Local filmmaker and Western student, D Byron, is looking for cast and crew to get involved with a new film project entitled “Corporate Cinema 10,” a comedy about kids working in a movie theater. Similar to motion pictures like “Clerks” and “Waiting,” CC10 follows the lives of minimum wagers as they stave off boredom by mocking customers, making dirty jokes and knowing way, way too much movie trivia.
Auditions were held May 26th, but there are still parts to cast; anyone interested in acting or working behind the camera should contact D Byron at 816-232-8947.
The movie calls for all ages, races and body types. There are still a few lead roles that need to be filled and numerous parts for extras. Byron claims that acting experience is less important than a sense of humor and dedication.
“The whole thing is meant to be fun; after all, you have to get something out of it other than seeing your mug in a movie,” Byron said.
No, the acting roles don’t pay, nor do the crew positions, but Byron hopes that with it being summer enough people will be interested in the project to free up their schedules for it.
Mason Allen Smith, who has worked previously with Byron on the short film “Skate Champs” said, “Working on a D film was like jumping off a cliff and hoping that there will be water beneath. And most days there is. In other words, it is a really great experience.” Smith, a Western graduate will be playing the role of Airplane Man in the upcoming feature.
“Like the movies that CC10 draws upon, the humor can be crude,” Byron said. Pushing limits is something he prides himself on. Actually, he said that he’d feel like a failure if he managed to get through the whole project without making someone feel uncomfortable. “This project isn’t for anyone who is easily offended,” he said.
Byron, who wrote the script between classes and work, said that were it not for the help given to him by the Writer’s Circle, a creative writing group that meets on campus once a week, the film may never have gotten off the ground. Byron credits special thanks to Dr. Patricia Donaher, and Professors Megan Thompson, Dana Andrews and Deny Staggs for their constructive criticism and encouragement.
Ben Monroe, a senior dual-majoring in history and film, described the amount of work that goes into putting a movie together as being no easy task.
A Letter from D Byron:
This is the point where I should introduce myself, my name is D Byron. A lot of people ask me what the D stands for and the answer is that it stands for D. It is not short for anything. My name is just D. The last film I made was titled “Lewis and Clark Trail of Blood” and it is available to rent locally at the Blockbusters here in town and is available for purchase at Amazon.com. The movie was shot to resemble a low budget Sci-Fi Channel production, yet unlike other low budget we were working with nearly no budget. If it were not for the extreme dedication of the cast and crew the film would have never gotten finished.
“Corporate Cinema 10” will be shot entirely in
The film will mostly be shot at a theater in town and I am exceedingly grateful for their allowance of their space for our film.
We are in currently are the preproduction stage, which takes a lot of paper work and storyboarding. This stage is designed so that the next stage goes smoother. Though there is nothing smooth about filmmaking. If there is one thing that I’ve learned about making a movie that I didn’t know previously about the process was that it is all about overcoming obstacles. Nearly nothing goes the way you expect, but you have to be willing to compromise and have the troubleshooting ability to figure out how you’re going to get the required shots.
- D Byron