Synopsis
Nor'easter opens on a young priest, Vincent, delivering Easter mass to a congregation of just two. He is the lone Catholic authority on North Haven, a small island off the coast of Maine, and his parish is small, poor, and on the verge of closing for poor attendance. But after the Easter mass, Vincent is confronted by Ellen Greene, the mother of Joshua Greene, a child who has been missing for four years. Josh's absence has pushed Ellen's marriage to the breaking point, and though her husband strenuously objects, she and the authorities have decided to declare the boy dead. Vincent agrees with Ellen and recommends that she and her husband use the church as a support system for their grief.
When news of the family's decision becomes public, though, Josh inexplicably returns to the island, alive and well. Josh, now sixteen years old, is unharmed, but refuses to answer questions about where he has been. Vincent seizes on Josh's return as a chance to bring more islanders to the church. A late-night gathering is called at the church, and far more attend than did Vincent's Easter mass.
After the service, Vincent persuades Josh to take confession, and Josh, angry at the priest for intervening in the family's affairs, confesses that he has lived with a man — who he refers to as "dad" — on the mainland for the past four years. He confesses the man's name and job as well. Vincent promises to hide Josh's secret not only because he is bound to do so by the laws of the church, but also because its disturbing, abusive, possibly homosexual reality would too deeply damage Ellen's fragile sense of family.
That night, to make sure Vincent keeps his word, Josh and his younger sister break into Vincent's house while he sleeps and terrorize him, tearing the sheets off his bed and exposing him, nude. Then, the following morning, Josh disappears again, presumably gone to the mainland. Josh's sister tells the authorities about how Josh attacked Vincent the night before, and suspicion quickly shifts to the priest.
Just as Vincent is facing the possibility of being removed from his position in the church, the narrative's point-of-view shifts dramatically to Paul, Josh's kidnapper and sexual abuser. Paul, who is deaf and a poor laborer, has difficulty living without Josh in the house. When Josh returns to their home, Paul is at first full of relief, but ultimately cannot stomach the image of himself that has been so clearly drawn in Josh's absence.
Unable to reveal what he knows about Josh and his captor, Vincent pursues Paul on his own, finds him, and ultimately gains access to Paul's home, where he searches urgently for Josh. Vincent is unable to find him, but instead stumbles upon a second victim, the twelve year-old Colin, whom he releases after an intense physical confrontation with Paul in the living room. Josh's body is found the next morning by the authorities, shot dead by Paul.
Nor'easter closes with Vincent recognizing his errors at a funeral service for Josh so full that the church can not hold all the attendants. In this final scene, Vincent is resolute in his Christianity, but recognizes it as a necessarily flawed, man-made construct designed to reflect the more perfect vision of the flawless Christ.
Director's Statement
Nor'easter addresses the ever-developing idea of what it means to be a spiritual individual in a society that measures value through ownership, control, and bottom-line results rather than through sacrifice and intent. Though Nor'easter's priest, Vincent, means well for his community, he finds that his pursuit of a controlling, powerful, Earthly manifestation of Christianity is at odds with his fundamental beliefs in Biblical scripture and Christ's word. In turn, he effects change within the parish to increase its number of worshippers, and only through the catastrophic fallout of his actions is the literal nature of his faith revealed to him: that of sacrifice, patience, and resolve.
The greatest difficulties in developing such a story are, frankly, easy to see coming, but impossible to avoid. In placing a priest in a flawed, potentially criminal position, it is easy to slide into a cynical, critical position on the church and the sometimes unfortunate practical results of its teachings. Yet it is my hope and earnest goal that Vincent and his pursuit of a more pragmatic view of Christianity is reflective of my own tolerant, progressive ideal for others and myself. With that in mind, the greatest priority in Nor'easter's creation has been to show that despite Vincent's mistakes and shortcomings, he is more capable after suffering the hardships he has caused, and he is no less Christian for having suffered them. On the contrary, he is a more capable, experienced priest and is ultimately more able to promote the idea of God as all-powerful, benevolent, and never ending.
Though I feel the film is fundamentally supportive of spiritual pursuit in modern society, it addresses the idea from the point of view of the secular world. Vincent interprets his position in what are largely secular terms and measures his own self worth in terms separate from literal scripture. Nor'easter is intended for both secular and religious audiences, but its ultimate goal is to find those who want to take part in a spiritually minded narrative while engaging the idea that Christianity and Christians can be examined apart from each other.
—November 9, 2009
Biographies
Andrew Brotzman, Director
Andrew Brotzman is the director of MY MOM AND DAD, winner of the Global Anarchy award for Best Short in its category at Slamdance 2006, and DARJEELING, which played in Slamdance's 2007 Anarchy competition. In 2008 he was a national finalist in Disney & ABC's DGA Directing Fellowship Program.
He is also the producer of SMALL COLLECTION, an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and winner of the Best Narrative Short award at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, Mississippi. SMALL COLLECTION has also played at the Palm Springs, Woodstock, Raindance UK, Cleveland, Boston, and AFI Dallas film festivals.
He served as assistant to directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel on their Fox Searchlight picture BEE SEASON from February 2005 to February 2006, and was the director's assistant on BOOK OF LOVE, the 2004 Sundance Film Festival dramatic competition entry.
He received his B.A. in Computer Science from Columbia University in 2003 and is currently an M.F.A. Directing candidate at Columbia University's School of the Arts, with graduation expected in May of 2010.
See Andrew's short films at brandnewmozart.com
Veronica Nickel, Producer
Veronica Nickel is currently pursuing her MFA in film production at Columbia University. In her short tenure at Columbia, she has produced a number of award winning short films, including TELLA, BLUE-EYED MARY, BLACKMAIL, PASSERINE: A BIRD DUET, LAST CIGARETTE, FROM GRACE, and BARFLIES. She was the Executive Producer of a viral video campaign that was the result of a partnership between Equal (sweetener) and Columbia University, and oversaw production of six videos for that campaign. In 2009, she was awarded the Arthur Krim Endowment Award for excellence in producing at Columbia University. Nickel is the managing director of her own company Illuminaria Productions, Inc, a full service production company that focuses on marketing and instructional videos. Prior to embarking on a career in production, Nickel was Senior Account Executive and HR Consultant for Wilson Learning, based in the U.S. and Australia.
Awards
Andrew's script for Nor'easter has been selected as a quarterfinalist in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, putting the script among the top 5% selected of over 6,300 submissions.
It is also the recipient of a Jesse Thompkins III Foundation for Young People in the Arts award for 2009.
Production
Nor'easter will be shot in the coastal and Fox Islands regions of Maine, primarily in Rockland and Vinalhaven. The script was written specifically for this area not only because of its natural beauty, but because of its continuous presence in the minds of those who live there. Location plays a primary role in Nor'easter, and its role in the story is part and parcel with the main character and his circumstances. The low sun and early evenings of Maine's winter and early spring will lend a unique quality to the film.
Overview of Industry
The industry of motion pictures is unique in that it effectively incorporates a whole slew of cottage industries to make up the whole. Making the actual movie is only one part of the process. Each component is a whole industry unto itself, with millions of dollars and international interests behind it.
The industry of motion pictures is loosely comprised of the following progression:
- Screenwriting and development
- Financing
- Preproduction, production, and postproduction
- Sales, marketing, and advertising
- Exhibition
- Licensing and merchandising
Each process is interdependent upon the others. They live symbiotically and cannot function independently.
As the cost of production rises, studios have begun to shift their focus toward making, acquiring, or distributing independent film with budgets between $1 million to $5 million, as opposed to the average high budget independent or studio film. This is evident in the number of independent films reaching the mass market. Because of this, there are more films being made than ever before, making competition fierce. However, the industry is doing more to take these films and profit from them, especially from an independent producer's point of view.
Key film festivals over the past few years have risen in industry prominence. Films like Precious, Little Miss Sunshine, and Napoleon Dynamite were acquired at top film festivals like Sundance and Toronto. These films, and others that chose a route of self-distribution, went on to be very successful financially and critically. The increase in buyers and distribution points, coupled with the success of recent independent films, has created a unique opportunity for producers who can deliver low cost/high quality product.
Even in these challenging economic times, movies continue to draw more people than either theme parks or major professional sports leagues. Going to the movies remains one of the most affordable entertainment outings for families.*
While films budgeted less than $1 million frequently fall below the radar of institutional investors, if structured correctly, they provide an investor with a reality that is not possible at higher budget levels and could produce significant returns for investors even when the film does not ultimately achieve theatrical success.
Distribution Landscape
The distributor plays a key role in a film release. It is an intermediary between producers and exhibitors. Distributors purchase or license the film from the producers to bring it to the masses.
In the past, theatrical exhibition of any film was the engine behind sales. The theatrical release brings the film to the public's attention and even a moderate success in this venue brought greater demand, thus greater rewards in foreign and ancillary markets such as television and DVD/Video.
Traditional distributors come in all shapes and sizes. Among them are:
- Major Studios (Paramount, Sony/Columbia, Warner Brothers)
- Mini-Majors affiliated with a major studio (New Line)
- Independent divisions of a major (Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics)
- Independent Distributors (Magnolia, IFC)
- Foreign Distributors (Fortissimo, Canal Plus)
The expanding number of independent theatre screens (Sundance Cinemas), television and cable networks (Independent Film Channel and Sundance Channel), mail-in rental houses (Netflix and Blockbuster), on-demand solutions, digital distribution (iTunes) and new entertainment delivery systems creates clear opportunities for independent producers to exploit.
Additionally, demand in foreign markets has increased to the point where American films often generate a significant portion of their revenues from art-friendly film audiences in Europe and beyond.
Each of these non-traditional means of distribution represent potential revenue streams in need of high quality, low cost forms of content that possess marketable qualities, high production values, and modest acquisition costs. This has created more opportunities for filmmakers to maximize their films' reaches, to their target audiences and beyond.
* MPAA Theatrical Market statistics 2008
Production/Financing Plan
Along with the personal relationships that make any independent film possible, Nor'easter Productions is supported by Columbia University, which will provide production equipment, post-production facilities, and script development to help make Nor'easter a standout film.
The preproduction phase will commence upon hiring a casting director. Principal photography is tentatively set for March 2010. The film is scheduled to for a twenty-one (21) day shoot on location in the Fox Islands region of Maine. Postproduction is slated to take place in New York.
The Production Company plans to submit the finished film to festivals in 2011.
The Production Company is currently offering shares of investment in the film. In addition, the company is set up to accept in-kind donations. For more information regarding involvement, contact Veronica Nickel at veronicanickel@illuminariaproductions.com.
Process and Timeline
When considering investments in film, take into account the following:
The filmmaking process must be 100% complete before revenue (if any) is returned. The time from which a film is completely financed to completed (casting, preproduction, production, and postproduction) is approximately 12-18 months.
Typically, independent films rely on a film festival premiere to enter into the market place. If the film makes sales at its initial festival experience, the payment schedule is typically 10% of the gross sale upon signature (paid approximately 6 weeks after the deal is accepted). The remaining money is payable on delivery when all the legal, promotional, and technical elements have been handed over to the distributor. This is a process that can take up to six months or more. Conservatively, on a film that receives a "minimum guarantee" against future revenue, the investors can expect to see revenue no earlier than 24 months after investment.
If a film does not receive a minimum guarantee this timeline is extended, as the film will need to be exploited in the commercial marketplace (i.e. have a theatrical release, make a TV sale, etc.) before any revenue is returned.
Contact
- Veronica Nickel, Producer
Veronica Nickel
c/o Nor'easter Productions, LLC
502 West 113th Street Apt. 1C
New York, NY 10025
TEL: +1 917 282 1903