FEATURE: SUMMER OF '76 - born right here at DVXUser

[SUMMER OF '76]

www.SummerOf76Movie.com

Please allow me the pleasure of introducing SUMMER OF '76 to you. My name is Maria Maneos and I just came on board as the Art Director, and all of us on the team will taking turns promoting and giving updates on our project. Please check out the pre-production promotional website for movie details. The site (and the movie poster) is a placeholder and home for the project. As cast and crew members get attached to the project they will be integrated into the site and a new poster.

Last January Thomas Koveleskie and Curtis Kessinger met right here on DVXUser and formed a collaborative team. They immediately put there noses to the grindstone and diligently wrote the script for SUMMER OF '76. Five months and fifteen revisions later they had a completed 116 page production ready script that was registered with the US Copyright Office. Currently they are in talks with a couple of major entities for production of the film as well as a some Hollywood A list talent. I read the script and fell in love with the movie project. I am looking forward to working with the 70's time period and I started by designing the original T-Shirts that are on the promo site.

The production is a huge undertaking and we will keep this thread updated. Thanks for reading!

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

We actually heard back from the representatives of a Rock icon that we wish to cast in SUMMER OF '76. They were intrigued by the movie site and story, and requested a copy of the script. It's a start and hopefully the shade of things to come.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Hi this is Tom Koveleskie the director and co-writer of SUMMER OF '76. We have received some emails wanting more info about our movie. We thank you for that! A couple of you wanted to know if this is another stoner movie or stoner comedy... the answer is a resounding no. This is so much more then that and more then the synopsis even reveals. Yes the story surrounds three stoner friends, and that is who they were back in the summer of 1976, but it is not the underlying plot nor is it gratuitous. This is the very true coming of age story of three friends who all wanted to escape the confines of small town living for different reasons. As the synopsis does say... "Sometimes truth is stranger then fiction"... this is certainly one of those cases. The story is told as it happened... it has adventure, thrills, comedy, drama. The story begins in the small working class town of Sunbury Pennsylvania, and chronicles events leading up to the cross country roller coaster of an adventure, and eventually ends up in Los Angeles California where the story climaxes.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Things are rolling along and starting to fall into place for our project. We have made initial contact with two Rock Icons that we targeted for roles and more... We won't mention who untill they either comes on board or turns us down. We are tap dancing and trying to get letters of intent without full funding in place. Today we had talks with a smaller studio that is very interested in the movie but doesn't know if they can come up with the budget we are requesting... We have had many inquiries from casting agents and individual actors and actresses. We are also in talks with a very experienced DP who has close to 70 Hollywood TV and film projects... many of them very notable... We have a couple of potential sources for funding both domestically and overseas. This proceess isn't for the faint of heart, that is for sure...

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Hi this is Maria Maneos the Production Designer for SUMMER OF'76. Just wanted to post an update for our project. Right now everyone on the production team is wearing a few hats... Over the weekend Thomas Koveleskie who is our Director and Co Writer (and now also wearing the producers hat) had a meeting with the Borough officials of Northumberland, PA. This quaint historic town has opened up it's doors to us for shooting and has graciously offered us any Borough locations for shooting. They also will be helping us put together a re-enactment of the 1976 4th of July Parade that was part of Americas Bicentennial celebration complete with vintage floats, colonial dressed people, horses etc etc. We will be shooting the parade on a historic street where time has stood still... This street hasn't changed since it was built in the 1800's. They also offered us the usage of a helicopter for our aerials for just the cost of fuel. One of the board members is also a member of a 1000+ classic car club in central PA and they are offering the use of their cars to us FREE of charge. This means that we can fill the streets with cars from 1976 and below. We especially have a need for a group of muscle cars for a few scenes. What they are willing to do for us is absolutely HUGE and unbelievable... Northumberland sits adjacent to Sunbury, PA where we will also be shooting scenes. Way to go Thomas!


If anyone knows of a very talented and experienced producer that wants to come on board a fantastic project... send them our way... Thomas is looking for some help. So far everyone that we have reached out to has provided us with tremendous support and resources. Hopefully we will be announcing a few more key team members this week as well.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

We are pleased to announce that Jay Costa has joined the team as Music Supervisor - Jay Costa lives in Los Angeles, California. Jay is the owner of Half Full Music Supervision and Licensing, LLC.which has most recently supervised the music for such films as "Beyond the Basement Door" produced by Ten Wings Films and "Deference and Bridges" produced by Churchill Pictures. Jay has also assisted in song clearance for the Vacationeer Productions film "Planet World". Previously Jay held the position of Song Plugger/ Admin. Assistant for the music library company Musicsupervisor.com. He was also the Industry Outreach Consultant for Access Film Music Ltd. Jay runs the online video blog www.tiame.net which covers the happenings of the music and film scenes. Jay is truly passionate about contributing to the aesthetics of a film through music supervision. Welcome aboard Jay!

 

[Ryan Patrick O'Hara]

Who is your cinematographer? I'd like to hear some updates from him/her. Many people here are filmmakers, but also cameramen. I'm a DP, so I'd love to see more about the preproduction process with the cinematographer, director and production designer.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Who is your cinematographer? I'd like to hear some updates from him/her. Many people here are filmmakers, but also cameramen. I'm a DP, so I'd love to see more about the preproduction process with the cinematographer, director and production designer.

Hi Ryan, this is Thomas Koveleskie. I am the director/producer and co writer of the project. Usually I do my own DP/camera work on smaller projects. This project is much too big and involved for that, so I am bringing on a DP to work with me. I will concentrate on directing. Right now I'm wearing too many hats and want to give a few of them away. I am actively seeking and interviewing a few really good DP's, but haven't brought some one on board as of yet.

I can say that I am leaning toward using Alexa at this time... but Red is certainly under consideration. I will be shooting some wide landscapes and I want the images to hold up and look fantastic... this is one of my main concerns.

As far as our production designer Maria, I'll have her post her thoughts and ideas on the process as we go along... Hopefully everyone will contribute. I can say that I am working closely with Maria because I lived and experienced the '70's first hand. I graduated High School in 1975. So we are collaborating on the details. A lot of people only have a vision of flower children and tye dye when they think '70's, but there were other styles and aspects of this time period, particularly from 1975 on after. We want to portray what was there.. not just the stereotype that the younger generation is familiar with.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Hello, I'm Maria Maneos the lucky production designer working on the project! Tom Koveleskie the director/producer asked me if I would write a little bit about the process so far. I met Tom through creative circles in the Philly, PA area some years ago. He asked me if I would do him a favor and read the script for Summer Of '76. I instantly fell in love with it and thought they had something special on their hands. I was quite surprised when Tom offered me the role of production designer. My background is in theater and art. I have a strong interest in theater and film production design. Admittedly the 70's wasn't my generation. I was very young but do have some memories of the later part of the decade. I have been doing a lot of research on the decade. But I have to say that collaborating with Tom is great. He is a 70's detail and trivia machine. I really mean that... He has a vision of the whole movie floating around in his head right down to the smallest of details. It was his generation and he knows exactly what he wants and how it should look. He has taught me a lot about the different styles and trends from the 70's. We have been searching for props, locations etc and recently the town council of Northumberland, PA offered us a tremendous amount of assistance with the project. They basically gave us the key to the town and will help us re-create the big bicentennial parade scene, plus as many classic cars as we need. That is awesome and I am really looking forward to getting everyone ready for the parade. I don't know what else I can say at this point, but I will try my best to write about any cool accomplishments or milestones that we achieve.

Maria

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Hi Tom here. As the director (and right now the main producer for our project) I wanted to start sharing some of my thoughts on the process and the story. I'll talk about the business side later as well. But I want to first talk about developing an idea into a story and then the story into a great screenplay. In my case it was a true story based on an adventure that I was part of way back in 1976. That made me an expert with the subject material and was a good start. I always felt that our story was worthy of being made into a movie. But that was just my opinion and I thought many times "what if I am wrong?" That was my first step and it should be yours... Do you really have a story that is worth telling and will it really appeal to an audience? Who will that audience be and why? It is also very important to know your market and target audience. More on that later. We all have stories and experiences in life, but are they noteworthy and interesting enough to make a good screenplay and movie? This is the bottom line. Everything that you do during the film making process will ultimately boil down to a defining moment in the editing room. Did you really have a good story and concept to work with? I don't think anyone will disagree with this very basic premise, it doesn't make a difference whether it is a student film or one that you are making for theatrical release. It's all about a good story first and foremost.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

We officially signed a new cast member today! This guy is a real animal and is going to be hard to keep under control! Welcome Wildthing to the cast! He has been featured on 20-20 and Animal planet as well as TV shows from around the world. I just added a photo of Wildthing that he sent us from when he was on featured ABC's 20/20. The first photo in his room was from a couple of years ago when he was a bit smaller... Now he is 2,300 Lbs of stomping beast! We have a nice little action scene in the movie for Wildthing. This should be real interesting working with this guy... His trainer RC "The Buffalo Whisperer" Bridges tells me that he loves to drink beer after a hard day of performing... Yes Mr. Wildthing... would you care for another?

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

With great pleasure and excitement Summer of '76 announces casting Casey Dubois to one of the lead roles in the movie! Casey will play the lead role as Kove. Hailing from Vancouver, British Columbia, Casey is an accomplished and very talented actor who has been acting since the age of 7 and has appeared in 23 Television and Feature Film projects. Casey started his acting career in 2000 and has had roles in many major motion pictures including Snakes on a Plane with Samual L. Jackson and Julianna Margulies, The Final Cut with Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino, and Are We There Yet? with Ice Cube and Nia Long. Casey has also appeared in such notable Television shows as Stephen Kings Dead Zone, Stargate Atlantis, The Days and most recently The Haunting Hour: The Series as Josh. Casey is skilled in Improvisation, voiceover, performs his own stunts and is an all around athlete that plays many sports. He is also an experienced Music Mix DJ. You can learn more about Casey at his IMDB page http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0239386/

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

[h=6]With great pleasure and excitement Summer of '76 announces the casting of Jessica DiGiovanni to a featured role in the movie. Jessica will be making her Off-Broadway debut this December with MTC in Molly Smith-Metzlers play Close Up Space, opposite David Hyde Pierce. She also is a "Certifier" on the show Certified for the Music Choice Channel, which will be running till the end of 2011. Film and TV credits: The Sitter (Dir. David Gordon Green), What Would You Do? (ABC Primetime News), Celebrity Ghost Stories (Biography Channel), Little Pink Balloon (Dir. Lacy Wittman), Dreams of a Petrified Head (Dir. Dan Ouelette), Amy (Dir. R.P. Patnaik), The Collector (Dir. Ezequiel Arribas), and more. Theater credits: Training Wisteria by Molly Smith Metzler (Cherry Lane Theatre), Fool for Love (Under St. Marks), Marion Bridge (Director's Co. dir: Laila Robins), and more. She can also be seen in commercials for Comedy Central, MTV and Flatrate Moving currently running on both coasts. Her voice can be heard in ads for Samsung, Starbucks, DSW, Mitsubishi, and more. Training: Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) and LAMDA. She currently resides in NYC. Jessica's official website www.jessicadigiovanni.com and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm369http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3693977/3977/[/h]

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

I am absolutely thrilled to have Casey Dubois and Jessica DiGiovanni on board Summer of '76! Both are very talented and accomplished performers. Jessica doesn't mention in her bio that she also appeared in a scene of HBO's Boardwalk Empire season 1. I was grateful that they agreed to read the script and was ecstatic when they both said they loved it and wanted to be part of such a fun project. 15 script revisions were written before I was happy and confident with it as a whole. The script evolved and improved with each revision so it would be adventurous, fun and very commercial. We have sent the script to some other high profile performers including a 1960's and 1970's TV and film icon that was actually part of this based on a true story. The three lead characters, Kove, Billy and Martzy had an up close and personal meeting with this legendary actor back in the summer of '76 and is the basis for a cool scene. So having this icon actually do a cameo appearance in the movie will be unreal to say the least. If someone told us back in July of 1976 that I would be making a movie based on him and our cross country adventure, I'd have said you're nuts... Sometimes truth is stranger then fiction...

This is a slow and tedious process putting this project together, but it is coming along very well. As the producer and director I want to minimize mistakes and do this project the correct way. Due diligence is the number one priority. The goal is to have this in production in early 2012. Unfortunately the window for good weather in Pennsylvania where principal production will take place is small.

Tom Koveleskie
producer/director/writer
www.SummerOf76Movie.com

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Summer of '76 and Director/Writer Thomas Koveleskie are currently being featured on http://independentfilmblog.com/

Independent Film Blog interviewed Thomas as part of a case study series that gives no nonsense information about the process of attaching name Hollywood talent to your movie project.

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

I'm very pleased to announce that Carr Thompson has been added to the cast of Summer of '76 in the role of Martzy. Carr is an accomplished and very talented actor that has appeared in Feature Films ,Television series and national ad campaigns for AT&T, Nintendo and Six flags. Carr's body of work includes the films True Adolescents, The Metrosexual and was the voice of Arthur in the animated movie Arthurs Missing Pals. His Television appearances include the series Criminal Minds, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the Ellen Degeneres Show. You can learn more about Carr at his IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2204853/

www.Summerof'76Movie.com

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Summer of '76 is pleased to announce that Brett Loehr has been cast to a leading role as Billy - Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Bret is a seasoned and very talented actor who has been performing since the age of 8. He has appeared in 25 Television and Feature Film projects. Bret started his acting career in 2001 and has had roles in many major motion pictures including Identity with John C...usack and Ray Liotta, Veritas- Prince of truth with Sean Patrick Flannery and Kate Walsh, and True Adolescents with Oscar winner Melissa Leo and Mark Duplass. Bret has also appeared in such notable Television shows as Medium, ER, Without A Trace and Cracking Up. Bret is skilled in Improvisation, and has appeared in commercials for McDonalds, Nestle' and Oral- B. You can learn more about Bret at his IMDB page http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1181783/maindetailsSee More



www.SummerOf76Movie.com

 

[SUMMER OF '76]

Lots of big news announced this week and the project website/movie poster has been revamped. Hi this is Tom the projects producer/director. We are pushing forward and trying to get the word out about Summer of '76. Please drop on by and say hello! www.SummerOf76Movie.com