Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

Director:

Daniel Minahan

Writer:

Daniel Minahan

Release Date:

25 May 2001 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Real People In Real Danger

Plot:

A TV program selects people at random to kill one another for fame and their freedom.

Plot Keywords:

Contestant | Champion | Fame | Contest | Gun

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Brooke Smith	...	Dawn
Mark Woodbury	...	Dairy Mart Clerk
Michael Kaycheck	...	Tony
Marylouise Burke	...	Connie
Richard Venture	...	Franklin
Donna Hanover	...	Sheila
Merritt Wever	...	Lindsay
Glenn Fitzgerald	...	Jeff
Angelina Phillips	...	Doria
Tom Gilroy	...	Dawn's Cameraman
Nada Despotovich	...	Michelle
Stephen Michael Rinaldi	...	Craig
Alex Yershov	...	Nathan
Danton Stone	...	Bob
Joseph Barrett	...	Doctor
Shawna Moore	...	Nurse
Jennifer Van Dyck	...	Laura
Tanny McDonald	...	Dawn's Mother
Caitlin Bateman	...	Colby
James Lecesne	...	Priest
Robin Borden	...	Doria Look-alike I
Lauren Ward	...	Doria Look-alike II
Aydin Bengisu	...	Jeff Look-alike
Josh Mosby	...	Jeff Look-alike II
Babo Harrison	...	Dawn Look-alike
Will Arnett	...	Narrator (voice)
Adena Shea Loomis	...	Ultra Sound Baby
Pamela Wehner	...	Lottery Spokes Model
John Ventimiglia	...	Dispatch Operator (as John Ventimilgia)
Kirsten Krohn	...	Female Promo Voice (voice)
William Graves	...	Male Promo Voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Guy Mason	...	Boyfriend (uncredited)
Alicia Reese	...	Movie Theatre Hostage #3 (uncredited)
Kipp Tribble	...	TV Movie Actor (uncredited)
Stephanie Tucker	...	Movie Theatre Hostage #1 (uncredited)

Directed by
Daniel Minahan

Writing credits
Daniel Minahan

Produced by
Jason Bowers	....	producer: "Contenders" promo
Tom Brown	....	co-executive producer
Evan T. Cohen	....	co-producer
Michael Escott	....	co-executive producer
Jason Kliot	....	producer
Pamela Koffler	....	associate producer
Gretchen McGowan	....	co-producer
Libby Richman	....	line producer
Katie Roumel	....	producer
Charles J. Rusbasan	....	executive producer
Christine Vachon	....	producer
Joana Vicente	....	producer
Judith Zarin	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Girls Against Boys

Cinematography by
Randy Drummond		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Malcolm Jamieson

Casting by
Susan Shopmaker

Production Design by
Gideon Ponte

Art Direction by
Ann McKinnon

Costume Design by
Christine Bieselin Clark		(as Christine Beiselin)

Makeup Department
Lorraine Godfrey	....	key hair stylist
Lorraine Godfrey	....	key makeup artist
Lorraine Godfrey	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Tania Cirone	....	post-production supervisor
Megan Sanchez-Warner	....	unit production manager: additional photography (as Megan Warner)
Sharon Sklar	....	executive in charge of production: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films (as Sharan Sklar)
Brian Slocum	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dan Brillman	....	second second assistant director
John Ian Briody	....	second assistant director: additional photography
Jean Chien	....	second second assistant director: additional photography
Alyson Latz	....	second assistant director
Michael Lerman	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Marc Berry	....	graphics
John Dowd	....	artist: Jeff's landscape paintings
Jory Hull	....	art director: additional photography
Nathalie Leslie-Cassergrain	....	set decorator: additional photography (as Nathalie Cassergain)
Daniel Lugo	....	art production assistant (as Danny Lugo)
Luciana Nunes Vieira	....	designer: additional photography
Jonathan Peyser	....	set dresser: additional photography
Todd Rutt	....	graphic designer
Lauren Silberman	....	art department coordinator

Sound Department
Jason Blackburn	....	sound mixer
Tim Chilton	....	foley artist
Jesse Ehredt	....	sound recordist
Lewis Goldstein	....	sound supervisor
Matthew Haasch	....	foley editor (as Matt Haasch)
Matthew Haasch	....	foley recordist (as Matt Haasch)
Giles Khan	....	sound mixer
Hal Levinsohn	....	adr editor
Skip Lievsay	....	recording mixer
Mark Maloof	....	sound mixer
Daniel McIntosh	....	sound mixer (as Dan McIntosh)
Cate Montana	....	sound assistant
Eddie O'Connor	....	sound mixer (as Eddie O'Conner)
Glenfield Payne	....	sound effects
Jay Peck	....	foley artist
Paul Petrissans	....	boom operator (as Paul Petrissan)
Jac Rubenstein	....	dialogue editor
Nani Schumann	....	sound assistant (as Nani Shumann)
Paul Urmson	....	special sound effects designer (as Professor Paul Howard Urmson)

Visual Effects by
Mario A. Monello	....	Inferno artist
Keith Yurevitz	....	visual effects

Stunts
Douglas Crosby	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Electric Ayerton	....	best boy: additional photography
Michael Babiak	....	electric
Michael Babiak	....	grip
Ben D'Andrea	....	rigging grip: additional photography (as Ben D'Anderea)
Henny Garunkel	....	still photographer (as Henny Garfunkel)
Abbot Genser	....	still photographer
Ned Hallick	....	gaffer: additional photography
Jimmy Kim	....	tape runner
Ted LeHane	....	key grip: additional photography (as Ted Lehane)
Steven Lubensky	....	assistant camera (as Steve Lubensky)
Vincent Mangano	....	rigging grip: additional photography (as Vince Managano)
Kelly J. Richardson	....	dolly grip: additional photography (as Kelly Richardson)
Lowell Schulman	....	lamp operator: Tandem unit

Animation Department
Alex E. Alemayehu	....	animation stand operation
Luciana Nunes Vieira	....	animator

Casting Department
Russell Dean Anderson	....	casting associate
Crystal Bahmaie	....	extras casting: additional photography
George Baluzy	....	local casting: Connecticut
Jeff Bringham	....	local casting: Connecticut
Bruce Henderson	....	casting associate
Erica Palgon	....	casting associate
Ulysses Terrero	....	extras casting: New York

Editorial Department
Robyn Alcock	....	post-production coordinator: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films
Ian Bricke	....	post-production assistant: Killer Films
Mike Perry	....	assistant editor
David Pultz	....	color timer (as Dave Pultz)
Lital Spitzer	....	post-production assistant: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films (as Tal Spitzer)
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative matcher
Stan Sztaba	....	negative matcher (as Stan)
Robert Warmflash	....	post-production consultant

Music Department
Eli Janney	....	music editor
Robbie Kondor	....	composer: additional score
Tracy McKnight	....	music consultant
Julie Panebianco	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Laird Adamson	....	production executive: Killer Films
Steven S. Bauer	....	esquire
Susan H. Bodine	....	esquire (as Sue Bodine)
Dan Brillman	....	set production assistant (as Daniel Brillman)
Craig Carpenter	....	production assistant: additional photography
Marrizio 'Mo' DeFina	....	gun wrangler
Ellyn Eisenberg	....	location assistant
Stephanie Friedman	....	assistant to producers: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films
Eliot Gerstel	....	additional set production assistant
Lisa Guidetti	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Jocelyn Hayes	....	development assistant: Killer Films
Hugo Heppell	....	director of development: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films
Andy Hwang	....	production assistant: additional photography
Kirsten Kearse	....	script supervisor: additional photography
Jennifer Latham	....	production accountant
Kathleen Lorden	....	production assistant: additional photography
Jon Marcus	....	production executive: Killer Films
Andrea McCabe	....	production assistant: additional photography
Tracy McKnight	....	executive album producer
Chris O'Falt	....	assistant to producers: Blow Up Pictures/Open City Films
Jennifer Quesenbery	....	assistant location manager (as Jennifer Quisenberry)
Che Rocher	....	additional set production assistant
Chris Rogers	....	production assistant: additional photography
Greg Rotello	....	location scout
Paul Rotello	....	location scout
Todd Rutt	....	title designer
Kimberly Shea	....	production office coordinator
Limore Shur	....	creative director: additional photography
Fred Siegel	....	tax accountant (as Fred Siegel CPA)
Bradford Simpson	....	director of devolpment: Killer Films
Carolyn Sivitz	....	assistant production office coordinator
Joe Smalley	....	set production assistant
Tess Smalley	....	set production assistant (as Tesesa Reilly)
Ben Szemkus	....	additional set production assistant
Jeff Thompson	....	production assistant: additional photography
Kiki Valentine	....	production assistant (as Kristine Corin Rakowsky)
Elizabeth Verghese	....	post-production accountant
Dylan Verrechia	....	intern
David Welch	....	script supervisor
Andrew Yeo	....	location manager
Issa Zaroui	....	location manager: additional photography (as Issa 'Joe' Zaroui)

Thanks
Marc Goldstein	....	acknowledgment: medical drawings provided by, Director, Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Microsurgery, Cornell University Medical College, New York Presbyterian Hospital (as Marc Goldstein, MD)

Production Companies

• Blow Up Pictures
• Killer Films
• October Films
• Open City Films

Distributors

• RCV Film Distribution (2001) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Angel Films (Scandinavia)
• FilmFour (UK)
• Good Machine International
• RCV Film Distribution (Belgium)
• RCV Film Distribution (Luxembourg)
• RCV Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• USA Films

Special Effects

• Drew Jiritano Special Effects (special effects)

Other Companies

• Axium  payroll (as Axium Entertainment Services)
• C5  post sound editorial services (as C5, Inc.)
• Coast to Coast Catering  catering
• Cup Cake Cafe  catering: additional photography
• Du Art Film and Video  tape dubs by (as Du Art Film & Video)
• Du Art Film and Video  tape to 35mm film transfer by (as Du Art Film & Video)
• Edgeworx Studios  provided by (excerpts from "Diamond Run" & "Moving Targets")
• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Great Northern Brokerage Services  insurance (as Great Northern Brokerage Corp.)
• Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce  provided by (Chamber of Commerce still shots of Danbury)
• HBO Studio Productions  post-production editorial (as HBO Studio Productions, NYC)
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity (as Jeremy Walker & Associates)
• KCOP  provided by (car chase footage) (as KCOP-UPN News Archive)
• Koch Records  soundtrack available exclusively on
• Liman Video Rental (LVR)  camera equipment provided by (as Liman Video Rental, Inc.)
• Liman Video Rental (LVR)  grip and lighting equipment (as Liman Video Rental, Inc.)
• Moving Pictures  post-production editorial
• Park Avenue Post  animation stand
• Sesame Seed Restaurant  catering
• Sony  tape stock provided by
• Sound One Corporation  optical track
• Sundance Institute, The  developed with the assistance of
• Super 8 Motels  courtesy of (Super 8® and the Super 8® logo appear)
• T&T Casting  extras casting: NY
• Video Helper Inc.  courtesy of (television promo spots sound effects) (as Videohelper [ASCAP])
• World Cinevision Services  negative matchback
• eyeballnyc  graphics: additional photography (as Eyeball NYC)

Also Known As:

"Series 7" - USA (short title)
"Series 7: The Battle Royal" - Japan (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent content and language

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:R | Canada:18A | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Company:

Blow Up Pictures

Trivia:

The idea for this project came to Daniel Minahan after he worked for a reality TV show.

Goofs:

Continuity: The truck's tires are perfectly intact, despite during the helicopter shots sparks flying up and the commentator telling us his tires had blown out and he was riding on his rims.

Quotes:

Dispatch Operator:Has her water broke?
Connie:Yes, all over my floor.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 3 March 2001" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Come Back

Effective and sick satire, but not exactly for everyone

Series 7: The Contenders, is a very twisted black comedy about six contestants on a reality show. The premise of the reality show is that the contestants are given weapons and have to murder each other in order to win. The contestants include a mentally insane man living in a trailer park, a cancer patient, a religious nurse, a high school teenager, a middle-aged father, and (the reigning champion) a pregnant woman. The film is structured as a marathon showing and is played as a series of episodes strung together each following these contestants. The film depicts these people as normal and everyday people who are forced into this terrible situation against their will, but the real meat of the film comes in when we get to learn about the histories of some of these characters. That's the point of the film where the film grows out of being a spoof of reality shows and begins to manifest into a social commentary. The high school teenager has parents who encourage her every step of the way and help her suit up for the murders that she is about to commit. The pregnant woman has been disowned by her own mother due to past incidents. The middle-aged parent has his own troubles at home. There's a lot more going on here than at first glance. This is an angry and dark satire that really challenges some of the concepts of reality and the satire of itself.

There's a lot here that I truly admire. For starters, the performances. They are pretty awful in a way that, at times, seems cringe-worthy. However, when you take a look at reality television shows such as Survivor and The Real World, the acting in those is even worse. It's supposed to be reality, yet the people in them are not believable. That's what makes reality television such a joke, and so in a roundabout way of saying things the performances here are good because the actors are good at capturing the melodramatic mannerisms of the contestants at large. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Brooke Smith as the pregnant woman. She is ridiculously cold and cruel and monstrous, and you can really feel the bitterness that she feels. Yet her mannerisms are so sarcastic and almost pathetic. The same goes for the rest of the cast, but Smith has a visual presence to her that I've always admired. She's a terrific actress. Nobody can forget her performance as the kidnapped victim in The Silence of the Lambs. I've seen some of her television work as well and she almost always sticks out in a good way. Merritt Wever and Glenn Fitzgerald do an equally good job as the teenage girl and the cancer patient, the former being the most likable person in the cast and the latter having all of the best lines and being the most interesting of all the characters.

My favorite thing about this film, however, has to be the momentum of it. Series 7: The Contenders is almost never boring and there's always something going on. It's virtually impossible to stop watching once you've started, even if you pick up in the middle of it. I think this was done intentionally. I think a lot of televisions shows have that same kind of watchability factor, and what I appreciated the most about this film is that there were no commercials that cut into the action. The satire of the film itself is simple and clever, but even if you put all that aside, you still have one hell of a captivating film. Putting the climax of the film aside, you do get to care about almost all these characters and you don't particularly want to see any of them die really.

If you want my personal opinion on the film, I cannot say that I like it too much. I don't personally find the film itself to be very funny. I like dark humor, but I thought that this was too sick, really, to be funny. I also really don't like the ending. It felt like I was being beaten over the head by the satire. I also find that the film itself isn't exactly re-watchable. Once you know how it all ends, you really don't have any desire to ever really sit down and watch it. There are films out there that are sick and that you never really WANT to watch again, but at the same time you feel you should and can't help but feel the need to sit through it, but Series 7: The Contenders plays all of it's cards in one sitting and as a result you really don't feel any desire to absorb any of it. It's more the type of film that you just appreciate rather than like and enjoy. I can imagine a lot of horror fan and readers of Fangoria would love it to pieces or at least get a huge kick out of watching it. In my opinion, as brilliant and as clever as it is, I definitely wouldn't advise mainstream moviegoers to watch this. I thought it was a brilliantly directed film in a lot of ways, and the satire was effective, but I can't exactly recommend it. I'm glad I saw it though.