Merci Bien!

A big THANK YOU to our most recent donors and Executive Producers!

• Steven Benavidez
• Dolorez Benavidez
• Joe Hernandez
• Rick Campbell
• Bev Campbell

We still have ways to go until A Note to Etienne is financed, so please support the film and its filmmakers and make a donation. Remember, every contribution is tax-deductible. So technically, you're lending the film a certain donation, and Uncle Sam is paying you back in April.

Donations of $500 or greater accredits you as an Executive Producer. That's IMDB, baby! ;) (P.S. If you help raise $500 or more from multiple sources (near and far), you get the Executive Producer's credit since you're, well, producing!)

Location - Amorette's House

In my opinion, finding the perfect location is on par of finding the perfect cast – it takes time, patience, and be prepared to see a lot of duds. However, the search for Amorette’s apartment was much simpler than anticipated. In fact, a friend who recently moved to Los Angeles suggested their place and it just so happened it was perfect. Below are the location scout photos of Amorette’s pad. (Special thanks to Tom Erickson and Kendall Anlian)

The Outside: This house was apparently made in the late 1800's and survived many refurnishes. Like Amorette, this house embodies so much character and personality.

The Entry Way: The green struck me upon entering - it was like being in a different country. Amorette's the type of girl who'd paint every room a different color. Another huge plus, almost every room of the house had a gorgeous chandelier.

The Living Room: When scavenging for the perfect location, it was extremely fortunate to find a space w/ natural light and big windows. DP Jorge Urbina approved - the wooden floors and wide-open space also didn't hurt.

The Dining Room: Another chandelier, another great room. For Amorette's dining scene, it was important to find a space that wasn't completely devoid of personality since the scene's supposed to be light and inviting -- much like the color on the walls.

The Bathroom: This is how we'll be introducing Etienne (yes, through a bathroom). I love this point-of-view aspect and linoleum tile.

The Bedroom: My favorite room of the entire house. This room screams Amorette and embodies her character so much. Everything from the chandelier, the wooden floors, the wall colors and orange blinds -- simply amazing.

Meet the Crew - Volume 1

Meet the Costume Designer

Joslyn Sifuentes originally from New Mexico & Arizona has been working as an Entertainment talent manager for the past four years. She has overseen the careers of Frank Stallone, Malcolm David Kelley, Clifford Banagale, Samantha Bailey & Trey Carlisle to name a few. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, she also was a part of the Arizona International Film Festival as the Competition & Filmmaker Director. She has had various jobs within the film industry including managing several student films and interning for the BBC & History Channel. She has joined A Note to Etienne as a casting associate and Costume Designer.

Meet the Production Designer

Gilberto Vega, a graduate of the University of Arizona’s media arts program, has lived in Los Angeles for the past 6 years. He has worked on various projects including films and plays as an art director, set decorator, production designer and prop master. He's part of the independent production group, Cove Entertainment, who have produced various short projects and a feature film. Currently, Gilberto is producing music videos utilizing various techniques including live action photography and stop motion animation.

Meet the Casting Director

Dylan Jury moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles in 2005, after earning a BA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University. He has spent the past 3 years working as the Casting Assistant on many films including The Dark Knight, Drag Me To Hell, and the upcoming Zombieland. A Note To Etienne marks his first credit as Casting Director.

Meet the Actor - Etienne

Lukas Delcourt was born in Bordeaux, a city in the West coast of France. His earliest recollection of wanting to perform was in Junior High where he was cast as Harpagon in L’Avare (a play by Moliere). From there, he went on to perform in various plays such as Hamlet, Phoebe and the Big Apple, and Grease. In 1998, he made cameos in over twenty movies and television shows including Dangerous Liaisons, Wazabi, and performed opposite Gerard Depardieu and Jean Reno.

In 2002, Lukas gained commercial representation and landed various bit roles until he landed his first prominent role in La Vie Devant Nous (the season’s finale). A year later, he gained notoriety from Star Academy (the French equivalent to American Idol) where 15 million viewers excelled him into the semi-finals, a 6-month tour, 2 million copies sold from an album created from he and the contestants, and an eventual solo contract with Universal Music. His first album, Tout Est Mal Qui Finit Bien’, was released in 2004, followed by the Prince cover, “Cream”.

At the end of 2005, he decided to devote himself entirely towards his acting career and landed a role in the critically acclaimed series, Sous Le Soleil (Saint Tropez) – a French show airing in 197 countries for an unprecedented 14 seasons. In 2007, he traveled to Guadeloupe to shoot the first season of Baie De Flamboyants, but decided to leave after the first season, pack his bags, and head to Los Angeles where was cast as Christian Audigier in the series West Hollywood among various other jobs including hosting gigs, commercials, feature films and music videos.

Although Lukas is fully aware of the risk it takes to start fresh in a new and unfamiliar country, it’s a risk he’s willing to take. He’s really excited to be a part of A Note to Etienne, and is touched by the passion everyone involved has put forth.

Merci Bien!

A big THANK YOU to our most recent donors!

• Eleanor Dahners
• Sally Alberti
• Andrew Peralta
• Seth Caskey
• Connie Benavidez
• Sarah Klein
• David & Sylvia Fierro
• Joe and Debbie Perez
• Jimmie & Maggie Vasquez
• Frank Benavidez

We still have ways to go until A Note to Etienne is financed, so please support the film and its filmmakers and make a donation. Remember, every contribution is tax-deductible. So technically, you're lending the film a certain donation, and Uncle Sam is paying you back in April.

Donations of $500 or greater accredits you as an Executive Producer. That's IMDB, baby! ;) (P.S. If you help raise $500 or more from multiple sources (near and far), you get the Executive Producer's credit since you're, well, producing!)

An Homage to Jean-Pierre Jeunet

If you haven't noticed yet, a great deal of inspiration has been drawn from the magical comedy Amelie. The camera movement, the colors, the performances - the movie is a modern-day masterpiece and has obviously influenced much of this film's look. In order to merge Jeunet's vision with my own vision, it was important to grab specific frames from the film as an homage as oppose to creating an identical cookie cut-out. Here are some particular frames that really popped out at me, which I hope to recreate in A Note to Etienne with cinematographer Jorge Urbina.

Frame 1: This may be my favorite still of the entire movie. Although the camera movement is moving closer towards Audrey Tautou, I'm particularly fond of the stagnant shot. The dutch angle has a sort of obscurity that's really interesting.

Frame 2: If you haven't noticed, I'm really fond of the high angles looking down. I think a great deal of exposition can be told through body language and production design, and as shown above, it can also be really beautiful.

Frame 3: Yes, another high angle. However, this shot's an over-the-shoulder shot where we see much more than what's being expressed. So much is going on this one screen shot, and you really don't need to know what's actually occurring. Pure genius.

Amorette's Costumes

While we're still several months before yelling the word "action", it doesn't mean we're at a shortage of work. It seems like pre-production is filled with countless errands and menial tasks. There's storyboards to create, locations to be scouted, rehearsals to be had, and careful decisions to be made. However, I think pre-production can be one of the most rewarding phases during the making of a film. Personally, the more intricate the planning, the better the product.

Which brings us to one of my favorite parts of pre-production. The costumes. Below are some image boards surrounding the look I want for Amorette.

Costumes 1: Amorette isn't your typical character. Her mind wanders, she's overly-analytical, and extraordinarily expressive. Her clothes should represent her individuality and creativity.

Costumes 2: Her wardrobe has a lot of vintage selections. She's the type of girl who enjoys going to hand-me-down shops and "digging for burried treasure". When she finds that certain polka dot dress or laced blouse, it makes her that much more original.

Costumes 3: I love the neutral colors in this particular dress. It's not too flashy, yet it's still extremely unique. Especially paired with black tights and a vivid turquoise necklace.

Costumes 4: I love utilizing patterns for Amorette. She's interesting, yet complicated - just like these skirts. Amorette's the type of person who isn't afraid to pair different patterns together. She's comfortable expressing herself through her style.