Orlando gets taste of new Juice
Source:AmazinglyLittrells /Thanx to Annie
Independent
film begins production in Central Florida with an all-local cast.
Cindy Barth Managing Editor
ORLANDO -- Get ready for another independent fillm project at a neighborhood near you.
Olive Juice, a film about a young woman who is in Orlando visiting her ailing mother, began production Nov. 7 and is expected to wrap by mid-December.
The movie tracks the adventures of the young woman who, during her stay, discovers the true personality of her fiance, sending her into a downward spiral of emotions. Her only refuge is a local pet shop owner who steals her heart.
The
film's all-local cast features Brian Littrell and A.J. McLean of
The Backstreet Boys, actors Leighanne Wallace (Wild America) and
James Berlau as the stars of the film, and 104.1 radio
personality Jim Philips.
Academy Award-winning actor Joe Pesci (GoodFellas) is
contributing a song for the film's soundtrack.
Producer Nick Karvounis says Orlando was selected as the movie's production site due to its "great talent and top-notch facilities."
The Orlando area has, in fact, seen a proliferation of independent films in the past two to three years. The area's best-known independent film, The Blair Witch Project, captured worldwide attention with its release.
But despite the recent rush of enthusiasm for such indies, Karvounis and movie director Ken Hastings still faced what is traditionally the biggest hurdle to such films: financing. The solution? A sweepstakes contest.
Olive
Juice principals set up a Web site dedicated to the movie and
offered a post card-size movie poster for sale. Money from the
sales went toward production costs, and buyers also got a chance
at winning an all expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas.
"A lot of people go to finance their film and go the credit
card route," explained Karvounis in an earlier interview on
The Film Freak radio show in Los Angeles.
"They go so into debt with their credit cards, and you know
we looked at that and said that's not realistic for us."
Karvounis says the independent film will shoot on location in downtown Orlando and Mount Dora, with stops at Truffles & Trifles, Lake Eola, Icon Nightclub, Florida Hospital Apopka, College Park and Big Belly Brewery.