BIG IN JAPANbiginjapanthemovie.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BIj-in-Japan... · original score for Big in Japan. SEAN LOWRY Sean Lowry is a blur on two ... trust of the band and

BIG IN JAPAN Featuring Tennis Pro

written & directed by John Jeffcoat Starring Phillip Peterson, Sean Lowry, David Drury, Alex Vincent and

Adam Powers as Mans

Publicity Contact OUTSIDER PICTURES | Paul Hudson

[email protected] | 310-951-0878

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mailto:[email protected]

SYNOPSIS

Things are looking bleak for the members of rock band Tennis Pro. They’ve been struggling to connect to an audience in the Seattle music scene, with a recent run of

shows drawing sparse crowds and uninspiring day jobs that are quickly eclipsing their dreams. So when an opportunity arises to take their act on the road to Japan - where

the allure of a second chance at recognition awaits them - they can’t refuse. Embarking on their Tokyo musical odyssey, the guys experience all the thrills and setbacks of

taking their music into unknown territory (at least to them) and in the process learn a thing or two about themselves. It’s just possible they won’t fade away.

BIG IN JAPAN is a comedic rock 'n roll road movie based loosely on actual events and told with rollicking humor and catchy tunes. Director John Jeffcoat (OUTSOURCED) utilizes a fresh narrative approach and guerrilla production style, with music and film intersecting with two cultures to reveal simple, oftentimes hilarious, universal truths.

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THE CAST

PHIL Peterson

SEAN LOWRY

DAVID DRURY

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PHIL PETERSON is a Seattle-based composer who studied cello from the age of 3, and began touring Europe as a principal cellist at age 17. Peterson has arranged and played on the three latest Nada Surf records, leading to performances on The Conan O’Brien Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Last Call with Carson Daly. He has also shared the stage with BB King, Kenny Loggins, Al Green, Heart, Yes, Blues Traveler, Queensrÿche and The Temptations. A Grammy-nominated producer, Peterson has produced strings for Gym Class Heroes, Adam Levine, Helmet, The Posies, Brandi Carlile and Owl City’s multi-platinum debut record. Peterson has also created an original score for Big in Japan.

SEAN LOWRY Sean Lowry is a blur on two wheels. Growing up in a small farming town, he hopped on a motorcycle, threw a gravel rooster tail on his past and hasn’t looked back since. Sean tempered his brash lifestyle into a career as an eccentric and award-winning hairstylist to the Seattle elite. He is also a Co-producer on Big in Japan.

DAVID DRURY has been kicked out of hundreds of casinos. A high stakes card counter who played on a successful professional blackjack team featured in the 2011 documentary Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians (Warner Bros.). David is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared on CNN, National Public Radio, and in the pages of Best American Nonrequired Reading. He serves as Tennis Pro guitarist and vocalist.

THE CREW

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JOHN JEFFCOAT (writer/director/ Co-DP/ producer/ editor)John Jeffcoat is an award winning writer, director and cinematographer. He co-wrote and directed the indie comedy hit, Outsourced, and was tapped by NBC to adapt the film into a 24 part prime-time TV series. Big in Japan is Jeffcoat’s second feature film which he wrote, directed and shot on location in Tokyo- starring Seattle band Tennis Pro.

JANNAT GARGI (Producer)Gargi has twenty years concentrated experience in the entertainment business. Her 20 years in the film industry range from production, marketing, acquisitions, and post-production for feature films and documentaries, short films and new media. Janet was vice-president of Alpha Cine Labs and his managed the marketing departments at both Fox Searchlight pictures and New Line Cinema.

Jannat produced the Emmy-nominated feature documentary, Circo (2012) and has served as digital film producer for notable titles such as Taxi to the Dark Side, Jesus Camp, Iraq in fragments, Born into brothels, and BeatsBeasts of the Southern Wild amongst others.

RYAN McMACKIN (Co-Director of Photography)McMackin was born the son of a rodeo photographer and grew up with an interest in photography. At age 13 he began making skateboarding videos with his friends and hasn’t put a camera down since. Over the years McMackin has been shooting music videos for bands ranging from Sara Cahone to The Head and the Heart. His credits also include feature films, most recently, camera work on Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister.

ADAM POWERS (Location Sound)Soundman, philosopher, documentarian, musician, farmer; these are but a few of the titles attributable to this worldly man. Born in the Caribbean on the island of Trinidad, he spent most of is formative years in the United States and now calls the countryside of Sweden his home. Adam also makes his screen debut as “Mans.”

MICHELLE WITTEN (Editor)Michelle Witten is a Seattle and LA-based editor. Most recently she was a co-editor on the Sundance documentary THE INTERNET'S OWN BOY: THE STORY OF AARON SWARTZ, and the PBS doc ICE WARRIORS, a profile of the US Paralympic Sled Hockey team. She is currently cutting the feature doc HOW I GOT OVER, the story of a group of formerly homeless women who perform a play about their lives on the Kennedy Center stage.

Past credits include features FAT KID RULES THE WORLD, DRONES, and HOW TO CHEAT, and documentaries WHEEDLE'S GROOVE, THE DUDE, and WHITE LINES AND THE FEVER: THE DEATH OF DJ JUNEBUG.

DERYN WILLIAMS (Co-Producer)Long-time Jeffcoat collaborator, Williams has worked as a producer on Bingo! the documentary and several Tennis Pro music videos as well as the production co-ordinator for My Last Year with the Nuns (2014).

MAYUKO OTSABU (Co-Producer)Mayuko Otsubo is known as a “world-based” media producer traveling internationally for the productions of renowned TV shows, Films and Commercials, including the James Beard award winning TV show “The Mind of a Chef”. Grew up in Kyushu, Japan, Mayuko has studied and worked in the US and Germany since age of 15. In 2013, Mayuko launched her own production company “Gypsy Beaute Productions”, mainly working in NYC, Tokyo, and Berlin.

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THE BACKSTORY: Behind the scenes with director John Jeffcoat

Where did the idea for big in Japan come from?

I was working on a documentary project called $5Cover for MTV, shooting behind the scenes footage of Seattle bands following on the heels of developing my first feature, Outsourced, into a half-hour comedy for NBC with my co-writer George Wing. Between a writer’s strike and a shuffling of executives at NBC, it was a very drawn out process which kept me away from film production for several few years. I was dying to get my hands back on a camera and into production on a feature.

Jane Charles, the Producer of $5Cover introduced me to the band Tennis Pro who pitched us the idea of documenting a trip to Japan in search of an audience for their music. I hit it off with Tennis Pro and we decided to launch a kickstarter campaign to get things started.

There was no script, no actors and no money.

With $5 Cover I was essentially working solo with a Canon 5D Mark II, shooting, recording the audio and editing. I loved the intimacy and flexibility this guerrilla style filmmaking offered and realized how easy it was to keep the band comfortable with limited gear- not to mention the incredible images I was able to capture on the DSLR.

While filming a band called the Maldives, I met Ryan McMackin, their drummer who also happened to be a cameraman with a 5D and Adam Powers, a sound mixer, who became the character Mans in Big in Japan. The idea was to take the style we started with the MTV docs and bring it to the fictional narrative world. The gear we’d use would be the gear we could fit in our back packs. We would be a trio shooting a trio.

How Did you get the film made?

Big in Japan had three phases to the production. Phase 1 was shooting the live performances in Tokyo, meeting and casting other bands, location scouting and experimenting with possible scenes. We launched a successful kickstarter campaign coupled with airline mile donations afforded us the opportunity to get the band, Alex (who plays their manager), myself, and two other crew members to Tokyo where thew band would perform 9 shows over 15 days. I had sketched out a rough outline as to what could possibly happen off the stage and we recorded a few scenes but left room for improvisation.

From day one, I knew the band's luggage would have to get lost en route to Japan because we didn’t have anyone to keep track of wardrobe or continuity. They’d have to wear either their performance clothes or tennis whites throughout the film. This would

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not only add to the humor but allow more freedom and flexibility in the editing room, and afford us the ability to bridge together multiple shoots over a period of time.

Phase 2 was a shoot in Seattle to establish the storyline that we developed while on location in Tokyo. We filmed a few scenes and cut together an effective and compelling teaser trailer but it was clear we needed a proper budget and a shooting script. We brought on producer Jannat Gargi to collaborate with and to help secure financing. We workshopped scenes with the band before returning to Japan to complete production.

Phase 3 was our final trip to Japan to shoot the entire narrative scripted portion of the film. Between Phase 1 and 2, the band had actually returned to Tokyo to do another mini tour just after the big earthquake in 2012. When they returned there were still aftershocks happening nearly every day and most have the tourists had left. The band returned with a number of stories which we decided to weave into the storyline.

What was it like working with non-actors?

Working with non-actors was an added challenge of shooting a feature film Internationally on a small with a tiny crew. The band had no formal training as actors and with some workshops, improvisation and ultimately a full length script, it’s amazing how their abilities to perform in front of the camera evolved. This required me to gain the trust of the band and have them willing to put themselves in very vulnerable situations. At first this meant a lot of liquid courage courtesy of Suntory whiskey, but eventually there was a trust that developed and once the band was able to view edited scenes, they became far more confident with their acting and we started to find our groove.

Had you been to Japan before?

No, this was our first time to Japan with the exception of Alex who moved to Japan after his band Green River had broken up- just like in the movie.

We fell in love with the people who are gracious and hospitable and the camaraderie between the bands that played the basement bars was fantastic. They embraced Tennis Pro immediately and deep friendships and bonds were established early on.

We were fortunate to have a small crew which was essential to our ability to move from location to location quickly with all our gear- dragging it through subways and taxis. One of our challenges were that very few people spoke English, but we were fortunate to work with a fabulous Coordinator, Mayuko Otusbo, who eventually became our Co-Producer.

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"A classic rock and roll tale told in a new and inspiring way. A Journey to an ultimately unattained destination reveals the journey as a victory in itself. A believable fantastic fiction” - DAVE MATTHEWS (Dave Matthews Band)

"I laughed, I cried, I peed a little bit!” - CHRIS BALLEW (Presidents of the United States of America)

Big in Japan Credits

Strangelife Presents a Big in Japan production

In Association with Whitewater Films

CAST(in order of appearance)

Written and Directed by JOHN JEFFCOAT

Produced by JANNAT GARGI JOHN JEFFCOAT

Co-producers SEAN LOWRY MAYUKO OTSUBO DERYN WILLIAMS

Executive Producer JOHN SHEEHAN MENNO VAN WYK GARR GODFREY PAUL HUDSON RICK ROSENTHAL NICK MORTON

Edited by MICHELLE M. WITTEN JOHN JEFFCOAT

Cinematography by JOHN JEFFCOAT RYAN McMACKIN

Original Music by PHILLIP A. PETERSON

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Phil PHILLIP A. PETERSON

Phil’s Son CHET PETERSON

Phil’s wife ROBIN MARSH

David DAVID DRURY

Blackjack Boss on Phone MATT SMITH

Sean SEAN LOWRY

Girl getting hair cut CARMELA D’AMICO

Tiffany TIFFANY LOWRY

Alex ALEX VINCENT

Angry girl at bar KAILENA MAI GROSSE

T-shirt Girls AMELIA HEPPNER

VERONICA PRITCHARD

Phil’s daughter FLORA PETERSON

Ed Woods BILLY TRASH

JET TRASH

JOHNNY TRASH

Resident Prostitute YUMIKO SHIMIZU

Drunk Business Man MITCH MURATA

Owner of Big Time TSUNE

Bartender at BigTime PIKO CASANOVA

Mans ADAM POWERS

Girl with Alex MAYUKO OTSUBO

Basement Bar sound-check girl YUKARI “HINA” KANEKO

Ice-cream truck driver HIROAKI TAKAHASHI (USAGIDOU)

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Pachinko girl ICHIHO KANEI

Girl at Basement Bar YUKARI KANEKOThe Harpy’s lead singer SATOMI YAMAZAKI

Base player of The Harpy’s MAKI SATO

Drummer of The Harpy’s TOMOHISA YAMAGUCHI

Drummer of The Harpy’s AI KOIZUMI

Bouncer KEN NISHIJO

Red Bacteria Vaccuum EMI KASAHARA

TETSUKO MITSUISNI

IKUMI NAMISE

Girl at bar with Sean SAYAKA OGINO

Shochu bartender YOSHITOSHI KAMIYAMA

Maid bar girl HITOMI

Maid bar girl 2 CORISU

Soapland girl 1 with Mans AYA

Soapland girl 2 with Phillip IMAJIMA

Cello girl AYA KAWAHARA

Cello mom YUKO KAWAHARA

Cello girl dad MAMORU KAWAHARA

Cello girl brother JUN KAWAHARA

Cello Audience MAYUKO OTSUBO

ARUN KUMAR,

TOMOHIRO YAMAMOTO

AKI YAMAMOTOSHIZUHO ANDO

AIKO OTA

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KOUCHI KOBAYASHI

Featuring performances by THE CSS

SUNN

RAVOLTA

ROCK-A-CHERRY

SPIRO

SPRING HAZE

WEEKEND

URITA

IMAMON

PANORAMA FAMILY

Reporter KEVIN MCGUE

Bartender BLAKE WILLIAM AGRADE

Dax JOHN JEFFCOAT

Cafe customer１ URARA SHIINOKI

Cafe customer 2 TAKAKO YAMANAKA

Merch Customer GARR GODFREY

Location sound by Adam Powers ADAM POWERS

Gaffer RYAN MCMACKIN

Original Artwork ROBIN MARSH

Costume Consultant RON LEAMON

Prop Master DERYN WILLIAMS

DAVID DRURY

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Additional Camera KENT COLONY,

NATHAN MILLER

MIKE JOHNSON

MATT DANIELS

Additional Production Sound ADAM MCCOLLOM

JOSHUA SVARE

Music Consultant MEGHAN CURRIER

Accounting Services GBS LLC KRISTEN PARSONS

KELLY ANDERSON

Legal Services Rosen Lewis, PLLC LANCE ROSEN, ESQ.

Assistant Editor CHRIS OPHOVEN

Japan 2nd Unit Cinematography JIRO HIRAYAMA

Japan Camera assistant YUKI KATO

Dream Sequence Special Effects and Animation by: WORLD FAMOUS

Executive Creative Director: TONY FULGHAM

Executive Producer: MEGAN LINGAFELTER BALL

Designers: JUAN CARLOS ARENAS MADRID

CHRISTOPHER HARRELL

VINCE REAM

ROBERTO BRAMBILA

Audio Post Production provided by BAD ANIMALS

Re-recording Mixer DAVE HOWE, C.A.S.

Sound Designer MIKE MCAULIFFE

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Music

Dialogue Editor DAVE HOWE, C.A.S.

Foley Artist RYAN RICKS

Foley Recordist DAVID GALLANDER DAVE HOWE, C.A.S.

Audio Services Manager WENDI WILLS

DI and Post Production provided by ALPHA CINE

DI Colorist TIM MAFFIA

DI Supervisor JEAN FEE

DI Assistant BEVIN FLYNN

Fiscal Sponsor NORTHWEST FILM FORUM

Alex Stage-diving footage provided by DUNCAN SHARP FILMS

Skype Composites and News graphics by

DAVID LLAMA

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“Dead Sea Surf” Written by David Drury

Performed by Tennis Pro Produced by Phillip A. Peterson

Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Clothing Optional Christian Barbeque” Written by Phillip A. Peterson


Mixed by Gary Reynolds at Electrokitty, Seattle Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Midnight” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“Rock Over Tokyo” Written by David Drury



"Repeat Offender" Music by Zack Hoppenrath, Lyrics by Joel Wood

Performed by The Repeat Offenders Produced by Johnny Sangster and The Repeat

Offenders Published by Static Music

“Shopping Day” Written by David Drury

Performed by Tennis Pro Arranged by Phillip A. Peterson Produced by Phillip A. Peterson


“Prom 2007” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“Capitola” Written by David Drury



“Fishin” Written by Phillip A. Peterson

Performed by Girl Of The Golden West Produced by Phillip A. Peterson

Mixed by Tom Meyers Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Kidnapped!” Based on theme from Rounding Up The Frightened

Pets by David Drury Arranged by Phillip A. Peterson

Performed by Phillip A. Peterson and Victoria Parker Produced by Phillip A. Peterson


“Rounding Up The Frightened Pets” Written by David Drury



“Otokonoko Wa” Written by Phillip A. Peterson Performed by Mikko Mikko

Produced by Phillip A. Peterson Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Make-Out Squad” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“Shelly Gets High” Written by David Drury



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“Ed Woods live get naked jam” written and performed by Ed Woods

"And, Yougottabottleamenthe" Written by Douglas Arney and Olie Eshleman

Performed by Corespondents

“Can’t Help Myself” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“With Kindness” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“Let’s Ride” Written by David Drury


Mixed by Gary Reynolds at Electrokitty, Seattle Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“College Math” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“The Theme of Daigakudo” Produced by Satoshi Yabuzaki

Planning & Produced by Daigakudo., Co.Ltd Vocal: Taro Yabizaki E.G.T: Ikki Nakamura

Lyric & Composition byTaro Yabuzaki Arrangement & Sound Production by Ikki Nakamura

Recording Studio: studio ABREATH Design by Masayuki.S, Naoko.T

Executive Producer: Ikki Nakamura DAIGAKUDO URL: http://daigaku-do.co.jp/

“Prelude, Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007” Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (public domain)

Performed by Phillip A. Peterson Produced by Phillip A. Peterson


”Alisha" Written by Satomi and mAki Performed by The HARPY'S

“Fastest Man” Written by David Drury



”The BIG MOON" Written by IKUMI NAMISE

Published by GUZUGUZURECORDs Performed by Red Bacteria Vacuum

“The Same Date” written & performed by Spring Haze

“Crazy Driver” Written & Performed by Piko Casanova

“Giggle Eyed Goo” Written by Nat Kipner & Carl Groszmann Published by Joye Publishing Company

Administered by Hebbes Music Group Pty. Ltd. Performed by Tennis Pro

Produced by Phillip A. Peterson Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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Special Thanks Mikiko Amagai Shizuho Ando

Megan Lingafelter Ball Denise Burdette

James O’Dell Campbell Paul J. Canniff Jr.

Jane Charles Sevrin Daniels

AJ Epstein Lisa Farnham

Kaoru Falk Ross Fenter

Tony Fulgham Kelly Green Hiromi Go

Michael Gurley Bobby Hougham

Lori Horak

Meiko Huang Sayako Huang Valerie Joyce Tracy Lepper

Marco Savarise Don Jensen Chris Linker

Rocio Monforte Llorente Kylie Loucks

Mikiko Loucks Kevin Maude

Riho Miyamoto Orson Mochizuki Kristen Molina

Isabel Hudson Monforte Christopher and Cara

Nichols Deanna Pendleton

Dan Pepper

Mari Robinson Masako Sekimoto

Lynn Shelton Sudeshna Singh

Elisabeth and BC Smith Matt Smith

Sachiko Smith Shawn Telford Karen Tenkhoff

Samuel J. Tugwood Steve and Amy Utaski

Ash Wahi Pallavi Mehta Wahi

George Wing Asako Yoshimura Kashi Yoshikawa Stephanie Drury

JTB Publishing, Inc Cafe Green Ginger

Tokyo Hostel A Sign Bar

Live & Pub Nakano MOONSTEP

Ozaki Enterprise, Inc. Nanja Monja

Shinjuku Motion Basement Bar

Black Bottle Seattle @Home Cafe

Big Time Sakura Hotel

Hotel Best Capsule Value Kanda

Aiha Higurashi Kinfolk Lounge Tokyo

Cat Cafe Calico Kichijoji Coffee Shop Hidaka

“Now I'm Older” Written by Carl Groszmann

Courtesy of Carl Groszmann Performed by Tennis Pro

Produced by Phillip A. Peterson

“Dance Hit Number 1” Written by Phillip A. Peterson


Mixed by Steven Henry Fisk Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“X” Written by David Drury

Performed by Girl Of The Golden West Produced by Phillip A. Peterson


"Balm Trees" Written by Douglas Arney and Olie Eshleman

Performed by Corespondents

“Don’t Play Purple Guitars” Written by Phillip A. Peterson


Mixed by Don Gunn Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Scorpion Vs. Lobster” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



“The Man Who Fell Into The Rising Sun” Written by David Drury



“Satomi Bicycle” Written by David Drury


Mixed by ‘Greedy’ Greg Williamson Published by The House of Breaking Glass

“Mue Mue Shaka Shaka” Written by Phillip A. Peterson

Performed by Mikko Mikko and Phillip A. Peterson Produced by Phillip A. Peterson


“I Heart Japan” Written by Phillip A. Peterson



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Bad Animals World Famous thenewBlank

Dolby WGA

Alpha Cine Whitewater

This motion picture is a work of fiction. Yes, “Tennis Pro” is a real band, but any other similarity to real persons (living or dead), places, events, or other material is coincidental and unintentional.

This motion picture is protected by copyright and other applicable laws in the United States and other nations and may not be duplicated, distributed, or used in any other manner without the expressed written permission of the

copyright owner.

©2015 -Big in Japan, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

International Sales handled by Outsider Pictures

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Documents

BIG IN JAPANbiginjapanthemovie.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/BIj-in-Japan... · original score for Big in Japan. SEAN LOWRY Sean Lowry is a blur on two ... trust of the band and