“The Central Authority” Movie Wraps Production The much-awaited new comedy, “The Central Authority,” has wrapped production. The film which satirizes the current world situation, is now complete, according to producers. By: Matts Marketing 1 2 3 The Central Authority HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Oct. 1, 2020 – PRLog — Using the technology available, producers of the film, believe, “The Central Authority,” is the first full length completely socially distanced feature film. Written by Dana Olita and Kristin West, the film takes place in a dystopian future where a pandemic has caused the world-wide collapse of governments. A Central Authority has risen to maintain law and order and control the supply chain of goods and services. Because most people are stuck at home, entertainment has become a premium commodity. The Central Authority has created a channel for citizens to create their own content. The film depicts a normal day of programming. The shows range from parodies of talk shows, cooking, exercise, and reality shows, children’s programming and even a homemade music video complete with behind the scenes footage. Of course, there are fake news segments too. Interspersed throughout the day are reminders from the Central Authority, to “wash your hands,” “wear your masks,” and “keep a social distance.” In exchange for creating this programming, citizens are compensated and given higher places in line for goods in short supply. Compensation is based on ratings of each show. However, if you fail to meet The Central Authority’s minimum guideline, The Central Authority cancels your show, and your life. The Central Authority has been a brave undertaking in these hazardous times. “We knew this was a huge endeavor going in,” said West, who co-directed with Armin Nasseri. “We were forced to use the technology available, which meant doing some unusual things.” Those “unusual things” included dusting off some archaic film techniques and using brand new processes. “We gave ourselves permission to fail,” says West, “but things worked out fine in the end.” Those processes including having actors from all over the world come together on the screen. Actress Anna Elena Pepe, who plays Dr Zhivaga, a government sexologist, says it was an experience for her like no other, “I was in London, and my scene partner (LaChelle Allen) was in Los Angeles. ‘It was fantastic.'” “The actors were the key,” according to Olita, “We basically let them pick and choose characters and wrote around their choices.” West agrees, “We gave our actors a tremendous amount of freedom, there was a lot of improvisation. Everyone gave great performances and the chemistry the actors have with one and other is magical.” In addition to West, Olita and Nasseri, The Central Authority uses an ensemble cast of working actors, Tick Tock stars, comics and podcast hosts: LaChelle Allen, Brandy Bryant, April Monique Burrill, Jimmyo Burrill, Lilly Burrill, Candice Callins, Charles Chudabala, Rodney Damon Collins, Michael Coulombe, Lauren DeLeon, Vanessa Esparanza, Jonathan Freeman-Anderson, Sara Gaston, Katie Gordon, Nate Gordon, Joe Grisaffi, Josh Hutchinson, Betsy Johnson, Allison Michelle, Rory Ogden, Marco Antonio Parra, Anna Elena Pepe, Jake Red, Genoveva Rossi, Nailya Shakirova, Narlyia Sterling, Todd Stroik, and Cristina Vargas. Nasseri said he was “proud to work with such a strong group of diverse actors.” Inclusion has been a recurring theme in Nasseri’s films, with award winning shorts The Carting Call, and Seeking Valentina, already under his belt, Nasseri felt like this was the perfect vehicle for him as a director, editor and actor. The Central Authority is written by Dana Olita and Kristin West, directed by Armin Nasseri and Kristin West, and produced by Matt Chassin, Armin Nasseri, Dana Olita, Narlyia Sterling, Kristin West and Quarantini Productions. For more information go to https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12265464/ Visit us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheCentralAuthority/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/CentralAuth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_central_authority/ View the trailer here :https://youtu.be/Jy-PizHOKAQ https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jy-PizHOKAQ Contact Matt Chassin Matt’s Marketing, PR & Management Services ***@mattsmarketing.com Photos: https://www.prlog.org/12840658/1 https://www.prlog.org/12840658/2 https://www.prlog.org/12840658/3End |
Tag: Hollywood
Reflections On Quarantine Film Making
Today, I was reminded that art is alive and well. The Hollywood industrial process has been under tremendous pressure. The indie film world, also slowed, is still at work too, even though COVID remains with us. I say this because I’ve been judging the Quarantini Film Festival, a monthly fest founded by Dana Olita that supports and awards filmmakers making socially-distanced short films during this difficult time.
I have learned and been reminded of a few things while judging the Quarantini entries:
- Art finds a way. I’ve seen some great films submitted to Quarantini Film Festival. Where there’s a will, there is a way, even under un-ideal circumstances.
- Sometimes, constraints embolden our creativity. Doing a lot with a little is part-and-parcel of low budget film making, but the constraints indie filmmakers are creating under are unprecedented. I’ve seen amazing creative risks taken on screen in the last three rounds of the Quarantini Film Festival. Some hit and some missed the mark, but when business-as-usual goes out the window, we have to ask what’s possible. I’ve witnessed tremendous creativity under the pressure of the pandemic.
- The pandemic has many people committed to speaking their truth, directly or indirectly. I’ve seen heart-wrenching drama shorts, contemplative docu-dramas and wicked comedies that all hit home. All of us have a story to tell that’s part of this larger pandemic narrative.
The truth is many film festivals and the whole culture of film festivals going forward is uncertain. Theatrical exhibition is still difficult and frankly, unobtainable in many areas. Your larger press outlets like Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood reporter, et al, are only really covering the larger festivals that have film markets. That gives sort of skewed picture of the filmmaking landscape in general. Indie filmmaking is alive. Indie films are being shown. It may not be on a large screen, but you can get your work out there on online fests like Quarantini. Seize the moment. You’ll never know what you’ll learn, how you’ll grow or who you’ll impact.
Psst…Super Top Secret Sneak Peak!
Can you keep a secret?
Here’s some stills from my first round of interviews for Domain of Horror!
Debra’s interview will be on Domain of Horror on 1/9. Dawn’s will be up on 1/11 or catch them both on my YouTube channel on the evening of their release dates.
Behind Hollywood’s Stereotype Hype
Powerhouse producers & directors came on What Women Want Talk Radio to show us what more inclusive filmmaking can and should be. Listen to this compelling interview with the teams behind two successful films, Murder in the Woods and Seeking Valentina.
Not Just a Hollywood Problem
I’ve been thinking a lot about the state of women in the world. Hollywood was reeling over the avalanche of harassment and sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The #MeToo hashtag is near-constant in my various feeds. I am saddened. I keep asking myself, “How do I take action?” And more importantly, how to take action that reverbs beyond just Hollywood?
I see Saudi women claiming their right to drive and wanting more of the rights that we in the USA take for granted. There’s been significant action to stop child-marriage in India. Men are expressing remorse, sympathy and solidarity for the women brave enough to tell world their “Me Too”. There IS progress.
I had a conversation with Nada Nasserdeen of Rise Up For You this morning. It will be up soon. We discussed so many things and one of the things that came up was the pay gap. What Harvey Weinstein did was horrible, and once the headlines fade on this, we still have to keep pushing for economic equality. Abuse of power is intimately tied to money. Having money does not give you the right to abuse other people. One of the things that stands out about the Harvey Weinstein debacle was how he was perceived as a “golden goose” to quote Scott Rosenberg, a long-time associate. If you haven’t read Rosenberg’s comments, read it. Weinstein’s ability to make box office money left him unchecked. Considering how little progress has been made to include more women in the decision-making process of commercial film and television, it’s no wonder that he would-be-Harvey-s would feel invincible.
How do we move forward beyond this week?
- Reach out to a woman in entertainment and let her know you support her. Let her know that you care.
- Go to a play or movie directed or produced by a woman. Support women in the arts. There’s an old maxim that “You’re only as good as your last picture.” Let’s support women making art.
- Do not tolerate bad behavior, “locker room talk” or any action that demeans a woman or girl at home, work or school.
- Support women globally, especially to empower them economically. A threat to women’s freedoms anywhere compromises women’s freedom everywhere. One of my favorite ways to do this is by funding a micro-loan on Kiva.
This is about more than the transgressions of one man. There are more Harvey-s in every industry, every country. This is not just a Hollywood problem. It’s a power imbalance that manifests everywhere from gilded Hollywood to the most humble villages on earth. As long as the pay gap is tolerable to the majority, women will still be a minority, even if women outnumber men.
Matt’s Management Raises Money for Houston
My talent manager Matt Chassin has glowing testimonials on his website and if you’ve ever met Matt, you’d see why. In honor of his upcoming milestone birthday, Matt is raising funds for Habitat for Humanity of Houston.
Happy Birthday, Matt!
It’s so important to support Houston at this time with funds to trusted charities like Habitat for Humanity. If you’d like to understand how funds do more than donations of items, please check out this article.
Check out Matt’s fundraiser on Facebook!
Catching Up with Ace Michaels
My friend Ace Michaels has been slaying with his online talk show on Facebook. During my recent trip to Las Vegas, I got the chance to sit down and catch up with Ace.
Check it out!
Hollywood Dreams Announces Nominees
I am very honored that Seeking Valentina, a short film which I produced with Armin Nasseri, has garnered two nominations at this year’s Hollywood Dreams International Film Festival, including BEST SHORT & BEST VISUAL EFFECTS. Our film screens later this week, in Las Vegas. Want to catch it in Vegas? See here.
Hollywood Dreams calls itself,
“A blend of new classic world film, hospitality, industry connections and of course a hearty brand of distributors, buyers, audience and special guests will round out what is sure to become a major stop in the vein of top U.S. and international film events.”
For a full list of nominees for this year’s Hollywood Dreams International Film Festival, click here. Congratulations to our cast and crew, whose talents and efforts continue to receive world-wide acclaim and many thanks to Del Weston and Theresa Weston, the founders of Hollywood Dreams Film Festival.
Development Hell
If you’re an industry person, you may have heard this term or used it–development hell. Development hell refers to the often chaotic, messy, frustrating business of getting a script ready to go into pre-production. No script comes to a producer perfect and camera ready.
Draft 1
We like the script, but there are few things that we need to change. Here is what we want changed: add this character, expand another character, take away the annoying mom character–and can you get this down to 90 pages?
Draft 2
This wasn’t what we had in mind. You know, I had this really great idea for some comic relief at the beginning, since it’s a heavy drama…
Draft 3
This is a mess.
Draft 4
Why is the subplot so much more interesting than the main plot? Should we go a different direction?
Draft 5
We should go a different direction.
Draft 6
Is this too political?
Draft 7
It’s coming together, but we need to find a compelling role for (insert expensive actor’s name here).
Draft 8
Repeat process, starting above.
Churchill said,
“If you’re going through hell, keep on going.”
Hollywood’s Problem Starts in High School
The success of Wonder Woman and the live action Beauty and the Beast has generated a great deal of discussion about women in cinema and woman-centric narrative. A Variety article pointed out, though, that despite record box office, women, “made up only 7 percent of all directors working on the 250 highest-grossing domestic releases in 2016. That represented a decline of two percentage points from the year before.” Without getting too heady or too political, I need to point out that women’s narratological problems start off long before a screenplay gets optioned by the studios and directors are hired. It starts in high school, with the ways we are taught narrative structure.
Reeling in Our Focus
There are so many distractions. Sometimes, in our hectic lives, we have competing priorities, which can make focusing even harder. This past week on What Women Want Talk Radio, Judy Goss and I had guests Christine Hassler and Nancy Ganzekaufer, who coached us on how to make our lives more reflective of our deeply held priorities. If you’ve been overwhelmed by your to-do list or suffering from a bad case of analysis paralysis, you’ll find the candor of Christine and Nancy refreshing.
Behind the Scenes of The Litch
This week, I got to have a fun part in The Litch, directed by James Balsalmo of Acid Bath Productions. It was a high-spirited, improvisational shoot. Coming out later this year, the film also stars Tom Sizemore, the legendary Lloyd Kaufman and fellow scream queen Genoveva Rossi. James is creative, collaborative and fun and I told our manager Matt Chassin that he was like the “Christopher Guest of horror”. This is sure to be a fun horror comedy.
Armin Nasseri of Seeking Valentina fame was also on-hand helping with our scene. It was great to have his positive energy there. I can’t wait to see it debut on the big screen later this year!
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Kristin West 