Directed by KELLER DAVIS. Written by DEANA RICKS. Produced by KELLER DAVIS, DEANA RICKS and JOE RICKS

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Directed by KELLER DAVIS. Written by DEANA RICKS. Produced by KELLER DAVIS, DEANA RICKS and JOE RICKS"

Anthony Montgomery
5 years ago
Views:

2 Directed by KELLER DAVIS Written by DEANA RICKS Produced by KELLER DAVIS, DEANA RICKS and JOE RICKS Starring DEANA RICKS, DEKE GARNER, RICHARD JONES, MACKINLEE WADDELL and RICHARD RENTERIA Run Time: 21:36 minutes Please visit website for available images: CONTACT INFO Escape Plan Productions Keller Davis Facebook: escapeplanfilms Deana Ricks Facebook: ActressDeanaRicks A Lot On Her Plate Movie lotonherplatemovie@gmail.com Facebook: alotonherplatemovie

SYNOPSIS A Lot on Her Plate is a short dramedy written by and

A Lot on Her Plate is a slice of life tale highlighting a few days

stay-at- home mom of two typical teenagers, played by Austin New and

and subtle ways Charlotte, and mothers like her, surrender

When her efforts to regain some individuality, including a plea to

3 SYNOPSIS A Lot on Her Plate is a short dramedy written by and starring Deana Ricks. It s directed by Keller Davis. A Lot on Her Plate is a slice of life tale highlighting a few days in the life of Charlotte played by Ricks (Friday Night Lights), a stay-at- home mom of two typical teenagers, played by Austin New and Mackinlee Waddell (GCB), and a special needs pre-teen, played by Deke Garner (Hellion). Told in the style of NBC s Parenthood, the film shows the visible and subtle ways Charlotte, and mothers like her, surrender themselves for the sake of the family. When her efforts to regain some individuality, including a plea to her husband, played by Richard C. Jones (Pit Stop), fall short, Charlotte seeks comfort elsewhere. A Lot on Her Plate was shot in Austin, Texas using local talent and crew. FILM STILLS

CREW & CAST KELLER DAVIS Producer, Director, Editor Keller is a filmmaker, writer, and entrepreneur in Austin, Texas who co-founded and manages Escape Plan Productions, a video production company

A frequent attendee of SXSW Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Austin Film Festival (where he also served as a programmer), his short films and music videos have been screened at film fests, won a

He received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in Telecommunication Media Studies and served as the film society chairman, filmmaking club president, and associate director of the 2011

4 CREW & CAST KELLER DAVIS Producer, Director, Editor Keller is a filmmaker, writer, and entrepreneur in Austin, Texas who co-founded and manages Escape Plan Productions, a video production company where he directs, produces, writes, and edits a number of short films, music videos, and commercial work around the world. A frequent attendee of SXSW Film Festival, Fantastic Fest, and Austin Film Festival (where he also served as a programmer), his short films and music videos have been screened at film fests, won a number of awards, and received international recognition. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Texas A&M University in Telecommunication Media Studies and served as the film society chairman, filmmaking club president, and associate director of the 2011 Texas Film Festival. ALEX WALKER Director of Photography Alex has shot several feature films as well as national and regional ad campaigns. His work won the award for Best Cinematography at the Sunset Int l FF in 2012 for the feature film No One Will Know. Alex s list of work includes HGTV, Hewlett Packard, Nissan, VICE as well as several well known Republican and Democratic political candidates. JUSTIN PAYNE Music Composer Justin Payne is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Austin, Texas. Composing for film and media, Justin Payne has worked with a number of independent filmmakers and musicians across Texas. As graduate of Texas A&M University, he studied with composers Peter Lieuwen, David Wilborn, Jeff Morris and Marty Regan. Attempting to expand his experience through collaboration with other artists, he has contributed music for short films, commercials and live performance. His works have been featured in festivals such as Texas Independent Film Festival and Austin 48 Hour.

CREW & CAST DEANA RICKS Writer, Producer, Actress ( Charlotte ) Deana is an LA/Austin based actress originally from Oklahoma City where she performed in multiple stage productions and won Best

Her work in indie film includes Searching for Sonny, An Ordinary Family and the Weinstein Company satire, Butter.

DEKE GARNER Actor ( Brian ) Deke started acting at the age of seven, when writer/director John Hale put him in his debut film Hyphen. Since then he has been cast in dozens of short films and features.

He also loves skateboarding, if not working on a film or doing school work, Deke is skating. RICHARD C.

5 CREW & CAST DEANA RICKS Writer, Producer, Actress ( Charlotte ) Deana is an LA/Austin based actress originally from Oklahoma City where she performed in multiple stage productions and won Best Actress at the OKC Play Festival. In television, Deana landed a recurring role in NBC s Friday Night Lights, a pilot role on ABC s My Generation and a co-star on Cartoon Network s Incredible Crew. Her work in indie film includes Searching for Sonny, An Ordinary Family and the Weinstein Company satire, Butter. Deana has studied improv and sketch writing at UCB, Nerdist and io West theaters in Los Angeles. She currently performs improv at the Clubhouse Theater and sketch at the Nerdist stage in Hollywood. DEKE GARNER Actor ( Brian ) Deke started acting at the age of seven, when writer/director John Hale put him in his debut film Hyphen. Since then he has been cast in dozens of short films and features. Deke has worked in many genres, including horror, comedy, drama, and children s. When not acting, Deke goes to school where he is an honor roll student and aide to special needs students. He also loves skateboarding, if not working on a film or doing school work, Deke is skating. RICHARD C. JONES Actor ( Mike ) Richard has worked as an actor on multiple projects, such as Pit Stop, Hellion and the short film Dig that have played at Sundance and other great film festivals. He enjoys the disciplines involved in playing both comedic and dramatic roles. He credits a large amount of his growth as an actor to studying Meisner but has worked with many great coaches. Richard can also be seen in multiple national commercials having worked with JC Penny, Dish Network and others. MACKINLEE WADDELL Actor ( Julie ) At age 15, Mackinlee, a Dallas native, landed a recurring role as Mckinney Peacham on the ABC dramedy, GCB, alongside such heavy hitters as Kristen Chenoweth, Leslie Bibb, Annie Potts and Jennifer Aspen, who played her mother. Mackinlee has performed in several independent feature films including Searching for Sonny and most recently in Den of Darkness. She is currently a sophomore at the University of Texas pursing a BFA. She was one of only 16 students chosen for the university s conservatory style program.

6 INTERVIEW WITH DEANA RICKS Where does this story come from? In the simplest terms, it s based on my life as a mother of a child with Asperger s Syndrome. But in a larger scale it sprang from me wanting, like many creatives, to work out and express my essence through story. The story is fictional and is not based on true events but the turmoil, joy and frustration we experience through my character, Charlotte, is certainly based on my years of parenting. It s important to note that this is a film about the sometimes overwhelming feelings surrounding parenting. I was not trying to interpret the experience of living as a person with Asperger s. What was the process of writing and how did you develop the story? My husband and I were at Sundance in 2015 and I saw some wonderful stories and they each, in their own ways, challenged me to write something. So the first draft was written in a rental condo in Park City, Utah. Subsequent drafts were reviewed by dear friends in the entertainment industry and I made revisions based on their notes. I also asked my family to read it and contribute their opinions. It is a short film but I developed it to be like television. I love film but television is my passion and so I crafted the story to feel more like episodic television, with characters and challenges that made since in a family drama or sitcom. What was it like shooting in Austin, Texas? Awesome! I wouldn t have wanted to make this project anywhere else. Austin is my home and it is so welcoming to people in creative industries. I was able to work with friends and I used my own home as a set. (It s not the first time our house has had a film crew in it). Businesses in Austin allowed us to film in their locations without cost and with very little hassle. Austin is a very film-friendly town. What are you hoping audiences will take away from the film? The greatest thing a storyteller can hope for is that audiences feel something when they view your work that some emotion is stirred. I hope that if a parent recognizes themselves in the characters or it resonates with them, that they will stop and look at the healthy or unhealthy parts and take some action, if necessary. I think there are lots of people in various caregiving situations who can relate to these characters. I also hope that if the characters situations are not familiar to you, that it would still raise some empathy for others who do live these lives every day. Has the process of developing the film changed your views in any way? Developing the film helped me review my experiences as a mom and exposed some things that I had not been expecting. For example, I noticed my own culpability in too often choosing to play the role of a victim or be a martyr. I could have made other choices. I can t change circumstances but I can always choose how I react to them. I have a friend who is a naturally peppy cheerleader and I envy her. But even though I don t have her natural enthusiasm I can choose to take care of myself and ask for help when the glass is more than half empty.

7 BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS

8 PARENTING RESOURCES AUTISM SPEAKS MY ASPERGERS CHILD ASPERGERS/AUTISM NETWORK (AANE) THE PARENTING ASPERGERS BLOG ONLINE ASPERGER SYNDROME INFORMATION AND SUPPORT ASPERGER SYNDROME & HIGH FUNCTIONING AUTISM ASSOCIATION (AHA) AUTISM PARENTING MAGAZINE

9 FILM CREDITS CHARLOTTE PHILLIPS played by DEANA RICKS BRIAN PHILLIPS played by DEKE GARNER MIKE PHILLIPS played by RICHARD C. JONES JULIE PHILLIPS played by MACKINLEE WADDELL CHRIS played by RICHARD RENTERIA TOM PHILLIPS played by AUSTIN NEW DIRECTED by KELLER DAVIS PRODUCED by KELLER DAVIS, DEANA RICKS, JOE RICKS SCREENPLAY by DEANA RICKS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX WALKER MUSIC COMPOSED by JUSTIN PAYNE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANNIE JAFFE SOUND by KYLE GRAHAM SOUND DESIGN by TIM FITZGERALD and KELLER DAVIS EDITING by KELLER DAVIS SHOT ON LOCATION IN AUSTIN TEXAS

in SCREENWRITING MASTER OF FINE ARTS Two-Year Accelerated

in SCREENWRITING MASTER OF FINE ARTS Two-Year Accelerated Two-Year Accelerated MASTER OF FINE ARTS in SCREENWRITING In the MFA program, staged readings of our students scripts are performed for an audience of guests and industry professionals. 46 LOCATION LOS