Small film company hoping to make
linda denicola
The Hub
There’s a new film company in town run by four partners all under 35. They have formed around screenwriter Allen Cognata whose film script, Ghetto Dawg, they intend to make into a Hollywood-quality movie to enter in the Sundance Film Festival.
The film follows the journey of a young African-American, Tariq, trying to discover himself. Tariq has a master’s in finance from Columbia University, New York City, but no one will hire him. Fed up with the system, he opts to take matters into his own hands and begins moonlighting as a high-tech car thief. Then he meets Robin, a hardworking single mom. In an effort to bond with Robin’s 10-year-old son David, Tariq surprises the boy with a pit bull puppy which leads Tariq into the underground world of pit bull fighting.
According to Cognata, Ghetto Dawg explores the complexity of human relations and the consequences one must face when venturing too close to the boundaries. There are good dogs, bad dogs, good people and bad people. They all help to explore questions of man’s destiny.
Cognata’s dream of making the film began when he took a class at New York University Film School. That is where he met director Brian Averill, a New York City resident. Cognata had written only 30 pages of the script for Ghetto Dawg when he met Averill.
"He was one of my professors. I showed him my script and he asked to see the rest of it. I said I had it, but I needed a week to find it. I ran home and wrote the rest of the movie that week," Cognata explained.
Averill liked the script and became interested in the project, Cognata said. "Brian introduced me to my three partners [Greg Russo, Virgil Ranaudo and Randy Ritter]. It turns out that we’re like a perfect engine. We’ll be in business together for a very long time."
Cognata said he is pleased to have Averill directing his film. "He’s very talented. He directed a film that is now showing at festivals called The Hair Cut."
Cognata, who is also a producer on the project, and Russo, another writer/producer, started their film company Jersey Bred Productions six months ago with Ranaudo and Ritter as executive producers.
They are all Jersey boys. Cognata grew up in Middletown and attended St. Mary’s elementary school and Mater Dei High School. Russo grew up in West Orange and now lives in Allenhurst.
Ranaudo comes from Jersey City. His sister, Gianna, who is married to actor Chazz Palminteri, plays Nicki, a Debra Harry-type hair dresser, in the movie.
Ritter, who is very active with thoroughbred horses, lives in the west end of Long Branch.
"Virgil and Randy raised the money for the movie through private investors and their own money. The film will cost just under $200,000, but it will look like a $10 million movie," Cognata said.
Besides the four partners, there are a number of other people involved in the project. The line producer is Josh Eggleston, a New York City resident.
"He works for HBO and does a lot of commercials for Sex in the City, The Sopranos and HBO boxing. He also is doubling as first assistant director and runs the whole day-to-day operations on set," Cognata said.
Shawn Kim, also from New York City, is the cinematographer. "He has done numerous videos that have run on MTV including working with the Woo Tang Clang, De La Sol and numerous other artists. He’s nothing short of a genius," Cognata said. "He works with the director to light the film and set the mood."
Drena DeNiro, Robert DeNiro’s daughter, has a principal part in the film. The two leads will be played by J. King (Tariq) and Portia Cue (Robin). "It’s their story," Cognata said.
How the movie is coming together is a story in itself.
In fact, Wendy Taylor, an assistant, is shooting a digital video documentary using a Sony 1000, the same camera that Spike Lee used to shoot Bamboozled, his latest film. It will be a behind-the-scenes making of the film Ghetto Dawg, Cognata said.
"We started out with a small staff, but we had to put a table in the hallway of the mini-mall. (The film company shares an office with Hand Res, located on the lower level of the mini-mall at 80 Broad St. in Red Bank.) That got too noisy for the neighboring offices, so we brought it back in. We are outgrowing the 1,600-square-foot space, but Greg and I love Red Bank," Cognata said. "One of us eats at That Hot Dog Place just about every day. In the future, we would like to film a scene there. Gary [Sable], the owner, is a unique character."
While working on making his dream come true, Cognata is not ready to give up his day job, and neither is Russo, who runs numerous businesses that include Hand Res, a wireless Internet company.
Cognata still works as a ramp agent for Continental Airlines at Newark International Airport. In fact, if it wasn’t for his job, he would not have become interested in pit bulls.
"I knew people at the airport that were into pit bulls. After listening to them talk about their dogs, I thought it would make a good documentary. But after talking with Greg, who had contacts with the underground world of pit bull fighting, I learned about the dark side of the pit bull world. That added depth and more realism to the story and changed the nature of the film into a love story."
Cognata said at 8 years old he would go to the movie theater and hit every film showing in one day. "I always knew I was destined to do this," he said.
That sense of destiny has been a guiding force. Having a script idea and the guts to follow through with it takes different kinds of strength, Cognata noted. One is imagination, the other is chutzpa. Cognata, who is 35 and the "oldest guy on the team," had written numerous scripts before Ghetto Dawg. His plan was to shoot in DV (digital video), but after Brian and Shawn read the script, they decided it would be best shot in 35 mm.
The film company will be shooting in various places including After Dark on Route 35 in Aberdeen, numerous places in Asbury Park, the interiors of the Broadway Diner and the Jersey Bred office. They will also be shooting at the Keansburg Amusement Park and a home in Port Monmouth.
"We’ll be shooting for seven straight days at the home of Irene Young. She’s 81 years old and her house is full of antiques. We will have to turn her home upside down to make it reflect the home of a young single mother. Irene’s been very accommodating. We love what she’s done for us."
They will also be shooting at Tim McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright. "He’s letting us use the whole top floor of his restaurant and we are also using Tim Malone’s farm in Middletown. One scene requires a barn. He has a barn that is circa 1700s. The farm doubles for North Carolina and New Orleans."
Cognata feels "the diversity of locations strengthens the piece that much more and takes the project to another level."
Shooting was to begin last Sunday, and, according to Cognata, "it will be in the can by the end of August."
Then it takes six weeks to cut and edit on "avid," which is like a VCR tape, he said. "We take that tape to distributors and film festivals. Our goal is to get it in the Sundance Film Festival and then distribution," he added.