Welcome to the homesite of Gary Chason.
Mr. Chason has been a film and theatre professional for over 30 years as a Director, Casting Director, Writer, Producer, Teacher, and recently as an Actor (see Dear Pillow quotes in "reviews" section). He has recently focused his efforts on directing, cranking out two Hi-Def features in the last couple of years - Everything or Nothing and God Thinks You're a Loser.
We hope you enjoy your visit, and we look forward to hearing from you!
NEWS
May 31, 2008
GOD THINKS YOU'RE A LOSER
We have a finished picture now. We had a screening for the cast and crew that was very successful. The venue was 501 Studios, which worked out great. They have a 5,000 square foot soundstage with a white cyc at one end and an excellent projector with the added benefit of surround sound. Corey Roberts of 501 Post Audio did the sound design and mix, which turned out great, and since we screened at his home studio, he was able to tweak the sound to perfection. The audience reacted the way I had hoped, with plenty of laughter! They were laughing heartily all the way to the end. In fact, I was surprised at the amount of laughter near the end, when the two guys are in Hell. Now it's on to the festibal circuit. With the title and it's extraordinary uniqueness, I think it'll be a festival favorite.
EVERYTHING OR NOTHING
A new website is under construction and efforts to get it into distribution will be renewed accordingly.
COOK COUNTY
COOK COUNTY, a feature about meth labs in the rural communities, played three times at SXSW. I was and actor in it, playing Mr. Jimmy, the owner of the General Store where the miscreants purchase the necessary raw materials: cold medicine, drain cleaner, etc. I was pleased with my performance, east Texas accent and all. In fact, most people didn't even recognize me. At the cast party after the screening I had to tell lots of people which role I played, so I felt that I had pulled it off. Heck, I could get used to this acting thing. Writer/Director: David Pomes; Cast includes: Anson Mount; Xander Berkely; Rutherford Cravens; and Brandon Smith. Currently making the rounds of festivals. Will almost surely receive distribution.
BOB: URBAN LEGEND
The finished product came in at about 17 minutes and it works quite well. Phil Curry was my D.P again, so the look of the picture is outstanding. Performances are all excellent. And I successfully pulled off the most ambitious and difficult shot of my directing career. It was a steadi-cam shot, which Michael Deitch handled effortlessly. It started in the bowels of a comedy club, in the green room, then went down a hall, thru and industrial kitchen and into a large room full of extras, where we did a full 360 as fans mobbed Bob, the star, and carried on out the front door, watching as Bob gets into a limo and it pulls away. We blocked it, lit it, and rehearsed it so effectively that we knocked it out in only three takes. This one will go into distribution soon, with additional material from live performances by the four comedians in the cast included on the dvd. And, of course, on to the festival circuit as well.
FUTURE PROJECTS
The children's script, BOGWERT, is going to be my major focus now. Getting great reactions to the script, even though it's only a first draft. I'll be developing the script further and, naturally, looking for finance. It won't be a low-budget independent, that's for sure, but it's such a sure-fire commercial property that I feel quite confident that it will get done. And it has much potential for sequels and prequels, not to mention lots of opportunity for merchandising and product placement. I expect it to be a franchise, actually. That's why I want to concentrate my energies on it for the immediate future. With luck, we'll shoot it in the summer of '09.
2008 looks to be very exciting!
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