Cameras Ready to Roll

By James Drzewiecki
Staff Writer

BRISTOL — Local filmmaker Ryan Casey is about to shoot his feature length film and is asking for help. “As you may know, I will be making my first feature-length film, starting this week,” Casey said. “It is entitled ‘American Jubilee.’ It’s a comedy with existential elements — similar to ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ ‘The Royal Tennenbaums,’ ‘Everyone Says I Love You,’ etc. — which I wrote and will direct.”

He plans to start shooting this Saturday in New Haven and will also shoot in Bristol.

“It’s very important that we continue to make films here in Connecticut. It benefits the local economy and nurtures local-area arts and culture,” Casey said.

Casey will be using this film for his independent study class at the University of Hartford, where he is finishing work on his master’s degree in communication.

“I’m 70 percent through the graduate program with a GPA of 3.90,” Casey said.

He also plans to enter the work in film festivals nationwide as he continues to move his career as a filmmaker forward.

Casey is asking for donations from the public to help him make his movie.

“All donations go toward feeding our hard-working cast and crew, purchasing props and buying exciting things like insurance,” Casey said.

People who wish to donate can do so through PayPal at his website,www.ajmovie.com. Once on that site click on the donate button at the bottom of the page.

For those of you who don’t want to give your credit card number online you can send a check directly to Ryan Casey. To find out where to send the check, e-mail him atRyan@ajmovie.com for more information.

Those who donate to the film will have their name appear in the thank-you section of the film’s credits.
“Any amount whatsoever helps,” Casey said. “Also, because I’m also using this film toward attaining my graduate degree, in effect, you are contributing to an educational endeavor. So, this might be a tax write-off, though, I would check with your accountant first.”
The film begins shooting after an eight-month pre-production process.
“We have a crew of about 20 local artists and craftspeople and a cast of 14,” Casey said. “Mayor Ward and his team, and also, Police Chief Divenere, and Bristol Chamber’s Mike Nicastro also have been helpful at facilitation of the filming in Bristol. Nicastro did everything he could to make sure the film was shot here.”
American Jubilee will be done shooting Sept. 1, and they are looking at a Feb. 1, 2011, release date.
Casey also wrote and directed “Crushing Pennies,” which was released in 2009. His first film was “The Icon of 2nd Street,” which starred Connecticut native Troy Farrand.