About Little Dove The Movie
A Note From The Director
“My inspiration for Little Dove came from memories of growing up on a ranch near the Big Bend National Park, the location for our shoot. As children, we would play like we were Indians and this was our home. Family stories and some historical events were important evidence that my ancestors were a Cherokee woman who married William Matthew Babb, my great great grandfather. It was our dreams to be a part of the old West. It was beautiful and peaceful. It is my desire to share this with others. It was important to me that the cast be of Native American heritage as to honor the people that I have so much respect and admiration for. It was also very important to me that the film be as realistic as possible. The film is done in the original languages of Apache and Comanche with English subtitles. As with many cultures, the languages are being discouraged in order to conform to the masses, and as a result being lost. I truly hope “Little Dove” will transport you back to 1620 and immerse you in a spiritual feeling that will convey my love for these people and the desert.”
The Cast
The Apaches
Indiana Adams as Little Dove
Born in Pisa, Italy to a Thai mother and a Sioux Indian father, she has been on stage performing since age three. As an adult, she has worked on several major productions including the motion picture, “Rent” and the television series “Friday Night Lights”. Indiana trains with Van Brooks in Austin, Texas and is represented by Agence Talent. In addition to acting, she is a skilled writer, dancer, bass player, cheerleader, and cupcake baker. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching her miniature dachshund to do ridiculously cute tricks.
Mark A. Hernandez as Big Wolf
Mark A. Hernandez took up acting full time in Jan 2006 and in 18 months has earned over 30 credits in Film, TV, commercials, industrials and print. Mark loves to study and perfect his craft and sees the possibilities in acting as limitless as the universe. Mark has an adventurous spirit and has traveled on 4 continents. He is an avid athlete and is training for his first triathlon this fall. Mark practices Lakota ceremony, where he learned the sacred art of a fire keeper and earned the privilege of participating in a Lakota Sundance as a cedar man in 2005. Mark can be reached through his agent Acclaim Talent in Austin, Texas.
The Comanches
Joseph David as Running Bear
Joseph David also recently starred in “A Mexican Mafioso”, an independent feature film and performed in New York at a New Works Festival (musical).He is an opera singer and is currently working on a European opera, “Audition Tour” for Spring 2008.
John O'Dell as Talk Alot
John has portrayed Native Indians in several other projects: “The Legend of Ghostwolf”, “Warrior Maiden”, “AustInJun”, and in “The History of Bastrop”. He is continuing his studies of the Comanche language.He is currently in Wolfpak Alpha, a martial arts group and is playing a Ninja Assasin in “Fists of Chocolate”.
The Crew
Brandy Rainey Amstel
Brandy Rainey Amstel is a native Texas. She has produced twelve narrative short films with a wide range of budgets and written and directed eight short films. She is renowned for completing her projects on budget and on time. Brandy likes to use film to entertain the audiences. What motivates Brandy is the deep desire to tell stories that are unique and powerful, while engaging the audience in a world that is outside of their experience. She prefers subjects you would be struck with as dramatic, character driven, with action and provocative situations and resolutions. Brandy would like to be known for creating beautiful, engaging, stories of our human existence. Brandy Rainey Amstel is a leader in the Austin film community and served on the Board of Directors for Reel Women, a non-profit organization that supports women and others in film. She was instrumental in building The Film Network, which is another local organization that brings actors and production teams together. She served as the lead for the Bootstrap Austin Film Subgroup, which is a group of entrepreneurs exploring filmmaking using a Bootstrap approach. She is also a member of the Austin Film Society and the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. Brandy Rainey Amstel has spent the past several years building relationships with key industry professionals to fulfill on her dream of being a successful film director that helps others in the film industry have their dreams realized. She owns her own production company: Set It Off! Productions, which is expanded to Strapped Entertainment. Her expression has continued to expand including art, film and events.
Steve Barcik Amstel
Steve Barcik Amstel bought his first film book at ten and became fascinated with the art form. Later, he began making short films, hooked by the audience reaction; he found the best part of the process was working with so many dedicated, talented people. He says the most wonderful times of his life were when he was on set during production. Steve has written, directed, and/or produced many short films and concert/music video over the past 20 plus years. His projects have screened at MAFIA, Nudge Fest (Award), Reel Women at SXSW and METV. Steve is an entrepreneur and made it a life long pursuit of nurturing creativity and expression within himself, the companies he has built and many others that he continues to mentor.
Sound
Garret Gray
Garret Gray was born to Immigrant Italian parents; he grew up in the tough streets of Hoboken, New Jersey doing what he could for a living. One day at 8 years old while rifling for food on a winter day, an old man put an 8mm camera in his hands and quickly fled away into the snow. Ever since, Garret has been unable to put the camera down or tear himself away from that inescapable vision that cold January day. Whether 8mm or high definition video. His career has taken him to Austin, Texas where he currently works and looks upon the old 8mm camera with fond memories and as an inspiration of dreams to come. Ok, the real one is this: As a graduate of FSU Film School, his career has landed him in many cities around the country. He’s worked on projects as a camera and lighting guy from New York to Miami and Washington State to Texas. Currently he makes his home in Austin where he wears many hats on the film set and has come to be a part of the music scene by filming bands, videos, and concerts while also working with on-location sound from time to time
Director of Photography
Matt Bizer
Matt Bizer is a passionate, talented Cinematographer/Filmmaker. As a cinematographer and filmmaker, he wishes nothing more than to tell stories, and to help others tell their own stories – and tell them beautifully. He feels that there is nothing more inspiring than the collaborative and organic project, and it really shows in working with him. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot. Matt owns Willow Productions, a full-service film, TV, and web production firm.
Co-Producer/Grip/Behind the Scenes
Paul Bhatia
Paul Bhatia is a small business owner and amateur filmmaker in Austin, Texas.
Assistant Director
Marian Bingaman
Marian Bingaman has dedicated the last 10 years to film and video production with a background in television production, short film and independent film. Her own independent short film has been broadcast on Public Television. Her diverse experiences include directing, assistant directing, script and continuity supervising, to camera and editing making her an asset to our production team.
Stills Photographer
Tom Zinn
Tom Zinn started his photography career at the tender age of four in the serene farmland of Minnesota. His earliest subjects were cows, goats and tractors but he eventually included human subjects. Tom has been a full time photographer working for the last nine years, traveling the United States, South Pacific, Europe and Africa, proudly published in a variety of books and other publications ranging from The New York Times to the Rob Report. His portfolio spans a diverse client list such as BMW and Dell Computers; events such as the America’s Cup, Austin City Limits Music Festival, SXSW plus other extreme sports, fashion and travel assignments. “Tom’s photographic portfolio not only shows his considerable technical skills but his artistic ones as well…you owe it to yourself to see Zinn’s powerful photography.” – Joe Farace, Shutterbug Magazine, October 2000.
Production Notes and Bonus Material
sun rise. Wake up calls to the camp were between 4 and 5am, while shooting ended just before dark.
When we reached the location the first day, everyone was stunned and truly amazed at the beauty that was before them. Huge mountains, vast lands, and peaceful atmosphere was all there was. The location was calling to everyone to up the game.
It was very cold in the mornings, the crew was in full winter gear, while the talent performed their roles in period native costumes. You would never know watching the movie that it was in the 40’s during a lot of the scenes. After a long day of hiking up mountains trails and through canyons packing heavy equipment to set up some amazing shots, we would wrap the day with the satisfaction that we captured some breathtaking footage. Some of the crew would stay after dark to scout locations for the next day, while the rest of the group headed back to camp to start dinner and a warm fire. The starting of the fire and the time together made ever minute precious.
All the cast and crew found out about cactus the hard way, and many of us would pick spines out before bed time. At our campsite we had a fox that would join us near the campfire, a skunk that couldn’t tear himself away from the kitchen area, Javelina hogs that rooted around our tents and coyotes that sniffed the camp and howled at the most inopportune time. We all got a dose of wilderness. The 8 hour ride out to the site and harsh conditions bonded the team together in a fabulous way. The remoteness and beauty allowed the actors a deeply informed ability to be the characters. I would shoot anything anywhere in the world with this same team again.
Reviews
Stills From Location
