Silent Sea Productions

SilentSeaProductions
Presents
BLUE COLLAR BOYS
Written&DirectedbyMarkNistico
WINNERBestFeatureFilm–NorthernVirginiaInternationalFilmFestival2015
WINNERBestDramaFeature–ActiononFilmInternationalFilmFestival2015
WINNEROutstandingCastPerformance–ActiononFilmInternationalFilmFestival2015
WINNERBestMicro-BudgetFeature-TorontoIndependentFilmFestival2011
WINNERBestScreenplay–HobokenInternationalFilmFestival2012
*AcademyofMotionPictureArtsandSciencesPermanentCoreCollection
89 minutes | 2.35:1 | 5.1 Surround | Unrated
For more information visit the website
www.bluecollarboysthemovie.com
facebook.com/bluecollarboys
@bcbthemovie
Press Contact:
Katrina Rossos
732-533-7657
[email protected]
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S Y N O P S IS
Tired of the daily grind, construction worker Charlie “Red” Redkin (Gabe Fazio, The Place Beyond
the Pines) and his lifelong friends are fed up with the fight for money. When ruthless developer Gene
(Ed Setrakian, The Sopranos) and his greedy son Ira (Lev Gorn, The Americans) force the construction
business run by Red’s father Senior (Bruce Kirkpatrick, The Wire) into debt, desperation and rage
twist into a relentless need for revenge. As the pressure of a foreclosure threatens his family’s home,
Red and his friends are propelled into a life of crime to get cash fast. But when the deceit and
corruption become too heavy a burden, “the boys” are pushed to the edge.
An intensely compelling and gripping story inspired by true events, Blue Collar Boys captures the
working-man’s everyday struggle to survive in a world that is constantly taking from them. Dubbed
“the most politically appropriate film in theaters” by LA Weekly, the critically acclaimed actiondrama Blue Collar Boys does not shy away from the brutal truth about the fizzling American dream
being robbed from the working class. This contemporary story pops on screen as flawed characters
wrestle with misguided loyalties, greed, and personal integrity. With steadfast authenticity and grit,
Blue Collar Boys exposes the crude reality of the working class lifestyle with brash dialogue,
explosive action, electrifying performances, and poetic subtlety. Seizing you from the first frame with
its hardened realism, Blue Collar Boys drags you through the mud begging the question: If your
American dream was stolen, wouldn’t you want to steal it back?
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CAST BIOS
GABE FAZIO (“Red”) Gabe Fazio is most recognizable for his performance alongside Bradley
Cooper and Ray Liota as Scotty in Derek Cianfrance’s The Place Beyond the Pines. He began his
career in the New School for Social Research in NYC, where he graduated with an M.F.A. In 1996 he
won the Irene Ryan Award for Best Actor at The Kennedy Center’s American/National College
Theater Festival. Gabe is a member of The Actor's Studio, a resident actor with The Long Island
Shakespeare Festival, and an ensemble member of The Barefoot Theatre Company. Gabe has had
recurring roles on such television series as Law and Order, and ABC’s The Path to 9/11.
Selected credits:
THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (2012), dir. Derek Cianfrance
PAPER COVERS ROCK (2008), dir. Joe Maggio
THE PATH TO 9/11 (2006), dir. David L. Cunningham
LEV GORN (“Ira”) Lev Gorn has been a working television and film actor for over a decade. He is
currently known for his role as Arkady Ivanovich in the hit FX series The Americans. Lev has costarred in such notable television series as HBO’s The Wire and Bored to Death, Law and Order: SVU,
Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Trail by Jury, Third Watch, and Brotherhood. Lev
played a principle role in both the ABC mini series Trenches and Christopher Zalla’s 2007 award
winning film, Padre Nuestro.
Selected credits:
THE AMERICANS (2014), dir. Joseph Weisberg
PADRE NUESTRO (2007), dir. Christopher Zalla
THE WIRE (2003), dir. David Simon
BRUCE KIRKPATRICK (“Senior”) is most recognizable for his performance as Roger Twigg in
the award winning HBO series The Wire. Bruce has spent a significant part of his career working in
television with recurring roles on such series as Royal Pains, Law and Order, Law and Order SVU,
NYPD Blue, Hack, Third Watch and Life on Mars. He has appeared in numerous feature films
including The Lovely Bones, Little Children, Twelve Monkeys, Striking Distance, and most recently
the award winning Blue Caprice.
Selected feature film credits:
BLUE CAPRICE (2013), dir. Alexandre Moors
THE LOVELY BONES (2009), dir. Peter Jackson
THE WIRE (2003), dir. David Simon
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FILMMAKER BIOS
MARK NISTICO (Writer/ Director)
Mark Nistico is a five time award-winning writer and director who Cinema Minema has proclaimed "a
remarkable American director.” Nistico has solidified his brand as a politically charged, socioeconomically focused filmmaker with his debut feature film Blue Collar Boys and is currently
furthering his foothold in social justice filmmaking working alongside Dr. Todd Wolfson (The Poverty
Tour: A Call to Conscience, PBS), Rutgers University, and New Labor (see VICE) on a documentary
exposing unfair working conditions with migrant temp workers in New Jersey. Nistico holds a B.A.
from The College of New Jersey with a concentration in television/ film and a minor in English. After
college Mark transitioned into the television industry and worked as a story producer and editor. Mark
has performed and recorded music as a percussionist for over a decade. He was trained in percussion
as a child and music plays a prominent part in his visual style.
Mark has been writing stories, poetry, and making films since he was a child. As a screenwriter his
credits include the feature length scripts: Blue Collar Boys, Decade of Decadence, Sunrise on a
Moonlit Life, and Lime Vegas, as well as the short scripts Hangnail, Milking the Chicken, and Shadows
Over Sugar. As a director Mark has conceptualized both short and feature length narrative and
documentary films, television pilots, music videos, and commercial advertisements for such clients as
Mercedes Benz.
Selected credits:
SHARK HUNTER (2007), Story Producer- Outdoor Life Network
SHADOWS OVER SUGAR (2004), Dramatic Short- Writer/ Director
MILKING THE CHICKEN (2003), Dramatic Short- Writer/ Director
BRIAN DEAN (Visual Effects Artist)
Brian Dean began his visual effects career working as a digital compositor on 2002’s Megalodon
where he first collaborated with Blue Collar Boys director Mark Nistico. He made the bridge to
animated films in 2004 and started working as a Lighting Technician for Blue Sky Studios where he
worked on films such as Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Horton Hears a Who and Ice Age: Dawn of
the Dinosaurs. Brian is currently working at Blue Sky Studios as their Senior Technical Director
designing the lighting for their latest animated feature films.
Selected credits:
THE PEANUTS MOVIE (2015), Senior Technical Director
RIO 2 (2014), Senior Technical Director
EPIC (2013), Senior Technical Director
ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT (2012), Senior Technical Director
RIO (2011), Senior Technical Director
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SELECTED PRESS
It would be difficult to find a more politically appropriate film in theaters than Mark Nistico’s Blue
Collar Boys. Shot in a hard New Jersey winter, the drama, as the title suggests, is a riveting study of
the blue-collar class that is too often misrepresented in higher-budget productions. Tough realism
propels the story forward as the audience roots for Charlie Redkin, a 27-year-old construction worker
who helps out his father, a contractor.
At first, stereotypical New Jersey clichés may be off-putting, distancing the audience from the
characters. Slowly, however, Nistico draws the viewer in by revealing troubling underlying family
dynamics and Charlie’s intense personal struggles, which he shares with his friends. These deep-set
human problems go some way to explaining the crime and violence that pervade the film. Here,
politicians are imbeciles and bosses are cruel and heartless; the only logical action is to pummel them
in the face.
New Jersey-born Nistico, who directed, produced, and wrote Blue Collar Boys, has created a story
with convincing naturalism, giving it universal appeal. The film, with its shoestring budget, isn’t
technically perfect – no million dollar camera used here. But in the end, Nistico seems to have
achieved what he wanted: He validates the question, If the American dream was stolen, wouldn’t you
want to steal it back?
– LA Weekly, Kristina Bravo
BLUE COLLAR BOYS – It’s class warfare from the losers’ point of view in this grim and surly first
time feature by Mark Nistico whose film is a relentless, thought-provoking drama about the Redkins, a
working class family in New Jersey struggling to survive in the house building industry during this
recession.
The language is unapologetically not PC with homophobic and racist language spilling with every
family argument at the dinner table, and every taunt at the local bar. Everyone snipes at everyone with
hate and resentment. It’s a gritty drama about the suffering of America’s working stiffs. Imagine an
episode of Jersey Shore without any eye candy, humor or sex appeal as they hit every obstacle
imaginable: No job, tough building codes, bar fights, no medical insurance, plummeting property
values.
One brother hopes for a way out of the family business – he despairs that his father, at the age of 53, is
still digging ditches as a contractor. Another brother is fine with the status quo. A cousin wants to get
high. Middle class customers with BMWs in the driveway treat the Redkin family like crap.
For its reported $75,000 budget, Blue Collar Boys is an accomplishment – grim poetry about the
current recession with a bleak message that the working class can only be pushed so far. The movie
eerily predicts the occupy movement! There are some flaws with the script that overindulges in its
misery without providing any relief, but Blue Collar Boys is a searing reflection of our times.
– Brave New Hollywood, Harrison Cheung
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CAST LIST
GABE FAZIO Red
BRUCE KIRKPATRICK Senior
ED SETRAKIAN Gene
LEV GORN Ira
KEVIN INTERDONATO Nazo
RUSS RUSSO Slim
JOSHUA PALED Mason
SHANE KEARNS Irish
SONJA STUART Patty
JULIE BERSANI Samantha
TIFFANY ELLEN SOLANO Marisol
MARK KONRAD George Lockwood
KIRK PONTON Thaddeus
RICHARD BUONAGURIO Robert
JOE PACILLO Jim Daultry
CREW LIST
MARK NISTICO Writer/ Producer/Director
MICHAEL NISTICO Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager
ADAM BULLER Co-Producer/ Music Supervisor
TOMMY KEELEN MONAHAN Line Producer
ALEX HANEY Line Producer
AUSTIN MURRAY First Assistant Director
ERIC GOODWIN Second Assistant Director
IAN DUDLEY Director of Photography
FRANZISKA LEWIS First Assistant Camera
DANTE WINKLER Sound Design/ Re-recording Mixer
JOE LAPINSKI Composer
MARK NISTICO Editor
KEVIN DAVIDSON Colorist
BRIAN DEAN Visual Effects Artist
ALEXA HARRIS Gaffer
DAVID ANTHONY Key Grip
TIMOTHY SOMERS Sound/ Boom Operator
ANDREW CHUNG Foley Artist
BRIAN RANDAZZO ADR Engineer
DARRAGH CIMIS Key Makeup/Hair
KATRINA ROSSOS Script Consultant
DAVID NISTICO Catering
BRAINKITE.CO ONTARIO Production Design
VIDEOHELPER NYC ADR Recording Studio
OPTIX PICTURES TORONTO Post Production Sound Facility
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INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR MARK NISTICO
What was your filmmaking background before making Blue Collar Boys?
Before Blue Collar Boys I had been working in various positions on films for over ten years,
just gaining experience. In terms of directing, I had made two documentaries and three short films,
with limited budgets, some of which had brief festival runs. I had also worked in casting and
produced a feature to build contacts and witness the trials and tribulations of making a feature length
film before taking that leap with my own self-financed film.
Where did the idea come from?
The concept for some of the elements in the film came from one of my actors, Kevin
Interdonato. He came to me with an idea about making a film about a modern-day gang. I wasn’t
interested in most of it, but the spark that I did see within that concept was the idea of touching upon
the desperation behind the origin of many gangs formed during times like the Great Depression.
Taking that with me, it wasn’t until I met an elderly couple while working as a waiter that I found my
inspiration for Blue Collar Boys. The man was paralyzed and his wife, who was spoon-feeding him
his dinner, told me their story. He had single-handedly built his business from the ground up. The
stress had caused a stroke that led to his paralysis and, because of this incident, the business was going
under. His family was going to lose everything that he had spent his life building for them. Their two
sons, who had never taken the torch before, finally stepped up and, with their father’s guidance, saved
the business. The wife took a spoonful of some soft food she was feeding him and stated the
following; “All of my life he treated me like a queen… and now he is my king.” She then fed him his
food and kissed him on the forehead. That was when it clicked for me.
What was the writing process like?
I’ve written a number of screenplays and each time the writing process is a little different.
With Blue Collar Boys I committed to the decision to draw from true stories and, consequently, it
made the writing process extremely difficult. I spent about a year, give or take, researching real life
stories and developing the script from them. What made it really hard was that the material was very
personal to everyone involved and I didn’t want to compromise it. Some of the stories are from my
family, some of the stories are from the families of the other producers on the film, and some of the
stories are from people I met along the way while working blue-collar jobs. I accumulated so much
material that it became a collage of stories on my wall. I really got to know each person and learned
how important the stories they shared were to them, and so it was difficult to decide what to use and
what to abandon. What I did a lot of the time was find ways to marry bits of one story to bits of
another and create new stories that would fit the elements needed to comprise a narrative. That’s why
it’s inspired by true events, and not based on true events. Branching out was easy, but coming back to
structure was not. This is a first for me, but I got so lost in the idea of realism and lack of plot
structure that I actually brought in a script consultant to ground me. Katrina Rossos was an English
major and recent college graduate with the principles of structure fresh in her mind, and she brought
that knowledge to help me finalize the script. I instructed her to battle with me and drill the “rules” of
writing a screenplay into my head no matter what I said. Consequently, we fought a lot. In the end it
was about finding the edge of that line where everything seems real and spontaneous, but in fact a
narrative structure does exist.
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Can you talk about how you raised your budget and your plan for recouping your costs?
The budget for this film was not raised in any traditional sense. There are no investors,
production companies, or producers that led us to money on Blue Collar Boys. I had been working for
years fishing for money on other films. After I calculated the amount of money and time that was
spent trying to get investors, or having found financial backing and then having it fall through, I
realized that I didn’t want to play that game on this film. I decided to save up my own money for Blue
Collar Boys over a period of a year or so while I finished the script, and then put all of that money into
the film. I did, and when the production needed more, I financed the rest on credit cards over the next
two years. In the end everyone got paid and there were no debts owed. That makes for a great deal.
Having no debts or deferments was most important to me, more important than making that money
back. I always treated the money like I had a very bad weekend in Vegas, forget about it and look
forward. Now that the movie is finished and making its festival run, I hope I make some money back.
That would be nice.
What kind of camera did you use to shoot the movie, and what did you love about it and
hate about it?
We shot on the Panasonic HPX170 with a 35mm adapter. It is a professional HD camcorder
and was a popular pro-sumer model used with lens adapters before the emergence of the DSLR
technology that has become so popular today for that “film” look. What I loved about the camera was
that we could get it for a rate that we could handle. What I hated about it was that it wasn’t film. If I
had the money I would have loved to shoot on film, or even with the Red camera so we could
eventually blow up to film, but we’re homegrown and we did the best that we could with what we had.
In the end, through precise planning, knowing our limitations, and pushing everything to the edge, we
achieved a production value with the film that is surprising everyone who sees it, especially when they
find out how much we had to make it. We recently won Best Micro-budget Feature at the Toronto
Independent Film Festival after going up against films that were made for almost ten times our budget.
How did you and your DP go about creating the look for the movie?
The look was achieved through enormous planning during pre-production. I meticulously
designed detailed storyboards with my co-producer/ storyboard artist Adam Buller, and Ian Dudley,
my DP, did a marvelous job of framing them on the set. I planned every color that would be used in
the film and put an arc to that palette to serve the purpose of the story. In the simplest terms, we move
from nature to industry; browns and greens turn to grays and blues, and the saturation is subtly sucked
out of the film from start to finish as if the characters’ dreams are slipping away from them as they
sink into a lifestyle of hate.
Even down to the actor’s wardrobe and the locations that we secured for each scene, the
palette was controlled across the board. This way when we treated the film for color correction and
grading in post, the aesthetic was already there and very little manipulation was needed to get the color
grade to flow. In terms of luminescence, I wanted harsh lighting throughout the film to depict the
harsh conditions of the blue-collar lifestyle. I knew I wanted to shoot in winter for those dreary and
harsh skies, and Ian brought years of experience to design what I wanted. We worked very well
together.
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You wore a lot of hats on the movie -- director, writer, producer, editor. What's the
upside and the downside to taking on all those tasks yourself?
The upside of doing everything yourself is that you don’t have to answer to anybody
creatively. The downside is that you’re doing everything yourself. It’s a tremendous amount of work
that is enormously taxing on your life and it gets insanely lonely. I’ve done this a few times already,
but never at a feature level, and the one thing I can say is that you can drive yourself crazy and get lost
sometimes. It becomes very important to have close friends to encourage you along the way. It’s also
very hard to wear all of those hats as a filmmaker, and I don’t recommend it if you can help it.
Producing brings problems that draw you away from the creative zones you need to immerse yourself
in as an artist/ director. At the same time, it is hard to come out of the directing process and bring an
objective point of view as an editor. The same goes for the transition from writing to directing. It
sounds crazy, but you really have to convince yourself that you are a different person, because if you
can’t be objective at each stage, the film will suffer.
What was the smartest thing you did during production? The dumbest?
The smartest thing I did was to plan everything involved with the production from the start,
and firmly stick to those plans. Even during the process of writing the screenplay, I wrote big, but
only as big as I knew we could handle during production. When you get to production everything
always goes wrong. You will never be able to prevent that no matter how much money you have to
make a movie. I go into it knowing that, and I plan as much as I can. This way when stuff does go
wrong, you may not have all the answers, but answers come to you quicker, almost as if you’ve
developed an instinct. This saves time, money, and prevents you from making poor creative decisions
that will affect you later.
The dumbest thing I did was to agree to move forward with production when our
infrastructure clearly wasn’t ready. I was adamant about having a producer on this film in order for
me to focus completely on directing. Unfortunately, we had three separate producers that successively
did not work out, for one reason or another, and the last one that bailed on us left during casting. So
with winter approaching, money already spent, and our SAG contract already approved, it became
apparent that we couldn’t put a halt to things and go find another producer. I didn’t really have much
of a choice in the matter, but I had to agree to produce it myself with only the aid of my brother and a
few friends who had never produced before. That was dumb, and I’ve paid a brutal price over the last
four years because of it.
What did you learn from making the film that you have taken to other projects?
I’ve learned what a long road making a feature film is from start to distribution. I’ve learned
something that I’d only previously read about and that is the massive level of endurance required. I’ve
learned how hard it is to keep yourself on the path, and seeing the path. I’ll never make a feature film
again without a producer. What I’ll take into my next film is an understanding of the journey.
A B O U T S I L E N T S E A P R O D U CT I O N S
Silent Sea Productions LLC is a New Jersey based video production company specializing in both
commercial productions for small businesses as well as feature documentary and narrative
filmmaking. Our growing client list includes such notable companies as Rutgers University, Mercedes
Benz, Nissan, and Coldwell Banker as well as growing businesses and charities like The Cancer
Support Community, Razor Horseshoes, Stock News Now and former Bayer COO’s child education
venture CoCu Kids LLC. In addition to our first narrative feature film Blue Collar Boys, Silent Sea is
currently in production of two documentary features in cooperation with Rutgers University. For
more information visit www.silentseaproductions.com
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