“In the tradition of George Romero’s Dead Franchise, People Of None Effect is a social commentary embedded in a genre-bending movie. It defies convention by marrying the zombie genre with the film musical. Influenced by the styles of Tim Burton (Sweeney Todd, The Nightmare Before Christmas) and Baz Luhrmann (Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge), People of None Effect tells the story of the End of Days, as it has never been told.“

Production Highlights

  • Shooting on the Red One camera
  • 35′ Jimmy Jib arm
  • Color correction services provided by the Filmworkers Club

[ read more about production ? ]

People of None Effect is a student film directed by Andrew Walker from Northwestern University.

People of None Effect will be shooting from April 17th – 19th in and around Chicago, IL. The project will include a crew of about 80 full time Northwestern students, and will be shooting on the Red One camera, a first for Northwestern University. Our entire crew is extremely excited to work with this camera and brand new workflow.

For the uninitiated, the Red One it is a brand new HD digital camera that shoots up to 4k in resolution (larger frame format than 35mm), specially designed to replicate the depth of field of 35mm film in order to create a more cinematic image. This camera has already been used by world-renowned filmmakers like Peter Jackson. We are renting this through Lakeview-Productions in downtown Chicago. We also plan on incorporating a 35′ Jimmy Jib arm, and professional operator.

In addition to the on-set experience provided by the Red Camera, the post production workflow will be another first for Northwestern University filmmaking. We are planning on taking this project through a full, professional color correction session with The Filmworkers Club in downtown Chicago, a post production house that colors/edits many professional projects, including Super Bowl commercials. We will be color correcting with the Da Vinci Resolve Digital Intermediate (DI), where we will be able to work with every piece of data within the raw video files to create the necessary unique look for our film.

We are extremely excited to begin this process, as we are positive it is going to be a truly amazing experience. Once completed, People Of None Effect, will be submitted to all major film festivals, including Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, and Toronto.

Latest News

Be a Zombie

Posted On: April 15th, 2009

We have a bunch of great people who will be extras in People of None Effect as zombies. If you are interested, contact Olivia Curry at oliviacurry2007@u.northwestern.edu to be a part of the fun. hang out for a few hours on Sunday, get made up as a zombie, and get free food! Thanks!

Production Countdown

Posted On: April 13th, 2009

People Of None Effect goes into Production in less than 5 days. We are very excited to be creating a film of such caliber, and we hope you are as excited too! If you are so inclined, please DONATE via the donate button above. Thanks so much!

General Crew Petitions

Posted On: February 22nd, 2009

We will be holding general crew petitions February 23rd and 24th at the Norris Couches by Starbucks from 7-10PM.

We are looking for the following positions:

  • Sound Designer
  • Foley Artist
  • Boom Operator(s)
  • Grips
  • Best Boy
  • 2nd Assistant Director
  • Script Supervisor / Continuity
  • Production Assistants
  • 2nd Assistant Camera
  • 3rd Assistant Camera
  • Art Crew
  • Assistant Editor(s)
  • Vid/Photo Doc

We encourage all potential crew members to apply!

Directing

Writer/Director - Andrew Walker
1st AD - Pat Wilkinson
2nd AD - Olivia Curry
Script Supervisor/Continuity - Chase Clement

Producing

Producers - Chris Amos, Matt Litwiller
APs - Christine Kim, Dana Pavisch, Noah Siegel
UMP - Julie Sher

Camera

Director of Photography - Jen O'Leary
1st AC - Katie Isaacson
2nd ACs - Matt McKenna, Katy Witmer
3rd ACs - Aaron Michnowski, Shu Ling
Digital Imaging Technicians - Travis Labella, Chris Simonson

Lighting

Gaffer - Josh Stroud
Key Grip - Rachel Koontz
Grips - Jane Wang, Michael Court, Alyssa Garrett, Laura Kick, Alex Wayne
Best Boy - Travis Labella

Production Design

Production Designer - Ed Paget
Blood Effects - Tony Mucia/Marshal Hilgemann
Costume Designers - Hillary Thornton/Emily Rifkin
Sound Designer - Jed Feder

Editing

Editor - Chris Wickman
Ass. Editor - Dana Pavisch, Harrison Atkins
Visual Effects - Collin Davis
Titles Animation - Allison Pichert

Other: Boom Ops - Alex Liu / Jennifer Skene , Vid Doc - Shu Ling , Website - Andrew Ertell

People of None Effect Blog

Check Your E-mail!

Posted On: August 4th, 2009 by Andrew

I just sent out an e-mail to all the people who are due DVD’s from the PONE team. IF you think you should be on this list, or want to be on this list, and haven’t received an e-mail, let me know at a-walker@u.northwestern.edu. I will be happy to oblige.

Updates to the Website

Posted On: July 16th, 2009 by Andrew

There have been a few updates of the website recently. Especially take note of the change of my contact information- I recently moved.

DVD’s

Posted On: July 11th, 2009 by Andrew

Its been a while since there have been any posts on here, and that is my fault. Between graduation and a few gigs to pick up some extra money, there hasn’t been any time to post things on the website. Fear not, however, because the PONE train is still rolling.

As I think I covered in a previous post, there are still a few things happening after the premiere. We are cleaning up the opening animation, adding a composite shot or two, and punching up the Sound Design a bit more. After that, we will be sending out DVD’s to everyone who was part of the project, whether through donations or through their hard work.

When exactly the DVD’s will be sent out I do not know exactly, but I promise that they will be in your hands before August 1. Obviously, I don’t want to give anyone an unfinished movie. Also, for the DVD’s, the PONE team will have to figure out how we’re going to bring down the resolution of this beautiful HD 1080p project to something that DVD’s can handle.

But I promise, DVD’s will be in your hands August 1. Probably before, but I like to give myself extra time because you never know what’s going to happen in this movie business.

Thanks! -Andrew

Coming Along Nicely

Posted On: June 12th, 2009 by Andrew

The near finished version of PONE is almost here. We have been tweaking the past few days and things are really starting to come together. Within the next two weeks I think we will have a final version, minus some “aftereffects shots.” Very exciting. So far most of the tweaking has been in the sound mixing stage, but next week we will probably cut a shot here or there to tighten the whole thing up.

In other news, we will start setting up our Withoutabox.com account soon also, and will be looking for the first few festivals to submit to. Drop us a line (you can find our contact info on the “contact” page) if you know of a festival PONE would be good for or want a screening of PONE in your area!

Directing Premiere!

Posted On: June 10th, 2009 by Andrew

On this past Friday, June 5th, People of None Effect was premiered for Northwestern University students and friends of the production. It was more of a sneak peak, because there are still a few final tweaks being made to the film, but it was an enjoyable time. 11 other short films from the Directing class premiered that night, ranging from experimental to historical to genre pieces. All in all, it was an exciting time. Currently, People Of None Effect is working on a few sound edits, and looking at wys to make the 17 minute piece just a little shorter. Once we are done with that, we will start giving out DVD’s to all the cast, crew, and donors as a way of saying thanks. We are also currently looking into the best way of compressing the footage so the High Definition footage does not lose too much gloss on the way to standard definition. Stay tuned for more updates!

Website Update

Posted On: June 3rd, 2009 by Andrew

Andy Ertell, our webmaster, has redesigned the website. It looks awesome! And right in time for our world premiere, this Friday at 5!

Teaser Trailer Released

Posted On: May 24th, 2009 by Andrew

People Of None Effect Teaser from The Sound Collision on Vimeo.

To see it in its full glory, go to: http://vimeo.com/4820090 : Put the video on HD and press the button on the bottom for full screen, and then, and only then, can you enjoy the FULL experience known as the “PONE trailer.”

Better Updates Soon!

Posted On: May 23rd, 2009 by Andrew

We here at Peopleofnoneeffect.com have been very busy doing post production over the past few weeks, and haven’t had a chance to update the blog recently. Currently, we are finishing the mixes for the music through Patrick DeWitte, a very talented mixing engineer. The rough mixes sound great, and we are using those to edit to. The final tweaks will really give life to the movie.

In addition, Collin Davis is currently compositing special fx shots. The special fx shots for the film include creating a zombie “horde” out 20 or so extras, as well as creating an entirely new sky and some blood touch ups. You can see some of Collin’s previous work here: http://www.vimeo.com/3048224

Finally, Chris Wickman, although he is in great demand, is editing PONE and has made some progress. In addition, Jed Feder, the sound designer, is currently creating all sorts of noises in preparation for his turn at (sound) editing. Yesterday we mashed up bananas, yogurt, peppers and celery in order to create sounds of blood, bones and zombies.

The real point of this post, however, is to let you know that we will have samples of the songs and a trailer up any day now. Stay on the lookout for these, and continue to tune in as we get ready for our Premiere on June 5th. Thanks!

Finished All Shooting

Posted On: May 3rd, 2009 by Andrew

We finished pick ups on Friday, and so we are finally all done with shooting. Thanks once again to all the actors and crew members who came out both our main weekend and the Friday of pick ups. Special thanks to Eri Okuma for helping out on camera team during the pick ups. I really appreciate everyone who has skipped classes, taken sick days from work, and put off other important projects to get this done. Thanks to you, the PONE hard drive now has over half a terabyte worth of footage ready to be edited together.

Pick Ups Tomorrow

Posted On: April 30th, 2009 by Andrew

So tomorrow morning we’re doing some complicated pick-ups. Really, its almost an entire scene, but not quite. So we’re calling the shot’s pick ups. But I am confident that we will get them done early and easily. Many thanks to everyone who is coming out for one more day (especially our actors and crew) to get the last few shots of this great movie.

Finished Recording Drums!

Posted On: April 28th, 2009 by Andrew

Got home at 1:30 AM, after we finished recording the drums for the PONE musical numbers. Gosh, its hard to express how much better real instruments sound than fake or synthesized versions. Then we mix on Saturday. Before then we have two more things to do as far as the songs, because once the mixing session happens on Saturday, that’s how the songs will stay forever. First, we need to add horns to the final song, and then finally we’ll do some (small) vocal touch ups. Stay tuned for more news reported at weird hours of the night.

Awesome Help

Posted On: April 26th, 2009 by Andrew

A huge help to the whole recording process has been Sam Wadsworth, who has been the recording engineer behind most of the tracks we’ve recorded so far. He has put a lot of time in with us, and is a great engineer as well as a pretty incredible guitarist (You’ll hear his guitar work on all three songs.) You can check out his other work at www.myspace.com/wadsworthmusic.

Recording

Posted On: April 26th, 2009 by Andrew

Tomorrow, we’ll be recording the horn parts for the music. And then in a week, we’ll be ready to go for mix down. On set, the “rough mixes” of the songs were generally considered to be professional quality, so I can’t wait to hear the real mixes. Here is the bio for our composer, Josh Moshier:

Josh Moshier is a pianist and composer living in Evanston, IL. In June 2008 he graduated from the Northwestern University School of Music, where he has studied composition, jazz performance, and digital media. He has performed in the Chicago area with many great jazz musicians including Doug Stone, James Davis, John Wojciechowski, Jeff Campbell and Clay Jenkins. His music has been performed by the Joel Spencer Quartet, Dick Oatts with the Northwestern Jazz Ensemble, and by members of Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge at the International Jazz Composers Symposium. Josh leads a band in Chicago called The Moshier-Lebrun Collective with saxophonist Mike Lebrun, and he has recently assembled an 11-piece band called One Louder. Josh is also active writing music for visual media, scoring several projects by filmmakers in the Chicago area.

You can also read more about Josh and see samples of his work at his website: www.jmoshiermusic.com/

Of What’s to Come

Posted On: April 23rd, 2009 by Andrew

Check out the youtube link here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D__g4L28Uo

to see a really rough sample of one of the shots we took. In its full 4k glory, it looks incredible, however, I quickly down rez’d it to be posted on youtube, so here it looks much less impressive. However, it still shows Andrew Howard (“Ian”) looking pretty cool. Watching the “HQ” version will help a little, but really, the file is just too big to be on youtube. Thanks for watching!

Don’t Buy This

Posted On: April 21st, 2009 by Andrew
Vaxcontentus

Vaxcontentus

In the film, this “miracle drug” actually turns you into a zombie.

Article about Production

Posted On: April 21st, 2009 by Andrew

A photo diary of the Production is currently featured on the Front Page of the excellent Northwestern internet magazine NorthbyNorthwestern.com. It was written and photographed by Julie Beck. Here’s the direct link:

http://www.northbynorthwestern.com/2009/04/34352/students-work-on-zombie-musical-film/

Thanks to Lakeview Productions

Posted On: April 21st, 2009 by Andrew

I wanted to add, as the Director, a special shout out to Lakeview Productions. Chris Gearhart and his team have really been a crucial part of making this movie happen, as far as the Red Camera goes. For all the filmmakers in the Chicago area, when you consider renting a Red One (and you will if you see this film), definitely go to Lakeview Productions first. They are a great group of guys and very willing to work with each individual production. I would choose them every time over any of the bigger rental houses.

Their website: http://www.lakeview-productions.com/

Principal Photography Wrapped! (Mostly)

Posted On: April 21st, 2009 by Andrew

People Of None Effect has wrapped production! Well, for the most part. The shoot went as well as it possibly could on Friday and Saturday. The Red One footage looked amazing, the actors turned in great performances, and best of all, we had a bunch of great looking Zombie extras on Saturday.

On Sunday, we put in our best effort, but unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans. It’s been raining here in Chicago since Saturday night, and so on Sunday we were not in a good position, continuity-wise. We forged ahead and did musical and jib shots, but the scenes in the middle of the movie we impossible to get. Luckily, we are able to do pick ups and will shoot the final scene of the movie very shortly.

We had a great turn out for zombies on Saturday (thanks to some last minute calls) and I want to thank everyone who came out for that and anything else over the weekend. Looking at the footage from the first two days of the weekend (we’ll get Sunday’s jib and musical numbers back by Friday), everything looks beautiful. And while some of that is just the incredible capability of the Red One camera, most of it is the hard work many different people put in to make this movie what it will be.

The P.O.N.E. team still has a lot to do after we wrap all photography on Friday. In the coming weeks, we’ll be logging and syncing footage, editing, mixing the songs, sound designing, and color correcting this picture. Title animations are being drawn and special effects will be composited and inserted. Once all that is done and assembled, we have the Premiere in June and then submission to festivals. We are done with potentially the most grueling part, but post-production will be another intense, if exciting, step in the life of this short film. If you can, check out our donation page to make sure this film is the best it can be!

Andrew Howard/ IAN

Posted On: April 13th, 2009 by Andrew

Before the end of the film, Ian, People Of None Effect‘s central character, will decide the fate of humanity. Here is Andrew Howard’s bio.

Andrew Howard is a junior theater major at Northwestern University. While he hasn’t acted in many movies in college, he has extensive stage experience in both musicals and plays. He can’t wait to see how PONE (or whatever the title ends up as) turns out, and has had a blast working with this cast and crew.

Elita Ernsteen/ HARMONY

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

The younger of the two daughters, Harmony embodies the hope for the future of this world. Here is Elita’s Bio.

Elita (age 9) has been acting professionally for over a year. She was cast as a swing for the two youngest Von Trapp girls in the Sound of Music in Asia. She traveled for four months throughout China. She currently is a munchkin and a wickie in the Wizard of Oz at the Chicago Theatre.

Elita made her professional movie debut in Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless. Elita loved acting in the movie and hopes to get the chance to be in many more movies. People of None Effect will be Elita’s tenth student film and her first time to turn into a zombie. She looks forward to many more career opportunities.

Ann Hagemann/ THE MOTHER

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

A woman who is willing to sacrifice everything for her children, the mother plays a pivotal role in the survival of Aria and Harmony. Here is Ann Hagemann’s Bio:

Ann recently finished filming the feature “Hannah Free” with Sharon Gless ( Burn Notice, Nip Tuck, Queer as Folk), playing the role of Rachel. “Hannah” will be released in theatres this summer ’09 and has already been given top honors by the Frameline Film Festival, where it will premiere in San Francisco June 28. She just joined the webisode series “Pillow Talks”, as Miranda. Ann can also be seen as Dixie in the independent feature, “The Showdown”, being released on DVD in April of ’09, and as Becky’s Mom in “One Hr. Fantasy Girl”, which played at the ‘08 Toronto Film festival. Some of her favorite stage roles are Catherine Holly in Suddenly Last Summer, Kate in Taming of the Shrew and Nancy in Oliver. She trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and has studied as well at ATC, and with Catherine Head, Rachel Patterson, Micki Paskal, Jennifer Rudnicke, Tim Gregory, and David Petro. When not acting, Ann loves to play flyball with her Border Collie, Eliza, and make out with her husband…but not in that order!!!

Jeff Garretson/ THE FATHER

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

The unnamed Father of the family is protective of his family. His role in this new world is crucial to Ian’s final decision about the course of humanity. Here is Jeff Garretson’s bio: (his website is www.jeffgarretson.com )

Jeff is a native to Illinois, raised in Streator and obtained a BS from a fellow Big 10 school in Champaign. Having been fortunate enough to appear in three NU productions last year (TO JAMESTOWN, DANNY, and THE HAPPY MAN’S PANTS), he greatly appreciates the opportunities offered to him to explore a great variety of genres and roles. While Jeff is proud of many of his films, some highlights of the previous year include IRREGULAR FRUIT winning “Best Short Comedy” in the 2009 Lake County Film Fest, and with “Reality Check” being a sitcom pilot contest finalist in both Chicago and LA. While 2008 has thus far been his most productive, nabbing roles in 20 projects, 2009 is off to a great start with 4 commercials currently on air and three feature films hitting the festival circuit. …and he’d like it to be known, that while he has already starred in two zombie features prior to PONE, he has yet to be turned into a zombie!”

Glynis Gilio/ ARIA

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

Aria is the older daughter of the family Ian and Sam find within the movie. She is mature for her age and possesses a surprising secret. Here is Glynis’ Bio.

Glynis has performed in over 16 professional and community theatre productions since the age of 5. Her most recent credits include the role of Samantha/Kaya in the “American Girls Revue” at American Girl Place in Chicago and Fan (Scrooge’s little sister)/Emily Cratchit in Goodman Theatre’s production of “A Christmas Carol.” She will soon portray Ruthie Joad in “The Grapes of Wrath” at Infamous Commonwealth Theatre in Chicago and Shirley Talley in “Fifth of July” at Oak Park Theatre Festival this summer. Glynis‘ most recent television credits include a principal role on “America’s Most Wanted” in which she portrayed a missing girl who was later found due to Glynis‘ portrayal. Glynis has been seen in several local commercials, and she recently recorded a song and performed in a music video for “Big Kidz Radio” a new CD/DVD for children. Glynis is a 7th grade honor student, and she enjoyed bringing “Aria” to life and becoming a zombie in her first musical film!

Doug Goldring/ SAM

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

Doug Goldring will be playing Sam, one of the two main characters. Despite the situation they find themselves in, Sam holds onto a hope that one day the world can return to normal. Sam is more optimistic than Ian, although perhaps he is just in denial. Here is Doug’s bio.

Doug Goldring is a sophomore theatre major originally from Great Neck, New York. Primarily a stage actor, he has been seen recently in The Yellow Boat and A Connecticut Yankee…King Arthur’s Court. He will also be seen in late May in Ghetto. He will be playing Sam in People of None Effect.

Posts to Come

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

Hello internet! I just wanted to drop a few notes on what you can be expecting next from this blog. The first posts will introduce you to our wonderful cast. Chosen from over a hundred talented hopefuls, these actors are the cream of the crop. After that, I will be detailing some things about the Red One Camera, our production process, etc. Enjoy!

Updated Website

Posted On: April 11th, 2009 by Andrew

Hey there, so we have this blog now. I’ll try to update it as often as possible. Check back soon for bio’s of our actors. In addition, we’re a week away from going into production, so we’ll be updating about that often. Thanks!

-Andrew

Contact Us


Andrew Walker: Writer/Director

a-walker@u.northwestern.edu
or mail to
Andrew Walker
1104 Garnett Pl.
Evanston IL 60201

 

Chris Amos: Producer

amos.chris@gmail.com

 

Matt Litwiller: Producer

matthewlitwiller2007@u.northwestern.edu

 

Andy Ertell: webmaster

a.ertell@gmail.com

← Back to Whole List of Crew

 

Andrew Walker

Writer & Director

Andrew Walker (Northwestern ’09) has worked on over 20 student films in his time at northwestern in different capacities, most often as a Sound Designer. Most recently, he was nominated for his part in the award winning “Lights Out,” submitted to the project 21 film festival.

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Chris Amos

Producer

Chris Amos (Northwestern ’10) is currently studying Radio/TV/Film, Integrated Marketing Communication, and Animate Arts. Aside from producing People of None Effect, Chris has recently directed a music video for the Butterfly Assassins to the song “Sylvia II” and he produced “16th Street” directed by Max Pachman. He is currently a creative director in Northwestern’s own AdShop, an on campus ad-agency, and hopes to continue directing music videos and commercials in the future.

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Matthew Litwiller

Producer

Matthew Litwiller (Northwestern ’11) is a Sophomore at Northwestern University studying Radio/Television/Film and incredibly excited to Co-Produce an apocalyptic musical with very capable filmmakers. Originally from Goshen, Indiana, Matt cherishes the experience of growing up in a smaller community, but is enjoying living in the Chicago area. On campus Matt is Executive Co-Chair of Inspire Films, Co-Producer of As Ever Stan, and in general an active member of the film community.

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Jen O’Leary

Director of Photography

Jen O’Leary (Northwestern ’09) is a senior Radio/Television/Film and History double major. “People of None Effect” will be the 5th film at Northwestern that Jen has DPed, but the first one shot in HD. Past films that she has shot include “As Ever Stan,” a WWII period piece and “Positive Comment” which received a $5000 grant from Zach Braff (both shot on Super16). After graduation, Jen hopes to work in production, specifically in the camera industry. In her spare time, Jen is on the NU Drumline and enjoys watching her Patriots and Red Sox.

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Joshua Ströud

Gaffer

Joshua Ströud (Northwestern ’10) found the world of film through his intimacy with the art of photography. Relying on this experience and learning through trial and error, Ströud has gaffed over seven student films and worked on numerous more. Epic low-key lighting is his speciality, which lines up perfectly with this post-apocalyptic musical

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Chris Wickman

Editor

Christopher Wickman (Northwestern ’09) – “America… just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.”

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Ed Paget

Production Designer

Ed Paget (Northwestern ’12) is a Freshman Radio/TV/Film major from Lafayette, IN. He is also working as a Production Designer on Andante and a Production Design assistant on Four Letter Man and Viva La Mariachi. In his spare time, Ed enjoys listening to music, reading, fencing, and writing poetry in the paradelle form.

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Jed Feder

Sound Designer

Jed Feder is a Sophomore double major in RTVF and Music Composition. While he has held various positions in other student films, this is his first time sound designing. In his spare time, he finds other excuses to make noise.

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