September 24, 2006

HC Newsletter - September 24, 2006

Friends,

It is hard to believe, but after several years of effort on the part of countless individuals, "Humboldt County" will finally start production tomorrow, September 25th.*

It would be impossible for me to express the excitement Danny, Darren, and I are experiencing. In the past month, the project has undergone momentous changes, not the least of which is the assembly of over 40 crew members, each of whom will spend at least the next four weeks bringing this film to life. We have also managed to wrangle quite an impressive cast. Since the last newsletter, we have added the last few actors needed to round out our cast, including two highly-regarded veteran actors:

- Brad Dourif, who is attached to play JACK, first made his mark as Billy Bibbit in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest," a role for which he received an Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe. Since then, he has been in over 100 films, including "The Lord of the Rings" movies. His recent role on HBO's "Deadwood" recently earned him an Emmy nomination.

- Frances Conroy, attached to play ROSIE, was also the star of an HBO series, "Six Feet Under." Her role on that highly acclaimed show garnered her four Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe award. She has also been featured in dozens of films, including "Crimes & Misdemeanors," "Scent of a Woman," "Sleepless in Seattle," "The Aviator," and "Shopgirl."

Those of you who have been with us for some time will recall that Jeremy Davies has been slated to play the part of MAX. As our production dates approached, it became clear that he and the directors had mounting creative differences, so we elected to recast that role. We were very lucky to find a brilliant actor named Chris Messina to replace him. Chris, who has become renowned in the New York theater over the past couple of years, also had a recurring role on "Six Feet Under." He has appeared in a number of feature films, and he recently played the lead role in "Ira and Abby," and independent film that in July won The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film festival.

Since several (or all) of the actors' names in our cast may be unfamiliar to you, I have attached a visual reference since their faces are likely more recognizable. It is notable that we have four actors who have worked on critically acclaimed HBO original series, namely "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and "Deadwood," which underscores the strength of our material, cast, and potential in the marketplace.
Needless to say, there is a lot more to share. At the moment, though, I have to get back to work on our preparation. I plan to send more frequent updates over the next several weeks, so keep your eyes out and your fingers crossed.

Cheers,

Jason

*The fact that our shooting schedule coincides with my wedding, which is next weekend, is definitive proof of Murphy's Law.

September 1, 2006

HC Newsletter - September 1, 2006

Friends,

It is hard to convey how much has happened in the month since our last update. I probably should have sent out an edition of this newsletter a week or two ago, but we have all been so overwhelmed that time got away from us.

The most important news is this: We are officially in pre-production and plan to start filming "Humboldt County" on September 25th. We reached our minimum capitalization several weeks ago and have spent all of our time since then assembling our crew, scouting locations, negotiating equipment/material deals, casting our remaining actors, raising additional financing, and preparing ourselves for the forthcoming production. We have a little over three weeks until we start shooting, and our rapidly growing team has been a tremendous help in managing the myriad tasks we have in front of us.

We will be filming for four weeks, six days a week, and the vast majority will be shot in Humboldt County itself (Arcata, Eureka, and the surrounding areas). Our crew size will average 40 people, but there will be "heavy" days when the number of cast members and extras will put us close to 70. All of the department heads we have hired -- and plan to hire -- have a wealth of experience with feature films and will be invaluable in ensuring the film is delivered on time and within budget.

There have been many additions to the project in the last four weeks, but one of the most notable is Fairuza Balk, who has been cast in the role of "Bogart." Fairuza is an alluring and accomplished actress who is recognized as both an independent film stalwart (American History X, Personal Velocity) and a bankable star of studio films (The Craft, Almost Famous, The Waterboy). She, like the others we have cast, is remarkably passionate about this film and has already spent many hours of her personal time with Danny, Darren, and the other actors rehearsing. In addition to being a stellar actress, she has a phenomenal voice, and next week we will be recording the song she will be singing in the film. Full credits, photos and a biography for Fairuza can be found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000103/

There is much more to share with all of you, but right now I'm afraid my time is better spent focusing on the project. We hope to have a rudimentary website up soon that will provide more frequent updates, but you can count on these newsletters appearing in your mailbox as often as we can manage.

Best,

Jason