Rendezvous in Chicago: Three Tales of Love in the Windy City
Project by Michael Smith
Michael Smith
Follow
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO examines love in its many different forms in a modern urban setting. It is a character-driven comedy with a phenomenal ensemble cast, featuring veterans of the Chicago stage, TV and film worlds, and a labor of love for third-time feature filmmaker Michael Glover Smith.
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO examines love in its many different forms in a modern urban setting. It is a character-driven comedy with a phenomenal ensemble cast, featuring veterans of the Chicago stage, TV and film worlds, and a labor of love for third-time feature filmmaker Michael Glover Smith.
-
Story
Mission Statement
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO is being produced by Layne Marie Williams under her Women of the Now banner and most key crew positions will be filled by women. One story will focus on a gay couple, treating marriage equality in a positive light, while the other two stories will be very female-centric.About The Project
RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO is a short comedic feature film comprised of three vignettes corresponding to the beginning, middle and end stages of a relationship:Part 1: THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. Paul (Kevin Wehby), a charming young man, attempts to pick up Delaney (Clare Cooney), a bookish grad student, in an otherwise empty wine bar. She turns the tables on him in a most unexpected manner.
Part 2: CATS AND DOGS. Rob (Matthew Sherbach) and Andy (Rashaad Hall) are enjoying the bliss of newly formed couplehood. Rob has planned to propose marriage as they walk from their apartment to the lakeshore nearby, but has he made the right decision?
Part 3: THE END IS THE BEGINNING. Julie (Nina Ganet) comes home from work early to find her boyfriend, Wyatt (Shane Simmons), in bed with another woman (Melanie McNulty). After violently ejecting them from her apartment, Julie begins to fall in love with . . . you the viewer!
The lead actors:
The supporting cast:
Full Credits:
Written and directed by Michael Glover Smith (MERCURY IN RETROGRADE)
Starring Clare Cooney (Steve McQueen's WIDOWS), Chelsea David (COOL APOCALYPSE), Nina Ganet (Stephen Cone's HENRY GAMBLE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY), Rashaad Hall (the Emmy-nominated web series BROWN GIRLS), Matthew Sherbach (CHICAGO PD), Shane Simmons (PARTY TIME PARTY TIME), Kevin Wehby (MERCURY IN RETROGRADE), Sophie the Shih Tzu and more!
Produced by Layne Marie Williams (AN ATRAMENTOUS MIND) for her Women of the Now production company. Executive Produced by David McNulty. Shot by Alex Halstead (CALLIOPE). Edited by Eric Marsh (ORDERS). Location sound recorded by Colin Lenehan.
World Premiere expected in late 2018!
Incentives
$25
Shout-out on social media!
Within 24 hours of making your contribution we will give you a warm, personalized thank you via our Twitter and/or Facebook pages!
$50
Autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork!
Loren Greenblatt has created a beautiful poster for our film depicting the actors Clare Cooney and Kevin Wehby from the "Brothers Karamazov" segment of the film. You will receive a color postcard featuring this artwork personally autographed by director Michael Glover Smith and members of the cast PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!
Claimed: 18 of 50
$75
Appear in a photo montage in the film!
Do you live in the greater Chicago area and own a cat or a dog? If you pledge $75 we will take a photo of you posing with your pet and include it in a photo montage within the film! Plus, you get an autographed postcard and shout-out on social media! Offer good for Chicago-area residents only.
$100
"Thank You" in the closing credits of the film!
You will receive a "Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!
Claimed: 30 of 100
$125
Film Studies Masterclass with Michael Glover Smith
Anyone who contributes $125 to our campaign has the option of receiving a Film Studies Masterclass with Michael Glover Smith! In addition to being a filmmaker, Smith is a film studies professor, historian and author with 10+ years of teaching experience. He will come to your home and give a fun, informal talk on a film, filmmaker, genre or historical movement of YOUR CHOICE. The talk will be accompanied by the screening of a film and/or film clips. Nothing is off limits. You can make him talk about Michael Bay if you want! This is in addition to receiving a Thank You in the closing credits of the film!
$150
Microbudget Film Production Masterclass with Layne Marie Williams and Michael Glover Smith
Anyone who contributes $150 to the campaign has the option of receving a Microbudget Film Production Masterclass with Producer Layne Marie Williams and Writer/Director Michael Glover Smith. We have produced short and feature-length independent films that have won awards at film festivals across the U.S. and received distribution. We will gladly give an informal talk to any individuals or small groups who are interested in learning the ins and outs of microbudget filmmaking - from fundraising to screenwriting to production to distribution. This is in addition to receiving a Thank You in the closing credits of the film!
$250
Personal acting lesson/career consultation with Clare Cooney!
Clare Cooney is a phenomenal talent with a raft of film, television and theater experience. She won an Outstanding Acting award at the prestigious Sidewalk Film Festival for the short BIRD OF PREY in 2016 and has worked with acclaimed directors Steve McQueen, Stephen Cone and now Michael Glover Smith. She is also an experienced casting director who knows the secrets of how to successfully audition! Clare will gladly give you a 30-minute acting lesson/career consultation in person if you live in the city of Chicago. If you are outside the city limits, she will give this lesson/consultation via Skype. PLUS you will receive a "Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!$500
Password-protected link to stream the film/"Special Thank You" in the Closing Credits!
Shortly after the film receives its World Premiere, which we anticipate to be in Fall 2018, you will receive a password-protected link that will allow you to stream the film online PLUS you will receive a "Special Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive the acting lesson/career consultation from Clare Cooney PLUS an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS a social media shout-out!
$750
Set visit/wrap party invitations + Digital Download!
Visit the closed set of our film in May and watch us shoot a scene PLUS come to the wrap party and hang out with the cast and crew PLUS receive a Digital Download of the film shortly after its World Premiere PLUS receive a "Special Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS receive the acting lesson/career consultation from Clare Cooney PLUS receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS receive a social media shout-out!
Claimed: 0 of 10
$1,000
A part in the film: "Man/Woman in Bathrobe"!
Receive a walk-on cameo in the film! Director Michael Glover Smith does not use close-ups often but he will put a close-up of your beautiful face on the big screen in a key scene! You will be a man/woman in a bathrobe who will regard two of the main characters with a skeptical eye! You will be credited in the cast list in the closing credits AND on the IMDb! PLUS you will receive all of the other perks at all of the other giving levels!
Claimed: 1 of 2
$5,000
Executive Producer credit
You will receive an "Executive Producer" credit in the Opening Credits of the film and on the Internet Movie Database. Congratulations: you are now considered a valuable part of the team and are welcome to attend pre-production meetings and cast rehearsals, visit the set during shooting, sit in on editing sessions, give feedback and more! PLUS you will receive all of the other perks at all of the other levels (minus the walk-on cameo).
Claimed: 1 of 5
-
Wishlist
Use the WishList to pledge cash and loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an incentive directly.
$25
Shout-out on social media!
Within 24 hours of making your contribution we will give you a warm, personalized thank you via our Twitter and/or Facebook pages!
$50
Autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork!
Loren Greenblatt has created a beautiful poster for our film depicting the actors Clare Cooney and Kevin Wehby from the "Brothers Karamazov" segment of the film. You will receive a color postcard featuring this artwork personally autographed by director Michael Glover Smith and members of the cast PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!
Claimed: 18 of 50
$75
Appear in a photo montage in the film!
Do you live in the greater Chicago area and own a cat or a dog? If you pledge $75 we will take a photo of you posing with your pet and include it in a photo montage within the film! Plus, you get an autographed postcard and shout-out on social media! Offer good for Chicago-area residents only.
$100
"Thank You" in the closing credits of the film!
You will receive a "Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!
Claimed: 30 of 100
$125
Film Studies Masterclass with Michael Glover Smith
Anyone who contributes $125 to our campaign has the option of receiving a Film Studies Masterclass with Michael Glover Smith! In addition to being a filmmaker, Smith is a film studies professor, historian and author with 10+ years of teaching experience. He will come to your home and give a fun, informal talk on a film, filmmaker, genre or historical movement of YOUR CHOICE. The talk will be accompanied by the screening of a film and/or film clips. Nothing is off limits. You can make him talk about Michael Bay if you want! This is in addition to receiving a Thank You in the closing credits of the film!
$150
Microbudget Film Production Masterclass with Layne Marie Williams and Michael Glover Smith
Anyone who contributes $150 to the campaign has the option of receving a Microbudget Film Production Masterclass with Producer Layne Marie Williams and Writer/Director Michael Glover Smith. We have produced short and feature-length independent films that have won awards at film festivals across the U.S. and received distribution. We will gladly give an informal talk to any individuals or small groups who are interested in learning the ins and outs of microbudget filmmaking - from fundraising to screenwriting to production to distribution. This is in addition to receiving a Thank You in the closing credits of the film!
$250
Personal acting lesson/career consultation with Clare Cooney!
Clare Cooney is a phenomenal talent with a raft of film, television and theater experience. She won an Outstanding Acting award at the prestigious Sidewalk Film Festival for the short BIRD OF PREY in 2016 and has worked with acclaimed directors Steve McQueen, Stephen Cone and now Michael Glover Smith. She is also an experienced casting director who knows the secrets of how to successfully audition! Clare will gladly give you a 30-minute acting lesson/career consultation in person if you live in the city of Chicago. If you are outside the city limits, she will give this lesson/consultation via Skype. PLUS you will receive a "Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS you will receive a shout-out on social media!$500
Password-protected link to stream the film/"Special Thank You" in the Closing Credits!
Shortly after the film receives its World Premiere, which we anticipate to be in Fall 2018, you will receive a password-protected link that will allow you to stream the film online PLUS you will receive a "Special Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS you will receive the acting lesson/career consultation from Clare Cooney PLUS an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS a social media shout-out!
$750
Set visit/wrap party invitations + Digital Download!
Visit the closed set of our film in May and watch us shoot a scene PLUS come to the wrap party and hang out with the cast and crew PLUS receive a Digital Download of the film shortly after its World Premiere PLUS receive a "Special Thank You" in the closing credits of the film PLUS receive the acting lesson/career consultation from Clare Cooney PLUS receive an autographed postcard featuring Loren Greenblatt's original artwork PLUS receive a social media shout-out!
Claimed: 0 of 10
$1,000
A part in the film: "Man/Woman in Bathrobe"!
Receive a walk-on cameo in the film! Director Michael Glover Smith does not use close-ups often but he will put a close-up of your beautiful face on the big screen in a key scene! You will be a man/woman in a bathrobe who will regard two of the main characters with a skeptical eye! You will be credited in the cast list in the closing credits AND on the IMDb! PLUS you will receive all of the other perks at all of the other giving levels!
Claimed: 1 of 2
$5,000
Executive Producer credit
You will receive an "Executive Producer" credit in the Opening Credits of the film and on the Internet Movie Database. Congratulations: you are now considered a valuable part of the team and are welcome to attend pre-production meetings and cast rehearsals, visit the set during shooting, sit in on editing sessions, give feedback and more! PLUS you will receive all of the other perks at all of the other levels (minus the walk-on cameo).
Claimed: 1 of 5
- Updates
-
Current Team
About This Team
Michael Glover Smith (Writer/Director): Michael is known for the award-winning feature films COOL APOCALYPSE and MERCURY IN RETROGRADE, the latter of which stars Roxane Mesquida and Najarra Townsend, and about which Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "Smith has a deft touch for dialogue, creating six distinct characters who look and sound like people we know...a smart, funny, quietly effective and authentic slice of older millennial life." His work has screened at festivals and indepedent theaters across the U.S., played in Chicago at the prestigious Gene Siskel Film Center and at Movies in the Parks' Onscreen Local Film Showcase and is distributed on DVD by Emphasis Entertainment. He is the co-author, with Adam Selzer, of the acclaimed Flickering Empire (Columbia University Press, 2015), a book-length study of the silent film industry in Chicago. He teaches film studies at several Chicago-area colleges and is the author of the White City Cinema blog.
Layne Marie Williams (Producer/Assistant Director): Layne Marie is an award-winning filmmaker (AN ATRAMENTOUS MIND) located in Chicago. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Women of The Now, a video and event production company that focuses on empowering womxn in film. Layne Marie is the Co-founder and Director of Development of The Women's Film Festival in Philadelphia, PA. She and her WOTN crew are so excited to produce Michael's Smith new feature film RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO along with a handful of other projects this spring and summer. For updates check out www.LayneMarieWilliams.com
Alex Halstead (Director of Photography): Alex has made a name for himself as a cinematographer in Chicago's filmmaking scene with a unique signature style of wielding and color and light in a bold way. He has shot dozens of experimental, documentary and narrative shorts, music videos and the forthcoming feature film CALLIOPE. Alex previously enjoyed working with Michael Glover Smith as gaffer on COOL APOCALYPSE. Check out his work on the web at www.halsteadvisuals.com
Eric Marsh (Editor): Eric is a Chicago-based filmmaker who teaches film at DePaul's College of Computing and Digital Media. He is the co-director and editor of the acclaimed absurdist war movie ORDERS, which had its World Premiere at the Kaunas International Film Festival in Lithuania in 2017 before premiering online at Kentucker Audley's No Budge website in January, 2018.
Haley McCormick (Production Designer): Haley is a multimedia conceptual artist from Daytona Beach, FL. While studying art in Chicago she developed a strong interest in experimental filmmaking and color distortion. She currently works at Bear Tooth Theatre in Anchorage, AK as a film festival curtator. Repurposing VHS, magnifying obscenity and isolating familiar objects to capture beauty are constants in her work. Her short DANCER will screen at the 2018 Chicago Underground Film Festival.
Armani Barron (Production Manager): Armani is an award-winning producer and designer. An all-around creative, she recently produced Saba's music video "Busy" and is currently branding the North Coast Music Festival.
Colin Lenehan (Sound Mixer): Colin received a BA in Audio Design and Production from Columbia College Chicago and has captured location audio for independent films including Nicholas Richards' NORMAL and Michael Smith's COOL APOCALYPSE. A life-long musician, he also recently composed the score for Tim Wolak's comedy slasher BEWARE OF THE KLOWNS. -
Media
Videos
Images
-
Community
Supporters
Followers
