0s & 1s has been completed

A few years ago I submitted myself for the casting of an independent film called 0s & 1s. The director, Eugene Kotlyarenko, thought I had an interesting take on a character, but didn't think I was right for the part. He had me prepare and audition for a different role. After I read for that role, he changed his mind again and had me read for yet another role. The role was for Cole, a gutter punk, and it was larger than the first two.

Fast forward three years and the film is complete. The film took a long time in post because as Ronnie Scheib describes in his Variety review the "high-concept indie 0s & 1s treats the image like a giant computer screen, which helmer Eugene Kotlyarenko and his special effects/animation team fill with competing graphics, as windows, text messages, alerts, chats and apps fractionalize, interrupt and deconstruct the ongoing action."

A Village Voice review by Andrew Schenker draws a comparison to auteur Ingmar Bergman's Persona (1966). Personally, I think this is a film that could be studied in University film schools and I am looking forward to Eugene's next high-concept film project.

Also the film's soundtrack is shocksome. It includes Ariel Pink, Dum Dum Girls, No Age, Wavves, and many more.

The film will be playing in Brooklyn, New York from March 18-24 at reRun Gastropub Theater. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased here.

maryland film festival

I'm happy to announce the feature film 0s & 1s, which I have a role in, will have its World Premiere at the Maryland Film Festival. The film is from first time writer/director Eugene Kotlyarenko and plays on May 8th and my birthday May 9th. That's a pretty nice gift. If you'd like, leave me a birthday message in the comments! I'd love it.

Here's how J. Scott Braid from the Maryland Film Festival describes the film: "0s & 1s is a comedy that tells a simple story in a wholly new and visually compelling way. Recognizing that our lives are increasingly centered around computers and the language of computer use, 0s & 1s uses our familiarity with that language as a platform for telling a story.

James Pongo ( Morgan Krantz) has everything going for him -- a good job, a busy social life, a love interest -- that is, until his laptop disappears. After getting wrecked at a friend’s house party and passing out, James wakes up to find that his laptop is gone, and his computer-dependent life begins to unravel.

The entire movie appears on our screen as though on a laptop running on a fictional operating system. The screen bursts with chat bubbles, system-warning windows, MP3 applications, email messages, web browsers, and anything else you can think of that might pop-up on your laptop monitor. It is an approach to filmmaking that is totally fresh, and provides a real treat for the eyes."