 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
 Raise Your Voice Production NotesDon't hold back. Don't give up.
Hillary Duff plays Terri Fletcher, star of her small town church choir and a girl with a special gift...an extraordinary voice. When a personal tragedy interrupts her steady life, Terri searches for strength within herself - and she will need it. A surprise acceptance to a summer study program at the country's most prestigious music school in Los Angeles is both an honor and a problem.
Her strict father is against it. Not wanting to hurt her beloved father, yet knowing this is the opportunity of a lifetime, Terri decides she has to go for it. With the secret help of her mom and aunt, Terri heads for L.A. The highly competitive summer program offers a single scholarship for the coming year - a seemingly impossible dream for a small town girl.
But with the help of some new friends and in inspirational teacher, Terri finds the will to meet the challenge. Raise Your Voice is an inspirational, music-filled journey of challenge, hope and true love.
Terri Fletcher (Hilary Duff) is a small town girl with big time dreams. Blessed with a naturally joyful singing voice, Terri has her sights set on attending the Bristol-Hillman Conservatory in Los Angeles -- the most celebrated summer music program in the country.
Although she has plenty of raw talent, her lofty aspirations are quickly dashed by her overbearing father, Simon (David Keith), and the tragic loss of her beloved brother, Paul (Jason Ritter), who had secretly submitted a demo video of Terri that ultimately results in an acceptance letter to join the prestigious program.
A despondent Terri resigns herself to staying home for the summer when her mother Frances (Rita Wilson) and Aunt Nina (Rebecca De Mornay) intervene and covertly devise a plan to keep her from missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime. Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Terri is quickly introduced to the ultra -competitive, high-stakes environment of the big city. Lacking any formal training, she struggles to make friends and to find her voice amongst the highly-gifted group of musical students. Inspired by the mentoring lessons of Mr. Torvald (John Corbett), Terri pushes herself to master the intricate musical arrangements taught in the highly advanced program.
As the students prepare for their final performance to determine the winner of the school’s $10,000 academic scholarship, Terri partners with a fellow student, Jay (Oliver James), resulting in a romantic bond with the rough-and-tumble musician. Leaving her fears and anxiety behind, Terri must learn to step into the spotlight and rediscover the artistic musical passion that burns inside of her.
Multi-talented sensation Hilary Duff stars as Terri Fletcher, a 16-year-old aspiring singer struggling to find herself in the bright lights of Los Angeles during one unforgettable summer.
The Story
Terri Fletcher (Hilary Duff) is a small town girl with big time dreams. Blessed with a naturally joyful singing voice, Terri has her sights set on attending the Bristol-Hillman Conservatory in Los Angeles – the most celebrated summer music program in the country. Although she has plenty of raw talent, her lofty aspirations are quickly dashed by her overbearing father, Simon (David Keith), and the tragic loss of her beloved brother, Paul (Jason Ritter), who had secretly submitted a demo video of Terri that ultimately results in an acceptance letter to join the prestigious program.
A despondent Terri resigns herself to staying home for the summer when her mother Frances (Rita Wilson) and Aunt Nina (Rebecca De Mornay) intervene and covertly devise a plan to keep her from missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
Upon her arrival in Los Angeles, Terri is quickly introduced to the ultra - competitive, high-stakes environment of the big city. Lacking any formal training, she struggles to make friends and to find her voice amongst the highly-gifted group of musical students. Inspired by the mentoring lessons of Mr. Torvald (John Corbett), Terri pushes herself to master the intricate musical arrangements taught in the highly advanced program.
As the students prepare for their final performance to determine the winner of the school’s $10,000 academic scholarship, Terri partners with a fellow student, Jay (Oliver James), resulting in a romantic bond with the rough-and-tumble musician. Leaving her fears and anxiety behind, Terri must learn to step into the spotlight and rediscover the artistic musical passion that burns inside of her.
Multi-talented sensation Hilary Duff stars as Terri Fletcher, a 16-year-old aspiring singer struggling to find herself in the bright lights of Los Angeles during one unforgettable summer.
About the Production
The genesis of Raise Your Voice was born internally at New Line Cinema, when music executive Mitch Rotter pitched production president Toby Emmerich an idea about a talented small-town girl attending a music camp in the big city.
"We had wanted to do a truly music-driven film, something just short of a 'sing at the drop of a hat' musical, where the music was as much a part of the narrative as any of the other elements,” says Rotter. “After reading a lot of scripts, I still couldn't find something that matched what we were looking for, basically a story about a young girl with a lot of talent who needs to overcome her environment and the fear within herself to embrace this gift she has. We wanted it to have a strong inspirational element beyond the traditional fish-out-of-water story line.
More out of frustration than anything else, I wrote a short treatment to summarize the type of movie we were looking for. Doing this added a lot of shape and clarity to the idea and enabled me to come up with something richer than a dry synopsis. When I sent it to Toby, he pretty much said, 'That sounds great, stop looking and let's make this.'”
Rotter’s story idea found its way to Sara Risher, a former president of production at New Line Cinema, whose company ChickFlicks currently has a development deal at the studio.
“The studio approached me with an idea about doing a film based around a music school,” recalls producer Risher. “It was kind of an updated, contemporary version of Fame. I liked the idea and hired screenwriter Sam Schreiber, who had written a wonderful script I’m currently developing called Sticks and Stones. It’s set in the world of professional pool and revolves around the relationship of a father and daughter, so I knew he was really good with female characters and father/daughter relationships.”
“The biggest challenge in developing Mitch’s idea into a script was adding something unique to the musical summer camp idea from a direction that revealed things about Terri and what she’s going through,” says screenwriter Schreiber. “I decided to have her brother die in a car accident, which brought something a bit weightier to the story.”
The screenwriter continues, “Once I settled on that plot point, I shaped the rest of the characters in ways that either helped or hindered Terri as she tries to take advantage of life-changing opportunities, while coming to grips with the death of her brother. The story also had to have room to breathe since the material was heavy for the genre, so I knew many of the supporting characters would have to provide the comic relief in the film.”
In Schreiber’s original draft, New York City was the setting for the film, and although two separate attempts to get the project off the ground stalled, producer Sara Risher never lost faith.
“When a film is set up to go into pre-production and it doesn’t happen, it typically spells doom because all the momentum subsides and you lose everyone,” notes Risher. “When it happened to us, everyone moved on, but I couldn’t let it go because I knew it was a really great story.”
To get the project kick-started again, Risher needed a young actress for the role of Terri Fletcher who audiences could connect with in the coming-of-age story.
“I remembered that I had been approached by Hilary Duff’s people a year before but at the time she was a little too young for the role,” said Risher. “I'd always thought of her as ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ but I realized she was almost 16-years-old, which is the age of the lead character in the film. She had just finished making The Lizzie McGuire Movie and was getting ready to record her first album, and you just got the sense that her career was set to really take off. So I reapproached Hilary and secured her participation in the project.”
The producer next found a director for the project in Sean McNamara, a DGA Award-nominated director for his work on the Disney Channel’s television series “Even Stevens,” as well as the Channel’s “The Even Stevens Movie.”
“When I read Raise Your Voice, I thought it was fantastic,” says director McNamara. “It’s a story about a young girl trying to find the inner strength to follow her dream. Normally, when you read coming-of-age films aimed at younger audiences they’re kind of corny, but this story is more along the lines of the film Fame.”
“When I met with Sean McNamara, not only did I love his ideas about the script and his visual sensibility, but I learned that he had also discovered Hilary Duff when he cast her in Disney’s ‘Casper Meets Wendy,’” notes producer Risher.
“They really liked and respected each other and wanted to work together again.” “There is just something about Hilary that the camera really loves,” says producer David Brookwell, who had worked with McNamara and Duff on Disney’s ‘Casper Meets Wendy.’ “She has such a dynamic screen presence and it was just very serendipitous that it all came together.”
For Hilary Duff, Raise Your Voice provided her an opportunity to play her most adult and complex role to date. “I really wanted to play a character that was different from anything I’ve done before,” says Duff. “The story has some really happy parts, but there are also dramatic moments where Terri is struggling with everything in her life. It’s a continuous growing experience for my character in the film.”
With Duff and McNamara now attached to the film, New Line Cinema came aboard for domestic distribution, with executive producer William Shively and producers A.J. Dix and Anthony Rhulen of FilmEngine providing the negative financing.
During the course of the movie, Terri Fletcher must overcome the many challenges in her life. “Terri is torn between her desire to be a good daughter and the overpowering calling of her music,” says screenwriter Sam Schreiber. “After her brother dies, her character is revealed through the decisions she makes during the hardest time of her life. If she’s going to make it in her new environment, she has to learn to open up and express her feelings.”
“Terri is a sweet and normal girl, but she has an extreme talent for songwriting,” adds Hilary Duff. "She lives with her family in a small town in Arizona and works at her family’s restaurant. Her father has never been very open-minded about letting her pursue her dream of being a singer, so she’s kind of torn throughout the whole movie.”
With Duff committed to star, the filmmakers began casting the many crucial supporting roles in the film. “Once we knew we were going forward with Hilary, we wanted to surround her with a strong supporting cast to balance out the film,” says director McNamara. “We all felt that one of the most important elements of casting this film was finding the right combination of actors to play Terri’s close family unit.”
The first role to be cast was that of Terri’s fun-loving, outspoken brother Paul. Always one to bend the rules, Paul’s tumultuous relationship with his overbearing father is a constant source of tension in the Fletcher household. Despite the often uncomfortable dynamic, the strong bond between Paul and Terri propels him to secretly help his sister get accepted into Bristol-Hillman’s summer music program. Although Paul’s life is tragically cut short, his character deeply affects and inspires Terri throughout the film.
The filmmakers chose Jason Ritter, currently seen co-starring in the hit CBS drama "Joan of Arcadia,” to fill the role.
“Casting the role of the brother was crucial to the project since it needed to be someone with great charisma and likeability whose untimely death would understandably devastate his family and Terri, as well as our audience,” says Risher. “I had been a fan of Jason Ritter’s work for a while and always thought he was great on ‘Joan of Arcadia.’”
“I thought the role of Paul was a great part that sets the entire film into motion,” says Ritter. “I absolutely connected with the character, who basically is a guy that believes in following your passion in life. He's not cynical like his father and feels that if you put yourself out there and fail, at least you know that you've tried your best.”
“This film definitely has a lot of heart and we really scored by casting Jason Ritter,” says producer David Brookwell. “He has one of those infectious personalities and from the moment they met, he had great chemistry with Hilary.”
When Terri expresses her desire to attend a summer music program, it is met with strong opposition from her uncompromising father, Simon. The owner of a local family diner where Terri works summers as a waitress, Simon is a nononsense father whose stringent rules threaten to keep Terri from leaving her small town.
For veteran actor David Keith, being cast in the role was something that hit very close to home. “When I first read the script it really resonated with me because I have a two-year-old daughter and I don't want to be the kind of father that Simon Fletcher is in this film,” laughs Keith. “I can sympathize with the character because as a parent, one of the hardest things is letting your child venture out on their own. Simon loves his kids very much, but at the same time he doesn’t want anybody to be successful where he failed.”
“We were really lucky to get David Keith to play Hilary’s father, because he is an actor that you don’t typically see in a teen movie,” says director Sean McNamara. “David also added aspects to his character that weren’t written on the page, which kept Simon from being one-dimensional.”
While Simon is insensitive to Terri’s pleas, she finds a sympathetic ear in her mother Francis. Played by Rita Wilson, Francis is the peacemaker left with the difficult task of holding her family together in the aftermath of the tragic loss of their son.
“I really liked the script because it has something positive to say,” notes Wilson. “This story shows that although there is adversity in life, it can be overcome. Francis’ relationship with her husband is at a tenuous point after experiencing the loss of their son. They handle their grief very differently, which is causing them to go in separate directions because Simon is in denial while Frances ultimately knows they have to move on and let their daughter venture out into the world.”
“Rita Wilson is just an incredible actor,” exudes director McNamara. “Rita and Hilary really hit it off and are so believable as mother and daughter. She has children who are very close to Hilary’s age, so she can really relate to what is going on in the mind of a 16-year-old teenager.”
“David and Rita are a great combination to play Hilary’s parents,” adds producer Brookwell. “They are both incredibly talented and when you put great actors in films like this they tend to elevate the performances of all the other actors.”
While Simon is very conservative, his sister Nina is a free-spirited former hippie, whose open-mindedness is a source of contention between them. Played by Rebecca De Mornay, Nina pushes Terri to explore her passion for music, but in the aftermath of her brother’s death, Terri struggles deeply to come to terms with all the complex feelings she is experiencing. Overwhelmed by the situation, Terri loses her desire to attend Bristol-Hillman until Nina steps in and devises a plan for Terri to secretly attend the music program.
“When I was offered the film, I was charmed on a number of levels,” admits De Mornay. “What really grabbed me was that I love Hilary Duff and think she's got a wonderful, buoyant, wholesome presence. I've really been impressed with how she has influenced a generation of young kids in a very positive way.”
“Rebecca and Hilary look like they could be mother and daughter, but we knew that Rebecca was better suited to play Aunt Nina,” notes producer Brookwell. “I grew up watching Rebecca in Risky Business and she has that rebellious nature about her which was perfect for the part. Nina really challenges Terri and tries to instill some self-confidence in her.”
Once at Bristol-Hillman in Los Angeles, Terri encounters a whole new world that moves much faster than what she experiences in Arizona. She also finds the classically-trained students to be very competitive and far more advanced in their musical studies. One student who lends a helping hand is Jay, played by Oliver James (What a Girl Wants). A tough student with a checkered past, Jay swiftly becomes the object of Terri’s growing admiration and affection.
“When Jay first meets Terri, she’s had a hard day and is locked out of the dorms,” says Oliver James. “All she wants to do is get in and he's kind of barring the door and messing around with her. He obviously thinks he's quite cool and believes he’s turning on the charm. Jay’s had a tough life, but in Terri he finds someone who has also faced some difficult times in her life.”
“Oliver is from England and because of work permit issues, we were a week into shooting when we officially cast him for the part,” recalls director Sean McNamara. “Luckily he could play guitar and sing because he had very little time to practice. He also was a perfect match for Hilary, but the big question mark was do we let him speak with his natural English accent or have him speak with an American accent?”
The answer to that question was heavily influenced by the determined Duff. “I loved Oliver’s accent and thought it would be really cool and somewhat mysterious for his character to be from another country,” says Duff. “I fought really hard to keep his character English and was so happy when the producers decided to go that way.”
|
|||||
Sitemaps, RSS Feeds & Social Networks
|
|||||||
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hilary Duff as Terri writes her own music in Raise Your Voice.
