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Hey, men, here's your chance to be in the movies
Hollywood legend has it that actress Lana Turner was discovered sitting at a soda fountain in Tinsel Town.
OK, there was a tight sweater involved, too. But the rest, as they say, is history.
And maybe those old talent scout days have changed but a couple of Putnam County residents still may have a shot at a role in the upcoming movie to be filmed this summer in the Greencastle area, producer Brian Boswell has announced.
He and assistant director Liz Meyer of the Mooresville area are looking for a couple men for a scene within a scene in his scheduled film, "The Purloined Millstone by E.A. Sprechmann."
Boswell is planning to shoot an early scene which will appear in the film as a scene from a movie being broadcast on the character's TV during a scene within the film. Think "Home Alone" and the scene where Kevin turns up the volume on the gangster film and scares off the pizza delivery guy when the TV character opens fire with a machine gun while saying, "Keep the change, you filthy animal."
"This one takes place in a 1940s movie," Boswell told the Banner Graphic of the movie within a movie.
For the scene, to be set in a 1940s gun shop, Boswell is looking for two men, age 30-40 or older -- one a 1940s-era department store clerk (think upper-class butler type) and the other a stereotypical 1940s gangster with a New Jersey accent.
"Facial scars, all the better," the 43-year-old Boswell smiled.
The actors also should also have an ability to "carry off dry wit," he said.
Auditions for the two small roles are set for 7-9 p.m. Thursday, April 2 in the mezzanine area of Eli's and Starbucks in Greencastle. More information is available at info@cleanslatefilms.com or by calling Bowell at 213-509-2185.
Once cast, the scene will be shot in Putnam County on Sunday, April 12.
The scene is "really short," Boswell said, indicating it entails two pages of dialogue, which translates into about two minutes of on-screen time.
"It will be a simple set-up with the camera locked down," he added.
Shooting for "The Purloined Millstone" is expected to begin in the middle of August in Greencastle.
"Until that time I will be visiting various locations trying to get an idea of how and where to best film things," Boswell said, "so you might see me out with a colleague or two.
"I welcome input from anyone who has an idea of a location, and I also welcome people to contact me or to just say hi when I'm out location scouting, shopping at Kroger, or even just wave when they see me out driving (in his bronze Lexus RX300 with California plates). I'd like to meet people in town and maybe use some of their ideas for this or future movies."
That's how he decided upon using the old jail for a scene. Someone contacted him about it on Facebook.
Boswell -- whose parents (Larry and Sandra Rains Boswell) grew up in Greencastle -- is still looking for funding and investment in the film. In the near future he will be selling equity in the production, seen as a "light-hearted murder comedy."
The plot of the film revolves around an Indiana writer who moves out to Monterey, Calif., and authors a fabulous new book just as he's told he has only a short time to live. A friend sees a chance for fame and fortune and plots to steal credit for the book. But the author finds out his dire diagnosis was wrong, and ends up a murder victim at the hand of his former friend.
Heeding the time-worn advice of "writing about something you know," Boswell has penned a tale about "Indiana, home and relationships."
Originally Boswell mentioned only a handful of interior locations would be shot locally, "but once I started breaking down the script," he said, "I realized that there are between 25 and 30 interior locations."
In working with his production designer (Paul Lewis of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast") they have identified a few more exterior scenes that can best be shot in Greencastle.
"One is a pivotal -- and very funny -- scene where the protagonist, Elliott, tries to dispose of a gun by dropping it into the Pacific Ocean," Boswell explained.
"As usual, things don't go according to plan for Elliott, and he drops into the ocean himself. That scene will be shot partially in Monterey (Calif.), but the shots where the actor is actually in the water will be shot here. With carefully planned shots and the magic of editing, viewers will never guess that the actor is in a lake in Indiana instead of Monterey Bay."
Boswell also disclosed sites needed for local shooting locations.
"Keep in mind," he said, "that just because the scene calls for a Catholic church, for instance, doesn't mean that we must use an actual Catholic church. Another location that looks right -- or can be dressed to look right -- may work better. We will try to find all of these locations in Greencastle or the surrounding areas."
Some of the shots will take just a few seconds of screen time during a montage, while others will be significant scenes.
Interior sets will be constructed on a sound stage or in a warehouse for Elliott and Marna's apartment, Lewis's apartment and Catholic Church confessional.
Pre-existing locations include two empty apartments, a publisher's office and lobby, a bank office and safe deposit vault, a casual men's clothing store and an upscale men's clothing store, a doctor's office lobby and exam room, a cruise line cabin, a 1940s gun shop, lecture hall, bar with a stage area, police department, radio station, TV studio, bookstore, courtroom and police interrogation room.
Exterior locations needed include a classic/exotic car lot, cruise liner deck, grocery store, a park, a busy street, a wooded area and an oceanside fisherman's wharf.
"A lot of the locations are going to involve quick montages," Boswell said, "we're not going to be blocking streets."
The original script, based in part on an old radio show, continues to get rave reviews, as does the movie trailer, Boswell said.
A link to a "speculation" trailer for Boswell's film, a quite creative piece, is available at https://vimeo.com/94303124.