Old Loyal Films

Been a Long Time, Shoodinah Left You.

October 20th, 2011 No Comments

So since the blog was last updated, we were just wrapping up. I hope to post quite a bit more from now on, making this the official go-to for information about Old Loyal Films and its future projects, as well as, “Fantastic Confabulations.” And speaking of, FanCon (as it’s been dubbed and formerly known as “Half Empty”) has been accepted to several film festivals and just last week, won the Go Local Audience Choice Award from the Tacoma Film Festival and the Director’s Choice 1st Runner-up from the Gig Harbor Film Festival. For the most part, reviews have been kind.

Just Kidding!

July 17th, 2010 No Comments

David "Harley" Harlos

Okay, so we’re not actually done with the movie yet. We’re shooting on weekends until August. We’re reshooting a bunch of stuff and grabbing some pick ups. The cast and crew all seem happy to be back together, but I think we’re all ready to bang this out and finish her up.

We were here until late last night and I think we’re going until 6 tonight. Last night was pretty cool because we had an ambulance and a water gag (fake rain). That was fun to see, because I’d never seen Hollywood rain in person before. It was tough finding a good place to stand where you wouldn’t get soaked, though.

Hollywood rain gag over the car and ambulance.

Even though it’s mid-July, by sundown it was pretty cold outside. Not exactly the perfect weather I had in mind, but we made it work.

Hood mount.

Right now they’re rigging the car with a hood mount for the camera. It should be pretty cool. We just shot a scene with the car driving literally just inches pass the camera. I don’t think I was the only one that was nervous, but I can’t confirm that. Heh.

Andrew Finnigan just showed a few of us a clip with some scoring by this really great musician. The effect was beautiful, I can’t wait to see/hear it all finished! Oh! Big news! The movie is no longer Half Empty (working title), it’s now: Fantastic Confabulations!

I love it. I also love these photos that Producer Rick Walters took of all the action.

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That’s a Wrap

June 1st, 2010 1 Comment

This is a difficult blog post to write, because I want to give it all of the weight it truly deserves. Bear with me.

People have been razzing me about not posting more often, but part of the reason is that I feel like a broken record: I just want to keep saying that I adore all of these people I’ve been working with for months now, and I really believe in the movie we’ve been giving our all to create together.

Each person that has worked on this production has such a unique personality and area of expertise. Each person has been invaluable to the project. There may have been arguments (*cough* or fights *cough* and there sure were) here and there , but at the end of the day we were all sad to say goodbye (truly). Our heavy hearts are only tempered by the promise to work with each other again, and by the prospect of an amazing film we’ll all be thrilled to claim we worked on together.

Personally, I’m so grateful to have been given the chance to prove myself as an actor in a film that I honestly believe in. The whole process has been a labor of love, and I know the rest of the cast and crew share my sentiment.

There are photos pouring onto Facebook, so check out the page here and please share your photos and stories with all of us. Thank you to everyone who made this a dream come true! A special thank you to Andrew Finnigan for having the determination and skills to make this happen for all of us. You’ve done something truly “delightful.”

Much love — Carollani

Drew Koshar, Don Dees & Matt Bergman unwind and toast to the success of our amazing movie.

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Long Hours

May 28th, 2010 No Comments

Yesterday we finished up a scene wherein a lot of the cast have dinner together. The home really lent itself to a really beautiful look on camera. Everyone did their part!

From L to R: Andrew Finnigan, David Harlos, Scott Waters, William Michael Paul, Darlene Sellers, Victoria Drake at "family dinner"

We got a little behind yesterday, but I think we really kicked ass today. We got a whole lot done. Outdoors, even! No rain, thank god, and the light didn’t fluctuate too much. We pulled off a whole 12 hours today, and I’m freaking beat. The cast was amazing, and the digs were pretty posh. Comfiest green room yet!

Andrew Finnigan, David Harlos & Darlene Sellers getting all "Forrest Gump"

Everyone pitched in to pull of the majority of our outdoor scenes, and we even got a little football in. I could probably tell you some funny stories, but I’m too tired to remember them.

Peace out!

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Spring In Gig Harbor

May 26th, 2010 No Comments

Well, we certainly don’t want for beauty! Our location yesterday and today is the most charming french country home with the most absolutely perfectly tended gardens. I fancy myself a bit of a gardener, but this is way out of my skill-set. Maybe I’ll get there someday. It’s just so beautiful I can hardly stand it.

Location, location, location!

Our Carvers have arrived! William Michael Paul and Victoria Drake are playing Mike and Grace Carver, and doing a fantastic job at it. They’re a joy to have on set and they’re making it look easy in front of the camera. Today we tackle on of the longest scenes in the script, so we’ll need their expertise to help things go smoothly.

Darlene Sellers and William Michael Paul

Donut update: No big boxes of donuts yet, but there were two bags of Hostess Donettes. Those are a lot easier to not eat due to the 100% lack of moisture and taste. Yeah!

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The Beginning of the End

May 25th, 2010 1 Comment

Tomorrow we begin our very last week of filming, and I have mixed emotions about it. I’m excited to get back to work and to see all of the cast and crew again, but I’m sad that we’re about to wrap it all up for good.

We’re going to be shooting in Gig Harbor for most of the week, so the surroundings will be beautiful. I heard that the house we’ll be at tomorrow had a spread of their garden shed in one of those fancy home and garden magazines, so that’ll be gorgeous. I promise to take pictures.

Memorial Day will be our final day of filming and we’ll be at King’s Books in Tacoma again. We need lots of kids as extras, so come on down at 9am if you’ve got a youngin’ ages 8-12ish. Plan on a 4-5 hour block of time.

I have to be asleep in two and a half hours if I want to be bright eyed and bushy tailed tomorrow, so I better make sure I’m all ready for everything.

I hope to be back with pictures next time!

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A Wrap On April

April 27th, 2010 No Comments

Yesterday we wrapped up our April production at Posh Home in Tacoma. The store is absolutely beautiful, and we all felt pretty lucky to be able to shoot there. Lucky and nervous–if we could have wrapped our bodies and equipment in bubble wrap to keep from breaking anything I think we would have; however, we managed to film a whole day in there without one incident!

The surroundings were beautiful, the performances were great (by principles AND extras), and we had a good time. Stu introduced me to Frisko Freeze, which was near where we were shooting, and omg. I have to admit that Frisko Freeze beats Dick’s Burgers hands-down. Well done Tacoma.

I keep saying this, but it’s so true: it just keeps getting better. We’re like family now, and we tease each other, maybe even yell at each other, but at the end of the day we really just love each other. I really do adore the crew of this Half Empty production. We only have one week of filming left, and it’s going to happen in just a few weeks. I can’t wait to see everyone again and wrapping on the production will be incredibly bittersweet.

Until next time, I’m going to leave you with a few choice photos and the promise for more backstage scoop in the future. xoxo – Carollani

Don Dees, Half Empty MVP

Posh Home set. Crew at work.

Submitted without comment. (Matt, Rachael & Drew)

JENSEN! (aka Jason Gutz)

(Most of us have been posting photos of the production on Facebook, but I’m going to look into finding some way to display those photos in an intuitive way somehow on the blog. Stay tuned.)

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The Best Part of the Movie: ME!

April 25th, 2010 No Comments

I finally have time to tell you how things have been going since we started (free wifi on set), hurray! Answer is: great. I feel like it just gets better as we (the cast and crew) grow more familiar with each other.

Carollani cheeses for the camera.

Yesterday I finally got to flex my acting muscles for everyone, and to be honest… I was nervous! I didn’t expect that I’d get a rush of adrenaline and forget a YEAR of preparation in the very first shot. Luckily, my nerves calmed and I feel like I did a pretty good job for the remaining scenes. It was a ton of fun, and it really just solidified my resolve to be an actor. I love it! I wish I had more to do, but I only have one scene left and we’re not filming it until next month. I need to get myself a leading role in something… Andrew? Heh.

Besides the acting, it was great to get my hair and makeup done by the amazing Rachael Wagoner. She did amazing things with my hair. I’ve literally never had such fancy hair. And the fake lashes still haven’t come off. I couldn’t waste all that fanciness, so I went out to a dinner and movie and was up a little too late. I’m feeling it today.

Today we’re trucking along, even on our rationed craft services. Maya and Harley are doing a great job in their scenes. Maya has this fantastic intense energy that really pulls you in to whatever she’s talking about. I think she’s going to be a great Adrienne in the movie.

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Earth Day Outside

April 23rd, 2010 No Comments

What a great day to start out our week of shooting this month. It was apropos that we shoot outdoors all day, since it is Earth Day and all. It’s a little weird that there has been at least one holiday (or Nationally recognized day) during each week of shooting we’ve done, but it’s also kinda cool.

We spent the day at the Fircrest golf course, and despite it being a bit chilly, it was beautiful for most of the day. It didn’t rain! The sun even came out for a while (much to the chagrin of the DP).

Rachael, Carollani & Harley mashin' in the golf cart!

Dennis Fitzpatrick & Andy Tribolini

The actors were “golfing” for the scenes and Andy was giving Dennis some last minute lessons on how to swing his club. I sure could use the training too, but maybe another time…

Spirits were light all day and I think it’s safe to say we all had a good time. We got a little behind schedule and didn’t get to one scene, but we’ll figure out a way to make it up later. The actors were fantastic, and everyone was on point. Jared got a great haircut. The lunch from craft services was even stellar. I have to say it was a good day.

Tomorrow we’re outside again and I think it’s supposed to be a little warmer, so I’m excited about that. And now I know to wear a ton of layers! I’ll be acting on Saturday and Sunday… FINALLY! Yay! I’m ready for my close-up Mr. Finnigan!

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We’re Totally Making a Movie

March 23rd, 2010 1 Comment

Andrew Forderer Andrew Finnigan Chris Taylor

Holy crap! Our director, Andrew Finnigan, just emailed out a super rough cut of one of the scenes we shot last week, and …wow. I think the movie making process might be a little like making sausage… it may be a little unpleasant along the way, but the end result can be quite delicious.

I can now say that I believe with my whole being that this film is going to be great. I had high hopes, but they were based mostly on my faith in the project and how great the script was, but now I have proof. It’s true. This movie is going to kick ass.

Harley and Darlene

Major props must be given to actors David “Harley” Harlos and Darlene Sellers who really brought the page to life in a very difficult scene. It’s hard when you’re watching the monitor and hearing “cut!” over and over to know if the camera is really capturing the essence of what it’s about, but seeing it cut together was really awesome. Great job, guys!

I cannot wait for us to finish this up and show it off. Seriously, I’m so excited right now that I might burst.

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Old Loyal Films | Blog

Making movies and blogging the process along the way.

Been a Long Time, Shoodinah Left You.

Just Kidding!

That’s a Wrap

Long Hours

Spring In Gig Harbor

The Beginning of the End

A Wrap On April

The Best Part of the Movie: ME!

Earth Day Outside

We’re Totally Making a Movie

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Making movies and blogging the process along the way.

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