Iraq and Afghanistan vet named director of photography for Parsippany, NJ-based film

Brooklyn-based cinematographer Jack Solomon has signed on as director of photography for”Dongmei ,” a short film currently in pre-production by Parsippany-based Where’s the Lake Productions.
In addition to being an accomplished writer, cinematographer, editor, director and gaffer, Solomon is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Jack is a phenomenal addition to our crew,” says writer-producer Bob Messinger.”After taking just one pass at the script, he blew me away with his creative vision on how the film should be shot.”
Solomon’s work has been showcased in scores of acclaimed independent films on the festival circuit. While he regularly freelances on a host of projects, he finds time to create his own as well. He is currently developing a children’s show and a superhero “mockumentary” series.
Director Cedric Hill suggested Solomon for the post of DP on “Dongmei,” the story of a Chinese woman whose battle with a couple of thugs triggers a psychotic episode, which lands her in the psych ward.
“Jack can do it all,” says Hill. “He’s like a jack of all trades on sets after having expanded his knowledge of film as a Technical Assistant at the New York Film Academy. His experience with state-of-the-art equipment like the TriCaster system RED, SCARLET, ARRI ALEXA,Blackmagic, Canon, Nikon and 35mm film cameras make him an asset to any production.”
Solomon is also a painter, and he performs stand-up comedy across the country.
Shooting of “Dongmei” begins August 1 in and around Parsippany.
The film is being financed entirely by a crowdfunding campaign. Sponsors of thearts are encouraged to support the project by visiting dongmei.

The Story

Dongmei is a Chinese woman who ends up in the psych ward after fending off a couple of thugs and then inexplicably attacking the responding police officers.
The script is a 22-minute, intense, psychological thriller written to keep audiences guessing throughout. It’s an extreme battle of wits between an intelligent, somewhat wise-ass, medicated and unwilling patient who’s adept at turning a conversation and a psychiatrist who’s overly confident he has what it takes to connect with her. The doctor’s confidence starts to falter, however, as the session intensifies and his combative patient takes charge, interspersing vividly descriptive and surprising accounts of her past with perfectly timed personal attacks on her new sparring partner. Even after the doctor seemingly regains control of the session, forcing Dongmei to face some hazy and painful images, it’s not unreasonable to expect the tables to be turned again to achieve an unexpected and powerful ending that will leave audiences questioning what was real and what wasn’t.
Once completed, the finished film will be submitted to film festivals worldwide and then presented to a host of on-demand distributors such as iTunes, Vimeo, Seed&Spark, Amazon, Hulu and others.

Resources

• DongmeiMovie.com
• Crowdfunding For Dongmei