Audition (2007 short film)
Encyclopedia
Audition is an award-winning short film directed by Sam Holdren, first released to festivals in 2007. The film is a tragic comedy about William Ashe, a grown man who still lives at home with mother and strongly believes in signs. On the whim of a sign, he travels to the big city to audition for a movie, and is promptly sidetracked by murder, mayhem, and mistaken identity, only proving that life may lead anywhere once you choose to see the signs.
The inspiration provided by Wilhelm allowed Ng and Holdren to adapt both his persona and elements of their own personalities into the character of William Ashe, a grown man still living at home with mother whose trip to the city to audition for a movie gets him caught up in a mystery without him actually realizing it. Throughout the film, the character bases his choices upon what he believes are signs, but it becomes increasingly obvious as the movie proceeds that the hovering presence of his mother, who we never see, is evident.
Todd Waters, who portrayed William Ashe, didn't actually know that the character was based in part on a real person until late in the filming. Holdren introduced Waters and Wilhelm in March 2005 while the film crew shot the final sequence in downtown Charleston, West Virginia
. Wilhelm appears briefly at the end of the film as the last person to come into contact with the main character.
Wilhelm, who still continues to act, recently won the prestigious South Eastern Theatre Conference's Best Play of 2008 Award with The Exonerated. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the play is a true story of six wrongfully convicted people who spent years on death row and were exonerated through newly discovered DNA evidence, confessions and wire taps.
Wilhelm's part, Male Ensemble #1, consisted of 12 characters throughout the production that entailed multiple facets of the criminal justice system, to one of the accused and other various roles in The Exonerated.
Wilhelm immersed himself into the roles of each character and even worked as a Corrections Officer with the Division Of Juvenile Services during the one year running of The Exonerated. For Wilhelm's legal characters, he spent many hours at both the county and federal courthouses becoming acquaintances with Kanawha County Prosecutors, Judges and Police Officers to delve into the criminal justice system.
Wilhelm still continues to act and audition in NYC, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio and is scheduled to appear in a new feature length film in 2009. Wilhelm still resides in South Charleston, West Virginia with his older brother who both help with the care of their mother, Bette.
; Temple University
; and the former Marmont Bar & Grill. The ending sequence, however, was shot months later in Charleston, West Virginia
in front of the historic Capitol Theatre, now known as the WV State University Capitol Center Theater Complex.
Award of Excellence - 2007 - West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival
Story
What begins as a story about William Ashe, an obnoxious actor who has come to the city to audition for a movie, soon turns into a murder mystery without the main character ever realizing it. However, the mystery is a distraction from the real point of order, which is the fact that every sequence of the movie for William—including his trying to impress people in a hotel bar at the beginning, and also his interrogation by the police after a murder has occurred—is a constant audition. By the time his real audition rolls around near the end of the film—after the solution to the mystery has been revealed to everyone but William—he has spent the entire movie seeking approval that he never gets. Thus, the movie is a tragic comedy about a guy with hope and energy who is trying, but never quite seals the deal.Background
The character of William Ashe was the result of several meetings in the summer of 2004 between co-writers Joseph W. Ng and Sam Holdren. Ng pitched a scenario where a main character's zany actions were not very believable to Holdren. However, when they began sifting through mutual friends in order to analyze what each person would do in the situation presented by Ng, they stumbled upon an actor friend out of Charleston, WV named Ashley Wilhelm, whose earnest and sometimes strong and spontaneous personality seemed a perfect inspiration for the character.The inspiration provided by Wilhelm allowed Ng and Holdren to adapt both his persona and elements of their own personalities into the character of William Ashe, a grown man still living at home with mother whose trip to the city to audition for a movie gets him caught up in a mystery without him actually realizing it. Throughout the film, the character bases his choices upon what he believes are signs, but it becomes increasingly obvious as the movie proceeds that the hovering presence of his mother, who we never see, is evident.
Todd Waters, who portrayed William Ashe, didn't actually know that the character was based in part on a real person until late in the filming. Holdren introduced Waters and Wilhelm in March 2005 while the film crew shot the final sequence in downtown Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
. Wilhelm appears briefly at the end of the film as the last person to come into contact with the main character.
Wilhelm, who still continues to act, recently won the prestigious South Eastern Theatre Conference's Best Play of 2008 Award with The Exonerated. Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, the play is a true story of six wrongfully convicted people who spent years on death row and were exonerated through newly discovered DNA evidence, confessions and wire taps.
Wilhelm's part, Male Ensemble #1, consisted of 12 characters throughout the production that entailed multiple facets of the criminal justice system, to one of the accused and other various roles in The Exonerated.
Wilhelm immersed himself into the roles of each character and even worked as a Corrections Officer with the Division Of Juvenile Services during the one year running of The Exonerated. For Wilhelm's legal characters, he spent many hours at both the county and federal courthouses becoming acquaintances with Kanawha County Prosecutors, Judges and Police Officers to delve into the criminal justice system.
Wilhelm still continues to act and audition in NYC, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio and is scheduled to appear in a new feature length film in 2009. Wilhelm still resides in South Charleston, West Virginia with his older brother who both help with the care of their mother, Bette.
Locations
Most of the movie was shot in different sections of Philadelphia, including: Holmesburg Prison; the Windsor Hotel and the Wyndham Hotel of Center City; Rittenhouse SquareRittenhouse Square
Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn and his surveyor Thomas Holme during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The park cuts off 19th Street at Walnut Street and also at a half block above Manning Street. Its boundaries are...
; Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
; and the former Marmont Bar & Grill. The ending sequence, however, was shot months later in Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
in front of the historic Capitol Theatre, now known as the WV State University Capitol Center Theater Complex.
Awards
Best Student Short Film & Best Regional Student Film - 2007 - Bluegrass Independent Film FestivalAward of Excellence - 2007 - West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival
Festival screenings
- Appalachian Film Festival
- Bare Bones International Film FestivalBare Bones International Film FestivalThe Bare Bones International Film Festival was founded in 1999 by the Darkwood Film Arts Institute in the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma to showcase low-budget independent movies...
- Bluegrass Independent Film Festival
- Route 66 Film Festival
- West Virginia Filmmakers Film Festival
- Delaware Valley Film Festival
- Colony Film Festival
- Macon Film & Video Festival
- Fargo Film Festival
- Kent Film Festival
- IU South Bend Independent Filmmakers Festival
- Johns Hopkins Film FestivalJohns Hopkins Film FestivalThe Johns Hopkins Film Festival is an international film festival held annually at the Johns Hopkins University. Established in 1997, the festival aims to show independent works from local and international filmmakers. Attendees have included Hopkins alumni John Astin and Wes Craven, as well as...
- Wildwood By The Sea Film Festival
- Flint Film Festival
External links
- Official Movie Website
- WV Film Blog
- Audition at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Official MySpace Site
- Charleston Gazette article
- Kentucky Dept. Of Tourism Article
- HuntingtonNews.net article