TV series Weird Science, numerous TV shows such as ER, 7th Heaven, Spin City, and a zillion more.

You can find Chad at these places:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0184960/

http://www.chadcoxoriginalmusic.com/

http://www.facebook.com/glassapple?v=photos&ref=search#/glassapple?v=info&ref=search

VMX Crew Spotlight: 1st AC Kingslea Bueltel

We here at Team VMX would like for you to not only know the cast, but the great crew who will be on board this great project. Since it is in fact the holiday season and we did our spotlight on Virgin Mary the other day, then why not keep with the same theme and focus on a KING! Kingslea Bueltel VMX's 1st AC!

If you're not sure what a 1st AC is - here's the definition. Responsibilities include building, transporting and maintaining the camera; changing and caring for lenses; pulling focus; supporting the DP and executing all technical demands. Essentially Kingslea handles the technical side of any camera issues so the DP (Director of Photography) can concentrate on creative, aesthetic aspects of production.

Award-winning Canadian writer/director Aaron Sorensen gave Kingslea her start in the camera department by hiring her as an AC on his Austin-lensed sophomore film Campus Radio. In the year and a half she's worked as an AC, she has crewed 3 feature films, 9 music videos (one of which was nominated for 3 BET Hip Hop awards), 2 documentaries, and 8 short films.

Kingslea has worked for renowned Directors of Photography such as Jan Keisser, Zeus Morand, Graham Futerfas, Khamisi Norwood, and the brilliant RON GONZALEZ who will be VMX's DP.

Kingslea speacializes in the Red Camera. The Red Cam is changing the film industry. Just ask Steven Soderbergh, Peter Jackson, and Ron Gonzalez.

You can find Kingslea on IMDB here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3288479/

Thanks so much Kinglsea for joining our amazing team! More spotlights on the VMX crew to come!

Anne on assignment...

Our wonderful Anne Fleitas from Team VMX was on assignment this wintry holiday evening attending mass, and she thought the picture would say it all in relation to our film. We couldn't agree more. Sent from her iPhone.

VMX spotlight: Virgin Mary...

We here at Team VMX of course had to roll out the spotlight today in full holiday tradtion - our own Virgin Mary: CHERAMI LEIGH! Like you couldn't see one this coming. Cherami is playing MARY in our short film! We are so honored to have her on board! Feel free to IMDB her when finished reading this.

If you want to see her in action - please grab a pen and paper so you can write down all the times you will be seeing her on your TV screens!

- Cherami will guest star as "Sarah" in the 6th episode of the new ABC series "The Deep End" which premieres January 21st, right before "Grey's Anatomy."

- Cherami will play "Marcia" in the HBO biopic "Temple Grandin" starring Claire Danes that will be released in February.

- Cherami is also recording many animated series and will be attending MegaCon in Orlando in February to promote her work. So basically get her autograph now while you have the chance!

- This holiday season you can also catch "young blonde Cherami" in "Holiday in Your Heart," although she shot this film at age 9, it continues to show every holiday season. She plays the young version of LeAnn Rimes.

- Locally, she will be doing an extended run of an original play, "Dream" at Collin Theatre Centre. It is back for 3 nights only due to its success earlier this year. Cherami plays "Ashley" in this honest, uplifting work about holding onto your dreams and what you hold dear.

Without giving away any spoilers - we can't wait to see Cherami and Katy Rowe making and breaking deals with God together on Jan. 16th and watching the aftermath that follows.

Make sure you keep checking back for more VMX spotlights on cast and crew and nifty updates on what we're doing to prepare for this adventure.

Thinking ahead...

Been searching for the best Virgin Mary costume to use for the upcoming photo shoot if we decide to re-create Anne's artwork. This is by far the best one in my opinion.

Today's VMX spotlight on: Jeff Hoferer

Jeff Hoferer... You know him from his BAZILLION TV commercials. Or maybe you know him from his web series DALLYWOOD with his partner in crime Bryan Massey that's getting some buzz. Or perhaps everytime you play Guitar Hero and you hear his voice (Guitar Hero: 5, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero). Well, Jeff - you're our hero for playing our TEACHER in our Virgin Mary Christmas!

http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2009/dec/22/video-interview-funnymen-jeff-hoferer-bryan-massey/?refscroll=1340#c64438

TheDallywood.com

Today's VMX spotlight on: Rebekah Kennedy!

We are excited to have the one and only Rebekah Kennedy on board VMX to play our Tennie!!! This actress has so many things in the works that we here at Team VMX are having a hard time keeping up with her amazing projects. Let's see...the upcoming REACH FOR THE SKY directed by 3-time Oscar winner Alan Chan where she played Rachel. She just wrapped her supporting role in the feature THE HIGHSCHOOLER'S GUIDE TO COLLEGE PARTIES mere days ago. And now she wil help lead a cast in the new TV series called LOMBARDI STREET out in California. And she agreed to do our film. Thank you, Rebekah!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Highschoolers-Guide-to-College-Parties/186465891724?ref=ts
http://www.lombardistreet.com/

VMX's very own Katy Rowe is a big star! And she's in our film!

Katy Rowe's resume is swell. Many know her as Bunny on the hit award winning web series PINK. Katy's horror/comedy SPIRIT CAMP makes its big movie premiere tonight! Thanks so much Katy for being our Dana in Virgin Mary Christmas. Please check out www.spiritcampmovie.com for more info. We here at Team VMX just purchased our very own copy.

-- Mgt.

Lining up VMX photo shoot for cast...

Our AMAZING Anne Fleitas is setting up a photo shoot in her studio and lining up dates for our great VMX cast. Anne was the still photographer on our last short BUTTERSCOTCH. She once again returns as still photographer, as well as all poster artwork, wardrobe, and casting. Here's just a mere sample of her work.

Working on VMX feature...

Working on the VMX feature version...

BUTTERSCOTCH screens at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival this weekend!

Our previous short film BUTTERSCOTCH screens at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival this weekend!

BUTTERSCOTCH is a morbidly charming tale that proves life is truly worth living… even if it's found in a suicide therapist's waiting room. When three people decide to go on a trip of a lifetime to plan their perfect funerals they form a fractured family.

www.butterscotchfilm.com

:)

Master Prop List...

We're starting to tackle the master prop list today. From graduation tassles to Gideon Bibles. Maybe I should ask Katy what kind of toilet paper she prefers for her bathroom scene. Pre-pro rocks.

You can now follow VMX on twitter!

http://twitter.com/Virginmaryxmas

Is very proud to announce the AMAZING VMX Cast: Cherami Leigh ("Mary")

Is very proud to announce the AMAZING VMX Cast: Katy Rowe ("Dana")

Is very proud to announce the AMAZING VMX Cast: Rebekah Kennedy ("Tennie")

Is very proud to announce the AMAZING VMX Cast: Jeff Hoferer ("Teacher")

Day two of auditions was a success!

Again, another great round of auditions today! There's just so much talent in this town. We'll be letting everyone know very soon. Now the fun begins...

Day two of auditions tomorrow...

So the second round of auditions takes place tomorrow. The first round went so completely well. All weekend we've been mixing and matching headshots, working on the director's script, and visualizing wardrobe. The support we've gotten from the film community has been amazing. Counting down the minutes until tomorrow's auditions...

Day one of casting complete...

One word: WOW. The talent that walked into that room on Friday was just - I don't know...TREMENDOUS! At times we saw tears, felt chills, grinned ear to ear from behind that casting table. The talent in this town is simply amazing. I'm tired of hearing about NY/LA. We mixed and matched everyone numerous times and then time again. And then time again. We have one more tiny round of auditions on Monday then we will be able to announce our Mary and Dana. We want to thank everyone for coming out and taking the time to audition for our quirky little short. We feel so blessed. Stay tuned...

Some new artwork...

VMX casting starts tomorrow!

Team VMX is gearing up for our casting sessions tomorrow and Monday!!!

VMX Crew Announced!!!

Production Manager Mike Gonzales has been working hard, along with myself and Jason, to bring an AMAZING crew to Virgin Mary Christmas. There might be a few more additions, but strap yourselves in, kids. Drum roll please...

Director: Jason A. Wheeler
Writers: Bart D. Van Bemmel & Jason A. Wheeler
Producers: Ron Gonzalez, Mike Gonzales, Bart D. Van Bemmel, and Jason A. Wheeler
Director of Photography/Cinematographer: Ron Gonzalez
Musical Score: Chad Cox
Art Direction and Still Photograpy: Anne Fleitas
Make-Up: Karen Cripe
Script Supervisor: Eve Butterly
First Assistant Camera Operator: Kingslea Bueltel
Gaffer: Andy Lohrenz
Key Grip: Seth Hall
Production Assistant: Tyler Holland
Sponsorship: Jeff and Courtney Sinelli from Which Wich?

Jason and myself had the pleasure of working with many of these fantastic crew members on our short BUTTERSCOTCH. Many of them drove all through the night from the Arizona Desert from a feature films just to get to Dallas ripe and early at a 7 AM call time for our short. We will NEVER forget that. I mean, who does that!?! We feel extremely BLESSED that many of these same crew are willing to give up their personal lives because they believe in this great project. And we welcome the new crew members who were excited to jump on board. We are literally counting the days until casting. We plan on using VMX to help get leverage for the feature that the short is based on.

VMX Casting December 11th and 14th...

We have to say...WOW! The response we are getting to the VMX script and the characters of Mary and Dana has been tremendous. Thanks to all for getting the word out! We're very much looking forward to casting this great film on December 11th and 14th. We only have a few audition times left. Bring it on!

Open Casting Call for TWO FEMALE LEADS!

Virgin Mary Xmas
(short film)

Screenplay By:
Bart D. Van Bemmel & Jason A. Wheeler (more info at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1458422/)

Directed By:
Jason A. Wheeler

Produced By:
Throwing Stones Productions

Plot Outline:
From the same writers and co-producers that brought you the dark comedy festival hit BUTTERSCOTCH (directed by Jon Keeyes) comes their next Independent short film: VIRGIN MARY XMAS which is based on the feature screenplay.

Tagline:
Everyone makes deals with God. But for Mary...high school was her DEAL BREAKER.

Synop:
When Mary fails a mid-term in high school, she makes a deal with God that she will do anything - even going off to a religious college if he keeps her in the top ten percent of her class. But some deals are made to be broken.

Shooting Date: Saturday January 16, 2010 in Carrollton , TX at R.L. Turner High School

Characters:

Mary: an average looking high school senior who has an over bearing father that thinks women belong in the home. Mary has college dreams and will do anything to stay in the top ten percent of her class in order to get a new and better life. She often relies on a slew of depression meds and caffeine pills to get by. Her dad forces her to go to church several days a week and controls her every move. Mary is casual friends with Dana who is in some of her classes. Mary talks to Dana because she is probably the only person who listens.

Dana: a wannabee popular senior who has no problem being blunt and speaking her mind. Dana points out to Mary that the only reason her father wants her at home is because her mother died and he wants someone to take care of him. Dana has no problem questioning Mary’s choices and point out her faults.

*Both actors need to look like they can truly be high school seniors.
*non-payer, but will get IMDB credit. Meals provided.

Auditions will be Friday December 11th and Monday Dec. 14th in Carrollton from 4:30-6:30 at a location to be named.

All interested parties please contact Bart Van Bemmel at virginmaryxmas@gmail.com for script and more info.

VMX final short film script is locked...

Jason and I finally finished the VMX short film script today. Feels good. We'd let it sit, then go back and re-read upteen times. Let it sit. Then you start to over analyze every single thing. But I think Jason said it best when he said it was time to put this puppy to bed. We're ready for pre-pro!

Gearing up for full-on pre-pro...

VMX will be shot almost entirely at a local high school here in Carrollton, TX. Once we resume back to school from Thanksgiving Break we will be in full pre-pro locking down specific locations in the school, casting, and crew.

More field pics...

Location scouting...

VMX requires a crucial "field" scene in two parts of the script. I've been analyzing fields left and right looking for the perfect one. How hard could it be? A field? Has to have easy access to cars, low nearby traffic, no animals, we can tressapass, have some kind of "character" that is more than just a field so to speak, and close to the other locations of the shoot. You think it wouldn't be that hard. Here's some pics of what I think will do great.

Mary's Notebook...

Building the dream team...

Tyler Holland was an essential part of Team Butterscotch in helping make sure the set ran smoothly. I told Jason several times Tyler was an MVP. WHICH IS WHY we asked Tyler to join Team VMX! Tyler will be our head PA, as well as wear many other hats.

The officially licensed Anne Fleitas Virgin Mary Xmas shirt is here...

More crew added...

We had the pleasure of working with Production Assistant Mike Gonzales on our short film Butterscotch. He did such a fantastic job that we've asked him to come on board and be our Production Manager and a Co-Producer on Virgin Mary Xmas. Welcome to the team!

Virgin Mary Xmas is coming soon...

From the same writers and co-producers that brought you the dark comedy festival hit BUTTERSCOTCH (directed by Jon Keeyes) comes their next Independent short film: VIRGIN MARY XMAS.

Tagline:Everyone makes deals with God. But for Mary...high school was her DEAL BREAKER.

Synop:When Mary fails a mid-term in high school, she makes a deal with God that she will do anything - even going off to a religious college if he keeps her in the top ten percent of her class. But some deals are made to be broken.

Starring:
Cast coming soon!
Crew: Art Direction and Still Photography by Anne Fleitas; Musical Score by Chad Cox; Corporate Sponsorship by Which Wich?
Screenplay By:
Bart D. Van Bemmel & Jason A. Wheeler
Directed By:
Jason A. Wheeler
Produced By:
Throwing Stones Productions