Independent Film debuts May 27 in Frankfort
April 27, 2011
by Steve Vest
“Pay-Day Someday” was a judgment-day sermon by Dr. Robert G. Lee, a three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the sermon, Lee warned his listeners to get their houses in order or be prepared to pay the price. It is arguably one of the well-known sermons of the 20th century.
“Pay-Day Someday” is also the philosophy employed by Ashley Raymer-Brown and Rachael Yeager in recruiting volunteers to film No Lost Cause, an independent, labor-of-love film about broken relationships, forgiveness and healing. “No one got paid, but everyone believed in what we’re trying to do,” said Brown of Eminence, who directs and appears in the film. “That’s the only way we could have gotten it done. We didn’t go into debt to create it because if we didn’t have it, we didn’t spend it.”
The production team of No Lost Cause includes, from left, Rachael Yeager, Ashely Raymer-Brown, Justin Tyler Franklin and Hannah Crawford. (not pictured: Jack Aubrey)
Amazingly, the duo, along with veteran actor Brian Douglas Barker, were able to recruit as many as 80 people to give up major parts of 16 consecutive weekends to film the Yeager-written script, which was two years in the making. “It’s a dream come true,” said Yeager, who lives in Shelbyville. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was 13 and to watch it all come together has been amazing.”
According to Barker, the executive producer who has appeared in community theater in Louisville and central Kentucky, the key to the film’s success is Brown and Yeager’s willingness to let the film evolve with suggestions from the cast and crew. “Many directors can make the mistake of being too rigid, but they picked the cast and then gave them the freedom to give it life,” Barker said. “It evolved and breathes.”
One example is the title. It comes from underlying theme of the story, but it is also the title of a folksong by the leading actress, Caitlyn Capriette of Lexington, who plays a beautiful young woman seriously injured by a drunk driver. Barker plays her tough-love father.
Other key roles are played by Timothy Jermaine Ellis of Frankfort, Greg Waltermire, a pastor from Lexington, and Shelbyville actors Ben Fabish, Karen Cole Martion and Candy Thomas. Justin Tyler Franklin, a senior at Western Kentucky University, served as the director of photography and Hannah Crawford, a theater student at Franklin County High School, served as production coordinator.
The film will debut May 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort. Tickets are $10 each and seating is limited. Call either (502) 777-6767 or (502) 243-5677. For more information, visit nolostcause.weebly.com.
“Everyone was so great to work with,” said Brown. “There was no jealousy, no strife. We didn’t know any better. I guess you could say we were too naive to know we couldn’t do this.”
No one went into the project expecting to get rich or famous, but Barker is proud of the final product and offers “you never know,” when doing interviews. “We have a truly nice film and you never know who might be watching and see something they really like. If we do end up making money, everyone knows they’ll get paid on the back end” or, as might be said, pay-day someday.
“Pay-Day Someday” was a judgment-day sermon by Dr. Robert G. Lee, a three-term president of the Southern Baptist Convention. In the sermon, Lee warned his listeners to get their houses in order or be prepared to pay the price. It is arguably one of the well-known sermons of the 20th century.
“Pay-Day Someday” is also the philosophy employed by Ashley Raymer-Brown and Rachael Yeager in recruiting volunteers to film No Lost Cause, an independent, labor-of-love film about broken relationships, forgiveness and healing. “No one got paid, but everyone believed in what we’re trying to do,” said Brown of Eminence, who directs and appears in the film. “That’s the only way we could have gotten it done. We didn’t go into debt to create it because if we didn’t have it, we didn’t spend it.”
The production team of No Lost Cause includes, from left, Rachael Yeager, Ashely Raymer-Brown, Justin Tyler Franklin and Hannah Crawford. (not pictured: Jack Aubrey)
Amazingly, the duo, along with veteran actor Brian Douglas Barker, were able to recruit as many as 80 people to give up major parts of 16 consecutive weekends to film the Yeager-written script, which was two years in the making. “It’s a dream come true,” said Yeager, who lives in Shelbyville. “It’s all I’ve wanted to do since I was 13 and to watch it all come together has been amazing.”
According to Barker, the executive producer who has appeared in community theater in Louisville and central Kentucky, the key to the film’s success is Brown and Yeager’s willingness to let the film evolve with suggestions from the cast and crew. “Many directors can make the mistake of being too rigid, but they picked the cast and then gave them the freedom to give it life,” Barker said. “It evolved and breathes.”
One example is the title. It comes from underlying theme of the story, but it is also the title of a folksong by the leading actress, Caitlyn Capriette of Lexington, who plays a beautiful young woman seriously injured by a drunk driver. Barker plays her tough-love father.
Other key roles are played by Timothy Jermaine Ellis of Frankfort, Greg Waltermire, a pastor from Lexington, and Shelbyville actors Ben Fabish, Karen Cole Martion and Candy Thomas. Justin Tyler Franklin, a senior at Western Kentucky University, served as the director of photography and Hannah Crawford, a theater student at Franklin County High School, served as production coordinator.
The film will debut May 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Kentucky History Center in Frankfort. Tickets are $10 each and seating is limited. Call either (502) 777-6767 or (502) 243-5677. For more information, visit nolostcause.weebly.com.
“Everyone was so great to work with,” said Brown. “There was no jealousy, no strife. We didn’t know any better. I guess you could say we were too naive to know we couldn’t do this.”
No one went into the project expecting to get rich or famous, but Barker is proud of the final product and offers “you never know,” when doing interviews. “We have a truly nice film and you never know who might be watching and see something they really like. If we do end up making money, everyone knows they’ll get paid on the back end” or, as might be said, pay-day someday.
View the original article and visit Kentucky Monthly Magazine at the link below!
http://kentuckymonthly.com/kentucky-monthly-blogs/extra-vested-interest-kentucky-monthly-blogs/independent-film-debuts-may-27-in-frankfort/
http://kentuckymonthly.com/kentucky-monthly-blogs/extra-vested-interest-kentucky-monthly-blogs/independent-film-debuts-may-27-in-frankfort/
"No Lost Cause" featured in several publications
"No Lost Cause" has been featured in the June issues of "Shelby County Life Magazine" and "Kentucky Monthly Magazine" Our co-directors Ashley & Rachael were featured in the Henry County Local and the Sentinel News. Our lead, Caitlyn had a piece published about her in the Lexington Herald-Leader and Rachael was featured in the Western Recorder.