STARRING
Kari Wishingrad as BUNNY.
Tony Vella as RAY.
Fred DeRuvo as BOB.
Tammy Massa as BARBARA.
DEDICATED TO
HOPEFUL WRITERS EVERYWHERE
None of this would be possible without the support and
encouragement from friends, family, colleagues, cast and crew.
I give this over to you and the world. Enjoy.
DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
HESTER SCHELL
p.o. box 1624
el Granada, CA 94018-1624
USA
seaschell@earthlink.net
650-533-1370
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CEO, Bay Area Casting News
Faculty, San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
Master of Fine Arts - University of Utah.
Bachelor of Arts - Portland State University
Associates of Arts - American Academy of Dramatic Arts (New York) DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
HESTER SCHELL, (MFA-University of Utah; BA- Portland State University; AA- American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York.) adjunct professor of theatre arts at Notre Dame de Namur University, 1997-2007; Faculty - San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking; Instructor - Film Arts Foundation. Private coach and arts education mentor. Tenured faculty, professor of theatre arts at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, 1991 to 2001. Ms. Schell is editor and publisher of the online magazine Bay Area Casting News (www.bayareacasting.com) serving the Bay Area film community since 1993. She has won numerous awards and scholarships throughout her 30 year acting and directing career, including the Lotta Crabtree Acting Scholarship, and the Theatre Arts Teaching Fellowship at the University of Utah during her graduate work. Her plays have been accepted in both academic as well as professional playwriting competitions. She has published numerous articles on acting and career management and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (USA) and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists. Active in the peace movement as a filmmaker, Ms. Schell produced, co-wrote and directed the documentary BLANKETS FOR AFGHANISTAN, for the American Friends Service Committee (the Quakers), distributed by Free Speech TV in Boulder, Colorado. Also an accomplished puppeteer, Miss Schell has toured England with the award winning puppet company Lunatique Fantastique, and has taught theatre at the University of London with the California Community Colleges study abroad program. Ms. Schell's next film is acting in Liam Creighton's (UK) JULIE, JULIE, shooting in California in January 2008. A native of Pennsylvania, she now makes her home in Half Moon Bay, near San Francisco, California.
FILMOGRAPHY
FILM FESTIVAL PARTICIPATION -
USA
2008 Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival - Official Selection - JU$T UNDER a MILLION (writer, producer, director)
2007 Mill Valley Film Festival, California - Official Selection - PRESQUE ISLE by Rob Nilsson
2005 Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California, Official selection - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
Hearts and Minds Film Festival, Wilmington, DE - PLANTING MELVIN (acting) 2nd Place: Best Feature
Moondance Film Festival, Finalist, San Francisco, CA - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
California Independent Film Festival, Official selection - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
Breckenridege Film Festival, Colorado, Official Selection - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
California Independent Film Festival, Official Selection - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
Napa/Sonoma Film & Music Institute, Featured Artist Series - PLANTING MELVIN (acting)
2003 Hot Docs, Toronto, Canada - BLANKETS FOR AFGHANISTAN (producer, writer, director)
Distribution through Free Speech TV
2002 Cinequest Film Festival, San Jose, California - YOUR GUARDIAN (acting)
2004 SF Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, San Francisco - LOVE LIFE (acting)
2002 Berkeley Film Festival - Best of Fest. - ULTIMATE REALITY - (script supervisor)
2002 Chill Valley Film Festival - ULTIMATE REALITY (script supervisor)
1995 Bay Area Women's Film Festival, Berkeley, California - WALLS OF SAND (acting)
FRANCE
1983 Cannes Film Festival - AMERICAN TABOO (acting) Also Academy Award Winner, best student film 1982. FILM & VIDEO
ACTING - 1995-2005, see film festivals above.
1983 AMERICAN TABOO by Steve Lustgarten narrative feature
1985 RADIO DAYS by Woody Allen narrative feature
1990 IT NEARLY WASN'T CHRISTMAS narrative feature, made for TV
1990 INCIDENT AT DARK RIVER narrative feature, made for TV
1990 NORA'S CHRISTMAS GIFTT narrative feature, made for TV
PRODUCTION -
1997 IF YOU NEED OIL by Dave Gebroe narrative short, script supervisor
1997 ULTIMATE REALITY by Phil Gorn narrative feature, script supervisor
1999 YOUR GUARDIAN by Kari Nevil narrative feature, line producer
1999 A DIVINE MADNESS by Robert Pickett narrative feature, assistant director
2002 THE REWRITE OF YOUR LIFE by Leah Anton narrative feature, casting director
2003 BLANKETS FOR AFGHANISTAN by Hester Schell. documentary short, co-producer, co-writer, director
2004 PLANTING MELVIN by Kari Nevil narrative feature, casting director
2005 NEVER ENOUGH by Dave Sawle narrative feature, art director
2007 BREAKING CAR CULTURE by Hester Schell documentary short, writer, producer, director
2007 JUST UNDER A MILLION by Hester Schell narrative short, writer, producer, director, art director
JUST HOW HARD IS IT TO
FIND A GOOD SCRIPT?
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NEXT SCREENING
Tony Vella as RAY, Tammy Massa as BARBARA.
CLICK HERE for
WORLD PREMIERE
photo spread and press
BEVERLY HILLS HI-DEF
FILM FESTIVAL
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2007
Fine Arts Theatre
8556 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Tickets:
This festival is underwritten,
so all tickets are FREE!
Just line up at the theatre.
OR, for a guaranteed seat, you can RSVP to the director and get on the VIP list,
and she will give you a ticket in line.
OR, you can go to the festival web site
and reserve your seat with a
credit card for one penny.
FESTIVALS WE ARE WAITING ON -
Berlin
Portland
Sonoma
SF International
San Jose/Cinequest
AFI/Dallas
Los Angeles United
Ashland
Aspen Shorts
World of Comedy, Toronto
FESTIVALS WE PLAN
ON SUBMITTING TO -
Martha's Vineyard
Chicago
Minneapolis
Cannes, France
London, England
Hopeful writers wait their turn at the Hit a Homer
pitchfest in Ju$T UNDER a MILLION.
Jon Carlson as LARRY,
piches an update to King Lear.
Keith Wyffels, left and Johann Schiffer as Writing Partners, FRED & TED, pitch a political thriller.
David Westely Skillman, as
LENNY, pitches
an historical action adventure.
Robert Anthony Peters as DENNY,
pitches a romantic drama.
Elex Lee as Ralph, pitches a natural disater.
Quinne Brown as Rachel, pitches a
wedding disater ripped from the headlines.
Emily Marie Grant as JAN, pitches a
story older than the hills. She thinks she made it up. They all do.
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PRESS RELEASE
JUST HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND A GOOD
SCRIPT?
Half Moon Bay, CA
December 8, 2007
JU$T UNDER A MILLION by Half Moon Bay resident, Hester Schell, has been accepted into the Beverly Hills Hi-Def Film Festival. The world premiere screening of this 18 minute short comic farce is scheduled for Sunday, December 30, 2007, at 5:30 pm at the Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills , CA 90211. "I can't think of a better place to premiere a farce about Hollywood than the Beverly Hills HD Festival! We are thrilled to be invited," says writer/producer/director Schell. Four movie executives desperately need another hit, and the contest is on to find the next 'it' writer. They've seen it all, heard it all, and things just aren't going very well until Jan shows up, 8 months pregnant with a story as old as the hills. "It's all, all been done," exclaims Bob, who has just about had it with his business partners. Executive Ray suggests, "Hey, how about another Hamlet! God knows we haven't seen enough Hamlets!"
JU$T UNDER A MILLION was shot on the Panasonic HVX 200 HD, utilizing the latest in digital filmmaking technology. The film was shot in San Mateo County, California with a Bay Area cast and crew. The film stars Fred DeRuvo, Tony Vella (Bay Area Stunt Exchange), Kari Wishingrad and Tammy Massa (LCEcompany.com), and includes many of Ms. Schell's students from the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking in supporting roles: Emily Marie Grant, Quinne Brown Huffman, Johann Schiffer, Elex Lee, Aimee McCrary, Kay Ewing, Mark Stuver, Jinnifer Jacobs and Keith Wyffels. The project was edited by Frank Slodysko who also composed the original music. Special Effects are by Jason Toussaint (SeeThroughFilms.com) Tammy Massa and Hester Schell produced.
The film has been submitted to numerous other prestigious festivals including the Berlin Film Festival, Aspen Short Festival, AFI Dallas, Portland Film Festival, San Francisco and San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival. "We haven't heard yet about these next festivals. We hope to hear sometime in January," says writer/producer/director Schell. "I would really love to go to Germany for the Berlinale. We've got our fingers crossed."
The comedy was written in January of this year. Actors were cast in April, and the project was shot over the summer. Editing began in August and continued on to early November. "The film came together quite quickly, and just took off. It has a life of it's own. I just hope we get into all the festivals we've applied to. It's all very exciting," continues Schell.
VIEW TRAILER
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TITLES & CREDITS
Fred DeRuvo as FRED, Tony Vella as RAY,
and Kari Wishingrad as BUNNY.
Ju$T UNDER a MILLION
by Hester Schell
TRT 18:09
USA narrative short, comedy/farce.
TITLES
Left Coast Entertainment & Mud Pie Productions presents
Ju$t Under A Million
a film by Hester Schell
Starring -
Fred DeRuvo, Kari Wishingrad,
Tony Vella & Tammy Massa
Written & Directed by Hester Schell
Produced by Hester Schell & Tammy Massa
Original Music by Frank Slodysko
Director of Photography Mollie Welin
Production Design and Art Direction by Hester Schell
Edited by Frank Slodysko
END CREDITS
Dedicated to hopeful writers everywhere.
Written & Directed by Hester Schell
Produced by Hester Schell & Tammy Massa
Associate Producers
Suzanna Schell
Jane Simoneaux
Richard Scharine
Mike & Kay Siedel
Marilyn Holt
Kactus Reder
CJ, Rebecca & Lee Pace
Jacqueline Kossoff
Mark Arellano
BOB Fred DeRuvo
BUNNY Kari Wishingrad
RAY Tony Vella
BARBARA Tammy Massa
The Hopeful Screenwriters -
BARRY Mark Stuver
ANGELA Aimee McCrary
SUSAN Rebecca Fazio
LARRY Jon Carlson
TED Keith Wyffels
FRED Johan Schiffer
RALPH Elex Lee
DENNY Robert Anthony Peters
SALLY Jinnifer Jacobs
LENNY David Westley Skillman
RACHEL Quinne Brown
JAN Emily Marie Grant
REBECCA Ingeborg Ruano
FIRST AD Aimee McCrary
BEACH WAITER Mark Stuver as Barry
Editor....................................Frank Slodysko
Assistant Editor ….....……..Hester Schell
Additional Editing................Steve Michelson
Director of Photography.......Molly Welin
1st Assistant Camera.............Nick Myggen, Meredith Kitchens,
Steve Watts
Additional AC & Grip............Heidi Petty
Grip & Dolly Grip..................Vasilis Siski
1st Assistant Director...............Kacie Velie
2nd Assistant Director..............Quinne Brown
Sound Recordist.......................Phil Talsky
Special Effects Supervisor.......Jason Toussaint
Special Effects Assistants........Kyle Spiker
Camera Assistant.....................Nick LoCicero
Special Effects Make-Up…….Jinnifer Jacobs
Wardrobe Assistant..................Becky Fazio
Properties Wrangler.................Aimee McCrary
Assitant Art Director................Aimee McCrary
Set Decorators..........................Aimee McCrary,
Becky Fazio, Quinne Brown
Assistant to the Director.........Quinne Brown
Kraft services wrangler..........Quinne Brown
Snake wrangler.......................Fred DeRuvo
Productions Assistants.......... Becky Fazio, Quinne Brown, åIngeborg Ruano,
Boom Operator.....................Becky Fazio
Gaffer....................................Mei Wang, Keder Lawrence
Key Grip................................David Schatz
Grips......................................Jacob Martinaey, Jason Sphault
2nd Unit
Director of Photography.....Damien Lucas
1st Assistant Director..........Tammy Massa
Sound Recordist.................Joe Stillwater
Camera Assistant................David Schaatz
Key Grip............................Gavin Clayton
3rd Unit
Director of Photography……Mark Arellano
1st Assistant Director………Tammy Massa
4th Unit (Really.... 4th unit)
Director of Photography….. Tammy Massa
Assistant Camera Donut “Guy”
Insurance....................Complex Corporation
Art Department Graphics.............Fred de Ruvo
Stunt Coordinator.........................Tony Vella
Cesna Photo.................................Bernarde Andrade
Mexico Photography....................Sali Borchman Jenkins, Allan Stephenson
Lenses..........................................Lee Utterbach & Studio B
Special Thanks -
Bay Alarm & Jim Vierra
Screen Actors Guild
Bob Kay
Bay Area Casting News
Digital Consultant - Stephen Koppel, San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking
Dream with the Fishes Poster usage, Steve Siebert, Sony Pictures
Other Movie Posters.... Phil Gorn, Wonderphil Productions
Lobitos Creek Ranch
Kari Nevil, June Bug Films
Walter Kransky
Notre Dame de Namur University, Mary Hill
Sali Borchman Jenkins
Allan Stephenson
SEE THE TRAILER HERE -
YOU TUBE click on this.
If the trailer link gets broken, go to You Tube dot com and type the title into their search window.
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