That's the cast and crew. You could just have easily looked us up on the Net at the IMDB, but "OADASN" has been removed pending the legal quagmire. Anyway, here's the cut n paste from 11.5 months ago. I still mean almost every word...
Monday, November 26, 2007
"On a Dark and Stormy Night: A Reflection"
by Mike Tursi
Principal photography is done.
The wrap party was last night.
It's over, except for post-production.
I am empty inside, and I didn't expect it to be so.
Well, not completely empty, but a huge chunk of me stayed behind, on set of "OADASN."
It was a great experience, and sometimes, I think it took it for granted when it was happening. But now, after a day of reflection, I realize I was working with some truly great souls, and I miss them dearly, only after one day.
Do I have some regrets? You bet. I could have made more out of this experience than I should have, and I attribute that error to growing pains as a new actor. I have no delusions about the fact that, of the 8 principal actors on this project, I was (and still am) the least known; the minorest of the celebrities, if that word even applies. I must say, the celebrities that I worked with are as real a bunch of people as the baristas at Starbucks and associates at Wal-Mart.
I wish I could have shown my fondness for these people more than I did.
Here's my list of "thank-yous." ---
Juan Reidinger, aka "Number Juan in our Hearts"- a man among men, and a great human being. His star is on the rise, and he will be a huge actor, very soon. Yet, his head is not in the clouds. He tackled this project with a passion I have never seen before, and is the most respectful soul I have met.
Muy bien, mijo.
Aaron Massey, aka "Money Massey"- he is money because when he is in a scene, the best way to describe it is, "rich." In my opinion, not only the best actor of this bunch, but the most talented actor I have worked with (in my albeit short career, but it's still the truth). Most of his scenes were shot in only one take, because the man, in the simplest of terms, "nails it every time." I have never seen an actor prepare as much for a role, creating backstory for his character. His nose was buried in his script over 90% of the time, and his preparation shows in his work.
Double-down, mutha-fucka!
Adrian Quihuis, aka "Joey Jo-Jo Joes"- have you ever met a person who was so funny that it annoyed the piss out of you? That's Quihuis. He had a snappy one-liner for literally, EVERYTHING ANYBODY SAID, and it was always fresh. It never got old. Nobody got to see how witty I am because Adrian would always beat us to the punch with the comebacks. He is a ball of energy that always had us laughing, and he has the funniest moments in this film. I am truly envious of Adrian's wit and timing and I know he can be one of the best stand-up comedians if the acting thing doesn't pan out.
Duuuuuuude, Gray's being a dick.
Anna Ward, aka "The Dream-Buddy"- beautiful and intelligent women that like sports are few and far between. To a guy like me, they are the rarest of commodities, and I would trade all the gold, silver and platinum in the world to remain friends with Anna Ward. If I had one day to live, and I could choose how to spend that day, it would be with Anna at a picnic with a good bottle of wine after a walk on the beach. We would have good conversation, and top off the night at a Mets-Cubs game (at Shea or Wrigley, it wouldn't matter) chowing down on hot dogs and peanuts. Yes, after a day like that, I would be fulfilled.
The Ace of Bicycles.
Marlies Pinto, aka "One of my favorite people in the world from now on"- Marlies was the first fellow cast member I met, and previously we had talked on the phone a few times. I knew before we met that I would like this woman a whole bunch. Also beautiful and intelligent, Marlies' spirit is kind and gentle but she has a sense of humor that dishes out and takes some pretty raunchy jokes. Not unlike Anna, to a guy like me Marlies is pretty much the closest thing to my "dream-girl" that I have met, and because we had sort of a minor kinship beforehand, my respect and admiration had time to graduate into a strong love and affection. I think I'll miss Marlies most of all.
The ride was fun, wasn't it?
Tamela D'Amico, aka "My Fellow Paisan"- at all times, Tam simply radiates confidence. I mean, she beams of it, but it's not arrogance, by any definition of the word. I think Tamela would be one of the best bosses an employee could hope for, because she has this aura about her that suggests no problem is too big for her to handle. She seems to have answers for and opinions on EVERYTHING. And she is so brilliant that it's scary. But yet, she's another kind and gentle soul. A gifted actress and singer (I'm gonna buy her CD but everywhere I go, it's SOLD OUT!) and also an accomplished director. Her technical knowledge of the craft is as impressive as her creativity. I've already said she's brilliant, and oh yeah- she's beautiful too.
My hair needs more teasing, daaaaaaah-ling.
Eva-Maria Leonardou, aka "The Greek Goddess"- the epitome of grace and elegance. Seriously, there's nothing she doesn't do gracefully, even in the way she comes up and says "hi" to you. And yet, her attempts to understand American culture items and English expressions are so innocent. When she asks for explanation on something it is one of the cutest things you can ever see. Eva-Maria is an A-List celebrity in her native land, but courageously gave that up to make her mark in America, and I hope for her more than all, OADASN pushes her over the top.
What does this mean, "donkey-punch?"
Elias Acosta, aka "Director of Photography/Cinematographer"- I don't know if this project would have reached it's full potential fruition without Elias looking through the lens. I had the pleasure of watching him interviewed about his work on OADASN and watching this man talk and the passion for his craft was awe-inspiring. This talented Dominican film maker has many exciting projects that were put on hold so he could work with us. I can speak for everyone when I say WE ARE GRATEFUL..
Wisdom far beyond his years.
Mike the Sound Guy, aka "Mike the Sound Guy"- I never got his last name, and that is regrettable for he was our savior. At the last minute, we still had no sound guy. Mike answered an ad on Craig's List and the next thing we knew, we had a sound guy. His technical expertise paid off in full, plus interest because it would have sucked if, after two weeks of shooting, we had no dialogue.
Condoms on microphones is not phallic if used for technical reasons.
Ezekiel Willis, aka "Mr. Everywhere"- originally brought on as a 2nd unit director, Zeke's duties morphed into pretty much assisting all the technical people. He was constantly glued to either a camera, the camera operator, the sound guy, the director or the producer. He was quick to help set up from shot to shot and without him, our transitions between shooting would have been hectic, at the best.
Lightning ain't bad once you get used to it.
Brian Snowden, aka "Mr. Everywhere, the 2nd"- he just showed up one day and started working. Seriously. I think he heard from Tamela that our crew was short-staffed, so he drove down from SAN FRAN-FUCKING-FRISCO on his own dime, put himself up in a hotel, and started working. And he was invaluable because he went far beyond the call of duty to make sure we actors were comfortable, fed and boozed up at all times.
Living proof that nice things happen to nice people, I'm actually envious.
Katie Custer, aka "MAAAAAAKEUUUUUUUP!!!!!"- a staff of one, applying makeup daily to 8 people attending a Halloween party. At 4:30 am every day for 2 weeks. Making me look handsome for the camera. None of these things are easy, but she made it look easy. Katie is a sweetheart, but I didn't have the heart to say this to her face...
The Jacksonville Jaguars suck.
Julie Lorenzen, aka "The Psycho cook with a Heart of Gold"- I swear, I fell in and out of love with this girl twelve times over the course of fourteen days. And she never got tired of me telling her how nice it would be if I saw her naked. She cooked and cooked then cooked some more. Then she served us. Then she did it again for lunch. And then for dinner. She liked to pinch my ass and it felt good. She made me feel liked even if I was a pain in the neck.
Discovery Channel, Shark Week, in the nude; we are so there.
Lee Brandt, aka "Cop 2"- where the hell have you been the whole shoot? Just one day of work? WTF??? lol
Jason the cop, aka "Cop3"- the real McCoy, LAPD. He came in as a technical advisor and we gave him a small role in the movie. He brought his gun, nuff said.
Ezequiel, Sr and Carmen Martinez, aka "The Most Gracious of Hosts"- you offered your home to us and we, in turn, invaded it and took over. You were captives in your own house for two weeks and still gave us a party bus.
Let's do it again, real soon, like tomorrow. lol.
Carolina Martinez, aka "A Shrink in Progress"- I was just really happy to see you again.
Emerson Bixby, aka "The guy who wrote all this crazy shit"- Bix cannot be described. Bix must be experienced. And I mean that as the highest of compliments. He did assure me personally that, if he had a sister, it wouldn't bother him so much if she and I had sex. Keep in mind, that's not an exact quote. I'm paraphrasing.
"The Man from Earth" kicked ass. Rent it tonight.
Brian Ochab, producer, aka "The Great Orchestrator"- none of this would have happened, I mean NONE of it would have happened, if Ochab had not run a tight ship. He was on top of everything. He made sure we all were fed. He made sure we were all comfortable. He made sure we all had a place to sleep at night. He made sure the crew knew what and where to set up next. He made sure Ezequiel didn't get somebody killed for one of his crazy ideas. He made sure Mrs. Martinez didn't kill anybody when we disturbed the neighbors. He hooked us up with a party at The Magic Castle in Hollywood (a fantastic place, by the way). He did magic tricks. He danced a pole on the party bus. He played "Cop 1" in our movie. He reimbursed me for my gas receipts in an acceptable time period, lol. In the dictionary, under "producer," there is a picture of Ochab. He has my sincerest gratitude.
Watch him pull a rabbit from his ass!
Ezequiel, director, aka, "Field General."
I'd say something nice, but the little prick would probably rewrite it! lol.
Congrats on your first feature, EZ. I'm proud to have been a part of it.
If I had to do it all over again, the only thing I would do differently is this-
rather than commute to and from set every day from my house, I would certainly have stayed in the hotel, despite being local. This way I could have spent as much time as possible with these wonderful people, and I would not have missed any of the camaraderie. I love you all.
turz
signing off.
Like I said, I still mean almost every word.
Coming soon: I'll tell the story of the forst time I ever saw myself on the big screen.
Hint; it was called Run! Bitch Run!
In the meantime, here are some more memories from OADASN-
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