Sangria Lift
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"Sangria Lift" is the 3rd award-winning film from the partnership of Topp Scot Productions and retired Paramount Pictures executive, our Executive Producer Duane A. Sikes.
The primary objective of my film is to showcase that "nothing is as it seems" but especially our misconceptions or mis-PERCEPTIONS about PEOPLE. In the beginning, you'll see the main character crossing paths with people who will change his life; people he will never meet, in a sort of 6-degrees-of-separation scenario. There are very subtle nuances buried all through the film but I hope it's obvious enough on the misperceptions I've painted on each character. No ONE is as they seem! I also hope to illustrate that even in dark situations, there is always hope for a good outcome.
Our original song "I See You" was composed by a 15 year old music prodigy Connor Muhl with the assistance of Portland, OR professional musician Tony Smiley. Connor Muhl is the grandson of the late Edward Muhl, the studio mogul and supervising executive of Universal Studios from 1953 to 1968. The instrumental version of "I See You" is played over the opening credits and the vocal version is played over the ending credits. Connor wrote the song "I See You", as in "I see the REAL you", which is a theme of our film.
Logline: "An impulsive act by a group of thrill-seeking teenagers sets in motion a chain of events that will change many lives."
Synopsis: "Michael is having a bad day. Intense, impatient, self-absorbed, he crosses paths with several people in one 24-hour period who will change his life. Through the actions of these people, some of whom he will never meet, he receives many lessons in perspectives, perception, compassion, trust....and in the end, given the opportunity to forgive."
*Links to reviews are also posted to the right on this page*
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Melanie Star ScotDirector
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Melanie Star ScotWriter
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Duane A. SikesProducerRetired Paramount Pictures executive, has funded 60 projects, including "Our Father" that David Topp is in, starring Michael Gross (now screening at Cannes)
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Melanie Star ScotProducer
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David ToppKey CastHallmark's "The Shunning", "Our Father" starring Michael Gross (currently screening at Cannes) and Hollywood award-winning "The Box"
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Morgan HinklemanKey CastThe Boss (w/Melissa McCarthy) Revolution, Sleepy Hollow, Halt & Catch Fire
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Lindley MayerKey CastGlee, The Walking Dead, Hunger Games. America's Got Talent
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Towns W. SanfordKey CastJune, Waiting for Lola
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Tarra Conner JonesKey Cast(Theatre veteran. This is her first film project)
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Coyote John LucasKey CastClash of Empires, Sanctuary: Quite a Conundrum
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Dennis FriebeKey CastSwamp Murders, La Fleur De Mai
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Joshua R. ToddKey CastJune
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Noah DiggsKey CastSex Ed
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Reuben SamsKey CastBoy Wonder, Buried Cain
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Connor Muhl & Tony SmileyOriginal Music(Connor is a 15 yr old music prodigy and grandson to Universal Pictures mogul Edward Muhl. Connor fully scored our movie "Quitter" and co-wrote our original song "I See You" especially for Sangria Lift.
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Project Type:Short
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Genres:Drama, Romance, Inspirational
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Runtime:23 minutes
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Completion Date:July 5, 2015
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital - Sony F3
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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California Film AwardsSan Diego, California
December 30, 2015
GRAND WINNER - Best Director - Melanie Star Scot -
Accolade Global Film CompetitionPrivate viewing competition
September 11, 2015
Best Film Short -
Accolade Global Film CompetitionPrivate viewing competition
September 11, 2015
Best Leading Actor for David Topp as "Michael" -
Accolade Global Film CompetitionPrivate viewing competition
September 11, 2015
Best Supporting Actress for Tarra Conner Jones as "Eve" -
Accolade Global Film CompetitionPrivate viewing competition
September 11, 2015
Best Original Song by Connor Muhl & Tony Smiley for "I See You" -
Accolade Global Film CompetitionPrivate viewing competition
September 11, 2015
Best in Women Filmmakers for Melanie Star Scot as Writer, Producer & Director -
Best Shorts Competitionprivate judging competition
July 1, 2015
Award of Excellence - Supporting Actress - Tarra Conner Jones -
Best Shorts Competitionprivate judging competition
July 1, 2015
Best Short Film -
Best Shorts Competitionprivate judging competition
July 1, 2015
Best Lead Actor - David Topp -
The Indie FestLa Jolla, California
November 9, 2015
Best Short Film - Award of Merit -
The Indie FestLa Jolla, California
November 9, 2015
Best Women Filmmaker - Melanie Star Scot - Writer/Producer/Director - Award of Merit -
Jacksonville Short Film ShowcaseJacksonville, Florida
July 18, 2015
Florida premiere
Audience Choice Award - 3rd place -
Glendale International Film FestivalGlendale, California
September 25, 2015
California Premiere
Official Selection -
Maverick Movie AwardsPrivate viewing competition
October 5, 2015
Official Selection -
Los Angeles Independent Film FestivalLos Angeles, California
October 10, 2015
Official Selection -
Tryon International Film FestivalTryon, North Carolina
October 10, 2015
North Carolina Premiere
Official Selection -
ITSA Film FestivalSonora, California
November 14, 2015
Official Selection -
iHolly - the next Generation Film Festival
March 1, 2016
Honorable Mention "Kudos for Uplifting Film" -
Rendezvous Film FestivalAmelia Island, Florida
United States
June 3, 2016
Official Selection
Melanie Star Scot is an American award-winning film director and producer. In April 2015, she was nominated as "Best Local Filmmaker" in the entertainment magazine "Mountain Xpress". Her first film, "The Box" won several awards, including a Telly award, a Best Actor award in Hollywood for lead actor/co-producer David Topp, a Best Costuming Award and it has been contracted to air on worldwide television on the ShortsHD TV Channel on for three years, all stellar successes for a first time Director.
Since then, she has written, produced and directed "Quitter" and "Sangria Lift" which are both doing well in the film festivals and competitions.
Being a filmmaker was a dream she sought but wasn't sure how to obtain in the small North Carolina town she grew up in. A daughter being raised by a single, working father presented many challenges. Since she was also an only child, Melanie was alone most of the time. She raised herself beginning around age eight, when she declared to her father that she was "much too old for a babysitter". She had a thirst for knowledge and how to do everything on her own. She had to. Her life made her strong, fiercely independent and self-sufficient.
Around the same age of eight, she discovered she had a deep desire to be a part of the film industry. Using sheets and blankets, she would hang curtains around the house, creating her own sound stages. She wrote her own scenes into the most popular films and television shows of that time period and performed alone, in front of her many dogs.
Being on the East Coast, she thought the Hollywood dream was unobtainable. With no one to tell her otherwise, she pursued the "safe" route: college and climbing the corporate ladder. She poured herself into her career. In 2001, she was struck down with two life-altering illnesses which ended her daytime career and she lost everything she had.
At the age of thirty-six, she found herself divorced and a single mom, trying to raise a young son alone. She was broke and extremely sick. It gave them an inseparable bond.
When her son grew up and showed the same interests in film, she vowed to support him in any way that she could and help him obtain his dream, remembering her own from so many years ago. She began by driving him daily to his acting classes forty-five minutes away and because it was so far from home, she spent many hot and cold days and nights, waiting in her car, reading and walking their dog around the school campus.
When her son began to have successes as an actor, because he was a minor, she accompanied him to his film jobs. When she stepped onto her first film set, she says "I felt like a duck that had been raised in a chicken coop and someone had finally found me and thrown me out into the water - where I belonged - and it was euphoric!"
Thus, her film career began. She began taking any jobs she could on as many film sets as she could, working for free in order to gain the experience she wanted and understand how a film set operated. She did everything from craft services, wardrobe, horse wrangling, boom operator, slate girl, production assistant, camera assistant and script supervisor.
In 2012, she co-founded her own production company, Topp Scot Productions. After "The Box", she wrote and produced Quitter (2014) and Sangria Lift (2015) . In 2014, she became a Producer on the dramatic and successful short film, Our Father (2014) starring Michael Gross
She is working on her own feature length films, "Dancing in the Dark" and "Phoenix 454" slated for 2017 and 2018
Although she produced and directed her first film at the age of 49, she shows no signs of slowing down, in fact the opposite seems true.
The greatest compliment I received at our private, red carpet premiere of Sangria Lift was from a staunch film critic who doesn't like anything who said to me that I had done a good job and "It's very Tarantino". I take that as the highest compliment! Like Tarantino, I learned by first watching....thousands of films and then DOING, not from film school.
My mom says I told her that I wanted to be a "cimma-ma-tog-a-fer" around 4 years old and she was amazed that I knew what the word meant.
At 10 years old, I began riding the city bus alone to go downtown and sit in the heat or air conditioning of the movie theaters. Back then, you could stay in the theatre when a movie finished and watch it again. Often I would stay all day and sometimes sneak into the other theatre down the hall. I thought I was SO CLEVER!! I know now that all of the theatre employees saw me and I'm very thankful they had compassion for me and allowed me to "sneak" in. It was my escape from an extremely difficult and challenging life. Little did I know what an education my "escape" was giving me!
However, "life" got in the way and I did not begin filmmaking until the age of 49! Given the opportunity for this life-long dream ignited a fire and a passion within me that I have never experienced before. With no formal film education and only my years of various film set experience, I grabbed the bull by the horns and embarked on a very ambitious 27 minute Civil War piece, titled "The Box" that has done extremely well, won several awards, including a Best Actor award in Hollywood for lead actor David Topp and is contracted to air on the ShortsHD Channel on DirectTV for the next three years.
Filmmaking has been the duality of heaven and hell. Through the long hours, the extreme heat, humidity, insects, egos, set drama and sweat, I have also met some of the most wonderful, loving, most creative people I've ever known! I also found myself. :) Even in the heat of it all, I take every opportunity to just look up with a smile and heart full of gratitude and say: "THANK YOU!". I think that shows in my work. I wouldn't trade the lovely madness of filmmaking for anything.
I've been told I have an abstract style. I like to think that I make films for an intelligent audience who doesn't need every detail spelled out for them.
I want audiences to be entertained and I want them to THINK. I hope they want to watch my films over and over in order to catch all of the nuances. Along with subtle, philosophical points to ponder, I also love to hide "Easter Eggs" throughout. It's just simply fun! I also love the fun of behind-the-scenes trivia but there is not enough room within this Press Kit to include them all but I've added a lot of fun trivia on our IMDb page:
"Sangria Lift" is my third film and my CROWN JEWEL. I am so happy and proud to present it to you.
Please take a moment to read the reviews of the film from our private screening on IMDb (and the Facebook page!) They were better than anything I ever expected! :) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3586564/reviews
Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoy.
With warmest gratitude,
~Melanie