Private Project

Winning Formula

While backpacking around America, two Aussie girls find themselves deep in turtle racing debt to a notorious gangster. Constantly validating each other’s bad decisions, they devise crafty plans to keep their heads above water, earning money any way they can while unwittingly become tangled in a dark mystery surrounding their family’s past. Through the hardest of times, they learn to embrace what is right on their rent-free caravan doorstep: romance, friends and family – with a side order of juice.

  • Tyler Farr
    Director
  • Claudia Pickering
    Writer
  • Claudia Pickering
    Producer
  • Tyler Farr
    Producer
  • Prudence Vindin
    Key Cast
  • Claudia Pickering
    Key Cast
  • Angela Gulner
    Key Cast
  • Robert Greene
    Key Cast
  • Don Woods
    Key Cast
  • Peter Walters
    Key Cast
  • Lance Harness
    Executive Producer
  • Colby Oliver
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 35 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 15, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    60,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Temecula Independent Film Festival
    Temecula, California
    June 11, 2015
    Best Comedy Finalist, Best Picture Finalist
  • Cebu International Film Festival
    Cebu, Philippines
    August 18, 2015
  • The Indiefest Film Awards
    California
    Award of Merit
  • Atlanta Underground Film Festival
    Atlanta, Georgia
    October 9, 2015
    Best Comedy Feature
  • Chicago Comedy Film Festival
    Chicago, Illinois
    November 12, 2015
Director Biography - Tyler Farr

Originally from Northern California, Farr grew up acting in theater before deciding to alter his focus towards directing, bringing his true love of comedy into dozens of projects behind the camera.

He moved to Utah to pursue a B.S. degree in Digital Media with an emphasis in film and gained great experience by working on commercials and films, including House of Fears, The Adventures of Food Boy, and Abandoned Mine. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he attended the New York Film Academy, gaining a Producing M.F.A. degree in Film and Television.

Tyler directed his first comedy feature film in 2011, The Good, the Bad and the Coyote, about a “Coyote” who smuggles people through Canada’s borders. It received attention at the Las Vegas and Canada International Film Festivals and he won a “Best Director Award” at the AIFF. A Distribution company has just agreed to purchase the film which will expand the film festival market first before a world wide distribution. He is super duper excited to be on board with Winning Formula.

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Director Statement

It was an interesting beginning, how I was brought onto Winning Formula. I had just graduated from grad school and had a ton of family in town as we were headed to Disneyland that weekend. The same weekend I received the script. Being limited to only a phone, the locked PDF script I received was completely unzoomable. I could tell the script was funny and intriguing, but it was too hard to read without a magnifying glass. I decided to wait until Monday to read it.

I anxiously got back home to the safety of a computer and I fell in love with every page. I instantly connected with its comedic style and knew right away that I wanted to be a part of it. I contacted Claudia, the writer and producer, who told me they had just hired the director. It was an odd feeling, I remember being disappointed, but also confident my chances were not over. A week later Claudia contacted me for a meeting. We instantly clicked, both completely in sync with the vision of the project from the beginning.

The timing was perfect and everything just seemed to completely line up. This theme held true throughout the production of the film. Sure, there were those times you wanted to break down sobbing or slit your wrists from the stress just like any other film, but things just seemed to align well for us. We were constantly getting extremely talented people to jump on board. This continually confirmed to me since the day I started that script near Toon Town: this script is dang good.

Any film lives or dies by the script. It is the foundation and it is a lot easier to work with intriguing characters and funny moments. The comedy game has been redefined in the last 5-10 years with hilarious women comedians coming forth proving that they are just as funny and intelligent as the “boys”. I loved the concept of having two female leads and we were so lucky to have two amazing actresses headline an amazingly talented cast.

I have a large background in comedy and theater and really strived to keep my actors fresh and together. I tried to avoid cuts and keep my actors, especially the two leads, in the same shots as much as possible. I wanted to give life to their performances and really give the feel that these two sisters know each other intimately. Comedy wise, I wanted to give that freedom to my actors to be able to play off of each other. I feel there is a wonderful “COMING AT YOU LIVE!” type feel that is achieved on the stage and I wanted similar fresh performances with this piece as well.

That you will laugh is the ultimate goal, but I think along the way, you will become attached to these rich characters and be invested into the crime story that unravels in the third act. I hope you enjoy Winning Formula.