Almost finished . . .

It has been a long time since our last update. However, don't let that fool you into thinking Circuit had dropped off the planet. No, the film has been moving in high gear over recent months, with everything from title credits to visual effects to sound mixing and scoring taking place. We're getting close to the finish line. Roughly 50% of visual effects are complete, and they are looking great. 

All signs point to a mid-November completion. Then, the fun begins . . . festival entries.

At long last . . . a new trailer

Hi everyone,

Well, it's a few months late, but we finally got the new trailer up on the website. We've been so focused on cutting the actual movie that the trailer got back-burnered a bit. But, it's now up and ready to be viewed. Click on the headline above to go directly to the website.

That's all for now.

-Ben

Post-production update

Hi everyone,

We have been really bad at updating. That's what editing does. Many apologies . . .

We've burned the movie out to DVD a couple times at this point. Just for us to watch outside the editing booth. It makes a world of difference to sit in the comfort of your own home and watch the project. You see a lot of different things you wouldn't catch in the edit suite. At the moment, we're at roughly the 1 hour, 42 minute mark for the finished film. Much leaner than the 2 hour version we began with. We'll cut it down a bit more, most likely. It's amazing what cutting a single line here and there does to a scene.

We shot a couple of pick-ups for the Douglas "Sight" storyline this past weekend. Nothing too major, just little inserts that we failed to get on our original shoot. We'll probably have another day or two of these as we tighten up the edit.

Still no new trailer. It is coming, we promise. We're waiting on one final FX shot to be finished.

Until next time . . .

-Ben

Interview online

The interview Andrew and I did for the Bulletin newspaper is now online. We will be archiving it on our press page on the whatiscircuit.com website. Click the headline above to read it.

- Ben

Bulletin Interview

Andrew and I were fortunate enough to be interviewed by Scott Wachtler from The Bulletin newspaper this weekend about our progress on the project. Scott did a piece on Circuit about a year ago, back when we were all involved in shooting the Sound storyline, and was interested in following up with us.

As always, we truly appreciate these opportunities which help get the project out to a bigger audience. Thanks, Scott.

-Ben

Assembled

We have a basic assembly cut of the film finished. It clocks in at about 2 hours, which is longer than we expected. We anticipate getting it down to between 90 and 105 minutes.

On the trailer front, we said we'd have a new one up by now. Well, we lied. Jeremy, who played Pete in the film, is helping us create some pretty cool special effects, so we're waiting to get some back to insert in the trailer before we post anything.

-Ben

Editing

Editing has been going full force for the past few weeks. I'm happy to say we've finished laying out Touch and we've begun Sight. We're at roughly the thirty minute mark. Hopefully, the rough cut will be done by the end of the year.

A new trailer should be up in about a month. We'll keep you all posted.

-Ben

Set Photos

Tim O'Connor, who played "Circuit Man" in the project, provided us with some snapshots from our shoot at the Midway Cafe last weekend. Enjoy!

- Ben

That's a wrap!

Circuit has finished principal photography. Now we need to piece it all together.

Being the co-writer and now editor on the project, I can't wait to see how everyone involved helped translate the script into a visual story. Words cannot capture how grateful I am for the amount of hard work and creativity put in by everyone involved. We wouldn't have been able to accomplish this massive goal without each and every person involved.

So, about that wrap party . . . ? Any thoughts? If so, let me know at ben@whatiscircuit.com.

- Ben

the very last casting call!

HOW TO AUDITION
Open call, Thursday, April 26 at Mass College of Art, Tower Building Auditorium, 621 Huntington Ave, Boston MA, 6:30-8:30 PM. Actors can prepare their own monologue, or read from sides and/or monologue available at auditions. If you are planning on attending the audition, it is strongly encouraged that you reply to CircuitTalent@gmail.com with a resume and headshot. Due to limited staffing we cannot reply to all messages.

PETE, Lead Role in Ensemble Piece

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Caucasian, Male, early to mid 20s, attractive, slim to medium build, medium height. Blue eyes a plus. Generally mistrusting of others but a good friend to his roommate, Pete is a complex character--charming, self-interested, and cynical.

REQUIREMENTS
Must be local to the Boston area or have ability to travel / stay in Boston for rehearsals (Apr/May) and filming (at least 6 days between May 10-17).

PAYMENT
Modest payment. Low-budget project. Meals fully covered.

LUCIAN, Lead Role in Ensemble Piece

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION
Asian Male in his early 20's to play a shy college student who experiences an odd and baffling mental condition. Lucian believes he is losing his mind while trying to maintain a normal disposition in social situations and at his work environment.

REQUIREMENTS
Must be local to the Boston area or have ability to travel / stay in Boston for rehearsals (Apr/May) and filming (at least 6 days between May 10-17).

PAYMENT
Modest payment. Low-budget project. Meals fully covered.

MINOR ROLES

CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS
[1] Old Man –70-80 years old. Grumpy, talkative character
[2] Old Woman – 70-80 years old. Sweet, funny, talkative character.
[3] Young Man – 18-30 to play a loving boyfriend
[4] Young Woman – 18-30 to play loving girlfriend
[5] Evil Man – White Male 40-60, tall bald man, interesting, eerie small but important part.

REQUIREMENTS
Must be local to the Boston area or have ability to travel / stay in Boston for filming (at least 1 day between May 10-17).

PAYMENT
Unpaid. Low-budget project. Meals fully covered.

art auction success!

we are so grateful to all who chose to spend a rainy monday night with us-- what a fantastic turn-out and show of support! our gratitude for your great energy and endless support for our project.

[thank you]
the artists / the alchemist / the video underground /jamaica hill realty / the weekly dig / stanhope framers / felton street studios / picture place / sam adams / central productions / harvest co-op / cobwebs / eye-Q / petal and leaf / the boston bulletin

[and more thanks]
cory woolman / holly salmon / chris aldrich / jen martin / jay hoagland / tom ryan / martha johnson / molly hoisington

[want more?]
online auction coming soon! email becky at whatiscircuit dot com to learn how to contribute or buy local and not-so-local artwork starting at 50% of market value. proceeds benefit circuit and artists.

[some pics]

Benefit Art Auction + New Trailer Live

////////////// BENEFIT ART AUCTION ////////////////////
We are thrilled to announce that the Alchemist Lounge in Jamaica Plain will be hosting the Circuit Benefit Silent Art Auction on Monday, March 26th! We hope you can join us at this event to support both independent filmmakers and local artists. To purchase tickets and to learn more about the event, please visit our event website.

////////////// NEW TRAILER NOW LIVE ///////////////////
Check out the NEW Circuit trailer featuring footage from the storylines Sight, Smell, Taste and Touch here.

brunch (album 3 of 3)

photography by jessika davis

more breakfast

photography by jessika davis

the breakfast club / album 1

photography by jessika davis

buy art + support film

+
save the date
benefit art auction
march 26, 6-9pm
the alchemist lounge, jamaica plain
sponsored by the video underground (in-store art previews!)

+
If you, your friends, or family are artists who would like to contribute a piece for inclusion in the benefit art auction on March 26th, please email becky@whatiscircuit.com for details. The artist deadline is Friday Februrary 23rd.

The auction will be run as a 70/30 split, with 70% of the proceeds going to benefit Circuit's last storyline slated for production, 'Sound', and 30% of the sale going to the artist.

+
Email Becky@whatiscircuit.com for more information on the art auction or to donate artwork!

four down.

[1]
we made it through SIGHT!

and made some new friends.

(thank you Mr & Mrs Woodard, Mollie, Pat, the Breakfast Club, the Otherside Café, Ryan, Gene, Edwin, Brian, Mr. Plummer, Julie, Chris A.E., Jackie, Meghanne, Edwin, Nency, Nat, and Steve!)

and saw some old friends.

(that’s you, Mr. Bird, Hillary, Sam, Adam, Brian, Jim, Rob, Rob, Nate, Cory, Jeremy, Seth, Chichi, BCRC, John Anctil, Deborah, the other BR, the Toscanini’s crew, Chekos + Tovah, and last but not least… Anna’s Taqueria, always with the extra guac)

[2]
one day + one banned gocco machine = sweet success, at least that’s what we think. somehow we will get around to posting images of these lovely circuit t-shirts that Andrew has made, and maybe you will buy one?

[3]
pictmedia is our new cool friend that we can’t get enough of.

[4]
a while back, there was a party, and some wine, and some beer, stellar spins from ned and david, and your pretty face, most likely. thanks for coming, and thanks for giving us some money to make a movie. it really meant a lot to us.

[5]




credits are cory [pictures], kirkland cleaners mark [gentle dry cycle] and paul [patience and tavern use].

Dance it up... you have the time!

Daylight Savings DANCE PARTY and BENEFIT for CIRCUIT
sunday, october 29
the thirsty ear pub, 305 memorial drive (MIT campus / cross street mass ave) cambridge
doors at 9pm
$12 donation
film clips, music, cash bar

Fairfield Weekly highlights Circuit

Connecticut's Fairfield Weekly highlighted the film this week (just in time for Halloween)!

======================

Circuit Makers

Local filmmakers attempt a Donnie Darko-style indie of thier own

By Mike Falcigno

October 26 2006

Even with all the avenues available to independent filmmakers these days—myriad festivals, the internet, high-tech home studios—the world of indie film is no picnic. Hard work aside, having a solid story at the core of any film project is critical, and Circuit , a film by Greenwich writer-director Andrew Landauro, enters the arena with one leg up on its peers.

Circuit , which is now being filmed in Boston, is best described as intellectual science fiction. Told through five separate storylines, each linked to a different human sense, the seemingly unconnected narratives slowly unfold amid a stream of mysterious events to reveal a common, underlying thread. The film tackles themes of drug abuse, anorexia, fear of commitment, and disease, metaphorically, through the use of an “alien pod epidemic” plot device.

But a special-effects-laden alien invasion isn’t in the cards; Circuit centers on the idea of life, rather than the tangible physicality of life itself. The film aims to challenge viewers’ perceptions through character development and mood by presenting everyday situations through a cinematically skewed perspective.

The trailer consists of elegantly composed interior and exterior shots neatly intercut with abstract title cards posing enigmatic questions such as “Where do I belong?” and “When will things change?” The quality of the images and polish of the trailers’ presentation belies Circuit ’s humble budget.

And if the film’s premise is intriguing, so too are the motives of the man behind the camera, Andrew Landauro. He’s an interesting guy who’s genuinely enthusiastic about art, music and filmmaking. Having previously directed 15 short films, Circuit is a project he’s been cultivating for the better part of five years.

He hopes the eventual finished product will play out as a diverse cinematic experience, intermittently funny, dramatic, and thought-provoking, but ultimately a film requiring multiple viewings that demands of audiences that they deconstruct the film and accept the challenge of piecing together each part of the puzzle.

Shelton native Becky Robbins is one of the film’s producers, and explains the integral role volunteers have played in the success of Circuit ’s production. Robbins cites the Circuit team’s dedication to the project as another factor in the success of the production, adding that the crew has gone beyond the call, often pulling double duties to keep things on schedule and on budget. Ben Woodard, for instance, co-wrote the script with Landauro and is also Circuit ’s film editor.

Production began earlier this year and will wrap up once the remaining two (of five) story segments have been shot. Viewers who enjoyed the cerebral oddity Donnie Darko , the independent time-travel tale Primer or the bizarre works of David Cronenberg (Videodrome ) should keep their eyes peeled for an expected spring 2007 release.

impetus@optonline.net

Check www.whatiscircuit.com and www.centralproductions.org for more information
Copyright © 2006, Fairfield County Weekly

on set pics & production stills (touch & taste)