The director, Ged Dickersin, has created a Kickstarter for The Energy Specialist, which was launched on May 7, 2013. The aim is to raise funds to help complete the movie, which was originally filmed back in 2000 (not 2001, like I thought) and the fees required for editing, colour mixing, etc, are listed on the page. Therefore, I’ve added the information to the sidebar to keep track of the funding progress!

We also, finally, get to see a little of the movie’s rough cut in the brand new trailer that’s now online. View it under the cut or on YouTube. I’ve also added a small poster to the gallery; links & previews are below, enjoy!

Gallery Link
- Artwork & Posters
- Trailer screencaptures

Gallery Link
- Season 2 > Production Stills
- Season 1 > Production Stills

Thanks to Carole Smith of the GaylerSmith Company, we were able to sneak into the tail end of Amy Acker‘s brief visit to the great city of Dallas. Having just seen her new film, a Joss Whedon adaption of Much Ado About Nothing, words could not capture our excitement. Of course, plenty of the questions the actress had to field revolved around Whedon, but she admires him just as much as the rest of us, especially for his work on the Shakespearean screenplay:

“He adds a lot of subtext and a lot of comedy through the subtext that really sort of makes everything… the fact that everyone has drinks in their hand pretty much from the time that credits are rolling; you start to understand how everyone is confused and seeing things that aren’t really happening.”

Acker later added that it was a thrill to be involved with the project, saying “I can’t imagine having another experience like this, unless Joss decides to make another movie like this.” The film itself was quite an accomplishment, wrapping up principal photography in just twelve days and somehow remaining relatively well-hidden from the public eye. Using his own home as a set and working with a minuscule budget, Whedon somehow managed to squeeze out a fantastic film before The Avengers was even finished. According to Acker, it was the passion of the cast and the fun of the script that made the project such a success.

“Everybody there just really admired and liked each other,” Acker said, “it was a perfect environment to do something that it didn’t really matter what happened with it.” No one knew what would become of Much Ado About Nothing, and no one seemed to really care. The tight-knit group of actors, many of whom had worked together or met at conventions because of their director, had so much fun with production that they trekked from LA to Austin’s SXSW film festival together on a tour bus (an experience affectionately dubbed “Bus Ado About Nothing,” but one in which Acker couldn’t participate because she had already purchased airline tickets. “It was all the people without children,” she joked).

The actress also added that the timetable didn’t seem to bother anyone, noting that the television veterans in the cast had “done hour long shows in eight days, so it almost felt luxurious in the sense that we got to have a couple of weeks of rehearsal before we shot.” It shows. Everything about the film flows perfectly and feels both natural and superior to everyday experience. Even Acker felt a twinge of the surreal, saying ““I kind of wish life was in black and white after this movie. It hides a lot of bad stuff.” Of course, the film used to shoot a movie is only a small part of process. Whedon confessed to Acker that one of her scenes is always immensely boring in the play and told her directly and very early on that he wanted her to fall down a staircase to liven it up. She didn’t even blink. She trusted Whedon.

“Joss is one of those people that you don’t want to disappoint. Not that he would be mad or anything, but when he’s happy about something that you’ve done it makes you feel so good because he has good taste.”

With the rest of the world finally starting to agree with that sentiment, it seems that Much Ado About Nothing is poised to reap the rewards of his new level of fame. Acker told us that the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival felt a lot like Comic-Con. “There were three standing ovations for Joss before the movie even started,” she said, “everyone was like ‘we should never watch this movie again with another audience…’ seeing it in SXSW felt a little more realistic.” With any luck, the aura of success will continue to follow the modern take on Shakespeare as it gains momentum. Until then, however, we can always look forward to the next Whedon family reunion:

“When Joss calls and asks you… the phone rings and I’m like ‘yes? Yes. No, yes. Whatever you’re asking… yes. I’ll do it’ And I think everyone feels the same way.”

I’m not afraid to say that I think Acker would make a great Wasp or Scarlet Witch in the next installment of the Avengers franchise. Only time will tell if he agrees with me. If you’d like to see Acker and the gang in action, check your local theaters for Much Ado About Nothing on June 7.

Source: Truth On Cinema

Gallery Links
- Trailer Captures #2 (HD)
- Artwork & Posters
- Production Stills
- On the Set

Gallery Link
- Production Stills

Additionally, episode 2×21 is airing tonight on CBS, so be sure to check your listings!

“Zero Day” – Reese and Finch realize that a virus has rendered The Machine erratic, causing it to issue numbers irregularly. As they race against the viral countdown, the team searches for a tech millionaire so elusive no one has ever seen him. Also, Detective Carter’s mission to bring Cal Beecher’s murderer to justice lands her squarely within the sights of the HR criminal organization, on PERSON OF INTEREST, Thursday, May 2 (9:01 – 10:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Carrie Preston, Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi, Brett Cullen, Jay O. Sanders and John Nolan guest star.

“God Mode” – Reese & Finch team up with surprising allies in a race to save The Machine from Root and the mysterious international organization Decima, who have both re-emerged with dangerous agendas. As the POI team faces off against enemies old and new, the nature of Finch’s relationship with former partner Nathan Ingram is revealed along with his original motivation for wanting to save The Machine’s irrelevant numbers. Meanwhile, in her mission to bring Cal Beecher’s murderer to justice, Detective Carter finds herself up against the criminal organization known as HR, on the second season finale of PERSON OF INTEREST, Thursday, May 9 (9:01 – 10:01 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Carrie Preston, Amy Acker, Sarah Shahi, Brett Cullen, Jay O. Sanders and Enrico Colantoni guest star.

Gallery Links
- Conventions > The Hollywood Show (2013)
- 56th San Francisco International Film Festival – ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ Premiere

Personally, I absolutely love this trailer, it’s completely different from the US version & features additional scenes with Amy.

View the trailer under the cut or on YouTube. Screencaptures to be added very shortly!

Joss Whedon choosing to do a low-budget Shakespeare adaptation may seem to be out of left field, but according to Acker, it’s far from it. Acker says that Whedon often has get-togethers at his house, assigning guests roles in one of Shakespeare’s plays and staging readings in his backyard.

Consequently, it was no surprise when Acker received the invitation to do the movie. Aside from those impromptu backyard readings, the last time Acker did a live performance of Shakespeare was when she played Hero in Much Ado About Nothing in 1999 at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin.

One of the striking aspects of the film is that it was shot in black and white. Acker says that the reasons for that were twofold. First, Whedon wanted to do a noir version of the play, and black and white seemed to fit with that theme. But because everyone used their own clothes as costumes, there were many clashing colors, and black and white made it easier to make everything cohesive.

When it came to the dialogue, Acker says getting used to it was easier than you might think.

“This is one of the easier plays, because it’s all in prose,” Acker says. “There’s not the meter and all of that you can get more caught up in other plays. It feels very conversational.”

Much of the film has the feel of a big party — which is not entirely unexpected, given that much of the cast had spent a lot of time together.

“Everybody there just really admired and liked each other, so it was a perfect environment to do something where it didn’t really matter what happened with it,” Acker says. “When I watch the movie, I feel like you can tell we were all having a really good time and that we all loved being around each other.”

Source: CultureMap Dallas

Sadly, the event is now full, but nevertheless, do enjoy if you’re attending.