With You

Last May I sat down to write what would be my next project.  At the time "With Her" had a different title and it was to be my first feature film.  When I think about how some of those things have changed (it's now a short based on that feature film) and how far we've come, I can only smile.  I have two people who from the beginning believed that this is a film worth making.  I have three wonderful actors who believe in the script and want to bring these characters to life.  Our "film family" has grown and it will continue to grow with the addition of other crew members and people who will take on different roles.  Personally, one of the aspects of filmmaking I love is the fact that a group of people have to come together to make it happen.  It takes one idea, that's true, but it takes a group, a team, working collectively to make it a reality.

Films are very difficult to make, that's a fact and we all understand that.  When a studio doesn't back you, filmmakers have to find different ways to get their project going.  I think that my deep seeded love for independent cinema comes from that.  If you've seen an independent film, the first thing you probably notice is that their budget isn't very big.  I notice it too.  I also notice that when I leave the theatre after watching an independent film, I feel very much connected to it.  Why? Well because the stories are usually very real, the characters and their situations are real.  There is something humanistic about them.  Don't get me wrong I love big blockbusters too and I can have that humanistic connection to them also (The Dark Knight, for example).  What I'm saying is that with independent cinema, the essence of filmmaking is still there within view.  That essence is the need to tell a story, whatever it may be.  It's not just about big explosions, sexy girls, fast cars and one liners.  "With Her", is that story. 

When we (Kris, Emer and I) sat down to talk about how we could make this happen we decided to do it in true independent cinema style and use a very grassroots method.  Crowd Funding.  This is where we ask the people around us who love film and are passionate about art to help us raise the funds and become a part of something amazing.  We want you to have a hand in the making of the film.  We want you to be a part of our team.  Not only will you be supporting Torontonian filmmakers, you'll be supporting Canadian filmmakers.  That's something we can all be proud of.  What do you have to do?  It's easy, on our blogspot home page we have a Donate button (you can see it, to the right, as you read this), all you have to do is click on it and give what you can.  Five dollars, ten dollars, twenty.  Every little bit helps.  How wonderful would it be if in the next week one hundred people donated ten dollars, that's $1000.00!!!  Not only would it be wonderful but it would be truly inspiring.  Thank you very much for your support.  We look forward to having you as a part of your team.

Gerson J. Peña
Writer/Director
"With Her"

Welcome To Thebes

On Wednesday April 13th, Gerson and I had the privilege of attending a play at the Ryerson Theater School entitled, 'Welcome To Thebes'. The play stars our own Rebecca Liddiard as Antigone, in a story of modern drama and primeval tragedy. Naturally, being lovers of stories and theatrical productions we were thrilled to be invited to watch the show. It has been some time since Gerson or I have been to the theater, and that made us even more curious and excited about going to this play! If you haven't been to the Ryerson Theater School, it's located in what can be considered the main campus area of the school at Gerrard and Church Street in Toronto. It's an older building, with loads of character and as we wound our way up to the top floor of the building we peeked into the other studios to find rehearsals and productions happening within. The whole place oozes creativity, and once we found ourselves upstairs we realized that not only had the production started, but we would have to enter the performance area WITH the actors on cue, and slip into our seats. Embarrassed and energized, Gerson and I waited behind costumed actors who were already deeply into their characters. We agreed that we didn't want to get swept onto stage, that would only make matters worse. We would follow like shadowy ninjas, and appear in our seats without a trip. The usher gave us the go ahead, and as we moved forward we could hear the actors in front of us shouting (they were evidently Bodyguards), and this drew the maximum amount of attention. Without any of the smoothness we had planned on, Gerson and I bumbled over people, blocked views and generally confused folk to the point that some thought we were a part of the show! Once we were seated, the real fun began and we were wonderfully wowed!

The costumes were great and in some cases they signified a character so boldly that the director was able to have two or three actors play the role of a particular character for a portion of the play. For example three male actors played the role of Theseus. A few props helped the action along, but all in all the play was very minimal leaving the drama to the actors and their character sketches. An androgynous gypsy witch, commandos, a general, politicians, bodyguards, pissed off teenagers, romantics and a gamut of characters exploded off of each other for two hours of incredible!  There we a lot of over the shoulder comments between Gerson and I, mainly comprising of; 'this is amazing!', 'holy shit!', and 'isn't Rebecca terrific!'. The actors created an enthralling atmosphere where the days of ancient Athenians melded with that of our modern day telling a story of wounded pride, loyalty and progress.

Rebecca's character of Antigone was a conflicted and deeply emotional girl, ensnared in the political turmoil of the time, and at the same time dealing with her own dramas of love and loyalty. Her expressions conveyed her emotions long before her dialogue, and as her character was pushed further and further to the limits, so too was the performance. Rebecca and her character were reminiscent to that of a toiling Hamlet, lost in a sea of bureaucratic brew-ha while trying to honor his father, so too was Antigone looking for a proper burial for Polynices. Gerson and I were so proud and amazed with Rebecca's performance that we truly can't wait to see what she does with Sophia.

We left the Theater School energized and excited once again, talking about our favorite parts, and how much we are looking forward to seeing more theater as well as the rehearsals for 'With Her'. This week, we begin our first cast rehearsals with Joseph, Taylor, and Rececca. We will keep you posted on how it's all going, and I know that I'll be writing another rave review for our actors before too long (:

Kristopher Finnigan
Producer
With Her

Say Hello To Our Little Cast...

Wow! It's been a little bit since we last posted, things got a little crazy with casting and other aspects of our pre-production process.  The good news is that EKG Films is moving right along with our production of "With Her".  We're ecstatic about how far we've come in our journey to making this picture.  We're about two months away from shooting and things are getting more and more exciting.  As the writer/director of the film I'm more excited than anybody else, although I think Kris and Emer would argue against that.  We're also looking forward to continuing to blog about our process, you know the ups,downs and hurdles of filmmaking.  As we all know with any type of art the final product never comes easy but the feeling of having something completed that you've put your time, effort, and love into is amazing.  Alright enough small talk onto our first big update...


We have our principle cast!  After an arduous screening process and having the difficult task of choosing who would play William, Sophia, and Matthew.  We've made our decision and we're extremely happy to have these three wonderful actors who have not only impressed us with their acting but have demonstrated a great passion for their craft and a sincere love for the script (again as the writer of the film, I can not express the joy that I got from the very nice comments that were made about the script) and the project as whole.  We're all really excited to get going!  So with out delaying any further I would like to introduce to all of you the three actors who will be breathing life into the characters of William, Sophia, and Matthew.  Ladies first, as always...

Rebecca Liddiard is a current alum of Ryerson University (Performance: Acting program).  In her young career she has been a part of an array of theatre, t.v. and film productions.  Not only can she act but she has training in dancing and has recently been certified to do stage combat (how cool is that!).  I couldn't have asked for anyone better to play the role of Sophia and I look forward to working with Rebecca and seeing her bring something special to the role.

Next we have our William, Joseph Murray.  Joseph is a graduate of drama and music from the University of Guelph.  He has also been involved with various productions which include both theater and film.  Aside from being a good actor, Joseph will bring a cool softness to the character that we look forward to seeing.  He will be the perfect compliment to Rebecca and I know their on screen chemistry will not only by great but a joy to watch.

Our Matthew. Taylor Davis is a bit of seasoned actor.  He spent sometime in New York where he was a part of various theatre productions and also did some teaching in improvisational acting.  He has comedic acting experience and he's ready to bring some of those acting chops to a more dramatic role.  Taylor will bring that subtle wisdom and wonderful wit that will make Matthew a really great and endearing character.

So there you have it folks, our principle cast.  Aren't they great?  Again on behalf of EKG Films, we're really happy to have these three amazing people on board with us on this project and we look forward to making a great film.  Until the next blog, which won't take as long to post.  We promise!

Gerson
Writer/Director
With Her