capture the flag feature project

capture the flag feature project
capture the flag
We know how long the odds are that an independent film will ever see the light of day,
much less reach a wide audience. But we also know that when a film offers some kind of
unflinching truth. and a story that evokes deep emotions in all of us, that film will
somehow break through and reach its intended audience.
Capture the Flag is one of these films.
Capture the Flag is an independent feature film based on the acclaimed fictionalized
memoir by New York writer, Rebecca Chace. The screenplay was written by Rebecca
Chace and Lisanne Skyler and will be directed by Lisanne Skyler. The story centers on
Annie, a teenage girl coming of age fast in the chaos of 1970s New York. While on the
outside she tries to fit in with the sophisticated city teens around her, what she lives for is
her family’s annual game of Capture the Flag, the only fragment of her childhood that
has endured. When her parents divorce, fracturing this tradition, Annie finds herself
virtually abandoned, forced to create a family of her own. Over the course of this eventful
year, Annie learns that while some things must come to an end, the most important
relationships will somehow endure.
Skyler and Chace recently completed a short film based on the feature screenplay with a
cast of highly regarded film, television and stage actors, led by the popular, versatile
Scott Cohen (Gilmore Girls, the hit Kissing Jessica Stein and Please Give). The cast
featured Will Denton (Palindromes, Kidnapped), Emmy Clarke (Fur, My House in
Umbria, Monk), Gretchen Egolf (Roswell, Journeyman), and talented newcomers Lola
Kirke and Jane Stiles, in the lead role of Annie. The creative team included production
designer Anne Stuhler (Fringe, Boiler Room, Palookaville) and Emmy-Award sound
mixer Scott Weber from the ABC series Lost.
capture the flag feature project
Making the short film was a way to “test drive” the concept of the feature film, to find out
firsthand how audiences respond to the characters and the world of this story. We found
that audiences of all ages could relate to the film’s depiction of that particular,
heartbreaking moment in life when one finds things suddenly changing, ready or not.
synopsis
Watergate, Vietnam and political disillusionment, glitter rock and the pocket calculator.
Put them in a blender and you have the 1970s. The Nuclear Family was dead, and with
the rise of divorce and the feminist movement voicing maternal ambivalence, raising
children was suddenly at odds with parental self-fulfillment. But while the grown-ups
were busy finding themselves, the kids were quietly watching and taking notes.
Capture the Flag retells the seventies through the eyes of the kids. Annie Edwards is
fourteen years old and already living a life beyond her years. Her emotionally fragile
mother Ellen Edwards swings between hospitalizing bouts of depression and hollow
attempts at family normalcy on New York’s Upper West Side. Her father Luke Edwards
takes refuge working as a book editor, leaving Annie to care for her mother -- and to
grow up as fast as she can amid the tantalizing playground of Manhattan. Annie’s
experiments with sex, drugs and alcohol are less transgressions, than the realities of
daily survival.
Secretly, Annie yearns for the safety of her childhood, epitomized by her family’s annual
tradition of Capture the Flag, brutally played like a high-stakes war game against the
Mason-Shanlick Family in the woods of Upstate New York. Annie soon realizes that a
lot more is at stake in these games than the white t-shirt standing in for the flag: matters
of sex and competition, loyalty and betrayal,
When Annie’s parents divorce, Annie insinuates herself into the seemingly carefree
world of the Mason-Shanlick family. Headed by the destructive and charismatic Peter
Shanlick and his second wife Janis Mason, the Mason-Shanlick clan includes the
infectiously charismatic and mercurial Justin Mason, Janis’s son from her first marriage,
and Peter’s daughters from his first marriage, the glamorous, sultry and extravagantly
self-involved sisters Tessa and Liz Shanlick. Annie idolizes the self-assured downtown
confidence of Tessa and Liz, while she privately, pines for Justin. But everything gets
complicated when Tessa gets pregnant by mistake. Peter and Janis finally divorce and
Annie’s father Luke decides to marry his -- now happily pregnant -- new girlfriend. Once
again everything is changing and the remaining fragments of Annie’s world are
imploded.
With the grown-ups reeling from their divorces, Annie is determined to keep her friends
together and devises a plan to hide Tessa’s baby from the grown-ups. Tessa, Liz and
Justin escape to the country. There they create their own family, one that will last
forever. At least that's what Annie thinks.
capture the flag feature project
audience/strategy
The really positive response to the short film is the biggest indication that Capture the
Flag will be successful as a feature. In particular, people cited the complexity of the
characters; audiences related strongly to what they are going through, the natural and
nuanced performances of the actors and the filmmaking style. The film has just been
completed and to date has been invited to the Aspen Shortsfest International
Competition, the Nantucket Film Festival and to the 40th edition of Bumbershoot Arts and
Music Festival in Seattle.
For an independent dramatic film to be successful in today’s competitive marketplace,
one has to deliver it for an appropriate budget. This film can be made for well under a
one million dollar budget. We made the short film as a paradigm for the feature to
explore the characters, themes and stylistic ideas, as well as figure out how to convey
the period persuasively on a shoestring budget. We found that working with a seasoned
production designer like Anne Stuhler, and costume designer Elizabeth Caitlin Ward,
one could recreate a convincing period 1970s look and stay under budget.
The short was shot on super-16mm black and white film, donated by Eastman-Kodak;
the feature will be shot in color, either super-16mm or three-perf 35mm color film.
Processing and postproduction costs will all be provided at the lowest rates because I
am also a film school faculty member; in addition, several of the locations are being
donated. Making the feature film on a micro-budget, as we have demonstrated we can
do with the short, will help ensure the feature’s commercial success.
When shooting ultra-low-budget, on a limited shooting schedule, the preparation of the
director, cast and crew is critical. The short, which depicted the weekend that the
tradition of Capture the Flag falls apart in the midst of Annie’s parents divorce, involved
not only the most logistically complicated aspect of the story -- the filming of the actual
game sequence -- it also delved uncompromisingly into its emotional terrain, tracking
Annie’s tenuous relationship with her father. As a director, I am coming to the feature
with a proven shot list, the “looks” of the characters established, and a shorthand with
the actors that will allow us to move quickly and economically. It is simply a matter of
picking up where we left off.
There are two remaining starring roles to be cast, two female roles that while they don’t
appear in the short, are pivotal to the feature. As there are so many talented,
commercially popular actresses in this particular age group, the casting of these roles
will further anchor the project for financiers and distributors. The cache of this cast will
garner the attention necessary to draw audiences to see this film in a theatre. Movies
like Capture the Flag depend on their critical reception and both the filmmakers and
actors bring to this project a proven track record of consistently positive critical response.
capture the flag feature project
director’s statement
I have always been fascinated by the secret lives of teenagers, what they say, do and
think when the adults are not around, and what the adults do when they think their
children aren’t watching. Capture the Flag continues an exploration of American family
life that I began with my previous feature film Getting to Know You (starring Zach Braff,
Heather Matarazzo, Bebe Neuwirth and Chris Noth).
When I first read this novel, I immediately recognized a specific heartbreak of childhood,
when rifts within the parents’ generation, often sudden, mysterious, arbitrary, sever
children from the ties and traditions that sustain them. I also recognized Annie’s
academic world: Rebecca and I had by coincidence attended the same Manhattan
tradition-bound school. In adapting the novel, we have drawn on our formative
experiences of New York City adolescence, and of family life in the ‘70s, when divorce
became common practice, a byproduct of the period’s emphasis on self-fulfillment.
In directing Capture the Flag, my goal is to create a brutally honest representation of
what it’s like to be a teenager in the socially turbulent world of 1970s New York, when
the once-clear lines between parents and children began to blur. All of the action will
unfold from Annie’s point of view, and the camera will move in a spontaneous
documentary-like way, to capture the realism of the characters and the world they live in,
the comedic nuances of their situations as well as the tougher ones. I will shoot on
16mm or 35mm color film as the film look is critical to evoking the era. Archival footage
of 1970s New York City -- using images more abstract than literal -- will be woven into
the film to give the sotry the texture of the city in that period, when New York was dirty,
broke, dangerous and completely captivating. The city itself, with its vibrant energy and
seductive dangers is a key character in Capture the Flag.
The parents in this story are complex, volatile, even destructive as they struggle with
raising children amid the highly charged cultural forces of the 1970s. As with Getting to
Know You all of the characters in this ensemble cast will be fully fleshed out and
sympathetic, despite their very human flaws.
Being a teenager, and a parent, has only become more complicated since the 70s,
which is why this film is incredibly relevant to audiences now. Annie’s rebellious struggle
through adolescence, when everything is changing and the adults around her keep
breaking all the rules, will resonate with teenagers and adults around the world, for no
memories are more alive than those of our teenage years. – Lisanne Skyler
capture the flag feature project
characters and casting
The intention is to keep the cast assembled from the short film version. Beyond that,
there are two pivotal roles to cast who figure prominently in the feature: Ellen Edwards
and Marie Shanlick.
Annie Edwards, age 14. Annie is in the thick of adolescence -- girl one moment and
young woman the next. As a New York City kid, she’s growing up fast. But on the inside,
she yearns for her lost innocence and the safety of a family.
Luke Edwards, Annie’s father, late 30s. He is an intellectual New Yorker who put aside
his college novel for a successful but demanding career in publishing.
Ellen Edwards, Annie’s mother, late 30s. She is a writer and teacher with a fragile
demeanor and a history of depression and debilitating breakdowns. But underneath,
she has a quiet strength and ultimately, she is there for Annie, when Annie needs her
most.
Justin Mason, age 17. Devastatingly charming, as well as sharp and ambitious, Justin
has been Annie’s biggest crush since they were kids.
Tessa Shanlick, age 16. Vivacious and self-possessed, Tessa is popular with the boys
and the most mature of the group. She is brash, funny and always says what’s own her
mind even if it hurts.
Liz Shanlick, age 15. Although Liz shares Tessa’s beauty, she’s not the extrovert that
her older sister is. Liz is the sensitive peacemaker who is close to everyone in the
family, the one everyone feels they can talk to.
Marie Shanlick, Liz and Tessa’s mother, late 30s and divorced from their father Peter
Shanlick. Wild and charismatic, Marie embodies the rebellious Beat Generation spirit of
the Village. She throws her energy into various creative endeavors that go nowhere and
relates to her daughters as if they are friends and confidantes, rather than children, even
though she genuinely loves them.
Peter Shanlick, Liz and Tessa’s father, late 30s. A once-successful downtown painter,
Peter is deeply charming and dominates every room. But lately, his alcoholic tendencies
have been rising to the surface.
Janis Mason, Justin’s mother, Peter’s present wife, late 30s.
Janis is the wry,
outspoken den-mother of the downtown Beat scene of which Peter is an aging prince.
She is nurturing, deeply in love with Peter, and willing to forgive a lot in exchange -- up
until a point.
capture the flag feature project
scenes from the short film
Jane Stiles as Annie Edwards
Scott Cohen as Luke Edwards
capture the flag feature project
Will Denton as Justin Mason
Emmy Clarke as Liz Shanlick
capture the flag feature project
Emmy Clarke and Lola Kirke as Tessa Shanlick
Gretchen Egolf as Elise
capture the flag feature project
Scott Cohen and Kevin Black as Peter Shanlick
Jane Stiles and Will Denton
capture the flag feature project
the short film cast
JANE STILES (Annie Edwards) Jane’s credits include Dear Mr. President (LA MAMA
Theatre in NYC) and NBC’s Law & Order. The younger sister of Julia Stiles, she is also
an accomplished dancer and performer and was recently accepted into the dance and
theatre program at Instituto Supirio de Arte in Havana Cuba.
SCOTT COHEN (Luke Edwards) is a highly regarded actor, known for his work in studio
and independent films, numerous television series, and New York theatre. In addition to
the festival and theatrical hit Kissing Jessica Stein, his film credits include Nicole
Holofcener’s Please Give, Moonlight Serenade with Amy Adams, and the upcoming
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, in which he stars opposite Natalie Portman, as well
as Ed Z wick’s Love and Other Drugs. On television, he is best known for his recurring
role as Lorelai Gilmore's love interest Max Medina in Gilmore Girls, as well as starring in
the acclaimed Showtime series Streettime.
WILL DENTON (Justin Mason) was featured in Todd Solondz’s Palindromes, played
Young Alfred Kinsey in Bill Condon’s Kinsey and was the voice of Young Rodney in the
animated feature Robots. On television, he starred in the NBC drama Kidnapped, as
Timothy Hutton’s kidnapped son, and appeared on Law & Order, Ed and Hope and
Faith. He will soon be seen in Camp Hope with Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew McCarthy.
EMMY CLARKE (Liz Shanlick) was featured in the films Fur, as Nicole Kidman’s
daughter, and My House in Umbria, for which she won a 2004 Young Artist Award. From
2005-2009, she was a series regular on the popular TV series Monk as the daughter of
Tony Shalhoub’s assistant. She is currently filming the pilot for Michael Dinner’s The
Line.
GRETCHEN EGOLF (Elise) appeared in Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley
and Mira Nair’s The Namesake. A graduate of Juilliard, she is a veteran of Broadway
and London’s West End.On television, she was a series regular on Martial Law and
Journeyman, played recurring characters on Roswell and Law & Order and guest starred
in numerous shows, including Lie to Me, Criminal Minds, Medium and Ghost Whisperer.
KEVIN BLACK (Peter Shanlick) has performed in theatres across the country including
The New York Shakespeare Festival, Pearl Theatre Company, Indiana Rep, Delaware
Theater Co. and the Pacific Repertory Theatre in Carmel. He appeared in Getting To
Know You and Greg Mottola’s short Swingin’ in the Painter’s Room.
LOLA KIRKE (Tessa Shanlick) is an up and coming young actress who recently
appeared in the short The Best Man.
REBECCA CHACE (Janis Mason) has performed on the stages of the Atlantic Theatre
Company, The Seattle Repertory Theatre and the Mark Taper Forum. Her film work
includes The Grinch directed by Ron Howard and Waking Up In Reno with Patrick
Swayze and Charlize Theron. She is also the novelist and co-screenwriter of the film.
capture the flag feature project
filmmakers
LISANNE SKYLER (director/co-writer) directed the award-winning short documentary
Oldtimers (1993), a black and white cinema verite style portrait of the elderly regulars of
a San Francisco Irish bar, played in the Cinema du Reel in Paris, the Vancouver
International Film Festival and the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it
won a Special Jury Prize. She then No Loans Today (1995 Sundance Film Festival
Documentary Competition) about a black-owned pawnshop in post-riot South Central
Los Angeles; and Dreamland (2000), a portrayal of compulsive gamblers living in Las
Vegas. Both No Loans Today and Dreamland were broadcast on the PBS series
POV/The American Documentary.
Skyler co-wrote with her sister Tristine and directed the critically acclaimed independent
feature film Getting To Know You (1999), adapted from three short stories by Joyce
Carol Oates. The film premiered in the 1999 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic
Competition, was chosen as the opening film for the Venice Film Festival Critics Week
and received a FIPRESCI Special Jury Award at the Stockholm Film Festival, “for a
compassionate humane cinematic interpretation of the grim, literary universe of Joyce
Carol Oates,” and a nomination for the Independent Feature Project’s 2000 Spirit
Awards Someone to Watch Award for Lisanne. Getting To Know You debuted
theatrically at New York’s Film Forum and played in theatres across the U.S, earning
“Two Thumbs Up” from Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper and inclusion in The Village
Voice and LA Weekly’s "Best of 2000" lists. It was broadcast on Sundance Channel. In
Italy, Key Films released the film to critical acclaim from the Italian Press.
Skyler has written screenplays for such producers as the Academy-Award nominated
Nellie Bellflower, Mike Figgis, Elizabeth Friedman, Howard Meltzer, John Penotti, Kermit
Smith and Judith Zarin. She is currently developing Capture the Flag into a feature, and
a new Joyce Carol Oates adaptation with Amy Ryan attached to star, to be produced by
Laura Gabbert (No Impact Man). A native of New York, she is represented by Jennifer
Levine and Jason Newman of Untitled Entertainment.
REBECCA CHACE (co-writer/author) Rebecca Chace's new novel, Leaving Rock
Harbor, (Scribner, June 2010) was chosen as a June Indie Notable Book by the
American Booksellers Association and has been called an "irresistible read" in advance
press by author Richard Russo (Empire Falls). Chace wrote the memoir Chautauqua
Summer (Harcourt-Brace, The New York Times Book Review “Editor's Choice" and
"Picks for Summer") and the novel Capture the Flag (Simon and Schuster). Chace’s
plays include: Colette (Theatre for the New City) and The Awakening, an adaptation of
Kate Chopin's novel, (Book-It Repertory Theatre at Seattle Repertory Theatre; second
production: Seattle Rep). Ms. Chace has received grants from A Contemporary Theatre
in Seattle and A.S.K. Theatre Projects in Los Angeles as part of the FringeACT festival
for her play Vershinin’s Wife and in 2004, she was a writer-in-residence with New York
Theatre Workshop summer retreat at Vassar College. She is both a Visiting Assistant
Professor at Bard College as well as a member of the Fiction and Dramatic Writing
faculty of the City College of New York’s Creative Writing MFA Program. Chace is
currently writing her fourth book, a blend of literary memoir and fiction.
capture the flag feature project
press for Getting To Know You directed by Lisanne Skyler
“…in its own smart and honest way, this movie provides more surprises and real drama
than almost any of the big-time films we’ve seen this summer…Two thumbs up!”
Roger Ebert & Richard Roeper
“Entrancing! Conjures an alluring spell of mistrust and hope, getting to the selfdeception that Ms. Oates’ characters often weave for themselves….Lisanne Skyler is not
only a filmmaker, she’s truly a director!”
Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
“A pitch-perfect portrait of adolescence. Fragile and uncompromising! The script is
exceptionally subtle.”
Amy Taubin, The Village Voice
“This is a tremendously ambitious film that lives up to its promise and bristles with
remarkable performances.”
Kevin Thomas, The Los Angeles Times
“Tender, gripping, intelligent! Doesn’t just reaffirm one’s flagging faith in independent
cinema. It vindicates the very process, oft-abused as it is, of adapting literature into film.
A deceptively powerful movie!”
John Anderson, Newsday
“[Lisanne Skyler] is a remarkable new talent! Unabashedly intelligent and distinctive.
Matarrazo gives a wonderful performance. The true star of the film is the brilliant, literary
script by the Skylers. An intelligent, emotionally charged film, not easily forgotten.”
Hannah Brown, The New York Post
“…the movie holds you in its steadily intensifying grip….elegant, brooding….”
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
press for Capture the Flag by Rebecca Chace (Simon and Schuster, 1999)
“Chace’s novel swells with the openhearted fearlessness and perpetual confusion of
adolescence, piercing nostalgic moments with the earthy, sorrowful taste of a young girl
learning, the hard way, about love and family.”—Publisher’s Weekly; starred review
“Capture the Flag maps disenchantment. Its characters negotiate terrain mined with
secrets: withheld sorrow and anger, hidden histories.” The New York Times Sunday
Book Review
“Chace’s writing resembles a generation of New York Writers heavily influenced by John
Updike: Rick Moody, A.M. Holmes, Susan Minot and more recently, Melissa Bank and
Julia Slavin.”—The Los Angeles Times Book Review
capture the flag feature project