Snow Angel (2011); 73 mins; Drama
BACK COVER
He began walking at thirteen months. He was dealt a permanent limp at the age of thirty-two. At age thirty-three, Jacob March climbed a ladder…
CONTENTS
In Front of the Camera
Behind the Camera
Production Notes/Trivia (Contains Spoilers!)
PERKS
Official Teaser Trailer #1
Official Teaser Trailer #2
Official Snow Angel IMDb Page
Official Snow Angel Facebook Fan Page
SCREENINGS
1. Prometheus Film Festival 2011
REVIEWS/ARTICLES
Rogue Cinema
Film Threat
Indy Red
He began walking at thirteen months. He was dealt a permanent limp at the age of thirty-two. At age thirty-three, Jacob March climbed a ladder…
CONTENTS
In Front of the Camera
Behind the Camera
Production Notes/Trivia (Contains Spoilers!)
PERKS
Official Teaser Trailer #1
Official Teaser Trailer #2
Official Snow Angel IMDb Page
Official Snow Angel Facebook Fan Page
SCREENINGS
1. Prometheus Film Festival 2011
REVIEWS/ARTICLES
Rogue Cinema
Film Threat
Indy Red
IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
Charles Lo Manto - Jacob March
Charles Lo Manto is a serious, project-seeking actor, first and foremost, who started in the entertainment field several years ago performing Shakespeare, including the lead role of Macbeth at the Hamilton Urban Theatre Association, and has since been chasing his true dream of acting in the television and film industry.
Having received positive feedback and much attention from credible independent filmmakers working in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and abroad, several of Charles' projects are currently in production, postproduction, and have gone on to receive distribution.
In addition to co-creating many pieces for film and television, Charles also co-founded and performed with the sketch comedy troupe knows as The Ugly Stiks, who performed at such venues as Toronto's Comedy Bar, The Saga Theatre in New York City, and The Hamilton Fringe Festival. And while acting remains his number one priority, Charles now finds himself involved in several other aspects of media such as Location Manager and Associate Producer.
When not in front of or behind the camera, Charles also enjoys songwriting and percussion, and has performed in musical roles for such productions as The Who's Tommy, the cult hit Hedwig and the Angry Itch, and Leader of the Pack. Bilingual, Charles also hopes to star in an Italian film.
Last, but certainly not least, Charles is excited to be making his directorial debut with his gritty action short Merge, soon to be released.
"My favourite part about being an actor is taking on a challenging role." -Charles Lo Manto
Having received positive feedback and much attention from credible independent filmmakers working in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and abroad, several of Charles' projects are currently in production, postproduction, and have gone on to receive distribution.
In addition to co-creating many pieces for film and television, Charles also co-founded and performed with the sketch comedy troupe knows as The Ugly Stiks, who performed at such venues as Toronto's Comedy Bar, The Saga Theatre in New York City, and The Hamilton Fringe Festival. And while acting remains his number one priority, Charles now finds himself involved in several other aspects of media such as Location Manager and Associate Producer.
When not in front of or behind the camera, Charles also enjoys songwriting and percussion, and has performed in musical roles for such productions as The Who's Tommy, the cult hit Hedwig and the Angry Itch, and Leader of the Pack. Bilingual, Charles also hopes to star in an Italian film.
Last, but certainly not least, Charles is excited to be making his directorial debut with his gritty action short Merge, soon to be released.
"My favourite part about being an actor is taking on a challenging role." -Charles Lo Manto
Kelly-Marie Murtha - Angela Macena
Kelly-Marie Murtha, born and raised in a small town in Eastern Ontario, got the acting bug while singing and dancing in her high school musicals. She continued on to university where she performed the role of Hermia in A Midsummers Night Dream with a local theatre group.
Since moving to Toronto, Kelly-Marie has performed and starred in numerous award-winning films including Eyes Beyond, which earned her a Best Actress Award at the 2010 Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival; The Little Guardian, which premiered at the 2008 Cannes Short Film Corner; and Rex vs. Singh, which took top honours at the 2008 Spinning Wheel (Sikh) Film Festival in Toronto. She also appeared in the CBC TV primetime documentary Air India 182 in which she portrayed Irish nurse Sheila Wall. Most recently her film Open Window made its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.
Kelly-Marie also has numerous theatre credits, most recently as a cast member of Sex, Relationships and Sometimes ...Love, which ran at the Poor Alex Theatre in Toronto and where she was awarded Best Female Performer. She recently starred in the theatrical production A Little Happiness, which ran at the Alumnae Theatre in Toronto from August 9-14, 2011.
Kelly-Marie has recently wrapped the feature film Vacilate directed by Heather Tobin. She will begin production on the web-series Flanagan's: Life on the Edge this winter and the film Silver Lining directed by James Harrison.
Kelly-Marie lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.
Since moving to Toronto, Kelly-Marie has performed and starred in numerous award-winning films including Eyes Beyond, which earned her a Best Actress Award at the 2010 Horrorfind Weekend Film Festival; The Little Guardian, which premiered at the 2008 Cannes Short Film Corner; and Rex vs. Singh, which took top honours at the 2008 Spinning Wheel (Sikh) Film Festival in Toronto. She also appeared in the CBC TV primetime documentary Air India 182 in which she portrayed Irish nurse Sheila Wall. Most recently her film Open Window made its world premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.
Kelly-Marie also has numerous theatre credits, most recently as a cast member of Sex, Relationships and Sometimes ...Love, which ran at the Poor Alex Theatre in Toronto and where she was awarded Best Female Performer. She recently starred in the theatrical production A Little Happiness, which ran at the Alumnae Theatre in Toronto from August 9-14, 2011.
Kelly-Marie has recently wrapped the feature film Vacilate directed by Heather Tobin. She will begin production on the web-series Flanagan's: Life on the Edge this winter and the film Silver Lining directed by James Harrison.
Kelly-Marie lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.
BEHIND THE CAMERA
Kirill Belousov - Sound Recordist/Engineer
Kirill Belousov is a self-taught musician. Born in 1981 in Moscow, Russia, he moved to Toronto, Canada in 2001. At age 7, he started plucking the strings of his father's guitar and keys of his mother's piano. It gave him a feel for music on a very deep level.
In 1994, he had a classmate who was running a school radio station. That was the first time he pushed his first control button. From that moment on, he delved further into electronic music and understanding the ways of sound. Though he never had his own computer growing up, this lack of equipment was not a barrier.
Starting from the easiest computer programs such as Dance EJ, he started creating his first musical ideas, following up with self-taught lessons in sound science.
In 2004, Kirill attended the Toronto Film School where he enrolled in the Sound Engineering Program. Since his first semester, he started taking part in short films and other school projects through which he gained priceless experience.
Since graduating in 2005, he has been working as a self-employed freelance sound engineer. Kirill is the Location Sound Engineer and Postproduction Sound Engineer of the film "Strafe."
To contact Kirill or view his CV, visit: www.specsound.com
In 1994, he had a classmate who was running a school radio station. That was the first time he pushed his first control button. From that moment on, he delved further into electronic music and understanding the ways of sound. Though he never had his own computer growing up, this lack of equipment was not a barrier.
Starting from the easiest computer programs such as Dance EJ, he started creating his first musical ideas, following up with self-taught lessons in sound science.
In 2004, Kirill attended the Toronto Film School where he enrolled in the Sound Engineering Program. Since his first semester, he started taking part in short films and other school projects through which he gained priceless experience.
Since graduating in 2005, he has been working as a self-employed freelance sound engineer. Kirill is the Location Sound Engineer and Postproduction Sound Engineer of the film "Strafe."
To contact Kirill or view his CV, visit: www.specsound.com
Christina Rufino - Makeup
Christina Rufino has been an artist ever since she was old enough to pick up a pencil. Deciding to apply colour to skin rather than paper, she soon realized the endless possibilities, and the rest, as they say, is history.
A professional Makeup Artist since 2005, the career-focussed, creativity-driven Christina won second place at the Canadian Makeup Show for Special F/X in 2007.
Her work has been featured on MuchMusic, MTV, The Toronto Star, Fashion Television and HBO. Christina has had the pleasure of working with everyone from Juno-nominee Miranda Mulhollond, Ivana Santilli, directors Shawn Haynes and Marc-Andre Debruyne and Celebrity Stylist Renee Beech to The Toronto EMS and local Toronto designers.
A professional Makeup Artist since 2005, the career-focussed, creativity-driven Christina won second place at the Canadian Makeup Show for Special F/X in 2007.
Her work has been featured on MuchMusic, MTV, The Toronto Star, Fashion Television and HBO. Christina has had the pleasure of working with everyone from Juno-nominee Miranda Mulhollond, Ivana Santilli, directors Shawn Haynes and Marc-Andre Debruyne and Celebrity Stylist Renee Beech to The Toronto EMS and local Toronto designers.
PRODUCTION NOTES / TRIVIA
Making Snow Angel (Contains Spoilers!)
Shot in approximately 8 hours over 2 consecutive Sundays.
Shot on the Canon 60D.
Consists of only 20 shots made up of only 2 separate angles and 1 12-minute continuous shot.
Shot in chronological order.
Naturally lit with the exception of two flashlights for the night scenes.
In order to achieve visual continuity and to maximize the reality of his character's physical predicament, Charles laid on the ground at approximately 11AM and did not stand back up until approximately 2:30PM. Heating pads, blankets, heaters/radiators, gloves, and anything to provide warmth was used to keep Charlie as warm as possible.
All of the scenes on the ground were first takes with the exception of five scenes. Comically, one of these "second take" shots included the three minutes in which Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) is asleep for three minutes; this was due to the fact that a blanket used to cover Charles' body crept into frame.
Entirely improvised with the exception of key, plot-specific lines of dialogue and the two-line stanza that Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) sings, known as "Angela's Lullaby." A script had been written, but was scrapped for the sake of a more raw, honest, and spontaneous performance.
The 12-minute continuous take was achieved on its fourth take. Previous takes were cut near the beginning of the sequence due to fumbled lines, misplaced props, and other miscellaneous errors.
The original camera path for the 12-minute continuous take was designed so that camera would follow Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) to the hoist lever; he would then pull the lever, bringing down the car he had been working on, and finally entering the car. The camera was supposed to perform a 360 as the car was lowered. This camera path was discarded on the day of shooting after the hoist refused to lower the car during the second take. As a result, Jacob simply walks to the car with its hood already open, as seen in the final cut.
All of the shots on the ground are exactly three minutes long (and separated by exactly ten seconds of black screen). This is to commemorate Angela Macena (Kelly-Marie Murtha) who took three minutes to succumb to her injuries as per the car accident.
The name "Jacob March" has much significance. "Jacob" refers to the biblical Jacob who built a ladder to reach Heaven. In the film, Jacob climbs a ladder so that he may obtain the baby seat to commemorate his deceased yet-to-be-born baby, thus completing the reconstruction of the car in which the fatal accident occurred. He does this so that he can "join Angela and his deceased baby in Heaven." "March" refers to a man featured in a newspaper article; he had been spending time on a friend's patio when the banister gave way. He fell only two to three feet and was rendered a quadriplegic. The surname "March" ironically indicates a steady movement that a person can execute, obviously impossible to a quadriplegic.
The name "Angela Macena" also has much significance. "Angela" becomes "angel" when the letter "a" is removed; Angela being Jacob's "angel," or "snow angel," since her death, occurred on a snowy night in which she was sprawled out like a/an "(snow) angel." "Macena" refers to the name "Maecenas," meaning "support, guardian angel, protector, saviour."
Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) is 33 years old. There are 33 vertebrae which make up the human spine. Jacob is rendered a quadriplegic after severing his spine.
Shot on the Canon 60D.
Consists of only 20 shots made up of only 2 separate angles and 1 12-minute continuous shot.
Shot in chronological order.
Naturally lit with the exception of two flashlights for the night scenes.
In order to achieve visual continuity and to maximize the reality of his character's physical predicament, Charles laid on the ground at approximately 11AM and did not stand back up until approximately 2:30PM. Heating pads, blankets, heaters/radiators, gloves, and anything to provide warmth was used to keep Charlie as warm as possible.
All of the scenes on the ground were first takes with the exception of five scenes. Comically, one of these "second take" shots included the three minutes in which Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) is asleep for three minutes; this was due to the fact that a blanket used to cover Charles' body crept into frame.
Entirely improvised with the exception of key, plot-specific lines of dialogue and the two-line stanza that Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) sings, known as "Angela's Lullaby." A script had been written, but was scrapped for the sake of a more raw, honest, and spontaneous performance.
The 12-minute continuous take was achieved on its fourth take. Previous takes were cut near the beginning of the sequence due to fumbled lines, misplaced props, and other miscellaneous errors.
The original camera path for the 12-minute continuous take was designed so that camera would follow Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) to the hoist lever; he would then pull the lever, bringing down the car he had been working on, and finally entering the car. The camera was supposed to perform a 360 as the car was lowered. This camera path was discarded on the day of shooting after the hoist refused to lower the car during the second take. As a result, Jacob simply walks to the car with its hood already open, as seen in the final cut.
All of the shots on the ground are exactly three minutes long (and separated by exactly ten seconds of black screen). This is to commemorate Angela Macena (Kelly-Marie Murtha) who took three minutes to succumb to her injuries as per the car accident.
The name "Jacob March" has much significance. "Jacob" refers to the biblical Jacob who built a ladder to reach Heaven. In the film, Jacob climbs a ladder so that he may obtain the baby seat to commemorate his deceased yet-to-be-born baby, thus completing the reconstruction of the car in which the fatal accident occurred. He does this so that he can "join Angela and his deceased baby in Heaven." "March" refers to a man featured in a newspaper article; he had been spending time on a friend's patio when the banister gave way. He fell only two to three feet and was rendered a quadriplegic. The surname "March" ironically indicates a steady movement that a person can execute, obviously impossible to a quadriplegic.
The name "Angela Macena" also has much significance. "Angela" becomes "angel" when the letter "a" is removed; Angela being Jacob's "angel," or "snow angel," since her death, occurred on a snowy night in which she was sprawled out like a/an "(snow) angel." "Macena" refers to the name "Maecenas," meaning "support, guardian angel, protector, saviour."
Jacob March (Charles Lo Manto) is 33 years old. There are 33 vertebrae which make up the human spine. Jacob is rendered a quadriplegic after severing his spine.
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