Lucky Post’s Sai Selvarajan presents Audible Static, the story of Thaddeus, a teenager in love. With love comes panic. Silence. Racing thoughts, but no words. Just audible static. Written, directed and edited by Selvarajan, Audible Static is one of nine finalists screening at the NBC Universal ShortsFest on Wednesday, October 18th, at 7pm at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. The film is a work of fiction rooted in real-life experience.
“I grew up with a stutter,” explains Selvarajan. “I always wanted to make a film about stuttering, but portray it in a way that was universal. At the center, Audible Static is a love story. I started with the love story and then added the stutter as the antagonist. As someone who stutters, there was no limit to the depths I would go to try and hide it. So, instead of having a big ah-ha moment and having Thaddeus overcome his stutter, I wanted to show a real situation. I wanted to have Thaddeus try and cheat his fate.”
Starring in the film is twelve year-old Parker Baze, who earned the lead role as Thaddeus. Selvarajan met Baze at a National Stuttering Association (NSA) Teen Support Group and auditioned him for the role.
“Parker consistently delivered at auditions. His dedication to rehearsal and ability to tap into the emotions that drive his character gave me the confidence we would see the results translate on screen.”
For Parker, the film is a debut screen performance, and the result of intense preparation. Baze spent three months learning the technology of a tape deck, mastering the tricks of the antiquated trade – cutting, splicing and timing his voice. The young actor had previously performed on stage where the need to capture the performance without error in front of a live audience prepared him to comfortably and professionally deliver during the filming process. Sai and Parker’s easy rapport became an opportunity for the director to mentor the young actor; for both, Audible Static is the expression of shared experience brought to the screen.
“Sai and I really bonded. We would reel-off stories of our struggles and I was able to connect back to specific moments in my own life,” mentions Baze. “It helped during filming. It was great knowing he had been there too, and I can honestly say being in the film was one of the best experiences of my life!”
To date, the film has screened at the 22nd Annual James River Film Festival where it received the People's Choice Award/3rd Place Festival Winner; was honored with the Gold Remi Award
50th Annual WorldFest-Houston, and was official festival selection at the London Film Fest International, ASF Shorts Fest at SXSW, Hill Country Film Festival, Manchester Lift-Off Film Festival and most recently part of the official selection at the 37th Annual Breckenridge Film Festival.
2024 AICP Awards Tour Concludes with Stops in Dallas and Chicago
The 2024 AICP Awards Tour concludes with stops in Dallas and Chicago this month as it wraps up its tour of cities across the U.S. The National Tour brought presentations, panels and screenings to marketers, advertising agencies, production and post production companies. The AICP Awards will be in Dallas on Thursday, November 14th, at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, followed by the Chicago event, set for Thursday, November 21st at The Old Post Office. Tickets are available now for both events at www.aicp.com. In Dallas, the program kicks off at 6:45 pm with a happy hour, followed by the screening and panel discussion at 7:30. The evening ends with a networking reception from 8:30 to 11:30. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is located at 2201 N. Field Street in Dallas. Appearing in Dallas will be Abe Garcia, Chief Creative Officer, Dieste; Julia Melle, Director of Brand and Content, Southwest Airlines; and Isaac Pagán Muñoz, VP, Executive Creative Director of PepsiCo Foods. The panel will review selected winners from the suite of the AICP Awards programs, offering insights into what made them rise to the top of their respective categories and share their viewpoints on key trends in the industry. The Chicago stop starts at 6:00pm with a happy hour, followed by the presentation and screening at 7:00pm. A reception caps the event, starting at 8:00pm and concluding at 11:30pm. The Old Post Office is located at 433 W Van Buren Street in Chicago. The panel there will feature 2024 AICP Awards Curators and Winners from the marketer, agency, production and post production sectors who’ll highlight this year’s winners. The conversation will include a discussion about the winning work, including insights... Read More