Ryan W. Smith
PLANET OF THE APES AND VAN HELSING STAR ALEKS PAUNOVIC CAST IN SMITH BROTHERS’ SCI-FI THRILLER, “VOLITION”
Vancouver, B.C., May 2nd, 2017 — Multi-talented actor Aleks Paunovic will play the role of a warm-hearted criminal in the Smith Brothers’ sci-fi thriller, VOLITION. Paunovic’s heat is picking up, with his recent credits in War of the Planet of the Apes, Keanu Reeves’ Siberia, and his series regular run on SyFy’s Van Helsing. Paunovic’s previous credits also include series regular spots on Continuum, iZombie, The 100, and a turn in the highly anticipated Liam Neeson/Laura Dern starrer, Hard Powder.
Paunovic will join the impressive ensemble of Adrian Glynn McMorran (The Revenant, Arrow), Magda Apanowicz (Continuum, Caprica, Kyle XY), John Cassini (Se7en, The Game, Continuum), Frank Cassini (Good Fellas, Watchmen, The Bridge) and Bill Marchant (Chappie, Godzilla, Strange Empire).
Volition is directed by award-winning director, Tony Dean Smith, based on a screenplay written by Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. It is a gritty sci-fi thriller, about a man, afflicted with clairvoyance, who tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own murder. The Smith Brothers have partnered with Paly Productions, Inc. to produce the film, with Principal Photography set for June 2017.
“Aleks has that rare combo of captivating presence, and raw, human vulnerability. He’s a superb actor with the perfect instincts for the role,” says Tony Dean Smith, the film’s director, co-writer and co-producer. “The dynamic that Aleks brings to our team is immeasurable. We’re couldn’t be happier,” says Ryan W. Smith, the film’s co-writer and co-producer.
In connection with Volition, the Smith Brothers are releasing a series of semi-monthly webisodes, offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the film. Fans are encouraged to visit the Smith Brothers Film Company Facebook page, www.volitionthemovie.com, Twitter or Instagram, for behind-the-scenes content and news.
SMITH BROTHERS FILM COMPANY
Smith Brothers Film Company is the creative partnership of Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. Tony is a filmmaker who has worked for Universal, CTV, Neill Blomkamp, and Syfy, among others. Ryan is a screenwriter, who has worked for Disney, Netflix, YTV and Syfy, among others. For more information, visit www.smithbrothersfc.com.
PALY PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Paly Productions, Inc. is a U.S.-based investment fund, focused on high-quality artistic projects for the world market.
CAPRICA AND CONTINUUM STAR MAGDA APANOWICZ LANDS LEAD FEMALE ROLE IN SMITH BROTHERS’ SCI-FI THRILLER, “VOLITION”
Vancouver, B.C., April 17th, 2017 — Celebrated actor Magda Apanowicz lands the lead female role in the Smith Brothers’ sci-fi
thriller, VOLITION. Apanowicz is well-known to sci-fi fans for her lead roles in both Caprica, of the Battlestar Galactica franchise, and Simon Barry’s Continuum. Apanowicz’s previous credits include meaty roles in Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno, The Butterfly Effect, and in dozens of other films and TV series, including a series regular role in ABC Studios’ Kyle XY.
Apanowicz will be playing against an already-robust cast of Adrian Glynn McMorran (The Revenant, Arrow), John Cassini (Se7en, The Game, Continuum), Frank Cassini (Good Fellas, Watchmen, The Bridge) and Bill Marchant (Chappie, Godzilla, Strange Empire).
Volition is directed by award-winning director, Tony Dean Smith, based on a screenplay written by Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. It is a gritty sci-fi thriller, about a man, afflicted with clairvoyance, who tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own murder. The Smith Brothers have partnered with Paly Productions, Inc. to produce the film, with Principal Photography set for June 2017.
“I worked with Magda years ago and I have always seen her as just a brilliant actor. She’s a true talent, who exudes pure authenticity and raw grit,” says Tony Dean Smith, the film’s director, co-writer and co-producer. “She has a fierce energy that perfectly matches the role. We can’t wait to work with her!” says Ryan W. Smith, the film’s co-writer and co-producer.
In connection with Volition, the Smith Brothers are releasing a series of semi-monthly webisodes, offering fans a
behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the film. Fans are encouraged to visit the Smith Brothers Film Company Facebook page, www.volitionthemovie.com, Twitter or Instagram, for behind-the-scenes content and news.
SMITH BROTHERS FILM COMPANY
Smith Brothers Film Company is the creative partnership of Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. Tony is a filmmaker who has worked for Universal, CTV, Neill Blomkamp, and Syfy, among others. Ryan is a screenwriter, who has worked for Disney, Netflix, YTV and Syfy, among others. For more information, visit www.smithbrothersfc.com.
PALY PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Paly Productions, Inc. is a U.S.-based investment fund, focused on high-quality artistic projects for the world market.
Blog Post 2: Script to Screen
Finishing a screenplay is always thrilling! 90-120 pages of blood, sweat and tears, and its all right there before your very eyes. What’s next? A vacation to Hawaii? Diving into a bank-vault of gold coins? Ideally, yes! But generally, no. It doesn’t take too long for that overjoyed feeling to be replaced with one of self-flagellation: you see all the mistakes you’ve made, the shortcuts you’ve taken, and the glaring errors in logic. Hopefully, you also see the potential of what you’ve written, the mini-strikes of brilliance, the kernels of something truly unique! Either way, it soon becomes apparent that, if this piece is going to stand on its own, you have to keep digging. As cliche as it is, yes, “writing is re-writing,” so you dive back in.
In writing Volition, we churned through a huge amounts of drafts — sometimes shifting the entire plot-structure, other times, pulling out set-pieces, and other times re-thinking characters and sharpening their arcs. After this intense process, we finally felt that we had created a draft worthy of shooting. So, what was next? The trip to Hawaii? The Maldives? Well, that didn’t quite happen, but we finally did have a draft that we could send to financiers. After various stalled attempts, we finally reached Paly Productions, and here we are today, gearing up to shoot! But, if you thought that was the end of the re-writing process, you may want to think again.
We’re currently going through a unique round of re-writes, looking at the draft from a very practical perspective. While, initially, our draft existed entirely in our heads. Now, it needs to actually manifest itself in real-life, and this means, we need to find realistic ways of achieving our vision. For us, this has meant looking to reduce extraneous locations, unnecessarily complicated sequences, and impractical set-pieces. Of course, the battle we have internally is by wearing both our writer hats and our producer hats. We want to retain all that is special and unique about the piece, while still finding a way to shoot it on a budget. Sometimes, we have to push hard to find creative solutions, but we believe we’re achieving this goal.
The next round of re-writes will likely emerge once we start collaborating with our actors. They will have thoughts on their characters, or thoughts on the way certain lines are expressed. We look forward to diving back into the draft at that point, polishing it up so that on the first day of Principal Photography, we’re in the best position possible. And then there’s the re-writes that will happen on set, and, of course, in the edit suite. But, surely, once all is said and done, that vacation to Hawaii, paid for entirely by our vault of gold coins, will be just around the corner. Ironically, knowing us, that entire vacation will be spent inside, re-writing a brand new script!
ACTOR/MUSICIAN ADRIAN GLYNN MCMORRAN LANDS LEAD ROLE IN SMITH BROTHERS’ THRILLER, “VOLITION”
Vancouver, B.C., Mar. 19th, 2017 — Actor and celebrated folk-pop musician Adrian Glynn McMorran lands the lead role in the 
Smith Brothers’ sci-fi thriller, VOLITION. McMorran’s previous acting credits include film roles in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s The Revenant and most recently as a hillbilly criminal in Universal’s soon-to-be-released Woody Woodpecker. McMorran’s television credits include memorable roles in Supernatural, Smallville, Men in Trees, and the recurring role of Michael Amar/Murmur in Berlanti’s Arrow. Adrian Glynn is also a celebrated singer-songwriter, with his recent album “morelightthannolight” released through Light Organ Records to great acclaim (www.adrianglynn.com).
Volition is directed by award-winning director, Tony Dean Smith, based on a screenplay written by Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. It is a gritty sci-fi thriller, about a man, afflicted with clairvoyance, who tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own murder. The Smith Brothers have partnered with Paly Productions, Inc. to produce the film, with Principal Photography set for Spring 2017.
“I have been a fan of Adrian for years. He’s a gifted artist, whose talents as an actor are perfectly suited to our film. There is not an inauthentic bone in his body and I couldn’t be more thrilled for him to play our leading man,” says Tony Dean Smith, the film’s director, co-writer and co-producer. “He has a haunting quality that so perfectly fits this role. We know Adrian will infuse the project with the honesty it requires,” says Ryan W. Smith, the film’s co-writer and co-producer.
In connection with Volition, the Smith Brothers are releasing a series of semi-monthly webisodes, offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the film. Fans are encouraged to visit the Smith Brothers Film Company Facebook page, www.volitionthemovie.com, Twitter or Instagram, for behind-the-scenes content and news.
SMITH BROTHERS FILM COMPANY
Smith Brothers Film Company is the creative partnership of Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. Tony is a filmmaker who has worked for Universal, CTV, Neill Blomkamp, and Syfy, among others. Ryan is a screenwriter, who has worked for Disney, Netflix, YTV and Syfy, among others. For more information, visit www.smithbrothersfc.com.
PALY PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Paly Productions, Inc. is a U.S.-based investment fund, focused on high-quality artistic projects for the world market.
ESTEEMED ACTOR BILL MARCHANT TO PLAY MENTOR IN SMITH BROTHERS’ THRILLER, “VOLITION”
Vancouver, B.C., Feb. 27th, 2017 — Esteemed Canadian actor Bill Marchant is the latest to be cast in the Smith Brothers’ sci-fi
thriller, VOLITION. Marchant’s past acting credits include film roles in Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla and Neill Blomkamp’s Chappie, and regular television roles in CW’s The 100, Stargate SG-1, and CBC’s Strange Empire. Marchant is also a writer/ director in his own right, as the playwright of Husk and Blaze Orange, and the writer/director of the independent film, Everyone. In Volition, Marchant will portray the film’s mentor character, Elliot Williams, a troubled psychologist with a dark secret.
Volition is directed by award-winning director, Tony Dean Smith, based on a screenplay written by Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. It is a gritty sci-fi thriller, about a man, afflicted with clairvoyance, who tries to change his fate when a series of events leads to a vision of his own murder. The Smith Brothers have partnered with Paly Productions, Inc. to produce the film, with Principal Photography set for Spring 2017.
“Bill is an actor of incredible depth, sincerity and grit. We know that he will bring the challenging role of Elliot into full relief,” says Tony Dean Smith, the film’s director, co-writer and co-producer. “We are thrilled to have Bill on board! With his unique talents, he will be a powerful mentor to our lead character,” says Ryan W. Smith, the film’s co-writer and co-producer.
In connection with Volition, the Smith Brothers are releasing a series of semi-monthly webisodes, offering fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the film. The webisodes are now online, with additions added every third Monday. Fans are encouraged to visit the Smith Brothers Film Company Facebook page, www.volitionthemovie.com, Twitter or Instagram, for behind-the-scenes content, and news.
SMITH BROTHERS FILM COMPANY
Smith Brothers Film Company is the creative partnership of Tony Dean Smith & Ryan W. Smith. Tony is a filmmaker who has worked for Universal, CTV, Neill Blomkamp, and Syfy, among others. Ryan is a screenwriter, who has worked for Disney, Netflix, YTV and Syfy, among others. For more information, visit www.smithbrothersfc.com.
PALY PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Paly Productions, Inc. is a U.S.-based investment fund, focused on high-quality artistic projects for the world market.
WEBISODE THREE: CONCEPT TO SCRIPT
In part 3, Tony & Ryan chat about the roots of their science-fiction thriller, VOLITION, as well as their writing process.
BLOG POST 1: Green-lit
THE ROAD TO GETTING GREEN-LIT
Volition, like a lot of movies, has gone through many ups and downs to get to where it is now: ready for production. As we continue to go through our prep, we thought it might be helpful to other budding filmmakers to give you some insight into our process, so that you can be even more prepared than we were for the road that leads to getting your film into production.
The main gist of this story is (spoiler alert): don’t give up! Seriously, this project took so much perseverance to get financed that we considered shelving it many times. Luckily, that little inner voice that gets louder and stronger through time and experience kept yelling at us, “Don’t give up!” So we didn’t.
The road to any success is filled with so much failure. But this “failure” is just information. Along the way, you learn who you are, what you’re about, what you’re into – and what you’re not into. We had a few offers from some very exciting companies in the US, who wanted to make the movie with us, but for various reasons (casting, tone, etc.), it just wasn’t the right fit. Here’s what we knew going in to our meetings. We wanted to make an “independent film,” where we could stay true to our artistic vision – and live/die by that mantra. We didn’t want this to be (respectfully) a TV Movie. We needed to take a chance and go for what we thought would be the right fit for this movie, which is a genre mix, of films like Memento and True Romance. So, with all of those variables in place, we finally realized that we weren’t interested in selling the property for another team to make. Rather, we had to become entrepreneurs and look for financing. This was a drastic shift in our thinking – and, while it came with far less guarantees, it felt right. This meant, we had to create a business plan, a marketing plan, a look-book and pitch documents. We had to be the driving force behind getting this screenplay into production. With these “sales tools” in place, we knocked on many more doors, and, while we had some promising leads, we couldn’t find the right match for financing. It was around this time that we began to chat with Paly Productions – who are all about giving the artists the opportunity to do what they do best with zero interference. Months later, and with everyone’s signatures in place, Volition was green-lit. An overnight success. And it only took 4 years. J
