Press Kit Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob Running time: 80 Minutes Winner Award of Excellence IndieFest 2008 Award of Excellence in Filmmaking Honolulu International Film Festival 2009 Official Selection 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival 2008 Austin Film Festival 2008 Heartland Film Festival 2009 Sedona Film Festival 2009 Wisconsin Film Festival 2009 LA Feel Good Film Festival 2010 Sonoma International Film Festival CONTACT: Justine Jacob justine@readysetbag.com 510-506-9882 www.readysetbag.com http://www.readysetbag.blip.tv/ READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob SHORT SYNOPSIS Every February competitive grocery baggers from across the country meet in Las Vegas to vie for the title of National Best Bagger. READY, SET, BAG! explores the lives of eight state champions, following these delightfully fun, quintessentially American characters from local contests to their moment on the national stage. LONG SYNOPSIS Every February competitive grocery baggers from across the country meet in Las Vegas to vie for the title of National Best Bagger. READY, SET, BAG! explores the lives of eight state champions, following these delightfully fun, quintessentially American characters from local contests to their moment on the national stage. No matter where we are in life or what we do for a living -- we all shop at the grocery store. And the checker or bagger is often the last personal contact we have with an employee. It is here at the end of the checkout aisle that READY, SET, BAG! shows the pride and effort these individuals put into their job to be the best at what they do - capturing the spirit of working class Americans. But Americans don’t only work hard, they also like to have fun and the world of competitive grocery bagging is often bizarrely entertaining and unexpected. Contestants unveil their competitive side as they train and take the competition - but never themselves - seriously. Spanning the US, they are the heart of the bagging competition, their workplaces and of READY, SET, BAG! You’ll meet Jacob, the once shy and overweight teenager who blossomed and found friends when he got his first job at the grocery store; Brenda, who works beside her devoted daughter and rides Harleys with her hunting-obsessed husband; James, the athletic team player who must survive the “Thunderdome of Bagging”; Kim, whose posse of 45-80 year-olds gives her a Vegas sendoff she’ll never forget; Roger, a Chinese/Trinidadian immigrant who sees the prize money as his gateway to the American Dream; Ryan, the African-American home-schooled farm boy everyone loves; Brian, a returning state champion determined to redeem himself after the mistake that cost him the National title last year; and Jon, the stoic Minnesotan who has one last chance to prove that he can snag the bagging gold before he hits fifty. These characters prove that speed, accuracy and heart will determine who is best qualified to ask you, "Paper or plastic?" READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob FILMAKERS’ STATEMENT - Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob Our story originated when Oren Jacob, our Executive Producer, was talking with some friends about their summer jobs back in high school. Someone blurted out “I used to be a grocery bagger, but never made it out to the regionals…” Driving home that night, Oren called and said, “I know what our next film is about.” The idea of taking something as mundane and common as bagging to an extreme competitive level intrigued us and we wanted to find out who would participate in such an endeavor. We started researching the competition, the National Grocers Association that runs the competition, and the supermarket industry in general. We found a competition that has been going on for over 20 years, an organization with a purpose to advocate for independent grocers that cater to their communities, and an industry filled with integrity where individuals love their jobs and serving their customers. We knew we had more than a competition film. We then pitched the story at the Sundance Producers Conference, and won the Best Pitch award. With our first $500 in funding secured, and five months to go before the national competition, we started a tour of 21 states filming regional bagging competitions and meeting state champions. After propane fireballs, a dedicated coach, a winning 4H dairy goat, a victory dance, a harem, a rugby scrum, some dead deer, band camp, a 50th birthday party, drinking moonshine with flamingos, and a whole lot of very well packed groceries, what we discovered was the heart of America. We had a blast and saw an opportunity to tell intimate, personal stories that would reveal a slice of Americana we all participate in. As we filmed the final round of the National competition in Vegas, we knew we had a compelling story to tell about these individuals who exemplified being the best at what you do, no matter what that is. We are grateful to all the contestants, their families, their coaches and their fans, as well as the National Grocery Association, for welcoming us into their lives. They shared their talent, their skill, their passion, their pride in their work and some secret training tactics too. After watching our film, we’re confident that you will never go through a checkout aisle the same way again, knowing what it takes to be qualified, at a professional level, to ask the question “Paper or plastic?” READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob Benefiting the National and Local Food Banks Ready, Set, Bag! focuses on a vital part of our community – the supermarket. We all need to eat, but unfortunately, not everyone can easily walk into a store and buy food. According to Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger-relief charity, for 1 in 6 Americans, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different. Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. We all know and are in contact with people affected by hunger, even though we might not be aware of it. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. Most of us simply have no idea. It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America. www.feedingamerica.org Ready, Set, Bag! is helping raise much needed funds and food in the following ways and as of June 1, 2010, the film has raised enough money to fund over 5000 meals. Ticket sales: As Ready, Set, Bag! tours around the United States, $1 from each ticket sold is donated to the local food bank in that area. Food donations at screenings: In certain locations, individuals get $1 off the ticket price for bringing in at least 3 cans to donate to the food bank. BlipTV Channel: www.readysetbag.blip.tv all ad revenue from this channel goes to Feeding America. We’ll be posting up additional clips of the characters and clips from other baggers every couple weeks. In addition, artists such as Mike Relm, JibJab, and AutoTune the news will be contributing their own content remixed from ours as well on this channel. Groupon Deal: www.groupon.com $1 from the deal goes to the local food bank when our tickets our sold through Groupon. Online: 10% of all sales from our online store go to Feeding America. READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob Screening Theatrically with the award-winning short film, Leonardo’ Preceeding Ready, Set, Bag! at all theatrical screenings is Leonardo, a short film by Oscar nominee Jim Capobianco who also created the animation within Ready, Set, Bag! Synopsis: Follow Leonardo da Vinci in his quest to fly. A story of perseverance, Leonardo takes you on a journey of creativity. A journey that often leads to a very different place than where you thought you would end up. Learn more at www.aerialcontrivanceworkshop.com READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob SUBJECTS’ BIOS Minnesota State Champion, Jon Sandell With a goal to make it to the national competition the year he turned 50, 49-year-old Sandell won the state competition. Tough on the outside but with a generous heart, he represents Chris’ Food Center, a familyowned store run by a previous best bagger champ and proud displayer of numerous State Bagger Champion trophies. Sandell wants the top prize and brings along his “Harem," three female coworkers who knew that Sandell was their ticket to Vegas. Utah State Champion, Brian Bay The year before, Bay failed to place at nationals when he missed a pack of lifesavers that had rolled up against the side of the checkout stand. This year, he returned to beat out 38 competitors and became Utah’s reigning State Champion. After a year of practicing and more determined than ever, he, his wife and cheering squad can’t wait to return to Vegas for his chance at redemption. Alabama State Champion, Roger Chen Chen is very clear about why he’s participating in the contest – for the money. Describing himself as the “typical American,” he is a 25-year-old Chinese immigrant born in Trinidad, Tobego. He has been in the US for two years studying computer science and needs money to pay for his education. His lively and dedicated coach, Publix store manager Joe Yaeczitis, has found what he believes is the contestant who will finally bring Alabama its first national title. Pennsylvania State Champion, Kim Weaver Forty-eight year old Weaver is grounded, works with her teenage kids at the same store and loves to play pinochle. Once a month she gets together with the Flamingals – a hilarious group of eight women from the store (aged 45-80) to eat, play cards, have sleepovers and drink. Surrounded by flamingo paraphernalia, they give Weaver a special Vegas sendoff she’ll never forget. California State Champion, James Hunter Competing in the “Thunderdome of bagging competitions,” the driven, highly competitive Hunter had to drown out 400 screaming, dressed up, face-painted bagging fans to emerge the California State Champion. He’s a rugby star at school and off to college this year. Both a team player and a solo dynamo, he feels fully confident to compete against the best of the best in Vegas. Iowa State Champion, Brenda Wygle It took Wygle ten years of competition to finally become the Iowa State Champion. Her daughter, 17, who works with her at the store and has stuck by her side through it all, has no doubt her mom can win at the national level. Often taking Harley rides with her husband and son, Wygle is proudly the first woman to represent Fareway Stores over the 20 years of competitions. Virginia State Champion, Jacob Richardson At 17, Richardson is the youngest state champion in the competition this year. He’s outgoing, sweet-natured, and can’t stop talking. But, he wasn’t always this way. Once an overweight and solitary videogamer, getting a job at Food City helped him break out of his shell, make great friends and lose weight. Now when he’s not working, he’s at the store hanging out with his friends or talking with them on MySpace. His very supportive dad and sister have dreams Richardson will win in Vegas, but he says he knows he’s “already a winner.” Ohio State Champion, Ryan Hamilton “Ryan Hamilton IS Ohio,” as his friends describe. The consummate overachiever, Hamilton grew up and was home-schooled on a farm in Mt. Vernon, OH. He’s the winner of numerous 4H awards, a college swimmer, volunteer for an inner city afterschool program, and studying to become a vet. But what really matters to him is family. READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob CREW BIOGRAPHY Director/Producer: Justine Jacob Justine Jacob is a filmmaker and entertainment law attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area. She produced and co-directed Runners High (2006). She participated in the Sundance Producers Conference, served two years as President of Bay Area Women in Film and Media, and is currently on the board of Lunafest. Director/Cinematographer: Alex D. da Silva Alex D. da Silva has been working in the film industry since 1989. After receiving his Masters Degree in Film in São Paulo, Brazil, he worked as a Producer, Cinematographer and Director in commercials and non-commercial projects shot in the U.S. and Latin America. He produced and directed the award winning short film O Cantor de Samba and co-directed and shot Runners High, (2006). Executive Producer: Oren Jacob Oren Jacob, Executive Producer of the documentary Runners High (2006), has been working in film for 20 years. He is currently the Director of the Studio Tools group at Pixar Animation Studios, where he is also a Chief Technical Officer. He was Supervising Technical Director of Finding Nemo (2003), as well as Effects Lead on Toy Story 2 (1999), and Technical Director on A Bug’s Life (1998), and Toy Story (1995). Executive Producer: Graham Walters Graham Walters is a founding member of Modern Polity, an organization dedicated to developing modern ideas and technology to improve the form of government. He was previously the Head of Technology for Pixar Animation Studios and Producer of Finding Nemo (2003). He also worked on Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2 in a variety of capacities. Prior to joining Pixar he worked at Pacific Data Images and with Jim Henson Productions. Editor: Garret Savage Garret Savage’s work spans a variety of formats including documentaries, fiction features, film trailers, short films and television commercials. His documentary editing credits include My Perestroika (Sundance 2010), Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern’s End of America, and an episode of the forthcoming HBO documentary series My American Dream. Other editing credits include the fiction feature Olympia (Slamdance, Sundance Channel) as well as projects for a variety of networks and studios including Paramount Pictures, ABC/ESPN, Discovery, WE, MTV, and the Style Network. He has directed and edited numerous award-winning shorts and in 2005 he was profiled as one of The Independent magazine’s “Top Short Filmmakers.” His rural documentary, 4-Cylinder 400, continues to be broadcast on the Independent Film Channel. As an educator, he was the Program Director of the Nantucket Film Festival’s Teen View Film Lab and a mentor with the Reel Works Teen Filmmaking Program in Brooklyn. Editor: Andrew Gersh Andrew Gersh is a documentary film and video editor based in Berkeley, California. His work has appeared on PBS (including NOVA and FRONTLINE), ABC, MSNBC, National Geographic, Discovery, Turner Broadcasting, the BBC and Channel 4, UK and in film festivals worldwide. Other feature documentaries include Rumi: Poet of the Heart (1998), Taking Guns from Boys (2006) and Ask Not (2008). www.gershpost.com. Animation, Jim Capobianco Jim Capobianco received the 2008 Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Ratatouille. He also wrote and directed Pixar's short film, Your Friend The Rat, found on the Ratatouille DVD. Having started in the story department at Walt Disney feature animation, Jim's credits include: The Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Fantasia Continued. He then moved up to the bay area to work at Pixar Animation Studios where his credits include A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo and directed the critically acclaimed end titles for Wall•E. Most recently Jim finished his own independent short, Leonardo. Which has been acquired by New York's Museum of Modern Art's permanent film collection. In 2009, Jim started his own company, Aerial Contrivance Workshop. www.aerialcontrivanceworkshop.com Composer, Marco d’Ambrosio Marco d’Ambrosio is a composer, producer, trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist and all-around noise wrangler. He has scored numerous award winning films, documentaries and theatre projects including the anime hit Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust, Haiku Tunnel (Sundance 2001), the Emmy winning documentary Blink, Double Dare for PBS and Red Diaper Baby for the Sundance Channel. Other scores of Marco’s have been on projects released by 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures Classics, Lucasfilm Ltd., PDI/Dreamworks, Pixar, and Columbia TriStar. You can hear one of his latest scores in The Rape of Europa, airing on PBS nationwide and for which he just received an Insight Award for Excellence from the National Association of Film and Digital Media Artists. Marco is also responsible for creating much of the dynamic sound and music heard in the acclaimed Lucasfilm THX trailers. In 2005, he was awarded the prestigious film scoring fellowship from the Sundance Institute, and in 2009 he was selected for the BMI Conducting Workshop in Hollywood. In addition to Ready, Set, Bag!, Marco recently co-scored the documentary feature We Live In Public which was awarded the Grand Jury prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. His latest project is the score to the 1921 film, The Mechanical Man, which will be performed live by almost 200 kids in 2010. www.marcoco.com Sound Designer, James LeBrecht Award-winning sound designer James LeBrecht has mixed or sound designed for feature film and documentary projects that include The Blood of Yingzhou District, Daughter from Danang, White Light/Black Rain, The Cockettes, The Rape of Europa, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Battlefield Earth and The Skulls. LeBrecht's work has reached into the exhibition and gaming world where he has designed sound for the E3 conventions in Los Angeles, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Electronic Arts, MAXIS, TECMO and Midway Studios-Austin. He is the founder of Berkeley Sound Artists, a complete audio post production house. LeBrecht has designed and produced sound effects and music for over 100 professional theatrical productions and coauthored the book "Sound and Music for the Theatre: The Art and Technique of Design" with Deena Kaye. READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob ABOUT: NATIONAL GROCERS ASSOCIATIONS’ BEST BAGGER COMPETITION The National Grocers Association (NGA – www.nationalgrocers.org) is a trade association representing the retail and wholesale grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. The meaning of “independent retailer” is more a question of ownership and philosophy of operation, rather than the number of stores or type of format. A few are publicly traded, but with controlling shares held by the family, and others are employee owned. Independents are the true “entrepreneurs” of the grocery/food industry and are dedicated to their customers, associates, and communities. N.G.A. Mission Statement: To ensure independent, community-focused retailers and wholesalers the opportunity to succeed and better serve the consumer through its policies, advocacy, programs and services. N.G.A. Philosophy Statement To promote diversity in the marketplace through a vibrant independent sector, and thereby increase consumer choice in price, variety, quality, service and value. Best Bagger Competition Twenty-three years ago the National Grocers Association held it’s first Best Bagger Contest in Dallas, Texas. Since then the N.G.A. has been bringing the country’s finest baggers together to determine who is the best of the best. The contest was created to promote the grocery industry’s devotion to exceptional customer service through superior bagging. Judging Criteria Speed Contestants need to bag orders significantly more quickly than the average bagger. 35 seconds or less gets the full 10 points. Proper bag building technique Contestants must be able to arrange groceries correctly within the bag. Packing should involve these steps: 1. Placing heavy cans on the bottom of the bag. 2. Framing boxed items around the bag’s walls to create a “cushion” for other items. 3. Inserting bottles and other glass-encased groceries in the center of the sack. 4. Placing crushables, such as produce and eggs, on the top. 5. Slipping small items, like packs of gum, in the spaces in the bag. Distribution of weight between bags Contestants should know how to distribute groceries between bags so that all bags are approximately equal in weight. Points are deducted for every half-pound difference between bags. Style, attitude and appearance Contestants should present a neat appearance, be polite, and convey a customer-oriented attitude. They will also be judged in part on their composure and self confidence. Prizes The most important prize the contestants receive is the recognition of their peers and superiors. Prizes vary at the local and state levels. On the national level, the N.G.A. awards $250 to each state champion. The five finalists take home a bag-shaped trophy as well as the following cash prizes: - The winner receives $10,000.00 - The first runner-up takes home $5000.00 - Second, third and fourth runners-up are awarded $500 each. READY, SET, BAG! Directed by Alex D. da Silva and Justine Jacob PRODUCTION CREDITS Directed by Justine Jacob & Alex D. da Silva Producer Justine Jacob Executive Producers Oren Jacob Graham Walters Cinematographer Alex D. da Silva Editors Garret Savage Andrew Gersh Story Oren Jacob Justine Jacob Alex D. da Silva Music Composition and Production Marco d’Ambrosio (rolling credits) Featuring Brian Bay Roger Chen Ryan Hamilton James Hunter Eric Jacob Richardson Jon Sandell Kim Weaver Brenda Wygle Frank diPasquale Cheryl Gleason Phil Lempert Phil Suggs Genevieve Walk Post Production Sound Berkeley Sound Artists James LeBrecht Patti Tauscher Alex Wilmer Dan Olmsted Douglas Mackinlay Color Grading Gary Coates Alex D. da Silva Animation “How to Be a Good Bagger” Produced by Flying Machine Directed by Jim Capobianco Story Jim Capobianco Alex D. da Silva Justine Jacob Design and Animation Craig Foster Narrator Craig Good Additional Editing Joshua Callaghan T.M. Christopher Production Assistants April Ciaccio Sarah Smith Allison Styer Credits Sequence Jonathan Bolf Las Vegas Crew Production Facility Starling Productions Production Manager Renee Adams Field Producers Marissa Aroy April Ciaccio Erica Milsom Anne Purdy Sarah Smith Allison Styer Camera Operators Malcolm Hardiman Dan Krauss Peggy Pennfield Robert Starling Petr Stepanek Adam Willet Steadicam and Aerial Cinematography Robert Starling, SOC Editorial Eric Gregory Oren Jacob Still Photography Andrea Ferreira Also Featuring Alabama Joe Yeacitzis California Lance Benton Marlene Burns Cheryl Gleason Robert Hunter Raul Patino Erick St. John Iowa Mike Dahm Fred Greiner Adam Wygle Beth Wygle Tony Wygle Minnesota Courtney Anderson Brandon Johnson Misty Lang Janelle Nelson Eric Sandell Leonard Sandell Craig Thorvig Kristee Thorvig Ohio Andy Bates Andrew Hahn Austin Hamilton Don Hamilton Sandra Hamilton Dan Marous Pennsylvania Mary Ellen Chicchi Cathy Krowtowski Rose Meldru Marianne Schneider Barbara Shinske Geraldine Raab Christine Witte Utah Camille Bay Christine Bay David Bay KayLynn Bay Rachel Bay Danny Jones Katie Nosack Phil Nosack Meik Rapp Denise Smart Virginia Brandon Davis Kim Grimmett Lonnie Perkins Sara Perry Joe Richardson Kayla Richardson Levae Richardson Barbara Thomas 2007 National Best Bagger Contestants Alabama – Roger Chen Arizona - Matt Goldie California – James Hunter Georgia - Michael Hanggi Iowa – Brenda Wygle Kentucky - Arleena Sergent Massachusetts - Scott Golder Missouri - Jennen Herbst Minnesota – Jon Sandell Nebraska - Jason Stille New Jersey - Karianne Sullivan New York - Elida Ritchie Ohio – Ryan Hamilton Oklahoma - Brently Kalka Oregon - Andrew Berg Pennsylvania – Kim Weaver Rhode Island - Sean Halloran Tennessee - Casey Miller Utah – Brian Bay Virginia – Jacob Richardson Vermont - Heather Abair Washington - Nick Davis Wisconsin - Lori L. Engel Special Thanks to Alex Black Rozanne Cazian Chris Collins Sophie Constantinou Christine Cunnick Pete Doctor Sean Feeley Bob Frey Abby Ginzberg Micah Green Sam Green John Hazelton E.J. Holowicki George Hubbard Bill Jersey Bill Kinder Stewart Kremsky Patrick Kriwanek Naill McKay Amanda Micheli Morgan Monet Bob Peterson John Shannon Dia Sokol Alex Stahl Michaelle Stickich Lee Unkrich Karen Voorhies Thank you to the following for their support Bay Area Women In Film and Television Badlands Golf Club Berkeley Digital Film Institute Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas Hotel Celebrations Bridal & Fashion Chris’ Food Center Eyefull Tower Films Fareway Economical Food Store Fremont Street Experience Giant Food Kroger Company K-VA-T Food Stores National Grocers Association Nevada Film Office Nugget Market Oakland Film Office Prelinger Archives Pixar Animation Studios Publix Super Markets Sundance Institute Edited at Berkeley Digital Film Institute Saul Zaentz Media Center, Berkeley, CA HD Mastering Robert Tachoires Rich Pinkham Art Design and Poster Susan Bradley Website Turing Studios, Inc. Publicity David Magdael & Associates Jack Song Anne Stulz David Magdael Music Score Recorded at MarcoCo. Studios Mixed at Rancho TeraMar, Cave Creek, Arizona by Scott Johnson and Marco d'Ambrosio Music Supervisor Terri d’Ambrosio Music Editor Scott Johnson “Who’s Blues” Apple Soundtrack Pro “Vitesse Acquise” Tzipine (SACEM), Jeanjean (SACEM) Kosinus APM (ASCAP) “5th Avenue” Sklair (SAMRO), Denny (PRS) West One APM (ASCAP) “Communal Sept” (Rural Jungle Remix) Demerliac (SACEM) Kosinus APM (ASCAP) “Meltdown Man” Written, Produced and Performed by Derek K. Miller www.penmachine.com © 2005 Derek K. Miller (SOCAN, administered in the USA by ASCAP) “God Bless America” Written by Irving Berlin Irving Berlin Music Company Musicians Marco d'Ambrosio Bill Dutcher John Hoy Scott Johnson Richard Saunders Leone Cafone Peter Santos Archival Footage “The Front Line” Produced by Niles (Fred) Communications Centers, Inc., 1965 Courtesy of The Prelinger Collection/Internet Archive a Paper or Plastic, LLC film “READY SET BAG © 2008