Made from actors' audition monologues, and directed by Seattle filmmaker Paul Gorman, "Roma Vendetta" has been called a groundbreaking film in the way it stitches together a series of monologues to tell a larger story.Made on a shoestring budget of only $5,000, the film was shot over the course of just two weekends in a preschool.
"I ran an ad on Craig's List and 10 eager actors showed up," said Gorman. "They all thought they were auditioning for a part in a film…little did they know that their auditions would be the film."
The auditions were filmed separately and the actors never met one another. "It wasn't until post production when the actors were combined that they got to be in the same scenes together. We then added backgrounds," said Gorman.
Although the actors were filmed in Seattle, "Roma Vendetta" is set in Rome so Gorman went there to film the backgrounds.
Before any of the filming got underway, Gorman made contact with a Seattle writers group who was interested in helping him write the script. Based on his outline, the vast majority of monologues were written in a single three hour blitzkrieg.
The story is about a director who suffers from Multiple Personality Disorder and is being stalked by a hit-man while making a vampire movie in Rome. What ensues is a cat-in-mouse battle over sanity and justice between the hit-man, director and his alternate personality. "It's like a cross between a Coen Brothers' and old Wood Allen movie," said Gorman.
"As a filmmaker, I've always enjoyed actors' audition monologues and the way they leave it on the stage," said Gorman. "I thought it would be interesting to make a film from their audition pieces.
We've all gone through the interview process and know the drill.. You come in, hand the interviewer your resume, and then answer some questions.
The interview process is basically the same for actors, except they are asked to perform a monologue, or two, and, if lucky, read some lines from the "script". The process is demanding and humiliating…Can you imagine coming in for a job interview and being given a test right on the spot to demonstrate your skills. That's what actors go through over and over again, and the vast majority of the time they don't get the part…Well this time they did.
The result is a film that gives a glimpse into the audition process, and questions the way we perceive dialogue, interaction, and realism in cinema. "Roma Vendetta" is dedicated to actors everywhere."
"Roma Vendetta" has been submitted to Slamdance, SF Indie Fest, Albuquerque Film Fest, IFF Boston, Boulder International Film Festival, and several others. "It's definitely not a mainstream film," said Gorman, so we've been focusing on alternative film festivals in cities that have lots of actors and eclectic audiences."
Gorman's other feature films include, "Ride the Sky", which has appeared at four film festivals so far this year, and "Broken Frame", which was acclaimed as film of the day in the U.K…He resides in Redmond, WA with his wife and dog.
Watch the trailer for "Roma Vendetta" click here
More information is available at: www.raincitycinema.com