Ryan Daniel Dobson BLOG

The Protector on Lifetime

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:47:40 EDT

AT&T Commercial

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 15:42:48 EDT

PRATTLE Trailer!

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:19:34 EDT

Trailer for "PRATTLE: Your Words Are Empty And So Is Your Heart (now in black and white!)" from Start to Finish Films on Vimeo.

PRATTLE screening!

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:13:25 EDT

We're screening the film!!!

Saturday, August 6th, at 8:00pm

Admission is free and it's open to everyone. Plus, there's a rooftop (birthday) party to follow! Should be EPIC fun. RSVP here: INVITATION

Downtown Independent
251 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Spain: Day 8

Tue, 24 May 2011 09:05:32 EDT

Beach time!

Pretty sure Kinsley is sitting here. Or Cosette is a giantess.

Does eating sand hurt a child? So far, no repercussions.

tickle time.

Spain: Day 7

Mon, 16 May 2011 23:08:42 EDT

Morning jog around Tarroja. Those are rows of vines, hand tended, on old terraces hewn into slate soil. At sunrise.

off for an outting to more bodegas and then toward the coast.

Looking back on Torroja from across the Priorat Valley

Wine!

Most of the grapes grown in the region are Grenache and Carignan. The best wines we tasted were a 50/50 mix. Some from 90 year old vines. 90!

The region was named after a Prior and this monastary at which he lived, worked, and grew grapes.

drive to the coast.

Spain: Day 6

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:13:45 EDT

This is what sending-work-emails-from-vacation looks like in Priorat

Outdoor patio at our bed and breakfast

And then the wine tasting!

The Priorat is covered in hills that are made of slate: the soil is almost like gravel, except made of all these tiny flat stones that retain a small amount of water. It's very very good soil for growing grapes.

Fun for adults.

Boring for children.

But in nearly every place we went, the spainish locals were extremely friendly and welcoming to kids. Even when Cosette or Kinsley started squirming, they never gave us the: oh-you-brought-a-baby-to-a-wine-tasting?? Wonderful people.

On this afternoon, we wandered into a town where we knew we wanted to have lunch - a restaurant called La Coperativa that exclusively uses foods from gardens and farms in the town and surrounding area. We showed up and the poor couple who runs the place wasn't ready for guests yet, so they asked us to come back in 45 min. That ended up being a huge blessing because, unbeknownst to us, in this town, was the bodega Sangenis I Vaque. We wandered in to this family's wine tasting room (slash-bottling-room-slash-labeling-room-slash-wine-shop. Always a good sign when they produce so little that they use the space for... everything). It just so happened that we were in a bodega selling one of the - if not THE - top wine in Spain, their Clos Monlleo. Here's a review:

The 2000 version of Clos Monlleo is something of a collector’s item in Europe and it’s very tough to get. It was rated as the “1st greatest quality wine of all Spanish wines” by Tom Stevenson (who has wide-ranging respect in Europe - almost like Tanzer) and it was also rated in the “Top Ten of all Spanish Wines” by Decanter.

This is what we love about traveling! Discovering the hidden gems.

Spain: Day 4

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:18 EDT

For a good portion of this trip I found myself having a hard time sleeping. Some mix of jet-lag, insomnia, and angst contributing, I often had several hours in the morning with time to do something better than stare at the ceiling. Fortunately I'd packed some running shoes - and on day 4 I took a run down La Rambla to the water to watch the sun rise.

Occasionally, carrying a camera with you pays off with a photo that you can't replicate. There are lots of photos I miss day-to-day, but on day 4, the one above I got.

"PASHTA!"

her fav.

However, even if it's her favorite, it's sometimes hard to get her to sit and eat it when there are so many fun distractions.

Spain: Day 5

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:20:52 EDT

Yep. I kind of feel guilty for even posting this photo...

This is Priorat - primier Spanish wine country.

Tarroja, Priorat, Spain

Johnny Stevens - Photographic Partner in Crime.

So now that the photos are over, I'll explain a bit more.

On day 5 we rented a car and drove from Barcelona to Reus - a small airport an hour outside of the city that Ryan Air calls "Barcelona." Who - if they were operating in the US - would be sued for false advertising. I mean, come on. Anyway. So we drove down to Reus. Driving in a foreign country is awesome because you see so much of the countryside that you'd otherwise miss. The driving explains why I didn't take a larger variety of photos this day. Anyways. We picked up our friends Brooke and Johnny Stevens (and their daughter Kinsley). They're missionaries in Slovenia and we always try and connect with them on these trips. Anyways x 3. From Reus we drove another 40 minutes into Priorat - a hilly, slate covered countryside that is perfect for something wonderful: growing grapes.

And all of that lead to this ridiculously beautiful setting above. And wine.

Spain: Day 3

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:54:30 EDT

The big girl wants to do the pushing now. Outside of the Cathedral in the Barrio Gotic on Easter.

And she wants to be the one taking photos. It's her artistic choice - inverting the image like that.

Top 3 photos I've taken that some how encapsulate my relationship with Cosette.

Eating tapas-style is a great way to go with kids. We don't have a table - so it's easy to pay and duck out quickly when Cosi gets squirmy. But we still were able to taste great food! And how cool is this: it's all on the honor system. They just count your toothpicks when you're done and charge you for each "pincho" you ate.

I can't remember if this was a post-breakfast, pre-lunch, post-lunch, pre-nap, or post-nap park run. In Barcelona there were so many little playgrounds, we did all of those. Oh wait, I think this one was a post-dinner but pre-bath park run.

Spain: Day 2

Mon, 09 May 2011 17:13:56 EDT

Nutella and croissant.

From our balcony in Barcelona

From our balcony in Paris last year. Goodness. Will I be able to hold her next year?

Outside the Magic Fountains. The Girl can't stop making eyes at all the people passing by waving at her.

Spain: Day 1

Fri, 06 May 2011 10:24:00 EDT

Off the plane and in Barcelona.

Barcelona is covered in these little parks. That way you can drink espresso and let the ankle-biter play.

Easter in Barcelona - the processionals were beautiful.

To answer your question: I have no idea. I'm just glad I had my camera within reach.

Our hotel "balcony"

eDiscord IX: Location location location

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:22:48 EDT

We can't seem to get this last scene finished! Arrgg!

So the issue is this - shooting outside is DANGEROUS. There are so many uncontrolable elements. We shot this date scene between MARCUS and STEPH at a gorgeous house in the Hollywood HIlls. We set the balcony to look like a restaurant for this short scene when they meet for the first time. Problem #1: Dogs. Problem #2: Planes. Problem #3 Helicopters, ambulances, and THE BIRDS. It was just so much noise... we had to constantly hold a shot for audio.

All that holding creates another problem: light. The longer we held, the more the sun went down, and the more we started to lose light. We started with the wide shot (above), then moved to MARCUS' closeup (here). By the time we turned around on STEPH...

THIS was how dark it was.

So now we're reshooting this scene... but it is proving to be so difficult! Schedules for everyone involved plus the location plus the equipment... goodness! I'm ready to have this thing in the can!

eDiscord VIII: Outtakes II - Unwanted Extras

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:38:59 EDT

More unwanted extras! Notice, Patrick and Vanessa keep walking and don't notice what has happened behind them

eDiscord Out Takes - Unwanted Extras II

eDiscord VII: Outtakes I - Unwanted Extras

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:42:16 EDT

So for the next few days I'm going to be posting outtakes and interesting moments from the shoot. Next week I'll try and go into more detail on how things have gone thus far!

TODAY: Unwanted Extras. Sometimes, when you're filming guerrilla style, you end up in situations where you have very little control over who is in the shot. This outtake makes me laugh - especially when this dude mean-mugs the camera.

eDiscord: Unwanted Extras YouTube Video

eDiscord VI: All The World's a Page

Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:22:44 EST

The incredible - and incredibly difficult - thing about writing and then producing a film, is the way that you envision something so specific and put it on a page and then try and make that idea into a very tangible reality. Sometimes you compromise and others you end up with a product better than what you'd originally imagined!

Sunday started bright and CRAZY early at a bar in Glendale called LaBrie's. Through friends of Patrick's we were able to get the bar for an extraordinarily reasonable price - again, surrounded by lots of gracious people!

This bar is the location for the beginning of the film - where Marcus and Davy (friends, competitors) let their competitive philosophizing get away with them and turn into an ill-conceived bet.

Chess - a battle. Starting the film off with a metaphor. You'll find that I like them.

Production note (I find these interesting, but perhaps no one else will unless they are interested in making a similar kind of film): some bars make for difficult sets because of how monochromatic they are. LaBrie's is black. ALL black. That means that the background will blend into a solid layer of black unless you do something to give it levels. You can see in this still how we did that with photographs, lights, candles, and extras.

Chess is over and on to the darts!

Robert our DP prepping lights and camera.

Darts BLINDFOLDED.

Production notes: darts present lots of problems. First, you can't actually throw them into the wall because you damage the bar that has so graciously allowed you to use the space. So I had to build a faux wall to mount the dartboard on and then paint it to look similar. Secondly, they create all kinds of noise. So you have to be really careful about throwing them on a spoken line. Soooo this took several takes.

And finally onto a game of cards: WAR. Metaphor again? Perhaps. Ok, yes.

We somehow finished on time - an amazing feat! Then we ran across town to try and pick up one of the shots we lost yesterday. It didn't go well. I think the montage that shows Marcus and Davy on their dates is cursed. It seems that we can't get a break on those. Specifically anything to do with trains. Trains are not our friends on this short. So next weekend Patrick and I are going to try and choose much more controllable situations.

Now for one more week of preproduction! Halfway there!

eDiscord V: Shooting Day 1

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:06:36 EST

(photos by Matt Powers)

Day 1 of filming eDiscord! Crazy that it came and went already. The first half of the day we filmed at the home of the gracious Millers. From Left to Right: Robert Dubiel (DP), me (DAVY), Vanessa Britting (STEPHANNIE), Patrick Cavanaugh (co-Director, MARCUS), and Alan Ritchson (cameo #1).

In Stephannie's narration at the end of the film, she remembers a few relationships that fell apart:

Coolest part was that we asked for some favors and got cameos for the 3 break up roles!

Guy #1: Alan Ritchson - Blue Mountain State and Smallville.

Guy #2: Eric Nenninger - Glory Daze, Generation Kill, and Malcom in the Middle.

And Guy #3: David Krumholtz - NUMB3RS, Superbad, and 10 Things I Hate About You.

It was amazing to see 3 great actors take quick, small roles and make them super-funny!

Vanessa Britting (STEPHANNIE) waiting for the shot. That's what a great deal of film acting consists of: waiting. You show up and wait to be taken to wardrobe, then wait on makeup, then wait to go to set. You rehearse, then wait for lighting changes. Finally you shoot a few takes, and then the waiting starts all over again! LIVIN' THE DREAM!

Jerrod Haarstad - lighting and camera guru. Also knows good scotch. I just realized... his friendship has a lot of really amazing fringe benefits.

This is true of nearly all of my incredibly talented friends. The rest of you... you know who you are.

The second part of the day we ran around LA picking up shots for a dating montage. Those didn't all... go so well. We rushed from downtown to Burbank to catch a train and then missed it. We didn't end up getting all of the shotes we needed either. Ah, but such is film making I suppose! Now the challenge is to pick them up next week.

eDiscord IV: Running Downhill

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 12:51:17 EST

I'm starting to feel good-overwhelmed by the momentum of this film. Meaning - if momentum equals mass times velocity - that this project is starting to weigh more than me and move faster than I can run. Kind of like I'm chasing it down hill but my legs might not be able to keep up. The coolest thing though? I only feel that way because it's approaching very quickly and there are so many uber-talented people plugging in. It's amazing how gifted all these people are - so no matter how I feel, the combined effort of all these artists is going to make it awesome. Let me tell you about a few of them...

So everyone knows Patrick, right? It's kind of a no-brainer at this point that we're working together because we definitely accentuate one another's acting/writing styles. We're co-directing/co-staring in eDiscord. It's not an easy thing to find someone with whom I share similar comedy style/taste and gel with so well; Patrick and I are a great fit. You can see some of our YouTube work here: http://www.youtube.com/user/StartToFinishFilms

Our search for the role of STEPHANNIE took us through several layers of auditions until we finally found "the one." We saw many actresses - many who were very talented - but never felt like any of them were quite the right choice for this specific role. Finally, I crossed paths again with Vanessa Britting - an actress I've known and respected for some time but had been out of touch with - and she agreed to join the project! She's an amazing fit for a very challenging (but hopefully fulfilling) role. I'm excited to show you all what she brings to it!

So allow me to nerd-it-up for a moment. Sarah and I have been pretty loyal fans of the show PROJECT RUNWAY since it started. Sometime I'll write a diatribe about how reality TV - save for those shows that challenge and promote people with actual, meaningful talents - is destroying our minds. But for now, I'll say that Project Runway is the ONLY reality TV show I'll watch. Kit Scarbo (above), a contestant on season 4, was an extremely talented designer Sarah and I LOVED. She just so happens to be friends with Patrick - one thing leads to another and she's now agreed to be our wardrobe designer!! That's HUGE. I honestly can't imagine someone more perfect for the role, specifically for eDiscord. We needed someone who understands the style of the film; and the way it has one foot in reality and one in hyperbole. She's PERFECT.

If I had a big sister.... who was black... it would be Kelli Kirkland Powers. Since our move to LA years ago, when I was "fresh off the bus" and had no idea what I was doing, Kelli took me under her wing and made sure I didn't get eaten alive. She's given of herself more selflessly over the years than just about anyone I know; couldn't ask for a better friend. Kelli has several skill sets that I don't have: getting things done and follow-through, to name two. She agreed to produce eDiscord - though we can't pay her - just because she is that. freaking. awesome. Unfortunately for anyone reading this, I'm going to monopolize her awesomeness. So go find your own big sister.

Anyone who has been following the films Patrick I've done has seen Tiffany Elle, SEVERAL times. She's a pre A-List star and I utilize her talents anytime I can because at some point I won't be able to afford her. Tiffany "gets" the vibe of eDiscord and Patrick and I completely trust her - which makes for an invaluable asset when the co-directors are both in front of the camera and you need someone on set who can say "Woah - that was terrible, let's try it again." I trust her 6th-sense for comedy completely and am hugely blessed to have her as a friend.

Last but not least is the very talented Blake N. Behrens. Blake is an artist, graphic designer, photographer, general Renaissance man who went to school with Sarah in Oklahoma. When it came time to design some of the visual elements of the film, Blake came to mind because of his love for Mucha and the Art Nouveau style. Fortunately he agreed to join the film and has been hard at work designing for us.

Lastly, I'll say this: One of my favorite moments so far was one where we saw two artist's likes/talents/tastes already complimenting one another. Kit came over to do a preliminary discussion of the mood and style of the short. While we were talking, I told her that Blake was designing a tattoo for the Stephannie character and brought over some images he'd sent as references for his work (images from the artist Mucha). Before I even had time to explain, Kit looked at them and said "I LOVE MUCHA!" and we spent the next few minutes riffing on how that art influence - especially in Parisian fashion - was such a good fit for this film. When those kinds of things happen, it just gets ya all excited.

Can't wait to share more soon!

eDiscord: Casting the Mold

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:08:36 EST

eDiscord: Cast(e) system

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:20:08 EST

Wow. So casting. What a cool - hard - taxing - worthwhile experience. I've spent a fair amount of time in a casting office, but never as one of the decision-making-people. So this presented a new challenge of figuring out how to give notes, interact with actors, and illicit the kind of acting-response I wanted. Here are a couple of things I learned:

1.) Everyone in the room wants you to be awesome. I think, as an actor, I had this sense that people (producers, directors, CDs) were immediately critical. And while there is an element of truth to that - my experience of being on the other side of camera was that I was excited about every actor who walked through the door. I wanted them to rock, to show me how cool the role could be. I was on their side, I wanted them to relax, I didn't want them to feel out of sorts or be nervous. (This was true unless #2 or #3 below).

2.) Not enough people look like their headshot. Several people came in and... well... didn't look like their photo at all. This is a big problem! There seems to be some perception out there that a headshot is supposed to make you look hot. It's not. It's supposed to look like YOU. There are roles FOR EVERYONE. But how can a person get correctly cast if they are misrepresented?? It's disappointing to see someone walk in and immediately know, they're not right for the role, simply because they don't look the part. It ends up wasting everyone's time.

3.) Not prepared. Nothing kills a dénouement-type scene like being buried in the page. "You had 3 days with the script" is what I'm thinking. Boo.

4.) (we) actors are FLAKEY. Out of almost 700 submission for the lead role, we narrowed down 90 that we were interested in based off of look. From there, we looked at reels and resumes, then called in 45 actresses. Of those 45, 42 confirmed either by emailing Kelli (our CD) or by clicking the "confirmation" button on ActorsAccess. Actual actors who showed up: 18. LESS THAN HALF of the people who actively said "yes I will be there" actually showed up! And the people at Catz Casting said that is pretty typical. Incredible! (and the inspiration for the photo above)

But those things said - it was a good day. I learned a lot about casting in general and about the role of STEPHANNIE. So we're still in the midst of this stage of casting. I hope to be able to tell you all who we picked soon! But for now - we'll keep plugging away!

eDiscord

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:23:24 EST

So it's 2011 and I'm taking the new-year as a new-opportunity to do something I haven't done before: write/direct a short film for festivals! It's called "eDiscord: An Electronic Noir" and I'm pretty proud of the script. I'm going to make a real effort to blog about the process as we go along - all the trials and tribulations of making a film.

The photo above is a bar in oklahoma city called "Drunken Fry"- I took this photo when I was scouting locations for the short. The biggest problem we face is location, location, location. Especially important, we need a great bar. First, the majority of the film takes place in one. Plus, because of the style and genre of this film, the "look" of the bar is crazy important. We need a bar that feels like a trendy-dive. Not a truck stop dive bar where you'd want to constantly be washing your hands. More of a hipster-dive; where they have a dive bar vibe but still know what an Old Fashioned is and probably don't have Natty-Ice in the cooler. Getting this kind of location at a price (FREE!) that we can afford is a tough thing to do. I'm going to have to figure out what talents I have with which to barter. Soooo we're considering the possibility of shooting in OKC where it might be more feasible. TBD.

Tomorrow is casting! I'm really excited. We're casting the female lead: STEPHANNIE. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, and lastly, I'm going to keep a running list of things I need/am worried about/don't know the solution to. I think it will be interesting to see how this list gets longer, but - also, hopefully! - resolves itself. If anyone reading has tips/thoughts on any of these, I'd love to hear them!

TO FREAK OUT ABOUT:
1.) Great Bar Location
2.) Perfect STEPHANNIE: it's a tough role. Very complex. We need to find the perfect actress to pull it off.
3.) Camera equipment. We want to shoot on the 5D Mark II's, but I'm concerned about two things a.) will the blacks be really, truly BLACK (because this is a b&w film, so they need to look good) and b.) will it be good enough resolution to show on the BIG screen?? And if not YES to both a/b, then should we fork out the extra to shoot on a RED?
4.) Wardrobe
5.) Coffee Shop
6.) Steady Cam - what kind of rigs work with 5Ds?

Ok! Enough for tonight. Hooray!

Featuring:

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 20:11:33 EDT

Just finished my first feature film script! It's a revenge tale with a female lead set in the dark underbelly of Wall Street. It's a good story and, dang it, I'm proud of it!

Pretty intense writing a story that... needs to be so complete, beginning to end. Not something I've experienced before - glad I did it.

Now I just need to make it. But that should be the easy part... right?

right??

MGMT

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:50:06 EDT

UPDATE! I just signed with an awesome management company! I'm now represented by Deborah Miller at Shelter Entertainment Group! I'm really excited to be a part of their team. Here's a bit about Deborah:

Miller was a VP with the William Morris Agency for fifteen years where she headed the TV Variety department for six years and headed the entire TV Talent Department for four years. This was followed by a two year stint as Vice President and head of the TV and Motion Picture Talent Department at The Agency for the Performing Arts.

Cool, huh!?

Larchmont is where I go to write, EARLY in the morn. Happy to say, I'm 3/4 of the way through my first Feature Film as of today.

A week ago I went to Montreal to visit my friend Alan on the set of Blue Mountain State. The flight made me miss storms. We don't have those things in Cali.

Ok, so Montreal has an AWESOME public transportation system. They have a bike system called "Bixie" that is fantastic. This is me on a Bixie, riding around Montreal to meet Casting Directors. Riding a bike and trying to document it by taking photos of yourself with your phone is not recommended. Especially when you have little-to-no idea where you're going. That's why it took several tries.

Alan, Cat, and I went to Mont Tremblant - a ski area turned summer activity center. That should probably have hyphens in it. Whatever.

Fun times.

Burden Of Truth

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:57:30 EDT

Pleased to announce that we just signed an extension with FremantleMedia NorthAmerica! They see a lot of promise in our legal procedural show Burden of Truth (and they should, it's awesome!) - and are continuing to work with Alloy Entertainment on it.

Cosette

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 00:41:47 EDT

all the Millers in my life

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 02:10:47 EDT

2010 is shaping up to be a really great year: I just shot my FOURTH commercial! Miller Light booked me to shoot one of their new hilarious spots - this one filmed down in Long Beach... where I think all commercials should be required to shoot.

Tybalt

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:34:34 EDT

I discovered a video on YouTube of my Oklahoma Shakespeare sword fight as Tybalt with Mercutio - it has 30,000 views! It made me miss stage. So here's that video AND a bonus video of my fight with Romeo

New Reps

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:36:26 EDT

Very pleased to announce that I've signed with a new Commercial Talent Agency: Hanlon Talent! Court originally brought me in at Diverse - then started his own agency. Things have worked out perfectly for me to start working with him again. Small world!

A Time For Peace

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:34:52 EDT

Happy to say I've taken a new "A Time..." photo. Can't (or rather, Won't) show it until the series is finished - but here's a photo of part of the landscape: The Les Baux castle ruins of Provence, France.

AT&T's Atonement

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 17:48:52 EDT

Thanks to AT&T Commercial Producer Bill Wine for sending these to me!

I discovered an video post on YouTube of my Oklahoma Shakespeare sword fight as Tybalt with Mercutio - it has 30,000 views! It made me miss stage. So here's that video AND a bonus video of my fight with Romeo

Venezia meet Holga

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 14:47:27 EDT

Venice, Italy as seen through "Helga" my Holga.

tabula rasa

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:52:39 EDT

Carl Zoch images from table read of my short film "Tairy Fale".

Also, good luck finding more talented actors than these three (left to right): Tiffany Elle, Patrick Cavanaugh, and Kelli Kirkland Powers.

eurogreat

Wed, 19 May 2010 12:32:43 EDT

Eurovinyard in the euromountains. It was eurobeautiful. Taken with an Iphone.

Castle - Food To Die For

Thu, 06 May 2010 00:17:05 EDT

Now I know. Thanks Hollywood.

a lot of good an opposable thumb does...