PETTY CASH: The Film

It has been a long time.

2011-11-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hi all, yes it has been a long time, but its not as if we haven't been working on getting the film out there. Things had to be dealt with first, like our agreements and contracts. But that was all settled in October, and now the film is represented by Princ Films and they are actively pursing all avenues in getting Petty Cash sold. And not as your standard direct to video release, but having it shown in other markets as well.

You can view the film's web page at Princ films here.

http://www.princfilms.com/index.php?mact=Products,cntnt01,details,0&cntnt01category=Film&cntnt01productid=255&cntnt01returnid=15

So the film is all set for sale, we got a great poster design by Matthew Laznicka, the masters files are completed, plus the film is set for dubbing in those overseas markets. Time will tell how goes.

As for other projects. We are wrapping up another feature film, The Bad Girl. A raunchy comedy that's sort of Tyler Perry meets The Hangover. The story is by Natasha Nafrini, Glen Popple and Ross Bigley. Directed by Glen Popple and Ross Bigley.

And we got another film in the works with Bai Ling, the Chinese Western, Yellow Hill. But we are a long ways off from even shooting that. We have to get the funding in place first.

An update?

2011-08-27T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well there is some movement with the film. My sound mix guy, Tom Muschitz is working on the M/E tracks for a potential producers rep coming on board.

Right now it is not a sure thing. Once something becomes a sure thing I will let you know.

In other news Ross Bigley, the director of Petty Cash begins co-directing his next feature The Bad Girl starting Labor Day weekend. This film is produced by Natasha Nafrini and Glen Popple, Glen is also the co-director. Think Tyler Perry mixed with The Hangover.

And, in more news Bai Ling is producing a script by Ross Bigley called Yellow Hill. She will also star in the production with Ross directing.

Stay Tuned

2011-04-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

Keep coming back to this page for news, we hope to share something with you soon.

Very soon. . .

2011-03-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

We'll have some news and reviews very soon.

Another new review is up!

2011-03-23T10:23:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash review ★★★
Review by Adam Stephen Kelly (Screenjabbers)
Stars Bai Ling, Cyn Dulay, Robert W.C. Kennedy, Edy Cullen, Nathaniel Ross, Joshua Parkes, Tom Lodewyck, Dan Katula, James J. Gallagher, Stacey Meyer, Wayne Clingman
Written by Ross Bigley
Certification Not Rated
Runtime 86 minutes
Directed by Ross Bigley

Petty Cash: Preview Clip # 6 from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

This is a cash-on-the-run movie where a number of shady characters in need of a large sum of money battle it out to capture over $20,000 inside a plastic bag. Two brothers mixed up in the underworld, one with a $30,000 debt to a mob boss and the other with the intention of running away from his life of crime with the woman he loves and almost $100,000, clash over the money, while everyone from meth addicts to prostitutes each have their eyes on the prize. Cue plenty of profanity-ridden outbursts, stare downs, loaded handguns and blood. Yes, it's a plot we've seen before, but how it unravels is not formulaic in the least and always entertaining. The ways in which the cash is snatched to-and-fro between the various criminals adds consistently exciting developments to the story.

Writer-director-editor Bigley makes good use of the obviously low budget, focusing attention on the dialogue and interaction between the characters instead of typically generic fire-fights and action. That's not to say that the film doesn't have its fair share of gun battles, but they take second place to the characterisation.

Bigley and co have done a great job with the casting, bringing in a formidable team of actors which is not always easy to do when you're making an independent film on very little money. How he even managed to bring in Bai Ling is a mystery since she's been working the higher budget independent films as of late. Both the leading and most of the supporting members of the cast do a fine job indeed, with some fantastic actors like Tom Lodewyck shining, doing a stellar job as always.

Shot in Bigley's home state of Wisconsin and featuring a crop of local talent, Petty Cash is a gritty crime drama that remains enjoyable from the first frame to the last. It's competently shot and well written and its only major shortcoming is the occasionally substandard performances and dodgy bullet effects, but they are to be forgiven in such a small film. A solid indie crime caper.

The original posting can be seen at this address:
http://www.screenjabber.com/petty-cash-review

New Trailer

2011-03-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash Trailer (NSFW) from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Look Out. . .

2011-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

New trailer coming soon.

Some behind the scenes footage.

2011-03-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

This video was filmed by Kathy Fischer, and shot on the last day of production.
Sections of this will be in our documentary about the film.

Making of Petty Cash segment from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Another review of Petty Cash is in!

2011-03-02T15:17:00.000-08:00

Film Reviews: Petty Cash (2010) - By Cary Conley via Rouge Cinema.

Petty Cash: Preview Clip # 3 from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Petty Cash is a low budget independent film in the vein of Pulp Fiction, Magnolia, and Crash, all films that thrive on story threads that are interrelated but also disconnected until the climax, when each plotline is tied up in the end. Probably most similar to Pulp Fiction, Petty Cash tells myriad stories of small-time hoods and their stripper/hooker/crackhead whores. Trying to describe the plot in a paragraph or two wouldn't do the film justice; suffice to say that each criminal is trying to screw someone else, and they all want their hands on a certain sum of money (the "petty cash" that gives the film a title), which passes from one lowlife to the next as each is betrayed, beaten or killed. Most of the main characters are introduced, a la Quentin Tarantino, with title cards displaying their names, like "Coco," "Sergio," and "Spain."

Writer/director Ross Bigley does a very nice job in keeping what could have been a confusing storyline (we start with a prologue and title card that reads "24 hours earlier") easy for the viewer to understand. Even though the story jumps from one point in time to another and from one character to another, the viewer is never lost. This is not easy to do, and more than one big-budget Hollywood film has failed while trying. Bigley also does a fine job of tying all the loose ends up, even providing some excellent--and darkly humorous--irony at the tail-end of the film.

Even though big-name actress Bai Ling (Anna and the King; The Crow; Lords of Dogtown; Crank 2: High Voltage) gets top billing, she is relegated to a supporting character and a limited number of scenes. No matter, as the cast is solid through-and-through. Many of the actors are regional actors, some coming from Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, where the film was made, but it makes no difference as each one turns in a solid performance. Several exceptional performances include those by Donnell Jackson as Spain, Robert W.C. Kennedy as Jimmie, Tom Lodewyck as Lars, Joshua Parkes as Richie, Edy Cullen as Sandy, and Lindsay Bledsoe as Mary Ann. I was particularly impressed with Cullen's performance. Her story was the least glamorous in the film, but she brought a sad realism to what many sometimes mistake as the romance of living life with a gangster.

Bigley also brings a gritty realism to the film, showing the dark and violent nature of even a small-time underworld. The excellent musical score only serves to enhance the depressive atmosphere of the film. I was greatly impressed by Bigley's film. While Petty Cash hasn't been officially released yet, please stop by Dirty Job Films at www.dirtyjobfilms.com for updates on coming screenings and an official release date.

LINK TO ROUGE CINEMA:
http://www.roguecinema.com/article2564.html

Our first review is in!

2011-02-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

Read Michael Offerosky's review from the Milwaukee Movie Examiner.

Petty Cash: It's all about the dough

Petty Cash: Preview Clip #1 from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Two brothers in the mob get into deeper trouble in this modern day piece of pulp. Richie is a money man for Javier. He goes to collect a debt one day from a local bar owner and gets the money after roughing him up a bit. Leaving the club he's blindsided and robbed. He comes to seeing that the bar owner is kicking him and finds his life saved by his brother, John. Unfortunately, John's solution only makes Richie more in trouble with Javier. John is looking for a way out of the mafia by taking a stripper, Sandy, away and building a new life somewhere else anywhere way from the violence and the seedy life they both know. Throw in to the mix a shady strip club owner, a prostitute, a drug dealer and his girlfriend, a jealous wife and more sundry characters and you end up with quite a situation.

Ross Bigley directs his second full length feature with a sure and steady hand. The cast features mostly local cast (except for star Bai Ling) and is shot in Milwaukee and Chicago. For those who flinch at the prospect of local films, do not fear. Bigley crafted a low budget film that keeps viewers on their toes. The film gives new hope and new life to the term 'local film'. The cast are all professional and have familiar faces.

The film is a fast moving film that's densely plotted. It's a film that will keep the viewer guessing what will happen until the very end. Some stand out performances include the mob Doctor (Wayne Clingman) and Jimmie the enigmatically crazy strip club owner (Robert W.C. Kennedy), and a tough guy named Marcello (Dan Katula). The two brothers, Richie (Joshua Parkes) and John (Nathaniel Ross), are excellent catalysts for such a compelling story. They both deliver appealing performances in an easy going style that makes the film easy to watch.

Bottom Line: "Petty Cash" is a fun crime film with a local flavor. It's professionally directed by Ross Bigley; while the entire cast delivers on the level of a studio film bringing flair and personality to their performances. "Petty Cash" is a highly recommended film and well worth catching.

For more information on Petty Cash and future release dates, please go to dirtyjobfilms.com. Keep a look out at the website for possible Milwaukee dates, festival dates, and info on the upcoming DVD release.

See the post here:
http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-milwaukee/petty-cash-it-s-all-about-the-dough-review

Some comments on Petty Cash

2011-02-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

I sent out a few screener DVD's. Here are a few reactions that I got so far.

Closing Credits for Petty Cash from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Wayne Clingman:
Petty Cash I found is a very interesting study of the world of thugs and scum spinning out of control. The acting was great and shot very well. Mr. Ross Bigly use locations in Milwaukee well in a time when effects makes up more and more of film, in Petty Cash its the story. You have to pay attention to what is going on. A lot of surprises go on when you least expect them. I was very pleased to note that the Milwaukee based actors did as fine of a job as the big names. I hope to see more films from Mr. Bigly soon. IMHO the actors enjoyed working on the film as did the crew. For a change I did not see many of the silly mistakes I often find in low budgeted films. The sound was good the music helped carry the story.

Peter Mellor:
I just got on line to tell you that Petty Cash was awesome! just got it in the mail and finished a few min ago. I loved it... so many great lines and scenes "He was my everything!!" hahahahah. Two great final shots in there, too, which few films pull off as well as you did. Cast is awesome.

It has been awhile. . .

2011-02-01T12:02:00.000-08:00

Producer: Craig McCarthy, Actor: Nathaniel Ross & D.P.:Glen Popple

The holiday season knocked us about a bit, but we are back and I'm starting the process of getting the word out there.

I would also like to thank those who attended our premiere, it was a great success and the audience really got in to it, laughing in all the right spots, talking back to the screen and even cheering the actors during the roll call credits at the end. Now we hope to carry that success to other venues as we begin submitting the film to festivals.

But this is a grass roots effort. We need your support. If you saw the film please rate it, or write a review on IMDB. And tell your friends.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1711493/

The more that know of us, the better we can get the film out there.

Buy the Petty Cash book.

2010-11-27T13:38:00.001-08:00

We put together a book on how the film was made. Featuring insights by cast and crew including: Bai Ling, Robert WC Kennedy, Cyn Dulay, Edy Cullen, Nathaniel Ross, Joshua Parkes, Tom Lodewyck, Dan Katula, Stacey Meyer, James Gallagher, Glen Popple, Dave Smulski, Drun Montaque, Shalyse Dominique and Craig McCarthy.

Plus great photos by Jenny Morgan, Phil Koch, Dave Smulski, Cyn Dulay and Bai Ling. Proceeds help fund our festival run.

Three versions:
Soft cover, Hard Cover/Dust Cover and Hard Cover/Image Wrap

Petty Cash by Ross Bigley and John Van Slyke | Make Your Own Book

Premiere Pics.

2010-11-07T12:31:00.000-08:00

A great night was had by all, the film played well with the audience, and we nearly sold out. Some images from that night.

Bai Ling with the poster.

Nearly a full house.

Edy Cullen arrives.

Bai Ling arrives.

Robert WC Kennedy and Cyn Dulay

The After party with Robert Glenn Jones and Shalyse Dominique.
Her company, Reign Supreme Entertainment also produce the film with Dirty Job Films.

Premiere weekend Status:.

2010-10-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we had the premiere of Petty Cash. Status: Cheers, applause, laughter, people talking back to the screen, and pretty much a full house. The film clearly works with an audience.

Pics up as soon as I get them, and more details after we rest up.

Follow Bai Ling on Twitter at realbailing to find out more about these images.

Dru Montaque Interview

2010-10-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe your job duties?

I responded to Ross' craigslist ad for crew, met him in Milwaukee and went over some of my past work and his vision and expectations for the Petty Cash. My primary duty on set was to light the picture and work with Ross and Glen to get the image just right, both creatively and technically. However, as with any project with a small crew there are always other things that need to be done and we all had to randomly step outside of our job descriptions and pitch in to take care of those things.

2.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Both the cast and crew were very laid back and friendly and we got along pretty well. I learned something from nearly everyone I worked with. During production I also had other projects going on - some more technically exacting - and I was able to apply things I had learned from one experience to another. Especially when reshooting a scene on Petty Cash after having worked on another project, I was able to approach the reshoot with new ideas, techniques, and perspectives.

3.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

The thing I most liked about working on Petty Cash was that although Ross had a definite creative direction, he also gave me a lot of leeway to try different things. By enabling me to experiment and try new ideas on an actual live set I was able to gain a better understanding of the possibilities and limitations of film lighting, which helps me immensely as a gaffer.

Natasha Nafrini on filming Petty Cash

2010-10-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Natasha Nafrini on her Character:

Dee Dee struck me as a lost and distant soul due to her strained relationship with her father, which appears during the short film. Petty Cash: The Movie shows her personality post short film, as she's already apart of her lover Spain's lifestyle of drug deals, drugs, robbery and sex. I felt that Dee Dee grew weary of that life and wanted to get away, but wasn't quite sure how to!

I see Dee Dee as a little girl who searches for a father figure within Spain, whose twice her age, and due to having a not so healthy relationship with her biological father she can't tell the difference between good and bad with men! Thus, leaving her to fall for Spain, a not so good influence on her life.

Dee Dee's character is apart of the women in the film who use the bad for their good, which is a way out of the petty lifestyle of drugs, sex and robbery.

Natasha on her action scenes:

This was very challenging for me as the roles I had previous to Petty Cash were based on Love, Romanc and Drama, which isn't as difficult for me as an Actress. This was my first Action film and my character isn't a happy character, so I had to pull from past angry emotions to get through that scene!

Natasha on her nude scenes:

I am very comfortable with my body outside of film due to three years of Modeling, which consisted of Artistic Nudity, Lingerie and Swimwear shoots. I am use to tastefully displaying my form in front of others and remaining professional about it. When Ross asked how I would feel about doing such scenes there was no hesitation, as the character Dee Dee is a sexual woman. She doesn't care how she looks and who sees her, including nudity. Dee Dee leaving home with only the clothes on her back, and due to drug use she cared less about buying clothing to look appealing, so its makes sense!

James J. Ghallagher Interview

2010-10-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I got involved in the film because Ross asked me to do the role of Javier. He had written a gangster who still had a touch of compassion that got in the way of using a hard hand when needed. I guess he saw a little me in that picture and asked me to do it. I've always liked working with Ross so I jumped in.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

I like to sit with the script, read it a number of times and get impressions and pictures about the character. Then I try to work with the language and try to get under the characters skin. Hopefully, some of this work added to the scenes.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Working on Petty Cash was a hoot. Everyone was very friendly and professional. It was a great experience.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

Even though my character died in Petty Cash, is there any way you can bring him back in Petty Cash 2?

Robert Glenn Jones Interview

2010-10-20T12:05:00.001-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I was involved in a previous movie Modus Operandi 2009 with Director Frankie Latina and Executive Director Shalyse Dominique of Reign Supreme, entertainment referred me to Ross Bigley of Dirty Jobs Films we meet. Ross gave me a brief description of the character Sergio, I was e-mail the scrip (thank God for technology) I reviewed the part of Sergio and agreed to do it. I was given a shooting time. It happen just like that. Sometime it's not what you know but who you know. About my character Sergio, he's a two time looser, bar owner trying to do the right things, but the mob was squeezing the life out of him...because it was never enough. So where did that leave Sergio you must come and see the movie.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

I became Sergio, and let his charter manifest in the scenes.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

The cast and crew was exciting and enjoying at the same time. Serious and ready to work..enjoyed it all past and present productions.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

I did not get a chance to meet every cast member, I know if the movie set was exciting as when I was on the set..they are great people. My thanks goes out to Reign Supreme Entertainment and Dirty Job Film Production..I can not forget the people, that is sticking by me through it all, My wife Eloise Jones, my children and church family.

Craig McCarthy Interview

2010-10-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe your job duties?

I've know Ross for years, ever since he was first on the Channel 12 morning news when I was a producer there; he was promoting the Milwaukee Short Film Festival. I kept in touch with Ross over the years and he asked me if I wanted to get involved with the film Petty Cash and I told him "absolultely". Ross gave me a Producer credit on the film. I was involved in pre-production meetings and on the set for a majority of the filming. I've helped with some of the PR and now the marketing of the film in the hopes of getting it sold.

2.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Working with the cast and crew was fantastic. Everyone seemed to gel from the very beginning and many of us have now become really good friends because of this production. While I have a lot television production experience from working in TV news, this was my first film production so I picked things up and learned a lot from observing in the beginning. I've always been a huge film fan so I appreciate the fact that Ross and others asked and allowed for my input and suggestions as the production progressed.

3.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

This was a great experience for me. To be involved with something like this from the very beginning and to now see that it's nearly completed gives me a lot of satisfaction. I met a lot of new people and have been exposed to a new level of the Milwaukee independent film scene. I'm looking forward to possible future projects with some of the same people. My thanks and graditude again to Ross Bigley and others for allowing me to be involved in this production on so many levels. See you all at the premiere.

Dan Katula Interview

2010-10-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I was asked to play Marcello years before the actual production started. I play the silent threat.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

I always think of my role like a puzzle piece, situation and surrounding characters inform me.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

This was my first feature so I have nothing to compare it to. Everyone was very friendly and relaxed.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?
No.

What I appreciated most about the cast and crew was that everyone was able to be themselves on set, quite a down to earth group.

Glen Popple Interview

2010-10-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe your job duties?

The writer/producer/director of the film, Ross Bigley, got in touch with me to discuss his upcoming film which turned out to be Petty Cash. He asked if I wanted to DP and after reading the script I was ready to go! The script sold me.

2.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

This was a very professional group on both sides of the camera. Everyone got along well and we formed a tightly knit, if loosely wrapped, unit. Just because it was a professional group doesn’t mean we didn’t have fun. Many of us have gotten together after the shoot just to stay in touch.

3.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

An amazing experience all around. When do we start Petty Cash 2: Lady Luck

Edy Cullen Interview

2010-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I had a meeting with Ross and read the script and I loved it. My character is a stripper, that is loved by two men. She is someone that wants to get out of the situation she is in but does not know how and is afraid to do it on her own.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

When I start developing a new character, I like to take my time and figure out who she is, where she comes from, what does she want out of life. I like to put myself in the character's situation and find out what I would do if I had her life. The fears, struggles, disappointments, love and pain is all layered and connected. I try to become her and bring my own experiences to the character to make her as real as possible

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Ever time I sign on to do a project I never know what to expect for the director and the rests of the crew. Fortunately the cast and crew on this project was fantastic to work with. Ever project is different every director is different, I just try to do the best job possible and hopefully we have a fantastic film at the end.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

I just want to say thanks to everyone it's been great working with you all.

Tom Lodewyck Interview

2010-10-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

1.)How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I became involved with "Petty Cash" through my good friend Edy Cullen, who had suggested me to Ross Bigley. Ross and I met on the set of another film I was doing at the time, and things were set in motion from there. I was cast in the role of "Lars", who is one of the top henchmen in "Javier's" crime family. "Lars" has worked his way up in ranks and is not about to let anyone knock him off his perch. He is quiet and cunning, yet has the bursts of extreme violence.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

"Lars" is a bad person, however he has his own set of morals when it comes to family and loyalty. I approached as such. I've played lots of villains in the past, and I think the key is to always find a human quality in them, otherwise you're left with a rather cliche' character. With "Lars" I went with the family-man angle. Sure, he his a really bad guy, who would kill you without batting an eye, but he also believes that family comes first, and tries to convey that message to those around him.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

I Think "Petty Cash" assembled a great cast & crew. Everybody got along and performed their duties like a well oiled machine. Of coarse, every production is different in one way or another. You just have to go in and do your job with all you have and hope that it comes across on camera. An actor has to trust the cast and crew around him or her, and I think we were all comfortable around each-other. It makes our just so much easier that way.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

My experience on "Petty Cash" was a really positive one. I've met some wonderful people, with whom I hope to work with again in the future. Whenever you begin a new production, you can't always bank on everyone being on the same page, however "Petty Cash" was pretty much everything you could ask for.

Official Trailer (NSFW)

2010-10-17T17:03:00.001-07:00

Official Petty Cash Trailer (NSFW) from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Shalyse Dominique Interview

2010-10-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe your job duties?

I was interested in starting a new project after Modus Operandi I heard about Dirty Job Films and reached out to Ross on Facebook, we met and we decided to executive produce Petty Cash.

2.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Petty Cash was almost complete when Reign Supreme Entertainment got involved so I didn't really meet any of the actors or crew until the film had basically wrapped. Which was definitely different from other productions I've worked on because I was involved with those projects from pre production all the way to post production, but I found the aspect of not knowing refreshing.

3.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

The acting in this film is phenomenal and the professionalism of the crew was paramount.

Dave Smulski Interview

2010-10-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe your job duties?

I was working for Vito Valenti when he told me about a friend, Ross Bigley, who was about to begin a feature movie and needed lighting. Vito told me to contact him. I did and a whole world of new wonderful friends was illuminated to me.

2.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

My overall experience was very good. Beyond meeting a lot of friendly people (except for "That Woman") everyone tried to be helpful, tolerant, and humorous with out egos. There wasn't one fight or even an argument. People complimented and learned from each other. As with other low budget productions I've worked on, time restraints, scheduling, and equipment forced ingenuity and compromise. Ross, the director, was always prepared and knew exactly what he needed and even more so, what he didn't want. That saved time. He would usually shoot each scene from 2 or 3 angles to obtain coverage. Because the production was to look like film, Glen Popple, the Director of Photography, had to shoot though a special lens that introduced grain. This attachment absorbed lots of light. In fact, according to our measurements, we were recording at an equivalent film ISO (ASA) of 50 to 100. That’s where Film was in the 70's. Lots of light was required. Anything that wasn't well lit went black rather quickly. That fit the "crime drama" theme.

3.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

I'm looking forward to the Premiere! I'm also happy for Ross and every one who acted or worked on "Petty Cash" in their success on this, and hopefully future efforts.

Cyn Dulay Interview

2010-10-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I saw a casting notice via Facebook and noticed that an actor friend of mine Tom Lodewyck (Satanic Panic) is also involved in the film. I emailed him in January 2010 to find out more about the director, production company, and the script. He spoke very highly of the director. After a couple more emails between Tom and myself, he reassured me that the director is flexible with scheduling and it would be awesome to work together again, after all, we had such a great time filming Satanic Panic. I emailed Ross Bigley my headshot and resume to see if the role of Dee Dee is still available. He called me back and we hit it off right away. Ross said that the role of Dee Dee has been cast, however, the role of Sophia just opened. We then scheduled to meet in person. Ross and Joshua Parkes drove in from Milwaukee and I met them in Schaumburg for lunch. Since Josh and I have a sexy scene together, it's always good to get acquainted before hopping into bed. Ross was so down to earth, nice and extremely talented. Josh was hilarious, hyper and loves ethnic food, so I liked him right away.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

I am suppose to play a femme fatale. I've played femme fatales before but the role of Carina was a little different. Ross and I spoke about how he envisions Carina's character. She's poor, lonely, desperate, not educated nor sophisticated. Basically, she wants what the rest of the world wants, to find love, happiness and financial stability. Unfortunately however, she does not have that option. She needs to survive at all cost . I like complicated, multi-dimensional characters. I also loved the fact that Ross allowed me to develop my character and improv if the scene calls for it.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Even though we crammed all my scenes in one day in order to accommodate my schedule, my overall experience with the cast and crew is utterly enjoyable. Everyone is completely professional when they need to. They joked a great deal. Everyone's always laughing yet attentive to the task at hand, and you can tell that everyone was there because they believe in Ross' vision. They were there because they know that a film with this many talented actors and knowledgeable crew is worth their time and effort. What I loved about this production team is that there were no ego issues amongst the crew. They had only respect and admiration for each other.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

Since after the first cast and crew screening, Petty Cash was joined by another executive producer, Shalyse who believed in Ross' vision after seeing the first screening. "Petty Cash" was able to land an international star, Bai Ling. I just love seeing the transformation of an independent film from the time the first scene was shot, to the time it's released. I have no doubt that "Petty Cash" will soon get distribution.

Bai Ling Interview

2010-10-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

PART 2:

Nathaniel Ross Interview

2010-10-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I had just come off working on a feature with R. Michael Gull and he actually put me in touch with Ross. He sent me over a script and I'd started looking over potential characters I could pull off. I liked the script as it reminded me of Pulp Fiction a little bit. This Crime/Drama that twists and turns as shit gets stolen and people get shot. Anyway, we met at a diner down by marquette for the first time. Originally, Ross was thinking about casting me as "Richie" but I thought that the "John" character fit my profile better. John was a rough, quick-witted street thug that liked to roll with the punches. And after I refused to pay for my part of the check and threatened him with violence .... Ross was convinced and agreed that I was his "John".

2.) What was your approach to the role?

We saw this character being cool and relaxed but intense when the situation started getting heavy. As far as approach .... Hell, I really don't know. My approach to any film is just to know my lines and show up on time. Neither of which I've mastered yet. No, this particular role wasn't that much of a stretch for me. John is very mischievious and its hard to tell when he's being sincere. He's got a shady past and dark presence. I got the feeling that he didn't like or trust a lot of people; which became the connection that I needed. For the most part, I hate people and I'm really not a very good person because of it.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

For the most part, I hated all of them and I'm probably not a very good person because I just said that .... out loud ... Actually, this was a fun group. I'd like to tell you that they were professional, but if you're too professional then you're not much fun. I was one of the lucky ones that got to work with a lot of the cast, one on one. Edy was this sexy bombshell that taught me a lot about the dedication it takes to be a serious actor. Nobody put in as much time and thought into a character as she did - truly inspiring and gifted women. I thought Robert was the Roy Hobbs of Petty Cash .. .... without a doubt ... "The Natural". Almost too natural now that I think of it. Josh and I shared a scene in the woods that was by far the most difficult to shoot. We froze our asses off!!! I really didn't feel like I was acting with him, he felt like my brother in that scene and I just played off of him. Stacey was my favorite to work with for personal reasons .... She's a clown like me that loves to screw around. A "rookie" in film that acted like a veteran, a prankster that kept everybody smiling. Who am I forgetting? Oh yeah, I got to work with the tremendous Bai Ling. We didn't actually meet until Ross yelled "Action" the first time. Thank God she was a pro, because rehearsing on camera went smoothly. It worked out perfect since it was written for my character to sit back and let her do her thang. An amazing talent and beautiful lady, we were lucky to have her. As far as the crew, too many that I saw everyday. If I mention one, I'll have to mention them all and I'm sure everybody is already getting sick of me here. I loved you all, except for that Glen guy .... he's a real pain in the ass. No, Ross put together one hell of a team. There was a genuine likeness throughout the group that made it easy to sit through the dead time. Ross's passion for film and this project was obvious from day one, and never lost steam. It was great to see clips from a day of shooting the same night! He worked around the clock on this film and deserves everything he gets because of it.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?
No.

Stacey Meyer Interview

2010-10-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

Ross called me up one day and asked if I would be interested in a film role. I let him know my only two requirements for doing any project; that I have fun and that I not be naked. He was able to fulfill both!

How Ross found me? Not sure, probably flipping through facebook looking for a lady with a pissed off expression.

Stephanie is a woman at the end of her rope. From the outside I see her as someone that never really understood her estranged husband or, rather, never wanted to try to understand. She reminds me of so many women with the urge to settle an untamed man and mold them to their liking… and failing miserably.

She is filled with absolute helplessness and failure as a wife and mother and her only recourse in the face of both is anger; at her husband, at her brother-in-law, at herself.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

Since I came from theater, basically to try not to be so overly presentational and ignore the camera. After I was finally able to ignore the camera, I had to try to ignore Nathaniel Ross and his jack-ass-ery on my first day of shooting. Once all that was done I just tried to stay out of the everyone’s way and stop tripping over cables and dollies and cameras and people’s pets. After mastering those items I believe I had one take left where I could actually act… but they didn’t use it. I blame Glen Popple.

Seriously now, I tend to play anger more effectively than other shades of the actor’s palette, so I really tried to access Stephanie’s vulnerability. Aggressiveness implies self-perceived power in a situation and Stephanie is utterly powerless. So while she is angry, the role called for putting that emotion in the background and showing her desperation.

In prep for my final scene (which was my first day of shooting) I kept thinking of a rag doll; limp, easily manipulated, weak. As it was the first day I had to quiet all my anxious actor nerves and go the complete opposite direction. The prior events of the film have brought Stephanie beyond the end of her rope and that manifests in a complete physical exhaustion of bone and muscle. I physically tried to make every joint limp and weak, heavy and filled with pain. Additionally, I had to embrace looking like a complete train wreck (no make-up, hair style, etc...) which ordinarily is *not* how I want to meet people for the first time, but necessary for the scene and in order to access her vulnerability. That ‘naked’ appearance and physical posture affects every gesture; the way one looks at another person, moves, speaks, etc… and that was the principal approach that drove the remaining choices.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

My other film credit is a documentary where I played a drunk, pregnant woman trolling around a festival for BBC3. That (unknowing) ‘cast’ tried to bribe children to arrest me for pre-natal child abuse. This cast didn’t try to get me arrested… or at least not as diligently as PISSED AND PREGNANT.

The cast and crew were amazingly welcoming. Most knew this was my first scripted feature and went out of their way to ensure I was comfortable and relaxed (almost to the point that I felt guilty receiving their attention!) I was so concerned in ensuring I delivered an effective performance and gave Ross what he needed as well as my scene partners. If anyone is going to do film for the first time, do a scene with Nathaniel Ross and Edy Cullen. Their pace-setting professionalism, energy, humor and patience helped ease me into the modality as easily as one would try on a comfy pair of shoes.

By the time I shot with Cyn I felt more at ease. And she is, quite simply, a force to behold on screen. So. Much. Fun.

As for Joshua Parkes… if I have to wear a party hat and run out of a house screaming at anyone, it’s always going to be him.

And I truly cannot say enough about the crew; dynamic and inspiring. Their care for the product helped give extraordinary value every moment of the shoot. The entire production’s energy NEVER waned due to their infectious tenacity. I truly believe they could, as a team, be a Nascar pit crew while feeding the homeless and solving a Rubix Cube.

4.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

Well, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m looking forward to the sequel, STEPHANIE’S REVENGE, where I get to be the one wearing camouflage shorts and cowboy boots.

Overall I kept feeling the difference from theater quite acutely. In theater one usually attains a strong cohesiveness with the rest of the cast. The crew and designers are somewhat separated. In this, I established more of that cohesiveness with the crew and never even met part of the cast. It wasn’t better or worse, just different.

Also not having the chance to rehearse and repeat and perfect a performance was intimidating. In theater if a miss a note or have an off day, you write it off and try better next time. In film… well, you can take different takes, sure, but you got to hit the correct level at *some* point on that same day (they tend to frown upon shoots running over time.) Each performance in theater is fluid and impermanent. Film (the end result) is absolute.

Joshua Parkes Interview

2010-10-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

I was actually involved very early on when Petty Cash consisted of two shorts- one Richie's story, and the other John's. I was approached to read each character, and enjoyed both stories. A couple years later, the story lines were merged and i was brought on to play Richie.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

Richie struck me as a fun challenge. No body's first choice of role is the guy who goes out like a punk, but moving past the surface of his story, I found that there was a lot of meat to him. Here was a man who had fallen from a position of opportunity and relative strength to a pretty miserable existence. I enjoyed the notion of portraying a man who sees his last shot at redemption taken away.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

Efficiency and humor were the watchwords of the production. The shoots were quick-paced and highly professional. It's nice to meet and work with so many people so dedicated to their craft.

5.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience?

Working with the cast and crew of Petty cash was incredibly fun and rewarding! I am pleased and honored to have been a part of it, and hope to have the chance to work with everyone again in the future.

Robert W.C. Kennedy Interview

2010-10-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

1.) How did you get involved with the film, and describe the character you play?

Honestly, I was a fill-in. A friend of mine was originally cast in the role of Jimmie, but took ill shortly before filming on those scenes was to begin. I think I was supposed to have a small walk-on at some point, but I was not slated to play Jimmie. I had worked with Ross on a couple of features in years prior and had performed in a number of shorts he directed more recently, so we were in fairly regular contact. He called me on a Friday and asked if I was free to go to a strip club on Sunday morning. And the rest, as they say…

The character of Jimmie is the crime-world equivalent of the corporate middle manager. He does not run the entire enterprise, but he is responsible for a large business unit, with numerous employees reporting to him. He has accountability to the top. The operations for which he is responsible, while not benefiting solely him, effect the overall bottom line, which ultimately effects both his earnings and his standing within the organization. At his core, he is a businessman. But, of course, he has an unprofessional weakness for hot blondes with accents. And this is his potential downfall.

2.) What was your approach to the role?

My approach changes from day to day and from scene to scene. Ultimately Jimmie has to serve the story. This isn’t a documentary after all. It’s a narrative film, and it’s entertainment. (Hopefully.) I don’t like to pass too much moral judgment on the characters I play (or on real people for that matter), so there’s not much I can say about Jimmie without sabotaging my portrayal of him. On the page, he could be perceived as a stock character, but there was certainly room in him for nuance. He’s clearly an individual who has manipulated others to his advantage, which makes him fairly formidable as an opponent -- that is largely the role he plays in relation to the other characters -- but he needs to exhibit flashes of vulnerability to be the least bit believable, watchable. I knew that “likable” would be a stretch. I just studied the spirit of the dialogue, looked for some of the less obvious choices I could make at any moment, and hoped no one yelled “cut” every time I opened my mouth.

3.) What was your overall experience with cast and crew, any differences from previous productions?

The big difference between this production and others I have worked on, either on film or on the stage was that I didn’t know anyone, outside of Ross. At least on the first day of shooting. I’m used to having more familiarity with the people with which I am expecting to engage in the creative process. In this, I was thrown together with actors I had never met before and expected to establish both an on-screen and working relationship with, more-or-less instantly. Fortunately, everyone with whom I had scenes were very giving and patient individuals. And the crew, likewise; could not have hoped for a nicer group of people. If I had any regrets in this process, it would be that I didn’t get to know all of them right away on the morning of the first day. Everyone seemed so busy, I just wanted to let them work. By the end of the day I’m thinking, “I haven’t even properly introduced myself to these people, and these guys are awesome.” In hindsight, I might have been the biggest asshole on this entire production. And I’m actually a pretty nice guy, relative to some more dedicated assholes with which I’ve worked.

4.) You come from theater, how do you feel about becoming a featured element in the promotion of the film?

It is so odd. In theatre, if you get any attention at all for a performance, you don’t have much time to wallow in it, because you likely have just survived opening weekend and have another three weeks worth of performances to endure. By the time this film opens -- if anyone acknowledges my performance as anything -- I’ll be receiving credit for something I did about six months prior. It is an odd thing to promote a project in which you haven’t actually put any effort into for almost half of a year. There is a somewhat guilty feeling about it for me.

5.) Any closing thoughts about the overall experience, looking forward to the sequel?

I’m looking forward to a sequel primarily to reconnect with some of the crew that worked on this one. Of course, I’ll miss so many of the actors who were killed off in this first storyline, so that is a shame. But there were other actors with whom I did not have a chance to work -- some of whom I still have not even met -- so I’m hoping I can share scenes with some new people too. The pressure will be on me for the sequel though. I won’t be a last-minute replacement on that project, so I won’t be given any of the passes I had on this one.

The Official Poster is finished!

2010-10-10T11:37:00.002-07:00

Strippers and Stars by Gracie DeWolff

2010-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

The following is used with permission by Gracie DeWolff, Bai Ling's assistant for the shoot day.

I'm probably gonna write some more in-depth thoughts about my adventures soon, but I thought I'd post some hilarious pictures for y'all right here. I almost made an album, but I didn't want my underage First Stage friends on facebook to think I was at a strip club because I wanted to be in a strip club. Let me explain.

Stacey Meyer, one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE PEOPLE, contacted me last week and asked me if I could fill in for her as a personal assistant to actress Bai Ling. (Yeah. Who? Those of you who weren't fourteen when The Crow came out, like me, probably don't recognize the name right away.) She's the chick from Sky Captain who got to kick Jude Law's ass (I can swear in front of my first stage children, right?) and she's done some wacky film stuff, mostly international. I did my research and found out that

a) she's NUTS

b) she's hilarious, cute, passionate, balances modesty and poise with total outgoing boldness pretty smoothly, and has a healthy self-confidence

c) she's gorgeous

d) she's NUTS.

after meeting her yesterday, I discovered that

a) all of the above are totally true

b) she's rather high-maintenance (but at least polite about it)

c) she's not as nuts as I thought

d) she makes some totally rad, BOLD choices with, like, NO time to think about it. (So THAT'S what film acting is all about!!!)

e) She's got this super sweet tattoo of a jaguar chasing a butterfly across her back

f) she's TINY!!!!!!!!!!!

Anywhoo. So Stacey asked me to do this gig, I had no idea what it entailed, and found out AFTER I agreed that it was at a strip club and in Madison. (Both which I was fine with and would have agreed to anyway. The order of things was just comical.) I have never been in a strip club, never wanted to be in a strip club, never dreamed I ever would FIND myself in a strip club.... but I was also kind of excited to have a legitimate excuse to be in one. It was exactly everything I thought it would be. (Except for the smell. Kind of... skating rink and cotton candy.)

Some highlights of the day:

I discovered that movie stars really are just as pretty in real life as they appear in the movies.

My job wound up mostly being holding Bai Ling's cell phone and taking pictures of her with it. She. LOVED. getting her picture taken. And damn does she know how to pose for a camera. (I didn't ask her to pose for mine, I thought it would be a little tacky to ask, even though she was willing.) My camera doesn't do well in dark environments, so you'll all just have to deal with mostly blurry photos. If you really want a good look at her go rent one of her movies. Or watch this one.

The way the strippers' dressing room was decked out. Check out some of these bumper stickers. My FAVORITE one probably shouldn't be repeated here. My second favorite is in this photo: "Watch your kid, she may turn out like me."

The claw machine in the corner stocked with porn, candy in shapes of the male reproductive oragan, a mug in the shape of a boob... NO. NO I DID NOT try the claw machine. A picture of it was good enough for me. (I have a "better" photo of the prizes inside... but I didn't feel like contributing to the already copious amount of internet porn readily available to all of the children I care about dearly who may be reading this. Go find it yourself. At least your parents can't blame me for anything.)

I met one of the prettiest ladies I've ever met in my life and it wasn't Bai Ling. Her name was Mary and her sweet disposition and laid-back attitude was what got me through the day. (She's lounging around in stripper underwear and says, I quote, "I'm totally gonna eat the shit out of some ice cream later. That's all I can think about right now.") I don't know for sure, but Mr. Dan Katula, my sense is that you are one LUCKY dude.

Bai Ling gets shot in the movie so they put a bunch of special effects blood on her (perfect) collar bone. GUESS WHO GOT TO CLEAN HER UP. It was hot. I'm not even into girls and it was hot.

I tipped a stripper a $5 and apologized for moving stuff around in their dressing room, assuring her that we didn't STEAL anything but we did use some costume pieces and may have put them back in the wrong places. (I would hate it if someone came into MY dressing room and moved MY stuff around. Nobody else felt bad. I do not like the way society treats strippers. More thoughts on that in a blog post to come.)

A man named Guido who obviously loves his steroids made me THE BIGGEST jack n coke I've ever had. Very little coke. Only $3. (I tipped well.) Seriously, if you live in Madison, you should go to Visions just for the drinks.

Bai Ling, SWEAR TO GOD, asked me if she looked fat. FAT. The woman's torso is about as big around as my wrist. I wanted to shake her. The sentence that came out of my mouth was "Miss Bai, I don't believe we could TRY to make you look fat." She had to go look in the mirror for herself anyway, but decided that I was right. (Oi vhey. movie stars.)

(BTW: Bai asked if she could have that robe, she took it home.)

Working towards the premiere on October 30th

2010-10-01T17:56:00.000-07:00

Bai Ling as Coco.

With shooting completed I'm editing the film. And it looks amazing.

To fill some time, here are pictures from Bai Ling visiting Milwaukee, or as she likes to call it, Milk town. It was a crazy/cool experience working with someone as talented as her.

Here are images from her being a tourist on Monday.

At Sushi a go-go.

In the Third Ward.

Trying on clothes at Artasia.

At Artasia

At The Domes.

Hitchhicking on the bridge.

Fun from the set. Photos by Phil Koch.

2010-09-29T11:55:00.000-07:00

The extras, plus Nate and Mary Morales. Look for regular cast members coming in to do extra work.

Bai Ling as Coco.

This past Sunday we resumed shooting on Petty Cash. With the film basically done Shalyse came to me and said we need to get a "name" actor because we'll stand a better chance with it getting sold. And I understood that, you want the film to be seen. As good as this film is (and everyone whose seen it says its good) my actors are not yet big enough names (no offense to them) to get people to buy it.

So I set about to rework the script. I had to come up with ways to bring in someone and not set us back reshooting the whole thing. That wasn't an option. we could have gone with a male actor, but nearly every guy is in multiple locations, and that would've required more than a day to get it done. So it had to be Coco. Coco was a one scene character originally played by Gwen Graves. And, Coco could have been enlarged without us having to revise the whole script. It is an ensemble. Just about everyone has the same amount of screen time. All I had to do was give us a reason to add in more of Coco. Luckily that wasn't difficult. The original scene was fleshed out and the point of view switched from John to Coco. I also added some business with her at the beginning of the the scene, then rewrote a scene to add her, plus added her in another three scenes without much reshooting. And we just now needed a name.

Shalyse worked the phones and it came down to two people Jennifer Tilly and Bai Ling. Bai was my preferred choice. She is well known oversees and acted in French and Chinese films. Plus the character I saw was in her 30's. Bai said yes and I had to tell Gwen she would no longer be in the film. I hope she understood, after all it was for the betterment of the film.

The shoot itself was scheduled at Visions strip club in Madison, cool guys that let us shoot there for free. Good, we were running low on funds. And to avoid people from hanging out, or attract bottom feeders (as Shalyse likes to call them) we made it a closed set and kept everything secret. We were responsible for her.

Mary Morales, Bai Ling and Dave Brown

She arrived early Sunday after spending two days at a charity event. We shot all 5 of her scenes in 5 hours. Good thing it was all at one location and all set to go with lights and equipment. She had an excellent make-up artist by the name of Nicole Donnelly and a personal assistant with the name of Gracie Dewolff. Nicole even sang "I Touch Myself" with her in the car (and captured on video).

Bai was exceptional, she took the role in a very different and creative direction. Very intense. She knew her lines, had a firm grasp of her character and we couldn't be happier. 5 scenes in 5 hours. We did it. Then we partied. First up was drinks at Visions, so the Madison people could partake in a mini after party before we headed back to Milwaukee. Mr. Felix Bofil was the Iron horse being her driver while in town, and I gave him a scene with her in return.

Full cast/extras shot of the day.

Video from the car ride back to Milwaukee.

Back in Milwaukee we hit Nana Kusa, they were booked up, but slipping Bai's name got us a table for 15. Then R. Michael Gull did us a huge solid by arranging some VIP treatment at Crazy Horse. The people there pretty much comp'd most of the drinks. And Glen still claims he didn't do the things he did that night.

Phil Koch, the man with the camera and Bai Ling.

On Monday Bai just wanted to see the city, so for breakfast we hit The Pancake House, then the lake front, followed by the Domes where she was just in awe of the desert dome. We had a light dinner at Bonatas, then drinks at Elsa's and a final round of drinks at Blu.

Tuesday she had breakfast at her hotel, did an interview for the film. Did a promo spot for the 12th Annual Milwaukee Short Film Festival and said she wants to come back for the premiere on October 30th.

Bai Ling at the Pfister.

Finally, before she left she did a very kind thing and waited to meet Robert WC Kennedy as he was coming in from his flight. He was flying in from Delta as she was flying out. So two leads of Petty Cash met at the airport, and since Glen and I were close by we swung over and picked up Robert, then took him to KCD's and drank for an eternity.

Robert will have to share his pic of her and him. Bai Ling could not have been a nicer or kinder person, very positive about everything, very giving, very passionate about life. Which she's had an amazing one.

Robert WC Kennedy and Bai Ling

Mary E. Morales joins the cast.

2010-09-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Mary E. Morales the lead in Dirty Job Films production of Disembodied joins Petty Cash. She'll play Sugar, a co-worker of Coco (Bai Ling) and Sandy (Edy Cullen).

The film also stars Cyn Dulay, Robert WC Kennedy, Nathaniel Ross, Joshua Parkes, Tom Lodewyck, James J. Gallagher, Dan Katula, Elvis Thao, Donnell Jackson and Natasha Nafrini.

New Poster mock up.

2010-09-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

International Film Star Bai Ling Joins our film, Petty Cash

2010-09-18T20:29:00.000-07:00

(Milwaukee) Dirty Job Films and Reign Supreme Entertainment is proud to announce the addition of International film actress Bai Ling to the cast of Petty Cash. Bai Ling ( Crank: High Voltage, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow , Anna and the King and ABCTV's Lost) will play Coco, a lonely sad soul who falls in a circle of violence. She will shoot her scenes at the end of September, replacing the original actress cast in that role. With Bai Ling as Coco we enlarged the role to give her more screen time.

Petty Cash is written and directed by Ross Bigley, (president of Milwaukee Independent Film Society, festival director of Milwaukee Short Film Festival) Produced by Janet K. Beasley (How High, Modus Operandi), Shaylse Dominique (How High, Modus Operandi), Craig McCarthy and Timothy J. Lonsdale (Pushing Daisies, Charmed, Species) The film also stars Cyn Dulay (Satanic Panic, Baggage), Nathaniel Ross (Flawed, New Day) Robert WC Kennedy and Edy Cullen (The Violinist, Incest Death Squad 2)

Petty Cash will premiere October 30th.

Bai Ling Mini Biography: Born in the Szechwan province of China in 1966, Ling Bai began her show business career when she was in grade school with the school choir. When she was 14, she enlisted in the Chinese People's Liberation Army where she spent three years in a performance troop entertaining soldiers stationed in Tibet. After her service, Ling became a performer in a local theater in Beijing where she eventually became involved in the pro-Democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. As a result of her involvement, Ling emigrated to the USA in 1991 where she soon found work in the Hollywood acting industry with her first English-language role as a villain in The Crow (1994). From then on, Ling found steady work in playing various character roles from the villainous Miss East in Wild Wild West (1999) to a Chinese interpreter in Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995) to a part in Anna and the King (1999), in which she was forced to cut her long hair short for the role. Her appearance in the controversial Red Corner (1997) in playing a pragmatic Chinese People's lawyer jeopardizes her returns to her homeland every year since the film's release.

Bai Ling Joins the cast.

2010-09-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

I haven't continued our story on the production of Petty Cash because of this. Been a busy week for us.

We welcome Bai Ling to our film! She'll play Coco. More news to come.

How it began part 3 of 3

2010-08-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

(Edy Cullen as Sandy, and future star of Transformers 3)

So with the crew coming together I then turned to casting, where my process for this is to generally avoid any auditions. I prefer meeting with potential actors one on one, and getting to know them. I want to see how their personality would fit with the group of people that I was assembling.

Just before Thanksgiving I met with R. Michael Gull, who I've known for sometime but never had the opportunity to worked with. This was also another big change for me because I was opening the casting beyond the people I normally use.

Anyway, Michael introduced me to Nathaniel Ross who was the lead in Michael's feature "New Day". It was a good meeting and I felt confident afterwards that I had found my Jimmie Creece and John. Next up, Edy Cullen contacted me through facebook. I liked her passion and thought she would be great for Sandy the love struck stripper. From there I called both Joshua Parkes and Amanda Shalhoub to see if they wanted to come back to the project, Joshua said yes, but Amanda was busy. Then the holidays hit and the project stalled, I didn't get any more roles filled until late January. I was hoping to begin shooting in February.

One actor, Tom Lodewyck who I met on the set of another film that he was shooting with Amanda, was cast in the role of Lars. He became a great help to the production by notifying other actors that he had worked with.

(Tom Lodewyck)

From his eblasts I met with, and talked with quite a few people who became interested in this production. One of which was Cyn Dulay, Joshua and I went to Chicago to meet with her and we both felt right away that she was the perfect choice to play Carina, the role originally intended for Amanda. Things were good but it was a slow process, one by one I cast Natasha Nafrini, Donnell Jackson, Stacey Meyer, James Gallagher and Dan Katula. Only a few small roles remained.

So with the major roles now filled and the crew in place I had to get my locations, it was now early February and we were scheduled to begin filming in just a few weeks. Much work had to get done, but unfortunately one of my leads would soon bow out during production.

(Cyn Dulay as Carina)

NEXT: SHOOTING BEGINS part 1

How it began Part 2 of 3

2010-08-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

So. I have a story:
Bag man Richie understands that he's on his last chance with mob boss Javier, it was a simple pick up. But a man is dead, and the cash gone. Who would have the nerve to steal from Javier? Richie's girlfriend Carina, that's who, and her partners in crime, dealer Spain and his junkie whore Dee Dee.

Meanwhile, strip club owner Jimmie has fallen for dancer Sandy, he knows that Sandy really loves John thanks to Coco. He also knows they are planning on skipping town, with money that John has been skimming, and that's something he can't allow. The question is who can stay out of the morgue?

Un Official Teaser from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.
(This is the unofficial trailer made during production. Music rights are not cleared.)

After the story was set I needed to gather a cast and crew. But I felt that most importantly the people I pick work well with each other, that there would be no drama. No egos. Through the magic of social networking I met with Lindsay Bledsoe and felt that she'd make a great Unit Production Manager, next came Glen Popple. We met to discuss his film, "Port of Call" and how my Film Society could help find him find a venue. Talk moved towards my film and he agreed to come on as my D.P. Through facebook Dru Montague contacted me, he drove from Madison to Milwaukee to discuss working on the project, and I picked him to be my Chief Lighting Technician/Gaffer.

(Stacey Meyer with Lindsay Bledsoe)

I was happy with how my crew was shaping up, it was a solid and talented group and I felt confident. I next moved to casting and that's where the process slowed down.

(R. Michael Gull, Donnell Jackson, Natasha Nafrini and Cyn Dulay)

Before I move on to Part 2. . .

2010-08-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Joshua Parkes as Richie.

Before I go into Part 2 of this series I thought I'd repost an earlier blog, it can add context to the last blog, and also the next one.

Shooting Journal:

Day 1. Before I go into the details of that first day I'll fill you in on some background with the project. Petty Cash was developed a little over two years ago as a short film along side another short film entitled Dilemma. The former of which was the brain child of Amanda Shalhoub, she came to me with the idea to play a much darker and different character than she normally does, so I took her thoughts and created Dilemma. I then approached Joshua Parkes, Donnell Jackson and Dan Katula to be in the film, but Amanda then became pregnant. So that film was put on hold.

Amanda Shalhoub

The short script version of Petty Cash was also developed at that same time, which utilized characters from yet another script, Lady Luck. This was a feature that I tried to get off the ground back around 2003 but never got the funding in place.

Michael Moynihan and Sarah Terez in Lady Luck promo art work

In October of last year I wanted to do another feature after doing some 20 short films for a year straight, but it had to be an ensemble, something that could be broken down as if I was doing a series of short films. I'd use an actor for about two weekends then move to the next batch of actors. So I pulled out both Petty Cash and Dilemma and made the two male leads brothers. They were both crime dramas, similar settings and it worked. I banged out the feature script and began casting.

It took about three months to bring the cast and crew together, but Amanda could no longer commit so I had to find a replacement for her. Joshua Parkes came back on board, Edy Cullen, then R. Michael Gull and Nathaniel Ross joined. Tom Lodewyck, Dan Katula and James Gallagher fell in. And Tom Lodewyck contacted Cyn Dulay and she replaced Amanda.

Day 1 took place with Edy and Nate at the Hotel Downtown Apartments, with my crew Lindsay Bledsoe my U.P.M, Glen Popple my D.P, Dru Montague my Chief Lighting Technician/Gaffer along with Dave Smulski also the Gaffer, Craig McCarthy operated the boom and Vito Valenti documented the proceedings. We shot two scenes. Because we didn't have much time in preproduction or rehearsal we fell behind schedule by three hours on the first day.

Nathaniel Ross as John.

Day 2 was the following day at the apartment of Matthew Konkel and Amy Geiser. Everyone was back with the inclusion of Stacey Meyer. We had eight pages, the same amount as Day 1, but we found our rhythum and didn't go beyond what we had scheduled.

How it began. Part 1 of 3

2010-08-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

Dave Smulski holding Craig McCarthy steady. Got to get good sound.

This film came about fairly quick. I was doing a number of short films, for myself, but mostly helping others. Some were good, and some were not so good. That was fine, I was keeping myself busy, but I felt the need to make another feature. My last one, Disembodied was made four years ago and while there were numerous problems during various stages of the production it turned out alright. Not a great film but a good one. This time I thought that my mistakes/issues with the production of Disembodied could be avoided, after all- lessons learned right?

Old promo art for Disembodied with actress Mariko

One of the big problems that I had with Disembodied was recasting the lead after we had completed shooting. The story and scenes were not working and the original actress had to move back to Japan, in order to fix my film I recast the role, and reshot 60 pages. Luckily, Mary Morales stepped in and we got those 60 pages done in one weekend. Its not that unusual that films go back and fix problem areas, but with no budget it becomes much more difficult when actors and crew move on.

Promo art for Disembodied with Mary E. Morales

So, lesson one. Work out the story. This script for my new film was the melding of two short stories, Dilemma and Petty Cash. Both of which were just laying around gathering dust. Both, out of a stack of scripts that I had could be filmed with little money. They were conceived as no budget shorts with few locations, and by turning both of the male leads into brothers it created the bonding element needed in combining both scripts. It worked, both had very similar themes, and the new script hopefully has more depth than the short versions had. It took two weeks in October 2009 to complete the new version, next I had to find a cast and crew.

(The script for Dilemma which features the storyline for Carina and Richie was based off of a story idea by Amanda Shalhoub.)

DAY 1: Glen Popple and Nathaniel Ross

Natasha Nafrini

2010-05-13T16:37:00.001-07:00

Interview with Robert WC Kennedy

2010-05-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

more Interviews

2010-05-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash Stills

2010-05-05T22:28:00.000-07:00

By Jenny Morgan, Cyn Dulay, Dave Smulski, Craig McCarthy and Phil Koch.

Interview with Joshua Parkes

2010-05-04T22:07:00.000-07:00

Interview with Stacey Meyer

2010-05-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Interview with Jenny Morgan

2010-05-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Jenny is the Stills Photographer/A.D. Wisconsin and grip

Interview with Producer Craig McCarthy.

2010-05-04T22:02:00.000-07:00

cast interviews

2010-04-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel Ross (John) talks about working on the film.

Edy Cullen (Sandy) talks about working on the film.

Cyn Dulay (Carina) talks about working on the film.

The "Un"-Official Teaser for Petty Cash

2010-04-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

Un Official Teaser from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

The music is a temp score. It won't be in the film.

Another Behind the scenes look at the Bryant location

2010-04-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Plus there's fun with sound effects.

pics from the last few weekends.

2010-04-27T09:12:00.001-07:00

Photo by Dave Smulski. Location: Bryant's. Jim Gallagher, Robert W.C. Kennedy, Dan Katula, Edy Cullen and Nathaniel Ross

Photo by Dave Smulski.Location:Bryant's in Milwaukee. Robert W.C. Kennedy and Wayne Clingman.

Photo by Cyn Dulay
"Petty Cash" Cast & Crew 4/25/10. Location: Chicago
Cyn, Vito, Glen, Ross, Craig, Gwen, Dru, Edie and Nate on top

From the shoot this past weekend

2010-04-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Glen Popple the camera man

2010-04-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes with Cyn Dulay

2010-04-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

Behind the scenes from the Visions shoot.

2010-04-07T17:53:00.001-07:00

Robert W.C. Kennedy takes over the role of Jimmie.

2010-04-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Robert W.C. Kennedy
This handsome six-footer, a graduate of the Specialist In Acting Major in Theatre and Drama at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, has been acting professionally for nearly 20 years. Working almost exclusively on the stage, Kennedy has appeared in numerous productions in Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin, as well as in Chicago, New York and Toronto. Milwaukee credits include productions with Bialystock & Bloom, Bunny Gumbo, Cornerstone Theatre, Milwaukee Irish Arts, Milwaukee Shakespeare Company, Next Act Theatre, and Windfall Ensemble, to name a few. Appearing in several short films and videos of late, most notably with Third Choice ensemble, Petty Cash is his third feature-length project. In addition to acting, Kennedy is a senior communications specialist, copy writer and editor in the corporate environment, an ordained deacon performing weddings in the state of Wisconsin, a card-carrying member of the History Channel Club, and bears the noble title of “baron” of the Principality of Sealand.

Preview 3

2010-04-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash Preview 3 from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Carina (Cyn Dulay) argues with Richie (Joshua Parkes).

Cyn Dulay is Carina

2010-04-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

CYN DULAY
Actress, Producer, Writer
Founder, President STORMYNIGHT

Cyn Dulay is Founder and President of Stormynight, LLC. Established in September 2009
Dulay has 15 years business management and 6 years as an independent film producer.

Stormynight is a multimedia entertainment company that specializes in independent motion pictures. Stormynight is involved in all facets of film production from conception, development, production and financing of independent film and television productions. Stormynight’s main goal is to make commercially viable films that combine established and emerging talents in the industry.

Dulay spent the last 6 years acting in a total of 27 independent and studio films. In 2004, she took on the role of film producer. To date, Dulay has produced, executive produced and financed 17 feature length films, 3 television pilots, and 3 independent shorts. Several films have received distribution deals through Warner Bros., Finnkino, and Triumphant Pictures. In 2008, she co-produced with writer/producer Cathy Rubey of Irish Peanut Productions and director Stephen Polk of Providence Productions (Pirate Camp, Black Dahlia) on a drama feature film titled, “Holiday Baggage” (Cheryl Ladd, Barry Bostwick) receiving worldwide distribution and currently in film festival circuit and seeking domestic distribution.

In September 2009, Stormynight has partnered with Penny Road Pictures (The Insatiable) and Sweet Pea Productions who brought in Writer/Director Omar McClinton (The Dark Knight, Frailty, Scary Movie 2, Witless Protection, Ugly Betty, Xena The Warrior Princess) to launch a 3D Animated Feature Film “Stork”, starring Ed Asner (UP, Elf, Mary Tyler Moore Show). Stork casts members also include, Tim Kazurinsky (Saturday Night Live), Joyce De Witt (Three‘s Company), Brian Bloom (The A-Team, CSI), Kim Fields (The Facts Of Life, Different Strokes), and Larry Thomas (Seinfeld‘s Soup Nazi, Austin Powers, Postal). Not only does Stork Productions have an award winning casts, but also an award winning visual effects company, Pixel Magic (Good Luck Chuck, Rush Hour 3, 300, Blood Diamond, Elektra) and award winning art department, Heroic Age Studios ( Lucas’ Film Darth Vader, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, DC Comic‘s Batman, Marvel Comic’s Spider-man, and Hanna Barbera’s Scooby-Doo).

In 2010, Dulay will be acting and producing several projects. In Feb. 2010, she played a ghost named “Utopia” in a horror/comedy feature titled, “Paranormal Calamity” (Larry Thomas, Charlene Tilton) with writer/director John Wesley Norton of Boomstick Films (Not Another B-Movie, Doctor Spine). In March 2010, she played a femme fatale named “Carina” in a crime/drama feature film titled, “Petty Cash” with writer/director Ross Bigley of Dirty Job Films.

Stormynight is producing with Tracey & Nikki Taylor Melton (Satanic Panic, Dog Jack, Pirates of the Carribean, Halloween 3) on “Soul+Mates”, a drama/thriller feature film. Written and directed by Omar McClinton. Hollywood veteran Steven Hiller (The Fugitive, Stir Of Echoes, Backdraft, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Primal Fear, Family Practice) will be Director of Photography. Principal photography is set for June 2010. Stormynight’s 3rd film to produce in 2010 is a western/action film titled, “Jukebox Diaries”. Cyn Dulay recently partnered with writer/director Sam Rivera. This will be Rivera’s directorial debut. The film is currently in development. Principal photography is set for August 2010.

Preview 2

2010-04-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash Preview 2 from Dirty Job Films on Vimeo.

Jimmie J considers what to do with Exotic Dancer Sandy.

with Robert W.C. Kennedy, Edy Cullen and Elvis Thao

From our shoot yesterday.

2010-03-29T16:03:00.001-07:00

This is a temp score.

So far.

2010-03-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Nathaniel Ross and Edy Cullen

Shooting Journal:

Day 1. Before I go into the details of that first day I'll fill you in on some background with the project. Petty Cash was developed a little over two years ago as a short film along side another short film entitled Dilemma. The former of which was the brain child of Amanda Shalhoub, she came to me with the idea to play a much darker and different character than she normally does, so I took her thoughts and created Dilemma. I then approached Joshua Parkes, Donnell Jackson and Dan Katula to be in the film, but Amanda then became pregnant. So that film was put on hold.

The short script version of Petty Cash was also developed at that same time, which utilized characters from yet another script, Lady Luck. This was a feature that I tried to get off the ground back around 2003 but never got the funding in place.

In October of last year I wanted to do another feature after doing some 20 short films for a year straight, but it had to be an ensemble, something that could be broken down as if I was doing a series of short films. I'd use an actor for about two weekends then move to the next batch of actors. So I pulled out both Petty Cash and Dilemma and made the two male leads brothers. They were both crime dramas, similar settings and it worked. I banged out the feature script and began casting.

It took about three months to bring the cast and crew together, but Amanda could no longer commit so I had to find a replacement for her. Joshua Parkes came back on board, Edy Cullen, then R. Michael Gull and Nathaniel Ross joined. Tom Lodewyck, Dan Katula and James Gallagher fell in. And Tom Lodewyck contacted Cyn Dulay and she replaced Amanda.

Day 1 took place with Edy and Nate at the Hotel Downtown Apartments, with my crew Lindsay Bledsoe my U.P.M, Glen Popple my D.P, Dru Montague my Chief Lighting Technician/Gaffer along with Dave Smulski also the Gaffer, Craig McCarthy operated the boom and Vito Valenti documented the proceedings. We shot two scenes. Because we didn't have much time in preproduction or rehearsal we fell behind schedule by three hours on the first day.

Day 2 was the following day at the apartment of Matthew Konkel and Amy Geiser. Everyone was back with the inclusion of Stacey Meyer. We had eight pages, the same amount as Day 1, but we found our rhythum and didn't go beyond what we had scheduled.

What was to come next would be fun yet grueling.

More Images and news!

2010-03-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Petty Cash has completed four days of filming, going through 47 pages with only 29 left to go. I'll upload more details on the shoot plus more photos tomorrow. (stills by Jenny Morgan)

James Gallagher as Javier

Dan Katula as Marcello

Cyn Dulay and Joshua Parkes

Cyn Dulay and Joshua Parkes

Edy Cullen, Stacey Meyer, Tom Lodewyck and Cyn Dulay

More photos this week.

2010-03-16T21:23:00.001-07:00

More Day 3 and 4 photos.

2010-03-16T21:16:00.001-07:00

Cyn Dulay as Carina

Natasha Nafrini as Dee Dee.

Natasha Nafrini as Dee Dee.

Natasha Nafrini as Dee Dee.

Photos from Day 3 and 4

2010-03-16T21:09:00.001-07:00

Vito and Glen.

Phil Koch brought his crane for the first shot of the day, and that's him in the hat.

Glen Popple the D.P.

Dave Smulski with Vito and Glen. Nate Irish in the B.g.

More Images from Day 1 on Petty Cash

2010-03-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel Ross as John. Sandy's Boyfriend, and a man in over his head.

Nathaniel Ross as John and Unit Production Manager Lindsay Bledsoe

Edy Cullen is Sandy

Images by Jenny Morgan

Shooting began today.

2010-02-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

Day 1 images from Petty Cash, by Jenny Morgan.

Poster Mock Up by Matthew Laznicka

2010-02-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Craig McCarthy the Producer

2010-01-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

Craig McCarthy is a former television news producer who now does public/media relations work for a Milwaukee area university in their marketing department. An avid film fan, McCarthy is also a published writer and has written several short stories. McCarthy was an extra in the film "Against Time" in which he appears with actor Craig T. Nelson. McCarthy is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where he received in B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. He’s currently working toward his MBA at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon.

Short synopsis:

2010-01-24T15:36:00.000-08:00

"In a world where everyone has secrets, who can you trust? Petty Cash is a non-stop thrill ride with characters that leap off the screen. When debts are due, there's no where to hide and somebody's going to pay. A low level bag man, his wife, his brother, a stripper, the strip club owner, a junkie whore, a psychopathic mute, a crime boss, and others, all collide in a final dance of death over money and survival.

Petty Cash plot

2010-01-21T18:04:00.000-08:00

Bag man Richie (Joshua Parkes) understands that he's on his last chance with mob boss Javier (James J. Gallagher) , it was a simple pick up. But a man is dead, and the cash gone. Who would have the nerve to steal from Javier? Richie's girlfriend Carina (Cyn Dulay), that's who, and her partners in crime, dealer Spain (Donnell Jackson) and his junkie whore Dee Dee (Natasha Nafrini).

Meanwhile, strip club owner Jimmie (Robert WC Kennedy) has fallen for dancer Sandy (Edy Cullen), he knows that Sandy really loves John (Nathaniel Ross). He also knows they are planning on skipping town, with money that John has been skimming, and that's something he can't allow. But Coco (Bai Ling) wants that money as well and she's willing to go to extreme measures to get her hands on that cash. The question is who can stay out of the morgue?

Elvis Thao is Tong the Bartender

2010-01-17T17:19:00.000-08:00

Elvis Thao, stage name Elfy, as most of you know, is a member of the rap group RARE of Shaolin Entertainment based out of Milwaukee, WI. His group, a rap trio, are the most successful Hip Hop recording studio in the Hmong industry nationally, and has been on the road traveling and touring, performing, building their careers while pushing through to the mainstream. They've worked alongside many big name Industry artists. Truly possessing the essence of Hip Hop entertainment, thus enhancing the music revolution for the Asian community. After 8 years, 3 albums, managing 2 other artists with 3 other albums, selling thousands on the road. Elvis was also cast in the Warner Bros. movie "Gran Torino" working with the legendary Clint Eastwood.

Dan Katula is Marcello

2010-01-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

Dan Katula has appeared locally with Milwaukee Chamber Theater, First Sage Children's Theater, Renaissance Theaterworks, and Bunny Gumbo where he is a die hard Combat Theater participant. He was most recently seen as Warren in Milwaukee Chamber Theater's production of / Moon Over The Brewery/. He has also worked regionally with Door Shakespeare, GEVA and the Agean theater in New York, Monomoy Theater on Cape Cod, and The Cleveland Playhouse. Dan recently taught theater at U.W. Oshkosh and is part of the comedy film group Third Choice. His work as a puppet builder was featured in the Milwaukee production of Who Killed Santa by Neil Haven and in Milwaukee Chamber Theater's production of /Around the World In Eighty Days/.

Edy Cullen on her character and the script.

2010-01-12T13:01:00.000-08:00

When I first read the “Petty Cash” script I thought that it was interesting, this was not the typical good guy - bad guy plot line. Then I reread the script several times and started to realize that almost all the characters are bad and are in one way or the other in it for themselves. What I love is how it’s so well written and with great character development. This is the main reason that I signed on to play Sandy. Yes, my character is a stripper, and yes it’s a story about a low level people and their dark motives, but there is more to her then just being a stripper. She has strong needs to change her life, to be loved, and become in her eyes someone normal, which everyone hopefully can relate.

I love that within the plot line there are other story’s branching off, but yet they are all connected. I like that you get a glimpse of each characters inner turmoil and their struggle.

James J. Gallagher is Javier

2010-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

James J Gallagher has been acting and directing in theatre for over 25 years. He studied theatre in the Masters program at University of Wisconsin Superior. He has acted in over 40 productions and directed over 15 productions in regional theatre since. Some of James's favorite acting roles include Juror #8 in Twelve Angry Men for the Cornerstone Theatre, King Duncan in Macbeth for Milwaukee Shakespeare Theatre, The Fireman in Bald Soprano for Theatre X, The Man in A Play About the Baby for The Boulevard Theatre, Jerry in Betrayal for The Boulevard Theatre, Tobias in A Delicate Balance for The Boulevard Theatre. Jim also spent 2 years doing comedy improvisation for Comedy Sportz. James directed a production of An Irish Play for Milwaukee Irish Arts that won Best Production at the Acting Irish International Theatre Festival in Toronto in May 2006.

James has also acted in number industrial films and commercials for such clients as GE Medical, U. S Custom Service, Fleet Farm, Mutual Savings, Dean Medical School, Simplicity, American and True Value of Wisconsin and Grainger.

Cyn Dulay is Carina.

2010-01-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Joshua Parkes is Richie

2010-01-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

Joshua Parkes has been working professionally as an actor for over fifteen years. He was a company member of Circle Stage Theatre for five years, and spent six years at the Gammex Theatre educating children through theatrical performance. Joshua has also worked extensively in the regional commercial market, performing both on-camera and as voice talent in numerous advertisements, industrial, short and feature films including 2006’s “Realization” (Murray #6). Joshua is currently enrolled as a theatre major at UWM. He lives in Glendale with his wife, children, dog and cats.

Dru Montague the Gaffer/Chief Lighting Technician

2010-01-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dru Montague graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008, where he studied film,theatre, and mass communication. Later that year he moved to Wisconsin and began work as key grip/gaffer on the feature film NEW DAY (2009). His second job as gaffer is on the feature PETTY CASH (2010), and he is also busy developing ideas for his own short films.

New cast additions:

2010-01-04T15:04:00.000-08:00

Dan Katula will portray Marcello in Petty Cash, and Tim Lonsdale is in talks to play the Doctor in the film.

Vito Valenti the Grip/Property Master

2010-01-04T14:53:00.000-08:00

Vito Valenti lived in Chicago until his early 30's and received a degree in commercial Art from College of Du Page, and has worked as a technical artist/illustrator since then.

In the field of commercial art, Vito also has acquired skills in photography, digital art and videography. but always keeping a "fine art" project in the works.

Upon moving to the Milwaukee area in the early 80's, Vito quickly began exhibiting his work at local galleries. He became co-director of the Artcentric Gallery in Milwaukee, where he met Ross Bigley, who was then already very active in the film scene.

Since then, he has taken an interest in video as an artistic medium, established his own video production company, "Light Pirate Pictures", and has produced a number of esoteric short videos, including "Shiva Street", which appeared in the 2009 Milwaukee Short Film Festival.

Vito is currently working on "Blue Lights in the Golden City", a mid-length video of a transcendental nature.

Vito has recently participated in a number of Milwaukee based film productions in various capacities, including "The Amatuer Monster Movie" and currently as Key Grip/Property Manager, Dirty Job Production's "Petty Cash".

Glen Popple the Director of Photography

2010-01-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Glen Popple, a recovering engineer and master bar-dice shaker, started by writing sci-fi/comedy stories such as Plumber’s Helper and the well-received Tales of the Mutant Barmonkeys, which in later years lent its name to his Mutant Barmonkey Productions.

He had been active in the Wisconsin Screenwriters Guild from 2004 to 2009, and has since written, produced and directed the feature “Port of Call” through Mutant Barmonkey Productions, LLC. He has since been involved with the short format films “Victim”, “Bye Bye Baby”, “Little Cabbages All In A Row” and “Club Envy” with the Buckley Brothers as well as the documentary “99 Bottles” with Jason Williams and David Oplinger.

After completion of Port of Call and a re-spin of 99 Bottles, future projects include:
Tales of the Mutant Barmonkeys (Animation)
The Mouse That Belched (Working Title – Comedy)
Two of Me (Working Title – Sci-Fi/Action)
The “Not Bronson” movie (Working Title – in script)

Donnell Jackson is Spain

2010-01-04T14:23:00.001-08:00

Donnell Jackson is a Dirty Jobs Films regular, having appeared in many of its productions since the late 90's. His first major role was as Nasty Tom in the short film, Slacktime (2000) and in 2007 he was a featured player in the film Disembodied.

Stacey Meyer is Stephanie

2009-12-29T11:00:00.001-08:00

Stacey Meyer has had no formal study in performance. Despite that, she has appeared in numerous stage plays in Milwaukee as well as performing improv for several years at ComedySportz. Her one foray into film was as a drunken pregnant woman at the Loyal Wisconsin Corn Festival for the BBC documentary “PISSED AND PREGNANT” where she acted obnoxiously intoxicated. Her guerilla performance was so convincing that she nearly got arrested for ‘drinking while pregnant.’

Edy Cullen is Sandy

2009-12-28T17:29:00.000-08:00

Edy Cullen was born in Poland and as a young child was moved to the Chicago area by her parents. She has lived in the United States for the past 26 years. While growing up in North Chicago she was dreaming of one day becoming an actress. In the pursuit of making her dreams come true she studied Theater at Northern Illinois University. When she moved to Milwaukee she continued her education with various Theaters and private coaching. Some of her teachers were; Cotter Smith, Jacque Troy from the Rep, Maureen from Actors Craft and Joey Paul from LA. With the belief that you always can improve she is constantly studying the craft.

In her acting journey Edy has been in several Plays but she prefers to focus on her film career. Some of her films are Carnivorous from Lightning Rod Studios (2007), Pickman’s Muse (2009). She also has the female lead in Assassin’s Reunion (2006) and The Rabbit’s Trails (2010). Some of her more recent films are The Violinist (2009), Thinking Speed (2010), Dreams of Darkness (2010), The Penny (2010) and Still Life (2010)

With her unsurpassed love of acting and her unrelenting drive to succeed, she is always looking for film projects that present a challenge and stretch her acting ability

Gwendolyn Graves is Co Co

2009-12-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

Gwen studied film at both UW-Milwaukee and Valencia College in Orlando, FL, but ultimately ended up in the marketing/graphic design industry. Realizing her passion was two-fold, she returned to acting after many years as a Graphic Designer.

Since her commitment to return to the screen, she has been cast in several roles in Milwaukee and Chicago area productions. Notable projects include: Thinking Speed (Supporting), Dreams of Darkness (Supporting), Last Call (working title) (Lead), On the Trail of a Black Sheep (Supporting), and The Vault (Crew). Gwen resides in the Milwaukee area and is currently filming several productions. Follow her on Twitter: @gsrgwen

Natasha Nafrini is Dee Dee

2009-12-27T10:11:00.000-08:00

Natasha Nafrini began her journey into Acting during her high school years at Milwaukee High School of The Arts. While she majored in Music as a Classical Vocalist friends encouraged her to try out for a theatrical production. She had a successful audition that lead to a principal role, where she received great feedback. In turn, she would go on to act in various theater productions in Milwaukee, as well as various independent film productions in Milwaukee, Chicago and Indiana. Post high school she went on to minor in Theatre at Alverno College, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies.

During her time at Alverno she got the chance to Direct a one-act play Beyond Measure written by G.L. Horton. She looks forward to continue this successful journey.

R. Michael Gull is Jimmie

2009-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

R. Michael Gull is an actor, stand-up comic, writer and filmmaker who made his film acting debut in 1987's Lost Sheep. After spending several years touring the country as a stand-up comic, Michael returned to acting in 2007, with a role in Perceval. He has since starred in the movies Indefinite, Victim, Dust, and New Day, and has supporting roles in Haunted and Ferocious. His television work includes roles in the Lifetime pilot Family Practice and A&E's The Beast.

Tom Lodewyck is Lars

2009-12-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

Tom Lodewyck is a Chicago born actor known mainly for his roles in independent horror films.

Lodewyck studied theatre in Tucson, Arizona and interned at the legendary Gas Light Theater company. Returning to Chicago in the mid-eighties, he had planned for career in broadcasting, until the acting bug resurfaced. Relocating to southern Wisconsin, Tom found work in regional theatre and eventually joined the infamous Broom Street Theater company.

Lodewyck’s film debut was small part in Kathleen Slattery’ Moschkau’s Side Effects (2005), starring a (then) up and coming actress Katherine Heigl. In 2006, he landed a much larger role as a 1930’s killer in The Legend Trip (2006). In 2007, he had a starring role in Carnivorous (2007) for Lighting Rod Studios / Shoreline Entertainment. 2008 proved to be a defining year for Tom, as he landed two different roles on the TV series Animal Witness (2008) for the Animal Planet Network. These early roles highlight Lodewyck’s ability to play both villains and heros.

Lodewyck’s horror film career continued with Satanic Panic (2009) and Pickman’s Muse
(2009). He gave a much more comical performance as “Aaron Burg” in the horror/comedy Incest Death Squad (2009). He also landed a small role in “Michael Mann’s” Public Enemies (2009) that same year.

Lodewyck would show his versatility with the role of “Jack Carter” in the family drama The Penny (2010) and in the dramady Spirit Lake (2010). He would return to his villainous roots as a crooked sheriff in A Rabbit’s Trails (2010) and as “Jack Lavelle” in Stolen Light Films Still Life (2010).

meet the cast and crew

2009-12-22T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is the first posting about our film, but there will be more as production moves along. Right now I'm just going to introduce some cast members. Oh, and the crew, I can't forget them.

R. Michael Gull as Jimmie
Edy Cullen as Sandy
James Gallagher as Javier
Nathaniel Ross as John
Stacey Meyer as Stephanie
Joshua Parks as Richie
Gwen Graves as Co Co
Tom Lodewyck as Lars
Natasha Nafrini

Crew:
Glen Popple (Director of Photography)
Dru Montague (Chief Lighting Technician/Gaffer)
Vito Valenti (grip/property master)
Lindsay Bledsoe (production manager)
Nathan Irish (P.A)
Krystal Hardy (Make up)