Pre-production on the feature film, “Carving A Life” is a in full swing! Much of the film has been cast with Acting Professionally students including Tyler Bruhn, as the lead “Mitch”, Sandi Todorovic as “Eric” his best friend, Lisa Winans as “Rebecca”, Mitch’s stepmom, Max Baroudi, as “Young Mitch”, Jay Jee as “Dr Johnson” and many more.
Fundraising for the film is already in place and a kickstarter video will be filmed at the Acting Professionally studio in Media Arts Center on August 25, with a public release the first week in September. A fundraising party will be held at Latitude 33 on September 14. Funds raised will go to pay cast and crew under the SAG-Indie Ultra Low Budget contract, equipment, insurance and food.
Many locations have already been secured including an art studio, a woodcarving shop, and several schools and restaurants.
The script has undergone three re-writes and will be reviewed on August 29 by Jen Grisanti, a writers consultant, formerly with Spelling Television, CBS/Paramount.
The Story:
The film follows young artist, Mitch Martindale, whose life seems to be on the rise. He is a wood carver whose work is drawing recognition and he has a beautiful wife and a child on the way. Although his life seems to be coming together, he is haunted by his past – an accident which killed his mother when he was ten. To avoid painful memories and emotions, he turns to alcohol. The film explores whether or not love for his art, wife, and unborn child will be enough to turn his life around.
From BlueCat Screenplay Competition Analysis:
“Mitch is a very emotionally broken, yet sympathetic individual. A motherless teen who grows up to become an alcoholic. His journey towards fatherhood is a bumpy one, “filled with pot holes.”
“The story has classic elements, including a boy losing his mother, a neglectful father, early problems with alcohol, a loving wife, an enabling best friend, a young hospital roommate who overdoses, entering rehab, and becoming a father.”
The film’s message is positive – that with determination and commitment – love and proper treatment can change lives. It is our hope that it will touch – and perhaps alter – the lives of young people affected by addiction.
Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the film!