Off Season Theatrical Poster

Poster Design by Patrick Browne

Sea Song, by Doves

There are some bands & musicians that carry with them a really particular mood and feeling. It's why I love Neil Finn, and consider some of his music to be the most influential for me (with the exception of his new project, The Pajama Club. Sadly boring and un-Neil like in it's efforts). I grew up listening to his moody, minor chords and they played soundtrack to some of the first stories and visual concepts I ever conjured.

As my musical tastes have grown, my love of music in the minor chords has stuck. I was in love with "Sea Song" by English band Doves, way before OFF SEASON was even a concept in our heads. But the moment it popped onto my iTunes soundtrack as I scribbled away on my storyboards, I knew it was a perfect fit:

It's extremely cinematic, provoking feelings of claustrophobia, emptiness, longing. As it turns out, even the lyrics seem to mirror Sylvie's plight and internal processes:

Drive with me

Do the things you won't believe

Drive with me

Past the city and down to sea

Crushing dreams

Leave me be, I cannot sleep

Drown with me

Past the city, down to sea

Rush of dream

Leave in peace, let me be

Oh, it's the pain

It's ingrained i me

Oh, I soothe my pain

it's ingrained in me

Drive with me

Drive with me...

So Far, by The Occasion

I've always found music to be highly inspirational to what I create. Sometimes the music precedes and directly inspires the idea. Other times it magically fits into something already created, making the mood feel even more complete. With OFF SEASON, our script was pretty much done before I jumped into the storyboarding and writing of shot lists, and having the right soundtrack to mirror the mood of the film helped immensely.

Here below is one such piece of music, by the band The Occasion. "So Far", the opening track of their album "Cannery Hours" was actually used as a placeholder piece of music in the opening titles of OFF SEASON. The track (and album, really) invokes feelings of emptiness, loneliness, of something organic and rhythmic -- much like the tides of the ocean. It's a dreamy track that holds a lot of emotion, and paired with the images of the film I had wanted to create, reinforced the solitude Sylvie Stone was feeling in that moment she first arrived at the beach house.

BUY the album on iTunes

The Finish Line

Summer has begun to fade and the air is just starting to hint of the coming chills ahead. The timing, one might say, is just about right for the release of an equal chilling indie thriller.

OFF SEASON is in the final stage of post-production. Our spine-tingling score is currently being produced by the uber-talented west coaster Justin Schornstein, and the color correction and fine-tuning of visual effects is being orchestrated by our very talented and capable friend Scott Cipu.

Once we have all these beautiful pieces completed, our movie will be finished. What was once an idea, formed into words on a page, given to actors to make real, captured by skilled technicians, cut and sliced into coherence, polished, and set to music, will soon be a movie. It's like Magic, but really, it's just lots of people doing what they love and doing it well.

We cannot wait to share this movie with you. That moment draws ever so near...

OFF SEASON Teaser Trailer!

With principal photography wrapped just a scant two months ago, we're delighted to share a first glimpse of OFF SEASON.

We're very excited about how the editing is progressing, and watching a story that once existed only on paper come to life in vivid color and motion (and sound, of course) is truly thrilling.

Keep checking back in. This is only the first of many great things we have to share with you in anticipation of our release later this year.

Production wrapped -- onto post-production!

It’s incredible how time flies when you’re producing a film. Just a little over a month ago we were starting our first day of shooting at the beach house. Today, we’re fully wrapped and getting ready to begin post-production, or the editing and sound mixing & design of the film.

We definitely finished our filming with a “bang” so to speak. Last Saturday was spent mostly inside a Manhattan high rise while Sunday we were out shooting all day on the street, with nearly a dozen extras for one scene - our big paparazzi, angry crowd scene. The crew was totally blown away by our extras’ enthusiasm and willingness to become so vocal and physical with one another. Take after take they brought their A-game, contributing so much to a scene that could’ve otherwise been quite passive. All in all, it was a great weekend wrapping up a great month of shooting.

Now begins the process of going through the footage and editing it all down into one cohesive piece of movie magic. It's going to take some time, but we'll keep you posted with updates throughout the process to let you know how things are going.

Until then, have some happy holidays!

-The OS Crew

Filming almost wrapped!

It's been a very hectic 2 weeks for the OFF SEASON crew. Principal photography started at our beach house location on October 16th, and we just finished shooting yesterday, with a few scenes remaining to be filmed in November. It's been a lot of hard work, with early morning shoots and many late nights, but the rewards have made it worth it.

Our location itself has become a huge part of our production -- for both it's
photogenic-ness, and it's ability to relieve stress. It's been a surreal experience to be able to live on set while we're working, with the crashing waves just outside our windows.

There have also been all sorts of wildlife perusing the neighborhood as we shoot. Monarch butterflies passing through on their migration, families of deer that come to feed in our yard each dawn and sunset. We've seen a few fisherman surf casting and catching giant Sea Bass right on the beach in back of our house, though we haven't had the chance to try and wrangle one ourselves yet.

As for the film itself, our talented lead actors Liz Lee and Kimani Shillingford brought their A-game to every scene. Our supporting cast of actors, Abe Koogler, Dan Odell, Mchale Bright, Jun Naito, Chesley Calloway and Kimberley Shoniker, were no less entertaining to watch, and lovely to work with.

Overall it's been an amazing experience. We're not completely finished filming yet but we can already see that we've got a really great film on our hands.

That's all for now though until our next shoot. Have a safe and spooky Halloween!

-The OS Crew