What the heck did we just do?

Bear with me, because I am not exactly sure what we just did. In the last blog, I talked about how I don't think many indie films are recording full orchestras for their scores. There is a reason for that. It is costly, it is difficult, and who wants to add to all that trouble after so much work, time, and money has been put into the film before the music?

I guess the answer to that question is: us. Because late last night, we successfully finished recording the Red Scare score. It was an incredible experience, and I still don't really know how it all came together so well. The music is awesome. Joey & I actually started putting some of the music into the movie earlier this week, and I am so excited about how it all looks and sounds. 

So, that is it... Another huge goal passed for the movie. We are literally days away from a finished product, and it will be such a relief. Don't get me wrong... I love everything about the movie, but this must be exactly how a pregnant woman feels 10 months into a pregnancy. You heard me!

So, I don't know how exactly it came together, but I do know it would not have come together if Temple Beth Am in Bayonne, NJ hadn't agreed to let us record in their space.

I know it would not have come together if Dan Granda hadn't whipped together an amazing score AND assembled an incredible orchestra in a short period of time.

If Joey Mosca didn't have a ridiculous amount of recording equipment/connections to get more equipment and the knowledge of how to use it all, we would have been screwed. 

If Tony Pineiro & Bill Dautrick didn't agree to do everything from transporting equipment/people, to helping to set up and break down, to going on dinner runs, and more, I don't think we could have done it. 

Loarina Gonzalez could have told me that she didn't want to help out, but then Joey would not have had a recording assistant who was so good at her job and both the movie and morale would have suffered and Joey might have gone crazy long ago. 

I could have paid for all of the meals for the orchestra, but I would have been beyond broke, so it is a good thing Isaac Platizky was generous enough to help me out with some extra cash from time to time. 

And then, we cannot forget the people who actually played the music so well. Here for the first time, I present to you, the Red Scare recording groups:

Red Scare Full Orchestra: 

John Fragasso (percussion)

Evan James Young (Horn)

Paul Campbell (Bassoon)

Paul Scott (tuba)

Peter Cruz (percussion)
Gregory Mueller (percussion)
Scott Porter (clarinet)
Emma C. Coleman (oboe)
William Newrock (bass trombone)
Jim McCaughey (trombone)
Leah Van Doornik (horn)
Herbert Foster (horn)
Steven Zagami (percussion)
Esther Novo (flute)
Elyse D'Agostino (flute)
Leah Garber (trumpet)
Bokyung Park (trombone)
John Cross (trumpet)
Donna Dixon (clarinet)
Hope Heredia (trombone)
Barbara Zacheis (French horn)
Robert Quinn (bassoon)  

Red Scare Chamber Group

Dan Granda (percussion)

Gregory Mueller (percussion)

Donna Dixon (clarinet)

Barbara Zacheis (French horn) 

Red Scare Jazz Combo

Dan Granda (percussion)

Asher LaBella (guitar)

Matthew Lepek (saxophone) 

Eric Walton (piano)

Matthew Quinones (bass)

Loarina Gonzalez, Dan Granda, Bill Dautrick, & Sam Platizky (Agent White backup singers) 

 

That is all... The screening is coming up very soon. If you haven't already, you are going to want to reserve tickets by emailing me at RedScareMovie@gmail.com. Tickets are $20 each, and a portion of the ticket sales will be donated to the Simpson-Baber Foundation for the Autistic. 

Stay Tuned!

Sam 

Actor, Writer, Producer

Red Scare

Red Scare Recording Session

There are a lot of unknowns in making a movie. You can try to plan all you want, but in the end there is a lot you just can't control. So, when we first started talking about recording a live orchestra, I kind of stepped back and let the thing come together. With the exception of securing the location, I really had very little input at all. 

Dan Granda is our composer/conductor. I met with him once to discuss a few things about the movie and the score, but make no mistake, the score is 100% his. And I didn't know what we were going to get... I like what we talked about, but without hearing it, how could I know? So, I trusted Dan. 

Today, I got to see if that trust paid off in our first orchestra session... 

I am not sure if I could adequately put it into words... I wish I had a picture of me and Bill's faces as we listened to the opening of the movie's score... the Russian theme... the American theme... etc. I really do... Because we had the biggest smiles on our faces the entire time. I am sure the orchestra thought we were crazy. It was amazing. This was the first time that this orchestra played together, and they were amazing. The best way I could describe it is somewhere between that feeling you get when you were a kid and you opened a present that you really wanted but didn't know you were going to get... and the feeling of being part of something that has become much bigger than you intended. 

Everyone knows how important the score is to a movie... A movie can live or die by its score. And boy will this one live. It is huge... It is epic... It is funny where it needs to be. I have that same goofy smile plastered on my face just thinking about it. 

So, big thanks to Dan Granda for composing this magic... the orchestra who I will credit and acknowledge by name and instrument once we finish with the recording... Thanks to Joey for once again risking his sanity for me as he records a larger group of musicians than he ever has before... Tony for being his usual calm and ever helpful self..... Loarina for doing whatever she can to help and showing once again why she has probably the most credits in the movie... Billy for his equipment help and just being there for this process to help wherever he can. 

Also have to thank Bayonne's Temple Beth Am for being so accomodating. When we were at a loss for where to record, they stepped up in a big way. 

We had a lot of help from people who provided stands and mics: "All around class act" Keith McCord, supporter and zombie in the movie Mike Castro, the guy who is going to be reproducing our DVDs Greg Colletti, Ryan Shumacher, and probably a bunch of people that got Joey some stuff that I don't know. 

Billy & I talked during the session about how big this is. Not only how epic the score is... But how often does an independent film record a live orchestra? Not often. And how often does that live orchestra sound as good as ours? I have no idea. I would say never, but I am not sure. All's I know is we are doing something that few, if any, indie filmmakers are doing. 

Yesterday, Red Scare was a very funny movie that I was insanely proud of... Today, I am kind of in awe of the whole thing. It's way bigger than any of us had any idea it could be. This is gonna be awesome. 

Stay Tuned!

Sam 

Red Scare Screening: Thursday, January 12, 2012 @ 7PM

Well, here we are... We are here. I can finally announce that the Red Scare screening will take place on Thursday, January 12 at 7pm at Frank Theaters (191 Lefante Way, Bayonne, NJ).

When we first started out on this journey by raising money on indiegogo, I said that cast, crew, and donors would be comped. Now, because of the largeness of our cast/crew, and the number of people who generously donated, there are quite a few comp tickets. 

That means that there are an extremely limited amount of tickets available. If you would like to purchase a ticket, please contact me at RedScareMovie@gmail.com with the number of tickets you want. Tickets are $20 each, and I can only accept cash at this time. I realize that may seem like a lot but, as I said, we have a limited number of tickets available... and I did say that tickets would be more expensive for people who didn't donate... Plus, you will be getting so much more than just the first ever viewing of the finished product of Red Scare. You will also be getting:

*Introduction from the Director and Myself
*Trailers for some pretty great upcoming projects
*The world premiere of the short film, Dark Wings
*A Q&A session with the cast & crew
*Raffles for some awesome movie memorabillia
*And if you like Red Scare, well, there just may be the opportunity to purchase a DVD of it with special features... 

So, make sure you reserve your ticket(s) today. They will be going fast.

Stay tuned,

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Red Scare

One Crisis Averted... How many more to go?

It is an awful thing, but I am usually thinking that whatever can go wrong will probably go wrong. So, it should come as little surprise that earlier this week the place I thought we had to record the orchestra? We didn't have it anymore.

I was in full-on panic mode. There were times when I thought, will we actually be able to finish this movie? We already gave the musicians a set of dates... would we be able to reschedule them if worse came to worse?

Thankfully, I don't have to worry about the answer to that question, because this morning we found our replacement space, and it looks like everything should work out (so it will be fun to see what goes wrong next).

Big thanks to Temple Beth Am in Bayonne, NJ for agreeing to let us use their space to record the score for Red Scare. That means special thanks to Rabbi Gordon Gladstone, President of the Temple Don Miller, and his wife Sue for helping us in our time of need.

I also gotta thank everyone who reached out to me this week to try and offer suggestions and possibilities (and who I reached out to as well): Miriam Cortez, Julio Rodriguez, Matt Hojnacki, Donna Connolly, Min Kim, Dennis Degnan, Tim Craig, Melissa Welz, Christina Garced, Dr. Patricia McGeehan, and Leo Smith.

Who knows what will happen next, but right now, we are back on track with Red Scare. And that is a wonderful feeling.

I have also been talking with Frank's Theatre in Bayonne about the first Red Scare screening, and everything looks good there. I will have more information on that soon, but keep your first two weeks of January open, because that is what it looks like for us.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving and...

Stay Tuned!

Sam Platizky
Actor, Writer, Producer
Red Scare

Audio and Wrapping up Red Scare

Red Scare is done!


More or less... The final edit is done and we come in somewhere between 90 and 100 minutes. I don't know the exact time. All that's left for us now is the sound stuff. Joey Mosca has been hard at work on fixing any lingering issues that we have with the audio (background noise stuff, balancing issues, etc) and our composer, Dan Granda is working on the score.

At the end of this month, we will be recording the score... live recording the score... live recording a full orchestra. A terrifying prospect, but an exciting one too. Going into this, we knew we wanted to try and capture a live orchestra to fit with the time period... and that is what we are doing. We, at Red Scare, pride ourselves on trying crazy, impossible sounding things that most indie movies would not do, and this is no exception. Fingers crossed and all of that.

Because of the work that still needs to go into the film, my dreams of having the screening in 2011 were shattered... But it is better this way. As much as I wanted to have something before the holidays, it wouldn't do to rush the finished product. So, we will be having the screening in early January 2012... I am working out the details of where and when exactly, but should have a date for you soon.

The screening should be loads of fun. On top of a great movie, there will be previews (from us and other independent film crews), the short film Dark Wings, a chance to win some one-of-a-kind Red Scare memorabilia, and maybe.... just maybe... a few surprises as well.

Stay tuned!

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Red Scare

Red Scare: Cast & Crew Updates

Red Scare is moving right along. The final edit is being worked on, and is nearly finished. Test audiences so far have loved what they have seen. The next step is all audio: sound effects, music, and all the other ins and outs of sound (leveling, background noise, etc.). After that, we should be golden. I am looking to have the big screening in early December (still working on the location). So far, I have a lot of good stuff planned for the screening. Even bigger and better than the BGR screening last February.

In other news, I figure I will take the time to pimp out some of my cast & crew's latest endeavors.

Joey Mosca: (Sound Lord & Dr. Armenheimer) Joey is working on a short film called "Dark Wings" that will be filming this Saturday. Also starring in the film are Red Scare alums Dan Gregory, Mitchell Vargas, Aaron Visco, Tony Pineiro, and myself. Joey is trying to raise a modest amount on indiegogo. He has a few days left, so feel free to donate at: http://www.indiegogo.com/dark-wings. The plan is to have this short film open up the Red Scare screening. Should be a lot of fun.

Eric Parkin: (Ted Trainor) Eric is going to be starring in the theatrical production of "Dorothy in Oz" at the Roy Arias Off-Broadway Theatre starting tomorrow and running through October 29th! More info here: http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/shows/dorothy-in-oz_185581/

Max Arias: (Rough Randy) Max's band "Nothing But Robots" will be having two shows coming up. On October 29th, they will be playing at Digiorgios Bar in Bayonne at 10pm. On Thursday, November 10th, they will be playing at the Whiskey Bar. Go to their facebook page to give them a listen and to stay updated on upcoming shows: http://www.facebook.com/nothingbutrobots. Also, Joe Timpanaro of the band is one of our zombies, and all 4 members of the band donated to the movie. So, there is that.

Loarina Gonzalez, Mitchell Vargas, Miriam Cortez, and Scarlett Santiago: This group of fine cast and crew members will be putting up "Status Quo Vadis" at NJCU's West Side Theatre October 27th-29th & November 3rd-5th at 7:30pm. Free admission! 

Megan Bussiere: (Sasha) Megan will be starring in the Midtown Arts Center Production of "White Christmas" November 18, 2011 - January 1, 2012. If you are in Colorado (or plan to be during this time) check it out.

That is all for now. Try to check out what you can. The people involved are all immensely talented, and deserve the biggest and best audiences they can get. 

More news about the first Red Scare screening is coming soon. 

Stay tuned!

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Red Scare

Test... test... 1, 2...

The initial goal for Red Scare was to be finished with the first cut by the end of August/beginning of September. The best laid plans of mice & men, though... So, it isn't a terrible thing that the first cut was finished in the middle of September... and here we sit at the beginning of October.

Yesterday, we had our first test screening comprised of some people who worked on the film and some people who had nothing to do with the film.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. The humor plays. The cast/characters really play.

Not all the jokes landed the way I'd intended. Some scenes could do with a little trimming to outright cuts. The feedback we got was instrumental into the way we are going to look at Red Scare from here on in. I was forced to agree with a lot of what people said, which (as a writer) is sometimes very hard... But in the end, all choices will be for the benefit of the overall movie.

Luckily, only one person was offended by some of the humor, and out of 20 people or so that's not bad. I kind of anticipated some offense, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. So, that is good.

So, yeah. Back to the editing room with lots of new ideas in mind, and then another test somewhere down the line. We are back on track, and moving strong.

Stay tuned!

Sam
Actor, Writer, Producer
Red Scare