Movie-making pair premiere film in E.B.
Film noir piece features some scenes shot in Milltown, Sayreville
BY VINCENT TODARO
Staff Writer

EAST BRUNSWICK - Independent filmmaker David Kaiserman is hoping "Chapter 23: The Big Goodbye" gets a big hello this weekend.

The movie, which premieres tomorrow night at the Mega Movies on Route 18, was made by a cast and crew of New Jersey residents, and shot in Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties.

Kaiserman, of Holmdel, and his friend Kevin Keiser, of Hazlet, wrote, directed and produced the film on a $6,000 budget. They are hoping it will be picked up by a film festival.

The film noir piece is based on a writer, Doris, who has three weeks to finish a new novel. While writing it, she begins to take on the characteristics of her main character in an example of life imitating art.

In fact, to add authenticity, the movie at times is in black and white because the book is set in the 1940s, said Kaiserman, 28.

The idea for the flick actually came from Keiser, whose similar name is just a coincidence. Keiser, 25, began writing the movie at 3 a.m. one morning after having a dream about it.

"He began writing and wrote 80 percent of it," Kaiserman said. "He sent it to me for final touchups."

The friends, who met in 1999, both with dreams of filmmaking, completed the movie after throwing a bunch of ideas back and forth and ultimately deciding on the final version together.

A private beach club in Deal provided the backdrop for some of the scenes, while a mostly abandoned factory in Milltown served as the location for some other parts. A portion was also shot in Sayreville.

The actors and crew were chosen after a well-publicized casting call in early 2005 at the Sayreville Emergency Squad building, and about 500 people showed up. Out of that number, about 450 were professionals in some area related to stage or film.

Two of the actors in "Chapter 23: The Big Goodbye" have made appearances on Saturday Night Live - Samantha Friedman, of Middletown, who plays the young Doris, and Allison Abrams, who plays the older Doris.

Kaiserman said the entire movie process took a year-and-a-half, though shooting lasted only nine days (grueling, 20-hour workdays). Much of the other work involved pre and postproduction.

The East Brunswick theater is providing 400 seats for both showings of the half-hour film.

"We wanted to focus on the best half-hour we could make, rather than a long film," he said, adding that most festivals require short films to be no longer than 30 minutes.

"We chose quality over length," he said.

The movie will be shown Friday at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Web site www.Chapter23movie.com.