The Surface filmed at local bowling alley

The cast and crew of "The Surface" spent a day filming at the Bay View Bowl as reported on by the Bay View Compass. Read the full article here.

Hollywood discovers Lake Michigan (and casts Bay View Bowl)

Sean Astin and Rachel Renee with Bay View Bowl owners Andrea and Mike Kosinski

The film stars Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings, Rudy, The Goonies) and Chris Mulkey (Rain Man, Cloverfield). They play two desperate men who meet in the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan following a small plane crash. They help each other regain a sense of hope.

“[I was drawn to] just the basic idea,” Astin said, “and Lake Michigan as a character is a great concept.” He likened the film to tales of the Old West, where two grizzled and unlikely partners meet in the scorching desert. 
...
Sean Astin entered casually, already in costume. After greeting [Bay View Bowl owner Mike] Kosinski, he and an assistant set to work modifying the length of his bowling shoes’ laces.

“Do you bowl?” she asked.

Astin smirked. “I don’t know, let’s see.” His first ball spent most of its journey skirting the edge of the lane before dropping into the gutter. Having appraised the lay of the land, Astin’s second swing was more confident and all but two pins were toppled.

Astin’s co-star in the scene, Racine-native Rachel Renee arrived and the two immediately started bowling against each other, keying the video scoreboard with their characters’ names Mitch and Laurie. 

Sean and Rachel on the monitor during filming

Astin said he liked his accommodations in the Third Ward, which he cited as a vibrant community. As an avid cyclist and runner, he said he was having a “grand old time” in the mild Milwaukee summer. “We just went by a park with an outdoor concert (Chill On The Hill)… It’s just people outside enjoying life,” he said.

Final Days of The Surface Filming

Filming for The Surface wrapped on end of last week. Here are some final photos.

The sun sets on a day of shooting. Is that Sean in the boat?

Cast and crew gather for a final photo.

Sean talks with director Gil Cates, Jr. In the back are director of photography Jimmy Sammarco
and writer/producer Jeff Gendelman. 

A Day on Dry Land Filming The Surface

On August 13, filming for "The Surface" took place at the Jewish Home and Care Center in Milwaukee, giving Sean a chance to be on dry land.

Sean is a little goofy before the cameras start rolling:

But when it's time to start filming, he's all business.

Sean Astin 'Communed with Lake Michigan' While Filming 'The Surface'

Sean Astin did a wonderful interview on Milwaukee Public Radio WUWM on Wednesday following the filming of the US Coast Guard rescue scene for "The Surface."

 Listen to the full 13-minute interview here.

People along Milwaukee’s lakefront on Wednesday saw what they might have believed was a Coast Guard helicopter water rescue going on off McKinley Marina.  It might have seemed confusing, though, since the rescue appeared to take place three times.

What was actually going on was the making of a feature film.  Principal photography wraps up today in Milwaukee for “The Surface.”  It’s a drama about two men in dire straits who are thrown together by circumstances in the middle of Lake Michigan.

We spoke earlier this summer with the writer and director of "The Surface."  But this week, we had a chance to catch up with the film’s star. Sean Astin is best known for his lead roles as Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” and the title character in “Rudy.”

Actor Sean Astin will play lead character Mitch in the upcoming film, "The Surface."In “The Surface,” he plays a character named Mitch, a "despondent soul" who has experienced hard luck and loss in his life. The film begins with Mitch’s plan to commit suicide by going out into the middle of Lake Michigan.

US Coast Guard to the rescue in The Surface!

On Wednesday, August 21, the US Coast Guard became a key actor in "The Surface," currently filming in Milwaukee.

Wait! Who's that in the basket??

It's Sean!

A Day on Lake Michigan

Sean Astin and Chris Mulkey go over their lines during lunch break. These two photos by Jessica Kaminski.

Sean uses a parasol to protect his fair skin from the sun! ;-)

Sean Astin throws out first pitch at LS Chinooks game

Sean Astin, Chris Mulkey, Gil Cates, Jr, and Jeff Gendelman used some of their time off from filming "The Surface" to attend the Northwoods League baseball game pitting the Lakeshore Chinooks against visiting Wisconsin Woodchucks on Saturday August 3. Sean through out the first pitch to costar Chris. No word on if it was a strike or ball! The Chinooks won 9 to 2 in the final game of the season.

Sean starts with a little batting practice.

And a little fielding practice.

Cast and Crew of The Surface interviewed by WISN 12 TV

Costars Sean Astin and Chris Mulkey, and writer/producer Jeff Gendelman were interviewed by WISN-12 TV while filming "The Surface."

"We're having a ball. The idea that you'd come to a place and shoot an entire movie out on the water is insane. But we thought Lake Michigan will treat us well, and Milwaukee's been great," Astin said.
…
The director said one of the most amazing things about the movie is 85 percent of it takes place on a 1970s era speedboat. 

"So the story becomes an adventure drama, and it centers around two strangers who both are at the end of their rope who suddenly meet in the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan," Gendelman said. 

"I think this film, it's about two people that would never cross paths except for this strange day and this strange incident, so I think people will like the humanity of it you know. It's about why you should be alive," Astin said. 

"People get angels delivered to each other in their lives, and in this case, both of these guys compliment each other," Mulkey said.
…
Moviegoers will see the Milwaukee area in a starring role on the big screen in about 18 months.

Watch interview and read full article here.

More from first week of shooting The Surface

Here are some more photos and video from the first week of filming "The Surface" in Milwaukee WI.

Sean with Tiffany Ogel, host of Morning Blend who has a role in movie.

Behind the scenes on set of The Surface

Here are some behind the scenes photos from the first two days of filming "The Surface" starring Sean Astin and Chris Mulkey.

These lucky people had filming taking place in their neighborhood! Next two photos from lady-brooklyn on Tumblr.

Sean Astin Boating on Lake Michigan

Sean Astin went boating on Lake Michigan over lunch with The Surface costar Chris Mulkey today. Photos by Rex Sikes. Source.

Interview with creators of The Surface

Interview with "The Surface" director Gil Cates, Jr., writer/producer Jeff Gendelman, and director of photography Jimmy Sammarco, on Milwaukee's WTMJ-4 TV. The movie, starring Sean Astin and Chris Mulkey, begins filming next week.

Sean Astin's The Surface costar named

Chris Mulkey will costar with Sean Astin in The Surface, which begins filming next week in Milwaukee WI, Variety reports. Mulkey was recently seen in “The Purge” and co-stars in the upcoming Tom Hanks drama “Captain Phillips.”

The Surface, an adventure drama, is about two men, both at the end of their rope, who suddenly meet in the middle of the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan. The story is about how even on the darkest days there’s light, and that tomorrow’s a new day. It’s a story with mystery, humor, desperation, friendship and hope.

Sean plays Mitch and Chris is small plane pilot Kelly. Read more about The Surface from this press release, and an interview on Milwaukee NPR with director Gil Cates, Jr. ("Jobs") and writer/producer Jeff Gendelman.

Sean Astin's filming schedule fills up with Reaching from Above

"Reaching from Above," first reported here a year ago, has been added to Sean Astin's busy summer/fall filming schedule.

A fatal car crash kills Rachel Adam's [Dominque Swain] newly announced fiancé and sends her into a coma. This sends her on a journey to a new reality where weird stuff starts to happen around her. She has to make the ultimate choice. Does she go beyond her new reality or does she come back to her family and friends that love her?

Sean plays Rachel's brother Eric Adams. The movie was written by Ryan Lamaster and will be directed by Monty Miranda. Filming is set to begin in Austin TX on September 2. Like their Facebook page for updates.

~~~

Meanwhile, filming of "The Surface in Milwaukee and on Lake Michigan begins in late July and will continue through August.

Later in September, Sean will take on the role of Jim Kent in Guillermo Del Toro's and Carlton Cuse's highly anticipated pilot of "The Strain." If picked up as expected for a full 13-episode season by FX, filming will continue late fall.

In addition, the international thriller "Kickback" will film in Prague, London and other European locations this winter [updated]. Sean's role in the movie has not yet been described.

The Surface press release

Indie feature film called The Surface to shoot this summer in the Milwaukee area!

Milwaukee, Wisconsin/USA – July 8, 2013

Good Note Productions, LLC is happy to announce that a new feature film will shoot this July and August in the Milwaukee area.

The Surface, an adventure drama, is about two men, both at the end of their rope, who suddenly meet in the middle of the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan. The story is about how even on the darkest days there’s light, and that tomorrow’s a new day. It’s a story with mystery, humor, desperation, friendship and hope.

“We have an uplifting story and have an extraordinary cast and crew. The Surface is an important project for many reasons.  Audiences around the world will be entertained and inspired, and it will positively show the Milwaukee area and Lake Michigan”, states writer/producer Jeff Gendelman.

The Surface will be directed by LA based director and producer Gil Cates, Jr., currently co-producing the Hollywood film, Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher, about the life of Apple founder Steve Jobs.  The film will be in theaters everywhere in August 2013.

Details emerge on The Surface starring Sean Astin

Writer/producer Jeff Gendelman and Director Gil Cates, Jr were interviewed on WUWM 89.7 NPR radio this morning about their upcoming film "The Surface." As reported here earlier, Sean Astin plays one of the two main leads who will share the screen on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan for  ~85% of the film. The second lead has not yet been named.

The story begins with the character Mitch [Sean], who is clearly up to something and not mentally intact. For the first nine minutes of the film, the camera follows him as he goes out to the middle of the lake. He later sees a man draped over some debris from a small engine float plane - Kelly, seriously injured and unconscious. 

To help the injured man, Mitch  attempts to reach the shore, but he invariably runs out of gas. Once Kelly wakes, the pair are in constant conflict, with Kelly eventually finding out that Mitch had intended to commit suicide in Lake Michigan. The plot then develops into a mutual co-dependent relationship, wherein Kelly has to stay alive to keep Mitch alive and Mitch has to stay alive to keep Kelly alive.

In essence, they each become each other’s guardian angels. Gendelman says the story is ultimately about hope, the plaguing yet moving realization that “even on the darkest of days there’s light."

Sean Astin joins cast of The Surface

Sean Astin has been named as one of two leads for the indie film "The Surface."

"The Surface, an independent feature film with adventure, mystery, humor and heart, is the story about two strangers, both at the end of their rope, who suddenly meet in the middle of the unpredictable waters of Lake Michigan. It's about how even on the darkest days there’s light and how precious life is. It’s an uplifting story about desperation, friendship and hope. 

Lake Michigan is an integral character in the story, with its calm beauty and powerful unpredictability."

Read more about the movie, scheduled to film in Milwaukee WI, at their Facebook page and web site.