Monday Movie Meme - The Little People

Remember the British filmmaker Duncan Cowles, whose short film “The Lady with the Lamp” screened during the 2012 Couch Fest Film Festival? Well, he recently touched base with me regarding some good news -- the movie (which also won Best Family Portrait at #2012CFF, by the way!) is now available online via Vimeo and YouTube.

So, if you have four minutes to spare during a lunch break or need some quick laughs, Cowles has made his short available for your viewing pleasure. Speaking of short stuff, allow me to introduce the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme: The Little People.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the shortest movie characters that you’ve ever seen on the big (or small) screen. These characters do not have to be midgets per se -- they just have to be shorter than average height of all the other people in the film. Here are my selections for this week’s The Little People theme.

Bad Santa

The elf in this movie is about as short as they come but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in humor.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers & Return of the King

Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry may be Hobbits who are so short that many of the women including Princess Arwen and Eowyn -- the lady of Rohan -- tower over these little guys, but they still have a lot of inches on Gimli, the Dwarf who is a bit overconfident in what he can contribute during the battles of Middle Earth.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

If you think life is hard, try to walk a mile in the shoes of kids whose scientist father accidentally turned them into miniatures! Can the children in this movie still count as a proper selection for this week’s theme, even if they were at a normal height in some scenes? I don’t know but since I am having difficulty thinking of more short characters that fit the bill, I’ll let you all be the judge of that!

Who are the shortest movie characters that you’ve ever seen?

Watch "The Lady with the Lamp" by Duncan Cowles: http://vimeo.com/33969679

Making Movies with Mike Gaudioso - On Active Duty #indiefilm

I cast Mike Gaudioso for the role of Dr. Montgomery in my short film, Abyss, because he has natural talent that cannot be missed. Gaudioso became the character during his audition, rather than “acting” like a medical professional. Members of my casting team who reviewed his audition footage agree with this observation, making the selection process much easier -- thanks to a unanimous vote in his favor. Here are some of the things they said.

“This role was made for him” and “I forgot that I was watching an audition”

Needless to say, his chemistry with Rodney Benson worked for the scenes they had together, based on the script!

Making Movies with Rodney Benson – The Greatest Proposal Ever #indiefilm

All of the months spent on writing a screenplay, hiring actors, finding crew and shooting my latest work, I figured it’s time for you all to meet the cast members of “Abyss.” The movie -- about a guy who gets stranded at a bus stop in Philadelphia -- is currently in post-production and prepping for its film festival debut.

Rodney Benson plays Eric, an Armor officer who attempts to propose to his girlfriend, in the short film, “Abyss.” Benson was cast in this role because he illustrated great chemistry with the actresses I paired him to read with during the auditions. Further observation indicated that he would not only be focused, but also give 100% of his talents and energy to this role.

There were a few traits about Benson that gave me a feeling he is a professional who stands by his word, shows up to work and gets things done. I liked him as Eric and believed that he could pull off the image of someone who appears to have their life in order. I also liked how well Benson showcased an ability to improv a scene, adapting his behavior to suit the nature of various relationships and circumstances, when necessary.

Here is what one of the members of my casting team said about Rodney.

“I think he is the perfect mix of rough and sweet”

Each of us had different reasons why we wanted him for this movie during the casting process but one thing's for sure, there is no one else who could have pulled the role of Eric off the way he does.

Want the latest updates on Abyss as soon as they become available?
Contribute to my IndieGoGo campaign, to help make our film festival premiere happen!

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