Production Notes For Joe Dante's Latest Movie, Burying The Ex

 Burying the Ex

A Film by Joe Dante

Production Notes

SYNOPSIS:

Some relationships just…Won’t…Die…

In Burying the Ex, a new film from visionary director Joe Dante, a twenty-something’s romance with his dream girl takes an unexpected turn when his dead ex-girlfriend rises from the grave and thinks they’re still dating.  Seamlessly merging classic horror with screwball comedy and a poignant romance, Burying the Ex is a radically unique spin on the zombie genre.

Max (Anton Yelchin) is head-over-heels in love with his girlfriend Evelyn (Ashley Greene), a beautiful and headstrong environmentalist who’s just as crazy about him.  Their relationship takes a nosedive, however, when Evelyn moves in with Max and turns out to be not only controlling, but also insanely jealous.  Max decides it’s time to call it quits, but just as he’s about to break up with Evelyn, she’s struck by a bus and killed.

Max mourns Evelyn’s passing and eventually learns to move on with his life with some guidance from his ne’er-do-well womanizing half-brother Travis (Oliver Cooper).  One night, while attending a zombie movie double feature, Max meets Olivia (Alexandra Daddario), a cute and spunky hipster who shares Max’s passion for all things classic horror.  The two go on a date and instantly hit it off.  Max returns to his apartment on cloud nine, but gets the surprise of his life when he discovers that Evelyn has returned from the grave as a horrifying, rotting zombie!

Max soon realizes that his only chance at a future with Olivia relies on him doing the unthinkable: breaking up with Evelyn, a maniacal zombie who’s determined to do whatever it takes to get her happily ever after. 

 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

Great things start from small beginnings…

Burying the Ex began its life as a short film written and directed by screenwriter/producer Alan Trezza in 2008.  “The concept of an ex coming back to haunt you even after they’ve died had too much drama, theme and pathos to confine it to a short, and I felt compelled to expand it to a feature film,” Trezza says. 

Trezza presented the short film to his colleagues at Act 4 Entertainment to see if they’d be interested in taking it on as one of their projects.  Producer David Johnson, Act 4’s Founder, was taken by the short film’s unique tone and humor and quickly began developing it.

In a few short months, Trezza adapted his fifteen-minute short into a ninety-page screenplay that eventually found its way into the hands of legendary filmmaker Joe Dante.  Dante and Trezza met and instantly formed a connection.  Says Dante, “There’s a certain retro quality to the movie, but that’s in the script, because Alan grew up like I did, with these kind of films, and he loves them.”  Johnson had also been a fan of Dante’s work and found him to be the perfect collaborator on Burying the Ex.  “Joe’s experience, expertise and skill as a filmmaker is unparalleled in this genre and I cannot think of a better director to take the helm on this funny and yet emotionally-affecting project,” Johnson says.

Dante and Trezza quickly began looking for ways to finance what they felt was an entirely new spin on the age-old zombie genre.  After several meetings with various production companies, Alan found producer Carl Effenson of Artimage Entertainment, who had just produced the character-driven drama Hide Away starring Josh Lucas.  Effenson and his partners Kyle Tekiela and Sally Jo Effenson saw tremendous potential in the project and were especially thrilled by the opportunity to work with a master filmmaker like Joe Dante.

During the search for financing, Tekiela, through his childhood friendship with producer Frankie Lindquist, gave Scooty Woop Entertainment the script. Lindquist and her producing partner at Scooty Woop, Mary Cybriwsky, took an instant liking to the project and came onboard as producers.  Says Lindquist, “When I read the script I enjoyed it so much that I forgot that I was working.  It was refreshingly fun, had a great story and, with Joe directing, I knew that we had to get involved to make this film.”  Scooty Woop then brought Cassian Elwes onto the project and together they cast the film and closed the financing.  “I'm a massive fan of Joe’s work and was thrilled to work on a movie with him,” says Elwes.  “Not only is it one of his best, but it’s fun, funny and extremely entertaining.” 

Elwes later brought the project to Voltage Pictures who he had just worked with on Dallas Buyers Club.  Upon reading the script, Voltage Pictures agreed to finance and co-produce the film. 

With the production team in place and the film fully financed, the producers went about finding the right actors to populate the bizarrely comic world of Burying the Ex.

Casting the Ex

For the lead role of Max, a twenty-something horror aficionado, the filmmakers found themselves with the unenviable task of finding an actor with enough charm to attract two women and end up in a love triangle, while remaining likeable enough that audiences would sympathize with his dilemma.

Dante felt a particular affinity for the main character.  “Our hero is a guy who knows and loves horror movies,” he says.  “He works in a horror movie store, he’s maybe a little socially backward – all the things that those of us who call ourselves ‘monster kids’ are and have been.  So it’s a very relatable story for me.”

Anton Yelchin, recently seen in Star Trek and its sequel Star Trek Into Darkness, had always been a favorite of the filmmakers.  Yelchin had been an admirer of Dante’s films and was eager to work with him on the project.  “When I think of this movie, I think of it as more of a Joe Dante film than a genre movie, because he’s always represented a very specific take on genre and he’s always created genre films that were always aware of their genre.”

Yelchin responded to the material in the same manner as Dante and the other producers.  “What’s great about the tone of this script is that in a lot of ways it’s like a screwball horror film, ‘cuz it’s got very screwball comedy scenes, and so it brings to mind His Girl Friday or some of the Preston Sturges screwball moments where the dialogue is actually heightened and the pace is heightened.”

The next casting challenge was no easier than the first.  Now, the filmmakers needed to find someone to play Max’s undead love interest, Evelyn: a beautiful woman and a horrifying monster, the perfect girlfriend and a jealous ex.  It would take an actress of exceptional talent to portray all of Evelyn’s facets.

When the producers came across Ashley Greene, known for playing Alice Cullen in The Twilight Saga, they knew they had found their perfect Evelyn.  She understood the complexity of the character, explaining “she has a little bit of jealousy and vulnerability because she’s very afraid of losing Max, because he’s basically all that she has.”  Greene felt that she could empathize with the character, acknowledging that “…she does get a little extreme at times, but you kind of see where she’s coming from.  It’s that tragic thing that a lot of people do where you are so clinging on to someone that you actually push them away.”

  

For Max’s new love interest, Olivia, the filmmakers needed to find an actress who possessed the spunk and screen presence to match Greene, but who would also contrast strongly in personality and demeanor.  The filmmakers cast Alexandra Daddario, who played Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson series and co-starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed series True Detective alongside Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.  With Daddario, the filmmakers knew they had found an actress with amazing range and comedic ability who also had instant chemistry with Yelchin.

On Olivia, Daddario explains, “She's a really, really likable girl. I think she's offbeat; she's a little alternative, a little awkward, which was really fun to bring that part of myself out. In regular life we're all a little awkward, but we're always trying to hide it, and it was nice to not have to hide it as much for this character. She's just a really cool girl.” 

Alexandra was also thrilled by the opportunity to work on a project on a smaller scale than the giant budgeted Percy Jackson films.  “It's great! It’s a little bit different, there’s no green screen, and there’s more, on a daily basis, more interaction between the characters than, you know, something huge like Percy Jackson where you're just doing weeks and weeks of green screen and not a lot of dialogue. So, it's a lot of fun.”

For Max’s womanizing, ne’er-do-well half-brother Travis, the filmmakers turned to Oliver Cooper, a former stand up comedian who had starred in the box office hit Project X.  Like many of the other contributors to the project, Cooper was intrigued by the script’s unique take on traditional zombie lore.  “I think in Burying the Ex the zombies are real people and they’re kind of the same soul and type of person that they were before they died,” says Cooper.  “I think that’s an interesting element that I don’t know if I’ve seen that in a zombie movie.”

Bringing the dead to life

One of the most important aspects of any horror film, naturally, is creating the perfect monster.  In Burying the Ex the filmmakers faced the unique challenge of creating a zombie with more life, personality and beauty – albeit of the morbid variety – than audiences are used to seeing.  “Zombie Evelyn can talk, she can run, she’s extremely powerful — everything that she was, good or bad, has been magnified exponentially,” says screenwriter Alan Trezza.  It was crucial to find a special effects artist capable of creating a perfectly grotesque and beautifully terrifying Zombie Evelyn.

There was only one man for the job: special effects make-up wiz Gary Tunnicliffe, known for his groundbreaking work on the Hellraiser franchise.  “Gary does the special effects and he’s phenomenal.  He’s been doing this forever,” gushes Greene.  “It’s really cool to see him create a character alongside me… I’ve never had a face cast. I had that. So now there’s a dummy with my face on it that’s really, really creepy.”  Tunnicliffe even had Greene wear multiple contact lenses at the same time, some red, some milky white.  “I’ve never worn contacts like this,” says Greene.  “There’s actually two layers of contacts in my eyes on top of each other.”

Although challenging and uncomfortable at times, Greene was thrilled with the end result.  “By the end of the movie her flesh is falling off and she’s lost everything that makes her positive and she’s just kind of the green-eyed monster that people warn us about.  She completely turns into that.”

“Los Angeles is a character in this film…”

Although the idea of a dead ex-girlfriend returning from the dead to sabotage her former boyfriend’s new romance might seem outlandish, it was imperative for the filmmakers to ground their story in reality.  Following this rule, screenwriter/Producer Alan Trezza made sure to include LA institutions as The Hollywood Forever Cemetery and the New Beverly Cinema in his screenplay.  “Los Angeles is truly a character in this film and it was important to feature as many LA spots as possible in order to offset some of the more insane things that happen throughout the film,” says Trezza.  “Miraculously the film came together in Hollywood, where it’s set.  It’s a very Los Angeles specific movie.  And we got to sleep in our own beds at night,” said Dante.  Elaborates Cybriwsky, “We were very lucky to shoot at so many iconic Los Angeles locations and, despite the tight shooting schedule, production was fun and smooth thanks to Joe, the talented cast and professional crew. Together we made a classic Joe Dante film - the humor, the styling, the timeless quirkiness – it's really something special that we are proud to have put on screen.” 

ABOUT THE CAST:

ANTON YELCHIN (Max)

Anton Yelchin is one of the Hollywood’s most sought after young actors.  With highly acclaimed performances in Like Crazy, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation, The Beaver and Charlie Bartlett, Anton has quickly become a household name.

2013 has been a busy year for Anton.  He reprised his role as “Pavel Chekov” in Paramount’s Star Trek Into the Darkness and his role as “Clumsy Smurf” in Sony’s Smurfs 2.  Anton also voiced the lead character in the English version of the film From Up On Poppy Hill.

Anton recently completed filming Cymbeline alongside Ethan Hawke and Ed Harris, which is a modern-day retelling of the play by William Shakespeare.  Prior to that Anton starred in director William H. Macy’s Rudderless alongside Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup and Felicity Huffman and in 5 to 7 with Glenn Close and Frank Langella.  He also garnered critical acclaim for his starring role in Stephen Sommer’s Odd Thomas.

Audiences will next see Anton in Jim Jarmusch’s film Only Lovers Left Alive in which he stars alongside Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this spring, and he wrapped production on Broken Horses with Vincent D’Onofrio and Chris Marquette.

Most recently Anton completed filming Burying the Ex for director Joe Dante and The Dying of the Light for director Paul Schrader.  His upcoming projects include Driftless Area and Squirrels.

Anton received critical acclaim for his starring role in Drake Doremus’ film Like Crazy for which he was honored with the “Artist to Watch” Award at 2011 Aspen Film Festival and the “Hollywood Spotlight Award” at the 2011 Hollywood Film Festival.  Anton also garnered praise from critics for his performance as “Porter Black” in The Beaver, co-starring Mel Gibson and directed by Jodie Foster.

Anton’s film credits include a starring role opposite Colin Farrell and Tony Collete in Disney/Dreamworks thriller Fright Night; he voiced the character of “Albino Pirate” in animated feature, The Pirates Band of Misfits, starring Hugh Grant and Salma Hayek; he starred as “Kyle Reese” in Terminator Salvation opposite Christian Bale and Sam Worthington and he starred in Charlie Bartlett as a title character opposite Robert Downey Jr.

Additional films include Alpha Dog opposite Bruce Willis; Hearts in Atlantis opposite Anthony Hopkins; Fierce People opposite Diane Lane; Middle of Nowhere opposite Susan Sarandon; House of D opposite Robin Williams and New York, I Love You with all the stars cast.

Anton has also appeared on some of television’s most critically acclaimed dramas including the Showtime series Huff for two seasons and guest starring roles on Criminal Minds and Law and Order.

ASHLEY GREENE (Evelyn)

Ashley Green is globally known for her role as vampire Alice Cullen in Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate’s global phenomenon The Twilight Saga franchise.  The five films broke box-office records worldwide, cementing the franchise’s place in history as one of the most commercially-successful of all time.

The Jacksonville, Florida native will be seen next in Shangri-La Suite playing Priscilla Presley, Lorne Michaels’ Staten Island Summer, and the Joe Dante-directed comedy, Burying the Ex.  Past film credits include: CBGB, Butter, The Apparition and Skateland.

Greene is currently the global ambassador of OAKLEY Women’s Eyewear.  She was previously the face of brands including DKNY, DKNY Jeans, Avon’s Mark beauty and fashion brand, and SOBE Lifewater.  She is active in the philanthropic initiative known as m.powerment, which raises awareness and funds to help break the cycle of dating abuse and partner violence affecting young women.

She was the recipient of the 2009 Teen Choice Award for Fresh Face (Female); and the 2010, 2011, and 2012 recipient of the Teen Choice Award for Scene Stealer (Female).

ALEXANDRA DADDARIO (Olivia)

Alexandra Daddario garnered massive critical, fan and viral attention with her breakout role on the HBO series True Detective, alongside Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey.  The series premiered in January 2014, centering on two detectives whose lives collide and entwine during a 17-year hunt for a serial killer in Louisiana.  Daddario played scene-stealer Lisa Tragnetti, a beautiful court reporter whose affair with Harrelson’s character takes a dark turn. 

Up next, Daddario will co-star opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Warner Bros/New Line earthquake disaster epic San Andreas.  Later this year, she will be seen in the Joe Dante-directed film, Burying the Ex.

Previously, Daddario starred as Annabeth Chase in FOX’s Percy Jackson young-adult film franchise. Based on the best-selling Rick Riordan book series, the first film, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, was released in 2010 and grossed over $227 million worldwide.  The sequel, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Sea of Monsters was released in August 2013 to a similar reception.

Daddario has been working in the industry for almost a decade.  Past film credits include Lionsgate’s Texas Chainsaw 3D which opened number one at the box office on January 4, 2013.  A succession to the 1974 original film, Daddario followed in the legendary footsteps of past Leatherface protagonists, Renee Zellweger and Jessica Biel.  She was also seen in Farrelly Brothers’ Hall Pass (2011), Bereavement (2011), The Attic (2008), The Babysitters (2007), The Hottest State (2006), and The Squid and the Whale (2005).

Past TV credits include New Girl (2014), Parenthood (2012), White Collar (2009-2010), Law & Order Criminal Intent (2005-2009), Nurse Jackie (2009), Damages (2009), and The Sopranos (2006). She got her start on All My Children in 2003.

Daddario was named one of V Magazine’s “Faces to Watch in 2011” and was nominated for an MTV Movie Award in 2013.

A New York City native, she currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.  She enjoys playing the piano, singing, swimming, running track and ice-skating.

OLIVER COOPER (Travis)

Oliver Cooper made his way to Los Angeles in 2009 at the age of 19 to pursue his career as an actor and quickly landed a job interning at CONAN.  While navigating the landscape that is the actor’s life in Los Angeles, Cooper caught wind of an audition for the Todd Phillips produced movie Project X, a found footage, house party comedy.  The film was looking for three new faces as the film’s co-leads, and Cooper landed an audition and was soon offered the role of Costa.  His debut performance earned him two MTV Movie Award nominations for Best Comedic Performance and Best On-Screen Dirtbag.

Following up on the success, Cooper co-starred in the film Runner Runner alongside Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck.  Additionally, he partnered with aspiring director Joe Burke, a friend from Ohio, and the two set out to write and produce their own independent feature.  The result became Four Dogs, a slacker comedy, in which Cooper starred and Burke directed.  The film premiered at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival to solid reviews and was subsequently released via Vimeo’s On-Demand platform in 2014.

Most recently, Cooper guest starred on the final season of Showtime’s Californication as Levon, Hank Moody’s (David Duchovny) illegitimate son.  He’ll next be seen co-starring in the upcoming film Burying The Ex, a zombie comedy starring Alexandra Daddario, Ashley Greene, Anton Yelchin, and directed by Joe Dante.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS:

JOE DANTE (Director)

Joe Dante is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art.  After a stint as a film reviewer, he began his filmmaking apprenticeship in 1974 as trailer editor for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures.  He made his directorial debut in 1976 with Hollywood Boulevard (co-directed with Allan Arkush), a thinly disguised spoof of New World exploitation pictures, shot in ten days for $60,000.

In 1977 Dante made his solo debut as a film director with Piranha (1978), which went on to become one of the company’s biggest hits and was distributed throughout the rest of the world by United Artists.  Next, Dante directed the highly praised werewolf thriller The Howling (1981) for Avco-Embassy, followed by the “It’s a Good Life” segment of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).

Having worked with Steven Spielberg on Twilight Zone, Dante was chosen to helm one of the first Amblin Productions for Warner Brothers, Gremlins (1984), which became a runaway hit and grossed more than $200 million worldwide.

Dante followed up with Explorers (1985) for Paramount, a sci-fi fantasy about three kids who build their own spaceship starring Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, and then Innerspace (1987) for Guber/Peters, Amblin and Warner Bros., an action comedy in which miniaturized test pilot Dennis Quaid is injected into the body of supermarket clerk Martin Short.

Tom Hanks starred in Dante’s next film for Imagine/Universal, The ‘Burbs (1989), which was followed by Gremlins 2:  The New Batch for Warner Bros. in 1990.  Matinee, featuring John Goodman as a huckster showman premiering his new horror film during the Cuban missile crisis, was a production of Dante and partner Mike Finnell’s Renfield Productions for Universal in 1993.

Dreamworks/Universal’s Small Soldiers was released in 1998, followed in 2003 by Warner Bros. Looney Tunes: Back in Action featuring one of Dante’s favorite actors, Bugs Bunny.

Dante’s 3D thriller, The Hole, for Bold Films premiered at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival where it garnered the first-ever award for Best 3D Feature and had its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. 

ALAN TREZZA (Writer/Producer)

Alan Trezza oversaw the production of The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father CIA Spymaster William Colby about controversial former CIA Director William Colby.  The film played for over six months in more than 60 cities across the U.S. and received outstanding reviews from The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The Atlantic, in addition to being the “Critics Pick” in the New York Times.

In addition to writing the screenplay for Burying the Ex, Alan has also sold screenplays to Miramax Films and Paramount Pictures.  His most recent script, a supernatural thriller entitled Sanctuary is set up at Paramount Pictures with Joel Silver (The Matrix, V for Vendetta) producing.

Alan has worked as an executive for Scott Free Productions, where he developed projects directed by Ridley Scott and Tony Scott including Robin Hood and Body of Lies; and for Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films, where he worked on Donnie Darko: The Director’s Cut starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Fever Pitch.

Alan has written and directed several short films including the short film version of Burying the Ex, which played at numerous festivals around the world including San Diego Comic-Con.

DAVID JOHNSON (Producer)

David Johnson is the founder of Act 4 Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based filmed entertainment and new media content company created in 2007 to motivate and inspire audiences across the world toward social action.  Act 4 is in development on approximately 20 feature film, television and new media projects.

Johnson most recently produced the live stage musical version of American Psycho at the Almeida Theatre in London.  He executive produced The People Speak, a feature-length documentary with Matt Damon and other actors and musicians based on Howard Zinn’s book A People’s History of the United States, for the History Channel; and Angels in Exile, about street kids of Durban, South Africa narrated by Charlize Theron; and produced The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby, about the career and family life of controversial CIA director William Colby.

Johnson was a founder of Agility Capital, LLC, a venture fund for early stage companies, and had previously served as senior executive vice president at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. Prior to MGM, he was a partner of the international law firm White & Case.

Johnson is a graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School.

MARY CYBRIWSKY (Producer)

Mary Cybriwsky is an independent manager and producer with over 11 years experience working in entertainment.  Prior to opening production/management company Scooty Woop Entertainment in 2009 with Frankie Lindquist, Mary worked in all aspects of film development and production as an executive at Mosaic Media Group/Atlas Entertainment under the prolific producer Charles Roven and his team, on projects such as The Dark Knight, Get Smart, The International, and The Bank Job, amongst others.

Originally from Philadelphia, PA, and with a film production degree from Syracuse University, Mary’s fascination with film and television’s unique ability to influence the audience’s emotions drives her enthusiasm to work in entertainment.  She’s passionate about creating unique, entertaining, and substantive content, as well as working with and breaking new writing and directing talent.

Scooty Woop Entertainment manages an impressive roster of emerging writer and director clients working in film and television, and has several film and television projects in active development and pre-production.  Currently, Mary is an executive producer of the independent feature Sticky Notes starring Ray Liotta, Rose Leslie and Justin Bartha slated for release in 2015.

KYLE TEKIELA (Producer)

Kyle Tekiela is a five-time Emmy Award-winning Editor and Producer with nearly 10 years of professional experience.  While contracted by the TNT and TBS Networks, he produced and edited nearly 250 videos for their vast slate of programming including The Closer, Major Crimes, Falling Skies, Dallas, and the new hit The Last Ship, Executive Produced by Michael Bay.  His refined editorial sensibilities are directed towards projects with strong thematic content, as well as dramatic stories with a visceral and identifiable human element. 

Kyle’s unique combination of production and post production knowledge provides a distinctive eye for material suited for both theatrical and television production, and enables him a distinct creative advantage both on set and in the edit.  Alongside his producing partner Carl Effenson, the two are a powerhouse team of turn-key experience.

CASSIAN ELWES (Executive Producer)

Wikipedia calls Cassian Elwes one of the most important figures in independent cinema.

Elwes began his producing career with 1983's "Oxford Blues" starring Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy and quickly went on to make another 29 films, including "Men At Work," with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, and "The Chase" with Sheen.

In 1995, Elwes joined William Morris and headed William Morris Independent for 15 years. He financed such indie hits as "Slingblade" and "The Apostle,” both of which were nominated for multiple Oscars. "Monster's Ball" was their follow up, which won the “Best Actress” Oscar for Halle Berry, the first African American woman to do so.

Elwes is considered an expert in the field of arranging financing and distribution for independent films having done so for 283 films during his tenure at William Morris Independent. 

  

Since leaving William Morris Independent 4 years ago, Elwes has been involved in arranging financing and distribution for 30 films including “Lawless,” directed by John Hillcoat, and starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy. The thriller “The Paperboy,” directed by Lee Daniels, starring Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman, and “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster, which was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award for “Best Feature.”

Elwes produced the hit period drama “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which featured an all-star cast headed by Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey. He also executive produced “All Is Lost” directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Robert Redford and executive produced and arranged financing for the Oscar winning hit “Dallas Buyers Club” directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.

NICOLAS CHARTIER (Executive Producer)

Nicolas, the Academy Award winning producer of The Hurt Locker, has been involved in the financing, production and sales of a diverse range of films for the past 10 years.  In 2005, he founded Voltage Pictures, an International financing, sales and production operation. He has handled over 150 movies in the past 6 years.  The Hurt Locker was Voltage Pictures’ first in-house production and claimed 6 Oscars in 2009, including Best Picture. Killer Joe was Voltage’s second in-house film, directed by William Friedkin and starred Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch, which was released by LD Entertainment.  Recently Nicolas produced The Company You Keep, directed by Robert Redford and starring Robert Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie and Brit Marling which premiered at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and will be released April 5th, 2013 by Sony Pictures Classics.  More recently Nicolas executive produced The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman directed by 6-time DGA nominated director Fredrik Bond, starring Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood.  He also executive produced Don Jon’s Addiction written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt also stars alongside Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore in his directorial debut, which will premiere at Sundance in 2013. Nicolas currently is producing Zero Theorem being directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Christoph Waltz.

Prior to forming Voltage, Chartier was VP of sales and acquisitions at Myriad Pictures. He has been involved in the sales of a diverse range of films there such as The Good Girl and Van Wilder. As the president of Vortex Pictures, he sold titles such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Nicolas Cage’s Sonny. As head of sales and acquisitions at Arclight Films, Chartier acquired Dean Devlin's The Librarian, 2006 Academy Award winner Crash and The Matador starring Pierce Brosnan. During his time at Arclight, Chartier also sold Lord of War starring Nicolas Cage and The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino.

JONATHAN HALL (Director of Photography)

Jonathan Hall began his career as a cinematographer through a love for inline skating and extreme sports.  On his path towards becoming a professional skater, Jonathan suffered a career-ending injury when he broke his ankle and was put on bed rest for three months – a virtual death sentence in the skating world.  The skate company that was sponsoring Jonathan at the time decided to give him a Sony digital 8mm camcorder and have him document other skaters from the sidelines.  Jonathan found that he loved shooting skate videos more than skating itself.  Skate videos soon became secondary to his interest in the art of narrative filmmaking, and after graduating from the prestigious Brooks Institute of Photography, Jonathan quickly made the jump to shooting commercials, music videos, television shows, and feature films.  His most recent work can be seen on MTV’s Teen Wolf and AMC’s The Walking Dead.

FREDRICK WAFF (Production Designer)

Fredrick Waff has a number of art-department credits on major features, including The Social Network, Drive, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Project X, Terminator Salvation, Yes Man and Zodiac.  His forthcoming releases as production designer include the horror film Zombeavers, starring Bill Burr and Jon Mayer, the thriller Return to Sender, starring Nick Nolte and Rosamund Pike, and the recently completed Burying The Ex directed by Joe Dante starring Anton Yelchin and Ashley Green.  Waff was born in Sacramento.  He developed his fascination with film at an early age, cultivating a love for all genres and a great respect for the craft of filmmaking.  He studied theater in New York, then followed his heart to Los Angeles and carved out a career in film.  Waff keeps himself busy in his free time with a number of outdoor activities and adding new titles to his extensive library of classic movies.  He resides in the Los Angeles area.

MARSHALL HARVEY (Editor)

Marshall Harvey  is a graduate of the film school at Cal Arts.  After working on several documentaries, early music videos, and trailers for New World Pictures, he moved into feature films with The Sword and the Sorcerer.  He has edited several movies and television productions for Joe Dante including The ‘Burbs, Matinee, The Second Civil War, Small Soldiers, Masters of Horror, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, The Hole 3D and Burying the Ex.  Marshall has also done films with directors Steve Miner (Lake Placid, Dawson’s Creek) Mick Garris (Riding the Bullet) and has recently completed worked on Dario Argento’s Dracula 3D.

Burying the Ex is Marshall’s eleventh collaboration with Joe Dante.

LYNETTE MEYER (Costume Designer)

Lynette Meyer  began her fashion career making clothes for her dolls, self, and neighborhood moms as a five-year-old sewing savant in Minneapolis, MN.  While studying fine art at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, she fell in love with styling by dressing underground punk bands for their shows, album art, and music videos.  After realizing the potential for storytelling through costume, Lynette moved to Hollywood and has since designed for films, theatre, commercials, and television.

Lynette’s costume designs can be seen in Neil LaBute's The Shape of Things, Nurse Betty and Lakeview Terrace as well as Michael Winterbottom’s The Killer Inside Me starring Casey Affleck and Jessica Alba.

She lives in Los Angeles with her French Bulldog, Henri.

JOSEPH LODUCA (Composer)

Joseph LoDuca is a two-time Emmy Award winner and eleven-time nominated composer.  His latest project is an action/adventure/fantasy series entitled The Librarians, one of the many projects he has composed for producer Dean Devlin. 

He began his film career scoring director Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead Trilogy, and has continued that relationship through the top-rated television series Spartacus (produced by Raimi/Tapert/Donen), Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Emmy winners, The Legend of the Seeker and Xena: Warrior Princess.

International film credits include French productions Brotherhood of the Wolf (César nominee for Best Score), Saint Ange, and the Russian produced Soldier of Fortune (director Maxim Korostyshevsky).  In 2012, Patagonia (directed by Marc Evans) was chosen as the British entry for the Foreign Language Oscar. 

Recent projects include Curse of Chucky (director Don Mancini), recognized as one of the Best Scores of 2013 by Film Music Magazine and Burying the Ex (for director Joe Dante).  In the past year, Joseph conducted his own works at the Varese Sarabande 35th Anniversary Concert and at the prestigious Fimucite 8 festival in Tenerife, Spain.

Joseph’s life-long love affair with music began with deep rock and jazz roots coming up through the rich music scene in the Motor City; to university studies of composition and guitar in New York; expanding further to absorb the musical languages of the Middle East, India, and Asia, finding fresh contexts for ancient sounds and mastering the numerous ethnic instruments which he plays on his scores.  These influences, plus a genuine enthusiasm for collaboration with talented filmmakers have rewarded him with surprises such as operettas and musicals, which have earned three Emmy nominations for his songs.

He sums it all up, “I understand the language of music and how to apply it to storytelling. What excites me is being able to inject who I am and what I discover every time I work closely with a filmmaker.”

  

BURYING THE EX

Unit Production Manager

SCOTT FORT

First Assistant Director

CYNTHIA A. POTTHAST

Second Assistant Director

ATHENA ALEXANDER

Cast

Max		ANTON YELCHIN
Evelyn		ASHLEY GREENE
Olivia		ALEXANDRA DADDARIO
Travis		OLIVER COOPER
Chuck		ARCHIE HAHN
Blonde Bimbo/Coco		GABRIELLE CHRISTIAN
Parent		JULIA MARCHESE
Goth Girl #1/Demetrial		WYNDOLINE LANDRY
Goth Girl #2		MARY KATE WILES
Bartender		MARK ALAN
Kat		OZIOMA AKAGHA
Kendra		STEPHANIE KOENIG
FHM Centerfold		KATIE ROSS
Grumpy Customer		JOHN HORA
Crusty Old Cop		DICK MILLER
Scary Mary		MARY WORONOV

Stunt Coordinator

COLE MCKAY

Associate Producer

CRAIG ROESSLER

GREGORY ALPERT

Post Production Supervisor

SAM GAILEY

Art Director		GEOFFREY BROWN
Set Designer		JOEY FELD
Art Department Coordinator		MONICA SOTTO
Painter		RAUL CONTERAS
Set Decorator		ERIKA RICE
Leadman		DAVID LOITZ
On Set Dressers		SALVADOR VALLE
		SL WADE

A Camera Operator		JEFF CLARK
A Camera First Assistant		JOE SEGURA
A Camera Second Assistant		ANDREW DICKIESON
B Camera Operator		JASON OLDAK
B Camera First Assistant		JUNE ZANDONA
B Camera Second Assistant		LANI WASSERMAN
Still Photographer		SUZANNE TENNER
Digital Imaging Technician		NICK HILTGEN

Sound Mixer		JAY PATTERSON
Boom Operator		TOM PINNEY
Utility Sound		KRIS MANNING

Chief Lighting Technician		JEREMY GRAHAM
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician		ROBERT SHOEMAKER
Lamp Operators		THOMAS HOLM
		CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON
		VICTORIA CHENOWETH

Key Grip		DJ TEDESCO
Best Boy Grip		KYLE KOLDING
Grip		JAMES O’CONNOR
Additional Grips		CONRAD WENDLAND OMAR PENA

Script Supervisor		HEATHER “CASPER” CASTERLIN
Costume Supervisor		BRIGITTE FERRY
Set Costumer		TASHA GOLDTHWAIT
Costume PA		JOSEPH CASTELLANOS

Department Head Hair		JOSEPH CHASE
Department Head Make Up		SIAN RICHARDS
Key Make Up Artist		ANIA HARASIMIAK
Assistant Make Up Artist		YOLANDA PRICE
Special Make Up Effects Supervisor		GARY J. TUNNICLIFFE

Location Manager		GREGORY ALPERT
Key Assistant Location Manager		BRIGETTE POPE
Location Assistant		TIM ATTEWELL

Property Master		TYLER PATTON
Assistant Property Master		EDDIE GRISCO

Production Coordinator		DAVID MALLEY
Production Secretary		RYAN THOMPSON
Production Assistant		ZACH LALIBERTE

2nd 2nd Assistant Director		MARISOL “ARI” OYOLA
Key Set Production Assistant		BRIAN ANKRUM
Set PA		ASHLEY GRESSEN
Productions Assistants		SETH FARLEY
		MARC EFFENSON

Production Accountant		WENDY SILL
1st Assistant Accountant		LISA RUPPRECHT
Casting Assistant		ALEX ISKOUNEN
Extras Casting		BURBANK CASTING
		SUSAN TURNER
		MICHELLE GABRIEL

Craft Service		DAVID GARCIA
		LAURI LOOSEMORE
Set Medic		STEVE MARTIN
Special Effects Supervisor		KEVIN BERVE
Special Effects Coordinator		SUSAN MILLIKEN
Transportation Captain		KENNY KAPLAN
Transportation Coordinator		LANCE CHERNIET
Set Decoration Driver		TROY TOMERLIN JR.
Genie Operator		MIKE VAN ITEM

Catering Provided by		LORI’S KITCHEN
		LORI GRIFF

Post Production

Post Production Supervisor		LARRY FERGUSON JR.
Assistant Editor		WILLIAM YOUNG

Score Produced By			JOSEPH LOCUCA

Visual Effects By		RELEVANT VFX
VFX Supervisor		CONNOR MEECHAN
VFX Producer		JAMES HUBER
Compositing Supervisor		A. MICHAEL DOBBS
Lead Compositor		SEAN COX
Compositor		DAVE DAMANT
VFX Artists		ADEDUNMOLA OLANREWAJU
		ANDREW MITCHELL
		KYLE TEKIELA
Additional On Set Supervision		CARLOS FUEYO
EPK Editor		RILEY MORRIS
Title Design		ANDREW MITCHELL
		KYLE TEKIELA

VOLTAGE PICTURES
International Sales and Distribution		ELISABETH COSTA DE BEAUREGARD ROSE
		JOHN SHORT
Marketing and Publicity		BRIANNA BROWN
		KATIE KATZ
Music Clearance		MICHAEL WICKSTROM
		CHRISTIAN EIMER
Post Production Accountant		ASHLEY HARRIS
Administration and Collections		JAMES MACLEAN
E&O and General Liabilities Insurance Provided By		GALLAGHER ENTERTAINMENT INSURANCE SERVICES
Legal Services Provided By		RAMO LAW
		MICHELLE CHANG
		JESSICA JOHNSON
International Servicing Provided By		BACKROOM INTERNATIONAL
		CHUCK MARSHALL
		JON HUOT
		ROBERT SHEPPARD

BTX Nevada, LLC is the author of this motion picture for the purpose of copyright and other laws.

The characters, entities and incidents portrayed herein and the names used herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

Ownership of this motion picture is protected by copyright and other applicable laws of the United States of America and other countries. Any unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition of this motion picture (including soundtrack) is prohibited and could result in criminal prosecution as well as civil liability.

© 2014 BTX Nevada, LLC

All Rights Reserved.

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