Sci-fi
VOLITION OFFICIALLY SELECTED BY THE PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL!
More good news for this mind-bending thriller! Volition is an official selection of the Phoenix Film Festival, screening in Arizona multiple times, from April 4th-14th. For schedule and festival information, check out the festival site, and if you’re in the area, grab some popcorn and join us!
Phoenix Film Festival 2019
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.
WEBISODE TWO: SMITH BROTHERS
In part 2 of 12, we take you back to the early days of Tony & Ryan’s filmmaking collaboration, as they prep for filming their science-fiction thriller, VOLITION. Like the Smith Brothers Facebook Page to stay connected, and join us next, on Monday, Jan. 2nd, 2017, when Webisode 3 will be released.
VETERAN CANADIAN ACTOR JOHN CASSINI JOINS SMITH BROTHERS’ SCI-FI THRILLER, “VOLITION”
Vancouver, B.C., Dec. 5th, 2016 — Award-winning Canadian actor, John Cassini, is the first to be cast in the Smith Brothers’
sci-fi thriller, VOLITION. 
Cassini’s prolific career spans from series-regular to recurring roles in critically successful series, such as Blackstone, Chris Haddock’s Intelligence and DaVinci’s Inquest, the comedy hit, Robson Arms, and Syfy/Superchannel’s Continuum. His previous feature film work has included performances in David Fincher’s Seven and The Game, along with many acclaimed independent films. For his role in Volition, Cassini will be channelling his darker side as he portrays the film’s antagonist, a ruthless and corrupt businessman.
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 imminent murder. The Smith Brothers have partnered with Paly Productions, Inc. to produce the film, with Principal Photography set for Spring 2017.
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 first webisode is now online, with additions added every second 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.
JOHN CASSINI
John Cassini is represented by Tyman Stewart at The Characters Talent Agency.
WEBISODE ONE: GREENLIT!
Check out our first webisode, where we welcome you into the behind-the-scenes process of making Volition. A new websiode will be released every three Mondays, all the way through to production in May!
