Note on The Films of Brian Schwartz

If you'd like to SEE these films, they are available on DVD! Each film contains deleted scenes, bloopers, and commentaries by Brian Schwartz and Donald Holden that give insight into the making of these fine films.

Meet the Cast! (Part II)

Donald Holden (Science Officer Paul Wesch): This is Donald's first role since "Spanish Superheroes." Brian saw a genuine knack for excellent comedic timing in his crazy friend, and the two have been working on films together since the beginning – he even helped think of the name "No Budget Productions." His first role was the starring role in "Spatial Geometry," which was highly praised for his various facial expressions and physical comedy. He returned to the film scene a few months later with a supporting role in "The Wasted Years of David Cash," as a friend of the main character. Of his elaborate costume, he said, "I look very right-wing!"

His next role was the long-time collaboration with Brian in the "1-800 Collect Commerical," in which he starred as the crazed man making sure that you dial collect. He once again took part as a crazy man with his part as the annoying movie-goer in Brian's "Movie Theater PSA," of which he and Michael Sohn won "Best Acting" for. He terrorized Brian's brother Daniel in the "Horror Movie," as the knife-weilding, hooded killer. He also starred in Michael Sohn's "Hunger," in which he played a man on the run to a Stop & Shop to buy groceries. He returned under the helm of Brian to once again star in "Music Legends: Jarred Blunderstone," finally bringing a long-used character into the spotlight – to hilarious results! His ability to improv all dialogue as well as a song number for nearly 20 minutes has proven his talent beyond anything, and as a result has been suggested to that he seek out some form of acting in college, so far of which he has not. He returned for one more role near the summer – a small but hilarious role in "Spanish Superheroes," in which he played Donaldo, the suspect in a missing toilet case.

That summer, Donald proved he could do much more than act. He brought out into the open to Brian a near-finished script for "Evan Friday." With some help from Brian, the script was finished and shooting began. When Brian and Donald worked together, acting and directing each other, things went smoothly. Unfortunately, other cast members who were unwilling to do the job have left this project unfinished. The footage still remains on Brian's computer. This summer Donald makes his long-awaited return as Paul Wesch, a serious but naive memeber of Captain Mortensen's team. The role will make use of Donald's brian and always perfect comedic timing. Donald has receieved praise from everyone for his work. "He's an absolute genius in everything he's done. He's so easy to work with and seems to know exactly what you want. He makes filming easy and I'm absolutely delighted to be working with him again this summer," said his friend and director Brian Schwartz.

Meet the Cast! (Part III)

Michael Sohn (Lieutenant Alan Hammond): Michael Sohn is one of the most professional, hard-working actors/directors on the scene. His debut role was in Brian's "Movie Theater PSA," as a nice movie-goer forced to put up with a rude one. Michael won "Best Acting" alongside Donald Holden. Michael directed his first film, "Hunger," not long after. "Hunger" was a music video set to the song "Chariots of Fire," in which Donald Holden walks home to discover that there's absolutely NO food left in the house! With just $20, Donald runs from home to the local Stop & Shop to correct matters. Michael employed another talent, Brian Schwartz, to film, edit, and pitch ideas in, all of which ran smoothly and efficiently. The film is now being shown as an example of a good music video in future film classes. All proceeds in ticket sales go to the Michael Sohn Foundation. Michael is looking forward to a bigger role this summer, when he plays a supporting but still integral part of the Captain's team. "Michael is very professional, knows exactly what he wants, and isn't afraid to bust a few heads open to get it," says Brian Schwartz. "He was a pleasure to direct and be directed by. I look forward to working with him again very much!"

Steven Benassi (Commander Elias Issaneb): Steven Benassi has done little work for No Budget Productions, unfortunately. He was the driver of Ian Cash's (Brian Schwartz) BMW with the license plate "AZZ KISSR" for "The Wasted Years of David Cash." He is very excited about playing a supporting role this summer, especially a scene with Brian that spoofs an episode of Seinfeld that the two have fondly quoted together many times. Of his friend, Brian says, "I always wanted to do more with Steven in my films, but I could never find the right part, which I know was disappointing for both of us, because I've always wanted to work with him. I'm very excited to finally get that chance this summer. We're going to have so much fun!"

Meet the Cast! (Part I)

As promised, here are the up and coming cast profiles, along with some details on the characters they play, starting with myself:

Brian Schwartz (Captain Jack Mortensen): This upcoming project will be Brian Schwartz's first film in almost a year, since he has been attending SUNY Purchase majoring in Cinema Studies. His first job was as a cameraman on Donald Holden's (see next profile) Spanish film, "El Pepino Encurtido." A love of film inspired Brian to make his own movies, as well as learn more about the ones he loves so much. In his senior year of high school at NVRHS Demarest, he took Film Production under Mrs. Michelle Gannon.

His debut film, in which he directed and acted in a surprise cameo, "Spatial Geometry," was praised for its ability to turn the simple task of doing homework into something fun with clever acting, cinematography, camera set ups, and an over-the-top score. His next project was a small one, in which the filmmaker films five close ups of an object, disguising what it is, and revealing it in the final shot. He chose a shower curtain, which was not guessed until the final shot. Unfortunately, the film had to be deleted due to a shortage of hard drive space. His next film was a solo project that he directed and starred in, along with his two cats, Bob and Baby. In "Brian's Biography," incorporated his various interests into one set, as well as parallel action of his then sport, boxing. His next project in which he costarred was a difficult one. Instead of being allowed to work more freely, a topic was given for the next film, which put more restrictions on the film. Brian considers this film, "The Wasted Years of David Cash," one of his lesser efforts due to time constraints, cold weather, and an overly sentimental and even slightly cliched tone, despite top notch performances, a killer soundtrack, and a couple interesting scenes.

Brian felt down, but he was certainly not out. He made a stellar comeback with the "1-800 Commercial," a spoof of all those crazy commercials, in which he costarred and directed. The project was a long-time idea with friend Donald Holden (the two made an audio version some years ago), filled with laughs and injokes galore. Brian and Donald both consider this to be their personal favorites, and it is being shown as an example for future film classes when they get the assignment. His next film was just as good. Directing and providing a voice-over narration, Brian made his "Movie Theater Public Service Announcement" about a topic that is close to him – behavior in movie theaters, of which he feels there is a lack of these days. The film spoofs the rudest of rude movie-goers. For their efforts, the film was nominated for best PSA. Donald Holden and Michael Sohn won the "Best Acting" award among the class, and is also being shown as a good example of a PSA in future classes. The reward was not an Oscar, but a Nerds Rope. Brian's next film was more experimental. "Horror Film" showed the same film (a horror spoof) three times in a row, to different music each time, thereby creating a different mood for the film. It was nominated for best film but lost. Brian took a break from directing to film, edit, and cameo on Michael Sohn's masterpiece music video, "Hunger." Brian submitted some ideas to Michael, some of which were used. Together, they finished filming in just a few hours, and edited the film in just two. The music video is being shown in future classes as yet another good example

One of his proudest accomplishments came in the form of another long-time idea with Donald Holden. Donald created a vapid British rock star named Jarred Blunderstone, much to the amusement of Brian. The two decided to turn this into a mockumentary, a la "Spinal Tap." "Music Legends: Jarred Blunderstone" had Brian "interviewing" Jarred, played by Donald. It was a major success amongst close friends and family among Brian, but in the classroom, there were not as many laughs as hoped for. For a short time, this seemed like it was the end of his career, since the year was almost up. There was one more project to be made, however. In his Spanish class, he worked with three friends to make "Spanish Superheroes," a film that incorporated all the terms and vocabulary learned in the year, along with top-notch humor and editing (at least in THAT class). Brian took a small part to focus more on directing and editing. Since Brian is confessed to being a terrible Spanish student, he was indebted to his colleagues for their help. All of these projects were given an A or A+, and it seemed for sure that a legacy had come to a close...but their was one more surprise. He, along with one other student in his film class, was surpised to be awarded the 2004 Film Production Award for his collective filmography. Going on the stage and accepting the award made him feel that it was like "winning an Oscar." Sadly, there were no acceptance speeches (I'll write one later, how about THAT?!)

With his career over for the time being, Brian turned to help his dear friend and colleague Donald on a film of his own, that he would assist in the script, costar, and co-direct. "Evan Friday" was an idea long in the making amongst Brian and Donald's group of friends. Brian and Donald eagerly participated in the filming process, but unfortunately, an unwilling and stubborn cast has left the film unfinished, never to be seen.

In his upcoming film, Brian plays Captain Jack Mortensen, the leader of a small group of soldiers out to find a creature that is wreaking havoc upon history. Upon finally making another movie, he has said, "I'm so glad to finally be getting back into the director's chair again...not that I ever had one in the first place."

A General Outline of the Plot

As promised, here is the next post about the general plot of the movie. The film opens in a small, homely town by the waterfront. At night, a married man is killed by a creature from the future who then takes his form. The next day, four men arrive to the past as well to stop the creature from wreaking havoc on history, though they do not know how he'll do it! The first half is more light-hearted and comedic, while the second half gets much more dramatic but still retains a small amount of humor. Meanwhile, the creature, now disguised as the married man, goes home to a wife who grows more concerned with her husband's odd behavior as time goes on. That's all for now! I will not be posting the script, since who would really be that dumb? :D In the next post, I'll introduce you to the cast and the characters they play to give you a better perspective on the film.

Welcome to Film Production Diaries!

Welcome to Film Production Diaries! This blog will chronicle the making of a film that I will be doing with my friends this summer. From the first day of filming to the final day of editing, I will post a nearly daily synopsis of what happens when making a film – what it's like working with the cast on and off the screen, trying to lay out my vision for a scene, making a scene work, and much, much more. Right now, I am finishing the final touches of the script that I hope to get out to the cast this week. In upcoming blogs before filming begins, I'll tell you about the plot and introduce you to the cast. If you've ever been interested in how a film is put together without the conveniences of Hollywood money and technology, this blog is for you!