Saturday, December 24, 2016

A Father, a Daughter and a Jacksonville Jaguar

Just in time for the holidays, comedy short Roller Coaster has arrived on Amazon. Released December 22nd, it can be rented for 99 cents in Standard Definition and $1.99 in High Definition.

The 15-minute film won a slew of awards during its 2015-16 festival run. It was executive produced by Jared Odrick, a defensive end with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.

Once upon a time, Odrick was a student in a pair of classes (Humanities, Film as Art) taught at Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania by Bradley Hawkins. After Hawkins retired from teaching in 2012 and got into filmmaking, he recruited Odrick in 2015 when Roller Coaster was made. The two are now at work on another project.



From the Roller Coaster website:

Bradley Hawkins and daughter, Sarah Hawkins, created Roller Coaster together after a humorous and trying day Sarah had in late 2014 while on the way to an audition. After sharing her experience with her father, the two decided its irony and relatability deserved to be shared on screen. The two pulled together cast and crew, and a story they both relate to as actors living and working in Los Angeles.

The Hawkins, through their Dadley Productions banner, are now at work on their follow-up project, which this time stars Odrick. From a recent report in the Lebanon Daily News by Merriell Moyer:

“I came up with this very quirky storyline," says dad. "And with Jared having a very unique look – he is something like 6 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 300 pounds and has Shirley Temple dreadlocks – it was a challenge to come up with a role to fit with his look. I came up with this idea, wrote the script and sent it to him.”

Filling In, also a comedy, was shot in Rochester, New York and is currently in post-production. The Hawkins expect a trailer to be completed in mid-January.

If all goes well, Filling In will also be the springboard for an extended web series, one that may star someone other than Odrick, should the 28-year-old athlete chooses not to participate. Co-starring with Odrick in Filling In is Karl Holtz, who was also an executive producer on Roller Coaster.

[Amazon: Roller Coaster]

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