"A Perfect Song" is going to premiere at the Delray Beach Film Festival . click on the banner to Learn More.

"A Perfect Song" written and directed by Billy Yeager Produced by Billy Yeager and Gary Brice . How to purchase: go to filmbaby.com under drama or click here to go to the perfect song page feature film 1 hour 58 minutes.

Filmed in Lake Worth,             

The Everglades

Juno Beach

Homestead

Miami Beach

Delray

Boynton Beach

Stuart

Days filming 92 days

Cast Bill Yeager , Nicole Esterer, Gary Black, Gary Brice, Teddy Stinson, Angela Santosuosso, Lee West . 

Lizard Den in Lake Worth.

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Synopsis

Lloyd is obsessed about composing the world's perfect song. In the film Billy submerges himself underwater in a swimming pool to search for music in the water.

This scene took 10 hours to film and was dangerous because Billy had sunk himself with a 40-pound cylinder block that was placed into a backpack. The breathing apparatus was a garden hose that Lloyd attaches to a snorkel and a mask. He also invents a device that allows him to hear the electric guitar plugged into headphones, which was realistic for the character of Lloyd.

It was filmed at a hotel where cinema photographer Gary Brice filmed through a window on the first floor.    

Billy also filmed at the famous Coral Castle in Homestead where the story takes place. In the film the Coral Castle serves as a metaphor and inspires Lloyd. The story of The Castle and Ed Leedskillian's life long passion and commitment inspires Lloyd to dedicate himself to composing this perfect song.

Billy gained 30 pounds by eating lots of pizza and pasta.

He also shaved his head for the lead role leaving the sides on for a "bad comb over" effect. Billy insisted that whoever the lead actress would be would also have to shave his head to ensure a serious commitment by the actress. This is Nicole Esterer shaving Billy's head.

This is at the barbershop where another scene was filmed.

This is Billy the day before Billy shaved his head. In the film Lloyd has a brother who comes to visit him in one scene. This was the first scene filmed for 'A Perfect Song".

Gary Brice: about filming

Most of the film is natural lighting. We used a lot of locations set in the daytime on purpose to get some beautiful lighting.

Filming In the Everglades

On filming and directing Billy Yeager

This is what I call the bicycle shot. I went to the beach at sun-up. I studied this particular area for high and low tides. It's a little secret of mine. If you go at low tide and deflate the air in the bicycle tires just enough you can ride right along the beach effortlessly on the waters edge in the sand.  

We also woke up at sun-up to get these birds at the bridge. Nicole walks through the birds. I had the 10 year old version (Kathleen) go back another day and do the same shot. When I edited the film it shows the reverse side of the birds and Nicole as a young girl.

Filming: Gary Brice

"The birds kept following us everywhere we went which was surreal because it was symbolic in the film. They showed up everywhere we went. "

We used The Gulfstream Hotel for this scene in the script. Billy calls it "The Dance" it is where Nicole and Lloyd first meet in the film. Billy had me film from the 6 th story and was directing from down in the pool. The lighting was natural from the pool lights. Billy had to choreograph and synchronize their swimming. If you look at the film they are perfect distances apart and cross each other perfectly in the pool.

 

Scenes from "A perfect Song"   

 

Actor Gary Black

Gary Black plays the part of Les. Les is Lloyds only friend. The two visit and talk about life, music and women. Les lives in a warehouse and makes surfboards part-time.

In this scene Les is having a serious talk to Lloyd about real love, April, and Lloyd's music.

Shooting breakdown

Billy; It was 12:00 midnight and we finally got the scene right after filming all day.

It was hot and sweaty. This was an intense moment and I wanted a great scene and some great acting, I just wasn't getting what I had envisioned.

Actor/ Gary Black;

We filmed 3 scenes from the movie in the warehouse that day. There are 3 separate moments in the film where Lloyd comes to visit me at the warehouse where I live.

Billy kept saying I didn't look fatigued enough I am not sure why because we were hungry, sweaty, tired and irritated.

Gary Brice ' production coordinator/ 1 st Cameraman

So we filmed the last take and we loaded up all the lights and break down but I kept looking over at Billy he was still standing in the same place we were filming. All I thought was oh no please enough is enough. So Billy yells out, "we can do one more, we can do better. Get all the gear back out of the trucks". (Later we found out he did this on purpose) It was 11:00 at night after filming a 12-hour day. But he insisted. Everybody was pissed but he's the director and that's the way it goes you don't say anything. So Gary Black just sits down and says "You want me to say my lines you son of a bitch, then I will say them, sitting down on the floor cause I am too tired to get up". You could see a smile under Billy's serious look.

Billy took of his bandana that he wore when he was directing and becomes Lloyd. He goes over to do his lines and Gary just tried like hell to remember them cause if he didn't we were gonna be there all night shooting the scene over and over. Gary was burnt out half remembering his lines trying to remember them and sweating his way through and he nailed it. We did one take. It was brilliant and Billy knew right away that he loved it. Gary could have cared less at that point. But looking back it was so intense. Billy was right and you could really see the difference. He said later, I had you all load the equipment up on purpose, I wanted aggravation in Gary's face. And that is what separates the good and bad directors I think, passion

Actor Teddy Stinson

Teddy: I met Billy in 1999 when I saw an article about his acting school. The article was about on camera film acting so I took the class and it was the best thing I ever did for my acting. We kept in touch throughout the years. Billy kept telling me one day he was going to use me in one of his films. So that's it. I play the next door neighbor who's got a wacko girlfriend and he is writing a book. I have to admit I wasn't sure what to think when I read the script for my part. He removed those scenes from the girls (actress's) scripts lets put it that way. I love it, I think it's innovative as hell but I' am not sure what some people would think.

Teddy Stinson

Teddy has also acted in one of Billy's other films   "American Garage"

Gary Brice   Billy Yeager Teddy Stinson 48 stories high

Teddy Stinson American Garage

 

 

Gary Brice actor/production coordinator/cinema photographer

Gary Brice and Billy have been working together since 1999. Gary was already acting in films working with Steve Sipek (Steve Hawke) who was training Gary to be the next Tarzan. Steve was famous in the 1960's and 1970's as Europe's version of Tarzan.

Gary and Steve trained together and filmed their own Tarzan films for several years.

They are presently editing footage that was filmed throughout the 1980's and 1990's.

This is a scene where Gary is wrestling an alligator.  

Gary Brice riding an elephant and filming on Steve's ranch.

Gary Brice production cordinator.

Gary Brice filming Albert Black "The Highwaymen" (film documentary) at Tomoka State prison 2000.

Gary and Billy at The Coral Castle

Gary plays Lloyd's co-worker where they plaster swimming pool's in the daytime.

In this scene Gary is asking Lloyd why he is late to work.

Sound engineer Cedric looks on.

Gary and Billy spend some long hot days filming in the swimming pool.

 

The Maize produced by Gary Brice and Billy Cowell  

 

Actress Kathleen Cassandra

Kathleen plays the 10-year old version of April, Nicole Esterer's Look-alike .

 

Actress Angela Santosuosso

Angela plays the character of Shelly April's best friend. She was discovered by Billy working at The Bull Bar in Delray on Atlantic Avenue. Angela had no prior acting experience.

 

The end of the film was shot the first day of filming because of location and the many actors involved in the scene. This is one scene from the end of the film.

Press

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