Audition (2007 film)

Last updated
Audition
Audition 2007 poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed bySam Holdren
Written byJoseph W. Ng
Sam Holdren
Produced byLauren Kuznick
StarringTodd A. Waters
Natasha Lee Martin
Mark Kochanowicz
Lewis Korff
Dylan Clements
Scott Skversky
Hannah Tsapatoris
CinematographySeth Mulliken
Edited byPete Kruvczuk
Music byChristian Moehring
Release date
  • 2007 (2007)
Running time
20 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Audition is a short film directed by Sam Holdren, first released to festivals in 2007. The film is a tragic comedy about William Ashe, a grown man who still lives at home with mother and strongly believes in signs. On the whim of a sign, he travels to the big city to audition for a movie, and is promptly sidetracked by murder, mayhem, and mistaken identity, only proving that life may lead anywhere once you choose to see the signs. [1]

Contents

Story

What begins as a story about William Ashe, an obnoxious actor who has come to the city to audition for a movie, soon turns into a murder mystery without the main character ever realizing it. However, the mystery is a distraction from the real point of order, which is the fact that every sequence of the movie for William—including his trying to impress people in a hotel bar at the beginning, and also his interrogation by the police after a murder has occurred—is a constant audition. By the time his real audition rolls around near the end of the film—after the solution to the mystery has been revealed to everyone but William—he has spent the entire movie seeking approval that he never gets. Thus, the movie is a tragic comedy about a guy with hope and energy who is trying, but never quite seals the deal.

Background

The character of William Ashe was the result of several meetings in the summer of 2004 between co-writers Joseph W. Ng and Sam Holdren. Ng pitched a scenario where a main character's zany actions were not very believable to Holdren. However, when they began sifting through mutual friends in order to analyze what each person would do in the situation presented by Ng, they stumbled upon an actor friend out of Charleston, WV named Ashley Wilhelm, whose earnest and sometimes strong and spontaneous personality seemed a perfect inspiration for the character. [2]

The inspiration provided by Wilhelm allowed Ng and Holdren to adapt both his persona and elements of their own personalities into the character of William Ashe, a grown man still living at home with mother whose trip to the city to audition for a movie gets him caught up in a mystery without him actually realizing it. Throughout the film, the character bases his choices upon what he believes are signs, but it becomes increasingly obvious as the movie proceeds that the hovering presence of his mother, who we never see, is evident.

Todd Waters, who portrayed William Ashe, didn't actually know that the character was based in part on a real person until late in the filming. Holdren introduced Waters and Wilhelm in March 2005 while the film crew shot the final sequence in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. Wilhelm appears briefly at the end of the film as the last person to come into contact with the main character. [2]

Wilhelm, who still continues to act, recently won the prestigious South Eastern Theatre Conference's Best Play of 2008 Award with The Exonerated . Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the play is a true story of six wrongfully convicted people who spent years on death row and were exonerated through newly discovered DNA evidence, confessions and wire taps.

Wilhelm's part, Male Ensemble #1, consisted of 12 characters throughout the production that entailed multiple facets of the criminal justice system, to one of the accused and other various roles in The Exonerated.

Wilhelm immersed himself into the roles of each character and even worked as a Corrections Officer with the Division Of Juvenile Services during the one year running of The Exonerated. For Wilhelm's legal characters, he spent many hours at both the county and federal courthouses becoming acquaintances with Kanawha County Prosecutors, Judges and Police Officers to delve into the criminal justice system.

Wilhelm still continues to act and audition in NYC, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio and is scheduled to appear in a new feature-length film in 2009. Wilhelm still resides in South Charleston, West Virginia with his older brother who both help with the care of their mother, Bette.

Locations

Most of the movie was shot in different sections of Philadelphia, including: Holmesburg Prison; the Windsor Hotel and the Wyndham Hotel of Center City; Rittenhouse Square; Temple University; and the former Marmont Bar & Grill. [3] The ending sequence, however, was shot months later in Charleston, West Virginia in front of the historic Capitol Theatre, now known as the WV State University Capitol Center Theater Complex. [2]

Awards

Best Student Short Film & Best Regional Student Film - 2007 - Bluegrass Independent Film Festival [4]
Award of Excellence - 2007 - West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival

Festival screenings

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston, West Virginia</span> Capital city of West Virginia, U.S.

Charleston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia and the seat of Kanawha County. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 48,018 in 2021. The Charleston metropolitan area had 308,248 residents in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanawha County, West Virginia</span> County in West Virginia, United States

Kanawha County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charleston, which is also the state capital and most populous city. Kanawha County is part of the Charleston, WV Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckhannon, West Virginia</span> City in West Virginia, United States

Buckhannon is the only incorporated city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, West Virginia, United States. Located along the Buckhannon River, the population was 5,299 as of the 2020 census. The city is 46 miles (74 km) southwest of Morgantown, 88 miles (142 km) northeast of the capital city of Charleston, and 100 miles (160 km) south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is home to West Virginia Wesleyan College and the West Virginia Strawberry Festival, held annually during the third week of May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall University</span> Public university in Huntington, West Virginia, US

Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".

<i>Mountain Stage</i> Radio show

Mountain Stage is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and currently hosted by singer-songwriter and West Virginia native Kathy Mattea, the program showcases diverse music, from the traditional to modern. It is recorded before a live audience, usually at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia, but occasionally travels to other venues elsewhere in the United States. Major private funding is provided by the West Virginia-based law firm of Bailey & Glasser LLP and the West Virginia Tourism Office.

<i>Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere</i> 1951 film by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace Grissell

Captain Video: Master of the Stratosphere is an American adventure horror science fiction film 15-chapter serial released by Columbia Pictures in 1951. It was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Wallace A. Grissel with a screenplay by Royal G. Cole, Sherman I. Lowe and Joseph F. Poland, based on a treatment by George H. Plympton. The serial is unique for several reasons--- in particular, it is the only film serial ever based on a television program, Captain Video and His Video Rangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Good Music Festival</span>

The All Good Music Festival and Camp Out was a weekend-long event held annually in July. Since its inception in 1997, it had been held at venues along the Mid-Atlantic, including Trip's Farm Masontown, West Virginia, Brandywine, Maryland and most notably Marvin's Mountaintop. It moved to Legend Valley in Thornville, Ohio in 2012. All Good announced they would be taking a short hiatus in 2014 and not be having a festival. They returned in 2015 in Summit Point, West Virginia. Headlining acts were Primus, moe. and Cake. In 2016, it was announced the festival had been retired and would be replaced by a two-day event at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friends of Coal Bowl</span> American college football rivalry

The Friends of Coal Bowl is the name given to the Marshall–West Virginia football rivalry. It is an American college football rivalry game played by the Marshall Thundering Herd football team of Marshall University and the West Virginia Mountaineers football team of the West Virginia University. The game was sponsored by the Friends of Coal, a coal industry trade group. Planned to be a seven-year series, the Friends of Coal Bowl was organized by the West Virginia Coal Association at the urging of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.

Chet Pancake is an American filmmaker and musician. He is a co-founder of the Red Room Collective, the High Zero Foundation, the Charm City Kitty Club and the Transmodern Festival. He is currently an assistant professor in the Film and Media Arts Program at Temple University and director of the Black Oak House Gallery. His documentary film Black Diamonds (2006), an examination of mountaintop removal mining, has received a number of awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 64 in West Virginia</span> Highway in West Virginia

Interstate 64 (I-64) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of West Virginia. It travels east–west through the state for 189 miles (304 km) passing by the major towns and cities of Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, and Lewisburg.

Tex McGuire was an old-time music and hillbilly musician who played the guitar, banjo and dobro. He was born Marshall Everette McGuire in Monroe County, West Virginia and died in Low Moor, Virginia at the age of 83.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Bowen</span> American boy diagnosed with cancer (2002–2005)

Benjamin David "Ben" Bowen, commonly called Big Ben Bowen, was a boy from Huntington, West Virginia, who was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor in 2004. His family has used his story to raise awareness of childhood cancer and to raise almost $4 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mario Herrero O'Hara was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Moody (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter

David B. Moody is an artist, producer, songwriter and filmmaker from North Carolina. His instrumental proficiency has earned him two Grammy Award Nominations and three International CMA Awards as a member of The Moody Brothers. After becoming regular performers on the Grand Ole Opry and touring extensively throughout Europe in the 80s, the trio of Carolina brothers signed a contract with the Walt Disney Company in 1992 to open and perform their own nightly concerts at Disneyland Paris' Disney Village, where they performed for over 50 million guests during their time in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital High School (Charleston, West Virginia)</span> Public secondary school in Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Capital High School is a public high school located in Charleston, West Virginia, United States created from a consolidation of Charleston High School and Stonewall Jackson High School in 1989.

USS <i>PC-1181</i>

USS PC-1181 was a PC-461-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was later renamed Wildwood (PC-1181) but never saw active service under that name.

Mason-Dixon Wrestling is an American independent wrestling promotion, formerly known as Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling which spawned up in the Clarksburg area October 1997 after a promotional rift in the WVWA between Jim Hawkins, Buddy "Bubba" Rose and Greg Shriver, based in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. It was founded by promoter Jim Hawkins in December 1998 with the first event taking place February 6, 1999 in Kingwood, West Virginia at the Camp Dawson Armory all ACCW champions were recognized as MDW title holders. Mason-Dixon Wrestling would go on to become the most active independent promotion in the state of West Virginia.

Daniel Boyd is an American filmmaker, author, and communications professor. He currently teaches at West Virginia State University, has hosted writing workshops, and received a Fulbright Fellowship in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Chrest</span> American academic and actor

Joseph Chrest is an American academic and actor. He has had roles in numerous films and television shows including 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street, Oldboy, Lee Daniels' The Butler, The Perfect Date, and as Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things.

John A. Hutchison is an American lawyer serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He joined the court in 2018 and served as chief justice in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "Audition page on Sam Holdren's Website". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  2. 1 2 3 "Articles about Audition". Sam Holdren's website. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  3. ↑ "Temple graduate student's film gains recognition". The Temple News. 2007-10-30. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04.
  4. 1 2 "Bluegrass Film Festival Winners 2007". Archived from the original on 2008-05-16.
  5. ↑ "Appalacian Film Festival Schedule for 2007" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-12-09.
  6. ↑ "Bare Bones International Film Festival Schedule for 2007". Archived from the original on 2010-03-23.
  7. ↑ "Route 66 Film Festival 2007".
  8. ↑ "WV Filmmakers Film Festival Website". Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Delaware Valley Film Festival 2007". Archived from the original on 2009-10-25.
  10. ↑ "Colony Film Festival Schedule for 2007".
  11. ↑ "Macon Film and Video Festival Schedule for 2008" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 20, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Kent Film Festival Schedule for 2008". Archived from the original on 2010-02-04.
  13. ↑ "IU South Bend Independent Filmmakers Festival Schedule for 2008". Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  14. ↑ "Johns Hopkins Film Festival Schedule for 2008". Archived from the original on 2011-07-12.
  15. ↑ "Wildwood by the Sea Film Festival Schedule for 2008".
  16. ↑ "Flint Film Festival schedule for 2008".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.