NEWSFLASH

"The Tested" Does The Lab!
Chosen to participant in the 2009 Narrative Independent Filmmaker Lab & Independent Film Week in New York City. The Tested is one of only ten narrative rough cuts chosen by the Lab for its artistic vision and outstanding promise.

Michael Taylor joins "The Tested" team
October 13, 2008 - Editor Michael Taylor has joined "The Tested" team, to begin co-editing the film with writer/director Russell Costanzo early next month. An accomplished Script Supervisor on such films as "Across the Universe", "You Can Count on Me", and "Garden State", Taylor has made the obvious transition to editing a number of years ago. His credits include films that have played the Cannes Film Festival ("Day Night Day Night") as well as the Sundance Film Festival ("The Order of Myths"). He just finished the feature "Against the Current" starring Joseph Fiennes and Mary Tyler Moore.

Producer Melissa B. Miller said in reflection, "Doing this film was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was absoultely devastating... And I can't wait to do another one!"

Post-production will commence once the Shoebox team has decompressed!

Annie Parisse joins the cast
August 13, 2008 - Annie Parisse has signed on to the NYC independent drama "The Tested", joining Frank Vincent, Armando Riesco, Aunjanue Ellis, and Nathan Corbett. The film, which is the feature directorial debut of helmer Russell Costanzo, follows plain clothes cop Julian Varone and his struggles to deal with the shooting of an unarmed black teen. At
the same time, the teen's mother Darraylynn Warren searches desperately for a path to understanding, while her other son Dre rebels by finding his way into ganglife. The film explores the splinter effect of a terrible tragedy and the impact it has on these three lives. Melissa B. Miller is producing, with W. Michael Weinstein, Ray Javdan, and Steven Prigge on as Executive Producers. You can visit shoebox-pictures.com for more info.

Shoebox begins production on The Tested
August 05, 2008 - Shoebox Pictures begins filming of its debut feature production "The Tested". Starring Aunjanue Ellis, Armando Riesco, Frank Vincent, and Nathan Corbett pic is scheduled for 4 weeks filming in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of New Jersey. The film, which is the feature directorial debut of helmer Russell Costanzo, follows plain clothes cop Julian Varone and his struggles to deal with the shooting of an unarmed black teen. At the same time, the teen's mother Darraylynn Warren searches desperately for a path to understanding, while her other son Dre rebels by finding his way into ganglife. The film explores the splinter effect of a terrible tragedy and the impact it has on these three lives.

Having won Top Prize at the prestigious Los Angeles International Short Film Festival with the short film of the same name, Costanzo based this feature script upon that story. Melissa B. Miller is producing, with W. Michael Weinstein, Ray Javdan, and Steven Prigge on as Executive Producers. You can visit shoebox-pictures.com for more info.

Armando Riesco is "Julian Varone"
September 1, 2008 - Armando Riesco has signed on to portray the lead character of Julian Varone in the indie drama "The Tested". Best known for his roles in the indie film "Garden State" and the blockbuster "National Treasure" this marks his first lead role in a feature film. "The Tested" follows NYPD plain clothes cop Varone as he struggles with getting bacl to work after an accidetal shooting put him on a year's suspension. Pic begins production later this month.

Aunjanue Ellis joins the cast of "The Tested"
July 2008 - Aunjanue Ellis has joined the cast of the NYC independent drama "The Tested". Ellis will be portraying lead actress 'Darraylynn Warren', mother of a son gunned down by an NYPD plain clothes police officer. The provocative story follows the mother, the brother and the cop in the months follwing the tragic shooting.

Best known for her roles in Oscar winner "Ray" and the hilarious comedy "Undercover Brother" Ellis is rounding out what seems to be an HBO reunion. With her involvement with "True Blood" this makes 3 actors from HBO's family of actors (Nathan Corbett - "The Wire", Frank Vincent - "The Sopranos").

Also jumping onboard the film is newcomer Michael Morris, Jr. Morris will be reprising his lead role of 'Dre Warren' from the award-winning short film of which this feature is based.

Frank Vincent signs on to"The Tested"
-May 12, 2008 - Frank Vincent has signed on to the independent film "The Tested". The Sopranos alum will be portraying NYPD 'Lieutenant Frank Marino' who does his best to guide and acclimate plain clothes cop Julian Varone back to the force after a tragic accidental shooting. Pic begins production in August and will shoot in and around the NYC area.

Shoebox announces production of The Tested
May 2008 - Shoebox Pictures has announced production on its feature debut "The Tested". Based upon the award-winning short film of the same name "The Tested" follows three characters affected by a tragedy and the vastly different paths they take to a similar goal of redemption and understanding.

A year ago while on duty as a plain clothes cop, JULIAN VARONE gunned down an unarmed teen. In that time DARRAYLYNN WARREN, the teen's mother, has spiraled into a pit of despair, while his brother, DRE, has gone another route... ganglife. As for Julian, it's time for him to get back to work. "The Tested" tells the story of how three lives are affected by a terrible tragedy, and how they cannot find closure without the other.

Pic was written and will be directed by Russell Costanzo, with Melissa B. Miller producing.

"jeffrey" wins Best Short Screenplay at Kent Film Festival
March 29, 2008 - The genre-busting, tour-de-force "jeffrey" was awarded Best Short Screenplay at the Kent Film Festival. This was scribe Russell Costanzo's first festival award for screenwriting. "jeffrey" follows a man with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and his battle to simply leave his apartment.

Brandon Routh signs on for the lead in SEES
February 2008 - Brandon Routh has signed to portray the lead character in the independent film "The Strange Effect of Everett Singer". Routh, best known for his portrayal of the Man of Steel in the Bryan Singer blockbuster "Superman Returns" will be making his first foray into the indie world. Pic is a drama about a young man who drops out of Harvard Medical School when he cant save his mother from dying and moves to a small town in Maine to become a funeral plot salesman, changing the outlook of the town forever.

"jeffrey" wins Best Short Film at BAFF
Novemeber 19, 2007 - "jeffrey", written, edited, and directed by Russell Costanzo and produced by and starring Michael Neitardt, took home Best Short Film at the 4th Annual Big Apple Film Festival. Having already played the Academy-recognized Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, “jeffrey” is just starting a long and exciting festival run.
“ jeffrey” was produced by Palmy Inn Productions in association with Shoebox Pictures.

John Mahoney jumps onboard SEES
October, 2007 - Emmy-nominated actor John Mahoney (NBC's "Frasier", "Moonstruck") has signed on to portray 'Arthur Hutchinson', the curmudgeonly owner of Hutchinson & Son Funeral Emporium in "The Strange Effect of Everett Singer". The drama take place in the New England area and is based upon the manuscript "Thinning of the Plots" by Derek B. Miller. Pic was written by Melissa B. Miller and Russell Costanzo.

"jeffrey" plays LAShortsFest
September 11, 2007 - "jeffrey" makes its festival debut at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. The LAShortsFest is the world's largest short film festival, hosting over 600 films, and is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

"The Tested" makes its television debut
October 31, 2006 - "The Tested" will make its broadcast television debut this week, airing three different times on Black Entertainment Television.

"The Tested" wins LAShortsFest
Sepember 14, 2006 - "The Tested" took home Top Prize at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, beating out more than 600 other films, and making it Acadey Award eligible. In addition the filmmakers won a $70,000 prize package of in-kind services. Pic was written and directed by Russell Costanzo, and produced by Melissa B. Miller, and executive produced by Clarendon Entertainment.

"jeffrey" begins production
September 08-09, 2006 - Russell Costanzo begins shoots the short film "jeffrey", to be produced by Palmy Inn Productions.
" jeffrey" is a genre-busting film that deals with the paralyzing morning routine of someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. As he does every weekday morning, Jeffrey awakens to get ready for work in a peculiar and calculated way. Everything he does leads up to him leaving on the moment of an exact new hour. As his routine gets interrupted time and again what first seems amusing, suddenly reveals the sad darkness that lies in the troubled mind of Jeffrey.

We believe that everyone is an individual and has his/her own unique story to tell. Through still photography, old super 8 footage, and After Effects technology we create a one of a kind film.

"The Tested" short film gets underway
July 2005 - Shoebox Pictures and Clarendon Entertainment team up for the short film "The Tested". Following the urban teen Dre Warren, "The Tested" is about his last few days leading up to a gang initiation. The film will be a part of the DVD series Urban S.L.A.M. Russell Costanzo is directing from his own screenplay with with Melissa B. Miller producing.

"The Wedding Bout" plays Palm Beach
April 2003 - "The Wedding Bout", the inaugural production for Shoebox Pictures, plays the Palm Beach International Film Festival. Starring ESPN's Max Kellerman the hilarious short film centers on a Jewish bride, an Italian groom, and their not so compatible families on their wedding day. When things get out of hand, the scene transforms itself into an actual boxing match with family members yelling out at whim their grievances with the other side. The match is a fight to the finish, leaving the ultimate prize, or knockout – marriage.