"Fitful" Plays to Sold Out Theater

The newest Brauer Productions independent feature Fitful played to a sold out audience Wednesday night at the Traverse City State Theatre. Both stars of the film, Actors Larry Joe Campbell and Renee O’Connor, flew in from Los Angeles to attend the event.

“The fact that 600 people turned out to watch our movie the week before Christmas is another testament to just how supportive of film this community is. A big part of the reason I have been able to keep making films is this amazing place and the people I share it with,” said Brauer.

Michael Moore introduced the film and Brauer, O’Connor and Campbell fielded questions from the audience and talked about their experiences making the movie after the showing.

“I had a great time making Fitful. In fact, I would love to make a movie a year with Rich,” said Campbell. Originally from Cadillac, MI, Campbell said he felt right at home in Manistee where the movie was filmed.

Both Campbell and O’Connor spoke highly of their overall experience making the picture. “I really enjoyed working with Rich,” said O’Connor. “There was a sense of family between Rich, the crew, and us that was truly unique.”

“That’s just how we do things. When you make a small budget indie, a big part of bringing the project together is passion and teamwork.” said Brauer.

The next stop for Fitful will be a premier in LA this spring.

Fitful, a dark comedy/suspense feature written and directed by Michigan Film Maker of the Year Rich Brauer, is Brauer Productions sixth film and the tenth film the company has been involved with overall. For more information about Brauer Productions, Inc. and other features it has produced, visit www.brauer.com.

Photo provided by Don Rutt.

Giving Birth to "Fitful"

The movie is to the Traverse City State Theatre, Rich has been all over talking to friends like the Record Eagle, Ron Jolly, Eric at WNMC, Mary at Mary in the Morning, and others, Larry Joe Campbell is in town, and many have purchased tickets...I think we're all ready for a preview of Fitful!

Tickets are still available if you can make it down to check out our new baby.

What an amazing theater to show a movie in and what a wonderfully supportive community to be a part of!

Only One Day...

...until the sneak preview of "Fitful"! There has been a great response from the community including some wonderful coverage of the preview. Check out our web site to hear Rich on the Ron Jolly Show.

Tickets are still available via the State Theatre's web site or at the door tomorrow night. Come on down if you can, and be one of the first to see it. The show starts at 6:30 pm and will be followed by a Q&A with writer/director Rich Brauer.

"Fitful The Movie" Trailer

The trailer for Fitful The Movie is now available on YouTube. Check it out!

Sneak Preview of Brauer Productions Indie Film "Fitful" Planned

A sneak peek at the new Brauer Productions, Inc. indie film Fitful is scheduled at the Traverse City State Theatre on Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 pm. One of the stars of the film, Actor Larry Joe Campbell, will be coming in from Los Angeles to attend the event.

Fitful, a dark comedy/suspense feature written and directed by Michigan Film Maker of the Year Rich Brauer, is Brauer Productions sixth film and the tenth film the company has been involved with overall.

In the film, Paula (Renee O’Connor) is an inspector for the Historic Trust who visits an abandoned ship on a desolate waterfront. She meets up with the self-appointed caretaker, Vigs (Larry Joe Campbell), who blindly made the application for historical status. Moments after her arrival, her car is disabled and she is far from town and is stuck for the night.

Without other options, she takes him up on his offer to spend the night. What follows is a sleepless night of bad dreams and creepy reality.

“This film represents a new genre for me as a filmmaker. It’s creepy in a good way and I can’t wait to have people enjoy it,” said Brauer. “We really want to share this with our friends and community first before it heads off for an L.A. premier in February.”

Larry Joe Campbell is best know for his role in the Emmy-nominated sitcom, “According to Jim,” where he played Andy, Jim Belushi’s affable sidekick. Campbell’s long career has Michigan roots. He is an alumnus of Central Michigan University and acted as an intern at the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, Mich.

While Renee O’Connor has held numerous roles since she started her career directly out of high school, she gained a huge following as the beautiful and athletic Gabrielle on “Xena: Warrior Princess”.

“Larry and Renee and the rest of the cast were the perfect fit, and it was a pleasure to bring them to Michigan. They both understood the story, and brought a lot to the table. This is a film that Hollywood wouldn’t make, and that makes me happy.” said Brauer.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit the State Theatre's web site. For more information about Brauer Productions, Inc. and other features it has produced, visit www.brauer.com.

Fitful Sneak Peek

The new Brauer Productions indie feature Fitful is almost complete. Our editor Bob has been spending countless hours working on the audio and it is pretty close to viewable. To check out a teaser scene click here.

A sneak peek of the film is tentatively slated for Wednesday, December 16 at the State Theater in the heart of Traverse City's beautiful downtown. We will confirm and release details as soon as we have them so stay tuned.

Brauer Productions Hearts Indies

Founded in 1977, Brauer Productions, Inc. is currently in post-production on our tenth feature film, Fitful, which will premier in December of this year. Six of those features are small budget Indies we took all the way from script through post including assembling deliverables for worldwide TV release.

Whether you only need our core package, which includes our fully loaded 5-ton grip truck and equipment, DP, and Keys to enhance your team, or want the whole shebang including production management staff and post - if you have a script, financial backing, and the drive to make a movie, we want to partner with you. Brauer Productions is perfectly positioned to produce and support independent films in the $200,000 to $1,000,000 range.

Depending on your budget we can shoot 35mm, 16mm, Red and other HD formats. Our studio has an FCP post suite outfitted with all the bells and whistles and has handled cinematography and edit for all ten feature films including the two Jeff Daniels films “Supersucker” and “Escanaba in da Moonlight.”

The fact is that Brauer Productions has been making movies from our Traverse City, Michigan based studio for decades. While we appreciate it, we were here way before the film incentive was born. We just like to make good movies.

For more information about us and to view our demo reel visit www.brauer.com. Contact our producer Tracey Kukla-Aleshire today to see how we can support your project, 231-941-0850, tracey@brauer.com.

Rich on IPR

Rich sat down with IPR's Brad Aspey recently and talked about making films in Northern Michigan. To listen in click here.

From The Star Scoop

Check out The Star Scoop's coverage of Fitful and a special interview with Renee O'Connor.

Piano + Car = Story

Check out the story in the Houghton Lake Resorter on page two. The car used in Fitful's piano scene is causing quite a stir! To see the piano/car stunt click here.

Mr. Art Critic Reviewed

Check out this review of the Brauer Productions indie feature Mr. Art Critic by Shelley Esaak, About.com's Art History writer. You can also read her thoughts here in her blog post.

To pick up your own copy of Mr. Art Critic from Amazon, click here.

"Fitful" on the Radio

IPR's Brad Aspy spent some time with Rich Brauer recently to get the scoop on Fitful. Listen to the story here.

Lock It

Director, Rich Brauer and Senior Editor, Bob Tomlinson have locked the picture for Fitful!

Audio post and efx are in the works. This is amazingly fast, considering we just wrapped a month ago. But according to Rich, "This film was written to be shot, and shot to be edited. I'm very happy with it."

"Mr. Art Critic" Gets Critiqued

A new review of Mr. Art Critic fresh off the wire. Take a look at what Greg Wright had to say about the Brauer Productions indie.

In the News

Edit on Fitful is going well. The feature is roughed together and now Rich is sitting down to the real work of the edit.

Another BPI feature has been making the news lately. Mr. Art Critic was released on DVD last week. It is now available on Amazon, TCM and a litany of other hot spots. Check out this recent interview with Bronson Pinchot who played M.J. Clayton.

On the Air Live with Rich and Renee

If you want to listen in when Rich and Renee O'Connor talk live on the air about making "Fitful" with Mary in the Morning just go to www.1067youfm.com and click on "Listen Live". They will be on the air tomorrow morning (9/24) from 7-7:20 am.

"Fitful" in the News

Check out this piece on Fitful production from 9&10 News

Faces of "Fitful"

A few more great pics. From top to bottom: Rich Brauer, Renee O'Connor, Renee O'Connor, Larry Joe Campbell, Renee O'Connor and Larry Joe Campbell.

Things have gone really well all week. Two thirds of the footage is in the can and Rich couldn't be happier with the progress.

Rain is in the forecast for next week so the crew is working on back up plans.

The Interns

One of our passions at Brauer Productions is mentoring the next generation of film makers and growing and developing new crew members for the industry. We have put 8 interns to work in paid positions on "Fitful".

Pictured are David Johnson, Anthony Sprague, Chelsea Compton, Meg Mertaugh, and Angie Wolverton. All of them took one of the PA classes or workshops Rich taught over the past year and they are learning a lot and having a great time. Not pictured are interns Kelly Perrin, Jenn Ryan, and Shelly Newman.

Kidding Around

Yesterday, some of Manistee Catholic's second graders were on set for one of the scenes in Fitful. Larry, Renee, Rich and the crew all had fun working with them and the kids had a blast.

Thank you to the school for making this possible.

On Set

I spent the day yesterday on the set of Fitful in Manistee and was impressed by the teamwork, camaraderie and professionalism shown by all involved.

Larry Joe (photo 5) and Renee (photo 4) are breathing life into their characters "Vigs" and "Paula". I had an opportunity to meet both of them and they are not only extremely talented...they are also both really kind individuals.

Fitful's 1st assistant director, Laura Anderson Burnell (photo 3), and script supervisor, Sheryl Hayward (photo 2), are keeping the heartbeat of production on track and accurate.

And what is Rich Brauer (photo 1) doing to celebrate his birthday today? Making a movie and he couldn't be happier.

All the photos included in this post were taken by Beth Price, owner of Priceless Photography. She was on set yesterday and did an amazing job capturing the faces and places of Fitful. Thank you, Beth!

Fish is Fish

Our lovely associate producer, Kim and equally lovely production assistant, Kelly are displaying the dead salmon props that arrived for Fitful. It's kind of a "Price is Right" moment.

Production is tracking well and things are on course.

My next update won't be posted until Tuesday because I will be spending Monday on set! Rest assured I will be coming back with more great photos and a few tales to tell.

"Fitful" in Action

An excellent report from all involved on the first day of shooting for Fitful! The crew is working like a well oiled machine and Renee is by all accounts amazing. But we knew that would be the case.

Check out these behind the scenes shots of Renee and the crew.

Special thanks to the Boathouse Grill who will be hosting the crew for some of their meals. Owner Chris Diebel has been wonderful and is very accommodating.

And, thank you to Manistee Catholic - some of the school's second graders will be serving as extras.

The Mother Ship

Meet one of the main characters in Fitful - the SS City of Milwaukee. Pretty impressive. Much of the shoot will take place aboard this vessel. Many thanks to the ship's team for their coordination and hospitality.

The load went well yesterday afternoon. By the end of the day, the crew had it lit and ready for today's shoot.

Yesterday there was also time for rehearsal for Renee O'Connor (Paula), Rich (writer/director/DP) and Laura (first AD).

The amazing first day of production wrapped with a delicious dinner at Bungalow.

Day one of "Fitful" Production

The crew made it safely to Manistee and are busy settling in. Binders, crew t-shirts and Chamber packets have been handed out.

This afternoon everyone is heading to the ship so each department can set up. Shooting starts tomorrow!

Manistee Folk

Our team's visit to Manistee yesterday was wonderful. At the Business After Hours event we got to know the heart of the community better - Manistee folk are welcoming and gracious. Everyone the team connected with offered their assistance.

Special thanks to Sheila and Suzanne from the Boardwalk Century 21 office in Manistee for all their assistance.

We are just three days from production and the heat is on!

Manistee Bound

Rich and company are headed to Manistee today to meet with community members (police, tribe, mayor and press) and staying for Manistee's business after hours to meeting and greeting. Ensuring that the community has an excellent film making experience is really important to us.

The team will also be doing a tech scout and additional location scouting, finding those last key locations before heading back to Traverse City.

It's All About Food

When you are working long days on set, well executed craft services can near an art form. But that isn't the food I am referring to. I'm talking about the food that will appear in "Fitful".

Chef Brian Kissell from the Blue Slipper Pizzeria will be on set preparing, styling, and maintaining all the in-scene food. Sometimes you want your oatmeal thin, sometimes you want it thick - he can handle both.

Details

Today and well, really the rest of this week, it's all about taking care of the details. So many elements are set like locations, lodging and catering. Manistee's Chamber has been a huge help in finding the locations and support we need.

The office is humming and the team is working on more logistics and things like trailers for the stars. Pictured are Rich Brauer (left), Fitful's writer and director, Kim Eckstein (right), associate producer, and Kelly Perrin (center), production coordinator, in the midst of a pre-production meeting. Kim and Kelly have been hard at work and cast and crew packets are together and on their way out the door today.

Lead Roles Cast

The principal roles for the new Brauer Productions, Inc. indie film Fitful have been cast. Actors Larry Joe Campbell and Renee O’Connor will fill the two lead roles.

Fitful, a dark comedy/suspense feature written and directed by Michigan Film Maker of the Year Rich Brauer, will be filmed in Manistee, Mich. this September.

In the film, Paula (Renee O’Connor) is an inspector for the Historic Trust who visits an abandoned ship on a desolate waterfront. She meets up with the self-appointed caretaker, Vigs (Larry Joe Campbell), who had blindly made the application for historical status. Moments after her arrival, her car is disabled and she is far from town and is stuck for the night.

Without other options, she takes him up on his offer to spend the night. What follows is a sleepless night of bad dreams and creepy reality.

Rich Brauer is excited to get the film into production. “Every film is an adventure,” said Brauer, President of Brauer Productions, Inc. a Traverse City production company. “We have an amazing crew of dedicated professionals and now, with the two leads in place, we are ready to go.”

Larry Joe Campbell is best know for his role in the Emmy-nominated sitcom, “According to Jim,” where he played Andy, Jim Belushi’s affable sidekick. Campbell’s long career has Michigan roots. He is an alumnus of Central Michigan University and acted as an intern at the BoarsHead Theater in Lansing, Mich.

While Renee O’Connor has held numerous roles since she started her career directly out of high school, she gained a huge following as the beautiful and athletic Gabrielle on “Xena: Warrior Princess”.

“Larry and Renee are excited to be part of this project. They are the perfect choice for this unique and fun story, and I’m thrilled to work with them,” said Brauer.

For more information about Brauer Productions, Inc. and other features it has produced, visit www.brauer.com.

Scouting

Rich is back from a phenomenal two week video shoot and I am back from vacation - sorry it was quiet for a little while. It's definitely time for an update.

We signed with FirstCom for Fitful's music score and hope to have talent selected very soon. Pre-production is in full swing. Rich and company are headed to Manistee for a major location scout tomorrow and will have a lot of details nailed down by the end of the day.

Still Working on Casting

We are still working on casting and can't wait to share once we have our primary talent secured. So many details are falling into place.

The PA Boot Camp was phenomenal and we received excellent feedback from the participants. It is clear that there is a ton of interest in film production in northern Michigan.

PA Boot Camp - Day 2

25 people signed up for the PA Boot Camp we are teaching at Northwestern Michigan College. Great energy and great questions.

It is awesome to educate and mentor people who are fired about about this industry!

Film Festival Lag

We are still trying to get caught up but had a wonderful week celebrating film at the Traverse City Film Festival!

This past weekend we slipped away just long enough to get some needed "news footage" for Fitful. It is awesome to be able to check some of those small but necessary pieces of the list.

We are also deep into the script breakdown - the blueprint for our shoot.

Film Festival Connections

Rich and I both attended the MI Film Office's Advisory Council meeting this morning at the Traverse City Opera House. It was nice to hear an update on the number of films being made here in Michigan and their positive impact on the state's bottom line.

Rich has been having a great time watching every film the festival has to offer this week - no word yet on his top picks...

Thank you to West Michigan Film Commissioner Rick Hert for some excellent conversation regarding how we can bring more films to northern Michigan.

On the Air with Rich

Rich had a great time talking about his passion for film on the Ron Jolly show this morning. If you missed it click here to take a listen.

Enjoying the Honor and the Festival

Thank you again to the Traverse City Film Festival for the amazing honor of Michigan Filmmaker of the Year! Here is a interview clip of Rich just before the award ceremony. Special thanks to OneUpWeb.

We are in full festival mode and enjoying as many movies as we can hold - and that's a lot of movies.

We are also still working on casting and are really looking forward to having our main talent locked in.

Rich Brauer Named MI Filmmaker of the Year

We are absolutely ecstatic that Rich has been named Michigan Filmmaker of the Year! Thank you to Michael Moore and the Traverse City Film Festival for this honor and for the light you are shining on the Michigan film industry.

Creating Props

We are meeting with Caroline Schafer the head of NMC's Art Department today. We're tapping into that resource to create a newspaper prop for the film.

Casting for "Fitful"

Casting is moving closer. We have about 20 names and headshots in hand from our casting agency. Now we do our homework and see who will be the best fit for each role.

We also met with our wardrobe supervisor Kathy Verstraete today and came up with an excellent plan.

Things are really rolling now!

Perfect Conditions for “Fitful” Second Unit

Almost all of Fitful’s second unit shooting is done. We took advantage of a tiny window of great weather and were able to get some excellent “morning” shots and super creepy night shots. The aerials and on water views of the derelict ship turned out better than even we could imagine and will establish the remoteness of our primary location.

Special thanks to Great Lakes Air, Inc. pilot Andy Enos. We couldn't have gotten what we needed without his expert flying.

Our casting agency is hard at work out in LA. They know absolutely everyone and it’s good to have them working on our behalf.

A "Frozen Stupid" You Can Drink

Our good friends down at Poppycocks have honored us by naming a drink after one of our movies.

The "Frozen Stupid" is made with Crown Royal and Buttershots and is dangerously good. Thank you to bartender John for the honor.

Scene One - In the Can

So, we have one scene in the can for Fitful. We hauled a player piano 40 feet into the air using 90 year old ship davits and then dropped it on an unsuspecting automobile - don't try this one at home. Check it out here.

Once the movie is complete, we'll be holding a sale and some lucky guy or gal could walk away with a two for one deal on the piano/car combo.

Film Finances and Faces

Fitful marks the first film in Brauer Productions 9-feature history that the Michigan tax credit has been used for. Thanks to the folks at the Michigan Film Office for all their support in the application process.

Location scouting is complete, and we're working with our casting agent friends in LA to secure the principals. There is a fine balance between the creative vision for these characters and the fit. We start shooting in September.

Crew is booked for "Fitful"

We are amped to be getting started on the new Brauer Productions feature film, Fitful. Crew is booked and we are another step closer to our shoot this Fall.