Hi everyone!

My name is Martha Early. I will be serving as guest contributor and editor to the blog over the next week or so, and I have been working for director Andy Blubaugh on The Adults in the Room since January of 2009. However, Andy and I actually go back a lot further than this wild and crazy year of movie-making.

When I was sixteen years old, I enrolled in an experimental filmmaking and screenwriting class at the NW Film Center School of Film. The classes were both teen-oriented, but more importantly, were both instructed by Mr. Blubaugh. I immediately recognized Andy as a driven and creative person, and got my hands on his work as soon as possible. I was pleased to find Andy’s work cohesive, compelling and unique, and was very much stricken with admiration during the weeks he served as my teacher.

The position of instructor is a very powerful one, especially with underage students when the lines society draws between youth and being “of age” creep closer and closer. Andy addresses this in The Adults in the Room, and it has been my privelige to work for him as he reflects upon these boundaries which are still very apparent to me as my twentieth birthday approaches.

The big shoot for the narrative portion of The Adults in the Room draws closer and closer, and during this time I will be providing you with updates of all kinds: notes and photos from the set, updates about the progress of the film, and much much more. We start shooting this Saturday, so stay tuned for an exclusive week of coverage for The Adults in the Room, coming very very soon.

I swear, I had no idea when I cast him that Bretton was in one of my favorite movies growing up. Indeed, Bretton Vail was a part of two of Gregg Araki’s first features, The Long Weekend and The Living End. Araki’s films have often been cited as important works in the queer film world. And now, Bretton is part of The Adults in the Room, having been cast as Mr. Hansen, Andy’s high school English teacher.

Bretton Vail lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, working at Hollywood Post Production facilities The Post Group, and Encore Hollywood.  An accomplished editor and director as well, Vail began his career on the other side of the camera, starring in two of Gregg Araki’s early features and Rupert Nadeau’s  award winning Tracks. Vail has produced and edited two independent feature films and four short films that have played in festivals and won awards nationally and internationally. He also has an extensive history of voiceover work, improvisation and sketch comedy.

He travels extensively for his clients but currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon. The whole cast and crew of The Adults in the Room is thrilled to have the highly accomplished Bretton on our team and can’t wait to see him bring to the screen what made his auditions so exciting.

Read more about him on his IMDb page.

There is still some crucial crew needed for the 8 day 16mm film shoot. Positions are deferred pay, but this is a great opportunity to work on a professional shoot for this experimental, mixed-genre film with excellent community support.

Hey Portland food lovers and providers,

We are looking for food sponsors for our upcoming 9-day shoot. Meals are a crucial element on any food set, keeping a 40-person crew properly fed and caffeinated can make the difference between movie magic and total mayhem.

If you know of, or are, a restaurant, coffee shop, caterer, food cart, chef, farmer, genie or general Good Samaritan who can provide in-kind donations, day-old/leftovers or gift cards between the dates of 8/29 - 9/7 please get in touch with us.

And thank you for supporting your local film-making community!

No, she’s not a member of the cast, but we’re happy to welcome her anyway.  Meet Ryan Findely’s new daughter, Mable August Findley

I’m very happy to report that The benefit for The Adults on Sunday was a rip-roaring success, and most certainly worth the effort.

The crowd at La Merde

Thanks to everyone who came to enjoy the art, drinks, and conversation, and an extra special thanks to those that made donations or placed bids on items in the silent auction.  Your generosity helped us raise over $1,000 towards our production, bringing us one step closer to getting cameras rolling.

Unfortunately, the intended highligh of the evening—a sneak peek at new footage from the film—didn’t pan out.  Let this be a lesson to you: you can test an AV system over and over (and over, and over) and something can still go wrong.  If I wasn’t grateful to vodka sponsors before the sound went out on our presentation, I certainly was after.

Even if you missed the event, there are plenty of ways to support us (yes, even if you’re broke).  Visit our support page here to see all of our wish lists.

Read the full invitation here!

Our benefit at La Merde is gearing up, and we are looking for contributions of original artwork, goods and services for our silent auction. Make a contribution, and you or your company will get a shout out here on the site, a listing in our event program, and, of course, our undying gratitude.

To donate contact auction supervisor Martha Early, at (360) 448-5475, or via e-mail at marth.early@gmail.com.

Casting the role of Andy was relatively easy. The script is told from that character’s point of view, and the actor has a lot of material to draw from to make that character complex and sympathetic.

But the role Peter is another story. Peter’s motivations remain shrouded, and his very inaccessibility is an integral part of his character. Additionally, there will be audiences who have identified him as a bad guy—a “predator”—before the lights have even gone down. The actor behind the role has to be able to challenge those assumptions in a relatively short amount of screen time.

After two callbacks, it came down to three amazingly talented actors, who took the role in three very different but totally feasible directions. It was not an easy choice, but I believe that we made the right one in Ryan Findley.

When not acting, Ryan keeps himself very busy with his own gutter company, his wife’s store, Red Berry Boutique, one son, one daughter and another daughter on the way. He does not, apparently, sleep.

He is currently in production on the local WWII drama Pathfinders: In The Company Of Strangers. Suffice it to say, Ryan’s role in The Adults In The Room will be a very different one.

You can read more about Ryan on his IMDb page.

It feels silly in retrospect: after watching dozens of young men read and holding three rounds of callbacks, the actor we’ve chosen for the part of Andy is not only the first person to have read for the role, he was the very first person to respond to our call for actors. Introducing Calvin McCarthy.

Calvin’s reading became the centerpiece of the verité scene I cut of the first round of auditions but I was hesitant to offer him the part until I found just the right Peter for him to play against. That didn’t stop Calvin from becoming a “fan” of the project on every platform available, including our Vimeo page, where that scene—which all but announces him as our pick—is hosted. I kept him on the hook so long, I was expecting him to be irritated or just plain unavailable when I finally offered him the part. Instead, he acted as if I had just handed him a winning lottery ticket.

Calvin has a ton of experience on the stage and the screen, having recently wrapped production on the local feature film American Disciples. The Adults In The Room will be his first starring role.

Read more about him on his IMDb page.