BASIC INFO:

TITLE: Don Circles the Drain: Surviving Access TV in 10 Easy Steps
FORM: Narrative Short
GENRE: Comedy
RUNTIME: 09 min : 21 sec
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: C Side Films LLC; Tarazod Films & Media LLC

SCREENINGS: 2016 Wildwood Film Festival (Winner - Best Comedy), 2016 Epp Indie Theatre (Cleveland), 2016 Driftless Film Festival, 2017 Critical Edge Film Festival, 2017 Mayfair Theatre (Ottawa, Canada).

TRAILER:

TAGLINE:

When all else fails, there's always access TV.

SYNOPSIS:

Fired from his job in radio, Don turns to access television to jump-start his career. Little does he know what chaos awaits him.

MOVIE POSTER:

Get a hi-rez image.

WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: RICK RICHARDS

Rick Richards is a retired teacher and IT professional. He began working in community television in 2005, producing a political documentary and two monthly television shows as well as chairing the station’s Board of Directors and assuming responsibility for running the business side of the organization when funding was lost and staff was laid off.

To purge the demons of these experiences, he wrote his first feature-length screenplay from which the short film “Don Circles the Drain” was extracted. As part of this adventure in producing, Rick founded C Side Films LLC.


Rick has written several additional screenplays, two science fiction novels and several short stories. He currently is outlining a third novel, a collection of short stories and working up the courage to pursue publication of these scribblings and the financing for more film production.

In his past careers, Rick also worked as an actor, newspaper reporter and a technical writer for IBM.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: ROBERT LUGHAI

Robert Lughai is a director, producer, and editor of both narrative and documentary films, and is the founder of Tarazod Films & Media LLC. His 2009 feature-length documentary, Mad City Chickens, has screened in over 250 cities and in three countries.

His short, La Fée Rouge was selected by a jury of industry professionals as one of only 10 films to be included in the ITVS/PBS-sponsored Independent Lens Online Shorts Film Festival. In February 2007, it took home top honors by winning the Audience Award.



Along with cinematographer Michael Holly, he created the short film, Beast Bike Beauty, which has screened at numerous film festivals. They both also collaborated with filmmaker Nicholas R. Wootton on the 2014 comedy, Just God.

His current projects include two short narratives--No Sleep for Ronni and Strindberg's Assistant--plus a documentary piece on Snow White and autism.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHAEL HOLLY

Michael Holly is the founder of Exchange Productions, a film company with roots in social justice documentaries. His true passion lies in the visual arts, and he's working hard to master every facet of filmmaking from script to marketing,

With a minor in studio art, he is his happiest when behind a camera where he feels he can truly create. Michael wrote his first script when he was only eight years old. He currently lives near Sao Paulo, Brazil where he has a number of international collaborative projects in the works.

CAST:

STARRING:

ODARI KIMANI

don

MARIE MACK

rainy

WITH:

TARA AYRES

ringmaster

BRIAN BELZ

black hole

JAY GABEL

tech wannabe

PORTIA GENEVIEVE ADNEY

california dreamer

TIM TOWNE

captain know-it-all

ADDITIONAL SPEAKING ROLES:

COLIN CAMERON

narrator

ROB MATSUSHITA

don's boss

LOUIS SATHER

board member

RICHARD S. RUSSELL

senator tootle

VERONICA NARANG

news reporter

HANNAH PRISCILLA CRAIG

ecstatic fan

KAREN WHEELOCK

woman #1

NON-SPEAKING ROLES:
KELLY LAJTER - bar texter
JENNY LITTEL - woman #2
IVY SURYANA - zoo fan #1
WURI KUSUMASTUTI - zoo fan #2
JEFF BLANKENSHIP - news camera operator


BAR & CROWD SCENE EXTRAS:
COLIN CAMERON
ANDREA CATEL-HOLLY
ELIZABETH CRAIG
POLLY POUPORE-CRAIG
MARY FAIRWEATHER DEXTER
SIMONE LaPIERRE
ANDY LINDGREN
TASHAI LOVINGTON
NATHAN LOWE
MORGANNA MILGRIM
MICHELLE RICHARDS
RICK RICHARDS
EMMA RUBY ROBERTS
ALYSSA SPANGLER
IVY SURYANA
JACK SPENCER THOMPSON
KATHERINE THOMPSON
MARGARET WALKER
SAVANNAH WALSTAD
STACEY WALSTAD

CREW:

COLIN CAMERON

associate producer

KELLY LAJTER

associate producer

NICHOLAS R. WOOTTON - assistant director
KELLY LAJTER - script supervisor
J. PUC ZOTTERDEET - editor
COLIN CAMERON - assistant editor
MICHAEL HOLLY - assistant editor
TASHAI LOVINGTON - edit consultant
ERIC ALLIN - edit consultant
JEFF BLANKENSHIP - key grip
MICHAEL O'ROURKE -gaffer
NATHAN LOWE - grip
CRAIG OLSON - grip
IVY SURYANA - grip
KEN WOOD - grip
SIMONE LaPIERRE - makeup & hair
ANDY LINDGREN - production assistant
TIM JAMES - production assistant
ARDEN ECKHART - production assistant
JUSTIN SCHOBER - production assistant

PRODUCTION STILLS:

Promotional still of Odari Kimani and Marie Mack who star as Don and Rainy.

Production crew shot. L-R Front: Kelly Lajter (script supervisor), Tara Ayres (actor); Back: Robert Lughai (director), Michael O'Rourke (gaffer), Michael Holly (cinematographer), Ken Wood (grip). Photo by Rick Richards.

PRODUCTION NOTES:

Script to Production

Screenwriter Rick Richards' first draft of this comedy about community television was titled “The Weather Report.” It was 240 pages long. His eventual director and co-producer, Robert Lughai, commented:

“When I agreed to read your screenplay, I wasn’t expecting ‘War and Peace.’ Cut it down!”

The edited version became a 95-page screenplay from which the short film “Don Circles the Drain” was taken.


Producer Reaction to Cast & Crew Appetite

As Executive Director of the project, Rick Richards' advice to fledgling producers is: “Triple your food budget! The appetites of actors and crew are unbelievable, providing another interpretation for ‘The Day of the Locust’.”