Yesterday afternoon, producers Jacki Zolezzi and Demond Robertson met with director Ivan Bukta for the first "Breakaway" pre-production meeting. Being in the very early stages of production, much of the meeting was spent discussing the budget, figuring out how much the film would cost to produce, how the costs would break down, and the best ways to go about fundraising. Most importantly, as the film deals with the reprecussions of domestic violence, the goal was set to use "Breakaway" to create awarness.
With some of the cast already in place, the main focus until the next meeting is researching possible locations. The film is set in the main character Annie Lee's home and the coffee house she frequents. We are looking in and around Manhattan for places to shoot within our budget.
We also started our fundraising campaign at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/123377637/breakaway?ref=search
Friday, September 16, 2011
Locations
Since the key theme of Breakaway lies in the idea of terror at home, Annie's house is the key location - a place of supposed safety and comfort that is anything but for our protagonist. Annie comes from a working class family, so her home is a modest but warm one-story house somewhere in NYC's outer boroughs. She is a girl tied to her neighborhood and working class roots, and this is the world she knows best. Also, it plays to the idea of this terror at home going on in the middle of a busy neighborhood filled with other people who do not or are not able to notice what is really going on underneath the surface of peaceful suburbia.
The coffee shop, on the other hand, represents an escape from home. It is a place of promise for Annie - a promise of another life, of hope, of future that releases her of the chains of her past. It is the place where she gets to know Lamar in a more personal way, but also the place where she, unknowingly perhaps, makes the first tiny step toward her breakaway from home and her father.
The coffee shop, on the other hand, represents an escape from home. It is a place of promise for Annie - a promise of another life, of hope, of future that releases her of the chains of her past. It is the place where she gets to know Lamar in a more personal way, but also the place where she, unknowingly perhaps, makes the first tiny step toward her breakaway from home and her father.
Characters
Annie, early 20s, is a girl on the cusp on womanhood, haunted by the domestic abuse in her family. After the death of her mother during her middle-teens, Annie has become the woman of the family, relying on the support and love of her father which did not come without its price. Becoming the woman of the family meant sacrificing herself for the sake of it: foregoing college and instead focusing on making ends meet. But now at a new point in her life, when she has finally been released from the shackles of abuse, will she be able to move past it and become her own woman?
Lamar, mid 20s, is a police officer who met Annie during his daily visits to a local diner where she works as a waitress. What tickled his curiosity was her unassuming nature, charm and beauty that she does not even seem aware of. Lamar is sensitive, caring, and understanding man - he's in it because he has actual feelings for this girl. But will he able to get her out of her personal hell? Can anyone ever do that for someone they love?
Annie's Father, mid 40s, is a man broken down by the death of his wife. After her passing, he has focused all of his love and attention on his daughter, unconsciously molding her into a substitute for his wife. To say that he is a monster would be over-simplification; he is a man lost and alone, without the anchor that has kept him afloat. His actions, though reprehensible, come out of genuine love and affection for his child. But just as powerful and grand as love can be, it can also turn into a toxic and destructive force.
Lamar, mid 20s, is a police officer who met Annie during his daily visits to a local diner where she works as a waitress. What tickled his curiosity was her unassuming nature, charm and beauty that she does not even seem aware of. Lamar is sensitive, caring, and understanding man - he's in it because he has actual feelings for this girl. But will he able to get her out of her personal hell? Can anyone ever do that for someone they love?
Annie's Father, mid 40s, is a man broken down by the death of his wife. After her passing, he has focused all of his love and attention on his daughter, unconsciously molding her into a substitute for his wife. To say that he is a monster would be over-simplification; he is a man lost and alone, without the anchor that has kept him afloat. His actions, though reprehensible, come out of genuine love and affection for his child. But just as powerful and grand as love can be, it can also turn into a toxic and destructive force.
About our Film
Breakaway is a story about Annie Lee's path toward recovery from effects of domestic violence. However, in order to take the first step in that direction, she must survive the horror created by her own mind.
The film's visual approach follows the trajectory of Annie's path: at first awash in saturated colors and light to grow opaque and shadow-filled as the story turns in a darker direction. In addition, the steady camera work grows more unstable as Annie’s mental state and sense of reality begin to crumble. In the end, we return to the light and stability - but this time with the subtle presence of the underlying darkness that never quite goes away.
Thematically, Breakaway deals with the idea of terror at home: we always think of terror as an outside force, but what happens when that force comes from within? When you cannot hide, run, or break away from it? Can Annie overcome the terror at home and move past it?
Producer: Jacki Zolezzi
Producer: Demond Robertson
Writer/Director: Ivan Bukta
The film's visual approach follows the trajectory of Annie's path: at first awash in saturated colors and light to grow opaque and shadow-filled as the story turns in a darker direction. In addition, the steady camera work grows more unstable as Annie’s mental state and sense of reality begin to crumble. In the end, we return to the light and stability - but this time with the subtle presence of the underlying darkness that never quite goes away.
Thematically, Breakaway deals with the idea of terror at home: we always think of terror as an outside force, but what happens when that force comes from within? When you cannot hide, run, or break away from it? Can Annie overcome the terror at home and move past it?
Producer: Jacki Zolezzi
Producer: Demond Robertson
Writer/Director: Ivan Bukta
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