Two years ago, Nicholas Pitcher completed his score for Crossing. By the time that work was finished, he and director Robert Maynard were already working on their earliest ideas for the musical soundscape of Rooks. It was great to start that process early for a number of reasons, perhaps chief among them that the score for Rooks wasn’t completed until December 4, less than two weeks prior to Premiere Night!

Nick and Rob have always enjoyed working with each other, and their process for Crossing was largely mirrored this time around. They began by examining the work of a number of composers and settling on a few key sounds they liked, and then expanded on some simple ideas to create the skeleton of the score. For the music of Rooks, they examined the work of American composer Chris Tilton and Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson.

Nick was also presented with more freedom on this score for a great many scenes where Rob didn’t have any particular musical direction in mind. It makes the score for Rooks feel both familiar and wholly original. There is a vaguely science fiction feel to the score, with some moments that even dip into superhero territory, but at the core of Rooks are its characters and their relationships, and the score reflects that. It also features a significant number of digitally created sounds, an intentional choice that Rob and Nick made early on.

There will be two versions of the score for Rooks released, a standard edition and an extended edition featuring an additional 8 tracks. As per usual with Nick’s work, all of the titles of score tracks feature a reference to something key to the film. In this score, each title is related to the game of chess:

Standard Edition - Available for $15

1. White Moves First (2:02)
2. Capturing the Blue Pawn (4:40)
3. Time Control (8:16)
4. Chaturanga (6:15)
5. Chariot (1:36)
6. The Pieces in Play (4:56)
7. Move to B4 (5:18)
8. Opening Gambit (4:35)
9. Sicilian Defense (5:40)
10. Blue’s Garrison (2:43)
11. Stille Nacht (1:18)
12. Touch Move (6:14)
13. Ung Dronning (7:48)
14. Feint (7:13)
15. Clear the Board (1:27)
16. En Passant (2:18)
17. Into Check (1:49)
18. Versus the Pawn (1:54)
19. Blood on the Board (2:41)
20. Zugzwang (1:34)
21. Adjournment (6:14)
22. Checkmate / Rooks (2:44)

Extended Edition - Available for $20

1. White Moves First (2:02)
2. Capturing the Blue Pawn (4:40)
3. Time Control (8:16)
4. Chaturanga (6:15)
5. Chariot (1:36)
6. The Pieces in Play (4:56)
7. Move to B4 (5:18)
8. Opening Gambit (4:35)
9. Sicilian Defense (5:40)
10. Game Analysis (7:27)
11. Blue’s Garrison (2:43)
12. Jingle Bells (1:05)
13. O Come All Ye Faithful (1:12)
14. Stille Nacht (1:18)
15. The Corner Move (1:28)
16. Touch Move (6:14)
17. Ung Dronning (7:48)
18. The Wayfaring Stranger (2:12)
19. Feint (7:13)
20. Spire (1:24)
21. Clear the Board (1:27)
22. En Passant (2:18)
23. Into Check (1:49)
24. Fog of War (1:52)
25. Versus the Pawn (1:54)
26. Blood on the Board (2:41)
27. Captured Night (1:49)
28. Zugzwang (1:34)
29. Adjournment (6:14)
30. Checkmate / Rooks (2:44)

Once recorded by the six musicians (Dylan Feldpausch on violin, Jillian Meszar on cello and bass, Emily Telling on piano, Max Leader on trumpet, Evan Brock on low brass, and Noah Mercil on percussion), postproduction engineer Amanda Roswick got to work on mixing and mastering each track, a painstaking process which resulted in an extremely impressive score. She also mixed in her own voice to a number of tracks! We can’t wait to share more of it!

The score for Rooks will be released online on December 23, the same day of the film’s digital release, but you can listen to the first track “White Moves First” right now!

See Rooks at The Strand in Dover, NH, on December 17. Available on Amazon Instant Video December 23.
Want a printed copy of this poster? You can pre-order and pick up at Premiere Night!

Nick is another returning crew member, having worked with director Robert Maynard on the score for Crossing two years ago. About working with Robert, Nick says, “I enjoy the energy and passion he brings and the people he surrounds himself with!”

The role of the composer is perhaps a rather isolated one, but Nick did have the opportunity to work closely with Robert even from the very beginning of production, building the score before many scenes were even filmed. Nick and postproduction engineer Amanda Roswick had a chance to come to set for one day as well, to help direct the musical elements of a character’s performance, and they both enjoyed the visit. “I enjoyed working on the scene and assisting where I could, and watching the actors work was exhilarating!”

Nick, like so many of the crew, adores the scene set on the frozen lake… in fact, Nick wrote the music that plays for that scene very early in production, and it’s perhaps one of the most emotional pieces he’s ever written.

Nick faced a new challenge for this score. He had to build a small orchestra to play the various parts. In total, he welcomed seven newcomers into the fold, and we’re excited to share more about them and their process in a future article.

In the meantime, Nick continues his career in music as a bassoonist with the Air National Guard Band of the Northeast, and he’s a private lesson teacher in all instruments, mainly bassoon, piano, and trumpet.

Nick’s favorite films are the Harry Potter series (he writes, “For those wondering, my favorites in order are 1, 7p2, 3, 6, 5, 2, 7p1, 4.”) and his favorite artist is Taylor Swift.

Sarah had long dismissed her passion for filmmaking. Choosing to obtain her degree in recreation management and then pursuing a career in that field left little time for making movies on the side. “Cinematography had been a dream I let go of in 2015.”

When director Robert Maynard was building his team, he recalled a brief friendship with Sarah during a class they shared 6 years prior. He reached out to her and asked if she might be willing to be part of the crew. He was fortunate she said yes. And for Sarah, it was an opportunity to explore that dormant interest in filmmaking.

According to Sarah, shooting the film was “a very cool experience. I got to see everything for the first time, and being a part of it all was so rewarding!” Sarah, like so many of the cast and crew, loved filming at the cabin in Sutton, though for her it carries a deeper meaning. Her family owns the property, and it’s thanks to her that production was able to film there. To her, “it was some of the things I love most colliding. I’ve always had a passion for filming and editing, and being able to do that on a real film in the place I grew up was awesome.”

Sarah spent months learning and preparing to shoot Rooks before production even began. She and Robert built out a collection of rigs, tripods, stabilizing arms, and some other equipment to really up the ante on the quality of recordings for Rooks, leveraging FilmicPro and the incredible 4K HDR cameras of the iPhone 13 series for almost every shot of the film.

“I’m excited to see the final sequence all come together,” Sarah added. It’s something production spent two very long nights working on… the first from about 4:00 PM until midnight, and the second a week later, from 6:00 PM until about 4:00 AM. Sarah has seen pieces of this sequence, and we can confirm it is coming together quite nicely!

Sarah’s favorite movie is Saving Private Ryan, and when we asked if she has any projects she wanted to plug, she simply said: “Rooks, word on the street is it’s going to be lit.”

Ramon met director Robert Maynard by total coincidence one night while shopping at Staples in Londonderry. Robert worked there at the time, and he and Ramon started chatting about their shared interest in films and filmmaking. About 45 minutes passed, and the conversation had only gotten livelier. They exchanged numbers and connected during pre-production, when Ramon stepped up to be the film’s special effects supervisor. It was his job to make impossible things… possible. And in a science fiction film, this was undoubtedly a challenge.

Liz's onboarding experience was rather different. Replacing another crew member, she hit the ground running and barely had time to meet with Robert before getting to work on the costume design of the film. Liz loved production, though… a friend of stars Justin Gatcomb and Eleanor Langthorne prior to the film, she slipped right into the crew seamlessly.

Liz and Ramon both play characters in the film as well. Ramon discussed his process to bring his character Dennis Albright to life: “I’ve always kind of liked the idea of being able to step into the life of a completely different person and pretend to be them so well that other people believe it. I feel like it really gets me closer to realizing who I am, as well. I decided that, as Dennis, I would try to be an older and softer version of myself.”

Ramon’s favorite experiences from set are the ones he designed with special effects, though. There’s a sequence early in the film where a character punches a keypad, “and the whole thing got destroyed, and we got the whole thing in one shot. It was great!”

As always, we asked their favorite movies. Ramon said, “Depends the mood I’m in, but I must have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail maybe 30 times?” Liz's favorite is Tick, Tick… Boom!

And their favorite filmmakers? Ramon said, “Leonardo DiCaprio has consistently impressed me,” while Liz offered: “Andrew Garfield and Sadie Sink are two of my favorite actors currently. Their vulnerability, honesty, and truthfulness to the actions and desires of their characters is a constant inspiration.”

Though neither has any upcoming film projects to share, we thought we’d plug their other endeavors. Ramon runs and owns Ion Electrical, LLC, an electrical company, with his brother-in-law, and you can follow Liz’s acting career at her website!

About two years ago, Jamie was having dinner with her friend John Prud’homme, who played the lead role of Tom in Crossing. John mentioned that the team from Crossing was gearing up for pre-production on a new film, and asked Jamie, an experienced stage actor, if she might be interested in joining the cast. A few months later, Jamie met with director Robert Maynard, and explained that she’d never acted on film before. Robert was unfazed, having already determined a great role for Jamie to play in Nichole. Cut to a year and a half later, and here we are!

For Michela, things worked out a bit differently. The first crew meeting and table read was held at the apartment she shares with actor Devon Stanley. The actress then intended to play Edi wasn’t able to make it to the table read, so Michela was called upon to read for that role just for the day. She ended up really enjoying the story and auditioned for Edi less than a week later.

Both actresses had their work cut out for them in developing their characters. Says Jamie, “Nichole was never much of a reach for me - dry, sarcastic, blunt… It closely aligned to my IRL personality whenever I am around Robert (we kid because we love). To me, what mattered most was not who she was or what she said - that was all laid out in advance. What I needed to build was her relationship with other characters. Spending time with the other actors and seeing their takes on their own characters was how I filled Nichole out as a character.” Michela took a more straightforward approach to Edi: “I tried to made her into a more traumatized, more maladjusted version of myself. Everyone on set was so much fun, it was hard to stay focused on actually making the movie, and hard to keep Edi’s demeanor up in scenes with them!”

The character Nichole keeps many people at arm’s length, and Edi is often quiet, shy, and reserved. The two characters feature together quite often and play off each other well. They’re perhaps the two characters least interested in everything going on in the film, they’re just along for the ride. That was a fascinating aspect of developing them for Jamie and Michela.

They echo so many of their co-stars in their discussions about the levity of being on set. As Jamie recalls, “We had to face all sorts of challenges (freezing weather, long hours, last-minute rescheduling, late nights, and more) to get the shots we needed. When everything else goes wrong, it's important that the people are right. I was so glad I got to know this group and become such good friends with so many, and I felt doubly lucky knowing how much tougher those long days of filming would be without such a stellar cast and crew.”

Asked about their favorite moments from set, Michela said she’s most looking forward to seeing the scene shot on the frozen lake, and seeing Chef, an adorable duck-shaped decoration that appears about a minute into the film. Jamie said her favorite moment was “wrapping on a particularly charged scene, but... spoilers! So second place goes to when Justin Gatcomb (who plays the protagonist Will) and I decided it would be a good idea to taste test the fake blood. It was awful.”

We pressed her about her actual favorite moment, and she had this to say: “Spoilers! C'mon! Really though, I’m excited to see if the connection I had with one particular character looks as real onscreen as it felt to film. Those two characters deserve to have their story told, and I hope we did it justice.”

As always, we asked their favorite films: Jamie’s is The Princess Bride and Michela’s is The Batman.

An avid reader and writer, Rachelle knew she wanted to be involved with Rooks in some way after she read the script. She’s not into superhero content, but “there was more of a fantasy element to this story that I liked.”

Rachelle stepped into two roles on the crew. As location manager, she identified and secured permission to film at most of the locations you see in the film. As third assistant director, she coordinated the extras you see on camera. Both were new territory for her, but she says she particularly enjoyed hunting down locations. “Poor Boys Diner was my favorite find because the family who owns the business was so nice and willing to work with us!”

Rachelle cameos in the film, and she actually needed to rehearse a stunt as part of her performance. Not that she minded… she loves working out and cooking healthy when she’s not at work or on set! And who better to assist with prepping for a stunt than Mike?

When asked if he wanted to help out with the film by both director Robert Maynard and lead Justin Gatcomb, it seemed too exciting to Mike to pass up the opportunity. It just so happened the role they needed him in was one Mike is incredible well suited for! Mike coordinated the stunts of the film, alongside Justin, and had his work cut out for him with a cast of actors and performers ranging from expert fighter to completely inexperienced. For example, Justin, Mike himself, and Kaleal Cerafici all have experiencing with boxing, jiu jitsu, and other martial art forms. Devon Stanley has training in gymnastics. Almost everyone else was green to stunt work. Mike wasn’t fazed by the challenge, though: “Honestly, it was an absolute blast!”

Mike points to one particular stunt performed by Ramon Antonio as among his favorites: “He learned it just moments before filming and just performed it without hesitation! I have to say, too, filming on the mats at Nostos MMA, my home gym, was a really cool moment!” However, he’s most excited to see the film’s biggest stunt sequence at Premiere Night. “That was a joint labor of love for the whole stunt team, and I can’t wait to see how it came out!”

Rachelle, meanwhile, is excited to see everything get pieced together. And that takes on a slightly different meaning for her, as her biggest challenge as location manager was ensuring filming locations felt like they belonged to our fictional city of Passant, organically connected but distinct. She and director Robert Maynard designed Passant to have four districts, and used four extremely different New Hampshire cities for the shoot. Portsmouth stood in for Passant's quieter residential neighborhood, featuring some parks and a beautiful view of the river than runs alongside the city. Manchester acts as the city's run-down, poorer neighborhood Varia Bay. Durham was used to film the city's financial district with sleek, modern buildings. Finally, private land in Sutton was used for a more heavily wooded residential area, making scenes set there feel isolated but still connected to the rest of Passant.

Favorite movies: Mike’s is Unforgiven and Rachelle’s is Forrest Gump.

When asked about their favorite filmmakers, both offered up individuals known for their equal abilities as actors and directors. Says Mike, “Clint Eastwood certainly kills it in both roles as actor and director.” Rachelle’s answer echoed that: “Jason Bateman wears both hats and has an amazing range as an actor.”

Rachelle published a book two years ago: Broken Hearts, Open Minds. It’s available on Amazon now! You can find Mike often at Nostos MMA, 38 Market St, Somersworth, NH, and he asks you to consider this interview your open invitation to stop by and train with him!

​Every week, we're featuring interviews with the cast and crew of Rooks. This week's spotlight is on actors Kaleal Cerafici and Kirsten Bornkessel.

Kaleal and Kirsten are both newcomers to the Accented Films gang, not that it took them long to settle in. They were both welcome additions to the cast and showcased their incredible talent every day on set.

Kirsten, a full-time student at UNH, professional singer, and member of the Air National Guard, responded to a casting call last summer for the role of Annie, and after meeting with Director Robert Maynard, she decided Rooks would be a fun opportunity. Kaleal, meanwhile, was recommended to the production after another actor had to step away from the role. Kaleal is a podcaster, boxing trainer, and amateur kickboxer who was drawn to the character of Percy by, in his words, “the allure of those sweet fight scenes and chance to play a more dramatic and dark character, who’s got some goofiness to him! The character is a bit of a loner found friend, so I basically used the high school experience to motivate my feelings. Everyone knows the feeling of being alone, and being scared of being alone again. So it was a big driver for Percy’s motivations.”

Kirsten plays opposite Kaleal in many a scene: “I tried to not only bring a little bit of myself into the character, but also think about the power she brings to the table and how I could represent that on film.”

One thing they agreed on: working with the cast and crew was a blast. “Everyone was such a fun and friendly artist, whether they’d call themselves that or not. There’s a lot of love because this isn’t a studio production. Everyone is there because they want to be. Everyone is just welcoming and fun.”

Turning to some specifics, we asked them to discuss their favorite moments from set. In terms of locations, it was a no-brainer for both of them… a scene set on top of a frozen lake. Says Kirsten, “Even thought my toes were numb, I definitely loved filming out on the lake. I feel like I got most into character in that moment, and it was just a super cool shoot!” Kaleal added, “It was absolutely frigid, but I think it was a beautiful scene you won’t find almost anywhere else.”

While Kirsten’s particularly excited to see the fight scenes of the film on screen, Kaleal zeroed in on a specific part of his performance that he’s most excited to see: “I really enjoyed the moment where I had to imitate Jamie’s character, who is a woman, and had to use her mannerisms. That was a fun one for me.”

As always, we closed by discussing favorite movies and filmmakers. Kirsten’s favorites are I Am Legend and Andrew Garfield. Kaleal’s are Everything, Everywhere, All At Once and The Karate Kid, and he counts Quentin Tarantino and Jackie Chan not only as his favorite filmmakers, but also as sources of inspiration: “Tarantino is a true artist… he wants to express the story in the clearest vision he has. I try to let that freedom come through in all my work. And Jackie Chan… his comedy and fights made me think he was a superhero, and I wanted to be like that. Funny, cool, and a complete legend.”

In addition to Rooks, you can catch Kaleal in two projects from FQ Studios: Agent Stone (which was nominated for 4 awards and won 3, and in which Kaleal played a big part in the choreography of the fights), as well as the currently filming Map Heist with Forest Quaglia. Kirsten has been cast in two projects by Brooke Grondin, the TV series The City of Children and the film The Culled. All of her projects are listed on her website.

​See Kaleal as Percy and Kirsten as Annie in Rooks, premiering at The Strand in Dover, NH, on December 17. On Amazon Instant Video December 23.

Want a printed copy of one of these posters? You can pre-order and pick up at Premiere Night!

For Stephen, the most exciting part about working on this set was the new experience. "I loved supporting my good friends! The set is a mix of busy work, but also meeting new and amazing people!" For Bobby, this was a bit more about career development: "I’ve been wanting to get into filmmaking and this looked like an excellent opportunity to pursue that goal. Not to mention the prospect of being to represent my home state on the big screen. Everyone was very welcoming. Since this was my first time working with them I was a little nervous participating with such a tight friend group. However, over the course of principal photography, I slowly became acquainted with everyone, as they did with me."

Stephen is the film's Art Director, meaning he lead a team to develop the look and feel of the film. From designing sets and props to working out the details of costumes, hair, and makeup, Stephen's attention to detail was paramount in ensuring things went smoothly. "Being able to work at UNH and develop an office space was by far my favorite part of this whole thing. The hotel, too. It really felt official to be able to use the space for part of the movie. But really, what’s amazing is coming out of the shoot with new friends, being able to meet so many new people and to have this much fun surprised me for sure!"

Bobby, meanwhile, was the film's Assistant Camera, meaning he worked with DP Sarah Elizabeth Bailey to ensure recordings came out smooth, occasionally filling in for her. He loved the cabin in Sutton, like so many of his crewmates, and recalls, "A lot of great moments from the movie were filmed there."

Speaking of great moments from the film, they both will be on the lookout for specific things come premiere night. For Stephen, it's the chemistry of the cast. "Seeing the friendships outside of the film develop on screen was amazing, I'm excited to see that on film." Bobby, meanwhile, is excited to see one particular scene with one particular actor: "Watching Ryan Anastasi act for the first time gave me amazing chills. There's a scene with him during our first big shoot at the Garrison Hotel, and watching that was by far my favorite moment from set."

We finished, like always, by asking their favorite movies and filmmakers. Bobby offered The Shawshank Redemption and director Edgar Wright. Stephen's favorites are Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong, and he added, "I love Zendaya for sure!"

Bobby continues his filmmaking journey with the submission of a script to the New Hampshire Film Festival this year entitled The Bite. Stephen, meanwhile, says he hopes to be back on set with Accented Films next time we gear up for a new production.

Ryan's the only member of this trio that had acting experience prior to Rooks, but they all brought their A-Game to set. Adrianna talked a bit about why she was interested: "I had never acted before, but knowing my sister (Michela Lamparelli) felt comfortable acting for the first time too made me want to give it a shot. Stereotypical little sister wanting to do whatever their older sibling is doing!" Ryan, meanwhile, onboarded this film a bit differently. A longtime friend of director Robert Maynard, he simply knew he had to be involved from the moment he learned about the project.

Ryan approached developing his character Anders Shane as he does with all his characters, by developing a back story to understand the motivation and intent behind their actions. "For Anders, I thought about how he worked diligently to become a successful CEO of his company and thought about challenges he may have faced along the way and how he overcame those obstacles." Adri found her character Valerie to be less of a step outside the box, offering "I was attracted to Valerie’s character because I could see a lot of myself in her, so my process to get into character was to really just be myself." Kaden, meanwhile, practiced his lines daily so he would be prepared on set to portray his character Griffin.

Kaden has the distinction of being the youngest cast member in the film. Twelve now, though eleven when he shot his scenes back in April, Kaden found it both challenging and rewarding to be on the set. "When we were at the diner and I got to meet other cast members, I think that was my favorite moment from set. Everyone was really friendly. Getting to see the cabin was a lot of fun, too!"

He's referencing the cabin in Sutton where a number of shoot days took place. Although Kaden never filmed any scenes there, he came to visit set and learn a bit about the process. Ryan also got to see the cabin, and counts it among his favorite locations for filming. His favorite moment, though, was something he shot on his second day: "We were shooting a scene at a hotel, and I got to use a one-time-use prop that was really fun and looked great live and on camera."

Adri didn't shoot any scenes at the cabin or the hotel, but she was a huge help in securing one filming location: her workplace (because who doesn't want to go in to work on their days off, right?). Adri helped in getting the production access to film in Paul College on UNH Campus for a weekend, which functions in the film as an office building... not a big stretch. "We got to use so many different places within the building, it was my favorite place to film!"

Asked about what it was like working with the cast and crew, all three had very positive things to say. Said Adri, "It can be easy to stress out over forgetting lines or not getting the scene just right, but everyone is so lighthearted and the sense of humor on set is second to none. It helped that many people on set were also alumni of UNH, so even if it was my first time meeting them, we already had things in common to talk about."

Wrapping things up, we asked each of them their favorite movie. Ryan's is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Adri's is Taken, and Kaden's is The Conjuring 2... yikes, I'm not even old enough to watch that one yet. We also asked their favorite actor... Ryan said, "Tom Hanks, a great actor and a wonderful role model," while Adri said, "I secretly love Woody Harrelson, we share a birthday!" Kaden said that his favorite actor is Justin Gatcomb, with whom he shares all of his scenes. We agree... Justin is a pretty great actor!
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​Rooks. Premiere Night December 17. Official trailer Friday September 9 at noon ET.

I can’t see the future. But one of the characters in Rooks can, and SHE told me to tell all of YOU… something’s happening next week. Might be worth a follow…

Congratulations to Kirsten Bornkessel for wrapping on Rooks early Saturday morning! Kirsten is an incredibly talented actress we were fortunate to have with us for this journey. I can confirm that her co-star Kaleal was going in for a congratulatory hug in this photo, despite the prop knife in his hand!

And that’s a wrap on Kaden Kirton! You can see Kaden in Rooks when it releases… soon-ish!

We had a “family dinner” last night to celebrate a milestone. We’re halfway through production! I am fortunate and humbled to have all these amazing people in my corner, and it was a joy to take some time and celebrate with them!
​
We resume production on April 2, with a target wrap in early June!

I started writing this story almost two years ago. Every day I work on this project, be it writing the script, casting the actors, coaching them through their scenes, and even the tiny bit of editing work we’ve already done, I can’t help but continue to fall in love with these characters. Yesterday was a real treat for me… for the first time, these eight incredible actors were all in the same room, sharing a scene. Weirdly, it almost feels out of my hands at this point. They’re not mine anymore. These characters belong to their respective actors now, and I have the pleasure of watching the story unfold before me. And I couldn’t ask for a better cast to do that.
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Now, trying to take a picture of all eight of them without someone telling a joke… that’s my new challenge.

Rooks is now in production! Day 1 of filming was completed yesterday, huge thanks to Nostos MMA and Conditioning Facility in Somersworth for allowing us to use their space for rehearsal and filming.