7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

7AM WEDNESDAY

CARIE KAWA AUSTIN LEVENSON MICHAEL TRAYNOR JOEY BOTHWELL RY CHASE

STORY BY KRIS KAISER WRITTEN BY JULIE HERLOCKER and KRIS KAISER

PRODUCERS JULIE HERLOCKER PIETRO CECCHINI DIRECTED BY JULIE HERLOCKER

SHADOW ART ENTERTAINMENT

http://shadowartentertainment.com/7amwed

festivals@shadowartentertainment.com facebook.com/7amwedshort

7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

Synopsis

A normally prompt teen shows up late at his therapist’s office and he’s totally freaked out. Can she gain his trust to find out what happened, or is her life in jeopardy?

The Story

One block from campus, Dr. Kathy Tanaka’s office is an easy stop for 17-year-old Jason Waters at 7:00am each Wednesday before school starts. He is normally early, but not today.

When Jason bursts into her office he’s way too upset to talk. Kathy allows him time and

space to sort himself out, but when she realizes that Jason has a gun, she has to deal with a bigger problem. An Emergency Alert on her cell phone reports a gunman was spotted on the

neighboring high school campus. Jason’s agitation grows and Kathy fears the worst.

Putting Jason’s needs above her own safety, she gets him to open up. Jason tells Kathy what happened that morning and why he has the gun. As she puts it all together, Kathy suddenly

realizes just how dangerous the situation is.

7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

Technical Specs

Shot on Location Studio City, California

Running Time 9:30 minutes:seconds

Original Language English

Subtitles None

Shot 1080p on a Canon C300 MkII

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The Cast

CARIE KAWA

Carie Kawa is an actress and producer known for dramatic roles in hit network series like GREY’S ANATOMY (2019), S.W.A.T. (2019) and CRIMINAL MINDS (2018), as well as comedic roles in the star-studded Showtime series KIDDING (2020) and popular YouTube Original series LIZA ON DEMAND (2019). Praised by The New Yorker Magazine as "beguiling" and by Backstage as "electrifying", Carie studied Theater and English at Occidental College in Los Angeles before continuing to graduate school at The Academy for Classical Acting in Washington, D.C.

AUSTIN LEVENSON

Los Angeles native Austin Levenson fell into acting at 13 years old by trying to impress a girl. He didn’t get the girl, but he found his passion and has been working at an acting career ever since. Austin has taken classes under the likes of John Kirby, Brian Reise, and Cullen Douglas, and currently takes classes with Joshua LeBar. He has co-starred on the ABC sitcom THE MIDDLE, and various shorts and web series.

7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

The Cast (continued)

MICHAEL TRAYNOR

Michael Traynor began his career as a dancer, receiving dance scholarships and dancing professionally several years before pursuing acting. In addition to his theater work, Michael has done numerous television and movie projects, and won an ITVFest Award for his writing on the show UNDERWATER. His work includes recurring roles on THE WALKING DEAD as Nicholas, TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY as Quinn, and as Craig on THE FOSTERS.

JOEY BOTHWELL RY CHASE

Growing up in performance art, Joey Bothwell has had the privilege to work for over two decades in theatre, film and television as a dancer, actor, choreographer and is now dabbling in writing. Joey has been in numerous television shows on ABC, CW and USA networks as well as gracing the screen with Oscar winner Halle Berry and Stellan Skarsgard in the golden globe nominated "Frankie and Alice.”

Ry Chase attended the University of Texas for a semester before choosing to join the Marines. While stationed at Camp Pendleton, she studied graphic design at the Art Institute of San Diego. After graduating from the Los Angeles Film School, Ry was offered an internship at an animation studio and discovered a talent for voice acting. Soon after, Ry landed her first professional voice-over gig in an Untitled confidential animated project.

7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

7AM WEDNESDAY - Inspiration for the Story

At one time a friend of mine was a high school counselor. I was always struck by the variety of issues she addressed and the positive impact she had on young lives. Not all of these positive impacts came without being in the middle of stressful situations, often one-on-one within her office. As I heard more stories from her, I felt her “confinement” – being in a tight place physically and mentally during a tense moment. Tremendous skills come into play to stay calm and keep thinking clearly while trying to help a student in distress. She was so good at it and I have great respect for her and counselors who provide life-changing service to our youth. I wondered if there was a tipping point when a counselor’s skills would break down due to outsized stimuli while confined to one room. With that in mind, I folded current campus issues from the news into my friend’s old experiences, and 7AM Wednesday was born. Many thanks go to the director Julie Herlocker for amping up the story and delivering a high-quality film. I hope you enjoy 7AM Wednesday – “a short ride on a fast train”. Kris Kaiser

7AM WEDNESDAY - Why This Story?

How do you stand up for yourself when someone makes you feel small? What happens when you reach a breaking point? When it’s time to make a choice, what happens when you make the wrong one? I’m a mom to two teens, and a stepmom to two more. I know what challenges kids can face in middle school and high school. Having an adult - other than a parent - to talk to can make it a lot easier to get through difficult times. That’s especially true for kids who have problems at home. Without guidance, a kid can make a bad choice that will impact them for the rest of their lives. Kris gave me a compelling story that could open a discussion for kids and teens to acknowledge that it can be a good thing to have a safe place to go to where there’s an adult worth trusting. It doesn’t make you “uncool” but offers a way to build confidence. I hope this short film can start that conversation. Julie Herlocker

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The Crew

Director JULIE HERLOCKER Story by KRIS KAISER Writers JULIE HERLOCKER and

KRIS KAISER Producers JULIE HERLOCKER PIETRO CECCHINI Cinematographer ALISON KELLY Composer RICHARD MARVIN Editor PIETRO CECCHINI

Line Producer MICHELE B. McGRAW 1st Assistant Director ALICIA ZARAGOZA

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BIOS

JULIE HERLOCKER Director/Writer/Producer Julie Herlocker learned the art of crafting a story as a Post Producer on one-hour dramas. Prior to her work in post, Julie worked her way up in indie films, starting as a set PA, then grip/electric, 2nd AD and line producer before moving into episodic television. Having directed ADR for more than 300 episodes of television, Julie loves working with actors. She also knows VFX, as seen in her network directing debut, the creature heavy episode of NBC’s GRIMM “Breakfast in Bed.” Her award-winning first short, Peter’s Ashes set her directing career in motion. 7AM

WEDNESDAY is Julie’s 2nd short. Drawn to character pieces with an edge, currently she's developing a high-tension dramedy feature, a horror short, and she’s attached to direct both the feature Strings and the pilot for the series SOLANNA - the story of a teenage girl’s race against time to save her beloved horse from slaughter. Julie was selected as an emerging director for the DGA's 2019-2020 DDI Mentorship Program.

KRIS KAISER Story by/Writer Kris Kaiser is the author of three feature length screenplays and a published a mystery/thriller novel, Proclivity, which is the first in a series. Two of his screenplays became doorstops, while the third did secure interest from Hollywood before withering on the slush pile at a major agency. Suspense is the name of the game in Kris’ work. He derives joy in ever tightening the pressure upon ordinary characters that he throws into unique situations. The goal is audience

members sweating it out while continually inching closer to the edge of their seats. Kris is currently working on the next novel in his series, as well as other stand-alone novels and projects including a children’s book with a Harley-riding grandmother.

PIETRO CECCHINI Producer/Editor Born in Milan, Italy, Pietro moved to San Francisco as a teenager. He received BA’s from UC Berkeley in Sociology and Anthropology, and a Masters in Film at SF State University. Pietro began his editing career in NYC in the sound department. After working in music editorial on Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility, he moved to L.A. for Alfonso Cuerón’s Great Expectations, later working in picture editorial on The Mirror has Two Faces. Now a terrific picture editor in his own right, Pietro’s work includes cutting on the network TV shows TRAUMA, APB, THE

EXORCIST, and THE PASSAGE. A talented storyteller on many levels, Pietro is producing partners with Julie Herlocker in Shadow Art Entertainment and lives in Venice, CA.

7AM WEDNESDAY @7AMWedShort

ALISON KELLY Cinematographer Alison Kelly worked her way up through the camera department on many indie projects and is now a leading DP in episodic television. She’s brought her creative talents to such shows as AMC’s DIETLAND, ABC’s GRAND HOTEL, and DIARY OF A FUTURE PRESIDENT for Disney+.

RICHARD MARVIN Composer Richard Marvin started out as a synthesizer session player in the 80’s – the heyday of live recorded synth scores - where he also worked with Berklee Chair of Film Scoring, George S. Clinton. An always in-demand composer for TV and film, Rick is currently scoring the new NBC series LINCOLN RHYME: HUNT FOR THE BONE COLLECTOR. His previous work includes the scores for the television series GRIMM, IN TREATMENT, WITHOUT A TRACE and SIX FEET UNDER,

as well as his amazingly textural score for the feature U-571.

NELLO TORRI and ALAN DECKER Re-recording Mixers Nello Torri and Alan Decker are a sound powerhouse, helping to shape stories with every move of their faders. Collectively, these talented mixers hold 10 Emmy wins, 10 additional sound award wins, and 36 award nominations. They met when mixing on

separate stages at Sony. When that studio wouldn’t let them join forces, they moved over to Universal and became a team to be reckoned with. Eventually moving over to Technicolor at Paramount, they continued to mix together until Nello’s retirement in January 2020. Some of their credits include HOMELAND, OUTLANDER, GRIMM, and the new Apple+TV show FOR ALL MANKIND.

MICHELE B. McGRAW ALICIA ZARAGOZA Line Producer/UPM 1st AD Location Manager/Costumes Michele B. McGraw is a freelance Line Producer and Production Accountant in Los Angeles. She is currently

producing the short film The Yard Sale, set to shoot June 2020. Her credits include the short films Me Too Nice, The Divisible, and I’m F%$#ing Fine, the indy feature 30 Nights and Post Production Coordinator on DIETLAND (AMC).

Alicia Zaragoza’s credits include working as an Assistant Director on features such as Ron Oliver’s Grand-Daddy Day Care, Maria Burton’s For the Love of George, Anne Hamilton’s American Fable and Minhal Baig’s Hala; and television series such as SHAMELESS, BROKEN, and THE TRAINEE Alicia is a co-chair on the DGA’s Latino Committee.