Press Contact: Michael C. Green email: michaelcgreen@earthlink.net phone: 760-880-4921 Shoot the Hero, A New Film by Christian Sesma, Finishes Shooting; Begins Post Production. December 21, 2008, Palm Springs, CA - It s a wrap for Shoot the Hero, the Christian Sesma film that has been shooting in and around Palm Springs for the past two weeks. But the end of filming means the beginning of the post production process that will take all the footage and turn it into a finished product. It was a really great shoot overall, said Sesma, who both wrote and directed the film. Of course we did have to take a couple of detours because of the rain in Palm Springs and the snow in the high desert, but overall, things went pretty smoothly. It was an almost magical shoot in many ways, and the inclement weather ultimately enhanced several of the scenes. Executive Producer Denise DuBarry Hay agreed. When you think about it, the small amount of weather delays we had to deal with were inconsequential compared to what we d have had to deal with in almost any other location. I ve been on shoots that had to be moved to other cities, and even other states, due to inclement weather. And in the end, how many people can say they had to delay their movie shoot for a storm that broke forty year weather records. Even with the delays, Sesma and his crew completed shooting in just twelve and a half days. That s quite a feat for a feature length film, Sesma commented. Especially one of this quality. And quality is something Sesma was adamant about throughout the filming.
When you cut corners, he insists, it always shows through in the end. We went with quality at every turn, from casting the actors to choosing the crew, and from contracting with support services to choosing equipment. Sesma was particularly adamant about shooting the film with one of the industry s latest innovations - the Red One Cameras. Considered the new standard for filmmakers and cinematographers (and a favorite of Director Ron Howard), the cutting edge Red One cameras are capable of digitally recording at resolutions up to 4096 x 2304 pixels, and saving directly to either a flash or hard drive. Director Steven Soderbergh, who shot his films Guerrilla and The Argentine (both screened at the Cannes Film Festival) entirely using Red One cameras, has described them as "...the camera I've been waiting for my whole career: jaw-dropping imagery recorded onboard a camera light enough to hold with one hand...red, he said, is going to change everything. Bruce Feagle, the Editor for Shoot the Hero, was also passionate about using the Red One Cameras. Another primary benefit of using them (the Red One Cameras) from the editor s standpoint, is the fact that the camera crew can assemble the digital footage on a daily basis. This gives us a real head start as we begin the editing process. It also allows us to have a much more streamlined process going into full Post. All the post work for Shoot the Hero will be done locally at Bruce Feagle s studio. He and his associate, Brandon Worswick, will work hand in hand with Sesma to complete the full working cut of the movie. We expect to have our full working cut within a month. Sesma continued. After that, we ll move on to sound, scoring, VFX and the process of color correction, and DI (digital intermediates). DuBarry Hay says she expects to have a final cut of Shoot the Hero ready by late February. We believe we can have it ready for industry screenings in Hollywood by the end of February, she said. We ll plan to screen it for interested distributors and studio executives, then see where we go from there. For several of the people involved in Shoot the Hero, the movie, and the fact that it was shot largely in and around Palm Springs, had particular personal significance. Writer and Director, Christian Sesma grew up in Palm Springs, and was a graduate of Palm Springs High School. I really wanted to shoot in my home town, he said. And I
wanted to use some local people. We got local guys that I grew up with to play some of the gangsters in the film, and we tried to support local businesses as much as we could. Lots of people came through for us. Sesma continued. John Wessman, and Wessman Development donated one of our primary locations, the Colony Palms Hotel worked with us and gave us some great rates, and provided a couple of locations, and the City of Palm Springs (and particularly City Manager, David Ready) were a tremendous help to us with permitting, logistics, and general support. Finally, I would be really remiss if I failed to mention my good friend Debbie from Peabody s. Debbie opened Peabody s up for us so we could have a green room for the cast, and a place to set up our makeup and wardrobe. For Executive Producer, Denise DuBarry Hay, who is also the President of Palm Springs Women in Film and Television, producing Shoot the Hero in Palm Springs provided an opportunity to demonstrate by example that a feature film could be shot and edited in the Coachella Valley, hopefully paving the way for more film business. We found an incredible number of resources here in the Desert, Hay said of the experience. Coachella Valley Ice came through for us when we needed to match a scene in Desert Hot Springs to a scene we d shot up in Joshua Tree. They were out there with incredibly short notice, turning three tons of block ice into snow, and spreading it out along the highway. The same was true of Dick Taylor and DST Studios. When bad weather kept us from shooting some of our interior car scenes outdoors, Dick got us into DST Studios. That level of support, especially at the last minute, is something you just can t find everywhere. Shoot the Hero features a number of actors with Coachella Valley connections as well. Lead actress, Samantha Lockwood, grew up in La Quinta, actor Mike Hatton was a reporter for the local CBS affiliate, KPSP, and veteran actor Fred Williamson currently lives in Palm Springs. It s really not surprising to see all the Palm Springs connections, says DuBarry Hay. I d be more surprised to learn there weren t some local connections.
Sidebar: Shoot the Hero is the latest film by Christian Sesma, whose 2004 short film, Cycles, won critical acclaim, and became an official selection at the Palm Springs International Festival Of Short Films. Sesma has also produced one additional short feature - Things That Go Bump in the Night; and two feature films - 6:30 (Six-Thirty), a gritty teen thriller, and On Bloody Sunday, a feature length teen horror film. He is a widely recognized as a rising star in the film community, and one of an impressive new generation of young Latino filmmakers. Shoot the Hero s Executive Producer is philanthropist, actress, and entrepreneur, Denise DuBarry Hay. DuBarry Hay, who has amassed several impressive credits in film and television, is President and CEO of Kaswit, Inc., an entertainment company which develops and funds infomercials and feature films. She is also President of Palm Springs Women in Film and Television, and co-founder (and current Vice-Chair) of Thane International, a global leader in the direct response marketing industry. DuBarry Hay has created the brand names and marketing strategies for the Orbitrek, California Beauty and Klear Action, to name a few. She has also served as executive producer of several live award shows for the Electronic Retailing Industry held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel with hosts George Wallace, Paul Rodriguez, and Lindsey Wagner. She received ERA s 2003 Volunteer of the Year Award and, along with her husband, Bill Hay, was awarded the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1998. She has served on several boards, including the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. She now serves as a member of the ERA (Electronic Retailing Association), Thane International, the Marywood Palm Valley School, the Palm Springs Cultural Center, and the Palm Springs Women In Film and Television boards of directors. Prior to her business career, DuBarry Hay was an accomplished actress. In addition to starring in several films, she was a regular inthe series Black Sheep Squadron and was featured in the film classic Being There. Film Synopsis: Shoot the Hero is an action-comedy about a 30- something couple who, while shopping for a wedding ring, unintentionally become involved in a botched jewel heist. The plot thickens when the crooked casino owner who engineered the heist hires two unassuming hitmen to clean up the mess, and the soon-tobe husband and wife find themselves discovering new things about themselves and their relationship.
Cast members include Jason Mewes (Clerks, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Zack and Miri Make a Porno), Samantha Lockwood (Lords of Dogtown, Mexican Gold), Danny Trejo (Desperado, Heat, Con Air, Spy Kids, Sin City2), Nic Nac (MTV s Wild N Out, American Pie Beta House, Van Wilder 3), Nick Turturro (Jungle Fever, NYPD Blue, The Longest Yard, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry), Steve Tally (American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile, American Pie Presents: Beta House, Van Wilder 3), Katie Morgan (Zack and Miri Make a Porno), and veteran actor Fred Williamson (Inglorious Bastards, From Dusk till Dawn, Starsky and Hutch).