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.