From the Director's Chair

Things happen. No matter how hard you plan, or smoothly something is running, things happen.  Such is life.

This past week we received word that the actor playing the Ideal in JACOB will, in fact, no longer be playing the role. Being just shy of three weeks until principal photography, this news was certainly jarring to all of us, but, as I have said before, things happen.  Instead of putting a stop on production, we have moved principal photography to the spring, and are re-casting the role.

This event follows shortly after Joan Macintosh became very ill, and had to step back.  She will still be involved in JACOB however, as she is a part of the Jacob family, even if she is not on the screen.  The role of the Mother will be played by the incomparable Kelley Rae O'Donnell, who is also slated to play Claire Daniels in Amongst The Living.

Needless to say, January has been an interesting month so far for everyone involved with JACOB, but we are moving forward, and viewing this as an opportunity to create positive change for the production we feel very strongly about.

Stay tuned for more information, especially the announcement of who will be playing the IDEAL, in Jacob.

Sincerely,
   Justin John Costello

CASTING EXTRAS FOR JACOB!

BLACKAngel Films is currently seeking out extras for JACOB, a short erotic horror film shooting in New York City on Feb 1st and 2nd!

Extras are needed to portray personified facets of personality, (serving as a Greek Chorus) as well as writhing bodies of the dead.  These extras will be partially to fully nude, and also have latex make-up appliances.

JACOB tells the tragic tale of a young man at a crossroads in his life.  Structured similar to the Greek Tragedies, the main drama focuses on the young man's encounter with his Ideal.  The film stars Samuel Colt as the Ideal, and Kris Marconi as Jacob, and is written and directed by Justin John Costello.

Those interested, please send photos and note of intent to the director at oblivion.productions@yahoo.com

NOTE:  There is no pay for extras at this time.

From The Director's Chair From Stage to Screen: The Transformation of JACOB from play to screenplay The transformation from a play transcript to a screenplay transcript is often a daunting task. The two are separate mediums, one more visual, the other verbal, for example, and often times, a play script can sound stale and dull if not handled correctly when transformed for the screen. This being said, JACOB is now a very different beast, one which I actually prefer over the stage version. To me the script has evolved into its finite and final form, and I am finally content with what has been written for many aspects of the play, including the Greek Chorus. Understand, the Greek Chorus is a tool in the theatre, often times representing the masses, or 'the people', if you will. There was no Greek Chorus in the conception of the orginal play of JACOB back in 1997. They were included during sweat inducing, often times heated meetings with the first director. The play, in its original form, contained only three characters. The first director wanted to add a chorus, representing who knows what, and I, as a young, fledgling playwright, obliged, not having a clear vision for the chorus. During that first production, it soon became apparent that the director's vision for the play not only did not match mine, but the cast as well. With roughly two weeks before the opening night, there was a revolution of sorts, and I ended up being forced to take the helm to fix things and bring everything together, including this chorus that I had no idea what to do with. In that first production, I came upon the concept of using the chorus as they would have been used in a Greek tragedy, though again, their inclusion in the production wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking. There was something unspecific about their identities and it troubled me, even though the production itself was a success. When I next had the opportunity to direct the play, this time at a theatre on Rockerfeller Plaza, on the weekend leading up to September 11th, 2001, I did not include the Chorus in the production at all. (Although, other companies who had produced the show in the interim, and since have included the chorus). In that, pared down production, I returned to my initial conception of three individuals. When it came down to work on the screeplay for BLACKAngel Films, I was immediately faced with the notion of the Greek Chorus. What the hell was I going to do with them? The answer became to make them each, specifically, as individualistic as possible; with a definite purpose and place in the context of the narrative. Sounds obvious, no? Thus, they each became to represent one of the following: Trust; Infatuation; Obsession; and Despair, and their roles in the fabric of the film will add, finally, a much desired layer of intensity, emotion, and fear. I can now say, with all honesty, that I have managed to flesh them out, and let them breathe, which I think they were begging for since that first production. Staying on the characters, the roles of JACOB and the IDEAL have changed over the course of time, mainly in the exploration of the characters depicting them. In the first production, a production I now hold near and dear to my heart, the roles were played by two best friends. (The Ideal was called simply Demon). These guys were friends of a dear friend who showed up at the audition and blew everyone away. And the kicker is, these gents were not very experienced actors. They were driven, and dedicated, and knocked the performances out of the park. They were also very health conscious body builders, which made the dynamic between the two characters very interesting to say the least, and left many an audience member salivating in their seats. As a side note: The Ideal was, and is, a straight man, while Jacob was played by a bisexual. For the 2001 production, not wanting to repeat myself, I chose a very different set of looks to portray the characters. This time, using two straight men, I chose a very uppity, conservative type to play Jacob, and a more gothic rocker type to portray the Ideal. Their performances were fine, although completely lacking in chemistry and sexual tension, causing the production to lose the intimacy and dynamic of the structured relationship between the two characters. For the film, I chose to go back to the initial set-up and the structure of the short story which the play was based upon. I chose a Jacob in his late teens, and an Ideal in the prime of Manhood. Jacob is only coming to terms and understanding of his body and self, and the Ideal has mastered both. It is a risky option, yet pays off exquisitely, and Kris and Samuel are pushing their limits to give the roles everything they require and more. Structurally, the screenplay remains abstract, which allows the words and monologues to continue to exist. Thus, not much of the dialogue has had to be lost. The final third of the script did go through some alterations, and, let me just plant the seed of a spoiler here, there is now a song, sung by one of the characters. It is a sequences I am very excited about, one that is sure to be as creepy as all hell. What is so amazing about the visual medium of film, which lends itself perfectly to a script like JACOB, is that the camera can focus on what you want the audience to focus on, where in a play, you must rely on lighting, staging, and dialogue to pull focus. What film has lent to JACOB is the blurring of emotions and reaction. For instance, there can now be a sequence where the words spoken are so vile and horrible, yet the camera shows a close up of a man running his hands over his own chest, while the words are audible on the soundtrack. Not only is this juxtaposition an asset for an abstract cinematic exploration, but it will have a very interesting effect on the audience, one that the play never could. In the film, the audience will get to know Jacob and the Ideal intimately, without footlights and a stage in the way. It is guaranteed to be one very intense, and in the words of Mr. Colt, “Fucked up” ride. Until Next Time. Peace

FROM THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR NOTES ON FIRST TABLE READ AND REHEARSAL By jjmc There is possibly nothing more exciting than that first moment when the majority of the cast and crew get together and, collectively, explore a given work. As a Writer, one gets to hear his words out loud for the first time, and see his characters given flesh. As a Director, the brain immediately starts spinning wildly, as you compare the actors to the created storyboards, and begin to see, in real time, that which has existed solely in your head for so long. Thus was the case for the first table read and staging rehearsal for JACOB. Taking place at the home of BLACKAngel Films, on 34th Street in Manhattan, directly during the aftermath of Hurricane and then Superstorm Sandy, it could be said that it was a struck of magic that the meeting and rehearsal even took place. The rehearsal began with some photo shoots, notably with Kris as Jacob, and Samuel as the Ideal, but also of Randy as Despair, a very secretive character, you won't be hearing too much about. Over 100 photos were taken, many of which will be transformed into character portraits and publicity one sheets.

The actors decided to stay in 'costume' for the table read and the staging rehearsal, which I think added to the exploration of their characters. For Kris, it most definitely added to the vulnerability that his character feels throughout the film. For Samuel, I think the leather armor added in his portrayal as the Ideal as well.

Randy, for his part, returned to his plain clothes look and put on his Composer hat, as he is doubling as an actor as well as the composer of the film's score. He joined Darrell and myself on the sidelines while we set up the sequences and asked the boys, as we call them, to play, to find their characters, and to explore nuance, and expression.

It is always interesting watching actors the first time they encounter their co-stars. It is a meeting of the crafts, as they say. In this experience, Kris and Samuel come from two completely different worlds. Kris comes from a basis in the theatrical world. In fact, I first met him in a theatrical production i directed of Titus Andronicus. Since then, Kris has expanded his resume to include award-winning performances in the independent film circuit. Samuel comes from a very different world, one that is solely based on celluloid. He also has extensive background in the gay men's Leather Community, which adds perfectly to his portrayal of the Ideal. The question was, how would these two individuals connect? And if they, hopefully did, would there be enough chemistry between them to carry a film of this nature? Thankfully, the connection was apparent as soon as we started taking the duo photos. There were some amazing photographic moments captured between them. The connection was there, but was it electrifying enough? That had to come down to the staging rehearsal, where they were forced to interact, in character, together. To my surprise, there were several moments during the rehearsal, some of which were captured on camera, where, indeed, the room was electrified by the energy between the two actors. As a Director, I could breathe a sigh of relief. The differences in their personalities and background really transferred into the sequences and their characters, and the result was astonishing in many moments. Of course, both are still finding their characters, learning Russian, lol, and getting their scripts out of hand, but they are well on the way to success. Without giving away spoilers, I will say that those who see the completed film will be pleasantly surprised at what all involved in JACOB have managed to accomplish. A mature, very intellectual, yet sensually erotic, modern-day Greek Tragedy that grabs you and doesn't let you go, where the actors all push beyond their own limitations into uncharted physical and emotional depths. And as a Writer/Director, I wouldn't have it any other way, and I am very honored and pleased of them all. Until next time. Peace

Welcome to BLACKAngel Films, an independent film company founded by Darrell B. and Justin John Costello. Use the pages tabs on the side to take a closer look at our upcoming projects, and be sure to bookmark and come back often for more updates.