Hello Everyone,

First of all, thank you for everyone who has contacted me.  The response has been fantastic.  I think we are going to have a great audition.  Auditions are just over two weeks away.  To help you prepare for the audition, I have the following updates:

1) So that you can prepare, below is a link to the current version of the screenplay.  It will be rewritten over the course of the next month or so but the changes will be minor.  It will give you a pretty solid idea of what we will be shooting.

http://johnhidalgo.com/arielfirstdraft07sep13.pdf

2) Prior to auditions, if you have not done so already, please send the following:  A head shot, a résumé and a short bio about yourself.  The bio should be about a paragraph long and will be used in the cast section on the web site (www.arielmovie.com).

3) For those who are auditioning for any of the roles that require stage combat (Ariel, Helen, Dylan, Ryan, Lucas or dōjō students)  please wear loose, comfortable clothing in which you can move.

4) We will be holding the audition in a martial arts studio.  So that we do not damage the mats, please do not wear shoes on the mats.

5) As stated before, the audition will be held, in part, in a workshop format.  The first part will be stage combat oriented and the second part will be improv.  Related to the stage combat, if you are auditioning for Ariel you will be given a few moves to do and then will demonstrate them as if you were a martial arts instructor.  If you are auditioning for Helen, Dylan or Ryan you need to be able to safely fall (nothing crazy, just act like you got shot, react and then drop to the floor).  If you are auditioning for Lucas, you need to be able to do a dive roll.  For those auditioning for dōjō students you will need to be able to handle being thrown (as one would normally be in a martial arts class).

6) The improv portion of the audition will mainly be for Helen, Dylan, Ryan and Lucas. For the improv there will be a part where you tell us about what it is like to be part of a group (be it a gang, a club or an exclusive society that does this as a hobby) of people who attack/assault others for fun.  The other part will be where the four characters will interact as a group.  For inspiration you may want to have a look at "Natural Born Killers" and "Blue Velvet".

7) Social Media - Below are some links where you can follow what is going on.  Much of this is still under construction but stay tuned as there will be regular updates.

http://www.arielmovie.com/
http://ariel-movie.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/ArielMovie
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ariel-Short-Film/326162587524128

http://www.ronincreativemedia.com/
http://ronincreativemedia.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/ronincreativeme
https://www.facebook.com/ronincreativemedia

8) If you are looking to audition for the part of Ariel or any of the martial arts/combat oriented parts and would like to get a feel for the martial art that is being portrayed, please contact me at production@ronincreativemedia.com . David Marshall (my student to whom I handed over the class) has agreed to allow people who are going to be auditioning to attend his class. This would be on Thursdays and Friday nights from 7:30 to 9:30 PM. Those classes are held at the Austin Center for Martial Arts (see: www.austincenterformartialarts.com) . 

9) Related to #8, here is a good reference video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiRgV8ETlqs


If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at production@ronincreativemedia.com.

Take care,
John Hidalgo

So, this week has been all about getting the social media stuff sorted out. There is a lot of work to be done.

Here are the Facebook pages:

https://www.facebook.com/ronincreativemedia

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ariel-Short-Film/326162587524128?
You can also follow along on twitter at:

https://twitter.com/ronincreativeme
More updates coming.  Stay tuned.

Audition Notice and Crew Call

Ariel
"Just because I'm small doesn't mean I can't hurt you."

In a lonely parking garage, young, shy, diminutive Ariel is confronted by four attackers bent on having their way with her and must find a way to survive.

Ariel is a new short film from Rōnin Creative Media that will be shot in Austin Texas in March of 2014.

Audition Notice

Sunday, December 8th, 2013
3 PM to 5 PM
Austin Center For Martial Arts
1000 E 51st St
Austin, TX 78751
Map: http://austincenterformartialarts.com/acfmalocation.html

We will be looking for actors for the following parts:
 
Ariel - 20s or early 30s, female, petite. Dance, mime or martial arts (Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, Judo or Aikido a plus) background will be helpful.
Nancy - 20s or 30s, female, possibly Ariel's sister 
Helen - 20s or 30s, female, violent sociopath, leader of her band of perpetrators, think "Natural Born Killers", some stage combat involved
Dylan - 20s or 30s, male, Helen's equally psycho boyfriend and partner in crime, think "Natural Born Killers", some stage combat involved 
Ryan - 20s or 30s, male, One of Helen's accomplices, some stage combat involved
Lucas - 20s or 30s, male, One of Helen's accomplices, some stage combat involved
Perkins - 30s to 60s, female, police detective
Brown - 20s to 60s, police officer
Television News Anchor - voice over
Dojo Students (eight parts available) - Any age or gender, ideally someone with some martial arts background that knows how to roll and fall, some stage combat involved
Woman 1 - 20s to 40s, confident 
Woman 2 - 20s to 40s, confident


Audition Format
The first part of the audition will be conducted in a workshop format and will include going through some martial arts movement and fight choreography. The purpose is to see everyone's physical capabilities and identify who can play what parts.

Other Notes
If you wish to audition for Ariel and if you have the following items, please bring them. (Helpful but not required.): A long winter coat and glasses.

If you wish to audition for one of the Dojo Student parts and have the following items, please bring them. (Helpful but not required.): gi, hakama, tabi.

All Actors, prior to audition, please send an e-mail to production@ronincreativemedia.com with a head shot, résumé and a short bio. If you do not have any of these you can still audition but it would be extremely helpful if you would provide these items.

Due to the martial arts portrayal and the fight choreography, some parts will require that the actor be available for martial arts training and fight choreography rehearsals.

Contact
If you have any questions, please contact John Hidalgo at production@ronincreativemedia.com.

Crew Call

We are looking for people to fill the following positions:

    Assistant Director
    Director of Photography
    Assistant Camera
    Sound Designer
    Boom Operator
    Gaffer
    Production Assistants
    Make Up Artist

Contact
If you have any questions, please contact John Hidalgo at production@ronincreativemedia.com. 

Hello and welcome to Rōnin Creative Media, a new independent film making company based in Austin, Texas.  This blog will serve as an outlet for updates on our upcoming films.  The first film we will be producing is called "Ariel" and is about a woman who is confronted by four attackers in a parking garage and must find a way to prevail.  Please stay tuned as there is more to come.