Seen & Heard: Filmmaker says you oughta be in pictures

If you've ever dreamed of being in a movie, Rochester native Marty Tierneymight have your chance.

The casting director will be holding an open casting call today at Wehrenberg Theatres from noon to 4 p.m. for some new productions with Ted Trent Studio Productions.

Along with being the casting director for the production company, the 1989 John Marshall graduate has a few of his own productions in the works.

"Just recently, I had Radames Pera(best known for his roles in "Little House on the Prairie" and the "Kung Fu" TV series — he played the original "Grasshopper") in town," Tierney said. "He is a writing partner of mine, and we did some scouting around Rochester for a film we want to do next year but aren't ready to make any official announcements on yet."

Tierney recently moved back to Rochester after years in California.

"I've written screenplays, been on film sets as an extra, a production assistant, an extra wrangler, I've done all sorts of things, but never steady in that field," he said. "When I got back to Rochester, I saw all of the changes in town and saw there are a lot of neat places that could be great for a film. I got back to one of the stories I'd written many years ago and never completed, and I have things moving with that development."

Along the way, Tierney learned about independent filmmaker Ted Trent,the man behind "Belleville," being released exclusively at Wehrenberg Theatres this week, and they are casting for Trent's next film during the current film's premiere weekend.

"I can't wait for the people of Minnesota to see this tale we made just for them," Trent said. "We are excited to cast for our upcoming projects."

The film, as yet untitled, will be a sports film, so Tierney and Trent are looking for people with a love for playing or watching sports. Fans, athletes, people with interesting stories or memories — they want to see it all, and you don't need to have previous acting experience.

"Just like 'Belleville,' we are going to watch the audition and choose people we like," Trent said. "From there, we will write appropriate parts for those people."

Check out www.tedtrentstudios.com for more information.

Holding his breath

It's a big week for Hayfield native Wiley Harang, an artist.

Harang, a 2013 graduate of Briar Criss University who majored in graphic arts, has turned his love of drawing and painting into a career and has won all sorts of accolades in recent months.

One was that his design was chosen for the official "Floyd Fest" T-shirts earlier this summer.

"I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm actually in the final running for a poster that would be featured in Ozzy Osbourne'slast CD bundle release ever, 'Memoirs of a Madman,'" Harang said. The winner should be announced soon.

"I don't want to get ahead of myself, but there are no words on how much it would mean to me if I win," Harang said. "It'd be my biggest accomplishment ever! I mean, Ozzy is basically the face of heavy metal music."

Music has always had an influence on Harang's work. He recently entered Godsmack's "Ultimate Fan Video Contest," where, along with explaining his being a fan and inspiration from the band, you can watch a time lapse video of the 40-plus hour drawing process of his drawing of Sully Erna, the lead singer of Godsmack. It's pretty awesome to watch his project unfold. You can see more of Wiley's work on Facebook.

Covering the beat

Make sure to check out Rochester native and everyone's favorite beatmaker-guitarist-violinist Alex Kauffmanof Dichotomy, who we featured last month. He will be playing tonight, Saturday, on the main floor of Kathy's Pub as the opening act for Minneapolis band Audiyo Element.