ObsessionStatus: Complete
About the Story
SynopsisSam Preston finally has it all... He just received a promotion to vice president in a prestigious company and his girlfriend of six months, Sara Michaels, is the best thing to come into his life... ever. But there is something else, Sam has a secret. A secret he hides from everyone around him, including his best friend Jerry Marsh. Sam has been withdrawn, unwilling to venture out of his new home to enjoy the company of his friends. They wonder why Sam has changed rom a social happy bachelor to a quiet recluse. When Sam finally relents and agrees to join his co-workers in a congratulatory drink at the local bar, they see a glimmer of hope for the old Sam... or at least they think they do. When Sam accidentally leaves his cell phone behind, Jerry sees an opportunity to return it and pay a visit to Sam and Sara. When he arrives, he finds more than he bargains for and it may cost someone their life. Who will pay for discovering Sam's obsession? About the StoryThe concept of Obsession came during a conversation between Poultry and Prejudice director Sherry Teleky Waple and editor, Tom Richards, Jr. Richards came to Waple with this wild story about a man who appears to be your average, ordinary Joe. He has a good job, nice house, good friends and a beautiful woman. However, there is more to this average Joe. He has a dark secret that not even his best friend knows about. The initial idea started with this dark secret being somewhat of a "Twilight Zone" meets "Mannequin" concept. "When we first discussed the story, Tom thought it would be really cool to use an actual mannequin as part of the main character's secret. He gave me an idea that I could visualize then I just rolled with it." Within two hours, Waple had written her first official screenplay. "It wasn't difficult. After talking with Tom, I pretty much had the entire story in my head and it was just a matter of putting it on paper. However, I am used to writing novels, not screenplays and there is a huge difference" explains Waple. Novels must have much more detail so that the reader can visualize what the writer is trying to convey. Screenplays need very little detail, but must have strong dialogue. It is the director and actors' jobs, together, to get the audience to see what the writer is trying to portray. "I think I did a descent job for my first attempt at screenwriting" admits Waple. Richards loved the initial draft and planned to shoot the film in the fall of 2004 acting as director and Waple as producer and writer. The fall of 2004 rolled around, but Richards, who also performs in a rock band, found that he would not have the time or money to bring this film to the screen. Waple approached Richards, asking for permission to direct and produce the film that Richards no longer could do himself. Richards gave Waple the go ahead and Waple revisited the script. In looking at it again, Waple thought the initial concept for the ending was a bit over the top and worked on rewriting the script to put more of a subtle spin on the ending. "I didn't want the audience to know everything up front, but I also did not want them to feel confused in the end." Waple struggled with getting the perfect dialogue and story flowing in the right direction and asked for the help of Glenn McQuaig who was found during the casting for Obsession . "I wasn't looking for a writer at the time, but in speaking with McQuaig, it appeared that his ideas would lend themselves well to the script and I asked for his assistance." Seven drafts later, the mannequin was eliminated, and a new concept was born. Obsession was finally on its way! About the ProductionFINDING THE PERFECT CAST One thing Waple learned from prior projects is that your cast is very crucial in having a successful film. "I was watching Tour of Duty one evening with my husband and saw Terence Knox. I knew that he would be perfect for the lead role" Waple confided in her husband. It was then that she decided to take the next step into the "real" world of filmmaking. "I had no idea how to go about getting in touch with Mr. Knox" admits Waple. However, after doing a little research, she located the address of his agent and sent him a letter inquiring about his interest in a few projects the company was working on. About two weeks after sending out the letter, Waple received a telephone call from Mr. Knox himself. "I was shocked when I picked up my phone and Mr. Knox was on the other end" states an excited Waple. Mr. Knox was definitely interested in all three projects that Waple discussed with him, but was particularly interested in the short. "The short was very intriguing, different from anything I did in the past and I was very excited about being a part of this project". The wheels were set in motion with Mr. Knox, but still not having a signed contract, Waple decided it was best to still hold auditions for the role. "You never know what can happen and I wanted to be sure I had my bases covered." Waple states in making her decision to continue to hold auditions for the role of Sam Preston. Initial auditions were held in early December 2004 at Goldberg Katzman, P.C. in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , where Waple works as a legal secretary. "They were very supportive and allowed me to use the office to hold the casting call. It was the perfect setting and I appreciate the firm's help in this venture" states Waple. This casting call was held a little different than that of Poultry's . "Last time we had an open call and it was just crazy" admits Waple. This time it was decided to have scheduled appointments for each individual. This gave us more time to work with individuals we were interested in and things ran very smooth with a total of 122 people attending the two-day casting call. Following the initial casting call, Waple now had to do the difficult task of cutting the 122 down to 12. "This is always difficult for me. There are so many talented individuals out there and you want to work with them all, but you just cannot do that" states Waple. Also, at this point, Mr. Knox was still not signed so Waple continued to search for the lead role of Sam. Waple made the decisions and contacted the individuals for the callbacks. Callbacks where scheduled to be held after the holiday in mid-January 2005, however, things did not go as planned. "We had a huge snowstorm blow in that weekend and because some of the people were traveling from as far away as Connecticut , I did not feel comfortable holding the callbacks and risk someone getting hurt in their travels" states Waple. Making the decision to reschedule callbacks posed as a problem. Many of the individuals Waple was interested in could not attend the new date and some received other roles in the meantime. "I was getting really nervous" admits Waple, being only five weeks out from the scheduled production start date and still not having casting complete. Callbacks were finally held mid-February at the Prince Edwin Masonic Temple in Middletown , Pennsylvania and all went well. Waple felt confident with her choices and was ready to contact everyone when she finally received a signed contract from Mr. Knox. "I was very excited to have someone of Mr. Knox's expertise join our cast, but at the same time, I knew it would be difficult for me to contact the individuals who worked so hard to win the role, that they were not getting it because it was being given to Mr. Knox, someone who did not even audition" admits Waple. However, most individuals understood and wanted what was best for the film and having a named actor was definitely best for the film. There was no doubt in Waple's mind that she now had the perfect cast for this project. Some of the other actors cast were excited when they were told that Terence Knox was joining the cast of Obsession. "I was worried about two things, namely myself being unprofessional and gushing like a star struck school girl, and Terence possibly being aloof or a Hollywood big shot type. Well, I am thankful to say that Terry is a super nice guy! I thought to myself, Cool, I'm sharing a trailer with Sarge!" comments John B. Nelson, Jr. who was cast as Matt and have the opportunity to work with Terry during the bar scene. Glenn McQuaig (Jerry Marsh) who worked with Terry both days was just as excited. "I didn't know what to expect from a "name" actor. Visions of a prima donna were quickly dispelled. Terry is just super-cool. I liked him instantly. Really down-to-earth and funny as hell. He also helped me step up my performance a bunch." About the LocationsWaple again decided to shoot the entire film in her hometown of Middletown , Pennsylvania . "It really is a sentimental thing for me" admits Waple as she explains how she would rather promote her local community then take the production somewhere else. There were two locations needed for this project; a bar and a residential home. Because Waple envisioned Richards home when writing the script, she immediately asked for permission to use their home for that of Sam's. The Richards' home is a beautiful two-story home set in the midst of Middletown . Waple approached Tom and Carolyn Richards explaining to them what all was entailed in filming in their home. The Richards agreed to allow the company to use their home and the first location was set. Their home was used for all the interior shots. The opening shot, the exterior of the house, is actually a different house. The second location needed was a bar. The bar had to be large enough for a film crew, but small enough to appear to be a hometown establishment. That's when Waple's cousin came to mind. "My cousin, Jeff Bratina, owns Bratina's Steakhouse in Middletown . They have a dining area and also a nice, quaint bar and I thought it would be perfect for what I was looking for. Not to mention that they have the best prime rib and crab cakes in the area!" When approached by Waple, Bratina did not hesitate. However, things did not go according to planned. Only two weeks from the shoot date, Waple finds out that they will not be able to get into the bar at the call time that was set for that day. "Apparently, in Pennsylvania no one is allowed in a bar between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. and we needed to get into the bar at 4:30 a.m. so the crew could set up" states a calm Waple. After many telephone calls to the Liquor Control Board, and as many trips, an after hours license was granted to Bratina's Steakhouse which allowed people to utilize the facility after hours as long as no alcohol was being served. "You cannot even imagine the hoops we had to jump through" states Waple after the bar was secured. This kind of thing is old school for Waple. During the pre-production of Poultry , a similar scenario occurred with a location possibly being taken away from Waple, but her persistence came through once more. RehearsalWith casting complete, locations secure, it was time to start making all the other arrangements. Hotel reservations, catering, equipment, you name it and it had to be done. Unlike Poultry, Waple was acting as sole producer with no co-producer involved. "I forgot how much work it was being a producer, but I must admit, with my organizational skills, it is something I really enjoy." Things did start out a little shaky as Mr. Knox's flight, scheduled to arrive at 9:30p.m. on Wednesday before the shoot, did not arrive until 1:00a.m. Eric Galler's (production supervisor/1 st AD) flight, scheduled to arrive at 10:00a.m. on Thursday before the shoot, did not arrive until 3:30p.m. "They were both exhausted, so we did not get to go over the script or last minute pre-production work either day" explains Waple. Instead, they rested and enjoyed a nice dinner at Alfred Victorian's a historic local restaurant in Middletown , PA. Friday came and it was time for equipment pick-up and rehearsal. Waple normally would pick-up equipment herself, however, only having a 2-hour period in which to rehearse in the bar made it impossible for her to do this. "Dan Scully (2 nd AD) went with me last time to pick-up equipment and I felt comfortable sending him and Blaise Arlotto (boom operator) to pick up the equipment for me." With this task delegated, and Linda Shaffner (craft services) finalizing the catering schedule, this left Waple with a clear head for rehearsal. "I really needed to work with my actors and get the frames set so we could hit the ground running on Saturday morning" explains Waple Rehearsal went very well and most of the shots were blocked and the actors finally had their first opportunity to work together. Waple worked with the actors in getting different performances from them. "I wanted to see how far they could stretch their character while acting with each other and in doing so, found that an entirely new aspect played much better than the initial thought" explains Waple. Initially we were going with a lighter atmosphere, where the characters were more jovial about the changes in Sam. However, after approaching it differently in rehearsal, it suited better to have the characters get more upset at Sam. This really helped set the tone that something was amiss, but you are not sure what. "This should start the audience wondering from the beginning, without giving much away" explains Waple. Once Waple was happy with the blocking and performances, it was then time to pick wardrobe. Each actor brought several different outfits for director Waple to choose from. Once the outfits were chosen, each individual met with Waple and Pam Seig (make-up/hair stylist) to discuss the look Waple wanted for each character. Following wardrobe/make-up selection, the cast went to the Prince Edwin Masonic Temple to rehearse the other scenes of the film. The original location was not available for rehearsal since it was a private residence. "Really, I wanted my actors to get comfortable with each other since these were some difficult scenes and it really did not matter if we were in the shooting location or not" explains Waple. The only downfall was that blocking would have to wait until the actual shoot. Cheryl and Terry were fairly comfortable with each other which really helped and they did a very nice job in relaying what Waple was looking for. After rehearsal, Knox, in dire need of a haircut, was now in the hands of Seig. "I cut a lot of hair, but I never in my life thought I would work on a Hollywood actor. It was really exciting for me and Terry was wonderful" states Seig. Within a short time, Knox was looking like a million bucks and on his way to dinner with his new found friend Frank Waple. "It was amusing to be just waiting around and suddenly hear Terry call out, "Frankie! Hey, Frankie! They obviously had hit it off and became instant friends" observed McQuaig (Jerry Marsh). Although Knox and the other actors were released for the night, Scungio had to stick around a bit longer. The final scene involves the use of a green screen. This was something Waple thought of after acquiring the use of the green screen. "We are using a green screen for the ending shot" Waple explains to Scungio as special effects make-up artist Tim Gehman puts a bullet hole in her head. Scungio did not know about this scene, but rose to the occasion and gave Waple the performance she was looking for. Once the green screen was complete, the pre-production meeting was held and many crew members met for the first time. "Something we did a bit different this time was that we implemented teams" explains Waple. This means that each department had their own team of individuals and they worked together and did not impede on another department unless that department specifically asked for help. This really helped the production run much smoother with next to no problems at all. Following the meeting, the equipment was loaded for the morning shoot and everyone headed home for a good night's rest. PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY ONE It's 4:30a.m. and Bratina's Steakhouse was a busy place. Crew members had their coffee and breakfast and started working by 4:45a.m. setting up for the first shot. The lighting team set up for the group shot at the bar, while the art department transformed the bar into a festive place on the inside "It was actually the weekend after St. Patrick's Day so we decided to take advantage of that and decorated the bar in correspondence with the holiday" explains Waple. While on the outside, the art department blocked out all the windows with heavy black plastic so that the interior of the bar was under the total lighting control of James Hollenbaugh (director of photography). Talent began to show up at 5:00a.m. and the first shot was to take place at 5:40a.m. It took almost an hour longer then scheduled to get the first shot off, but this is to be expected. "I really was not too worried at this point. My last film, the first shot was three hours late and we still got it in the can on schedule" confesses Waple. Once things got rolling at 6:30a.m. , it went very smooth. The actors did an excellent job and not many takes were needed which helped save on time. However, with this being almost half of the script, many angles had to be covered to make sure nothing was missed. At 11:00a.m. the bar was opened to the public. Since all the windows were blacked out, many of the public patrons thought the bar was not open. There was even one patron who thought there was a homicide at the bar. We did put their mind at ease and just explained that a movie was being shot, but that they were still welcome inside. Many did venture inside and were surprised to see what was involved in making a film. "When you watch a movie, you just take it for granted. You really have no idea what all is involved until you actually see it being done" states Marlin John a regular patron of Bratina's and director Waple's uncle. That day, the patrons of Bratina's received a little bit of " Hollywood " to tell their friends about. The cast and crew worked straight through, with only a short sandwich break, until 3:45p.m. when they finally wrapped at the bar. They really had no choice. The dinner crowd was beginning to show up and the bar was becoming busy with patrons. We were supposed to be out of the bar by 2:00p.m. , however, Jeff Bratina was kind enough to allow us to stay for two more hours to capture all the footage we needed. "I cannot express my gratitude enough to Jeff. He went above and beyond for us and I truly do appreciate it. Thank you" comments Waple. John B. Nelson (Matt) sums up his experience from the day. "I enjoyed working on and off the script. Sherry gave us the opportunity to add lib and improvise some of the dialog. I LOVE being given that freedom. A good director will let you do that if he or she trusts you. The pace changes and the interaction becomes more spontaneous and natural." "We got a lot done in a pretty short period of time. Since the crew was so solid, the actors were on their game, and Sherry was in charge making really good snap decisions, the shoot moved very swiftly. Even though the day was long and action packed, it was still fun." Nelson adds. Kim McCaul-Armer (Wendy) also had some kind words about her experience from the day. "Well, I have been on quite a few sets, some big, some small. I have to say that being on the Golden Horse Productions set was one of the best experiences I have ever had. Though a small production, you carried it off as well, if not better, than some bigger productions. Everyone was made to feel exceptional in their own field and the set was very professional." Equipment loaded up, the bar put back to normal, a quick cast and crew photo taken outside Bratina's and the production is now on its way to dinner at the Prince Edwin Masonic Temple . Following the dinner, the production headed to the final location at the Richards' home. There were three scenes left for the day and although this segment was starting behind schedule, things were right on track. The first two scenes to be shot were in the kitchen. Very simple scenes, at least for the crew. Very little set up and all hand-held. Terry's job in the first scene was simple. come in the door, put groceries on the table, then go find Sara. However, the second scene shot, now that was a different story. Sam returns to the kitchen after seeing Sara and his best friend Jerry in a compromising position in the basement. Sam is shocked at what he has seen, unable to believe it. "I wanted to feel Sam's pain" explains director Waple to Terry Knox. Terry tackled the task to the extent that individuals who were not in the room were actually afraid when they heard the scene being filmed. "It was freaky. All you heard was this person kind of crying and mumbling then suddenly a loud 'bang!' when Terry slammed his fists on the counter. It made me jump!" comments Kesley Teleky (production assistant). The final scene for the day was the scene that first establishes Sara. "We wanted the audience to see that Sam and Sara have a good relationship and are very happy together" comments Waple. The scene was shot in a very small bedroom which made it a bit difficult to set up for different angles. However, enough angles were covered with one of Waple's favorite shots. the mirror. "I do not know what it is, but I love utilizing mirrors. I guess it is because it's real life. How many times will you be talking with someone when there is a mirror there and instead of turning around, you look at them in the mirror?" comments Waple. The shot added for a nice finishing touch for the day. PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY DAY TWO The next and final day of the shoot began at a decent hour, unlike the day before. With the crew arriving at 7am and cast at 8am , things started pretty close to schedule. The first scene of the day was that of the confrontation between Sam and Jerry. "I knew this would be the most difficult scene since it is so full of emotion, and that is why I chose to shoot this first thing" explains director Waple. It was decided that the scene would be shot with all hand-held which was not going to be an easy task for Tony Shofestall (camera operator). "Tony is a very tall individual and his shadow is everywhere" comments Waple. Regardless of his shadow, Tony did an outstanding job at capturing the intense moment between the characters. Terry and Glenn both did an excellent job in escalating the scene to the point that they gave crew members goosebumps! And hats off to Glenn for allowing Terry to slap him, choke him, point a gun in his face and throw him out a door. He was a glutton for punishment, but appeared to love every minute of it With one of the most difficult scenes out of the way, it was decided to move the schedule around a bit. Rain was on its way and there were two scenes that were required to be shot outdoors. It did not take long for the crew to set up and get the first shot off. However, in moving to another location outside the house, the rain set in. "I wasn't worried about getting wet, I just didn't want the camera to get wet" explains Shofstall. The crew made short time of setting up, however, although in a residential area, there were still many cars that kept going by which interfered with the audio. "We have no other choice, we have to stop traffic" explains Waple as she asks Suzanne Haynes and Kelsey Teleky to stand at each end of the street and hold traffic. In only two takes, the scene was captured, traffic was released and the camera was kept dry. After a very short lunch break, Waple, Shofestall, Gingrich (1 st assistant camera) and Thomas (art director) headed out to find a house that would give the film production value. Shofestall saw one on his way from the bar on Saturday that he thought would be perfect and he directed Waple to the location. "Tony was right, it definitely was perfect for the film" agrees Waple. The shot was secured and the crew returned to the house to finish the day's shoot. Next was the scene between Sam and Sara. Sam now confronts Sara as to why she did what she did. "I wanted to feel Sam's pain and Sara's sorrow" explains Waple. This was a very difficult scene in that Sara had to win Sam back and try to make things "just like old times" which meant the appearance of a sexual act had to be portrayed. Scungio was a little apprehensive about this shot and seeing her uneasiness, Waple asked that all non-essential crew members please leave the room. With only essential crew and the seasoned Knox by her side, Scungio gave Waple the performance was she was looking for. "I will admit, I was nervous at first. Cheryl did not seem to have a problem with it in rehearsal, but in front of the camera, she became shy. However, as every good actress does, she overcame her uneasiness and gave me an magnificent performance" comments Waple. Knox in turn did a superb job at letting the audience know that he was "feeling" the love, but in the end, the pain overtook him causing him to make the fatal decision.putting an end to all that caused him the pain. While the crew sets up for the next scene where Sam puts the end to his pain, Tim Gehman (special effects make-up) sets his hand to Knox. Tim arrived on the set at 6:30am waiting for his moment to shine, and after over hours of waiting, shine he did. Gehman did an excellent job with the gunshot wound in Sam's head. "It looked so real it was scary" admits Scully (2 nd assistant director). Once Gehman was finished with Knox, it was time to shoot what was to be the final scene. This scene captures the aftermath of Sam's fatal decision and leads us to the truth of what the entire story is all about. "Our hopes are that the audience will put all the pieces together and finally see what Sam's "obsession" is really about." explains Waple. The final scene to be shot is ironically the first scene of the film. In this scene, a passage of time had to be shown. There was so much more planned for this scene, however, with it being 11:30p.m. and the residents of the house in bed, not everything that Waple wanted to be done could be accomplished. However, the crew made quick time of setting up for the shot and Knox did an outstanding job in giving Waple much more than she expected and the scene was completed and the film wrapped after three very long days at 12:27a.m. With the residents now asleep, a quiet "It's a wrap!" was called and the cast and crew gave a whispered cheer. Equipment is loaded and goodbyes are said as the principal photography of Obsession is now at and end. "I had a wonderful cast and crew. They were very professional and worked well together. This always makes a director/producer's job much easier. I cannot express my gratitude enough for what they have done for me. Without each and every one of them giving me their all, this film would not have been possible. Thank you all" expresses Waple. Final PrepThe film is now in the post-production stage. Jonathan Boal (Kisisng Booth/Splatter) has been acquired as editor and editing is being done on Final Cut Pro. Music will be composed by Paul Bergel and sound design by Milkboy Recording. A rough cut is complete and a final should be completed with a final within thirty days following. The film will be submitted to various national and local film festivals with the hopes of be chosen for Sundance and Tribeca. Anyone wishing to contribute to the martketing of this film, please contact Sherry. Once the film is finalized, copies of the DVD and 27x41 one-sheet movie posters will be for sale on this site. The CastTerence Knox - Sam Preston The CrewSherry Teleky Waple - Director/Producer/Writer/Editor
Obsession is Entered in these Film Festivals:
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