More boasting about the talented and beautiful cast of The Happiest Person In America.  Here are on-set photos of Shiri Appleby as Susan, Steve West as Eric, and Dale Dickey as Meg.

Photos courtesy of Ann Marie Donahue Photography.

Our talented and beautiful cast did talented and beautiful work on the film. Here is a “sneak peak” look at two of them in character: Liza Lapira as Lara and Michael Paul Chan as Ken.

Photography courtesy of
Ann Marie Donahue Photography.

]]> http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/the-cast-part-i/feed/ 0 http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/crew-at-work/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=crew-at-work http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/crew-at-work/#comments Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:35:22 +0000 happyperson http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/?p=617 Continue reading →]]> Greetings from the post-production side of The Happiest Person In America!

While we huddle ourselves around an editing bay, here are some photos of our crew at work (and hopefully enjoying themselves!) during our June shoot in Malibu, CA.

Sara (our Director) gives a note to the actors. Steven (our 1st Assistant Cameraman) sets up his shot.

Video Village watches Steve on the monitors.

Mitch (our 2nd Assistant Cameraman) hawks the slate.

Dale awaits her cue.

Photography courtesy of Ann Marie Donahue Photography.

]]> http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/crew-at-work/feed/ 0 http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/location-location-location/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=location-location-location http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/location-location-location/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 21:27:36 +0000 happyperson http://thehappiestpersoninamerica.com/?p=555 Continue reading →]]>  

The adage is as true in the world of creating filmed fiction as it is in real life– location is key! We are so lucky to have found a great one for The Happiest Person In America, out in the mountains of Malibu– the part of Malibu that’s technically “unincorporated Ventura County.”

Location scouting can be really stressful, but it turns out it’s also incredibly heartwarming. So many strangers welcomed us into their homes, and were so willing to so “yes” to us– an incredible and generous leap of faith. If it were only a matter of the kindness of strangers, we would have had innumerable location options. But there were three key things we needed to find in our location for this film:

1. The location needed to feel “plausibly Hawaii”– or at the very least, with a few tricks of the trade, we could make it seem that way. Ideally we were looking for an upcountry Hawaiian feel.

2. The location needed to feel like the home of someone who Lara has mathematically determined to be “The Happiest Person In America,” and who she ultimately finds to be honest, without pretense, and comfortable in his own skin. We wanted his home to reflect that.

3. The location needed to serve lots of camera and actor movement– for walking and talking, for dinner in the sukkah, and for contemplative vistas.

Look at these photos! We’ve hit the jackpot– with a koi pond to boot!

The Happiest Person In America was recently feted at Hamburger Mary’s Legendary Drag Queen Bingo, and we couldn’t be prouder. An enthusiastic crowd drank, ate, punched ink onto pieces of paper as directed, and helped us raise important (and necessary!) funds for our film.

If you’re looking for proof for the uniqueness of Hamburger Mary’s iconic Bingo extravaganzas, look no further than this accompanying photograph: Our film’s very own Liza Lapira (our Bingo Celebrity Ballcaller for the evening) hanging out backstage with our awesome Drag Queen Emcee.

Our leading lady Liza Lapira gears up for Drag Queen Bingo

Heartfelt thanks to our Bingo Sponsors and Altruists who made it possible, and our terrific friends–and the terrific strangers–who played with us. Visit their wonderful names here, and join them in supporting our film!

Hey local friends and supporters!  Please join the cast and crew of The Happiest Person In America on May 2nd for merriment and B-I-N-G-O.  If you know your alphabet and your numbers, it’s that easy to support our film.

It all goes down at Hamburger Mary’s Legendary Bingo Night on Wednesday May 2nd at 9PM!  Join us at this West Hollywood institution with a $20 bill as your suggested donation, play 10 rounds of bingo with us, and get ready to vie for raffle and live auction prizes too.  We have great treats for you:  Premium liquor.  Restaurant gift certificates.  Entertainment tickets.  And so much more.

So please join us for merriment and ball-calling and drag queens and who knows what else on May 2nd at 9PM! 

8288 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA is where it’s at. . . You won’t be sorry. . .

The Happiest Person In America is all the more happy for being a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a nonprofit organization that serves as a national community of artists and arts organizations.

How can volcanic eruption look so beautiful and serene?

Welcome to our short film, The Happiest Person In America.  We’re so glad you stopped by, and we hope you stay awhile.

If you’ve visited the section of our website “The Story,” you’ll see that Lara’s journey to seek out happiness brings her to Hawaii– because living in Hawaii is one of the characteristics that Gallup poling has determined as a key to happiness.

I couldn’t agree more!  I visited our 50th (and happiest) state for the first time two years ago, and had an amazing week of engaged relaxation, beautiful vistas and cultural realizations.

Hot pink at its finest.

Much to the chagrin of the cast and crew, we’ll be faking Hawaii for the shooting of our film, using our own Southern California as a stand-in.

But there are some photos from my trip that not only make me personally happy  when I look at them, but also serve a relevant touchstones as we navigate our film’s pre-production.

They celebrate how wonderfully eclectic Hawaii is– in geography and in ways of life.  They inspire me with their palates of color.  They remind me to breathe.

A good reminder for a type-A personality.

Here are three such photos, and I’ll continue to sprinkle them over the coming weeks.  So please visit with us again soon!

Mahalo,
Sara