SYNOPSIS

Dropping In: The Don Wimmer Story is a documentary-style narrative that follows first-time filmmaker JP Parcel (Christopher Manus) and his self-unaware subject Don Wimmer (David Klane). Don has passionately recommitted himself to his long-abandoned childhood dream of becoming a professional skateboarder. Never mind that he’s 42 years old, more than twice the age of the average pro skater, and forget the fact that he can’t skate well, which is probably made worse by his constant drinking and smoking... these are minor details. Triumph or train-wreck, this determined former CPA talks others into aiding his cause while talking himself through the best and worst of situations. All the while, aspiring filmmaker JP believes that completing the film will mark the realization of both their dreams. Even though their stories nosedive one after the other from optimism to the brink of defeat, Don and JP pull together to achieve a surprisingly happy and altogether appropriate outcome.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

The story was conceived in early 2004 shortly after writer-director Matthew Manus’ brief stint as a receptionist at the talent agency where writer-producer-actor David Klane is VP of operations. Klane had been an avid skateboarder in his youth, and he’d recently rediscovered skating as a nostalgic way to get some much needed exercise. He shared with Manus some stills and digital video of himself skateboarding at a local skate park and shortly thereafter Manus hatched the idea for a feature faux-documentary about a middle-aged executive who endeavors to become a pro skateboarder. The idea resonated with Klane for obvious reasons and the two developed the idea and beat out a rough script of about 55 pages. Dialogue would be improvised. Klane would play the lead character. Dan Steller, a film student graduate and former classmate of Manus, joined the team as editor and cameraman. The movie was shot on Mini-DV over the course of three years on weekends and holidays while Klane’s future wife, Cynthia, rode herd on the entire micro-budgeted production. It is the first feature film for all involved.

The faux-documentary genre has been perfected by the likes of Ricky Gervais (The Office), Christopher Guest (A Mighty Wind, Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman) and Zack Penn (Incident At Loch Ness) and the genre well served the story of Dropping In. The inclusion of the character of JP Parcel as the “documentary filmmaker” made for a particularly interesting exercise in narrative POV theory. Also, the idea of a documentary filmmaker confronted with a particularly difficult and mostly uncooperative subject provides for much thematic grist. The more Don spirals down and away from his goal, the more JP is drawn into the story as a player pushing events forward. As JP states in the epilogue, “When it comes to someone’s life, it’s impossible to be just an observer.” Finally, when Don has completely run out of enthusiasm to go forward, it’s JP who must convince Don to keep pursuing his goal. Besides, if Don doesn’t get back on track, JP’s goal will not be realized either.

In the end, for those involved with the production, the film became entangled with reality. As producer Cynthia Klane put it: “[Making the movie] was like trying to live with Don Wimmer for three years.” Week after week, month after month, the production dragged on while seeming to mimic the ups and downs of Don and JP’s story. For three years the Dropping In crew sought to finish a film that, at one point or another, made almost everyone wonder, “why even bother?” But as JP did for Don, someone was always there to stand up and push everyone forward. Behind the camera, just as in front, our film crew became a tight group of people that pushed each other to do something together none of us could do alone.

ABOUT THE CAST AND FILMMAKERS

Christopher Manus - Actor
A graduate of Cal State Fullerton’s MFA program, Christopher has been acting for twenty years. Dropping In is his first feature film, and one in which he is extremely proud to have played a part. His stage credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Boys Next Door; Hamlet; Candide; the west coast premiere of Andorra, and many others. Of his role as JP Parcel, Manus says, “I have never worked on a project like Dropping In. The nature of the film really brought the cast and crew together like a family, which made it that much more rewarding. I look forward to its release and sharing it with as many audiences as possible.”

Tim Banning - Actor
Tim Banning is a Southern California native and a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and California State University, Fullerton. He has been involved in numerous film, television, internet, and theater productions as an actor, director, and producer. Some of his favorite projects include the webseries Calculus (calculustopics.com), Living The Dream (bitterlawyer.com), directing True Love Waits at Theater of NOTE, and of course, playing the role of Jason Klugman in Dropping In: The True Story of Don Wimmer. Tim lives in Los Angeles.

Laura Lang - Actor
Laura Lang plays the role of Anita Klugman in Dropping In. She was born and raised in New York City, where she studied Tap and Flamenco dancing for ten years. She performed with The Youth Westside Players in productions of Guys and Dolls (chorus), The Glass Menagerie (Laura), Anastasia (grandmother), and in the late 1960s, A Room Full of Roses (set-design, continuity). Laura also appeared weekly at Rick Newman’s Catch a Rising Star during the early 1970s performing show tunes and ballads. Married in 1974, Laura moved to Boston where she raised three daughters and belly danced professionally in the Boston area during the 1980s. Divorced in 1999, Laura moved to Los Angeles in 2001 where she still resides and has recently remarried. Laura continues loving life and performing whenever possible.

David Klane - Co-Writer/Producer/Actor
Born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, David has lived in Los Angeles most of his life. He received an Associate in Arts degree from Los Angeles Pierce College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with an emphasis on writing from California State University, Northridge. David has acted and worked behind the scenes in numerous college and small theater productions in Southern California. Some of his favorite acting roles have been, Iago in Ann-Marie MacDonald's Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), and Howie in David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize winning play Rabbit Hole. Dropping In is David's first feature film as an actor, writer and producer, and he's eager for the opportunity to do more of the same.

Dan Steller – Producer/Editor
Born in Copenhagen Denmark, Dan attended the New York Film Academy in Cambridge, England and then Indiana Wesleyan University where he studied Communications with an emphasis in Film. His short, Credits, won Best Film at the IWU film festival and he wrote and directed numerous shorts for the school’s sketch comedy show, Friday Night Live. Dan also studied producing and screenwriting with the Los Angeles Film Study Center. He interned at Jersey Films during the filming of How High and the pilot for Reno 911. After graduating with a BS in communications, Dan moved to LA and began work as producer, editor, and DP for the independent feature film Dropping In. He was post-production supervisor and editor for the Crave and Wide Awake fi lm series distributed by Lionsgate. He currently lives in Pasadena with his wife and son and works for Electric Picture Solutions in Studio City.

Cynthia Klane – Producer
A neophyte to filmmaking, Cynthia embraced the opportunity to produce Dropping In. Her proven ability to build and manage businesses from the ground up and make responsible decisions are the result of a twenty year career in design, manufacturing, and sales for a multi-store national chain with annual sales in the millions. She brings style to the set while always keeping her eye on the bottom line, a great asset when producing a micro-budget project. She proudly recalls one of her greatest career accomplishments: successfully introducing and marketing thong panties to the maternity-wear industry. “Just because you’re pregnant, does that mean that you’re suddenly ok with panty lines? No, I don’t think so.” Playing the role of Peggy, Don Wimmer’s eventual love interest, wasn’t a stretch for Cynthia as she not only had partnered with David in making the film but had partnered with him in life as well.

Carlos José Alvarez – Music
As well as a composer and conductor, Carlos José Alvarez is also an accomplished percussionist and arranger. Born of Cuban immigrants, he began playing his native music as a child and has been an active professional for many years. Carlos began his studies at the Florida State University School of Music, where he scored numerous student films, including Student Academy Award Winner, Lector, and graduated with a B.A. in Music (2002). He then received a prestigious scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated with a degree in Film Scoring. Carlos now resides in Los Angeles, California.

Matthew Manus - Co-Writer/Director/Producer
Matthew Manus grew up in various unexotic parts of the midwest before moving to Los Angeles in 2004. He discovered his love for entertaining and storytelling while earning a BA in English from Indiana Wesleyan University. While there, he wrote and performed standup for his school’s sketch comedy show Friday Night Live, which he later went on to produce and direct. Dropping In is his first feature length film. He would like to make more.

CAST

DON WIMMER - DAVID KLANE
JP PARCEL - CHRISTOPHER MANUS
JASON KLUGMAN - TIM BANNING
ANITA KLUGMAN - LAURA LANG
SHELLY HOPE - KATIE HOOTEN
HOWARD HOPE - GEORGE LINDSEY, JR.
WALTER WIMMER - BARRY LYNCH
PEGGY KENNEDY - CYNTHIA KLANE
N. MIKE ELBERGER - JIM FRY
MAXINE HOPE - MAXINE KLANE
LIZA HOPE - LIZA KLANE
JP’S ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - MATTHEW MANUS
SOUNDMAN - JJ MASLEY
CAMERAMAN 1 - DAN STELLER
CAMERAMAN 2 - BOB OEDY

CREW

DIRECTED BY - MATTHEW MANUS
WRITTEN BY - MATTHEW MANUS & DAVID KLANE
PRODUCED BY - MATTHEW MANUS, DAVID KLANE, DAN STELLER, CYNTHIA KLANE
EDITOR - DAN STELLER
MUSIC - CARLOS JOSÉ ALVAREZ
MUSIC SUPERVISION - KEITH C ANDERSON
SOUND EDITOR / MIXER - JOEL CATALAN
COLORIST - MATT DOANE
STUNT COORDINATOR - IAN EYRE

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