Moviemaker is looking for some local talent

ovie, which will be shot in and feature the city, is slowly coming to fruition.

The time and place are yet to be finalized, but auditions are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 13 and 14, for roles in “Intoxicated Rain,” a film that will address race relations and perceptions and misconceptions of life in Port and Milwaukee.

Eighteen roles are up for grabs.

“It’s a good amount. We’ll be cranking them out both days,” O’Neil said.

O’Neil and his crew are still looking for a house in Port Washington where much of the movie will be filmed. O’Neil said he would like to shoot in the city since the film is about Port.

“I’m feeling confident that everything’s going to shake out one way or another,” he said.

Shooting is scheduled for September and October.

“It’s been a lot of hard but fun work, and it is great seeing things really starting to heat up,” producer Maureen McCourt Boylan said.

O’Neil said he is more driven than emotional about the project.

“I’m glad we’re at this point. It’s one thing to get excited. It’s another to get ready,” he said. “It’s really just another step in the process.”

Including editing and other post production tasks, he said, completing the film will be an 18 to 24-month process, he said.

Fundraising is ongoing as well. O’Neil said his team has raised some money but is in need of additional funds to make the film. The film is going to be made for less than $250,000, putting it in the ultra-low-budget category.

While the crew doesn’t need to be paid until later, hiring at least one named actor from Los Angeles requires money up front, he said.

O’Neil and other lead crew members have made it a priority to involve students in the production and have met with two groups, including one from Port High.

Principal Eric Burke said he appreciates the opportunity for the community and students.

“We have students that have great interest in acting or being an extra, technical aspects or just running errands for the crew,” he said. “It should be a lot of fun, and we feel that with Miles we are in good hands.”

O’Neil grew up in Port but moved to Milwaukee when he was in fifth grade. He owns the Wicked Hop bar and restaurant in Milwaukee’s Third Ward and has made a couple of films. Slated to be more than two hours long, “Intoxicated Rain” is his largest project.

For more information, email O’Neil at producer@intoxicatedrain.com. His film company’s Facebook page is facebook.com/missingfingerfilms.

For information on auditioning, visit www.josephskowcasting.com or its Facebook page at m.facebook.com/josephskowcasting.