LOS ANGELES, May 2, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Co-Directors and stars Brian Drolet and Chris Livingston premiered their full length feature film Be Like Trees, with fellow co-producer and star Jordan Eubanks at the Regent Landmark Theater in Westwood Village yesterday evening. Fans and audiences spotted a series of familiar faces, including cast members from MTV's The Hills, amongst a list of other stars.
The evening was filled with artists from all sectors of the entertainment industry who came together to celebrate independent film making. Celebrity guests included Frankie Delgado, Ben Gleib, Nancy Olson, Jason Scott Jenkins, Carrie Livingston, Dr. Venus Nicolino aka Dr. V, Alex Sparrow, and many more.
Following the red carpet event, just before the screening, celebrities and audiences joined together for a live countdown to the Youtube Premiere. Audiences at home were able to watch at the same time as the film's cast and crew; making this one of the most unique film premieres to date.
At the top of the evening Brian Drolet, Chris Livingston and Jordan Eubanks not only thanked the audience for their support but also addressed the core message behind the film: to never give up. The film was inspired by Drolet's late mother who passed away from a rare disease called Scleroderma. She never gave into her disease; she continued to paint and create art until the very end. Be Like Trees aims to raise awareness towards Scleroderma and encourage donations for The Scleroderma Foundation.
The film is also described by Brian Drolet who penned the script as a love letter to art and to all artists. The story centers around himself and his group of friends, and the struggles that come with pursuing a career in the creative fields. Brian, fed up and recently dumped by his acting agent, and several months behind on rent, must decide if it's time to quit pursuing his dream and start pursuing a steady paycheck. His friends suggest giving stand up comedy a try, but riddled with anxiety, Brian can't seem to muster up the courage to make it to the sign-ups, let alone the stage
"Throughout the film I am getting one rejection after the next, much like in real life. But- and, the reason the film's title is such- is because like a tree, you must keep growing and maneuver around whatever is in your way. Be Like Trees is a metaphor- And so when my mother was told that she had 3-5 years to live, she fought and lasted for 15 years. So, if someone who has been told she had only 3-5 years left to live can keep a smile on her face for 15, how can those of us who are healthy get so down on ourselves? We must always stay in the fight and smile along the way," says the Writer, Star, and Co-Director Brian Drolet.
The film was specifically shot on the iPhone to allow the filmmakers to be completely incognito around town, filming all over without anyone noticing, and enabling the movie to look huge. No crew, no lighting, just actors in wireless mics and the cameraman blending in with the crowd, the movie was shot totally under the radar.
"We're simply three guys who wondered 'What if you could create an entire feature film using just an iPhone?'" Says Co-Director and Co-star, Christopher Livingston. "We had no crew, no lighting, no make up, just the camera and the assets we had before us. That's one of the reasons we decided to focus the story on our actual lives and use ourselves and where we live as the sets and subject matter, because it was built in production value from the start."
"Chris shot most of the movie except scenes he was in. That's when I got to DP, and I absolutely loved it. Working with Brian and Chris was so much fun, we were like kids in a sand box." Says Co-Producer and Co-Star Jordan Eubanks.
Collaborating and operating in such a freeing medium, the film's creators decided to take advantage of all the iPhone had to offer. Along with a Moondog anamorphic lens, an Osmo Mobile gimbal, and some wireless lavaliere mics, they set out not worried about big names or big budgets, but instead focused on heart and story. Casting all of their friends like Frankie Delgado, currently on MTV's The Hills Reboot and comedian Ben Gleib, host of GSN's Idiotest currently on Netflix and star of his Showtime Comedy Special Neurotic Gangster.
"The film is made purely from love and explores multiple artistic mediums and it excited me to bring all these different things I love together such as painting, and stand up, to songwriting and more. I especially loved casting all my real life friends and my real life father as my Dad it brought me a lot of joy and I'm hoping to bring some joy to viewers and I'm excited to do it in this out of the box way of just delivering a feature film right to the people that was made for the love of it, and, oh yes, there's a cartoon squirrel that sings and can harmonize like a boss... So, there's that, too." Says the Writer, Star, and Co-Director Brian Drolet.
"Be Like Trees is laced with great music including a sequence that may surprise some people," says co-director Chris Livingston. "Music was always a big part of my life. My father was president of Capitol Records in the '60's and signed the Beatles, The Beach Boys and Frank Sinatra. He always wanted me to pursue my music and so when Brian wrote me into the script, he centered my storyline around my struggle to find the courage to release my first album, which is something I had always talked about, but had never done. Ironically, dramatizing that reality in the movie inspired me to release my first album in real life, 'Chris Livingston Thirty Years Unplugged," which is available now on iTunes and Spotify or pretty much anywhere you get music online. It's cool because, like Brian honors his mother in the film, I wound up honoring my father as well. There's a great story on our website about a rainbow that appeared during a scene while we were shooting at Brian's mother's grave. Another rainbow then appeared while I was doing a scene talking to a photo of my deceased father with the Beatles. It was real clear that both Brian's mother and my father were watching over us and smiling down."
Be Like Trees is now available on YouTube. Click here for full length feature film, Be Like Trees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJmyFXSjuQw&feature=youtu.be
The cast includes:
Brian Drolet, Christopher Livingston, Jordan Eubanks, Rai Quartley, Justin Smith, Ben Gleib, Tony Cascio, Frankie Delgado, Leah Lamarr, Jason Scott Jenkins, Kaleb Rich-Harris, Brian Levy, Liz Benham, Nancy Olson, Stephen Drolet, Jeff Klein, Rich Ferrier, Steve Dodson, Carolina A. Kozak, Taylor Ruffin, and Jackie Falcon.
BRIAN DROLET
Brian Drolet, originally from Queens, NY, and a graduate of the Fine Arts School at The University Of Florida, is an artist of multiple mediums, an accomplished actor and comedian, as well as a writer, producer, and painter. As a comic he has performed at The Improv, The Comedy Store, and even been featured on MTV at the World Famous Laugh Factory. He was Head Writer for truTV's comedy/variety show, "Six Degrees Of Everything" produced by Marc Summers Productions and he also starred in "Cinedopes", a scripted digital series he co-created and co-wrote with comedian Ben Gleib about the first movie theater to sell weed. Before that his film "Dumbbells", a comedy he co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in as Chris Long, a fallen basketball star, was released theatrically in fifteen cities where he worked with comedy legend Carl Reiner, as well as Tom Arnold and Jay Mohr. He wrote and produced his first indie film at age twenty-six, "2 Dudes And A Dream," where he worked with Jay Mewes, Andy Milonakis, and Simon Rex. Brian also starred onstage in the Los Angeles award winning play "Women Are Crazy Because Men Are Assholes." He's acted in several television roles including Disney's "Pair Of Kings" as well as various hidden camera prank shows like "MTV's Damage Control" and "MTV's Disaster Date." He also worked with Jonah Hill and Anthony Anderson on the Oxygen Network show "Campus Ladies"as well as Matt LeBlanc, Chevy Chase, and Ali Larter in the comedy feature "Lovesick" which opened up the 2014 Newport Beach Film Festival. Also on his resume is "Naked But Funny," a sketch comedy pilot from New Wave Entertainment for FOX. He was also a cast member of season one of MTV's mega smash hit "The Hills" and has appeared in ads and commercials for Nike, White Castle, Sunkist Soda, Miller-Lite, Budweiser, the NCAA, Pepsi, Perry Ellis, and many more. Brian also has a passion for basketball and played for Adelphi University in NY while he studied Graphic Design there before he transferred to UF. He also has a website with best friend Jordan Eubanks where you can view and buy their paintings and artwork at http://www.canvasassassins.com. You can find more info on Brian at http://www.briandrolet.com.
CHRISTOPHER LIVINGSTON
Chris is an award winning alum of NYU Graduate Film School. He debuted his professional film career by directing and co-writing the New York based indie comedy, Hit and Runway, which was released theatrically across the U.S., and whose cast included Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons. Prior to Hit and Runway's release, the movie won numerous awards on the festival circuit including, Best Screenplay at The Los Angeles Film Festival, Best Screenplay at The US Comedy Arts Festival, and Best Screenplay at Outfest. Chris also directed the indie film, Dumbbells, a comedy produced by Barry Katz (Good Luck Chuck, Last Comic Standing), featuring an ensemble cast including Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr, and Carl Reiner. Dumbbells had a U.S. theatrical release and won numerous accolades on the festival circuit, including five awards for best direction. Chris comes from a musical family. His father, Alan Livingston, was the former president of Capitol Records and signed The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and Frank Sinatra. His uncle, Jay Livingston, was a successful songwriter who penned such hits as Nat King Cole's classic, "Mona Lisa," the Christmas song "Silver Bells, and Doris Day's Academy award winner, "Que Sera Sera." Chris himself, has received awards for his music and has written songs recorded by artists ranging from Lady Gaga to Michael Feinstein. He just released his first solo album: "Chris Livingston Thirty Years Unplugged," a song from which is featured in "Be Like Trees."
JORDAN EUBANKS
Jordan Eubanks was born and raised in Kinston, NC where at a young age, performed in numerous theatrical productions. Portraying the industries most beloved characters, such as Danny Zuko from Grease, Conrad Birdie from Bye Bye Birdie and the titular protagonist in Oliver Twist, it was there on the stage where he developed his ardor for the performing arts. Post high school, Eubanks attended Appalachian State on a baseball scholarship; however, after completing one year, he made the decision to pursue his dream in the film industry, headed to New York and quickly booked his first audition with MTV's Damage Control. Immersing himself in various acting programs, such as Leslie Kahn, Terry Schreiber, and Amy Lyndon to name a few, Eubanks focused on honing his craft, exploring the dimensions of the human condition. Upon the shows completion, Eubanks moved to Los Angeles at 20 years old and was immediately asked to be part of the reality hit MTV's The Hills. Through the professional relationships he acquired, Eubanks was able to aid in raising 120k in funding for 2 Dudes and a Dream—a film in which he co-created, co-produced, as well as starred in. Following the premier, Eubanks began seeking investors and new material for production, propelling his budding interest in producing. His drive and infectious optimism quickly caught the eye of investors, and Eubanks confidently put on his producing hat. Within months, he raised funding for his newest film, Dumbbells, hired an elite team, and facilitated daily productions guided by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Currently, Eubanks starred and produced an independent film, entitled Be Like Trees, which was shot entirely on an iPhone. In addition to his interests in the arts, Eubanks developed Canvas Assassins with his best friend, Brain Drolet; an art company that provides bold concepts on canvases, particularly focusing on a mash-up of pop culture, sports and comics. The duo works intimately with their clients, creating personal pieces that are original, meaningful and leave a lasting impression on their heart. In association with Canvas Assassins, Eubanks launched his original "WallKicks," 3D shoes for your wall, which has elevated him to a distinguished and up-and-coming new artist globally. Dabbling in the world of entrepreneurship, Eubanks also created and developed LightHeaded; a company that illuminates sports memorabilia products, which is presently patent pending.
SOURCE Be Like Trees
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