(New York, November 24th, 2009) — The Arcadian, the first feature film produced by Fringe Majority, has wrapped principal photography this week under the direction of Dekker Dreyer. The Arcadian is a post-apocalyptic adventure starring J. LaRose, Deshja Driggs-Hall, Adam Sessler, Brian Thompson, Sab Shimono, Bill Cobbs, Boris Kievsky, and Lance Henriksen. Dekker Dreyer and Yuri Lowenthal serve as writers with revisions by Sean Jaffe. Julia Hiroko Howe serves as producer.
The Arcadian follows “The Lighthouse Keeper” on a story of revenge and redemption in a strange future world reminiscent of wild 1970s pop sci-fi. The visual world of The Arcadian is an homage to the work of underground illustrators while creating something that is both unique and distinctive. Inspired in equal parts by samurai movies, rock operas, and underground comics, filming took place across four states (New York, New Jersey, California, Florida) as well as Nova Scotia, Canada to get the “feel” of the film’s disjointed apocalypse right.
Director Dekker Dreyer said: “We wanted to create something that was definitely sci-fi without being cold or slick. I looked back to the things that I loved when I was younger, like comics from Moebius, Tamburini… all the great illustrators and writers from the late 70s and early 80s. I wanted to make a sci-fi universe that has a definite rock and roll visual language. Warrior cults, fantastic locations, alien machinery… all built around the eerie familiarity of the day to day world.”
Behind the lens talent includes lead makeup artist Charlotte Scovill (The Brothers Bloom, Children of the Corn) and lead sound designers Peter Calderon and Pablo Calderon (Da Hip Hop Witch, MTV). The camera department, headed by Dreyer in the role of DP, is rounded out by Ryan Guzdzial, Clint Hudson, and Tom Goodwin. Visual effects are to be handled internally at Fringe Majority using a team of talent whose previous clients include Nickelodeon and HBO. Green screen sequences were filmed at Pro HD Rentals of California.
The film was shot entirely on a Canon 5D Mark II camera, chosen for its unparalleled low-light sensitivity and rugged construction. “During some scenes we were on remote islands in the far North, places you had to take two barges to get to. On those days we were shooting in -2 degree weather, 30mph winds, freezing rain… sometimes the shots would only be lit by fire light. With this camera we were able to shoot through it all without any technical limitations.” said director Dekker Dreyer.
The cast of The Arcadian is a diverse ensemble with J. LaRose starring as The Lighthouse Keeper, an enigmatic warrior with a haunted past. LaRose has appeared in Saw III, Saw IV, and Repo! The Genetic Opera.
Deshja Driggs-Hall stars as Astrid, a scavenger from a remote village whose circumstances bring her in contact with the Lighthouse Keeper and the twisted world from which he tried to escape. Deshja can be seen in the festival hit Poundcake opposite Kathleen Quinlan and Jay O. Sanders.
Lance Henriksen brings a somber tone to Father Reed, the leader of an intellectual rebellion against the ruling class of the cities. Henriksen is known for his work in the Aliens franchise and standout performances in films such as Appaloosa and the Fox television series Millennium.
Bill Cobbs stars as Charles, an old friend of the Lighthouse Keeper who watches over Astrid. Cobbs is known for his memorable supporting roles in Night at the Museum, The Hudsucker Proxy, and That Thing You Do.
Sab Shimono stars as Moto, the head of a warrior house brought to its knees by the actions of The Lighthouse Keeper. Shimono is a veteran character actor having appeared in Southland Tales, The Shadow, and WaterWorld.
Adam Sessler stars as Marco, a sadistic auctioneer who controls the trade of slaves, alive or dead. Sessler is a television presenter known for his work on G4’s X-Play. This is his acting debut in a feature film.
Boris Kievsky stars as Anchor, one of Father Reed’s most devoted followers. Kievsky portrayed Oleg opposite Paul Giamatti in Cold Souls.
Brian Thomspon stars as Agmundr, an artist who works in the medium of human flesh. One of the most influential and dangerous figures in the decaying city. Thompson’s career spans decades from the feature films Terminator, Miracle Mile, and Cobra through the iconic television series X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Enterprise.
Additional cast includes Yuri Lowenthal (Afro Samurai, Ben 10: Alien Force, Legion of Super Heroes), Bonnie Morgan (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), Tara Platt (Naruto), Tana Sarnt (Law and Order), Sean Hampton (upcoming Getting Back to Zero), and comedian Rob Gorden.
The Arcadian is represented by Circus Road Films. Post production is scheduled to finish in Q2 of 2010.
About Fringe Majority:
Fringe Majority is a motion picture and episodic content production company founded in 2009 by Julia Hiroko Howe and Dekker Dreyer. Fringe Majority harnesses new technology and techniques to produce original cutting-edge entertainment for a variety of platforms.
About Circus Road Films:
Circus Road Films was formed in 2006 to provide strategic advisory services to filmmakers and entertainment companies, with an emphasis on sales of completed pictures. Circus Road attends all major film and television festivals and markets, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Slamdance Film Festival, the SXSW Film Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Cannes International Film Festival, the CineVegas Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the European Film Market (The Berlinale), the American Film Market, MIP-TV, MIPCOM, Banff and NATPE.
https://www.thefringemajority.com/
There's a trailer for this movie up on G4.tv. It's really retro kind of like zardoz meets mad maxx. Looking forward to seeing Adam Sessler in a film =) it's going to be a head trip.