CLOSING ESCROW
by John Anderson
Magnolia Pictures release of an Awkward Silence production, in association with HD Vision Studios, 16X9 Prods. Produced by Kristen Cox. Executive producers, Armen Kaprelian, Randall P. Dark. Directed, written, edited by Armen Kaprelian, Kent Llewellyn.
With: April Barnett, Rob Brownstein, Colleen Crabtree, Andrew Friedman, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Bruce Thomas, Patty Wortham, Cedric Yarbrough.
Considering the conversational energy we expend on real estate, it's a wonder there haven't been more comedies about buying and selling, deductible interest and subprime mortgages. (Take my house ... please!) Unapologetically modeled on the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, "Closing Escrow" is a sometimes laugh-out-loud send-up of homebuyers' worst instincts, the extreme behavior of real-estate agents and what happens when the certifiably insane save enough for a down payment. B.O. may depend on how cutthroat the local housing market is, but cult status seems assured.
Writer-directors Armen Kaprelian and Kent Llewellyn set up three atypical couples on a collision course for the same piece of prime property; en route, they experience nightmarish encounters with agents and sellers. Not that the characters are innocents: Dawn and Tom (Patty Wortham, Andrew Friedman), for instance, are looking to move out of the home once shared by Tom and his ex, whom Dawn terrorized with dead rabbits nailed to the front door.
Tamika and Bobby (April Barnett, Cedric Yarbrough) are buppie lawyers looking for a loft; they have the misfortune of hiring as their agent the bitter, racist and hysterically funny Hillary (Wendi McLendon-Covey, "Reno 911!"). Mary and Allen (Colleen Crabtree, Rob Brownstein) want their dream home, but Allen keeps changing his wishlist, driving his agent, Peter (Bruce Thomas), crazy. No one's really in his or her right mind, and the vagaries of the market -- and home-lust -- conspire to make them even nuttier.
The style is very Guestian, with helmers Kaprelian and Llewellyn staging interviews with their characters and using omnipotent third-party observation as well. Their sense of comedic restraint is nonexistent -- no limits about character or circumstance will keep them from going for the obvious joke if it happens to be sitting there like an underpriced three-bedroom in a good school district. Who can blame them? "Location, location, location" may not be the usual motto of comedy directors, but Kaprelian and Llewellyn have no trouble finding a groove for what ultimately is an audacious satire.
Tech credits are appropriate for a film posing as a low-budget docu.
Chief Lighting Technician, Gaffer, Lighting Technician Camera (color, HD), Scott Billups; set decorator, Josh Rose; sound, Seth Gilbert; visual effects supervisor, Billups; assistant director, Mollie Stallman. Reviewed on DVD, New York, Aug. 25, 2007. Running time: 93 MIN.
from Variety
Showing posts with label Closing Escrow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Closing Escrow. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Closing Escrow Washington Times "Pick of the Week"
Calling it a "bright new mockumentary," The Washington Times selects Closing Escrow as its DVD pick of the week. Read all about it here.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
TV Guide review
TV Guide calls Closing Escrow "a pleasant diversion" with "a terrific cast." Read the full review about the indie mockumentary here.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Markee Magazine spotlights Closing Escrow
How to Make an Independent Film
by Christine Bunish
CLOSING ESCROW
As a segment producer on the cable series House Hunters, Armen Kaprelian witnessed a lot of hilarious scenarios that didn't fit into the style of the show. But he thought they'd make a great movie.
Kaprelian developed the concept and approached HD pioneer Kristen Cox, president and CEO of 16x9 Productions, to see if she thought the concept had legs and to explore what the costs associated with such a movie would entail. He knew that HD would lend itself well to the reality TV look he wanted while maintaining a theatrical quality level.
Budget in hand, Kaprelian brought potential investors to a “dog and pony” show at HD Vision Studios in LA, where president Randall P. Dark, the movie's co-executive producer, answered questions about how HD technology would enable the first-time director to make a cost-effective film. Once investors were on board and the project was ready to commence, Kaprelian enlisted Kent Llewellyn to join him as co-director.
Kaprelian relied on Cox to put together a modified low-budget feature package and to work with SAG to employ union actors. “It's important to realize that the unions will try hard to make your movie work no matter what the budget is,” notes Dark. Closing Escrow, which includes a lot of improvisation, stars some cast members from Reno 911 and performers active in the LA improv scene.
Dark is a firm believer that “what makes the storytelling work is the crew you work with.” Closing Escrow aimed high, hiring the “unbelievably gifted” DP Scott Billups and his crew plus one of the industry's top DITs, Sean Fairburn, Dark points out. Dark's Sony F900 v3 CineAlta HD cameras were used for the two-camera, 14-day shoot.
“Our primary camera fed a Mac G4 with an off-line editor on site so we'd know what we were getting by the end of a set up,” Dark explains. “That's an incredibly fluid way to work; we never had to worry about having to reshoot because something didn't work or didn't match. We also had CCUs for color timing in the field.”
The on-set rough cut was used as a visual guideline for the off-line by Kaprelian and Llewellyn on Final Cut Pro HD. The on-line at full resolution, also done on Final Cut Pro HD, was done at HD Vision Studios with audio mixing at Wildwoods. The soundtrack features original music by Matt Birch and some stock tracks from DL Music.
Dark, who knows Mark Cuban, sent the HD visionary a DVD of Closing Escrow. He enjoyed the movie and recommended that the filmmakers talk to his Magnolia distribution company. Kaprelian inked a deal with Magnolia for an almost-simultaneous national theatrical and DVD release plus TV broadcast rights; Magnolia is also handling promotion.
“I think the movie will do well theatrically and exceptionally well on DVD,” says Dark who's a fan of Magnolia's policy of quick release on DVD. “How many people in America today are either buying or selling a house? I believe in getting involved in evergreen types of properties. People will watch Closing Escrow for the next 50 years and think it's funny. It's a timeless send up of the real-estate business. I also see a segment of the real-estate business buying DVDs to give to buyers and sellers telling them, 'thank goodness we're not these people!'”
Excerpted from Indie Filmmaking in Markee Magazine, September 2007
by Christine Bunish
CLOSING ESCROW
As a segment producer on the cable series House Hunters, Armen Kaprelian witnessed a lot of hilarious scenarios that didn't fit into the style of the show. But he thought they'd make a great movie.
Kaprelian developed the concept and approached HD pioneer Kristen Cox, president and CEO of 16x9 Productions, to see if she thought the concept had legs and to explore what the costs associated with such a movie would entail. He knew that HD would lend itself well to the reality TV look he wanted while maintaining a theatrical quality level.
Budget in hand, Kaprelian brought potential investors to a “dog and pony” show at HD Vision Studios in LA, where president Randall P. Dark, the movie's co-executive producer, answered questions about how HD technology would enable the first-time director to make a cost-effective film. Once investors were on board and the project was ready to commence, Kaprelian enlisted Kent Llewellyn to join him as co-director.
Kaprelian relied on Cox to put together a modified low-budget feature package and to work with SAG to employ union actors. “It's important to realize that the unions will try hard to make your movie work no matter what the budget is,” notes Dark. Closing Escrow, which includes a lot of improvisation, stars some cast members from Reno 911 and performers active in the LA improv scene.
Dark is a firm believer that “what makes the storytelling work is the crew you work with.” Closing Escrow aimed high, hiring the “unbelievably gifted” DP Scott Billups and his crew plus one of the industry's top DITs, Sean Fairburn, Dark points out. Dark's Sony F900 v3 CineAlta HD cameras were used for the two-camera, 14-day shoot.
“Our primary camera fed a Mac G4 with an off-line editor on site so we'd know what we were getting by the end of a set up,” Dark explains. “That's an incredibly fluid way to work; we never had to worry about having to reshoot because something didn't work or didn't match. We also had CCUs for color timing in the field.”
The on-set rough cut was used as a visual guideline for the off-line by Kaprelian and Llewellyn on Final Cut Pro HD. The on-line at full resolution, also done on Final Cut Pro HD, was done at HD Vision Studios with audio mixing at Wildwoods. The soundtrack features original music by Matt Birch and some stock tracks from DL Music.
Dark, who knows Mark Cuban, sent the HD visionary a DVD of Closing Escrow. He enjoyed the movie and recommended that the filmmakers talk to his Magnolia distribution company. Kaprelian inked a deal with Magnolia for an almost-simultaneous national theatrical and DVD release plus TV broadcast rights; Magnolia is also handling promotion.
“I think the movie will do well theatrically and exceptionally well on DVD,” says Dark who's a fan of Magnolia's policy of quick release on DVD. “How many people in America today are either buying or selling a house? I believe in getting involved in evergreen types of properties. People will watch Closing Escrow for the next 50 years and think it's funny. It's a timeless send up of the real-estate business. I also see a segment of the real-estate business buying DVDs to give to buyers and sellers telling them, 'thank goodness we're not these people!'”
Excerpted from Indie Filmmaking in Markee Magazine, September 2007
Friday, August 31, 2007
Three boxes of popcorn!
San Francisco's BeyondChron rated Closing Escrow "three boxes of popcorn!" saying the indie comedy "keeps you doubled up with laughter." Read Buzzin' Lee Hartgrave's review here.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Closing Escrow is "hilarious"
CLOSING ESCROW.
Mockumentary about three couples on stressful house-hunting tours in L.A. (1:33) Rated PG: language, crude humor. At the Quad. 3 stars
Nobody is suffering more from the housing crunch than Armen Krapelian and Kent G. Llewellyn, whose first film is a hilarious Christopher Guest-style mockumentary about people looking for homes during a housing boom.
If you have your house up for sale, it may be too painful to watch, but it really is funny, thanks to a terrific script by the co-writer/co-directing team and the dead-pan performances of the mostly unknown cast, which forms three quirky couples and three even quirkier real estate agents.
One of the agents likes to destroy the houses they visit in order to bring down their value. One of the house hunters leaves dead rabbits at homes to encourage sellers to sell. If you can watch it without weeping over your own predicament, you'll see some serious talent bursting out.
- Jack Mathews
from The New York Daily News
Mockumentary about three couples on stressful house-hunting tours in L.A. (1:33) Rated PG: language, crude humor. At the Quad. 3 stars
Nobody is suffering more from the housing crunch than Armen Krapelian and Kent G. Llewellyn, whose first film is a hilarious Christopher Guest-style mockumentary about people looking for homes during a housing boom.
If you have your house up for sale, it may be too painful to watch, but it really is funny, thanks to a terrific script by the co-writer/co-directing team and the dead-pan performances of the mostly unknown cast, which forms three quirky couples and three even quirkier real estate agents.
One of the agents likes to destroy the houses they visit in order to bring down their value. One of the house hunters leaves dead rabbits at homes to encourage sellers to sell. If you can watch it without weeping over your own predicament, you'll see some serious talent bursting out.
- Jack Mathews
from The New York Daily News
Closing Escrow "a sure bet"
Bill Goodykoontz at The Arizona Republic gives his views on Closing Escrow here.
Closing Escrow NY Times Critics' Pick
Closing Escrow was chosen as a New York Times Critics' pick. Calling its cast of characters "improbably endearing," you can check out the Times review of the indie feature here.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Closing Escrow premieres in theaters
Closing Escrow is premiering August 24th in the following theaters:Los Angeles, CA:
Fairfax Cinemas
New York, NY:
Quad Cinemas
San Francisco, CA:
Opera Plaza Cinemas
Denver, CO:
Starz Filmcenter
Tempe, AZ:
Valley Art 1 Theatre
More info online at Magnolia Pictures.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Press release on Closing Escrow
HD Movie Shot on Maxell Tape - Closing Escrow
Las Vegas, NV (April 24, 2006) - Closing Escrow, a comedy film about real estate, has been accepted at the Dallas Video Festival, the largest video festival in the nation. Randall Dark, an undisputed leader in the High Definition (HD) industry and the Executive Producer of the new film, convinced the Director Armen Kaprelian to shoot his first feature entirely in HD. The movie was shot entirely on Maxell tape.
"Randall Dark has long been the primary visionary and advocate for high-definition TV," said Bart Weiss, Director of the Dallas Video Festival. "In Closing Escrow he brings together his passion for HD to produce this entertaining film. In a time when HD is reaching the low-budget- indie masses and people are buying HD televisions at home, a new feature from this technology-advanced team helps move the aesthetic further."
Weiss has seen a significant increase in submissions in HD over the last several years. Over the past five years, there has been an increase of 15-20% of entries shot in HD. Weiss forecasts that number will jump dramatically to 40% this year with the entries submitted to the Festival.
Closing Escrow was shot entirely on Maxell tape, using 62 Maxell HD Cam tapes and 3 Maxell D-5 tapes. "It's an easy choice when I decide what tape I'm going to use for my projects. Maxell tape has been consistent and reliable. It gives me the superior results I'm seeking, and the quality of my projects is always the best."
"High definition is an incredible art form. I strongly feel that HD's time has come. Seeing truly is believing with the quality of the HD picture," said Dark.
Closing Escrow is about three quirky families seeking to buy their next home. The Dallas Video Festival is being held August 8-13, 2006, at the Dallas Theater Center, as well as other venues in Dallas.
About Maxell
Maxell Corporation of America, a Hitachi-Maxell, Ltd. Company, is a leading full-line manufacturer of professional digital and analog audio and video media; computer data storage media; media products for consumer audio, video and camcorder applications; and batteries. Maxell also markets a full line of care and maintenance accessories and headphones.
For more information, please visit the Maxell Web site at www.maxell.com.
About Randall Dark
Randall Paris Dark is the creative marketing force behind HD Vision Studios, a complete High Definition Production and Post Production facility equipped with the latest technology, and optimized for producing and finishing independent films, television shows, commercials, documentaries, music videos, industrials or any other project in which HD is the medium of choice.
For more information on Closing Escrow, please visit www.closingescrow.com.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Dark moderates HD Expo panel
HD Expo panel discussion "Closing Escrow - The Movie" concentrated on HD independent production from concept to distribution. The seminar/discussion focused on how to raise funds, determine acquisition format, cost structure/budgets, post production and distribution.
Randall P. Dark, Executive Producer for Closing Escrow, moderated the event. Panelists included Scott Billups, HD Guru and Cinematographer for Closing Escrow; Armen Kaprelian, Director and Executive Producer Closing Escrow; Kristen Cox, Producer for Closing Escrow; and Kent Llewellyn, Story Editor and Co- Director.
Randall P. Dark, Executive Producer for Closing Escrow, moderated the event. Panelists included Scott Billups, HD Guru and Cinematographer for Closing Escrow; Armen Kaprelian, Director and Executive Producer Closing Escrow; Kristen Cox, Producer for Closing Escrow; and Kent Llewellyn, Story Editor and Co- Director.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)