Motel Champagne has been cast!  The film is currently in the home stretches of fundraising and we have locked the cast and are already well underway into rehearsals!  The film shoots in less than two weeks and everyone is excited to get started.  

Richie goes with an older woman to a motel to spend the night. He doesn’t mention that he’s also there to meet up with some associates for a drug deal. Both affairs go off without a hitch until Richie meets a young and beautiful stranger.

John Halas as Richie

Anna Lakomy as Wendy

Eve Danzeisen as Donna

In addition, the role of the gangsters involved in the drug deal have been cast: 

Mark Parker
Max Celestian
Jacob Berger

The cast is incredibly talented and we’re all excited to see them on camera!

We have begun pre-producion on a brand new film entitled Motel Champagne.  The film is written and will be directed by Michael Starkwell.  It will be produced by Spencer Zabiela and Mallory Schwartz.  More info about the film is on the CJR website along with information on how you can contribute and be a part of the movie!  

Sound design on The Greatest Act has begun!  Visual effects and music are close at hand.  Once all three are complete, the film will be totally done and ready for festival submission!

Occult is getting very close to completion in post production and has gotten a lot of great feedback early on. We will hopefully be able to submit it to festivals in early spring.

And lastly, we have begun working closely with The Arthur Williams Group to produce several short films along with commercial work. The group is headed by Spencer Zabiela who has had years of film experience as a producer and director. The Arthur Williams Group is now collaborating closely with us to produce Motel Champagne and most likely several additional films in the near future.

Keep checking back for updates on these projects and others. We’ll try to keep the blog a bit more up to date!

It seems I’ve taken a hiatus from posting on the blog.  I’m back to give updates on several Cotton, Jeans, and Roses productions before disappearing again to finish them all!

The Greatest Act is in the final stages of being picture locked.  The few people who have seen the recent cuts have given great feedback and overall great responses.  When the film is finished with picture editing, the bulk of the remaining editing will be a big sound design and musical score. 

A new poster for The Greatest Act will be online within the week.

Beauteous is in the final stages of sound edit, and a score is being finished within the next few weeks.  The film is due to be absolutely completed by the end of the summer.  It will be submitted to film festivals around the world and then copies will be sent to everyone who donated to the project!

Ripe Vegetables, a production that was shot recently and directed by Gregorio Sassoli is in the last stages of picture editing.  The film was shot on 35mm and explored some incredible locations in New York City.  The film does not have a page on the CJR website but will within the next two weeks along with production photos.

Occult has completely finished production and the footage looks amazing.  It’s a WWII horror-action film and has begun post-production.  Look for it soon in film festivals everywhere!

Several other projects are in various stages of post production, Ambrosia is picture locked, and the action packed web-series Dead Ringer is very close to completion.  The Boxer Believes is also very close to completion and has gotten great feedback!

Look out for more updates on all of our projects!  Some information on several upcoming projects for next year will be posted pretty soon.

With love,

Michael S. Deigh

Newly posted on the “Stage” section of the website are three samples of my dramatic writing.  I think they give a good idea of my voice, spanning from comedy, to monologue, to drama. 

The three plays are all one acts, the second two are featured in a full length collection of vignettes I wrote called “Love Stories.”  The play entitled “Cotton, Jeans, and Roses” was the eventual inspiration for the name of the website.

“Two Cells” - A one act farce about two prisoners locked in endless argument and their futile attempts to escape.

“Cotton, Jeans, and Roses” - A one act love story about a teenager coming to terms with his feelings for a girl, and his female counterpart coming to terms with her own.

“Unforgettable” - A one act drama about an old man’s need to revisit his past, and his younger friend who tries to help him do so.

Click on any of the play samples to download a PDF version.  (All samples have been files with the US Copyright Office)

With love,

Michael Samuel Deigh

The new film from NYU Senior Andrew Knudsen now has a fast moving internet presence.  The film is being produced by Michael Samuel Deigh and Jules Hamilton and is featured on the Cotton, Jeans, and Roses website by checking out the films section.

The Occult website will feature updates on the cast and the production and will have exclusive content for you to check out!  There’s also a page for donations which are always appreciated!  Contact info is available on the website and on the CJR bio page, so let us know if you’d like a donation prospectus sent your way.

Occult will be shooting in late April and then will immediately go into post production.  Check out the website for more info, and make sure to check back everytime you want to know more about the film.

www.occultthemovie.com

(web site design by Alexa Green)

I am currently enrolled in NYU’s Junior Level film production class.  The class is called “Intermediate Narrative Production” and requires the students to make an 8 minute (or shorter) color film with sound (must be synced, dialogue must be present) and for my class specifically, we have to shoot it digitally. 

My film will be called “The Greatest Act.”  The logline:

The Greatest Act follows a middle-aged understudy who has never had the chance to live his dream of becoming the leading man.  On the closing night of a Broadway show, we see him exploring the theater as he reflects on his experiences, and strangely, the star of the show seems quite interested in the washed-up understudy. 

The script for the film is being finalized and the crew is being assembled.  The current date of the shoot is tentatively April 2-3 and then post-production will follow shortly afterward, but the schedule is subject to change.  

Keep checking back for future updates, promotions, and announcements. 

With love,

Michael Samuel Deigh

The website for Cotton, Jeans, and Roses is up and running, and already the site is full of content.  Check out the film pages for works in progress!  Soon, some of the films will be submitted to festivals worldwide and will hopefully be available for distribution either online or by DVD.

The website will constantly be updated with new works, both in film and stage.  Soon, writing samples will be available on the “Stage” section of the site, and new promotional photos will be up for films in progress like “Occult” and “Dead Ringer.” 

The blog will also be updated regularly and will feature news, pictures, and updates from works in progress, along with film reviews of movies in theaters and on DVD.

So keep checking cottonjeansandroses.com and cottonjeansandroses.tumblr.com for more from the new production company!

With love,

Michael Samuel Deigh