The Dogwalker (2001 film)
| The Dogwalker | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jacques Thelemaque |
| Starring | Diane Gaidry and Pamela Gordon |
| Distributed by | Bigfoot Ascendant LLC http://www.bigfootascendant.com/ |
| Country | US |
| Language | English |
The Dogwalker is a 2001 film directed and produced by Jacques Thelemaque, starring Diane Gaidry (Ellie Moore) and Pamela Gordon (Betsy Wright).
The film closely observes the rocky relationship that develops between a destitute young woman (Diane Gaidry), who has fled her abusive boyfriend, and a reclusive, misanthropic professional dog walker (Pamela Gordon).
Synopsis
Ellie Moore (Diane Gaidry), a young woman who flees her physically abusive boyfriend, taking the first flight out of Buffalo to Los Angeles. There she lands with a thud and luckily is befriended by Betsy Wright (Pamela Gordon), a misanthropic dog walker in need of help with her business and struggling with her own dark past
The relationship between the cranky dogwalker and her unstable apprentice sets the stage for the emotional transformation Ellie must undertake. In Betsy, she encounters a dark mirror of herself- a lonely, angry, complex woman whose own troubled past proves disturbing like her own. And in the dogs, Ellie finds lost pieces of herself as she fumbles with the leash to her own life, struggling to hold on as it pulls her toward a brighter future before her past catches up with her.
Background
The Dogwalker is one of those rare outsider-comes-to-L.A. films that capture the city's smoggy human atmosphere of promise and abandon -- and isolation -- without being preachy.
The film took more than 6 years from concept to completion. Most of that time was spent raising funds, but much video workshopping and script development also took place. It was produced through, Filmmakers Alliance (FA).
The film was shot on MiniDV on a Sony VX1000. The crew shot the film for five-and- a-half weeks with approximately ten days of pick-ups. Adobe After Effects was used to create the film simulation through a proprietary formula developed by co-producer Andy Somers.
Cast
- Diane Gaidry (Ellie Moore)
- Pamela Gordon (Betsy Wright)
- Lyn Vaus (Walter)
- Lisa Jane Persky (Alison)
- Alan Gelfant (Glen)
- John Nielson (Dave)
- Kerry Bishop (Amanda Singer)
Production Crew
- Director: Jacques Thelemaque
- Producers: Linda L. Miller, Hilary Six, Jacques Thelemaque
- Co-producers: Tori-Ann Parker, Diane Gaidry, Andrew M. Somers
- Executive Producers: David Diann, Thoms Gaidry
- Associate Producers: Willard Morgan, Michael Blaha
- Creative Collaborators: Sean Hood, Diane Gaidry
- Director of Photography: Marco Fargnoli
- Additional Photography: Toby Birney
- Editor: Jeff Orgill
- Production Coordinator: Destri Martino
Awards
- Cinequest Film Festival '02 Best First Feature
- Ashland Independent Film Festival '04 Best Cinematography
- Hong Kong International Film Festival Official Selection
- Los Angeles Film Festival Official Selection