Movies You Made: “Melting the Snowman”
March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.
Today: Melting the Snowman.
Production notes from writer-director Ora Yashar:
The film is my MFA thesis from Chapman University and features Mekenna Melvin from “Chuck”.
It was workshopped with the great help of writers/directors Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge), Gil Bettman (Night Rider) and David S. Ward (The Sting, Sleepless in Seattle).
Some screenings/awards for the film include the following: Kansas City Film Festival, New Hampshire Film Festival, Asheville Film Festival, Victoria Film Festival (Canada), Charleston International Film Festival, Provincetown International Film Festival, Short Film Corner, Cannes (part of Chapman Block), Tallahassee Film Festival, Myrtle Beach International Film Festival, Rainier Independent Film Fest (Best Student Film), International Student Film Festival Hollywood (Winner Best Comedy), Rochester International Film Festival (Honorable Mention), Method Fest (Nominee, Best Actress in a Short Film), Treasure Coast International Film Fest (Nominee Best Student Film), Action on Film (Nominee: Best New Director, Best Actress in a short, Best Comedy Script, Best Student Film).
The film was shot over a period of seven nights in Santa Ana, California in two houses, which our Producer, Christina Medina, literally went knocking door to door to get. We were very grateful for the amazing generosity of Don and Betty Webster and Lita Watson and family who allowed a group of crazy students to invade their homes at night, kick them out, and do our film thing. We also had a wonderful group of extras who patiently waited it out between takes and tolerated ill-fitting 70’s costumes (I’m obsessed with the 70’s) and cramped quarters. So a big thank you to Terry Potts, Lynn Peavy, Marian Lois Tyrrell-Pack, Jordan Weiss and Tom Cafazzo! The cast and crew’s dedication to their craft was unbelievable and each member made this an experience I will never forget. In fact, Terri Cafazzo (Mrs. Davidson) and her husband Tom were so dedicated that they came out from Arizona just to be extras in the film. In a twist of fate, our original Mrs. Davidson had to drop out the day of the shoot and I was able to re-cast the role with Terri, who did an amazing job!
Cast — Role Played
Mekenna Melvin — Caroline Jamieson
Kevin Michael Walsh — Ray Walters
Stephen Howard — George Jamieson
Matt Shevin — Steven Jamieson
Catherine Day — Jen Jamieson
Jacquelyn Riggs — Barbie Jamieson
David Schroeder — Dick Barry
Judy Durning — Karen Conway
Terri Cafazzo — Mrs. Davidson
Angela Valle — Mrs. Preston
Valorie Hubbard — Mrs. Ramsey
Crew
Writer/ Director: Ora Yashar
Producer: Christina Medina
Cinematographer: Kevin Curtin
Production Design: Grant Stivers and Ora Yashar
Editor: David Jacox
Sound Design: Ian Beckman
Here is the movie Melting the Snowman:
I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Here is Ora’s answer:
Failure.
“There’s no success like failure.”
— Bob Dylan
He does go on to say, “And failure’s no success at all”. But sticking to the first point: Coming up on my last year of film school I dreaded what would happen once I graduated. Would I make it? What was the “real” world really all about? Was I even good enough to get someone coffee?
All my life, I’ve been extremely fortunate to come from a family who’s been 100% supportive of my career choice and has never been shy to share what it means to them that I achieve my dreams. But what if I wasn’t successful? Would this send their lives into complete turmoil? Would life become a black hole for them? A bit dramatic, say you? Yeah, but I’m Iranian and Jewish, which means I have an inner war raging inside of me at all times. At least that’s what someone from Wisconsin once told me.
In my first year at school, I wrote and directed “Love Sophie” a short centered on an 8 year old know it all who as it turns out doesn’t really know it all. The film resonated with audiences and I started to think how a girl who puts up a façade of perfection would deal with failure. Who would she grow up to be? And so, Caroline Jamieson was born.
I wanted to create a story, which celebrated the beauty of our inner flaws and imperfections whether or not they were ultimately accepted by others. Throughout her life, Caroline has stuck to a tightly wound script and played a very specific role, until she is set off course by failure. In reality, failing is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to her.
As a filmmaker, I placed all my fears into Caroline and then caked them all away!
Melting the Snowman Vimeo site here.
Ora’s website here.
Drop by Comments to give some feedback on Melting the Snowman.
Tomorrow: Another Movie You Made.
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