‘Sizzle reel’ to be filmed at the Capitola Book Cafe
Written by a local-gone-screenwriter and set in Santa Cruz, the film Jane is Santa Cruzan through and through.
Deborah Allen, who was born in Santa Cruz, wrote the screenplay for Jane after spending the first half of her career in theater. Inspired by traumatic events in her own life and formed with the help of film production companies in Monterey and Los Angeles, Allen’s vision of creating a movie about real, brave, “smart women” is now becoming realized.
This coming Tuesday, July 10, Allen and her crew will be filming a “sizzle reel” for Jane at the Capitola Book Cafe. A sizzle reel resembles a film trailer and is meant to entice potential investors to get involved with the project, or, as the film’s website says, “to show possible backers, financial people, and friends what our visual story can look like.” Allen hopes that the reel will bring to fruition her story of Jane, a 15-year-old who embarks on journey of self-discovery and healing after a traumatic sexual experience.
Tuesday’s shoot requires a large group of Santa Cruz extras, which is where you—the local public—come into play. “It’s all the village,” Allen says. “We’re making a local film, they’re a local bookstore … [and] they’re trying to serve the community right now.” The crew urges the local Santa Cruz community to come get involved, bring extra cash to buy books, and enjoy free food and wine during the shoot.
“The crew is a group of phenomenal, seasoned vets who want to make this happen,” Allen says. One of the film companies Allen has chosen to pair with focuses on mentoring teenage filmmakers. A really cool aspect of this film, says Allen, is that “it’s a film about teenagers, made with a teenage crew.”
Anyone 16 years old and older is welcome to join the production as an extra for the sizzle reel shoot. Extras should arrive at the Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Ave. # G, at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, July 10 and expect to stay until 10:30 p.m. Normal “Santa Cruz casual costume” (or, in other words, what you would normally wear) is the only dress code.
“If we want to show filmmakers that we are really serious, [then the] more people the better,” says Allen. The film’s target release date is 2014.
For more information, visit jane-themovie.com.
