Austin-shot 'Forgiveness' returns as 'Esther's Diary'

I had a nice chat with Mariusz Kotowski in 2007 on the Austin set of Forgiveness. He was shooting at Austin Community College, where I teach, so I literary ran into the film.

The former dance instructor and choreographer also shot a documentary about Polish actress Pola Negri, who spent her last days in San Antonio. Forgiveness is about two women, one Jewish and the other Christian, who discover their families' histories are intertwined through events of World War II.

Now comes word that the film has been recut and retitled Esther's Diary. A screening is planned in Austin later this month. Here's some good insight into the film.

Decoding Malick's 'The Tree of Life'

Very interesting interview with Emanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, the cinematographer on Terrence Malick's mostly Smithville-shot The Tree of Life. He talks about shooting more to convey an emotion than to present a scene and how the camera often stayed off of the actors as they spoke. Fascinating stuff.

If you haven't seen the trailer yet, this explanation puts it very much in focus.

How to get Texas incentives? Give Rick Perry a cameo

That's right, Texas Gov. Rick Perry this past Thursday appeared as himself in Deep in the Heart, a film we recently told you about that is shooting in Austin. According to this report, the film stands to get 29 percent of its small budget back from Texas film incentives if approved. Film incentives run through the Texas Film Commission, which is housed in Perry's office. I'm guessing they'll get the bucks...

The Big Sky Where I Live

Facebook is full of photos of the sunset tonight. I was snapping away, too. This is the view out my back door. Yes, I live in the sticks.

TNT's 'Dallas' looms, but will it shoot in Big D?

Still no word on where the TNT reboot of Dallas will shoot and how much of it will be actually in Dallas. The last word I had was incentive-rich Louisiana and New Mexico are very much in consideration. This from today's Variety is interesting because it makes clear production is not very far away:

"If summer sensation Rizzoli & Isles came as a pleasant but somewhat unexpected surprise to TNT, Dallas won't have that luxury.

The iconic series is receiving a Turner reboot as production on the pilot begins in only a few months. At the Television Critics Tour in Pasadena, TNT-TBS programming chief Michael Wright told Daily Variety that expectations remain extraordinarily high, but he believes writer Cynthia Cidre has offered a compelling updated scenario to capture auds not familiar with what made 'Who Shot J.R?' a national catchphrase.

'I don't want to give away the plot, but she found something authentic to business and to Dallas that allows them to trade on the same dynamic of the super wealthy,' Wright said. 'Dallas was always something of an Upstairs Downstairs paradigm. If it wasn't the rich and poor, it was attitude – entitlement versus a populist point of view. This covers all that.' "

Open casting call for 'Deep in the Heart'

The biggest interest I get on my blog has to do with extras casting. Here's your chance with the indie film Deep in the Heart, starring Jon Gries of Napoleon Dynamite fame. The open call is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, at Austin Studios (the red building), 1901 E. 51st, in Austin, TX.

The film is "the true story of Richard Wallrath and his family. The story begins in 1938 when he is eight years old and spans his lifetime as a Texan. He started the Richard Wallrath Education Foundation which is still awarding thousands of dollars to help FFA kids go to college. Looking for men,women, teens, kids, and babies of all ethnicities and ages. We are looking for non-speaking roles to participate in this feature film to be shot in and around Austin. Filming starts January 10th through February 4th (Shooting will be Monday - Friday). NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! We are looking for real people! Specifically looking for these types: babies, 2 year old – 4year old boys and girls, kids and teens, high school students, college students, livestock show attendees, former FFA participants of all ages, and we will also need adults of all ages to populate our rural environment (bar, coffee shop, restaurant, and wedding). All you need to bring is yourself and your friends and family.


*Background Extras Pay is $7.25 an hour with a guarantee of at least 4 hours. A meal will be provided for anyone working during our official break for lunch.

For more information please email brockallencasting at gmail.com Office ph# 512-992-1956 If you are unable to attend our open call, please email for alternate registration.

Rick Schroder in Austin-shot 'Meet Jane'

UPDATE: On Location Casting says word on a series pickup could come as early as mid-February. The pilot is officially wrapped as of today.

OK, this one totally slipped past me in the holiday rush: Rick(y) Schroder is in the cast of Meet Jane, the Lifetimes series pilot that recently shot (it was still in production yesterday, actually) in Austin with Molly Parker as the lead.

The show is about "Jane Bilinski (Parker) whose stale life as an unhappily married mother of two daughters in the Washington, DC area is suddenly re-energized and empowered when the FBI enlists her to spy on her husband (Schroder), a computer technician the government suspects is selling top-secret information to Russia."

Here's what I wrote about the show in early December.