On Set with 'The Man Who Never Cried'

On a hot but breezy September afternoon, I joined the cast and crew of The Man Who Never Cried at a small cemetery tucked away east of I-30. A short film by Austin-based director/screenwriter Bradley Jackson, The Man Who Never Cried features Keir O’Donnell (Wedding Crashers, Miss Nobody), Jess Weixler (Teeth), and local actresses Madison Burge (Friday Night Lights) and Heather Kafka (Lovers of Hate). The story's central character is Rafe Winston (O'Donnell), who has never cried in his life. When his father passes away, he must find a way to cry so he can finally connect with the rest of humanity. He attempts to shed his first tear before the funeral -- but will he succeed? 

The Man Who Never Cried was selected earlier this year to compete as a finalist in the Doorpost Film Project, an international film competition based out of Nashville. Hundreds of submissions were sent to the competition, and The Man Who Never Cried was first selected as one of 21 semi-finalists and then as one of four finalists to receive $40,000 to make the short film. The other filmmaking teams come from Los Angeles, Atlanta and Perth, Australia, with the winning team to receive $100,000. Find out how you can help this Austin film win the grand prize after the jump.

Finalists received guidance and input from industry experts, and Jackson received tips and script edits from the likes of filmmaker Richard Linklater, producer Jeff Dowd (who inspired "The Dude" in the Coen Brothers' The Big Lebowski)  as well as television experts producer Dean Batali (That '70s Show) and writer Pat Hazell (Seinfeld).

The Man Who Never Cried film crew also included several notable local industry names: cinematographer Rick Diaz (Elvis and Anabelle, The Spirit Molecule), production designer Christopher Stull (Machete, Skateland) and Academy-award nominee makeup artist Meredith Johns (Temple Grandin, True Grit).

The Doorpost Film Project, which began in 2008, has impacted not only Austin film projects but Texas filmmakers, with over $135,000 in production monies in the final round participations. Jackson's short film Playland was a finalist in the 2009 competition. An additional $15,000 Filmmaker's Choice Award was presented to Austin-based filmmaker Greg Kwedar for his film Guest Room.

I spoke briefly on set with The Man Who Never Cried co-producer Andrew Lee, and we talked about how the film team raised funds for promotions through Kickstarter, a crowdfunding website. The team decided it was a great way to get funding and get the film out and gain awareness for the film to aid the voting process. Although the Kickstarter funding is over, check out their page for the amusing video Jackson created to encourage donors.

Voting for the Doorpost Film Project is open until January 14, and can be done here. You can vote once a day until the contest ends.

I'll post my review of the film soon, but feel free to comment on The Man Who Never Cried below in the comments section. I definitely encourage folks to watch and vote for this movie not only because it is a local independent, but because it is a lovely bittersweet story that I dare you not to cry at.

More photos from the film shoot on Flickr.

[Photo credit: "Bradley Jackson Directs" and "Rafe at His Father's Funeral" by Debbie Cerda]