Milestone and Kung Pow Wow

We are proud to announce that TWO of OTL's short films: Kung Pow Wow and Milestone have been accepted into 2010's Method Fest in Calabasas, CA. This festival showcases breakout acting performances and we're honored to have both casts from each movie represented.

Check out more info at: The Method Fest.

Kung Pow Wow in the Windy City

Our super short film, KUNG POW WOW has been accepted into the Chicago International Reel Shorts Film Festival. This is On the Leesh Productions first film festival in Chicago and we couldn't be more excited about it. Baseball, thick crust pizza and OPRAH WINFREY! C'mon - it's awesome!

Thanks Chicago!

Milestone is DONE done!

Milestone is finished! The dvd has been burned, duplicated and put into fancy cases with artwork and everything! And to all of that I say... Phew!

Now we're onto the film festival world! I feel like I'm back applying to college again... will they like me? Will I fit in? Will I like my roommate (okay, maybe not so much that one, but the others definitely still apply). It's so hard to know what is going to excite someone about a short film - other than it not being awful. Granted I've been to a number of film festivals, but to tell you the truth, there's never really seemed to be any rhyme or reason to the films that were chosen. Sometimes they'll put the films into themes: like comedies, thrillers, experimental etc., but other than that, there was always a broad range in production value, story content and length.

So where will Milestone be seen? Who knows? But I can't wait to find out!

Thanks to everyone involved!

-jules

Berkshire Living Mag Review Kung Pow Wow

Check out this incredible review of our short ditty, Kung Pow Wow:

BERKSHIRE LIVING MAG
5.13.09
The only thing wrong with Kung Pow Wow, a short film that will be screened this weekend at the Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, Mass., is that it's only two minutes long. Then again, that's part of the film's genius. In just two short minutes, the filmmakers and actors give us essentially the entire lowdown on a relationship. In this case, the simple act of ordering Chinese takeout -- one of the most romantic cliches in film and in real life -- turns into a horror threatening the very foundations of what seemed like a perfectly fine relationship. How the filmmakers achieve this effect I won't say -- I will leave that to the joy of discovery -- but it's enough to say that it is through inventiveness and a willingness to disorient a viewer in the service of achieving the remarkable effect.

If this is a hint of what's in store this weekend from BIFF, it's going to be a great festival.

If you're in the Great Barrington area, check out this wonderful festival!

Milestone

This was a pretty freaking busy weekend for On the Leesh and friends (which I realize sounds like a Muppet Movie title but please forgive me...)


DP, Alicia Arinella with writer/director, Julie Tortorici


The crew headed to Park Slope to film the short film, Milestone. It was a short I'd written in the fall and offered to Alicia for On the Leesh's repertoire. She read it and asked if I wanted to try my hand at directing. Me, direct? Uh, okay! She would serve as my director of photography so I knew I had some room for error because there she'd be, backing me up and covering for any mistakes I made along the way.

For the past year or so, I've been trying my hand at new things and new adventures and directing a short film for the first time I felt, absolutely qualified. So what better way to document said adventure, than by capturing it as part of my film, Best Laid Plans! That meant that basically, this weekend we shot two films in two days! A friend of On the Leesh and budding director, Chris Zecco came out to film for Best Laid Plans while Alicia and I shot the short.


Chris Zecco shoots Best Laid Plans


In the end this film will be between 7-9 minutes long. But to get to those golden 7-9 minutes, we required a lot of support and team work. We had a tremendous crew sitting patiently while we were shooting and moving quickly when we needed to set up a new shot.


Crew members, Colleen Slattery and Jessica Arinella about to get some breakfast...


Our very own, Alicia Arinella and Melissa Jernigan posing...

Our makeup artist, Natalie was always on hand to make our actors HD beautiful and, as usual, Alicia led the team seamlessly.


Becky reads over her script while hair and makeup artist, Natalie DiStefano readies her curling iron

Then, of course, there were our two actors, Rebecca White and Brian Patacca who truly did an outstanding job telling the story, trusting a first-time director and having fun within their circumstances.





Working with the actors...

Thank you to everyone involved. Can't wait to see the final product!

Screening Announced!

Hey Everyone. The screening date and time has been announced at the
Downtown Shorts Film Festival. On Saturday March 2nd at 8P, you can
watch and VOTE for Kung Pow Wow!

Get your tickets now at - www.smarttix.com

To find out more information, please visit - www.duotheater.org

See you in May!

Great Time at the NYC Downtown Film Fest Screening!

Last night, OTL with some friends, headed to the screening of the short film, "Kung Pow Wow." The NYC Downtown Film Festival's Audience Choice screening was held at the Duo Multicultural Arts Center.

"Kung Pow Wow" was among 4 other great short films. One favorite in particular was Adam Taylor's Dracula Comedy. This short was directed by Adam Taylor and tells the classic vampire story of Vlad the Impaler. Though Taylor's take on the tale puts Vlad in the role of school janitor training the new guy. It was hilariously funny! Congrats to Adam Taylor!

We all made a night of it - check out the pics here!


Producer and co-director, "Kung Pow Wow" Alicia Arinella with NYC Firefighter, Jack Halaby.


"The Sexually" co-creator and writer, Jeff Lycett with "Kung Pow Wow" stars, Jessica Arinella and Matt Rashid


Producer, Julie Tortorici, Associate Producer, Melissa Jernigan and "Kung Pow Wow" star, Jessica Arinella laugh it up at the bar afterwards


Mark and Wayne of "I'm Sorry Melissa" join in at the screening

Trevor's Big Break

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I love many things, but one thing that is extremely high on the list is my love for craft beer.

One of my favorite breweries, “Dogfish Head,” sponsors their very own “Off-Centered Film Festival,” that is held at Alamo Draft House in Austin TX each year. The festival’s theme is the underdog so I decided that I would write a short film about a down-and-out chicken mascot who can’t get any work until he drinks Dogfish head.

On the Leesh was gracious enough to agree to help me produce this fine piece of work, as it would serve as a learning tool for me to become more adept at our process of making a film here at OTL. I would write, direct and be the executive producer, while Alicia and Julie would guide me along the way.




Since I decided to do things through On the Leesh there were steps that had to be taken that you wouldn’t normally do for a home movie. There were SAG waivers to fill out, budgets to make, Writer’s Guild papers to complete and a whole bunch of scheduling and planning.

Many thanks to Alicia, Julie, Matt, Jessie and especially my husband Greg for being in the film today and doing a fantastic job!!! Greg you’re the best Trevor Birdie out there.

Official Finalist: Las Vegas International Film Festival

We've just been notified that Denim has been chosen as an official finalist for the Las Vegas international Film Festival! Although it will not screen at the festival it is one of only 20 films chosen in each category to receive this honor!

We'd like to thank the Las Vegas Film Festival for this extraordinary honor!

Check them out at: www.lvfilmfest.com

New Short Film: Kung Pow Wow!

New to the festival circuit is On the Leesh Productions's short film Kung Pow Wow. To say it's a short film is not really letting on about just how short this film is... it comes in at just under 3 minutes. Our motto: get in, make 'em laugh, get out!

Here's the description:

Dating is difficult, especially when you order in. "Kung Pow Wow" is a comedic tale about an argument between a couple when the boyfriend isn't sensitive to the needs of his girlfriend's taste buds.

"What Are the Odds?" Helps You In Med School??

Ummmm....

So, as I do first thing every morning, I checked my OTL email. There, waiting for me, was a very nicely written request from a Professor at New Jersey's Medical School requesting that I allow him to show our short film, "What Are the Odds?" in his classes.

I'm sorry... what?

He discovered the film when he was perusing media about mathematics and found the movie here: kasmana.people.cofc.edu/MATHFICT/mfview.php?callnumber=mf694

Now, perhaps I'm overreacting, but I must say I think it's pretty freaking cool that this short movie will be shown as a TEACHING TOOL.

What a way to start off a Monday!

DENIM is Headed to Colorado

Hot off the presses (or the internet equivalent of "the presses"), Jeff Lycett's short comedy, DENIM has been accepted to The Durango Independent Film Festival - better known as DIFF.

Some of you OTL followers may remember that this is not the first film from On the Leesh to be shown in Durango. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?, written by "The Office" writer, Justin Sptizer was shown in this popular film festival. Among all of the festivals that OTL attended with WHAT ARE THE ODDS?, Durango was absolutely one of our favorites. The town really comes out for this fest and the producers of DIFF really make the filmmakers feel welcomed and taken care of.

Be sure to check out this festival's website at: www.durangofilmfestival.com

Thanks Durango!!

On the Leesh Embarks on Two More Short Films

On the Leesh Productions is currently in pre-production on two more comedic short films. The first called, Milestone is a short comedy about what a woman's friends will do to help her through a divorce. The second is currently titled Pet Peeve - a short story about personal growth through dating.

Both shorts will be read tomorrow night at the office as part of an internal invited workshop/reading.

Milestone is not yet cast, but is currently slated to shoot in February in Brooklyn, NY. Pet Peeve is still in its gestation period, so location, cast and crew have not been set yet.

OTL does love short film!

Get 'em in, make 'em laugh, get 'em out!