Project Description
When The Dealin’s Done
TITLE: When The Dealin’s Done
STATUS: UNKNOWN
LENGTH:
PARTICIPANTS: UNKNOWN
DATES ACTIVE: April 5th 2017 –
SUMMARY:
When The Dealin’s Done (A Drifters Story) is the 6th professional production for Reel Z Productions. The idea for the film came from both Harris and his movie friend and screenwriter Larry Bartels. Harris & Bartels were sitting down over lunch and discussing pre-production of another movie. Harris and Bartels started with thinking up crazy places to film, and stories that would match those places. Sometime in the conversation the old Kenny Rogers song “The gambler” popped into the conversation. Bartels pointed out that a movie by that name had already been made, so they set out together to come up with a theme close to the story of the original song, but with a twist. Following Harris’s style of filmmaking, the film will be largely made without the use of special effects. This sort of filming will require the use of actual railroad cars and will take some planning to carry out.
As of October 2017 this film was placed into pre-production. Bartels had to step down as director due to extensive and ongoing medical and personal issues. Harris is now the sole director and Bartels is listed as an “advisory consultant” for the film. Due to the local acting communities awareness of Reel Z and its professional shoots, the film was almost completely cast internally before a casting call was issued.
Screenwriter Lindsay Radford (I Love You) was brought in to fast track a script, and the film now has a functional screenplay attached to it.
As of November 1st 2017, the film will see local actress Ashley Hector in the starring role. After an extensive location scout the film will see shooting in Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Florence Arizona (Florence will see almost 75% of the shooting).
The film started principal photography behind schedule and shooting took place in January of 2017. The production saw many pitfalls including the director being challenged at gunpoint over a “picture vehicle” loan. No one was harmed but after another week of setbacks the decision was made to shut the production down due to the lead actress being 6 months pregnant. 4 scenes out of the 19 were successfully filmed prior to the shutdown. Reel Z takes the shutdown hard and does hope to return to the screen with WTDD someday.
The film was returned to “unknown” status January 28th 2018.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
I Love You Outline
I LOVE YOU is a story of a family brought together out of tragedy, and ultimately destroyed by domestic abuse. Alexa Rhodes & her husband Chris find out that she cannot have children. A year later because Alexa knows how important kids are to Chris, they decide to adopt and they meet Sarah & James.
The children Sarah & James are brought home from the orphanage and Alexa begins a cycle of abuse. As time passes the abuse gets worse and turns psychical. Alexa also is abusing Chris. Chris is a passive man and does not wish to upset his wife, so he takes the abuse and does nothing. As the abuse progresses worse and worse and Alexa starts to see the kids as threats to her time with Chris, the situation turns dark.
In one horrible argument the fighting is so loud that the neighbors call the police. Officer John Davis gets the call and responds to the Rhodes residence. Officer Davis finds Chris injured, but Chris will not betray his wife.
In another instance of domestic abuse the family is out for the evening at a local restaurant. The kids are misbehaving and Alexa attempts to discipline them, Chris steps in and alexa turns violent in front of the waitress.
The abuse goes on for 5 years and finally Chris leaves the family. He is not strong enough to stop the cycle of abuse. Alexa raises the children and when they are old enough Sarah and James flee.
Years later Sarah & James live in their own apartment. They are sitting on a bench in the park one day remembering their dad and the fact he escaped the abuse. They really miss him and talk about how he endured the abuse for as long as he could.
In the climax of the film Chris steps out from behind the trees and is reunited with his estranged children.
The film focuses on domestic violence and what a family goes through in its downward spiral. It also has a slight focus on the mental instability of a child’s caregiver. The ending leaves the viewer to decide how it might continue from that point, but with an overall good feeling.
The original screenplay was written by Keena Huesby, and was adapted by Lindsay Radford. It will be directed by Jason Harris and it will be Harris’s 3rd film. It will be produced by Reel Z Productions.
F.A.Q.
Yes! Absolutely Yes. If you can travel, afford to live and work alongside our crew then you are all welcome. You should have SOME interest in the arts and the making of our craft, and never come just for the paycheck. Everyone who wants to gain more experience is perfect for this as we all will be learning. We should not say this but despite how well we are prepared, this is the director’s first TV show project. With that said however, he has more than a few aces up his sleeve from the 11 month scouting trip we conducted. If you are new or just hungry for credits (and pay if we sell of course) then you will find a home with us in this crazy adventure!
It is not for the crew, however you will have a much better experience if you at least can move around with it. Without it you will be dependent on the other crew, and they may not always be able to help you. We suggest you learn basic Spanish NOW! before you even go. You can get a free app, or find a friend to give you some pointers.
For the HOST, It is a requirement to speak and understand the language as part of the function on our show.
We have several key positions on this project, please note a lot of the secondary positions one would find on a general crew have been eliminated or doubled up to maintain a small crew.
- Host. This position ranks at the top even above our director. We did this because without this person we would not have a show. the host is a charismatic, attractive to the eye, bilingual person who enjoys travel and new adventures
- Director. Top of the heap. Our director is the person who controls the entire project, oversees on the ground operations, and makes sure the crew is safe and functional in country.
- Assistant Director. This is the directors right hand man/woman. This person works closely with the director for schedules, crew assignments, location management, and anything that would allow the crew to function more smoothly while on the project.
- Director Of Photography. This position handles the camera work on our project. The director and the DP work closely to create the look and feel of the project through the cameras lens. The DP will also most likely handle cinematographic duties on the shoot. There is the likelihood the DP will also assist with sound at one time or another. Again multiple roles will be worked by multiple crew members.
- Aerial Pilot. We had our primary pilot walk out on our shoot at the last minute. This position is ideal for someone who owns and understands aerial drone technology. While not a required position on the shoot, we were looking forward to having this position on the shoot.
- Makeup Artist – Production Assistant. Our Makeup artist would double with our project as a PA. She would be in charge of making sure the hostess was camera ready, and most likely would not be needed as much should our host me a male actor. She would double duty as a production assistant.
- Key Production Assistant. This would be the top dog of the PAS on our shoot. This role would perform the needed duties of the crew to keep it functioning on the project. This role is often considered the lowest role on a shoot, however we realize these are very important team members and will always be treated as such.
- Production Assistant. This position is for a basic production assistant and will be under the watch of the Key PA. The production assistant will play an important role and work on the PA team to make sure the shoot flows smoothly at all times.
- Relief PA. This production assistant will be used to change out if another crew member gets tired. We will be running hard on this shoot, sometimes as much as 12 hours a day/5 days a week. This position will allow a crew member a chance to take a break should the need arise. The Relief PA will also be on hand to assist the BTS lead should they need any help.
- BTS/Social Media Lead. This person will be independent of the lead camera crew. Their primary job will be to document the “making of” this project. They will conduct interviews with the host and crew from time to time, be the lead on locations, and also handle any camera/video stills for gathering this material. The secondary and other important focus of this position is the maintenance, updating, and interaction of the projects social media channels on a frequent daily basis, as well as updates to the projects website while the crew is on the shoot.
If you think you would be a fit for any of these positions, please contact us today. Our pay rates have been calculated to provide a very competitive wage for these positions. We look forward to working with you soon!
Yes, we will segments talking about the local food. Please be advised that unlike other shows before us, we have no intention of the host “making love” to the food, and our show is not food porn. We know that there are far more interesting things to focus on in a foreign country besides the food. We give a nod to those shows that practically make food the star, but this is not the focus of our show!
If you see us filming, stop by and say hi. If you want you can also check out Uncharted on your social media. Follow, Like, Subscribe, Pin. you know all that social stuff helps out a lot. Our goal is to allow our travels to build an audience that is interested in what we hope to accomplish.
If you see us filming snap a pic, selfie with the cast and crew, or just hang out. We will have a dedicated Behind The Scenes/ Social Media guru with us. Look for the following.
A host on camera
A camera crew behind them
A second crew behind the main crew. That is the crew you want to approach should you wish to be in our BTS material.
You need three things to come to Cancun!
- A valid united states passport (with at least 6 months left until expiration, however 1 year is preferable). If you do not have this we advise you to IMMEDIATELY go to this link to start the process. it can take up to 6 weeks to process an application, but they usually do come sooner.
- A valid airline ticket. This one we recommend Southwest Airlines. We do so after years of travel with this airline. The reason is that they have no change fees, no reassignment fees, and you cancel a flight up to 1 hour before it leaves the runway. Keep in mind whatever airline you choose (if not southwest) that the longer you wait to book your ticket the more expensive it will be. The crew needs to be in Cancun on September 25th 2017, no later arrivals will be accepted on our crew. Also remember that Central America is always changing. Should you need to leave the project at the end (or before with termination of your contract), Southwest flies out of Cancun, Belize City, and San Jose, Costa Rica only. Other airlines may have different options.
- A solid well made backpack. This one is important folks. Please do not bring carry ons with rollaway wheels, or suitcases on this trip. We will be traveling overland with the backpacker circuit. We want to blend in and travel quickly. We recommend REI as a great retailer to get good gear. if you go to a local REI and tell them what you will be doing, they will make sure you get something that has quality and will last far longer then this trip. Although not required, we highly advise a daypack as well, you will thank us later!
You can do that, that is your choice , however…
You should know that our project has strict guidelines (that do change) and you will be required to complete a large amount of paperwork as well as your contract.
If the crew members are not in Cancun on September 25th 2017, those members will not be invited on the project and their contracts will be void. Any financial losses from a crew member that occur and that crew member does not show up will not be reimbursable by the company in any form whatsoever.
If you are going on this trip, pay attention to all communications in a timely manner.
If you choose not to communicate your position may be replaced without warning, as seen fit by our director.
If you listened closely to the whole filming you will notice the host is bilingual. As soon as the Spanish conversation was finished, the host would have immediately summarized to the camera in English. Our hope is we will reach a much more diverse audience this way.
If you see us filming while you are on your trip, it never hurts to ask.
Seriously though, Our show has a specific format structure, and one of them includes a guest for the day. You would of course have to sign the appropriate releases and legal forms. If you want to be a guest and see us filming, feel free to approach the crew.
The completed show has a three tier distribution plan.
We will most likely primarily be seen on a cable tv network in the USA.
Also we will have the show available on demand at the Vimeo PPV service.
The show will also be able to be downloaded at our website
All behind the scenes clips will be available for free on various forms of social media.
We will also have a “making of” documentary for sale, should anyone want to learn how we accomplished the project.
There is interest, but a DEFINED interest is a whole notha story. I cannot give anyone names of producers, network executives or anything like that. The reason is because I refuse to compromise the integrity of what this project is with a lie. I will honestly say at the beginning (a year and a half ago) we were in talks with a liaison of a large network. Those talks went nowhere and we went our separate ways.
We will make this project independently, and then shop it to various networks/distributors.
This goes back to a two part answer.
- equipment/footage confiscated. This is highly unlikely as we are not doing anything political on this trip. We are not filming anything that could be construed as a safety violation, and we will almost always ask before we shoot any military or police interaction. The governments of these countries are not likely to allow us to see anything that we shouldn’t. Our focus is not humanitarian and we are not Micheal Moore (as much as I love the guy) so I think this one is a safe bet.
- equipment/footage broken. This is more likely possible. We will be travelling in places that are not always hospitable to electronics. We will have backup sources that we will continuously use to protect the assets of the project. We will have a failsafe plan in place should the primary equipment no longer be usable, but we do not anticipate this to be an issue with the quality and reputation of the equipment we have chosen.
I always chuckle when I read the word “safe” in these things. One of the primary focuses on our show is to show people that Central America (and travel abroad) is indeed safe. Obviously you want to keep a sensibility about you and use common sense and safety in your daily travels. I do not consider (after almost 15 months) Central America to be anymore dangerous then a Chicago street, a Brooklyn alley, or an LA park after dark.
If you have an unknown fear of unknown places, then our project probably is not for you. We aim to send a message that travel is fun, exciting, and can enrich peoples lives.
This question is split into three, so we will take them one at a time.
- The right equipment is a highly subjective term. We do not have an Arri, Red, or massive camera system. We have what the project feels is right for us and our mission. Again these are pilots, not full series episodes. We are gathering this material as a sales pitch, nothing more, nothing less.
- Enough equipment. We do have enough that we will not be slowed down to much, and not to much that we will be overloaded. The focus on this project was to compromise between form and function. A ton of heavy equipment could produce great results, but at the expense of draining the crews resources quickly. We have gone over the list with some qualified people, and although we could have used “different” choices, we have their blessing that what we have will do the job we came to do.
- backup equipment. Again with zero budget, zero investors (besides our director who put everything on the line) we had to say no to this. The equipment would have doubled the cost on everything (maybe tripled). The equipment we have is solid and should stand the test of the project.
Again No! This is not Hollywood, we did not attach Bullock or Clooney to this. Our host will most likely be an unknown that is qualified in all the ways we need them to be. If you are looking to play with the stars, you should hang out in LA. Maybe on a set there you will be lucky enough to get someone coffee, or a newspaper.
You might even get an autograph!
At the time of this writing, our crew roster is extremely fluid. We need a base crew of 5 people minimum for our project to launch. Ideally we would like to see a base crew of 10 members, but anything between 5-10 will work.
The more people involved in this project makes it a double edged sword. On the one hand more people means a better production, but also more pay for the crew. A smaller crew means we work harder, but can travel swifter, and less money is paid overall, allowing the crew to reap more benefits.
As for the crew, our director knows what we need to make this be a success, and we will not launch without it!
Again, YES! This is a crazy undertaking that is being placed on your plate. Pack up your life, go to some foreign country for over a month, film god knows what and god knows where and hope that it is a success. Any “Vanilla” play it safe person in the world should stay at home and wait for their phone to ring with some cushy set they can go get paid at the end of the day. The likelihood of that however, we all know is rare.
This project is not for the timid, it will take guts and courage and most of all a lot of faith. Faith in the project, faith in the crew and faith in the director.
The rewards if we succeed are going to be amazing, but that is only IF we succeed. We need a crew and host that can believe this from day 1, if that is not you, we thank you for your interest!
In all honesty, Yes! Our Host and Crew will be travelling along paths that are known as the “gringo trail”, and they are well traveled. At other times we may be in remote places that are not known to the public as of yet. If you see our camera crew along the trail feel free to stop by and say hi, and offer them a beer!
Uncharted is a project that has been two years in the making. Instead of waiting forever to secure funding (that might never come) we went ahead after waiting a solid year. It has undergone two host changes so far.
Our “set” as you will call it will be the location we are filming in. This could be a jungle, a river, a village, or a volcano. It could be a beach, A reef, A bus station or a city street.
Traditional movie sets have craft service tables and all those pretty things, on this shoot the craft will be in the ability for the crew to service themselves.
THIS IS NOT A HOLLYWOOD SET, There will be no pampering here!
Uncharted will be shot in roughly 48 days in Central America. It will span 3 countries and close to 20 locations.
Uncharted received no external funding. Our director put forth a considerable amount of money to make this a reality. Right now the project is known as the dreaded “deferred” project. Simply put everyone goes in with their own money in the hopes the project will sell. If it does everyone is paid their hours at their rate given in their contract. The pay rates are posted. if you are a crew member ask for the password.
That is a reality, one we are not unaware of. we could take the crew the equipment and the time and never sell anything. We look at it like the last time you went on vacation and did not have to pay was… right exactly never. We will be visiting amazing locations in the Caribbean and at the very worst you will end up with a working vacation in some of the most beautiful places on this earth!
hey great. A few things will happen. First the budgets and hours from the project will be tallied. Also all documented expenses put forth by the crew will be calculated. Once we have a buyer a couple things will take place. First everyone who worked on this thing will get a check for their earnings, then they will be asked to go back out to film the full show, paid upfront this time (or at the least while on the project).
This is a great opportunity but we will not sugarcoat it and tell you it is a sure thing, because it is not.
You have some we can borrow, Awesome! Just joking. The crew will travel with close to 200 pounds of equipment. everything from state of the art cameras, to high flying drones. The list is always changing but suffice it to say we have the gear we need!
Good question LOL. No but seriously we went through two hosts as of this writing. The co-creator of our series was supposed to host, and her name was Bobbi Gould from Phoenix. She was replaced with Peter Himmelman , A traveler from New York City in 2016. Himmelman resigned on July 24th 2017 citing personal reasons.
The production is now interviewing dynamic and engaging hosts for the project.
So you too huh, always wanted to travel the world and get paid for it. Lol its not all its cracked up to be but if you want to you can submit a screen test. You just have to be able to do the following
- be able to afford to survive in central america on a shoestring budget for almost two months
- be able to speak and understand spanish at almost 85% fluency
- Have a valid passport and be able to work on a team
- have the passion and drive to help us make a great show
Sounds simple doesnt it!
If you want to become our host, try out today. You can contact us on Facebook or email us using the contact from on our homepage!
Ideally we wanted this to be small, very small. Honestly though to make a good product we need good people. We expect the crew to be between 8-10 people when all is said and done. Perfect size for a private transport!
The crew will be made up of people that can see the “forest through the trees”. If a person thinks about money first, last and always, then they probably wont be on the crew.
We seek die hards, people who believe in a vision, not just in the paycheck.
We have several positions we need to fill, and we are going to have a diverse crew!
Are you some sort of stalker, got it in for movie types? LOL
Just kidding, the filming will take place in the countries of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala.
Right now the list for the cities by country are as follows (this could change at any moment)
| MEXICO | BELIZE | GUATEMALA |
| Cancun | Caye Caulker | Flores-Peten |
| Isla Mujeres | San Ignacio | Santa Elena |
| Tulum | Cahal Pech | Samuc Champay |
| Punta Allen | San Juan La Laguna | |
| Isla Blanca (tentative) | San Pedro La Laguna | |
| Mahahual (tentative) | Santa Cruz La Laguna | |
| Seca La Laguna (Tentative) | ||
| Panajachel | ||
That is great but this gig is probably not for you. One reason is we have no guarantee that anyone will be paid, and this is truly for the adventurous. Also we find most professionals laugh at the craziness for our idea to be a success.
We thank you for your time and your welcome to read all the details, but we caution you when applying.
Actually yes. One of our directors former DP’s had some things to say about the director and the project itself, feel free to read below
Can it be done?
It depends on what kind of person YOU are. If you’re like Jay or like me then this is ENTIRELY doable the way Jay is suggesting. It just takes people with a ton of ENTHUSIASM (like Jay), a fearless attitude, and some balls! (And I’ve worked with plenty of women who have these kind of balls.)
Its all about the best equipment right?
Getting what this show will need will have almost nothing to do with equipment – it will have EVERYTHING to do with WHO is out there in these amazing places making it happen. This proposed show is ALL about getting into the less-traveled locations and getting up-close and personal with the people you all will find there. That’s HEART! HEART is what will be up there on the screen with this show, not technical specs.
Can The Director Pull It Off?
El Director Jay absolutely HAS the passion, the ENERGY, the enthusiasm, and the clear vision to make a project like this happen. Of that there really is no question. All he needs is a half dozen other people who also have that drive and passion up in them for this kind of work. Like you’ll hear everyone high up in the TV industry these days say – “Content is king”. And a unique show idea like this can fly because its content goal IS unique in the world of travel shows.
Dane Paul Stewart – DP , Envelope
