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Logline Losing everything on a dream-induced horse bet, Richard Owens is given a chance to win it all back, along with his dignity, on a dartboard in Northern England.

Synopsis (short) Richard Owens became the Merseyside County darts champion when his only real competition, his best mate Miles Fuller, moved away to become a world class jockey. Fourteen years later, and a week before Christmas, Miles appears to Richard in a dream and delivers a racing tip that costs Richard his life savings. As Richard despairs, fate conspires to bring him face-to-face with Miles again, giving them a chance to settle the score once and for all, with a game of darts.

Synopsis (long) Richard Owens became the Merseyside County darts champion when his only real competition, his best mate Miles Fuller, moved to London to follow his dream of becoming a world class jockey. Richard lived a happy but non-eventful working class life in his quiet Northern England town, while Miles found fame and fortune on the racetrack, forever turning his back on his meager upbringing. Fourteen years later, and a week before Christmas, Miles appears to Richard in a dream and delivers a racing tip that costs Richard his life savings. As Richard despairs, fate conspires to bring him face-to-face with Miles again, giving them a chance to settle old scores, once and for all, in a game of darts with the highest of stakes. The winner keeps his dignity. WIN EACH WAY is a poignant holiday tale with a lively ensemble cast that considers the slippery concepts of winning and losing and how even the smallest choices can have a big effect on others.

Crew Bios

JEFFREY FRENCH (Writer, Producer, Director, Editor) Jeffrey holds a B.A. in Cinema from San Francisco State University, and is a former member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He’s produced, written, directed and edited for film, video and television productions of all shapes and sizes, including commercials, industrials, educational films, corporate media, and the entertainment news program filmTrip, which aired weekly on San Francisco's ABC station. Jeffrey is a charter member of Francis Coppola’s Zoetrope Virtual Studio, and is currently in pre-production with his first feature film, Mugs Away, also set in the world of darts. He owns and operates Ton 80 Media, a production company located in San Rafael, California, where he lives with his wife.

MARK EVESLAGE (Cinematographer) Mark has shot Emmy Award-winning television programs and documentaries in thirty-seven countries, for National Geographic, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, PBS, BBC, and others. He lensed the 2000 film The Return of Navajo Boy, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and has since won numerous awards world-wide. Mark studied under his father, Ron Eveslage, cinematographer for George Lucas’ American Graffiti, and a legendary cameraman in the Bay Area.

CRAIG SCHAFER (Sound, Music Arrangement) A musician, composer and audio technician for film and television, Craig’s credits include Cheaters (Jeff Daniels, Paul Sorvino), Choke (Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen), and Behind The Badge (Billy Bob Thornton, Patricia Arquette), as well as numerous television series, including Arli$$, Malcolm in The Middle, Silk Stalkings and Hunter.

CHRISTINA La SALA (Art Director) Christina is an art director and production designer whose credits include various theatre and film projects. She’s also an accomplished installation artist who has exhibited in the United States and Europe. She received her BFA from The Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. She lives and works in San Francisco.

MICHAEL GARRIGUES (First A.D., Casting) Michael has worked as a playwright, screenwriter, production manager, filmmaker, and stage director. He co-produced the entertainment news program filmTrip, with Jeffrey French. Michael’s other credits include the one-act play Waiting For the Inkie, the short film Shop Talk, and directing Stephen Metcalf’s stage play Strange Snow, in San Francisco. Michael owns Foglifter Media, a San Francisco-based video production company.

Cast Bios

PATRICK SIELER (Richard Owens) An established Bay Area actor, Pat has performed with The Willows Theatre (Joyful Noise), Marin Theatre Company (Moving Bodies), The San Francisco Shakespeare Company (Cinderella) and BusBarn Stage Company (Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night), as well as commercial and industrial productions for Duraflame, Virgin Mobile Phones, Volkswagen, Apple Computer, Oracle, Charles Schwab, Kodak, and others. He studies under Richard Seyd in San Francisco.

KEVIN KELLEHER (Miles Fuller) A native of Southall, England, Kevin has been performing in San Francisco area theatre for six years now, with credits that range from Shakespeare to Pinter to portrayals of John Lennon and David Attenborough. Kevin trained at the American Conservatory Theatre, and is now studying Suzuki with Jeffrey Bihr. Win Each Way is Kevin’s screen debut.

IAN McCOY (Ian) Hailing from Merseyside, England (Win Each Way’s setting), Ian is a professional magician, motivational speaker, school teacher, musician and published writer. Win Each Way is Ian’s screen debut.

TRICIA YATES (Hannah) Originally from Merseyside, England, Tricia has been performing on stage in the States for many years now. Win Each Way is her first narrative film performance.

CLIVE CHAFER (Milton) A native of England, Clive comes from an extensive theatre background, having directed and performed on stages for twenty years. His credits include television commercials and film projects, as well as radio and audio books. He is Artistic Director of the Oakland-based company TheatreFIRST, where he recently directed the award-winning productions of Love & Understanding and The Memory of Water.

PAUL MOGG (Horace) a British native, Paul has appeared in several short films including a promotional film for George Lucas's Star Wars Episode II, and his own short comedy Turnoffs, which he also wrote and directed. Paul has worked as a composer, sound designer, and audio director in the computer games business for many years, most recently working with the Oscar-winning sound designer Alan Howarth on a James Bond title for Electronic Arts.

About The Production

In an effort to raise interest and resources toward his feature project, Mugs Away, Jeffrey French produced and directed a 27-minute short film that employs some of the same themes and settings. The result is Win Each Way, a holiday tale set in a Northern English pub that considers the slippery concepts of winning and losing and how even the smallest choices can have a big effect on others.

Jeffrey visited England several times to research his subject, and fell in love with its pubs and the characters that inhabit them. He cruised the canals of the Midlands in search of remote pubs and active dartboards, and was the only American spectator at the BBC-televised 2002 World Darts Championship, as the guest of British Darts Organization president, Olly Croft. Backstage, BBC reporter Clive Downton schooled Jeffrey on the finer points of world class darts.

Win Each Way was workshopped at Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Virtual Studio, a revolutionary online workshop for filmmakers, which provided Jeffrey the opportunity to share each phase of the production with studio members around the world. Many elements of the film-in-progress were made available for review in Jeffrey’s private studio “office”, including headshots and video clips from the auditions and rehearsals, proposed graphic art, selections from the score, and a password-protected rough cut of the film. Access was granted to a select group of artists who discussed the production using the Virtual Studio’s secured file-swapping system, message boards and real-time chat function. The script was reviewed and rated in the Studio’s coveted “Top Three”. For subsequent drafts, Jeffrey collaborated with Virtual Studio screenwriters Thomas Garvey and Mark Bacus. “I used Coppola’s Virtual Studio as much as possible in putting this project together,” says Jeffrey. “While it’s still a ways off from being a viable alternative to brick-and-mortar studios, Win Each Way proves the internet can be used to handle all sorts of production needs, today. The Virtual Studio allowed me to connect with industry professionals from around the world, organize pieces of the production puzzle, and share them in a secured forum. It’s a welcomed sign of things to come.” Jeffrey, who has produced, written and directed television programming and commercial video for fifteen years, met cinematographer Mark Eveslage, when they were members of a production crew covering the 2000 wine harvest in Europe, for the New York Times. Mark had just premiered a film at Sundance (The Return of Navajo Boy), and Jeffrey was immediately impressed with his ability to improvise under the pressure of a tight schedule and the same sort of production conditions expected for Win Each Way. Casting took place in San Francisco, which provided a surprising number of English actors who could handle one of Jeffrey’s biggest concerns -- convincing dialects. The film is set in Merseyside, home to the unique Scouse dialect, which can prove challenging to those unfamiliar with it.

“Getting the dialect right was very important to me.” Jeffrey says. “One of the things I really love about England is the numerous, distinct dialects. You can throw a rock from one dialect to the next. It’s a testament to the country’s rich history and tradition, and I wanted to get it right.”

French shot exteriors and establishing shots throughout Merseyside, England, but interiors were shot entirely at The Mayflower Inn, a British-style pub in San Rafael, California that was faithfully transformed by art director Christina La Sala into a traditional Northern England country pub.

Filming in California took place over nine hot summer nights -- especially challenging, considering the English winter wardrobe. Everyone was asked to think cool thoughts.

Credits

THE CREW

Directed by Jeffrey French Written by Jeffrey French

Mark Bacus Thomas Garvey

Produced by Jeffrey French Director of Photography Mark Eveslage

Original Music by Folkenstein Music Arranged by Craig Schafer

Art Director Christina La Sala Casting Michael Garrigues

Edited by Jeffrey French First Assistant Director Michael Garrigues First Assistant Camera Paul Schlindwein

Production Sound Mixer Craig Schafer Sound Design Craig Schafer

Sound Editing Facilities Roundabout Entertainment Burbank, CA

THE CAST

Richard Owens Patrick Sieler Miles Fuller Kevin Kelleher

Ian Ian McCoy Hannah Tricia Yates

Milton Clive Chafer Horace Paul Mogg

Liverpool Chauffeur John Waterhouse Taxi Driver Paul Schlindwein

Clumsy Drinker Tony Crafter Patron Mark Zempel Patron Matt Wilson Patron Mike Cairnes Patron Brian Dugan Patron Derek Gribble Patron Samantha McCoy Patron Danny Laing Patron James Laing Patron Clint Chalmers

Tip Sheet

COUNTRY USA LANGUAGE English

GENRE Drama RUNNING TIME 27 minutes

FORMAT BetacamSP & DV / 4:3 / Color / Dolby COMPLETED 2003 LOCATIONS Marin County, California, U.S.A.

Merseyside County, England, U.K.

CONTACT:

Jeffrey French

c/o Ton 80 Media

89 Lovejoy Way Novato, CA 94949, USA

(415) 342-1871

frenchy@ton80media.com

www.WinEachWay.com

Additional photos can be found on the CD enclosed with this press kit, and at the official Win Each Way website, at the address above.

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Tough Darts : Tiburon's little festival that can

By Gretchen Giles

Film producer Saul Zaentz (Amadeus, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest) joins producer Lloyd Silverman (Snow Falling on Cedars) and Pixar Studios' Brad Bird to discuss the past, present and future of filmmaking in a Saturday morning panel. Director George Stevens (Shane) will be honored, as will Italian director Luchino Visconti (Death in Venice) and documentary directory Robert Snyder (Michelangelo)--all of which is rich but traditional film-festival fare.

What is most unusual about the TIFF is its slate of five movies made by Marin-based filmmakers. San Rafael video producer and editor Jeffrey French is among them. An associate of Francis Coppola's Zoetrope Virtual Studio, an online community of filmmakers, French workshopped every detail of his short feature, the 27-minute Win Each Way, through his Zoetrope Virtual Studio comrades.

Shot both in England and at San Rafael's Mayflower Inn--as close as it comes to a traditional British pub on this side of the pond-- Win Each Way concerns itself with a dart contest between two old chums. One has gone off to pursue his dream of becoming a professional jockey; the other has stayed in the village, and when he loses his life savings on a horse race in which his friend the jockey rides, the two settle the debt over darts.

French calls Win Each Way (the title is taken from English horse-racing slang) a "calling card" for the feature-length film he's currently raising money and interest for. Titled Mugs Away, slang meaning that the loser goes first, that project is also about darts.

"My films aren't really about darts, but darts are the backdrop," he protests with a laugh. "I went to film school and was trying to find something that I felt passionate about to use as a [metaphor] for my feature filmmaking," French says by phone from his San Rafael home. "I started playing [darts] six years ago and fell in love with it. I felt it to be a very beautiful sport, or rather," he laughs, "it is while you're playing it; it's not much fun just to watch. There's a lot going on at a dart board, a competition between two people--it's like chess."

Win Each Way has already screened in the U.K. at the Cardiff Screen Festival, but the Tiburon festival marks its rather grand U.S. premiere. French is hoping that this "calling card" will be enough to help him reach his rather modest--in filmmaking terms--goal of the $1 million needed to produce Mugs Away.

"I'm shooting this on a very low budget, and a lot of it will come from the good graces of people in Liverpool," he says, explaining that that coastal city is eager to help artists in anticipation of being Europe's "City of Culture" in 2008. With that deadline looming, Liverpool is madly helping artists in order to help get cultured-up, and French is obliging by setting Mugs Away there.

"They'll loan me locations," French explains, "and the film office there will help me with casting. Plus, I've been all over England and I just love that city. I really like the people. They're very superstitious, and a lot of my stories are about how superstitions affect people's lives."

Promoting one film while scrambling to lay the foundation to make another is a full-time job on its own. French handles it sanguinely. "I'm very lucky that after 10 years of working in film and video production, I've been building up markers," he says. "I'm calling them in now."

From the March 10-17, 2004 issue of the North Bay Bohemian. Copyright © Metro Publishing Inc.