Danielle - "Where It Began..."

"Where it began...I can't begin to knowin'...but then I know it's growing strong. Was in the spring...then spring became the summer...who'd a believed you'd come along..." - ND

As I enter the final 2 days of an incredible run of Sold Out screenings of my first feature film, I already know I'll take away a ton of great memories from the World Premiere of Beautiful Noise at the Sarasota Film Festival - but none more vivid than watching Danielle White's face light up countless times this week at all the SFF functions we attended when complete strangers greeted us and praised our movie. I could gush about our entire ensemble cast ad nauseum, but at the end of the day, given all the great performances and original songs and beautiful shotmaking by our production team, the movie is carried on the shoulders of a young talent from the Suncoast who heads back to southern California in a few hours with the knowledge that she's been embraced by her hometown in an even more spectacular way than she was when she won the spinoff "American Idol" competition - "American Juniors" back when she was 11 years old. All of 19 now - Danielle's starmaking turn as "Dez" in BN is the talk of the film festival...as evidenced by the constant parade of wellwishers encountered everywhere we went this week to promote the film.

"Warm...touching warm...reaching out...touching me...touching you..."

Danielle was the first casting decision I made...and the best, which is saying something considering the sterling performances turned in by Jay, Kimber and the rest of the troupe. At that first meeting with her at Mattison's in downtown Sarasota there was no question in my mind that I had found my lead actor. It was the first of a countless number of fortunate breaks I had crafting this film. Danielle is an 'old soul' and, despite her youth, she displayed a level of artistry, professionalism and passion for our Musical-Drama that you'd expect from a far more experienced actor. We clicked on the set almost immediately with regard to how we both thought her character should react in any given sequence...and that freed me up to spend more time working with her co-stars to capture the essence of their respective characters. In the final analysis, we were all going to sink or swim on Danielle's portrayal of the hippy-dippy Bohemian songstress that leads the audience on a journey that touches every aspect of the primary themes of Beautiful Noise - Love, Hope, and ultimately the timeless Story of Rise, Fall & Redemption.

I knew from the moment we began principal photography that I had lucked out by following my gut instincts and casting the relative unknown in the pivotal lead role...and my daring selection of Danielle was reaffirmed when I saw the smiles on the faces of these SFF audiences when Danielle takes the film by storm belting out Kimbers' Easy in the opening act...and then later on when 'Dez' brings an entire theatre to tears in a sequence that will make Hollywood stand up and take notice of the dawning of yet another breakout indie film star performance.

"Sweet Caroline...good times never seemed so good..."

Like Jay and Kimber, who took their well-deserved bows last Saturday night at our Premiere, Danielle will be sorely missed at the final 2 BN screenings today and Sunday. Soon we'll learn if our film wins the coveted Audience Award at the film festival...but that prestigious honor pales in comparison to the prize already won - Danielle has committed to work closely with me and the BN Team to produce
the Beautiful Noise prequel and sequel later this year and reprise her role as "Dez".

Danielle is a rare talent. She knows how good she is, yet is humble to a fault. She's the lead Star in the production, but always took time to help the crew breakdown and carry equipment at the end of the shooting day. She gave everything she had on every take and readily shared her knowledge and acting insights with her co-stars. She put off college and arranged her life around the starts and stops of the hectic production schedule that drove me and others crazy. For all this I'm forever grateful. But the real gift she offers to audiences is the one that only truly great actors can advance - she makes you really care about what happens to her character. And as for me, I can best express the impact she's had by simply stating that working with Danielle makes me want to be a better Writer & Director.

 I can't wait to see the career of Danielle White continue to blossom...and for at least the rest of this year, we'll all have a front row seat watching this superstar-in-the-making work her magic in a role that she was born to play.

ST