on the ground...

On Tuesday of this past week, Claire, Sarah and Beth safely touched down in the Cuzco Airport, immediately greeted by a smiling crew, two Korean hatchback taxis, and a pitcher of coca tea. Here, nestled 12,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains, we’ll make our home for the next few months.
Everyone seems to have made the transition extremely well, and has been eager to dive right into the job at hand. Claire, Maxi and PJ have begun working through the logistics of transporting cast and crew, coordinating schedules and securing locations…no small task. Josh, Dan, Beth and Sarah have been busy working with the Peruvian actors, rehearsing and developing the script, as well as seeking out local talent for some of the smaller adult parts.
Chete, the young actor playing the part of Pablo, and William, his comical sidekick Alfredo, have been an absolute inspiration to work with. Each bring a fresh perspective to the story, offering up new ideas each day and a naturalness many professional actors train to achieve. Check out our video below of the boys in action.



Over the weekend, Josh is finalizing the last round of rewrites to the script and early next week we’ll welcome our assistant art director, Sylvia to the compound! And don’t forget, it’s not too late to donate to the film. Every donation large and small is incredibly appreciated; and remember, you’re not only supporting independent art, but a project whose goal is to uplift the Peruvian culture and shed light on the story of Cusco’s countless street children. Simply visit our website at http://www.lofuproductions.com/chicleypostales/index.html

Chicle Y Postales featured in the Southern Illinoisan

Hey everybody, check out the write up in Carbondale's Southern Illinoisan. Writer Brent Stewart devoted an entire article to the Chicle Y Postales film and its director, SIUC grad, Josh Hyde. Big thanks goes out Mr. Stewart, The Southern, and LoFu publicist Adam York for making it possible.

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/09/08/lifestyles/life/25749768.txt

what a difference a cast makes!

Another piece to the Chicle puzzle has fallen beautifully into place this week as rehearsals with our American cast are now underway. We began last Saturday with Nadia Alexander (Mary) and Megan Tusing (Elizabeth), another couple of Midwest transplants quickly working their way up the acting ranks here in the city. In a rented studio in midtown Manhattan (appropriately five stories up with an out of service elevator) we began discussing their characters, their relationships to each other, and the evolution they each go through as the story unfolds. It was incredible to see how each of them brought to the story an insight or point of view that neither Josh nor I had ever thought of. By the end of the day, the excitement of this creative exchange had already begun to breathe new life into our story…and we still had two more actors to go!
Sunday, we met as a full cast. As we sat around a long table, settling in and introducing ourselves, there was already an incredible feeling of accomplishment…in reality we were only baby steps along in the scope of the whole project, but somehow we had all made it to that room, and it felt amazing. The actors playing our American parents, both of whom built their careers in the New York market, have been friends for years and immediately translated their personal relationship into an honest and tangible spousal connection. Megan and Nadia (or “mini-Megan, due to their almost eerie resemblance) jumped right in, pushing each other’s buttons as only siblings can, while also uncovering several heartwarming moments when their love for each other shines through. It was a fantastic afternoon, made even more incredible as we watched Chicle’s two-dimensional words begin their metamorphosis into “real life.”
This week we’ll continue to meet with the actors and polish each scene into a more performance ready form, until finally we wave goodbye to our Director, Josh Hyde, as he departs for Peru this coming Monday. Thanks to Josh and all our tremendous actors for all their hard work! Things are moving right along….

the casting machine...

Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our casting directors Ellen and Maria of the Orpheus Casting Group, American casting here in NYC was a complete success! The last two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of actors, auditions, late night phone calls and a heavy reliance on gut instinct, but overall, an absolutely amazing experience!

During our first day of auditions we saw around 30 actors over a six-hour period…a number that may not sound like a lot, but trust me, makes for a very full and very exhausting day. Each actor prepared two sides (short scenes extracted from the script) and performed them along with a reader (someone who provides the other character’s lines in the scene). With some actors, Josh was able to observe all the information he needed from a single read, with others he would provide a slight adjustment or gentle direction and then ask them to perform the scene again. It was incredible to watch so many interpretations of the same words! At the end of the day, everyone’s headshot was spread out on the table and Josh and the ladies compared their notes and boiled down their top choices for each character.

When I asked Josh for his impressions of the casting process he responded, “I think it’s amazing, because, you know, you go out there and you have this script, and it’s as if you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. You think you know exactly what you’re looking for, and sometimes you’re lucky enough to find it; but other times an actor will bring in something you’d never even considered for that character and you realize that you’re even luckier because this person is better than any character you could have ever written.”

The following week, this same process was reenacted with a whole new group of actors, and then again in a final call back. In the call back, the top choices for each character were mixed and matched into prospective “families” and asked to read a dinner scene, so that the auditioners could get a feel for how the actors worked together, as well as whether it would be physically convincing that each actor was biologically related to the others. Essentially, all of the complex relationships that exist between the characters of our story would have to be believable amongst the actors. As you can imagine, a lot of factors came into play for this final decision, but we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome!

Next on the agenda: While rehearsals for the American family begin this week in New York, Dan and PJ will begin casting sessions in Lima and Cuzco to find the remaining members of our Peruvian cast. Plus, check out this adorable pic below of Nadia Alexander (Mary), the newest addition to the Chicle Y Postales family. Welcome!

we have touchdown...

As of last Monday, “Captain” Dan Fischer and our trusty producer, PJ Fishwick, have safely and successfully landed in Lima, Peru! Once arrived, they spared no time in transition, immediately teaming up with “Chicle” veterans Maxim Holland and Christian “Chaufa” Bustamante. Check out what the guys said about their first week in the country, the riggers of pre-production, and the job ahead…

Hey guys, how does it feel to be back in Peru, and what have you missed most since your last visit?

PJ: It’s always great to be in a new place. There is always a little culture shock but I think Dan and I hit the ground running and have accomplished much in our first week. I think I speak for Dan as well when I say the thing we were most excited about was the food. Lima is a hotspot for the South American food connoisseur. Chifa, Ceviche, Lomo Saltado and Aji de Gallina. We have been eating our way across town and back.

PJ, you’ve been working in the Chicago film scene for quite some time now, but this will be your first time working with the LoFu crew. What was it about the story or the film that brought you to the project?

PJ: As you know Dan and I live together back in Chicago. I remember the first time I stumbled across the script for Chicle. It was an old battered copy that had fallen behind the TV. Dan was away at work and I was doing some cleaning at the house. What is this I thought, as a peeled back the dusty tattered cover and began to read. Immediately I was enthralled. In one sitting I read through the entire script, riveted into the couch. When Dan got home I was sitting in the kitchen with the lights off. It was late and as he dropped his bag and turned to me questioningly I said... "what is this." "What?" he asked. As I motioned to the script, which I had retyped and printed to make a new crisp copy, he realized. Silence. "I think its time you did something with this." I said solemnly. Dan was quiet for a minute and turned his back to me. He took a deep breath and raised his hands to his face. "You cleaned behind the TV. I told you never to clean behind the TV." He said. "This is a piece of art, a thing of beauty! You cant just hide it away behind the TV buried in the dust. " I pleaded. "I know!" cried Dan. "I know..." He took a deep breath and poured himself a whiskey. "If we are going to do this thing. We are going to do it together. " We both rose from the table in the darkness and shared a long hug. When we broke the embrace we cried "Chicle" and clasped hands in a jumping high five. And its just been building ever since.
As to working with the lofu crew - I thought they would be taller

Ha ha ha, nice…I appreciate the sarcasm. What kind of activities does the process of “Pre-Production” entail?

PJ: Production in Peru is different in many ways than much of my experience in Chicago. Dan and I start our day by going to Cafe Z to check our email and communicate with everyone stateside. Day to day it’s been different though much of our time has been filled with meeting the crew who will be working with us in Cusco. Everyone we meet has been really excited about the project and can’t wait to get started. We have been all over Lima looking for camera accessories, hoping to get a matte box and follow focus from Lima though no luck so far, the hunt continues. Today we will be meeting with the gaffer and the makeup artist.

So, what’s next on the agenda?

PJ: We travel to Cusco on Wednesday and will begin looking for housing for crew and cast as well as begin casting sessions for local Cusquenians.

What are you all looking forward to in the months ahead?

PJ: I really look forward to seeing the developing relationships between American and Peruvian filmmakers, and cast. I think it is really amazing and interesting to see people from all over the states and Peru coming together for one vision and purpose.

Guys, thanks so much for your time! Keep up the good work and we’ll be sure to check in with you again soon.