That’s right. Swang.

You are at this very moment on are on our newest site. It’s awesome and it has that ‘new website’ smell to it. So like a kid with a new toy, we want to parade it about a little and show it to all our friends.

These are exciting times for Whitestone. While we can’t divulge everything (primarily in an effort to create an air of suspense and wonderment), we can say that interesting and inappropriately unprecedented mischief is happening between Whitestone and sundry other…filmmaking institutions. We’re in development for a gaggle of films, some short, others a bit longer. Recently we’ve launched our Black Tie Division, a place where we get to feature our up and coming filmmakers as we create unique and sometimes odd commercial content. And finally, our Protege Program is four years old now and has grown nearly triple in size. Like most four-year-olds it may be messy and have some attitude, but it is developing into something we are very proud of.

Over the years we’ve hit some filmmaking mountain tops and braved some savage storms. But through all the celebrations and knee scrapes we’re still standing.  For almost 15 years Whitestone has been a place for filmmakers and storytellers to learn, grow as artisans and totally screw up stuff while learning the craft. Yet with a healthy mixture of courage and stupidity, we forge ahead.

Now, if you’ll permit a burst of sincerity we’d like to thank those of you who have been by our side as we explore the unknown lands. We’ve had a group of supportive, enthused, and beautifully creative fans following along with us. But really, the label ’fans’ doesn’t fully cover it. You have encouraged us when we sat wondering during the dark nights if we were really making a difference. When we felt it was time to throw in the towel, you were there cheer us on. We are honored that you would share our stories with those around you and equally honored that you would endure our films of…lesser quality, to put it kindly. We hope that one day we’ll make you proud. You are a part of our story. You are the ones we have in mind when we make a film. You are our advocates, our advertising campaign and our audience. So really, thanks.

Ok, so enough of that mushy stuff. On to the tour!

On this site you can watch our films past and present, and peruse the behind the scenes content we cobble together. We love sharing information on how we work and what we’re up to. We’ll continue to do so in hopes that some of it could possibly be a resource to you. If anything, it’s good for a quick laugh.

You’ll find our latest news and information posts under the Our Musings section. We’ll post our updates as they tumble out. We’re prepared to let loose with more information in the next coming months on what kind of trouble we’re getting into, so that part is going to get real exciting.

You’ll notice there are no comments on our site. Yeah, we did that on purpose.

Comment sections on websites are terrible places to have a conversation. We’ve found that using our Facebook page is the best way to dialogue with you. Every once in a while we host Q&A sessions there, as well as post some updates and casting calls. So get over there and get the conversation going.

We have a new feature called the Whitestone Storyline. There, the men and women at Whitestone are documenting our process in real time while in production. We’ll continue to post behind the scenes videos and blog posts, but the Whitestone Storyline is a new take on creating a lifestream of Whitestone. When we’re cranking away, we’ll post videos, tweets and photos of our inner workings in real time; the good, bad and heinously ugly. Many people will be posting at multiple times, with each clip around 2 minutes in length. It’s kinda like a video Tweet. They are uncontextualized and not pretty, but to date we’ve posted 119 of them and it creates a nifty timeline of our film process. Usually it just reveals how little we really know about what we’re doing, so again, it’s probably good for a laugh or two. We’ve been doing this semi-secretly for over a year, so you can go all the way back to Blood On My Name and see some of our posts from that film. Especially fun are the moments when everything totally sucked.

Well, that’s about it. The design and development of this site was a herculean undertaking involving countless hours of thrown down by the artisans here at Whitestone. It’s a labor of love really,  just for you.

Oh, and by the way, we’ve hidden a bunch of strange little easter eggs throughout the site. Go explore and maybe you’ll stumble upon something intriguing.

Drop some words in the comments box, ask us questions on our Facebook, share the site with some friends, or send us some hateful snail mail. Whatever tickles your fancy.

That’s right. Tickles your fancy.

Now, go play.

-The Whitestone Team

*Oh, and if you break something let us know. Every new ship has a leak or two on the maiden voyage, so we expect a few bumps. However, you break it, you buy it! Just don’t feed the site after midnight, the results would be disastrous.

The estimated principal photography dates are scheduled for July 23, 2012 to July 26, 2012. The project will be filming in Atlanta and the surrounding areas. If you do not live in or will be in the metro Atlanta area please do not apply. Out of state travel will not be covered.

The project paying a per day rate.

Casting will be open until July 6th.

We are casting the following roles:

Female Lead #1

Age = 18-23

Hair Color = Any

Hair Length = Shoulder length or longer

Race = Any

Body Type = Athletic/Petite

Female Lead #2 one is a young woman with a classic beauty. She carries herself with grace and her eyes carry a hint of melancholy. She would rather be in a coffee shop on a rainy day than out partying with friends. She is Intelligent and mysterious, and when she does smile she lights up a room.

Female Lead #2

Age = 18-23

Hair Color = Any

Hair Length = Any

Race = Any

Body Type = Athletic/Petite

Female Lead #2 is a quirky, fun young woman. She may have tattoos or piercings, but she maintains a stunning beauty and personality that draws people towards her. She sees the world differently, approaching everything with a childlike sense of wonder. She often wears a look of mischief on her face and smiles come very easily.

Male Lead #1

Age = 18-23

Hair Color = Any

Hair Length = Any

Race = Any

Body Type = Athletic/Lean/Muscular

Male Lead #1 is a self built man. He works as a mechanic and is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He may have some tattoos or piercings, but they are understated and not overwhelming. He is a responsible yet creative type and is easy to be around. He carries a presence of strong mindedness and intelligence.

Please send us your head shots and demo reels/video of monologues. A video link to a monologue or speaking part is mandatory for us to consider your submission. You can record it on you cell phone if you have to, just get us something.

Email casting@whitestonemotionpictures.com to submit.

Please include ‘Whitestone Commercial Project’ in the subject line. We look forward to meeting you. Happy submitting and see you on set!

*Note: While we traditionally cast through agencies, we have had a lot of requests to supplement our process with an open call for those of you talented actors that may not have representation just yet. It’s because we love you all…really.

However…

If you do NOT fit the description above then please do not submit to this project. Say you’re a 5 year old wonder child that specializes in fire stunts in Wisconsin or perhaps you’re a very amiable, multilingual 95 year old man with in Atlanta and you feel compelled to submit. We will discard your submission for this project right away. We’re sure you’re very nice and it’s nothing personal, but we really don’t want to go through a lot of ‘Hey, just want to submit for future projects,’  emails at the moment. We love getting submissions year round from actors, but we are on the lookout for these specific character types at this time.

From all of us at Whitestone, thanks!

Billy and I have been making music now for half my life. Wow. Did anyone catch that? Who can say they’ve known anyone, let alone worked with someone for half of their entire life?! Up until very recently, I foolishly never really gave it much thought. I’d even go as far to say that I took our relationship and our ability to create music together for granted. I realize that’s a pretty rough statement to say about one of your best friends, but it’s true. I thought Billy would always be around, and no matter what else was going on in our lives, we’d always stop and write a song whenever we wanted. However, life has a sometimes harsh way of reminding you what’s important.

On July 31st, 2011, my two best friends, Billy Wilkerson and Ron Bailey Jr., were hit by a drunk driver. I received a phone-call from Billy’s wife, Jill, around 4 AM telling me of their accident and that the paramedics had to intubate them both. I didn’t know what intubate meant so I called my mother, a nurse of 30+ years, and asked her. As I stumbled from bed trying to comprehend what she was saying, she informed me of the severity of their situation:

“Intubate means they can’t breathe on their own. This is very serious. As serious as it gets.”

I didn’t know what was happening. I was scared to death. I called my other best friend (yes, I’m blessed to have a few) Brandon, and we immediately headed to Grady Hospital in Atlanta. When we arrived at the emergency room we were met by dozens of family members and close friends. But when I saw the looks on their father’s faces, the look I now understand because, I too, am a dad, I realized that I might never see Billy or Ron alive again.

Up to this point in my life, when things like this happen, the outcome has been fairly benign. There’s a close-call scare, but everything usually works itself out in a few hours. As I sat in the waiting room trying my damnedest to control my tears, I realized this wasn’t one of those times. I sat in that awful waiting room for hours, trying to prepare myself for the very real possibility of having to say goodbye.

However, by the grace of God, they survived. I mean that exactly as it’s read.

I don’t know why some people live and some people die, that’s not up for me to decide, but for some reason, they lived.

It’s amazing how fast your mind turns back to it’s selfish ways once you learn that someone is going to make it. For days and days you pray “Please God! Just let them live!”, then when they do, you immediately begin to focus on “superficial” things. Things like, “I hope Billy’s voice is ok.” How pathetic is that? I mean the guy is lying in ICU, fighting for his life, and I’m worried about his ability to sing. Who knows if he’ll ever walk or talk again, hold his kids or kiss his wife, and I’m thinking about dang singing! Thankfully for me, I’m not the only “superficial” one. Turns out EVERYONE was worried about his vocal chords, his brain, his face, his lungs, even his hair for Pete’s sake!

Why?

Because we all LOVE Billy and want to see him fully restored. Not just have a breath in his lungs, but dance and sing and eat and love and all the things that make Billy who he is.

Now, by the grace of God, Billy is on that journey. The journey of restoration.

________________________________

Enter ‘Jack and the Dustbowl’.

Before we started this film, as always, Billy and I talked about writing a song for the credits. If there’s not room for a song in the film, then we will write one for the end credits. It’s what we do. When the accident happened, those plans flew right out the window. Which of course, is no big deal. ‘Jack’ didn’t NEED a song. All of us at Whitestone were more than satisfied to still have Billy with us, songs can wait!

However, on Halloween night, Billy and his family came over to my house to go trick-or-treating with our kids and Billy dropped a bomb on me. “Hey man, I know I have brain damage and all, but I’d like to try and write a song for the movie. You know, to see if I still can.” Now I’m not sure if you all are aware of this, but people that suffer severe brain trauma often forget loved ones, spouses, talents, etc. Billy didn’t even know if he could still write.

- For a second, imagine what you do best, what you were made to do. Now imagine that skill is gone from your brain, but the memory of having done it, along with the desire, remains. Yeah… -

I can’t imagine the fear that must’ve been in Billy’s mind when he realized that what he loved to do most, now, may be an impossibility. But you see, Billy is brave. He’s tenacious. He’s positive. Maybe it was the brain damage talking (we joke now), but he decided to face his fear and overcome the adversity he was facing.

You see, this is why I love this story. This story is ‘Jack and the Dustbowl’; get it?!

Billy had every right to recuperate in peace, without the worry and stress of work, but he chose to face the giant head on and defeat it. Anyone in the wide-world would’ve understood if he said “Sorry guys, not this time, I’m gonna sit this one out.”

But he didn’t.

Not only did Billy rise to the occasion and help write a brilliant song, but he sang the damn thing as well, WITH A TRACHE IN HIS THROAT; a friggin’ hole in his throat, covered by a piece of plastic. And not only that, but I’m a real a-hole of a producer and did not for one second take it easy on him. I told him if we’re doing this, we’re doing this all the way, no cutting corners. So Billy sang a brilliant vocal, utilizing a lot of falsetto (which is made damn-near impossible by the trache) and singing a wall of harmonies. If that’s not turning adversity into opportunity I’m not sure what is.

So here we sit today, the newly christened ‘The Brothers Bright’. Why the new name? Because after an event like this, it changes you; you’re not the same person you used to be. We’ve emerged from the fire with a strengthened brotherhood and a brighter perception of our lives and our work. There is darkness in this life and our purpose is to try and shine a light.

As for Billy, he’s still on the road to recovery and has several surgeries left, but he’s looking better and becoming more like himself with each passing day. There’s still a long way to go before he’s 100%, before he arrives at his destination, but we’re all invested in the journey with him.

And with friends and family that love you by your side, the journey never seems as long and the destination is always just around the bend.

-Nicholas Kirk

The Brothers Bright: A Song Treasury

The Brothers Bright are proud to present their first album entitled, “A Song Treasury”. This is a compilation album from the films of Whitestone Motion Pictures.

Want to support Billy’s journey? Then buy this album!

Download from iTunes here.