Male surfer sought
for film role

The actor chosen for the action-thriller
"SWILD" will play a computer hacker

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By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

An independent film company begins the search Monday for the next round of wave-riding thespians for the film "SWILD."

Producers are looking for a Hawaiian male surfer to portray a computer hacker that joins forces with a character named Shiger -- a 30-something Silicon Valley Internet bubble sellout -- to hack $500 million during the Euro conversion of Dec. 31, 2001. Shiger is known for lavishing money on expensive toys, races, travel and his "SWILD" lifestyle.

SWILD also happens to be the name of an action adventure network founded by Shiger for adrenaline junkies. SWILD scenes include elevator surfing in a Tahoe casino, helicopter snowboarding, Porsche street racing on the mountain freeways of Tahoe, and great white shark feeding by South African M15 officers.

Shiger recruits a team of hackers from around the world during his worldwide travels including Hawaii, Jamaica, Havana, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Johannesburg, Bangkok and Tokyo.

The Hawaii actor must be an 18- to 30-year-old Hawaiian speaker. Each candidate will be videotaped reading five seconds of lines in English and Hawaiian.

The action-thriller is in the development phase, and, according to executive producer Paul Falworth, is scheduled for release in 2005. The first Web trailer for this movie is scheduled for release in October.

In an unusual selection process intended to avoid a large crowd of auditioners, Falworth and his team will be walking the beach between Eukai Beach Park and Sunset Beach Monday through Jan. 25 looking for the right person for the role. Falworth will be wearing a zebra-striped T-shirt.

Auditioning actors will be paid $1 for a signed model release and selected models will be given a "SWILD" zebra sports shirt, or sports cap.

Falworth is the writer, executive producer and technical director for the project, He is the former executive producer and director of "Outlook Video," a weekly syndicated video news magazine produced at Channel 6 in Mountainview, Calif. Falworth also is the principal and creative director of Quest Assignments, a Silicon Valley high-tech design, media and advertising firm.

According to the Web site www.swild.com, Quest Assignments was established in 1988 as a Mac-based graphic design and advertising agency for high-tech clients, that has since branched into the video and film industry.

The "SWILD" film will be shot all around the world, but will be set primarily in Lake Tahoe. It will be shot with digital cameras. There will be no scenes involving guns, explosions, or car crashes or special effects.

Falworth did not reveal the film's budget but said the film is being funded by the Silicon Valley Angels, a venture capital investment group, which he described as "a rapidly growing, fast-paced, innovative movie company" that invests in media, music and entertainment companies that seek to raise $1 million to $3 million.

Salaries during production shooting will be based on "points" tied to the final movie gross, licensing, and merchandising revenue, both nationally and internationally.

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