White Lyte Productions News

Scenes Missing receives Jury Pick Honorable Mention at the Wildwood by the Sea Film Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Hello everyone,
We're proud to announce that Scenes Missing received a Jury Pick Honorable Mention at the awards ceremony of the Wildwood By The Sea Film Festival. There were so many great films at this years festival, it is quite an honor to be mentioned among these fantastic works. Congrats to all the winners and fellow filmmakers and thank you to all those who came to the screenings!

Scenes Missing selected to New Jersey International Film Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:37:00 +0000

Hello everyone,

I'm thrilled to inform you that my latest short film, Scenes Missing, has been selected to screen at the 13th Annual New Jersey International Film Festival!!!

Scenes Missing will screen Friday, June 6th at 7pm. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis only and can be purchased at the door beginning a half-hour before the show at 6:30PM! Tickets are $10.
Please check out the website in a couple of weeks for full details http://www.njfilmfest.com(It hasn't been updated yet.)

Thank you to everyone for your love and support through the whole project. Listed below is the address and driving directions to the festival. Please let me know if you are planning on trying to come out on June 6th. I look forward to seeing you there.

-Lissa-

Here are driving directions to the Festival. We are 45 min.-1hour from Penn Station in NY City. Feel free to contact me if you need Hotel Info...We use the Hyatt in New Brunswick and get a special Rutgers University weekend rate..it is a 5 minute walk to the screening site and a 1-2 minute walk to downtown New Brunswick and the NB Train Station.

By train from NYC take the NJ Transit Northeast Corridor Line!

Scott Hall #123, 43 College Avenue (Near the corner of College Avenue and Hamilton Street), College Avenue Campus, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey

Scott Hall #123 Directions
Take the NJ Turnpike to Exit 9 and then take Route 18N (New Brunswick direction) and go for 2 1/2 miles to the Rutgers University/George Street exit and make a left at the light at the end of the exit ramp onto George Street, then go to the next light and make a right onto Hamilton Street, then go to the next light and make a right onto College Avenue. Almost immediately on your right hand side there is an University Parking Lot (#9) which is made available for our patrons to park in. Scott Hall is adjacent to the parking lot on the right. Patrons can also park in Rutgers Lots #1 (next to Kirkpatrick Chapel) and #16 (next to Murray Hall).

Where Are They Now?

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Mouth Of Wilson has just released their debut CD "Mouth Of Wilson". You can check them out and purchase the cd at http://www.mouthofwilson.com/

The Cast and Crew of Scenes Missing:

Eric Vitner (Assitant Director) - and all his cinephilles at Words Picture Movies are preparing to go into production of a feature in the summer of 2008. The have finished post work on their latest short Have Gun Will Murder. You can check out that film and other classic WPM productions at http://www.wordspicturesmovies.com/

Drew Carmody (Propmaster) - emphasis on the master, is currently working on a screenplay of his own, The Cold War. It is still undecided if this will be a White Lyte Production or Words Picture Movies.

Heather Lee Rogers (Julie) - You can visit her site at http://www.heatherogers.com/

Lance Weiss (Homeless man) - is still working in film and we hope no longer sleeping in doorways. You can check out his page at http://www.lanceweiss.com/

Jane Montosi (Angela) - You can see her resume at http://www.janemontosi.com/

Milton and the Devils Party (band) - That's right there is no apostrophe! Milton has released the second album "How Wicked We've Become". To hear tracks from the new album or old favorite you can visit them at http://www.miltondevilsparty.com/

Arianna Tatner (Laura) - is keeping herself out of trouble moving into a new apartment closer to mid-town. She can't wait until that's over and she can get back to work. You can hear as sample of her amazing opera singing at www.myspace.com/OperaKitty

Herb Pabst (Robert) - is working on a screenplay called "No Speed Limit". And when he's not
doing that he's busy writing and recording songs. A true renaissance man.

Tom Schillaci (Assistant Producer/Extra) - has followed his passion back to Colorado to pursue environmental documentaries. He is currently working on a video project covering a mine cleanup that prevents polluted water from entering the watershed.

Alex Haney (Director of Photography) - is involved in an online contest to play one of the leads in a $2 million dollar movie. We are awaiting the results. I quote Alex "If I do bad, you will hear from me one more time. If I do good, you will hear from me two more times." Alex, my Lynch loving little droog, we wish you the best!

Patrick Manley (Every other position not listed above) - is back to working on his music now that I have released him from the world of celluloid. Having seen what the film industry can do to you he has happily returned to the world of rock stardom where you live a much more stable and clean life. He is preparing to record the long awaited Effusion 35 album. To listen to some sample of Effusion 35 please visit http://www.effusion35.com/

Chicks and Flicks

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 15:12:00 +0000

Here's an interesting article about women in film:

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Flicks from female directors are flooding today's theaters more than ever, and the movies are as diverse as the women themselves. Yet the struggle for equality, recognition and respect continues.

Sofia Coppola won a screenwriting Academy Award for "Lost in Translation," but no Oscar for directing.
Moving beyond the traditional female arena of romantic comedies, these new films range from Kasi Lemmons' critical smash "Talk to Me," starring Don Cheadle as a sharp-tongued disc jockey, to the upcoming romance from hell "2 Days in Paris," the culmination of actress Julie Delpy's 20-year battle to reach the director's chair.
Despite the recent bumper crop of films, however, the statistics for female directors remain dismal.
Of the roughly 13,400 members of Directors Guild of America, only about 1,000, or 7 percent, are listed as female directors. (Total female membership, which includes people on the directing team like assistant directors and unit production managers, is about 3,000 or 22 percent.)
No woman has ever won an Academy Award for best director, and only three have ever been nominated: Lena Wertmuller for 1975's "Seven Beauties," Jane Campion for 1993's "The Piano" and Sofia Coppola for 2003's "Lost in Translation." A woman has never won the Directors Guild's top honor, either, though six have been nominated.
"It's discouraging. I think people get tired of hearing the same news," said Robin Swicord, a longtime screenwriter ("Little Women," "Memoirs of a Geisha") directing for the first time with "The Jane Austen Book Club," due out September 21.
"But it hasn't changed so much that we can quit talking about it," Swicord continued. "I wish we could, and I also wish we could make our movies without people saying, 'And she's a woman director.' Here's Julie Delpy doing this wonderful comedy and here's Judd Apatow doing his comedy and no one is saying, 'And he's a male director.' ... We may end up being referred to as 'women directors' for a long time."
This year has seen tremendous work from actress Sarah Polley, making her writing and directing debut at just 28 with the stirring Alzheimer's drama "Away From Her." Australian Cherie Nowlan gave us the family comedy "Introducing the Dwights," and Zoe Cassavetes followed in the footsteps of father John Cassavetes with her first feature, the indie "Broken English."
Shari Springer Berman co-directed the big-screen adaptation of "The Nanny Diaries" (out August 24) with her husband, Robert Pulcini. Helen Hunt's directorial debut, the romantic comedy "Then She Found Me," premieres at September's Toronto International Film Festival. Kirsten Sheridan's musical, "August Rush," is due October 19.
Next March marks the return of Kimberly Peirce with her first film since 1999's "Boys Don't Cry": "Stop Loss," about a soldier returning from the Iraq war, which was inspired by her brother. And, of course, Valerie Faris co-directed the small gem "Little Miss Sunshine," which was nominated for four Oscars and won two.
But one would think there would be even more progress by now, considering the great strides women have made in other professional arenas -- including studio leadership. (Sony Pictures Entertainment co-chairman Amy Pascal and DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider declined to be interviewed for this story; the pioneering former Paramount chief Sherry Lansing was traveling and unavailable.)
"Thirty-five years ago, the statistics were dismal in the executive ranks and now we've got women at the highest level of management at all the studios and all the networks," said Jane Fleming, president of the nonprofit Women in Film. "You've got to hope that the creative arts will follow in the next 35 years."
So why don't female studio executives look out for female filmmakers?
"I don't believe that women studio executives are deliberately not seeking out (female) talent," said Fleming, who also runs a production company. "They're all really busy -- they're doing the best they can. I think it's the job of organizations like Women in Film to get people's product in their hands, to have screenings, to get it out in the press that we've got young directors that we're supporting. It's about getting representation to fight harder for their clients."
Breaking the mold
Which brings us to the issue of the kinds of movies women have been expected to make. Mimi Leder is an anomaly for having directed the action movies "Deep Impact" and "The Peacemaker"; so is Kathryn Bigelow, who was behind "Point Break" and "K-19: The Widowmaker."
"Hollywood is still an old boys' club and boys are bullies. ... The ultimate symbol of the film industry is a man, Oscar, clutching a sword and standing on a reel of film because he's defending his turf," said Tom O'Neil, columnist for theenvelope.com Web site. "I think that says it all."
"Part of it is society's fault," he said. "When a man and a woman on a date decide to see a movie, the man is less likely to see 'Thelma & Louise' " (which, by the way, was directed a man, Ridley Scott).
"When the genders combine to go out to see a movie, the man still rules. It has to appeal to him. They will go see 'The Departed' but they won't go see 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."'
Delpy says she fought for two decades to direct screenplays she'd written for thrillers or political dramas. Even an Oscar nomination for co-writing 2004's "Before Sunset" didn't help much. To get the money for "2 Days in Paris," she said she tricked her financiers into thinking she was making a romantic comedy about a French woman (herself) and an American man (Adam Goldberg).
"Which it's not," she says, laughing. "It's almost like a horror film on relationships. It's kind of a mean comedy and people say horrible things to one another.
"What's funny is, now people are trying to contact me to do movies," Delpy adds, "like, they're looking for a female director, and it's all about a relationship. You know what? I don't want to make a movie that they want a female director for. To me, first of all, it's condescending. What does that mean? Is it about breast feeding?"
In "Talk to Me," Cheadle plays Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr., an ex-con who served as the voice for urban blacks during the tumultuous 1960s. The movie contains rioting, explosions and a whole lot of sex and rough language.
Clearly, Lemmons ("Eve's Bayou") has made the furthest thing possible from a quote-unquote chick flick.
"It feels very, very me," she says of the material with a laugh. "It really does. I had one second of self-consciousness before my first meeting to go in as the director -- one moment of like, 'OK, I'm a woman, I know I have to convince them that I'm capable of directing a movie like this, or that I'm the right person.' And it was not just being a woman, it was based on my past work -- like, 'Am I versatile enough to do a piece like this?' "
Juggling work, family
Berman has directed a variety of films with her husband, whom she met at Columbia University film school, including the documentary "Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's" and the inventive biopic "American Splendor." She finds that she and Pulcini approach their work differently, though not in traditional gender roles.
"I'm a little bit more of a fighter. He's a quieter person. I'm actually more of the pit bull, which is not what you'd expect from the woman and the man. You can ask anyone who works with us -- Bob shies from conflict more and I kind of go right at it. Bob is very visually inclined. He likes to spend a lot of time with the cameras, and I like to spend a lot of time with the actors. Maybe discussing feelings or emotions might be more of a female-oriented thing.
"I do find that we get treated differently by the crew," she added. "People have a hard time seeing me as the director if Bob is around. There's always a little bit of, they go to him. It's a fight sometimes to be taken seriously as a director."
Having adopted a son after finishing "The Nanny Diaries," Berman is also about to find herself in the tricky position so many female professionals do: juggling family with work. "Friends With Money" writer-director Nicole Holofcener works steadily, but if there's a gap between her movies, she says, it's because she wants the time to take her 9-year-old twin sons to school. And Sheridan, already the mother of a 4-year-old daughter while making "August Rush," recently gave birth to a son.
"There definitely aren't (many female directors). I think a huge part of that is family, you know, and just how tough it can be on family," said Sheridan, who was nominated for an Oscar for writing 2002's "In America" with her sister and their father, veteran director Jim Sheridan. "I guess you get that in everything, it's part of whatever job you might have, but I think particularly in film because it's just a machine that is unstoppable.
"I'm kind of hoping that I can get to the point where I'm in enough control that I can call the shots a little bit more with how it all works," she added. "Having kids on set, having daycare on set -- I'd love to do that for other women in the crew as much as myself."
Just getting that first gig, though, can be hard enough. Women in Film hopes to boost the number of new directors by offering scholarships to students and funds to help women finish their films. They also match up aspiring directors with writers and crews to shoot public service announcements for charities that deal with women's issues.
"I wish that there was a secret. I wish I could say to someone what to do," Holofcener said. "I guess I wrote about what was important to me. I kept it personal. I kept it simple. I didn't try to fit into any kind of mode -- 'I'll write a genre, I'll write action.' I didn't have to do that.
"Ultimately the one I tried hardest with was 'Walking and Talking (1996).' That wasn't a compromise in terms of, I just have to get my foot in. Maybe that helps -- if you're driven by the need to tell something that's important to you, maybe that makes you ridiculously driven."
Indie to the big screen
Going to film school also helps, said Peirce, a Columbia grad like Holofcener and Berman. So does starting out in the indie world, where you can get your hands on every element of the process. "Boys Don't Cry" cost $1.7 million to make, whereas "Stop Loss," a Paramount release, had a budget of more than $30 million.
"Studio people tell me that they need indie directors to make studio movies so they know they can count on them -- that when they start pushing hard against them, they're not going to crash," Peirce said. "It's getting women into the system. Women are making indie movies that are wonderful and if they can keep doing that, that's great. But if they can cross over and can take on a project they can handle ... just to have done one studio movie will open up a whole lot of opportunities for them."
The rare example of a woman operating at the highest echelons of the studio system is Nancy Meyers, whose films "The Holiday," "Something's Gotta Give" and "What Women Want" have grossed hundreds of millions of dollars.
Meyers makes smart, glossy romantic comedies. The question is, though, are women drawn to other kinds of material that can translate into big box office and prestigious prizes? Many say they're interested in telling more intimate, character-driven stories -- though Delpy says she'd love to do a huge sci-fi film. And as awards expert O'Neil points out, testosterone-fueled movies like "The Departed," "Braveheart" and "Dances With Wolves" win Oscars.
Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said there's no good answer why the directors' branch of the academy -- which chooses the nominees for best director and is about 6 percent female -- has only nominated three women. But he ventured that a combination of two factors could be at work: Financiers may feel reluctant to back a woman as the director of a large-scale movie, and women generally may not be interested in such material.
"Would a woman have made 'The Departed'? Maybe that's the next goal," said Ganis, a longtime producer and former studio executive. "Maybe women directors will be seen as able to do 'Terminator 5,' or some major action movie. Maybe that is breaking the next stereotype model."
Delpy had the same idea in mind -- she just phrased it a little differently.
"A woman has to make a bunch of blockbusters, one after another," she said, "and shut everyone's mouth." (Courtesy Associated Press, 2007)

Time Enough at Last

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:11:00 +0000

I just logged two out of three tapes for Scenes Missing.
This film is going to look amazing!!!! I think we are all going to be proud of this!!!

One Down, One to Go.....and More to Come!

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 16:10:00 +0000

The Mouth of Wilson documentary is done. I screened it at KatManDu this weekend for the guys CD release party. It was recieved very well and it seems like the guys really did enjoy it.
We are in the very early stages of talking about doing a music video to help further promote the album.
So now I get to go into post of the short film I shot this summer. I think I'll take a couple of weeks off to celebrate but by the middle of February I'll be logging at capturing.
I'm also in pre-pre-production for a music video for Effusion 35.
So it's been a busy couple of weeks since I've last been on myspace.
The documentary will be posted on this page soon.

My Writing Style

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:09:00 +0000

Some would say I have none and they might be right. However I view my scripts as falling into the Minimalism (Miniplot) category. I believe in open endings. The majority of my characters deal more with internal conflict. This isn't to say that I'll never try to write in a different style but at this point in my art I think this is where I'm coming from.

Filmmaker Thought of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 03:08:00 +0000

" The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life. Unlike painting and literature, the cinema both gives to life and takes from it, and I try to render this concept in my films. Literature and painting both exist as art from the very start; the cinema doesn't." - Jean-Luc Godard

Near Perfection......Who Knew It Was Possible?

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:07:00 +0000

It's a wrap!!! We officially wrapped Scenes Missing at about 5:00pm on Sunday night.
It's amazing, the production was almost flawless. The two snags:
A location we arranged was supposed to open at 3pm but didn't until 4pm. However I budget so much time for the following scene that we ended up wrapping early anyway.
Then a child actor bailed on us last minute. What could I do but grab one off the street. Everybody began to chill as I started the odyssey for a child. I walked the street toward Union Square and came across a family. I stated my situation and much to my amazement they agreed! The whole process took about 2 minutes. I walked back to my stunned crew saying "Let's go, let's go. We have an actor." To be honest I was shocked too. We didn't get exactly what we wanted but instead I got something more genuine. It won't cut as nicely because we don't have the coverage of this scene that we do the others but I think the emotional impact of the moment will make people completely forgive it.
Now for a quick recap of the director's stupid moment.
Friday: I ran into on coming traffic in the Grammercy area to retrieve an empty cup that we were using as a prop. Continuity you know!
Saturday: I left my house at 3:30am and realized after I locked the door that I forgot a bunch of bananas that I promised people. So I had to break back in through the window. It took about 5 tries to hoist my leg high enough to get through the window. Then I had to wrestle with the blinds before finally getting free and getting my prize bananas. I left through the door which somehow felt like cheating. I should have dived head first out the window.
Sunday: I turned off a ceiling fan but it wasn't slowing down fast enough for me, so I stopped it with my hand.
I was not harmed doing any of my own stunts :)
I had a happy crew, and a great product. Now I'm taking a much needed vacation. I'm going to spend a couple days in NYC seeing a couple of shows and going out for drinks with some friends.
Thanks again to everyone who helped and sent me love and positive energy. We have a film we can be really proud of.

Promoting the Film I'm Working On

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 21:54:00 +0000

Here is the link to the film All Screwed Up that I got promoted to 1st AD on. Very exciting. But the film schedule has been rough and I want to come home NOW! I miss you guys.

All Screwed Up

All Screwed Up

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:09:00 +0000

Here is a short article in the local paper about the film I'm working on with Red Line Studios and Bud Rebel Productions. I made the paper!
From left, executive producer Bruce "Bud Rebel" Weinfeld talks to script supervisor Melissa Whitely on the set of an independent movie being filmed at Clarkstown North High School in New City. July 26, 2006. (Photo courtesy Angela Gaul / The Journal News )

Moving Forward -- Wonderful News

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 04:08:00 +0000

I posted an ad on backstage today at about 11:30. I came home at 8:30 and checked my messages. I've already gotten 25 submissions for work on Scenes Missing.
Still waiting for insurance but I have to start moving forward.

Room to Breathe

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 20:05:00 +0000

Okay kiddies I've decided that I don't like insurance. Actually I don't have feelings one way or the other. The process is just taking much longer than it should. So what does this mean to you?
The next film has been pushed back until 9/8 and production will wrap on 9/10. Still Friday - Sunday. All parties still interested in playing in Lissyland, let me know. :)

Kidnapped a Finalist in the New York Mintute Film Festival!

noreply@blogger.com (White Lyte Productions) — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 18:01:00 +0000

Great news! Kidnapped is a finalist in the New York Minute Film Festival. Thanks to all who voted!

"Greetings & Happy New Year,
The voting results are tabulated and your entry in the New York Minute Film Festival is a finalist.
We are preparing a DVD of the finalists for the NYMFF judges to view and select the winners.
Congratulations!!

~ jeff
Jeff Cahn
New York Minute Film Festival Admin"