Erica Palgon teaches acting for adults and kids in several schools in NY and the surrounding areas.  Contact the specific school listed for more information on enrolling.

Please make sure to mention Erica Palgon Casting & Beyond referred you when signing up for any classes.

]]> http://ericapalgon.com/staging/general-class-information/feed 0 http://ericapalgon.com/staging/promotional-opening-party http://ericapalgon.com/staging/promotional-opening-party#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 18:56:20 +0000 admin http://ericapalgon.com/staging/?p=117 This last December I celebrated the opening of Erica Palgon Casting & Beyond with a promotional event.  It was a great success!!

Director/Writer: Ryan Piotrowicz
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Juelz Santana, Matt Servitto, Jamie Proctor, Dante Clark, Bilal Bishop, Sebastian Sozzi

“When people have a stake in their society, they want to protect that society. When they don’t, they unconsciously want to destroy it.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1964

Shot in documentary format, about documentary filmmakers filming a feature project about cops and kids in Brooklyn, New York, the film is in fact a narrative feature. Superb editing representative of the music video generation flies us through worlds that live in the shadows of bridges and project housing. And by keeping the “filmmakers’” cameras rolling in the course of their project, Piotrowicz has cleverly freed his crew from the natural concerns inherent in a shoot. Despite having an excuse to deliver a film of lesser quality, this young filmmaker has fielded a first-class effort.

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A Renart Films presentation. Produced by Tim Duff. Executive producer, Matt Dillon. Directed, written by Ryan Piotrowicz.

With: Michael Stahl-David, Jamie Proctor, Nicholas Webber, Dante Clark, Clifford Lee Dickson, Sebastian Sozzi, Matt Servitto, Bilal Bishop, Kevin Porter Young.

With “The Project,” “Cloverfield” star Michael Stahl-David finds himself embroiled in yet another pseudo-verite experiment, as a trio of young college grads turn the cameras on themselves while orchestrating a not-so-objective documentary about tensions between black inner-city teens and a pair of NYPD officers — all the better to capture the fallout when things inevitably turn sour. “The Project” nabbed top audience honors at Slamdance, where some were duped by its high-concept faux-umentary hook, which suggests it will play best to unsuspecting fest, classroom or homevid crowds. Once the gimmick gets out, pic will be a much trickier sell.

The brainchild of writer-director Ryan Piotrowicz, “The Project” raises provocative questions of exploitation and objectivity in nonfiction filmmaking by manipulating stereotypes and storytelling conventions, many of which are more interesting in theory than execution.

Stahl-David plays Justin, a liberal-minded film school grad who enlists g.f. Dana (Jamie Proctor) and stoner pal John (Nicholas Webber) to profile two promising ghetto kids (Dante Clark, Clifford Lee Dickson). While they observe the boys struggling to rise above the dead-end conditions of their Brooklyn housing projects, Justin shadows two cops, one a family man (Sebastian Sozzi) with a cancer-stricken daughter, the other a bigot (Matt Servitto) still fuming over his previous partner’s murder.

At the end of each day, the filmmakers regroup in Justin’s apartment, where they record themselves responding to the day’s events. This device lays the groundwork for a twist in which the crew will be unwittingly drawn into their own narrative, and also allows Piotrowicz contrast Justin’s and Dana’s approaches to the assignment.

Whenever something terrible happens on camera, Justin celebrates it as being good for the documentary, whereas Dana feels her time would be better spent trying to prevent such tragedies from happening in the first place. After a volatile local drug dealer (Bilal Bishop) starts to influence the kids’ behavior, Dana becomes personally involved, while other developments suggest Justin may have orchestrated the entire project in anticipation of a violent confrontation.

It’s frequently problematic when filmmakers insert themselves into their own movies, and these self-reflexive scenes — with lines like, “We are so much more interesting than these kids, dude” — are especially frustrating, since the crew’s squabbles seem inconsequential compared to the lives of their subjects. But Piotrowicz feels differently, all but writing off the decoy documentary-within-the-film to pull off the cynical O. Henry ending he has in store for these flippant young narcissists.

Handheld camerawork, naturalistic acting and practical locations contribute to pic’s overall illusion, while an aggressive hip-hop soundtrack reinforces the notion that these privileged white kids are looking for trouble in someone else’s territory.

Camera (color), Daniel Sharnoff; editor, Adam Der Aris, Daniel Schechter; music, Caleb Lindskoog, John Bosch, Cody Geil; music supervisor, DJ Travisty; production designer, Christina Barth; costume designer, Lisa Hennessy; sound, Joshua Neal; supervising sound editor, John Bosch; associate producer, Rob Clark; assistant director, TJ Federico; casting, Erica Palgon. Reviewed on DVD, Los Angeles, Feb. 1, 2008. (In Slamdance Film Festival — competing.) Running time: 83 MIN.

Three first-time filmmakers, Justin, Dana and John, set out to make a documentary about the hardships of inner-city Brooklyn. As filming progresses, violence and emotion get in the way of the trio’s objectivity and what was once an ambitious idea deteriorates as stories merge, relationships corrode and the filmmakers become participants in the inner city world they set out to document.

How do you feel about playing Slamdance? When and where did you hear you had been accepted?

Very excited. There are a lot of great films that have been accepted in the festival’s past, so I’m honored to be recognized by an establishment I respect. My producer Tim Duff interrupted me while editing with what I assumed was a complaint of some kind, but he instead told me about theacceptance to the festival. We followed up the good news with a few drinks.

What gave you the impetus to make a film about a set of novice filmmakers who get in over their heads?

When I moved to New York I wanted to make a movie about inner-city life. When I would try to talk to different people about race, class and media, I was often met with the “who the fuck do you think you are” kind of look. After multiple threats and a gun in my face I realized I had been living what I was trying to write about.

How did you put together the cast and financing?
When I first set out to make The Project I knew I would have to keep a small budget in mind, because significant financing is hard to come by. At the time I was working as a locations manager on the filmGoodbye Baby (dir Daniel Schechter), where I met Tim Duff, the producer of my film. Based on past experience I knew that a solid business plan is vital to get someone to provide financial backing for a film. One thing I wanted to avoid was the long drawn out process of putting offers out to name actors in hopes that they would be in the film. I have seen other filmmakers struggle through this process and have to make last minute casting decisions. One thing that always seemed like a catch twenty two in regards to independent film is that filmmakers need actors to get financing and actors often won¹t sign on unless the money is in place. I avoided this headache all-together by casting a rap artist (Juelz Santana) with a rabid fan base. His presence alone would garner more attention and return on investment then most “name” actors could ever do. By attaching the film to the Diplomats brand, (a Harlem based rap super-group with an extensive and loyal following) I gave an investor a viable case that a return of his investment could and would be made if we kept the production costs down.

Once the funding was established one of the first things we did was hire casting director, Erica Palgon. Erica worked tirelessly to find the best actors for each role; she loved the script and believed in the film from the onset so I was very fortunate to have found such a great casting director. The best thing about not going for “name” actors is that we were able to cast based solely on talent and the irony of that is we wound up casting Michael Stahl-David as and he got cast in Cloverfield after we wrapped The Project.

You’ve worked with a number of your collaborators since your days at Emerson College. How have those relationships shaped your approach to filmmaking?

I often read about other filmmakers that say film school isn’t necessary for success in the film industry. I disagree. For me, keeping in touch with college alumni has been an integral part in my active participation in the industry. But it’s also more than that for me. I’m fortunate enough to be able to work with people I respect and trust. One person can’t make a film alone so why not do it with people that you know have your back.

Was the film inspired by any other films dealing with the filmmaking process?

I couldn’t say that there was anything that was a direct inspiration but one film that I enjoyed and often used as a reference point is Mail Order Wife. It¹s this great indeed that¹s makes documentaries feel fresh and really influenced my shooting style because; it maintained the ability to have an extremely realistic tone throughout.

What was the biggest challenge when constructing the film in post production?

The most difficult part of post production was constantly re-evaluating the viewer’s perspective the tighter the editing became. I was so inside the film that I often need to step away for a while and gain a better perspective on the overall structure. Test audiences help, but in the end of the day it was a process that needed to come full circle and the only I was really able to do that is by making sure that I stayed true to the themes that inspired me to write the script in the first place.

Any other projects down the pipeline?

I am currently writing my new screenplay while still working with Renart Films. I am looking forward to producing Renart’s next.

One of the standout films of the Slamdance film festival, Ryan Piotrowicz’s first feature The Project, takes the faux doc to another level with solid performances from actors and non-actors, character-driven cinematography and a story based on the tension between inner city kids and the local police. Escaping the biting cold of Park City, we spoke with Ryan about how a two year dead-end project in Cincinnati can lead to a story idea, how story research can lead to a gun in your face and how being asked to point the finger at the wrong guy can lead to a feature in Slamdance. Events like these are odd enough to make you think you’re in a movie, and in Ryan’s case it turns out he was actually in his own.

Read the full article

Three first-time filmmakers, Justin, Dana and John, set out to make a documentary about the hardships of inner-city Brooklyn. As filming progresses, violence and emotion get in the way of the trio’s objectivity and what was once an ambitious idea deteriorates as stories merge, relationships corrode and the filmmakers become participants in the inner city world they set out to document.

How do you feel about playing Slamdance? When and where did you hear you had been accepted?

Very excited. There are a lot of great films that have been accepted in the festival’s past, so I’m honored to be recognized by an establishment I respect. My producer Tim Duff interrupted me while editing with what I assumed was a complaint of some kind, but he instead told me about theacceptance to the festival. We followed up the good news with a few drinks.

What gave you the impetus to make a film about a set of novice filmmakers who get in over their heads?

When I moved to New York I wanted to make a movie about inner-city life. When I would try to talk to different people about race, class and media, I was often met with the “who the fuck do you think you are” kind of look. After multiple threats and a gun in my face I realized I had been living what I was trying to write about.

How did you put together the cast and financing?

When I first set out to make The Project I knew I would have to keep a small budget in mind, because significant financing is hard to come by. At the time I was working as a locations manager on the film Goodbye Baby (dir Daniel Schechter), where I met Tim Duff, the producer of my film. Based on past experience I knew that a solid business plan is vital to get someone to provide financial backing for a film. One thing I wanted to avoid was the long drawn out process of putting offers out to name actors in hopes that they would be in the film. I have seen other filmmakers struggle through this process and have to make last minute casting decisions. One thing that always seemed like a catch twenty two in regards to independent film is that filmmakers need actors to get financing and actors often won¹t sign on unless the money is in place. I avoided this headache all-together by casting a rap artist (Juelz Santana) with a rabid fan base. His presence alone would garner more attention and return on investment then most “name” actors could ever do. By attaching the film to the Diplomats brand, (a Harlem based rap super-group with an extensive and loyal following) I gave an investor a viable case that a return of his investment could and would be made if we kept the production costs down.

Once the funding was established one of the first things we did was hire casting director, Erica Palgon. Erica worked tirelessly to find the best actors for each role; she loved the script and believed in the film from the onset so I was very fortunate to have found such a great casting director. The best thing about not going for “name” actors is that we were able to cast based solely on talent and the irony of that is we wound up casting Michael Stahl-David as and he got cast in Cloverfield after we wrapped The Project.

You’ve worked with a number of your collaborators since your days at Emerson College. How have those relationships shaped your approach to filmmaking?

I often read about other filmmakers that say film school isn’t necessary for success in the film industry. I disagree. For me, keeping in touch with college alumni has been an integral part in my active participation in the industry. But it’s also more than that for me. I’m fortunate enough to be able to work with people I respect and trust. One person can’t make a film alone so why not do it with people that you know have your back.

Was the film inspired by any other films dealing with the filmmaking process?

I couldn’t say that there was anything that was a direct inspiration but one film that I enjoyed and often used as a reference point is Mail Order Wife. It¹s this great indeed that¹s makes documentaries feel fresh and really influenced my shooting style because; it maintained the ability to have an extremely realistic tone throughout.

What was the biggest challenge when constructing the film in post production?

The most difficult part of post production was constantly re-evaluating the viewer’s perspective the tighter the editing became. I was so inside the film that I often need to step away for a while and gain a better perspective on the overall structure. Test audiences help, but in the end of the day it was a process that needed to come full circle and the only I was really able to do that is by making sure that I stayed true to the themes that inspired me to write the script in the first place.

Any other projects down the pipeline?

I am currently writing my new screenplay while still working with Renart Films. I am looking forward to producing Renart’s next.