Miami, October, 25, 2013. The Reel Miami Project, a short film series, launches this month with an interactive, travel-focused website designed to deliver a unique opportunity to discover Miami.
Frank Kelly, Creator and Executive Producer of Reel City Films (the project’s parent company), created The Reel Miami Project in order to showcase the complete Miami experience, neighborhood by neighborhood, with imaginative storylines. The series allows viewers to experience the fictional films and then ultimately live those experiences.
The Reel Miami Project is comprised of six short films highlighting popular Miami destinations including Miami Beach, Wynwood, Downtown, South Beach, Coral Gables and the Everglades. While each film features a different location, all their storylines share one common theme – a weekend in Miami. The films enable the audience to discover the personality of each destination. Accompanying each film is a collection of behind-the-scenes webisodes called the Reel Miami City Guides. The webisodes give viewers an in-depth look into the locations, establishments and brands showcased in the films. The series intention is to show viewers that there’s more to Miami than just Ocean Drive. Though it’s one of the city’s key tourist destinations, Miami has so much more to offer that appeals to a wider and more diverse travel demographic.
Each film is directed by an aspiring, award-winning filmmaker and the films’ plots are told through talented, emerging actors. The talented directors and actors were chosen by Frank after watching hours of footage, attending numerous film festivals, and reviewing lists of accolades. They are the next big directors, producers, cinematographers and actors to be discovered through this project. The current selected directors and their assigned films are:
- · Carlos Gutierrez (Chosen to direct the Miami Beach film) is a Cuban American award-winning commercial & film director whose work has premiered on HBO, Showtime and Film Festivals around the world
- · Fro Rojas (Chosen to direct the Wynwood film) is a Miami-Native Award winning director of numerous short films, commercials and music videos. He directed his first feature film, Tio Papi, which recently premiered across U.S. theaters.
The lead actors for the above two films include:
- · Miami Beach: Elisabetta Fantone, Eric Aragon and Carlos Mena
- · Wynwood: Liz Twining and Melvin Lima
The directors and actors for the remaining four films will be announced soon.
In addition to these aspiring filmmakers of tomorrow and actors on the verge of discovery, Sherman Johnsonis the Director of Photography for the Miami Beach and Wynwood films. Johnson has shot over a hundred commercials, three features, and has been involved in numerous other projects.
The Reel Miami Project’s interactive website is designed to further connect viewers with Miami through its unique travel tools. The Travenality Filter is a tool that matches a viewer’s travel personality with the film that best appeals to their travel interests. After enjoying the film selected to fit their “travenality,” users are able to learn more about the featured hotels, restaurants and destinations through the Reel Concierge. This service provides viewers with access to discounted hotel packages designed exclusively for Reel Miami fans, allowing them to replicate the experience they see in the films.
“With Reel City Films, I wanted to take our viewers beyond just watching these moving films and move them to action and adventure. Miami and many other cities in the United States are still undiscovered and this allows an engaging platform to promote those destinations. It’s also a platform for these talented directors and actors to be discovered,” says Frank Kelly, Creator and Executive Producer of Reel City Films.
Prior to their online release dates, each of The Reel Miami Project short films will premiere at private screening parties held in the hotels they were filmed in. Partygoers will have the chance to watch the films and connect with the filmmakers and featured brands. This November, the first two films will premiere and the remaining four films will go into production in the Winter.
The Reel Miami Project was made possible by sponsors such as BACARDÍ, as well as Miami partners including famed restaurants, luxury hotels, and nightlife hot spots. For more information, please visit www.reelmiamiproject.com or Facebook: www.facebook.com/reelmiamiproject and Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReelMiami.