Backstory: Rosemary Holly

Oh to be this lovely…

Rosemary Holly saved my life. Truly.

No, she didn’t push me out of the way of a racing car or drag me out of a fire a la Johnny in The Outsiders. She did something more heroic.

It was two days before the big newsroom scene and one of our actresses suddenly dropped out. There we were. Screwed, Hollywood style.

Ro jumped into the role of Cindy with energy and professionalism. We took her naturally beautiful, soft look and made her severe. But the look was not enough. Ro had to take the part of sycophantic Cindy and make her resonate.

And boy did she ever. Rosemary brought an element of insanity to Cindy that I never imagined. It was wonderful. I’m all for a maniacal employees. I am one.

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Note to all of Ro’s future employers: She actually looks like her headshot. She is stunning and looks amazing on camera. Snatch her up right now

Big Day!

Exciting news!

Brian Diggs and the lovely Dacia Bertrand have — with the exception of a few touch ups — finished the Behind The Scenes documentary. I must say, I really like it. And it’s not just because I’m in it a lot. Truly.

When it’s ready, we’ll post it on the destroyroy.com website.

We are getting close to being able to sell downloads of Destroy Roy on http://Createspace.com. We should be set up sometime in the next month. I wish we could do it faster, but thanks to a few annoying glitches, we can’t. So be it.

Remember the premiere is on May 2. Please brings snacks, chips, drinks or whatever you want to munch on. I’m hoping to have all of your free copies of the movie ready and, hopefully, we’ll have some extras available for purchase for the low low LOW price of $5. Tell your friends to bring cash

Note to the world

Always proofread your premierE notification emails. Ugh.

Destroy Roy Premiere

Destroy Roy, the highly anticipated, 20-minute cinematic achievement of 2008, is proud to announce its first (and perhaps only) public screening.

When: Friday, May 2, 2008

Where: 402 Heartwood Dr.

Time: 7 p.m.

Attire: Please.

What We Can Provide: Kindness. Compassion. Attitude. Movie.

What You Can Provide: Drinks. Chips. Beer. Whatever.

(Hey, we’re filmmakers. We’re journalists. We’re broke. Get over it.)

Details: For those of you who do not know, Andrea Ball, Todd Gernert and Brian Diggs have produced a movie called Destroy Roy. In this film, several reporters scheme to ruin their ruthless and selfish editor. Come show your support!

ta da!

So. I now have a master copy of the movie in hand.

Yes my friends. I have seen the enemy. And the enemy is us.

No no. It actually is pretty funny, I think you’ll all be very pleased. I am going to start narrowing down a date for the cast party, which is going to be pretty low rent because — as I think I may have mentioned before — I’m broke. Destroy Roy destroyed my finances.

OK, well that’s not exactly true. Let’s just say there’s no more Roy money to spread around. So for the party, think BYOB, potluck and casual wear.

We probably won’t be renting out a theater for a screening either. As much as I would love that, it’s not economically viable. We need a patron/patroness. Anyone know such a person who would love to invest in our success? No? Oh well.

Anyway, we have entered our movie in a movie festical of shorts. I think it’s a very casual thing where everyone gets in, but maybe not. I’ll keep you posted on that.

Anyway, more Backstories and info to come, so keep an eye out.

Andrea

Backstory: Dave Harmon

Everybody loves Dave. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss.

Dave Harmon has been my boss twice in his career. Once was in 2001, when — due to unfortunate circumstances — I was literally insane. I will never forget crying hysterically on the phone with him, making absolutely no sense whatsoever.

Dave just listened patiently. Because that’s what Dave does.

At work, people fight for him to edit their stories. I would threaten them with bodily harm if they lured him away permanently. No one steals my editor and lives to tell the tale.

But who could blame them? Dave was a great reporter, but his true gift is in editing. He knows how to make a reporter shine without making them feel like crap about their shortcomings.

Dave is an outdoorsy guy. He goes camping (in a TENT, I believe) and has lived in the woods for terrifyingly long periods of time. He’s also a big fan of home improvement work and has turned his house into a warm and inviting abode.

Dave was just sitting in the newsroom, minding his own business, when I suckered him into appearing in Destroy Roy. Dave has a face and voice made for movies, but I admit to more nefarious motives.

I figured if Dave was involved, I couldn’t get fired. TAKE THAT naysayers!

Dave did a great job in this film. He showed up for rehearsals and all shoots. He even let us invade his house with a full cast and crew after work one night.

Admit it: You wish you were Dave Harmon.

But you’re not. So get over it.

Because You’re Worth It

Are you having a bad day? Feeling frustrated with this gloomy weather and the crummy hair that comes with it?

Here is the answer to your troubles: The Destroy Roy Blooper Reel. Because you’re worth it.

Backstory: Todd Gernert

To tell this Backstory, we must go way way back… to 1995.

I was 24. Todd was 23. We were both brand new reporters at a small North Carolina daily.

Todd loved to write. He loved movies and big fat books. Sometimes we talked about how cool it would be to make a movie, but we never really thought it through. How would we do that? It was 1995 and a videocamera was far too expensive for the likes of us. So that was that.

But Todd has always been very creative. Behind that quiet, mellow personality lies a very funny guy.

I can’t count the number of writing books he’s read during our 10-year-marriage. He’s always studying plot, structure, character and such things.

So when I wrote Destroy Roy, Todd was — as always — my first stop. He read it, encouraged me, gave me ideas and then joined in on the fun himself. He injected wit and energy into the script where it was lacking. He toned down scenes that went overboard (me, overboard?).

And then came his crowning achievement: The pink cape.

Those of you who think I cajoled or threatened Todd into donning that freaky outfit are dead wrong. It was HIS idea. Oh yes my friends. Behind that respectable exterior lies the heart of an exhibitionist.

Todd has been so supportive throughout this entire project. He watched the kids while I held auditions and rehearsals. He made the trailer. He designed a dvd cover for us. And he’s now writing a feature-length script called Unconventional, which has something to do with a comic book convention. Or something.

Todd is a creative genius waiting to be discovered. If you’d like to discover him, please email him right away.

Where are you now?

So it’s been a month since we wrapped up shooting, and, of course, life goes on.

I know some of you are auditioning for new parts. Others (like me) are focusing on their day jobs. In some exciting news, Todd — our Man in Pink — auditioned for the adult male lead in another independent film and it looks like he got a callback!

That’s really cool since this is his first audition ever, I believe. He only ended up in Destroy Roy because he knew the director.

Assuming he’s not married to this new director, getting a callback his first time out is a great accomplishment.

So what’s going on with the rest of you? Any exciting news to share?

 

Backstory: Kathy MacKenzie

Sometimes you look at an actor and you just know she’s The One.

You don’t exactly know why. Is it the voice? The body? The facial expressions? Wardrobe? The energy she emits when she walks into the room?

I honestly have no idea. But the minute Kathy MacKenzie opened her mouth, I knew she was The One.

Throughout this entire process, Kathy has been my rock. She was always on time and completely prepared. Not only did she know her lines, but she had different interpretations available just in case the first didn’t work.

She helped us write music and brainstorm ideas. She was always around when I needed to rant and rave. Plus, she has those fabulously crazy pink glasses.

What impressed me most about Kathy was her devotion to this project. Indie movies are a hit or miss thing when you don’t pay people. Things come up, people cancel, they can’t make rehearsal, whatever. That’s life.

But Kathy never wavered. Even when she was in the hospital, she came through for us. Which is insane, but she did it anyway.

Thank you Kathy for commiting your talent to this project. You are awesome.