That Old Black Magic
Short Film
Project Type: Narrative Short
Project Status: Post-Production
Director and Writer: Alan Trinca
Producer: Ethan Felizzari-Castillo, Sarah Rich
A nostalgic film about the pursuit of dreams, exploring the sacrifices of ambition and the passing of passion from one generation to the next.
LOGLINE
In 1964 Buffalo, Joe Marinaro is an asphalt laborer with dreams of becoming the next big crooner, but he needs a good old-fashioned miracle to seize an opportunity that could change his life forever.
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
My grandpa's dream was to be a singer. When he was young, he went to a voice conservatory to hone his craft. The son of Italian immigrants, he was dedicated. He was a dreamer. As I knew him, he still held an intense passion for this late dream (he would get choked up whenever he talked about it). The events in the film are all fundamentally true stories.
Isolated, this might appear to be a tragic story of an unfulfilled aspiration. But if you zoom out, it's easy to see Grandpa's creative spirit living through the subsequent generations that followed. My Uncle Paul is a jazz singer in Chicago (his music is featured in the film). My mother is the lead singer of a wedding band. My cousins are scoring the film.
I wanted to tell this story to reintegrate a kind of daily gratitude for the sacrifices of those who came before us; to share a family history that I'm proud of; to challenge the common notions of what it means to "make it;" and to promote the optimistic idea that all of what we do--the failures and the successes-- are not for naught.
This film is for anyone who has ever had a dream, and in a world where art continues to be undervalued, we all could use some encouragement.
SYNOPSIS
Buffalo, NY - 1964. Joe Marinaro supports his wife Caroline and their five children toiling as an asphalt laborer, but has big dreams of becoming a famous jazz crooner. Joe’s got an opportunity to record an album with an established producer in NYC, but he’s $10,000 short.
He goes to the mafia, but his point-person’s dead. He goes to his priest, but is denied his “worldly” pursuits. By the time Joe’s laboriously accumulated the funds by his own hand, his window of opportunity has passed.
Joe's youngest son Paul, obsessed with the piano, can't seem to get the attention of his ever-distracted father. Eventually, Caroline shakes him out of his dejection, and reminds Joe to sing, not for fame, but for the love of it.
With new resolve, Joe croons the newly released hit by Dean Martin, "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometimes," as he rakes asphalt. Joe's voice catches the passing ear of a music promoter named Angelo, who offers him an opportunity to be the last-minute opener for Jerry Vale at a renown venue in town.
Angelo meets Joe in his dressing room for a pre-show pep talk, and informs him that some industry movers and shakers are in attendance. This is it, his shot. Just before the MC calls him to the stage, his rough-around-the-edges friends and family begin chanting his name. Joe, lost in the ecstasy of the moment, doesn't realize Vale conspiring in the wings. Feeling upstaged, Vale gets Joe sent back to his dressing room... "schedule changes."
Joe's expectation to perform diminishes from song to song, until the silence from the dressing room monitors confirm his dreaded reality. It's over.
Back to work, Joe violently scrubs a curb as he comes to terms with the death of his dreams.
Later, Paul hops on the piano and clunks out "That Old Black Magic." Joe, moved by his son, joins him at the bench and plays with him, passing his dream to the next generation.
Paul, now an adult, addresses a full house from the stage at a jazz club and counts the band in.
Alan Trinca
Director/Writer
Alan Trinca began his career in the industry with a sole focus on acting, dedicating himself to the craft. He has starred in five off-Broadway plays and musicals (Friends The Musical, MsTrial, Love’s Labour’s Lost), appeared in a multitude of national commercials (Geico, Acura, Cuisinart), and has been cast in network and cable TV shows (Bull, 6 Degrees of Murder). His voiceover work includes animation and video games such as Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Alan eventually ventured into writing sketch comedy for video, discovering a passion for the production process. He has since teamed up with like-minded and motivated filmmakers to create work that inspires, provokes, affects change, or simply makes people laugh — something he believes the world needs more of. Alan has written, produced, and/or directed 13 short films, web series episodes, and music videos, earning awards as a writer/producer for short films like PRECURSOR and FRAGILE.
Recently, he was selected to receive a grant from the Russo Brothers’ Italian American Filmmaker Forum. He believes that optimism and positivity will eventually overcome negativity and nihilism, a perspective that is often reflected in his work.
Sarah Rich
Producer & 1st Assistant Director
Sarah Rich is an actor, writer, producer, and soon-to-be director. Sarah has been working in the entertainment industry since 14 years old, primarily as an actor. She has starred in television shows such as Chicago PD, Orange is the New Black, Blacklist, Law and Order: SVU; and has played major and leading roles in feature films such as Netflix’s Purple Hearts and #Like on Amazon Prime.
During the Covid Pandemic, she took advantage of the free time and started churning out her own scripts and developing projects with other eager, multiple hat-wearing filmmakers. It’s been a great joy for her to have the space to hone her skills behind the camera, have more autonomy as an artist, and enjoy the whole process of filmmaking with like minded wonderful people.
In the past 3 years, she has produced and/or assistant directed a handful of short films and music videos. She filled both those roles on That Old Black Magic, supporting the superb cast and crew in the creation of this beautiful story. Next up, she is excited to launch into her directorial debut on her original psychological thriller this coming winter.
Ethan Felizzari-Castillo
Producer
Ethan Felizzari-Castillo is a film/theatre producer, director & writer and founder of CK Productions Inc. Felizzari-Castillo, a creative of Salvadoran descent, prides himself in keeping his projects entirely independent and working against all odds to get them made.
He studied at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has been working professionally in the industry since 2013. Since the start of CK, Ethan has produced over 100 theatrical productions, over 50 music videos, several film and works with recording artists on a daily basis.
His credits include La Sangre en Nuestras Venas (Short, CK Films), Turkeys Go on Strike (Musical, CK Theatricals), Abuelo (Short, CK Films) & many more.
Luke Pengelly
Director of Photography
Luke Pengelly is a British Cinematographer currently working out of Los Angeles. He began his training as an actor and is a proud graduate of the NYU Tisch Drama program. Luke began working behind the Camera and in the Electric department, having worked on numerous short films, commercials, music videos and TV shows, including DAVE (FX) and the upcoming film OPUS (A24).
He feels his background as an actor uniquely positions him to approach each film through the lens of character, world building, and elevating the nuance of an actor's performance in service of the story. Luke is incredibly proud to be a part of this project, and is honored to be able to bring to life a story with so much love, vitality, and genuine humility.
Your Help
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!