Welcome to the team

In a bit of last minute excitement we had to recast Sarah today. Sometimes unexpected challenges lead to wonderful opportunities. Our new Sarah is Paige Friedman. I met Paige when I was a reader during auditions for another project back in February. She was fantastic and I thought, "Someday I'm going to work with her." Today is that day. Well, the day after tomorrow.

Paige Friedman is a recent Acting BFA graduate of Boston University's College of Fine Arts. Some theatre credits include Neoptolemus in Philoctetes, Catherine of Aragon in Women of Henry VIII, and Cassandra in new play Pygmalia. Film credits include Something About Her, Les Miserables College Parody, and Francis and Sally Mae are Missing. Thanks to Aaron, Kris, friends, family, and Boston University.

Creating Costumes

We are two weeks out from the start of shooting and everyone is busy as a bee. Charlotte Dore, who is playing Esther, has taken charge of building her own costume. We got a sneak peek the other day at how it is going.

Hit the ground running

Preproduction is in full swing. Props are being purchased. Costumes are being built. Locations are being secured. Rehearsals are being scheduled. Shot lists and storyboards are being drawn up. Gear is being tested. We are three weeks out from the start of shooting. My to do list is a mile long, but it is full of things I really enjoy doing.

If you would like a little entertainment in the meantime, Killer got accepted into the American Online Film Awards. You can watch and vote for it here.

https://americanonlinefilmawards.org/film/14S85rgdns

In the meantime some exciting news

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our fundraising campaign. The current total stands at $4,350 and I have taken in all the checks for the charitable donations so they should clear your banks soon. It is hard for me to describe how honored I am that you all believe in the project enough to actually share your hard earned money with us.

Most of our attention these days has been going to locations. There is a lot of bureaucracy that I won't bore you with. Suffice it to say, it's a process and we're working our way through it.

In the meantime, I've had some very exciting news about a past project. Killer, made in my first semester at BU, has just been picked up by a regional PBS station to air as part of a shorts showcase. The show TVFilm will have its sixth season starting in June. I don't have the broadcast dates yet, I will be shouting them from the rooftops as soon as I know.

Location Scouting

About two thirds of Ghost Tours is set on Esther's front step. It is her spot along the tour and also where Sarah likes to go when she needs a break from the pressures of school. So it is important that we find the right location. There are a lot of things that go into what makes a spot "right."

Marketing Sarah's Business

One of the interesting things about having a character who is running her own business is that her business needs just as much attention paid to the marketing as the film does. You might have noticed this in the background of the blog, but have a better look at our first draft of Sarah's logo.

First Audition Announcement

We are in the middle of the casting process for the five principle players. It's a bit earlier than usual, but I would like to have the time to get the word around the Boston community of actors so that we can find people who really fit. Also there are costume considerations for a couple of the parts. The sooner we get them cast the sooner we can have the costume designer working with a real person, and more specifically a real person's sizes.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in the following parts please use the contact form to the right, or send an email to gtmithesis@gmail.com with Ghost Tours Auditions in the subject line.

The Core Team

The key to good filmmaking is having a good team. It is also what makes filmmaking so much fun. It might start as one person's idea, but the end result is so much more than that. The collaboration is not only between the director and the actors, though certainly the actors have a huge contribution to make. Well before the actors are even selected, people are joining the team who will have a incredible impact on the final product. It is important to put together a team that is talented, invested in the story being told, and is easy to work with. The first few key people can make or break a film.

Here is who we have so far:

Welcome to Ghost Tours

In these days of high definition cameras on all our phones and iMovie or MovieMaker on all our laptops, it has become very easy to make a movie. However it is still just as difficult to make a good one. My goal for 2014 is to make one of the good ones.

Welcome to the production blog of Ghost Tours.

Sarah is a woman so caught up in school, work, and trying to figure things out that she misses life going on around her. Only when she opens her eyes to the magic of the world can she really determine the course of her life. 

What is going to make this film different from previous Heron Media films?