PRESS KIT

a short film by PABLO BONELLI
PRESS KIT
HUMUNGOID FILMS
134 Nethermont Ave
White Plains, NY 10603
914.837.3251
[email protected]
WWW.GASMASKTHEMOVIE.COM
GASMASK
a short film by PABLO BONELLI
TAGLINE
Keep Moving. Trust No One. Survive.
LOGLINE
A scavenger must survive the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world where nothing is what it seems.
QUICK SYNOPSIS
A scavenger in a ravaged wasteland comes across an abandoned house deep in the woods. He discovers a family living there that doesn’t take kindly to strangers. After an initial confrontation, they invite him in for food, but nothing is as it seems and the dangers within that house could and the dangers w
be worse than the hell that the world has become.
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LONG SYNOPSIS
A lone survivor travels through a ravaged wasteland. He finds a safe clearing, finishes the last of his meager rations, and moves on.
Deep in the woods, he stumbles upon a strange house; he moves in to investigate. A red water pump and possible sustenance lure him in further. Having not seen another soul for many months, he is surprised and startled to discover that a family is living in the house. After an initially violent confrontation, they invite him inside for food.
con
Over the dining room table, Larkin, the head of household, engages the loner in a debate on the necessity of old-world civility in the face of a stark, animalistic reality. Larkin proposes a toast with some moonshine. The loner is hesitant at first, but Lucile, Larkin’s wife, insists he partake in the age-old human ritual. Trusting Lucile’s gentle, feminine nature, the loner takes the drink…. Mome
Moments later he is on the floor unconscious.
He wakes to the sounds of a knife being sharpened. Lucile stands over him as he is heavily bound in a corner of the kitchen. In the face of survival, the niceties mentioned during their meal together are rendered a cold obsolescence.
SPECS
Specifications
Completion Date: JUNE 2013
Country of Origin: U.S.A.
Running Time: 19:40 MINS
Genre: DRAMA
Language: ENGLISH
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Aspe
Letterboxed For 16:9
Shooting Format: Apple Pro Res 4:4:4:4 at 1920x1080
Release Format: HD Cam
Sound: 5.1 surround DTS
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CAST
James / JASON ZEDNICK
Originally from East Texas, Jason is a New York City based actor who is very excited to sign on for GASMASK. This film satisfies two dark places in his soul: post apocalyptic settings, and the fact that gasmasks are terrifying. Look for Jason in several upcoming projects including Face to Face Films' short Swingers, and their first feature Shadows of Life.
Larkin / john Walter
John Walter is a Brooklyn based actor who after playing the Best Man in the Off-Broadway show Tony n' playing
Tina's Wedding took a hiatus from acting to explore other interests: writing and painting. He returned to acting to play a psycho-plumber in Tonight Must Be Wednesday at The Players Theatre NYC. He recently appeared in a handful of TV shows and short films.
LUCILE / JENNIFER SILVERSTEIN
Jennifer Silverstein was born in NYC. Jennifer has appeared in several Off-Broadway plays, the most appeared
recent was an original play called The Yeats Game. Her most recent show was a special adaptation of Little Women by Thomas Hischak with the Holmdel Theater Company in NJ in which she played the older Josephine March, who is now a famous author and tells her story.
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MALACAI / MARCO TORRIANI
Marco Torriani is an actor whose goal is to guarantee authenticity, naturalism, and to awaken characters for both stage and film work. He breaks down the walls of uncertainty between character and actor, and firmly believes
believes in the work he chooses. Marco has studied with Zisan Urgulu, Adrienne Weissman, and Fay Simpson and is working on a BA in The Arts at Eugene Lang College: The New School for Liberal Arts.
JONAS / JACOB STAFFORD
J acob Stafford is excited to make his first professional film acting debut in GASMASK. Originally from the frozen tundra of Rochester, NY, Jacob is a proud alumnus of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. WWW.GASMASKTHEMOVIE.COM
KEY PLAYERS
PABLO BONELLI Writer / Director
Pablo Bonelli is an independent filmmaker and artist at HUMUNGOID FILMS, a production company he founded. He is the creative force behind the company, directing and producing many of the projects there. Pablo is always in search of the perfect balance between story, structure and a unique aesthetic look in every project he takes on. He lives in Westchester, NY with his family.
MINGJUE HU Director of Photography
Ming is an NYC-based Director of Photography. He was born in Beijing and spent his formative years in New York where he received cinematic training at the Tisch School of the Arts with a minor in Art History. He has photographed over thirty short films and commercials, many of which went on to receive critical acclaim at festivals, including numerous awards and nominations for Best Cinematography. He received a Faculty Commendation in Cinematography at the 2011 NYU First Run Film Festival for his work on Merhaba and Real Talk. He has also served as DP for Academy Award-Nominated Documentarian Sam Pollard. Most recently, Ming shot the upcoming M Cream, which was Docume
filmed on-location in India and stars the well-known Imaad Shah.
GEORGE XENOS Production Designer
George is well known in the Art Department. He has been a Set Designer and Production Designer for numerous plays, TV and film as well as large theatrical events. George’s Production Design feature film credits include Lost Girls, Dead Broke, SOHO, They Call It as well as 10 seasons of Inside the Actors Studio. He has been a Set Designer for top fashion photographers in New York, Miami, LA and Paris including Annie Leibowitz, Bruce Weber, Steven Meisel, Walter Chin and many others.
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PAUL PENCZNER Editor
Paul has worked on the editorial teams of major motion pictures such as The Smurfs Movie and The Beaver, as well as television programming for Universal Networks, ITV, Science and WNET. He is proud to have edited several films that have screened at festivals such as Tribeca, SXSW, London BFI, Newport Beach and Nashville. Paul is a co-founder of Buffalo Picture House.
ALEXANDRA KAUCHER Costume Designer
Alexandra is an NYC-based Costume Designer and Production Designer. She was born in California and studied Art History in New York and abroad in Italy and Spain. She draws her inspiration for set and costume design from the fine arts. Alexandra has worked on numerous short films, commercials, and the upcoming feature M Cream, which was filmed on-location in India and stars the well-known Imaad Shah. Most recently, she is working on-location on a short film being shot in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa.
JEFF SNYDER Original Score
Jeff studied composition and jazz guitar at the Ithaca College School of Music and King's College Cambridge. He has toured the United States with various jazz ensembles performing with the likes of Les Paul, T.S. Monk, and Harry Connick Jr. He then furthered his musical studies under the tutelage of composer Angelo Badalamenti.
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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
GASMASK is a film about assumptions. It came from my own experience working many years in the service industry. I have been fascinated by the way people make assumptions of others, and working behind a bar has made me privy to it on many occasions.
We don’t all really know each other. Although we might think we do, we don’t. People act or talk a certain way to other people because they assume that there are rules in society that hold others and the darker side of human nature at bay. I often wonder why people feel this way: if it’s something instilled in us by society, the way religion is taught to us by our parents. The question is: what if there was no society? What if the world ended? No money? Is it part of human nature?
I placed this story in this world to try and explore these questions. Taking the theme of assumptions in the film to another level, I expand it to the audience. I decided to present this story and see with whom the audience decides to align themselves. There is no right or wrong in the characters of the film. There is simply survival.
GASMASK is a film that invites us to take a look at the choices we make from an a look angle we hadn’t thought of before.
Pablo Bonelli
Writer / Director
WWW.GASMASKTHEMOVIE.COM
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What was the motivation behind the GASMASK script?
The motivation behind the script is the theme of assumptions. Purposely set in a post-apocalyptic, lawless world, the story questions whether we would behave the same way and if the “assumed” rules of “society” would still hold water when society no longer exists. In the absence of rules, what would human nature really be?
What was the creative impetus behind all the characters?
All the characters in this film represent certain traits in human nature, while complying with the theme of the film about assumptions. James is the young, handsome, innocent hero. Or is he? Larkin is a violent man. Or is he just a man trying to help his family survive? Lucile is a feminine caregiver... or something entirely different? What do we assume about people based on their age, appearance, sex, and social status? All the characters in the film put those assumptions to the test.
What inspired the location choices and the set design?
Early on, we knew that the location was going to have to be a character in the film. It was important to us to convey the world which Pablo had envisioned while being cost-effective and without a plethora of visual effects, simply because we did not have the budget for it. The exteriors would have to serve that purpose while showing the devastation on the world. After many failed attempts, a friend suggested we use flickr groups, which proved to be the help we needed. We visited a number of houses, but as soon as we saw ours we knew that it was the perfect location for the story we sought to tell. Less than half a mile down the road we found a demolition site that served the story perfectly as well. We hit the jackpot.
The minimalist set design was envisioned and put together by our production designer George Xenos from mostly abandoned and free items from around the area. A few select items, such as the water pump, we rented from prop houses.
WWW.GASMASKTHEMOVIE.COM
What were some of the obstacles in getting this production off the ground?
Finding our primary location was a huge obstacle for us. We spent a long time searching the tri-state area. It wasn’t until a friend suggested flickr and a trip into the Catskills that we finally found the Thompson Rooming House. Once that was secured, we had to find the right crew. We were so lucky that our paths crossed with Director of Photography, Mingjue Hu. He is such a talented artist behind the lens. Pablo and Ming hit it off instantly and that’s when the work really soared. Ming brought on many of his colleagues and we had a top-notch production crew that truly believed in the project. Between production and post-production, 45 talented, passionate artists have come together to create GASMASK, and it shows on the screen. Every element is there from photography and production design to costume design and hair and make-up.
The biggest obstacle though was raising the money for this project. We used Indiegogo, a popular crowdsourcing platform, to raise a portion of the budget, but it was the grassroots donations from family, friends and the director’s customers (Pablo tends bar to support his family) that really made this film a reality.
What are your aims for the distribution and the future of GASMASK?
The aim is to get as many eyeballs to see it as possible through festival screenings and online distribution. We are also interested in feature film and television development for the property.
WWW.GASMASKTHEMOVIE.COM
PRODUCTION NOTES
LOCATION
GASMASK was filmed over a tight, four-day schedule in early December 2012 on three properties in beautiful Thompson and Woodbourne, New York, located in the Catskills region.
The film received tremendous support from the Thompson Supervisor’s Office, in particular from Supervisor Anthony Cellini, and from the Sullivan County Sherriff’s Department. Gratitude is also due to David Mandelbaum and the New Yiddish Rep for their hospitality.
CAMERA
The film was shot with an ARRI ALEXA Digital Camera and Cooke S2 lenses. This is cinematographer Mingjue Hu and writer/director Pablo Bonelli’s first collaboration.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
GASMASK gratefully received financial assistance from many generous supporters of the project, through the crowdsourcing platform Indiegogo, fundraisers, as well as direct personal donations. CHARACTER ART
Daniel Freeman
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FULL CREW
Writer/Director/Producer
Producers
Director of Photography
Production Designer
Art Director
1st Assistant Director
2nd Assi
2nd Assistant Director
1st Assistant Camera
2nd Assistant Camera
Camera P.A.
Sound Mixer
Sound Mixer 2nd Unit
Boom Operator
Gaffer
Gaf
Grips
Electrics
DIT Specialist
Script Supervisor
Costume Designer
Hair and Make-Up Supervisor
Special Effects Make-Up Supervisor
Pre-Production VFX Consultant
Stunt Coordinator
Casting Director
Catering
Videographer/Still Photographer
Executive Assistant to the Producers
Producer's Assistants
Editor/Post-Production Supervisor
Sound Designer
VFX Supervisor
Colorist
Composer
PABLO BONELLI
ERIC BUSSEY
THOMAS ASCENZI
MINGJUE HU
GEORGE XENOS
BOB TEAGUE JR.
JAKE MARTIN
HEATHER FARRIS
FRANCES CHEN
KARIM KASSEM
JUAN PABON
AARON MILLER
JOE CANTOR
JOHN SQUICCIARINO
ALEX GALLITANO
HELIO ABDAL
BERND WOLOSZCZAK
MICHAEL AMORE
NICK KRASSOWSKI
ANTHONY TRAMA
MATTHEW POLITO
ALEXANDRA KAUCHER
ADDIE THOMAS
CHRISTINA STOCKBERGER
JEREMY HOCHHEISER
DERRICK JUDGE EARLY
HADASA ISOLINO
MARIANELLA BONELLI
MARI
EDELMIRA ROEDAN
SHAYOK MUKHOPADHYAY
EMILY PERRY
KELLY INZITARI
JOSE TAPIERO
PAUL PENCZNER
ARJUN SHETH
PERRY KROLL
ALAN GORDON
JEFF SNYDER
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