If you're looking for something to do this Valentine's Day, you should definitely check out a local film premiere at The Joint Cafe & Theater. "Last Shot Love" is a romantic comedy written and directed by Nolan Dean. The tagline is, "...a platonic relationship, a suppressed desire, and a desperate plan." Continue on for the synopsis and an interview with Brooke Duszota, one of the film's producers.
From the Facebook Page:
Meet love-struck Michael; a 30 year old who has been waiting ten years to express the depths of his feelings for Annie, his best friend. But when he persuades Annie that "they owe it to their friendship" to go on one official date, he knows the time is now.
Unfortunately, Michael asks for advice from Collin, the ever present wing-man who has watched this platonic epic plague his friend for long enough. Collin hatches a "fool-proof plan" to make Annie fall in love with Michael... And it all goes terribly wrong.
Jess Carson: Thank you for taking the time out for this interview! Let's start by learning a bit about you and your role in Last Shot Love.
Brooke Duszota: You're welcome. Thanks for asking.
Nolan Dean (Writer/Director/Producer) approached me regarding makeup for his film project, so I asked him to send me the script before I made a decision. I fell in love with it. It was fantastic. Naturally, I wanted to see the story come to fruition, so I jumped on board.
Since "Last Shot Love" is a short film, I was afforded the opportunity for heavy involvement by meeting the growing needs of the project. I originally began as Key Makeup, Hair Stylist, and Wardrobe, then ultimately evolved into a Producer. I enjoy the intricacies of pre-production; its a joy checking items off a list.
JC: You guys raised over $10,000 for this film, so cheers to that! How did you manage to get so much support through crowdsourcing?
BD: We asked and asked a lot. [We] sent out emails, made phone calls, and shared our story. [We] shared the vision. Thanks go to everyone who believed in us, who believed in this project...prayers, God, excellent family and gracious friends. We truly feel blessed.
JC: The synopsis is very intriguing. How did this concept come about?
BD: The Kickstarter page has a fun video of our Writer/Director discussing just that.
Nolan would say that he was just obeying the maxim, "Write what you know." There was a time he was caught in a girl's "friend zone," [in] which no one wants to be stuck, and he would often think, "If she would just give me one date!" Then, apparently, he would dream up twisted scenarios of what he might try to pull off to win her affection. Hence, "Last Shot Love."
JC: Can you talk about some of the crew working on this project?
BD: That's so difficult. I'd love to mention all of our stellar crew. Arkansas showcases such tremendous talent; everyone deserves a nod.
Obviously, Nolan [and] his beautiful script and clear direction. Our Director of Photography, Gabe Mayhan is inherently talented and meticulously detailed. Basically, you can always count on Gabe to get the shot right, and to look totally amazing.
Matt Rozzell kept us organized, on track and edited the film gorgeously. Doug Osborn is the zen master of clean sound/audio. Matt Manning, Brent Bailey, Gary Harvill - everyone hustled in G&E. They're pros.
I cannot answer this question without wanting to gush about our entire amazing crew!
JC: Is the casting process done? If so, who are you working with?
BD: Our cast. Oh, our cast, they're fabulous. Akasha Villalobos is Annie, Brian Villalobos plays Michael and Seth Kuhn as Collin are all endearing and just perfect for their characters.
JC: Your premiere is on Valentine's Day; that seems fitting. It's also doubling as a concert. What brought on this idea?
BD: Several factors, we need to raise funds for film festival submissions, and we want to throw a party.
What better day to debut a Romantic Comedy than on Valentine's Day? Plus, we want to showcase our musical talent from the film.
The venue of a Short Film & Concert in one location. How fun is that? We're going to premiere our film, while encouraging a great time to be had by all.
JC: Anything else you'd like for us to know?
BD: Yes, you can keep an eye on our progress and cheer us on via Facebook.
You can also reserve your seat through Eventbrite, so buy your tickets early! We'll see you there.
Be sure to "like" the film on Facebook. You can purchase your tickets here.
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