Unleashed! EPK

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Table of Contents
Pg. 3 - Film Info
Pg. 4 - Log Line / Synopsis
Pg. 5 - Director’s Statement
Pg. 6 - Principal Talent
Pg. 7 - Principal Crew
Pg. 8 - Press
Pg. 9 to 11 - Credits
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Film Info
Shooting Format: AVCHD/XDCAM
Run Time: 83 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Sound Format: 5.1
Language: English
MPAA: This film is not yet rated
Directed By
Justin Turcotte
Produced By
Ben Mallin
Director of Photography
Enzo Zanatta
Written By
Ben Mallin
Justin Turcotte
www.dogdancingmovie.com
www.facebook.com/unleashedmovie
www.twitter.com/unleashedmovie
Press Inquiries
Ben Mallin
[email protected]
1 (604) 417-5207
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Log Line
An aspiring director and his amateur dog dancing troupe attempt to mount a 'Cirque du
Soleil' inspired dog dancing and indoor kite flying theatrical performance.
Synopsis
Unleashed! A Dog Dancing Story follows the journey of an amateur dog dancing troupe
and an aspiring theatre director as they attempt to mount the first ever dog dancing and
indoor kite flying theatrical performance.
The film captures the challenges the women face in their personal lives as well as on
the stage, and is as much about the trials and tribulations of producing an amateur
theatrical performance as it is about the amazing bond between handler and dog. The
group spends over two years realizing their first time director’s vision as they write
scripts, build sets, raise funds and rehearse to the point of exhaustion. As tension
mounts and hurdles pile on, the resolve of these spirited women and their dogs is
constantly tested while the director’s patience is pushed to the brink. Unleashed! A Dog
Dancing Story is a captivating look into the lives of those who dance with their dogs, not
for fame, but simply for the love of it.
“Unleashed! A Dog Dancing Story” is Justin Turcotte's directorial debut feature film
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Director’s Statement
When I hopped in a car five years ago with a camera and a fellow filmmaker, I had no
idea the scope of the journey that lay ahead. We had heard rumours of a dog dancing
club located in a small town and decided to check it out for ourselves. With visions of a
real life Best In Show dancing in our heads we walked into a 'canine freestyle'
competition where we first met the dog dancers. Taking place at a local fairground, the
event was unspectacular at best. There wasn't a big crowd, the music came from a
ghetto blaster and the weather was iffy. Regardless, the dancers were covered in
sparkling outfits, smiling from ear to ear with a passion we knew we had to capture.
As we watched, filmed and interviewed the dog dancers, they told us excitedly of a
'Cirque Du Soleil inspired dog dancing and indoor kite flying theatrical performance'
they were going to create. It was at this moment my partner and I realized there was a
bigger story waiting to unfold. Dogs... Kites... Cirque Du Soleil? It sounded crazy, and
it was, but that's the stuff amazing stories are made of.
We continued to drive ourselves out to this small town every weekend at the crack of
dawn for the next year and a half as the documentary progressed. As we shot and
shot, traveling to demos and fundraisers with the dog dancers, watching them build
props, practice like mad and attempt to maintain sanity in their lives, we built our own
bonds with a number of them. They allowed us into their world and shared truly
emotional and personal experiences with us. As the film progressed, our dog dancing
friends faced incredible hurdles and adversity. Battling illnesses, injuries and mortality,
the stakes and pressures mounted as failure was not an option. We had grown to love
and respect these defiant dog dancing women, their dogs and even their avant-garde
first time director. As we filmed and watched the Gala performance it was like closing a
chapter of our lives; only to start a new, even more massive chapter of post
production.
In the end, we shot hundreds of hours of footage and exhausted ourselves with
thousands of hours of post production and story crafting. We've developed
unbreakable bonds amongst ourselves and our dog dancers that we wouldn't trade in
for the world. Once we locked our picture, we set out to screen the film for our closest
dog dancing friends. From their reactions, we learned that this was exactly the type of
film that would inspire laughs, tears and smiles from nearly any audience.
-Justin Turcotte
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Principal Talent
Ray Underwood & Tyrone
A founder of dog dancing in North America. Ray is one of the
greatest Canine Freestylers in the world. He trained the first
Master's level dog in individual, pairs and teams. He has
competed at the national level in figure skating, ballroom
dancing, and indoor kite flying. Ray is
also a fine musician.
Annette Granbois, Odie & Jake
Annette is an amateur costume designer and longtime flight
attendant. Annette initially became involved with dog dancing several
years ago and fell in love immediately. She performed at many
community events and competitions with her Sheltie. In recent years
she enjoys training and working with her Border Collie, Jake.
Lin MacDonald, Corabel & Rupert
Lin is a well renowned professional Set Decorator for the
Motion Picture industry. When Lin jumped into dog dancing a
few years ago, conventional thought was that it was a sport
best suited to working breeds. Lin has made it her mission to
prove that the Toy breeds are a force to be reckoned with! She
is currently training her two Yorkies at an Intermediate level,
and is performing all over Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
Gail Walsh & Pepsi
Gail is a retired schoolteacher and founding member of the
Paws2Dance dog dancing club. Gail is unarguably one of the world's
top dog dancers, achieving a perfect 10 artistic score for her
performance of "Stray Cat Strut" with her amazing Border Collie,
Pepsi. Gail is also the first competitor in the world to earn the highest
title offered by the World Canine Freestyle Organization.
Paws2Dance
Paws2Dance is a Langley, BC based dog
dancing club. The group was founded in 1999
by Ray Underwood, his wife Shannon and a
number of other enthusiastic dog dancers.
They remain a fixture of the dog dancing
scene to this day and boast a large and loyal
membership.
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Principal Crew
Justin Turcotte (Director, Editor)
Justin Turcotte is a Vancouver-based filmmaker with
a penchant for documentary craft. Justin is a
graduate of the Southern Alberta Institute of
Technology's Film And Video Production Program
and presently works as an offline editor with Emmy
award winning Greedy Productions. Unleashed! A
Dog Dancing Story is Justin's feature directorial
debut.
Ben Mallin (Producer, Writer)
Ben Mallin is a Vancouver-based creative producer
with experience in television and feature production.
Ben began working as a creative executive with a
Vancouver/LA based studio and rose through the
ranks to manage development and eventually
produce his own material including the 2013 feature
film Hemorrhage. Unleashed! A Dog Dancing Story
is Ben’s first documentary feature film.
Enzo Zanatta (Director of Photography)
Enzo Zanatta is a freelance Steadicam operator
and camera operator at Emmy award winning
Greedy Productions. Unleashed! A Dog Dancing
Story is his debut as a Director of Photography.
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Press
"The highlights are too numerous to mention without hyperventilating... Harass your
local film festival organiser, ’cause this needs to be seen. The dancing dogs need to be
seen."
Junkee
"The only thing that stopped Christopher Guest from making this already is that no one
would’ve believed it."
Filmdrunk
"The trailer shows a real-life Corky St. Clair trying to put on a show involving dog
dancing and kite performances."
Twitchfilm
"These dogs definitely do NOT have two left paws as they wag their tails all night long!"
Perezhilton
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Credits
Directed & Edited By
Justin Turcotte
Producer
Ben Mallin
Director Of Photography
Enzo Zanatta
Original Score
Jeremy Bullock
Original Music By
Peter Allen
Dave Gaudet
Written By
Ben Mallin
Justin Turcotte
Original Concept
Enzo Zanatta
Justin Turcotte
Sound Mix
David Green
Additional Sound Mixing
Kirby Jinnah
Colourist
James Chase
Cinematography
Enzo Zanatta
Justin Turcotte
Additional Cinematography
Chuck Ibey
Titling & Graphic Design
Aaron Mallin
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Promotional Photoshoot Stills Photographer
Chris Helcermanas-Benge
Promotional Photoshoot Key Make Up/Hair
Karli McGuigan
Additional Stills Photographer
Thanaruth Taum Phomveha
Live Show First AD
Shane West
Live Show Camera Operators
Richard Grundy
Leland Miller
Alistair Brown
Live Show Crane Grip
Rick Lindley
Live Show Data Wrangler
Blake Siefken
Live Show Data Runner
Stefan Heincke
Legal Council Provided By
Stroll Law Group
Executive Producers
Ben Mallin
Justin Turcotte
Enzo Zanatta
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“Escape The Darkness” Cast & Crew
Ray Underwood & Tyron
Annette Granbois, Odie & Jake
Lin MacDonald, Corabel & Rupert
Gail Walsh & Pepsi
Lydia Francescutti & Ali
Ann Reiland & Tess
Joan Strick & Bandit
Jan Hodge & Breeze
Karen Eskilson & Ruby
Sharon Lunde & Snowy
Jean Dawson, George & Koko
Bonnie Fergusson & Ivy
Joyce Johnstone & Twinkle Toes
Vickie Phillips & Spirit
Tasha Weatherston
Tristan Underwood
Egan Davis
Alison Trinkaus
Bryan Carrig
Gordon Hamilton - Key Make Up
Kristin Musial - Wigmaster
Theresa Leung - Stage Manager
Sound Mix & Design Services Provided By
Sharpe Sound
Pawflix Productions Copyright 2013