TUBES — A DARK COMEDY ABOUT REVENGE, RESPONSIBILITY & REALLY CLEAN TEETH

In May of 2006, the Junction Jump creative team put together a business plan for a quarter-million-dollar movie. From a little idea about an angry toothpaste-tube-stuffer has blossomed a riveting and twisted tale about a man whose choices have taken him to rock bottom — and what he does to claw his way back out. And from the dreams of two hirsute filmmakers huddling around a laptop has arisen a full-fledged feature film production that involves several months of work, dozens of locations, hundreds of people and thousands of feet of film.

Throughout production, this page will keep you updated about developments in the world of Tubes and notify you about upcoming milestones and events. So check back often!

THE SORDID STORY

So, what's this thing about? Well, the synopsis on the Projects page is only the tip of the iceberg.

The world our engineer falls into is a world at war with itself. No one takes responsibility for his actions, so calamity waits around every corner. There are natural disasters, accidents, fights and betrayals. And since our hero suffers from the same problem himself, it takes all he's got to find an escape from the mayhem.

There are the people he meets in the tucked-away shanty town: a smooth-talking, redneck W.C. Fields; a young, Mediterranean wannabe-gangsta, living in a Chevy Impala; a grey-haired Aboriginal spy; a beautiful but troubled young runaway. There's the ancient owner of the plantation. There's the cop trying to track him down. And then there are the forces truly aligned against him: a smarmy executive, an ex-Marine in the midst of a sexual identity crisis, and his boss at the toothpaste tube factory — a strong, ruthless and unstable opponent.

There's action. There's comedy. There are blood, sweat and tears. There are heists, chases, corruptions and redemptions. But through it all, there's the sense that, just like us, these crazy people are in a world of hurt — and it's hilarious to watch.

And for more information than that...you'll have to wait 'til you see Tubes on the silver screen.

...AND YOU'RE GONNA DO THIS HOW?

Good question!

The shoot is scheduled to begin in late Spring. Our production design team will be down there more than a month in advance, building sets and amassing props. The rest of the crew will roll in a week in advance to set up shop, iron out kinks in the plan, and shoot a pair of test days to practice the workflow and get comfortable with one another. The shoot will last for five weeks, and we'll spend up to another week in Florida, cleaning up after ourselves and finalizing all location-specific paperwork. Then it's back to the not-so-balmy Northeast!

Editing the picture portion of the film will commence during the shoot – we'll have an editor on staff to alert us to any problems that we could fix with reshoots while we're still in Florida – and last four to six weeks after the shoot is over. Sound design and scoring will take another four to six weeks, then we'll finish up the film by creating the special effects, adjusting the color, and mixing the soundtrack in the last month.

We'll be done in mid-September — just in time to submit to the Sundance Film Festival!

THE TOUCH, THE FEEL...THE FABRIC OF TUBES

You may be wondering what it takes to design a feature film. Unfortunately, that simple inquiry has too complicated an explanation to outline fully, but here are a few glimpses.

We'll be using war-documentary camera movement throughout Tubes to create the feeling that these people really are at war with society, with each other and with themselves. The viewer will feel like he's always in the way, like he can't escape, like something's always coming at him.

The troubled engineer's dark past is at the emotional center of Tubes and hearkens back to thematic elements used in film noir — hence, we'll be incorporating a noir lighting style, creating deep shadows, hiding certain things from view, sculpting faces to bring out the turmoil and duplicity in our characters.

We've selected fifty iconic moments in the screenplay and designed shots that illustrate their narrative and emotional importance. We storyboarded them in rough form. Dave DeMaio, a talented artist and illustrator, is currently turning those rudimentary boards into fully-realized conceptual art. To see some of Dave's previous work and view the finalized artwork as it's completed, go to the Media page. If, for some masochistic reason, you'd like to see the fifty badly-drawn-by-J.M.E. storyboards, click on the thumbnails below:



Our art director, Alexis Kaloyanides, has been doing her own conceptual work — everything from sketching and modeling sets in 3-D to designing props. A composite of her work (and some of Dave's) is below. To view the individual images, go to the Media page.



Additionally, we've been collecting photos and clippings that point to the feel of the film. To see some of these images, go to the Media page.

THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

We are currently casting for Tubes!

We're considering some well-known actors for various roles in the film, but we're also looking at undiscovered talent — our movie has many juicy roles into which to sink one's teeth.

Auditions will be taking place within the next month or so. Please take a look at our casting notice for more information, then send your electronic headshots and resumes to casting@junctionjump.com, or shoot your physical copies over to our casting office:

Junction Jump Casting
200 East 26th Street, Suite 3D
New York, NY 10010

YOU AND WHAT ARMY?

We have a wonderful bunch of people already assembled to be the crew for Tubes — from cameramen to lighting technicians to assistant directors and more. Some are folks we've worked with before; others will be joining us for the first time. It promises to be an amazing creative experience, a month-long collaboration to produce something no one of us could do on his own.

However — we still need more people! Several positions have yet to be filled, and we don't want them to stay that way for long! If you're a filmmaker – or if you've ever wanted to be – drop us a line and let us know what you can do. Remember — the shoot starts in May!

We'll be posting an updated crew list as we get closer to production.

THE BEST THINGS IN TUBES AREN'T FREE

We do have a budget, after all, an' it don't generate itself!

We're in the last leg of fundraising for the film, aiming to completely flesh out the finances before we move into actual production. It's been a long slog, but we can see the light at the end of the monetary tunnel. We can shoot the film with what we already have, but it's going to take a little more resource before we can be confident we'll have everything we need.

If you have any suggestions for ways we can find additional investors, let us know!

I AIN'T NO SENATOR'S SON!

Love that volunteer spirit! It takes a village, as they say.

There are a million other things to be done and ways for you to get involved! Contact us to find out what you can do...and what we can do for you!

In the meantime...visit our MySpace Page! Or...sign up for our newsletter! Or maybe...uhh...we don't know...just click around!