Air: The Musical
Encyclopedia
Air: The Musical is an independent feature film, directed by Jeremy Osbern. The distributor has described the film as a drama, a romantic comedy, and a musical all in one. AIR: The Musical has played in over 20 film festivals around the world, and has won awards at the Okanagan International Film Festival, Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee, Macon Film Festival. and the Las Vegas International Film Festival.
In 2009, the film was shown in theaters across the state of Kansas. Screenings were attended by local audiences, and the filmmakers were present for question and answer sessions following the film.
In May 2009, AIR: The Musical received a theatrical and DVD release in the country of Taiwan. The official release date on DVD in North America is April 6, 2010, released through distributor Cinema Epoch
and E1 Entertainment.
The second story involves a middle-aged couple, Malcolm (played by Granvile O'Neal) and Julie Anne (played by Brenda Harvey). Malcolm is a middle-management-level boss at a telecommunications company in the city, and Julie Anne is a waitress and single mother living in rural Kansas. After an employee pulls a gun in his workplace, Malcolm drives away from the city, and ends up sitting next to Julie Anne in a Country-Western bar in the middle of nowhere.
The third story involves Donnie (played by Dylan Paul Hilpman) and Kathy (played by Jennifer Coville). At the beginning of the story, the two are already dating, but Donnie is so self-obsessed with the music that he's writing that Kathy breaks up with him.
The film moves in and out of these three storylines, and when times are at their worst for the characters, thing are shown literally falling apart. The cars that Dan and Sarah are driving crash into each other and become welded together upon impact, a car catches on fire as things don't go well on Dan and Sarah's date, a moving company drops a couch off of a two story building in the middle of the night as Kathy walks by alone.
As the characters move through the film and begin to fall in love (or fall back in love), the world starts to repair itself and come back together.
cameras, an Arri 2C, an Arri III, and an Arri BL4S.
areas. Several casting sessions were done for each of the leading actors. The film was not cast all at once, as different storylines were shot over different time periods. The first two actors to be cast for the film were Ian Stark and Megan Carter.
, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, and Yates Center, KS.
. The actors were flown out to Rhode Island
along with Osbern. Unruh would work with them on the vocal approach to the songs, and Osbern would direct them to get the right level of emotion out of each vocal performance.
AIR: The Musical was released throughout North America on DVD by Cinema Epoch
.
In 2009, the film was shown in theaters across the state of Kansas. Screenings were attended by local audiences, and the filmmakers were present for question and answer sessions following the film.
In May 2009, AIR: The Musical received a theatrical and DVD release in the country of Taiwan. The official release date on DVD in North America is April 6, 2010, released through distributor Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch is an independent film distribution & production company based in the U.S. It was founded by distribution veteran and filmmaker Gregory Hatanaka. The company specializes in foreign, independent and cult cinema. The company's first release was the martial arts classic Master of the...
and E1 Entertainment.
Plot
The plot of AIR: The Musical follows three interweaving storylines of people who feel out of place in the world. The first storyline consists of Dan (played by Ian Stark) and Sarah (played by Megan Carter) who are a socially awkward couple that meet in a head-on collision. Dan works in a parking lot booth as well as taking calls for a toothpaste hotline that are forwarded to his cellphone. Sarah works at home, stuffing envelopes so that she, in her own words, "Doesn't have to leave the house."The second story involves a middle-aged couple, Malcolm (played by Granvile O'Neal) and Julie Anne (played by Brenda Harvey). Malcolm is a middle-management-level boss at a telecommunications company in the city, and Julie Anne is a waitress and single mother living in rural Kansas. After an employee pulls a gun in his workplace, Malcolm drives away from the city, and ends up sitting next to Julie Anne in a Country-Western bar in the middle of nowhere.
The third story involves Donnie (played by Dylan Paul Hilpman) and Kathy (played by Jennifer Coville). At the beginning of the story, the two are already dating, but Donnie is so self-obsessed with the music that he's writing that Kathy breaks up with him.
The film moves in and out of these three storylines, and when times are at their worst for the characters, thing are shown literally falling apart. The cars that Dan and Sarah are driving crash into each other and become welded together upon impact, a car catches on fire as things don't go well on Dan and Sarah's date, a moving company drops a couch off of a two story building in the middle of the night as Kathy walks by alone.
As the characters move through the film and begin to fall in love (or fall back in love), the world starts to repair itself and come back together.
Cast
- Ian Stark as Dan
- Megan Carter as Sarah
- Granvile O'Neal as Malcolm
- Brenda Harvey as Julie Anne
- Dylan Paul Hilpman as Donnie
- Jennifer Coville as Kathy
Production
The film was shot over the course of 4 years, as the filmmakers raised the money to continue filming. It was shot on 35mm film, using three different ArriArri
-History:Arri was founded in Munich, Germany as Arnold & Richter Cine Technik in 1917, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter. They produce professional motion picture equipment, digital and film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment...
cameras, an Arri 2C, an Arri III, and an Arri BL4S.
Casting
The film was cast using actors that were local to the Lawrence, KS and Kansas CityKansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
areas. Several casting sessions were done for each of the leading actors. The film was not cast all at once, as different storylines were shot over different time periods. The first two actors to be cast for the film were Ian Stark and Megan Carter.
Filming
AIR: The Musical was shot on location in Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, and Yates Center, KS.
Music
Throughout the film, characters will break into song or dance to outwardly express what the character is feeling at that point in time. The music was written by Steve Unruh, and recorded at his studio in Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
. The actors were flown out to Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
along with Osbern. Unruh would work with them on the vocal approach to the songs, and Osbern would direct them to get the right level of emotion out of each vocal performance.
Release
The film was released in Taiwan in theaters and on DVD on May 2009.AIR: The Musical was released throughout North America on DVD by Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch is an independent film distribution & production company based in the U.S. It was founded by distribution veteran and filmmaker Gregory Hatanaka. The company specializes in foreign, independent and cult cinema. The company's first release was the martial arts classic Master of the...
.
Accolades
- "Best Feature Award" - given by the Macon Film Festival
- "Best Feature Award" - given by the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee
- "Best International Feature Award" - given by the Okanagan International Film Festival