unwound

UNWOUNDCourtney Marabella

Philadelphia, PA2013

To my brother, Michael, who continues to inspire me everyday.

To the cast and crew of UNWOUND for their unwavering hardwork and dedication.

And to K.R.

ContentsIntroduction........................pg.10

The Directors.......................pg.12

Who is K.R.?........................pg.22

Pre-Production......................pg.32

Production..........................pg.76

Casting..................................pg.34Locations................................pg.54The Run Up...............................pg.64

Set Design...............................pg.78Filming: Day 1...........................pg.98Filming: Day 2...........................pg.142Filming: Day 3...........................pg.162

Filming: Day 4...........................pg.188

IntroductionI have always looked up to my brother; I know that sounds cliché, but it’s the truth.

One of the things that I have always admired about him is his passion. When he is interested in something, it basically consumes his life. This passion led him to teach himself Italian in high school, and made him an expert on all things David Bowie in middle school. Even when we were kids, my brother committed to things like no other person I have ever known. Playing Legos or Beanie Babies was always an ordeal because everything had to be set up perfectly, and there always had to be a story in place before we played.

This film is just the most recent passion of his. The amount of time, effort and heart he put into this project simply astounds me.

The funny thing about it is that this whole process started in the most insignificant way possible. He was merely par-oozing the aisles of a thrift store when he happened upon this unmarked tape. Upon listening to it, he found that it was an audio diary recorded by a young girl in the 1970s. I don’t know why, but it immediately caught his attention. That passion of his kicked in and he began listening over and over. I remember times when he would bring the tape with him when he visited home and we would

listen to it on our porch. Personally, I would have shut the tape off after about five minutes of listening to this girls rambling; but not my brother. He was enthralled; obsessed even.

He wanted to tell this girls story, and he wanted to do it in a way that really paid tribute to her. And so, the journey of this film began. He wrote a script, came up with a concept and started a Kickstarter campaign. From there, things just kept on rolling, and before we knew it, the film was done.

Watching the process of filming unfold was extremely special to me, not just because I was able to see this amazing story come to life, but because I was able to watch my brother work. When people are as passionate as my brother is about what they’re doing, getting to see them in their element is incredibly inspiring. Even through the ups and downs, the hardships, the work, he never slowed down, never lost focus, and never had a single complaint. He was just happy; happy to be doing what he loves.

Saying I’m proud of him would be an understatement. This film is really something special. So to my brother, and his amazing cast and crew, and everyone else involved in the process I say; a job well done.

- Courtney Marabella

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TheDirectors

Michael Marabella

Describe finding the tape and first listening to it. I was collecting tapes to sample into music, and I stumbled upon this unlabeled one. After listening I knew I found something extremely interesting, but it wasn’t until much more listening that I realized how interesting. It felt like being let into someone’s life.

What was it about the tape that initially caught your interest? Just the voyeuristic nature of it. I find seeing what a person is like in different scenarios is really interesting, so getting to listen in on this person through the tape was great. You get to see her not only in a public scenario, but also in her personal, private moments.

Describe your experience making the film. Making the film was interesting. It was a real challenge trying to work with such a delicate subject matter. It’s not like a normal narrative film, because with that, you only have the script to answer to. With this, we were dealing with a persons life, and so we were challenged to achieve a certain level of authenticity. It was also very interesting working with multiple directors. It was a challenge to allow each director a unique voice, but also try to maintain a certain consistency throughout the film.

Describe your section of the film My section of the film allows you to see KR alone. To me, this is the most interesting thing about the tape, because other than with ourselves, we never get to see people as they are when completely alone. Everyone acts differently when alone. Our insecurities become more obvious, our idiosyncrasies are not altered by others. It is the closest thing to putting yourself in someone else’s head. This is what I was attempting to achieve with my scene.

Who is KR? KR is just a person. She is you, she is me. She had friends, a family, dreams, aspirations. The mere fact that she existed is just as significant/insignificant as anyone else. However, this is what makes the project interesting; she is relatable. She is just like any of us. The only difference is that we have an artifact that gave us insight into her life. Just like how finding Dinosaur bones can tell us about how they lived, finding this tape gives us a perfectly preserved moment in a 20-year-old girl’s life during the 1970s.

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Brendan Steere

What is your segement of the film about? What takes place? My segment of the movie is about KR’s relationship with her younger sister, who has stolen her tape recorder and is playing with it. The scene is about what KR finds in her family, and how she relates to it on a positive level.

Describe your experience on working on the film. Firstly, it was wonderful to work with a producer as passionate and capable as Mike - he said he would provide and he did. He got us a top of the line camera and crew, funded this very specific period piece like it was nothing. Heh, it was also sometimes trying just because I’m not used to having such a hands on producer and having to explain decisions to someone. It was a little weird not being your own boss. All in all, it was infinitely rewarding, though. You really got a sense that it was a project everyone cared about - that we were making something special.

Describe your own experience in film making. In middle and high school, I had an illustrious career in backyard movies. Since coming to SVA to study directing, I’ve produced a ton of content. I wrote, directed, shot, and edited a fake grindhouse trailer called The VelociPastor, which was blogged about the web and featured on G4 nationwide. I recently wrote/directed a feature-length horror film

called Animosity, which is already garnering blog coverage across the web.

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James Berry

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James Berry was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, but has lived in Montana, Los Angeles, and now resides in New York City. He has written, produced, and directed three short films of a sizable budget, the most recent being I, Helios, a science fiction tale starring sci-fi legend Doug Jones.

Dan Bello

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Dan Bello is originally from Mexico City. He has a special interest in social and travel documentaries. He is currently working on a documentary that deals with gender roles in a town in Oaxaca, Mexico, where a large portion of men like to cross-dress. Dan’s interest in dream sequences and surreal narrative films inspire much of his work.

Who is KR?

Sara Jecko

Who are you? Sara Jecko is always writing songs and making up characters. In the car, in the bar, crying in the shower, laughing with her friends and dog -- for as long as she can remember, this has been a way of life. A healthy and productive outlet for her deepest expressions. Which means that she is completely balanced, undoubtedly and absolutely, really, really cool all the time, otherwise. But really, when her mother enrolled her in musical theater classes at 8 years old - her fate was sealed, in a sense. This shy little girl would always have to act in some way. So, having realized that, this past year has been a productive one. 8 films she got to dig into ( shorts to indie features), and many ridiculously gratifying theater pieces (space age musicals and murder improv comedy), all of it has been a joy indeed! Sara is thrilled to begin her studies at William Esper studio this fall.

What takes place in your section of the film? In my KR’s scene, I am trying, for the first time, to express my thoughts in my tape-recorder journal. Ha! It’s strange, because I hear my voice, and I’m awkward. And I’m aware that I’m awkward. I let go a little bit, but still have emotional boundaries. And I can still hear when I sound cool enough to stop the tape.

Who is KR? My KR is the semi confident, but really self conscious one. She’s kind of okay with herself, until she hears her words played back in her head. “Such a dork” she thinks.I think, in many ways, she’s ready to go beyond this collegiate life. Beyond parties, drugs, friends. It’s boring, it’s “dull”. She does love her close friends- but she’s a people pleaser, I think, sometimes, so there’s not always so much room for her to expand-- and be herself. Reach more of her potential. I think that’s a struggle. She’s ready, but without the

knowledge of “how” perhaps.

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Lacy Marie Meyer

Who are you? My name is Lacy Marie Meyer. I am from the small town Preble, IN--the best place to grow an imagination. I’ve been an actor my entire life; raised in the theatre and started playing with film in my teens. I have loved projects such as UNWOUND where true collaboration takes place.

What takes place in your section of the film? The part of the film I am in is an interesting part of KR’s life. The scenes show KR’s softer, playful, family side. KR and her sister must have been close and Micheal wrote the dialogue showing their love...in young sibling sort of way, where you fight like cats and dogs for a second--then laugh hysterically the next. Micheal did a wonderful job capturing these people in his dialogue.

Who is K.R.? I think KR is inhumanly sensitive. The kind of person not born with the same thick skin most grow into when entering adulthood. KR feels everything on some sort of deeper level than most. I see her as most comfortable alone...maybe with her tape recorder...

always needing to create to survive.

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Dana Jesberger

Who are you? My name is Dana Jesberger and I am a New York based actress. After dabbling in creative writing and forensic science, I graduated in 2011 from Long Island University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting with a minor in dramaturgy. I try to split my time evenly between theatre and film. I recently performed as Joan Plowright in Orson’s Shadow at Theatre Row Studios and appeared in several Chris R. Notarile films including Famous and Perfect. I found myself drawn to Unwound the first time I heard KR’s voice. I have written in journals my whole life, and I was titillated by the idea that the words we write in private could be all that remains for the world to interpret us by. If someone was painting a picture of me using only my words... well, “nothing can recreate three dimensional life”... but I hope I did KR some sort of justice.

What takes place in your section of the film? My part of the film is entitled “Altered”, directed by the insanely talented James Berry. It’s probably the most introspective portion of the film, which originally started out as a monologue that spanned several pages. By the time we reach this section, it is no secret that KR feels very isolated from the world. To me, she uses the tape recorder as a way of putting her thoughts in a metaphorical bottle before sending them out into the universe. I think this section shows how she uses drugs, her mind, and her ideas to put everyone at a safe distance, as the stars are to us. But in her attempt to keep the world at bay, she taps into some very raw truths-- and her only way to deal with this burning self perception is to turn it into a cosmic joke, because you can’t cry if you are laughing.

Who is K.R.? K.R. is... so much trapped in too little. I think she is an incredibly smart individual, full of creative ideas, and burning with restless energy. All of this is clear by her interesting word choices, and the different and unique subjects she discusses. However, this flame is smothered by her self criticism, depression and laziness. She tries so hard to be unaffected by the world that she is so intensely involved in. It is clear to me that she struggles with everyday encounters and finds it frustrating that she has no one she can be as candid with as her tape recorder. She is so terrified of being vulnerable that she detaches herself from the world; often dismissing herself shortly after saying something truly profound in order to hide these truths even from herself.

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Alyssa Kempinski

Who are you? I am in my second and final year of acting at the William Esper studio, studying Meisner technique with Suzanne Esper. I previously attended Temple university where I studied Voice & Sociology but left my studies to move to New York and pursue my dream.

What takes place in your section of the film? KR in my segment of the film is certainly the most extroverted but also very vunerable. She attempts to address her feelings about her best friend using alcohol as her courage. It is a moment that I think 90% of young adults can relate to in some way.

Who is K.R.? KR is anyone or everyone’s coming of age story. The vunerabilities, the questions, the desires have always been the same, the only things that change are clothes, language and cultural context. Hearing all the segments on the tape, it was sometimes hard for me to believe she was the same person since I had very little context for her and since we only had moments of time to reference her. I believe the most accurate way to depict her was using many different perspectives. Everyone shows different sides of themselves in different contexts, we just physicalized that reality by using different actors.

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PreProduction

Casting

From the ramblings of K.R.

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A beat up Panasonic cassette-tape recorder is placed onto a desk by a woman’s hand. The same hand presses the eject button, opening the door

of the recorder.

40

Then, the “record” and “play” but-tons are pressed simultaneously.

The gears of the tape begin to spin as static is heard.

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INT. CU BEDROOM - DAY

A slim girl with long hair leans her face in to talk into the tape recorder. This is K.R.1.

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K.R.1 Check 1, 2. Check.

She taps on the microphone of the recorder.

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Locations

K.R.1How’s my volume? Hello. Hello!

K.R.1 presses stop on the tape re-corder.

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INT. CU BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

K.R.1 hits record on the tape re-corder.

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The Run Up

K.R.1Sounds pretty good. I should put ona record. I wonder how that will

sound.

She presses “stop” once again. Static is heard over black.

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INT. K.R.’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

A record is seen spinning on a small record player. An old jazz song begins to play.

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We now see that we are in a small room. A messy bed sits in one corner, a small desk in the other. K.R.1 engages the tape again.

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Production

Set Design

She then proceeds to tidy up her room, dancing to the song and sing-ing along at parts.

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The record continues to play. We are in the same exact room, however, the posters adorning the walls are slightly different.

84

Instead of K.R.1, we see a different girl; similar in age/build. This is K.R.2. She is doing her hair in front of a mirror, getting ready to go out.

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The music continues. Once again we see the same room and yet another girl. This is K.R.3. She sits on her bed, drawing in a large notebook.

92


Again in the same room. This time we see K.R.4 as she rolls herself a joint. The song ends, the record scratches.

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FilmingDay 1

INT. K.R.’S FAMILY BEDROOM - EVENING>We are in a large bedroom that could be considered “girly”.

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SISTER, a teenage girl, sits the bed in front of the tape recorder.

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SISTER Good evening. Tonight we have ashow for you. A show about...

Nothing. Nothing at all.

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Sister begins laughing. K.R.3 walks in and puts down her bag on the

bed.

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SISTER Sorry, my sister, the turkey,

walked in. The turkey, yes. Or the nerd.

K.R. 3A Nerd?

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SISTER A nerd! Yes! Folks we have a nerd

in the room! No, no, I’m just fool-ing. Her presence cracks me up,

though!

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K.R.3 Who said you could be in my room?And who said you could use my tape

recorder?

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SISTER It’s not your tape recorder, it’s

Dad’s!

K.R.3 No, he gave it to me. Plus there’s

private stuff on there!

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SISTER You mean you’d just sit in the room

and talk to yourself?

K.R.3 No, I just... record my thoughts

sometimes.

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K.R.3 No. It’s like writing. Haven’t youever had to remember something so

you write it down?

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She lays down on the bed, facing the opposite fidirection of her sister, looking up.

SISTER I am me, no matter how old I am. I

must remember that.

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FilmingDay 2

INT. DARK SPACE

Smoke fIlls the room. A closeup of KR4’s lips - the long drag of a lit joint. Not all of KR4’s face can be seen.

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In the center of the room is a model of a galaxy, as if done by a high school kid, though large in size. It has a black hole at the center. KR4 walks up to it and breaks a piece of it off.

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K.R.4 (V.O) Approximately how large is a neutron star, how dense, how massive? Can we produce such

material on Earth?

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K.R.4 How can the period luminositydiagram be used to determine

distances of stars, clusters, or galaxies? Discuss why a star may

become a novae or supernovae. Where does the energy come from.

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K.R.4 Until tonight I never really

thought about how weird it is when I talk to myself. If anyone were to

come in here right now-

KR4 turns her body to face the ceil-ing again.

K.R.4 -they’d think I was nuts.

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FilmingDay 3

INT. K.R.’S BEDROOM - DAY <>Sunlight pours into the small room. K.R.1 is at her desk, she leans into a microphone that is attached to a portable tape player.

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K.R.1 Umm... Alright. It’s... December...Monday, The 11th, in the morning.

A long pause.

K.R.1 I’ll mark it on the calendar.

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K.R.1 Excuse me, what am I talking about?Today’s the 13th! I have to study astronomy... For my exam this week. It’s a test, K.R, not an exam. What

else...?

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INT. K.R.’S BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER

K.R.1 turns on the tape once again.

K.R.1I’m gonna try this again...

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K.R.1 Thinking requires a lot less energythan speaking. To speak this is re-

ally requiring a lot of energy right now for some reason. While thinking is lightning quick.

180

K.R.1 I don’t know what I want to do. I’d like to get the fuck out of... Out

of it all.

She rolls again. She turns off the tape. Static is heard.

184

FilmingDay 4

INT. KITCHEN - DAY

K.R.2 is sitting at a small kitchen table in front of the tape recorder, fidgeting with it. Over her shoulder is FRIEND, another girl of similar age to K.R.2. She is mixing a drink. They are visibly drunk.

190

K.R.2 -I swear, this tape will be worth

something some day.

K.R.2 walks the tape recorder over to the sink.

K.R.2 Now tell us what you’re doing?

194

FRIEND Wow. Who needs a diary anymore. Youcould record all your thoughts on

this.

K.R.2 Huh. I never thought about that.This thing is, like, the future.

198

K.R.2 You know, we are so diverse you andI, you’re green and I’m pink. Ac-tually, I think I’m more green and

you’re more pink.

202

FRIEND You want to trade?

K.R.2 No. That’s alright.

It’s gonna be really funny hearing this played back-

K.R.2 turns off the tape recorder. Static is heard.

206

FADE TO BLACK

Directors, (from left) Brendan Steere, Mike Marabella and Dan Bello, watch as a hopeful actress auditions for the part of KR.

Director, James Berry, watches as ac-tresses perform their monologues.

Actress, Lacy Marie Meyer, begins her audition for the part of KR.

Actress, Lacy Marie Meyer, chats with the directors as she hands them her résumé.

Directors, (from left) James Berry, Brendan Steere, Mike Marabella and Dan Bello.

Directors, Brendan Steere, talks to actress, Alyssa Kempinski, about his audition scene.

A hopeful actress shows up to read for the part of KR.

Directors, Mike Marabella (left) and Dan Bello, discuss the auditions.

Brendan Steere watches as an actress reads for KR.

An actress reads for the part of KR. James Berry takes after seeing multiple auditions.

The directors gather together to go over an actresses credentials.

210

Dan Bello waits for auditions to start up again after some down time.

One of the loactions used in the filming of the movie, in Edision, New Jersey.

The foyer of an Edison, New Jersey home, used in the filming of the movie.

The dining room of an Edison, New Jersey home, used in the filming of the movie.

A bedroom of an Edison, New Jersey home, used in the filming of the movie.



Michael Marabella fills out post cards for those who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign which funded the production of the film.



Michael Marabella mails post cards for those who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign which funded the production of the film.

Michael Marabella and director of photography, Javier De Pablos Velez, meet to discuss filming.

211


Michael Marabella and actress, Sara Jecko, meet to go over her scene.

Paint supplies, set up as props for the film.

Newspaper clippings, set up as props for the film.

Posters and news paper clippings, set up as props for the film.

Newspaper clippings, set up as props for the film.

Posters, set up as props for the film. Jewlery, set up as props for the film.

The set during break time for the cast and crew.

A tape recorder, set up as a prop for the film.

Posters, set up as props for the film. A record player, set up as a prop for the film.

212

KR’s desk in one of the scenes in the film.

Art supplies, set up as props for the film. Newspaper clippings, set up as props for the film.

The makeup table.

Costume designer, Juliana Gyimesi, starts to unload outfits for the actresses.

The makeup table. Kenny Barbera works on sound mixing. Make up artist, Nicole Davidson, puts make up on Lacy Marie Meyer.

The filmmakers meet to discuss filming for the day.

Assistant Director, Joe Amodei. Director, Brendan Steere, and director of photography, Javier De Pablos Velez, discuss their scene.

Script supervisor, Tim McEniry, reads over the script.

213

Costume designer, Juliana Gyimesi, fixes up some outfits.

Costume designer, Juliana Gyimesi, fixes up some outfits.

Director, Michael Marabella, makes some phone calls in between takes.

Michael Marabella, Bredan Steere and Joe Amodei discuss filming.

Director, Brendan Steere, speaks with actress, Elizabeth Mears, about her scene.

Actress, Lacy Marie Meyer. Lacy Marie Meyer waits to get made up, while costume designer, Juliana Gyimesi, fixes up some outfits.

Make up artist, Nicole Davidson, puts make up on actress, Elizabeth Mears.

Costumes for the film. Michael Marabella and script supervisor, Tim McEniry.

The crew sets up lights outside the bedroom windows of the house.

Light fixtures on the roof of the house.

214

Joe Amodei and Brendan Steere prepare for a scene.

Javier De Pablos Velez and camera assistant, Lauren Hall, prepare for a scene.

Costumes set up in a shower. Costume designer, Juliana Gyimesi, poses with her costumes.

Michael Marabella and Brendan Steere look at some of the footage they have shot so far.

Brendam Steere and Lacy Marie Meyer pose together after they wrap for the day.

Lacy Marie Meyer and Elizabeth Mears act out a scene together.

Elizabeth Mears acts out a scene.



Michael Marabella and production assistant, Nicholas Marabella, set up some filming equipment.

Michael Marabella fools around with a very expensive camera.

215

Director of photography, Jake Saner, composes a shot.

Lacy Marie Meyer waits while the crew prepares a shot.

Director of photography, Jake Saner, composes a shot.

Production assistant, Nicholas Marabella enthusiastically stands in while the crew composes a shot.

Director of photography, Jake Saner, and assistant director, Joe Amodei.

Michael Marabella helps the crew to set up a shot.

The crew sets up a shot while actress, Dana Jesberger waits.

Director, James Berry, and actress, Dana Jesberger, discuss the scene they are about to film.

Director James Berry, and script supervisor, Tim McEniry, fool around during filming.

The crew sets up a shot. Director of photography, Jake Saner, put finishing touches on a “galaxy” structure used during his scene in the movie.

Pruduction designer, Heddy Hunt, prepares the set for filming.

216

Michael Marabell and actress, Sara Jecko, discuss their scene.

Michael Marabella prepares the set for filming.

Sound mixer, José Frias, prepares his equipment.

Michael Marabella and director of photography, Javier De Pablos Velez, discuss filming.

Michael Marabella, director of photography, Javier De Pablos Velez, and camera assistant Lauren Hall, discuss filming.

Boom operator, Alex Choi, relaxes while waiting for filming to begin.


Costumes hang in a shower.

Make artist, Nicole Davidson, puts make up on actress, Sara Jecko.

Actress, Sara Jecko. Camera assistant, Lauren Hall. Actress, Sara Jecko, prepares for her scene.

217

Michael Marabella and Sara Jecko, discuss their scene.

Gaffer, Matt Heymann, naps during down time on set.

Michael Marabella fools around durng down time on set.

Michael Marabella, assistant director, Anthony Giangrasso and director of photography, Javier De Pablos Velez, discuss filming.

Javier De Pablos Velez, composes a shot. Michael Marabella records his own thoughts onto the set tape recorder.

Light fixtures on set. Gaffer, Matt Heymann sets up lights.

Make up artist, Nicole Davidson, puts make up on actress, Alyssa Kempinski.

Make up artist, Nicole Davidson. Assistant director, Joe Amodei, stands in while a shot is composed.

Actress, Jaquen Castellanos, and boom operator, Alex Choi.

218

Camera assistant, Lauren Hall. Production designer, Heddy Hunt, and production assistant, Dan Gallagher.

Director of photography, Nick Stango. Director of photography, Nick Stango.

Director, Dan Bello, and assistant director, Joe Amodei.

The slate.

219

unwound

Documents

process of filming

amazing story

girls story

recent passion

things david bowie

amazing cast

unmarked tape

middle school