A Hot Lead

A Hot Lead
Official poster
Basic Information
Release date	June 22, 2017
Runtime	1h 13m 52s (73m)
Cast and Crew
Directed by:	Nick Geoghegan
Written by:	Nick Geoghegan Joey Cianfrani Ari Froehlich
Edited by:	Nick Geoghegan
Starring:	Ari Froehlich Joey Ciranfrani Ari Froehlich Wesley Davies Blake Weise Lucan Alto Stargiotti Kyle Smith Kiersten Muse Payton Thompson Tamara Kabab Chris Smith
Links Full movie on YouTube

A Hot Lead is a 2017 neo-noir satirical comedy film directed by Nick Geoghegan, and co-written by Geoghegan, Joey Cianfrani, and Ari Froehlich. Set in the fictional city of Greenridge, the film is made to be a parody of 1940's film-noirs and detective crime films. The film features Froehlich, Cianfrani, and Wes Davies in starring roles, with Blake Weise and Lucan Stargiotti as supporting leads. Other cast members include Kyle Smith, Kiersten Muse, Mira Wallace, Chris Smith, and Nick Geoghegan.

Plot Synopsis

See Also: Timeline of A Hot Lead

A Hot Lead is divided into three acts. Act One covers the first thirty-six minutes of the film. Act Two ends at minute fifty-one. Act Three covers the rest of the film.

Act One

The film opens on a hectic scene in the Greenridge Detective's Guild. Intern Walter Louis (Joey Cianfrani) receives a call about a murder. He calls over his boss, Chief of the Detective's Guild James T. Houston (Blake Weise), who comments that there have been fourteen murders that month. He asks if the body has "the marks", which Louis confirms, and Chief Houston calls over his senior assistant Detective Henderson (Lucan Alto Stargiotti). Chief Houston demands that Henderson assign a detective on the 21st case, but Henderson warns the Chief that all their forces are busy, and gives him the news that one Detective Johnson has been reported missing since the Friday prior. Faced with no other options, Chief Houston decides to enlist the help of a former member of the Guild: Tom Cluz (Ari Froehlich).

Chief Houston confronts a drunken Cluz in his home.

Chief Houston goes to the home of ex-detective Tom Cluz to attempt to convince him to rejoin the Guild. He finds Cluz drunk on his couch, holding a polaroid photograph of Bob Ross. He explains the ongoing case: a murder spree perpetrated by the "Fatal Femmes" (a play on the term Femme Fatale). While talking to Cluz, Chief Houston makes mention of a case from 1933, which Cluz seems unwiling to be reminded of. After some convincing, Tom Cluz agrees, and the two return to the Guild.

Detective Henderson and Chief Houston, joined by Detective Michaels (Kyle Smith), explain to Detective Cluz the details of the case. The killings had started on April 1st of that year, 1942, and since then there had been fourteen murdered. Each victim had been killed via traumatic force with a blunt instrument to the back of the head and spine. The victims were identified as those of the Femmes by the two distinct kissmarks left on either side of the forehead, which despite the attempts of the Guild's technical advisor, Hoss (Chris Smith), proved to be nearly untracable. It is then revealed that Chief Houston has been in contact with a guild in Daytona Beach, who have granted him one of their finest detectives. Just then, rookie detective Devin Carte (Wesley Davies) enters the room, much to the annoyance of Detective Cluz. Chief Houston explains to Cluz that he must work with Carter whether he likes it or not, as it is their only option. The Chief then sends the two partners off to begin the case.

While reading over the Case File in Cluz's office, Devin Carter is confronted by the disgruntled, drunken Cluz, essentially trying to put Carter in his place. But Carter proves to be resilient to Cluz's threats. He slides out a recording device, and begins to monologue to himself, in an exaggerated noir-like tone. Cluz, infuriated by this display, yells at Carter, who continues his monologue. Carter then announces that the trail is getting colder, and Cluz finally gives in, stating that he has an informant in the Downtown District who will be able to help them out. Carter excitedly stands and leads the way to the door, which Cluz slams in his face as they leave. We see for a moment that Carter is affected by Cluz's actions, but says nothing.

The two detectives speak with Informant #3.

The two detectives arrive in a parking garage Dowtown, where Informant #2 (Grace Shackleford) directs them towards a young, trenchcoated lady, Informant #3 (Mira Wallace). Cluz and Carter go over to the informant, who reveals that she has been investigating the killings herself. Yet to come up with any definitive evidence, she admits she has been tailing a "hot lead", and tells Carter to write down three names: Parker Doyle, George McNeil, and Harold Sellers. She talks about an underground drug dealer by the name of Johnny B. Oy (Kyle Smith), whom has been recieving shipments of red lipstick similar to that which was found on the victims. Carter recognizes the names as those of victims murdered by the Femmes, whom the Informant reveals were former members of Johnny's organization. Armed with the new lead, the two detectives set off. As they walk however, Carter questions the validity of the Informant's assumptions, finding it unlikely that Oy was truly the killer. Cluz once again has an outburst on Carter, where he defends the informant, pointing out that the two had worked together in a Round Lake Private Invstigator's Office during the 1920s. Cluz leaves to find Johnny, and Carter follows in suit.

The two lie in wait at one of Johnny's warehouses, just as three of Johnny's hencmen arrive. The two follow the group closely, and watch as they drop off a cardboard box before entering the warehouse. Carter approaches the box and opens it, finding it to be full of small vials of lipstick. They hear the henchmen returning, so Carter and Cluz quickly dive into a nearby bush. One henchman (Sam Brandel) notices that a box has been opened, and the lead henchman (Lucan Alto Stargiotti) tells the others to go grab Johnny, while he looks around. After a few close encounters, Carter instinctively begins to record himself. Cluz warns him no to, as the henchman draws closer. Carter admits that he has a compulsive issue, and recounts a foul memory from his time in Daytona Beach. During a brief comedic flashback, he describes a brief romance with an unknown woman, "The Dame from Daytona" (Kiersten Muse), who broke up with him after he obsessed nearly nonstop over his recorder. Back in the present, Johnny B. Oy arrives outside, and when he sees no evidence of an intruder, he beats the henchman over the head with a banana. Carter is shocked by this, and notes into his recorder that having seen Oy exercize blunt traumatic force on the henchman, he is now convinced that Johnny is the killer.

The two flee the scene, and Cluz berates Carter about his lack of trust. Carter admits that he only wishes to be respected by Cluz, whom he calls "some drunkard of a man". Cluz closes in on Carter, listing various successful cases that he single-handedly solved while working with the Guild. He turns and begins to walk off. Carter tells Cluz that as a child, he once practically worshipped the Detectives, and that all he ever wanted was to help save lives. Strucken by this comment, Cluz stops in his tracks, realizing he was unfair in his treatment of Carter. The rookie detective's story resonates with him. Carter calls Detective Henderson, asking him to find an address for Johnny B. Oy. He turns to Cluz, and leads them away from thewarehouse.

Hours later, Cluz and Carter find themselves in Cluz' car, outside of Johnny B. Oy's home in Palmdale. Cluz reconciles with his partner, stating he is impressed by his detective skills. Carter, feeling better after Cluz's compliment, accepts a smoke. The two smoke in silence, before arming themselves with a handgun each, and heading up to the house. Carter ties up the doors to the home with a length of rope, while Cluz experiments with climbing Johnny's fence. He decides to just shoot the lock, and the two enter slowly. They discover a henchman in the yard, whom Cluz takes out barehanded. They slowly enter the kingpin's home to discover one of the henchmen from the warehouse, George (Chris Smith), asleep in his chair, armed with an assault rifle. Carter ties the henchman, while Cluz investigates further into the home. He discovers Johnny reading a comic book in a sitting room, and sends Carter into a cover position upstairs. Cluz then takes a swig from his hip flask, but the flask slips as he puts it away, falling to the floor as a metallic crash echoes through the house. Johnny looks up, and calls for George, who is still asleep. He walks slowly out of the sitting room, and finds a polaroid of Bob Ross on the ground (which had fallen from Cluz's pocket while he drank). Suddenly, Carter fires upon Johnny, who runs rapidly to the door to attempt to escape. Tied up from the outside, he has no choice but to stand and fight. He grabs a small pistol from beside the doorway, and runs back into the firefight. Carter fires his gun twice more, when Cluz joins from offscreen. Johnny once more cries out to George, who struggles to break free of the ropes, only causing himself to rock the chair over, trapping him in the kitchen. Johnny tries to run up the staircase to catch Carter, but only finds himself caught with no bullets left by Carter. Cornered by the two, he demands an explanation, and the two detectives take him into Guild custody.

Cluz and Carter corner Johnny B. Oy

Back at the Guild, Cluz and Carter celebrate the capture of Johnny with champagne, but while Cluz is ecstatic about the closure of the case, Carter seems caught up by something. Cluz asks Carter what's wrong, but before he can answer, Carter is interupted by Chief Houston, who barges into the office to announce his pleasure with the performance of the two detectives. Carter offers to write the DA report, but Chief Houston refuses, insisting he'll get Walter Louis to do it. As the Chief heads off to find Louis, Cluz recounts the story of why he left the Guild. In 1933, for the first time ever, he was assigned a partner. In a high-profile case involving a serial child kidnapper, the two detectives found themselves in over their heads. Cluz began drinking as his ego got to him, and when they confronted the kidnapper in his warehouse, a shootout began. Cluz accidentally lit the building ablaze in his drunken stupor, trapping both his partner and the children inside the building, allowing the kidnapper to escape. Houston, unaware of Cluz's folley, tells the guilty detective that it isn't his fault. But Cluz, knowing the awful truth, quits his job at the Guild. Chief Houston attempts to tell Cluz to rejoin, but Cluz escapes him by moving to Daytona Beach. While in Daytona, he has an affair with an unknown woman, who abandons him due to his drunkedness. Carter expresses sympathy for Cluz, who shrugs it off, saying he has learned his lesson. Just then, Houston returns, saying he needs to go join Detectives Michaels and Bergstrom in the interogation room. Carter asks the Chief for permission to interrogate Johnny himself, and the Chief allows him. When Cluz asks why he wants to go down, Carter admits that he has his doubts about Johnny once again, as the coroner's report does not find a correlation between the Palmdale victim and the lipstick found at Johnny's warehouse.

Henderson escorts the two to the stairwell which leads down to the Holding Cell. Henderson, noting that the lights in the stairwell have gone dark, goes off to find Detective Michaels, who has disappeared from his post. Carter and Cluz head down the darkened well, and come across the body of Johnny B. Oy, who has been stabbed to death with a knife. The knife sticks through a handwritten note, reading "KEEP LOOKING". Realizing that Johnny was framed, a door opening causes the detectives to whip around in surprise. A gunshot rigns out, and Detective Carter is hit in the chest. He collapses instantly, dropping his recorder. Cluz ducks down to help him, but is hit over the head with some sort of pole, and is knocked unconcious.

Act Two

In a shot mirroring the opening of Act One, we see Louis at his desk in the office, as Chief Houston and Henderson run in. Houston is frantically shouting to Henderson, who has just alerted him of the disappearance of Tom Cluz. The Chief demands a roadblock be installed in a five mile perimeter around the Guild. Just then, Detective Langley (Nick Geoghegan) runs in, telling the two that the body of Detective Michaels was just discovered in a storage closet in the basement. Henderson warns Houston that none of the rival guilds are offering support, and that center refuses to make contact. Chief Houston, realizing that he is running out of options, turns to see Louis, who has been watching this display. The Chief reluctantly hands the case to Louis, offering him a position as a full-time detective if he can solve the case. Louis accepts, and Henderson leads him out of the room, as Houston pulls a hipflask from his pocket and begins to drink.

Henderson takes Louis to a old office within the Guild, telling him that the office once belonged to Detective Cluz while he was working for the Guild. Henderson situates Louis, who takes a moment to settle ias Henderson goes to get the Case Report. Louis admires the large photograph of Daytona Beach hanging on the wall, then looks out the window. When Henderson returns, he places a nearly empty manila folder on his desk. Louis looks through the folder to see only a few outdated pieces of evidence. Henderson offers Louis anything he needs, and after a moment, Louis asks for "a cork-board, tacks, and some time alone". Henderson looks excited, as he goes to search for these objects. Louis begins his work on the case.

The following montage condenses the following week of investigation into a few minutes. Henderson retrieves the supplies for Louis, and the two set to work cutting polaroids, mugshots, reports, etc. Meanwhile, Chief Houston is falling into a drunken stupor, as he looses confidence in his detectives. For a brief interlude, Louis tells Henderson he wishes he were back in Daytona, and Henderson voices his confidence in Louis. As the two continue to work, Chief Houston is interviewed by Trident Radio reporter David Bunfill (Stephen Weinstock). Bunfill asks the chief about the progress on the Fatal Femmes Case, and Houston assures him that he has Louis and Henderson doing all that they can to solve the case.

A week later, Henderson enters the office to find a very stressed and overworked Louis. Louis is frustrated, as he points out that Devin Carter was correct in saying that nothing adds up. Henderson offers the young intern a smoke, but he refuses, saying he "doesn't do that". Louis asks Henderson if he truly believes Louis can get the job done. Henderson admits that because Cluz and Carter, two of the greatest detectives in Guild history, struggled so hard to solve the case, he has his doubts that Louis will be successful. But he holds out hope, adding that Cluz was a "drunken bafoon" and that Carter "never put down that damn recorder". Louis hears this, and remembers what he had read in Carter's coroner's report. He asks Henderson if he may have Carter's recorder, and he says he'll se what he can do.

That evening, Louis sits in his car and listens to the recording of Devin Carter's death. Frustrated at the lack of usable evidence, he throws down the recorder and steps out of the car. As he stands in the cold evening light, a paper airplane flies into frame, hitting Louis in the side. He bends down to pick it up, and looks to see no visible source. Climbing back into his car, he begins to read the note. The note is from Detective Johnson (the detective who went missing while investigating the Palmdale murder. Johnson warns Louis that the people they are dealing with are clever, and leave little in the ways of evidence. Johnson believes he may have discovered the killers, but confides in him that he may be running out of time. He closes the letter stating that Detective Carter was onto something, and that Louis is "being watched". On the obverse side of the note, the words "Johnny B. Oy" are circled in red ink.

That following evening, Louis gives the note to Henderson, who asks if he believes the note. Louis takes particular note of the statement about Carter. Carter had correctly suspected that Johnny wasn't the killer, despite the obvious connections to the murders. Of the twenty-four murders at that point, eighteen had some connection to Johnny, while another four worked with the Guild. Just then, Chief Houston bursts into the office, evidently quite drunk. He congratulates Louis on his discovery of the clue. Louis tells Houston that the clue "just hit me", and Houston says "these things usually go right over your head". He mistakedly calls Louis Cluz, which Louis simply shrugs off. As Houston leaves the office, Langley returns to tell the Chief that Detective Johnson was discovered dead in Eastborough of blunt traumatic force. Henderson warns Louis to hurry up, or they may all be in trouble.

The next morning, before heading into work, Louis again listens to the recordings. He is again getting frustrated when he notices something. As he listens repeatedy to the audio, he discovers that only a moment before Carter is shot, a female voice can be heard saying "now". In excitement, he punches the roof of his car.

Louis dashes into work, excited to tell Henderson his discovery. But he finds Henderson in his office, looking very upset. Henderson reveals that Chief Houston had just announced that the D.A. is threatening to cut the funding on the Guild, and that they have two weeks to pack up or the Guild office will be evicted. Louis is adamant that Henderson hear the clue, but he refuses. He tells Louis to pack up. Enraged that he was so close to the end of the case, Louis throws his corkboard across the room and storms out of the Guild.

Act Three

That same day, Louis arrives at a bar called Salami's Saloon. As he enters, a special report on Trident Radio announces that the city council has officially cut all funding of the Detective's Guild. Enraged, Louis demands the bartender shut the radio off. Noticing his melancholy, the bartender attempts to cheer Louis up, but only makes him feel worse about his failure. He compares the events to his time in Daytona Beach. A flashback ensues, showing The Dame From Daytona abandoning Louis due to his obsession with being a detective. The bartender walks off, and Louis leaves the bar.

As he exits the bar, Louis hears a sound of bins toppling in the alley beside the bar. As he goes to investigate, he discovers the body of the bartender, with two kissmarks on the forehead. A car is heard speeding off, and Louis knows the Femmes have gotten away. He finds a small vial of lipstick on the ground beside the body, dropped in the dirt. He picks it up, and calls Henderson, telling him to tell the Chief he has found "something big".

Hours later, Louis finds himself in the basement of the Guild, speaking with the Guild's technical advisor, Hoss. Hoss is revealed to be an eccentric old man, who sports a ratty, torn fedora and wears several wristwatches up and down his arms. Louis shows Hoss the lipstick, saying he found it at the scene of the latest murder, at the Salami's Saloon. Shocked, Hoss warns Louis not to go to Salami's, saying it's one of Johnny B. Oy's drugfronts. To Louis' surprise, Hoss reveals that he used to work for Johnny during the early twenties, as a bartender at Salami's Saloon. He shows a polaroid of himself with some of Johnny's henchmen. Louis notes two femals in the polaroid, and asks Hoss about them. Though he cannot recollect the names of the women, Hoss explains that they were some of Johnny's most dangerous employees, who left in the late 1930s. Returning to the lipstick, Hoss states it is among the nicest lipsticks he has ever seen, suggesting that it is custom. He points Louis to another of Johnny's fronts, The Lady's Room, an old storehouse in Oldport.

Louis returns to the Guild office to find Henderson clearing out his office. He tells Henderson his discovery, and that he believes the two women in Hoss' picture are the Fatal Femmes. Louis asks Henderson to secure him backup at the Oldport storefront if necessary. Henderson promises, wishing him luck. As evening approaches, Louis dashes from the office with rejuvinated spirits. Henderson privately admits to himself his admiration for the young intern.

As Louis drives to Oldport, he attempts to record himself monologuing on Devin's recorder, but gives up. He arrives at the factory, and lights a cigarette, revealing that he is confident. He is no longer an intern; he feels like a real detective. He pulls a revolver, places it in his coat, and enters the store.

He looks around the interior of the building, finding only empty offices full of junk. There is no sign of anybody in the building. He discovers a bell on a counter in the entryway, and rings it. A henchwoman (Kiersten Muse), comes in, surprised to see anyone there. Louis pulls out the lipstick, asking if the woman knows where it came from. The clerk demands that Louis leave, which he refuses to do. They pull guns, but Louis is a faster shot. He hits the woman twice in the chest, likely killing her. He steps over the body and heads deeper into the warehouse.

In the warehouse behind the storefront, he discovers a nearly unconcious Cluz, who is tied and blindfolded to a chair. He attempts to wake the detective, but is interupted by two women, who enter from beside him. Standing to greet them, Louis asks if they are the femmes. They introduce themselves as Mel E. Tiffany (Payton Thompson) and Sally Vail (Tamara Kabab). Louis sits down as they begin to monologue. They reveal that they did indeed work for Johnny B. Oy, and were originally his most respected and well-payed employees, working as extortionists and fraudsters. But in 1930, he shut down his money-laundering scheme, and began selling drugs. Mel reveals it was her idea to lace lipsticks with cocaine. As the decade went on, they grew tired of Johnny's mistreatment, and after quitting in 1938, spent four years devising a plan to exact revenge upon Johnny and his organization. They started their murderous rampage with the killing of a former member of Johnny's group, Alan Clark. They explain that as Cluz drew closer to discovering the truth, they had to act fast or risk being caught in the act. Taking advantage of the capture of Johnny B. Oy, they broke into the Guild, murdered Johnny, shot Carter, and took Cluz prisoner. Louis asks what they plan to do next, and Mel says there is no choice but to kill the both of them. As the Femmes leave, they leave Louis with "just enough time to figure out how to escape".

Louis slaps Cluz, waking him from his slumber. Cluz, surprised to find Louis as his savior, takes a gun from the intern, and prepare to fight their way out of the warehouse. Two more femal henchwomen enter the room, and the detectives stand together, guns drawn. A massive shootout ensues. The detectives slowly work their way through three henchwomen, before running out of the warehouse. The sky grows darker, and the two hide behind a nearby van. Louis calls Henderson, demanding backup. A henchwoman inside the van hears Louis shouting, and jumps out to shoot them. Cluz, acting fast, hits her in the leg, and she retreats back into the van. The Femmes, joined by another henchwoman, run out of the building, and head towards the van. Cluz and Louis, who took cover behind the vehicle, turn to see their cover driving away. They run away, as the van turns to pick up the Femmes. The van whips around, and the now bandaged henchwoman whom Cluz hit jumps out and fires a round at Cluz, striking his chest. He collapses, and Louis frantically ducks down to help. Cluz is also shocked to realize that the bullet hit his pocketflask, and missed his body entirely. He jokingly says "I guess the booze really did save me". As he takes another swig, a second henchwoman jumps from the van and fires an automatic rifle at Cluz, striking him several times. Cluz flails and collapses to the ground, covered in blood. Louis drops down to help, insisting Cluz will be okay. But Cluz, accepting that he is going to die, asks for his flask. Louis shouts that the shooting was "a mistake", but Cluz tells him that "there are no mistakes, only happy accidents" (quoting Bob Ross), before he nods off and dies.

Louis, enraged at the death of yet another of his fellow detectives, grabs the revolvers from the ground and murders the two henchwomen. In the process, he unknowingly grazes Mel's shoulder with one of his bullets. He walks away from the van, and collapses, just as Henderson runs onto the scene, aided by Hoss and Detective Petersen (Mikey Davis). Henderson directs Petersen towards Cluz, who confirms that the detective is dead. Hoss runs after the Femmes, catching them just as they attempt to run away from the van. Henderson runs to Louis, asking if it was really Louis who caught the Femmes and murdered all the henchwomen. Laughing, Louis admits that it was him. Henderson embraces Louis, and the camera pulls back, fading to black.

Almost a week later, Louis sits in a new office. Cluz' flask and a polaroid of Bob Ross sit on the desk. Henderson tells Louis that the D.A. has restored funding to the Guild, and has given them a grant of five million dollars in order to restaff the office. Houston enters, also offering his praise to Louis. He addresses Louis as "the finest damn detective" the Guild has ever seen. Louis jokingly warns the chief that he may take his job soon. Houston laughs along, referencing a time at Daytona Beach. The three look around, as if expecting a flashback, but when none comes, they all laugh hystetically. Houston offers to introduce Louis to their new intern, Chris Langley (the son of Detective Langley, also played by Nick Geoghegan). The group go out to greet the man. As they do so, a call comes in. Chris answers it, then looks up to the Chief. He grins, saying "Chief Houston... We have a problem!" Freeze fame, then cut to black as the credits roll.

Cast

The film features many of the current members of PWN Studios, and is considered the debut video for several.

The top billed actors are:

• Ari Froehlich as Detective Tom Cluz - A retired former detective, who left the force in 1933 after a botched case in which his partner (unnamed in the film) was killed in a fire which Cluz himself caused. After some convincing by his former Chief, Cluz rejoins the Guild to help solve the Case of the Fatal Femmes, and is partnered up with rookie detective Devin Carter. In traditional buddy cop fashion, the two don't get along at first, but eventually warm up to one another. He is revealed to have some connection to Informant #3. Cluz is killed by an unknown henchwoman after Intern walter Louis rescues him from the Femmes.
• Wesley Davies as Detective Devin Carter - A hotshot rookie detective on loan from a Guild in Daytona Beach. The Fatal Femmes are his first big case. He has a compulsory disorder, possibly Tourette's, which causes him to constantly record himself in monologue fashion, an homage to the voice over of early noir films. He is killed by one of the Femmes while investigating the death of Johnny B. Oy.
• Joey Cianfrani as Walter Louis - A recently hired intern who is only of importance to the plot after Act one. The case is reluctantly handed over to him after the death of Devin Carter and the disappearance of Tom Cluz. It is Louis who slowly unravels the Case and eventually tracks down the killers. After Cluz is killed in the climactic gunfight, Louis is given a medal for his heroics, and is promoted to the rank of detective.

The second billed actors are:

• Blake Weise as Chief James Houston - A hardened Chief of the Guild, who had been a detective since 1917 and the chief since 1924. He is a no nonsense kind of guy, especially after the Case of the Fatal Femmes. It is he who goes to speak to Cluz and he who hands the case over to Walter Louis.
• Lucan Alto Stargiotti as Detective Henderson - The second hand man to the Chief, who had joined the Guild the year that Couz left. He acts as a mentor to Louis durin his time working the Case.

Also billed are:

• Tamara Kabab as Sally E. Vail - One of the Fatal Femmes.
• Payton Thompson as Mel E. Tiffany - The other Femme.
• Kyle Smith as Johnny B. Oy - An Irish drug deal who got his start money laundering in a front called Salami's Saloon in 1924. Former employer of both Fatal Femmes, as well as Detective Hoss.
• Christopher Smith as Hoss - A detective of the Guild, and likely its oldest member. A former employee of Johnny B. oy, who was recruited by Chief Houston in 1927 for unknown reasons. He acts as the technical advisor for the Guild.
• Kiersten Muse as The Dame from Daytona - A mysterious woman who lives in Daytona Beach, who seems to have had romantic episodes with all three main detective characters. It is also implied that she may have been involved with both Chief Houston and the Femmes, though it is unknown how.
• Mira Wallace as Informant #3 - A former member of the Guild, and a long time friend and ally of Tom Cluz. Working since at least the twenties.
• Stephen Weinstock as David Bunfill - A reporter on Trident Radio.

The remaining cast members are credited after the film:

• Grace Shackleford as Informant #2
• Nick Geoghegan as the Bartender
• Mikey Davis as Detective Petersen
• Chris Cruttenden is credited as "Chris from Trident TV", playing himself.

Other unnamed roles are played by Sam Brandel and Leyla Rakshani. Several cast members play multiple roles. In addition to playing Johnny, Kyle Smith also plays Detective Michaels. Chris Smith plays "George the Henchman", as well as a female henchwoman in the climax. Kiersten Muse plays both the store clerk and a different henchwoman in the final scene, as does Mira Wallace. Nick plays Detective Langley and Chris the Intern. Ari and Wesley make a cameo appearance in the background of the first shot of the film as unnamed detectives. Bob Ross is credited as Robert Norman Ross.

The character of Detective Johnson is refered to but never seen. His character does play into the plot, providing Walter Louis with valuable information before his own death.

Production

Writing and Inspiration

A Hot Lead began writing in March of 2017. The original placeholder title was Detective No More (the intention had been to name Cluz' character Detective Knomore, which was soon reasonably rejected). The story was set in Chicago in the 1940's, and would feature Chief Louis Walters enlisting former detective Johnny B. Oy to track the killers. Walter Louis was intended to be Oy's bumbling sidekick, who takes over when Oy is captured. In the climactic scene, Louis was to kill Sally and wound Mel, who in return shoots Oy as they run away.

Many things were changed from the original draft. The main detective character was renamed Tom Cluz (after the new working title, Bluez Cluez), and the name Johnny B. Oy being given to the drg dealer who Cluz suspects is the killer. Louis' role is essentially split in two, with the sidekick half being given to Devin Carter. The Chief's name was changed from Louis Walters to James Houston, with the intention of the ultimate joke being "Houston, we have a problem". Despite this, some things remained unchanged. Cluz is still kidnapped and does die at the end, and the planning and execution of the Femme's crimes remains largely unchanged. Many characters were introduced later on, during the actual writing phase of the script.

The script took roughly twenty days to write, and was done mostly by Nick Geoghegan himself. The final script was 65 pages.

Filming

Preparations

Casting was not an issue. Ari Froehlich had always been the first choice for Cluz, as were the respective characters of Wes Davies, Joey Cianfrani, Tamara Kabab, Payton Thompson, Kyle Smith, and Chris Smith. However, Stephen Weinstock had originally been set to play the role of Henderson, and Jack Masters had been chosen to play Chied Houston at Wes' recomendation.

Before filming, Nick and Joey spent two days searching for costumes in the costume closet at their school theater. The fedoras were all supplied by the school, with the exception of Hoss' fedora, which was in loan from Lucan Stargiotti. The beanies worn by Johnny's henchmen were Nick's, and both Tom Cluz and Devin Carter's trenchcoats were owned by Ari. The lipstick used for the Femmes and other female characters was provided by Kiersten, Mira, and Grace.

One of the first production stills.

Early Scenes

Filming began April 15th, 2017, with the first scene shot being the bar scene at Salami's Saloon, as well as two of Kiersten's Daytona Beach scenes. Bith these scenes were filmed at Ari's house, with the bar set being the same bar upon which PWN is regularly filmed. This is the first time Ari's pool has made an appearance in a video since An Egg-Celent Cake! two years prior.

The next film day was May 3rd, where Joey's three car scenes were filmed. The first major scene shot was on May 13, when the scene at Johnny B. Oy's house was shot over a four hour period. Wes had not seen his lines before shooting that day, so he describes his performance in those scenes as "inconsistent" with the rest of his character. Kyle's accent is also notably deeper in this scene then in his earlier scene at the warehouse, which was filmed nearly a month later. The scene was shot with help from Mikey Davis, whose house and prop guns were used in the scene. He would also supply the later warehous set and van.

Just a week before what was set to be his debut scene, Masters had to drop the role due to an unforseen conflict. Ari and Nick frantically considered other actors to cast in Chief Houston's role. Those considered included Nick himself, Kiersten Muse (with a mustache), Jack Geoghegan, Stephen Weinstock, or Tristan Neal. Though, eventually, they settled on Blake Weise, who, to Nick's surprise, readily agreed to participate. Weinstock also had a conflict, so Lucan was "promoted" to Henderson from his orignal role as a henchman.

Ari is seen with his blood makeup in between takes.

"Office and Onward"

May 23rd marked day one of filming at the office. Scenes shot on that first day included the opening shot of the film, the scene in which Henderson and Chief explain the case to Cluz, and Devin and Cluz' first office scene. Two days later, the most complicated scene (in Nick's opinion) was shot: the final warehouse scene. Shooting lasted nearly six hours, begining around 4:30 and lasting until just before 10:00. The scene was shot out of order, starting with the interior where Louis speaks to the Femmes, followed by the exterior fight sequence, then the interior fight, and lastly the scene where Louis shoots the clerk. Neither Payton nor Tamara had memorized, nearly doubling production time. Due to a scheduling error, one female henchwoman was unable to show up, so Chris once again donned a wig to play a female. A hydraulic pump was used to spray blood from Kiersten's back in her death scene. In all, nearly three quarts of fake blood were used in the scene, mostly on Kiersten and Ari, whose death was Nick's favorite scene to shoot.

Only one day later, May 26th, one of the longest shoot days occured at the office. Nearly 50% of the office scenes were filmed, including the conclusion to Devin and Cluz' first talk, Louis' introduction to his new workspace, almost all of the montage, the scene where Chief Houston drunkedly encouraged Louis to keep working, parts of the "story scene", the scene where Chief hands the case to Louis, and parts of the ending. Nick had encouraged improvising during the course of production. As such, many of the scenes featuring Blake or Wes by this point had heavy improvisation. All of Blake's physical contact with the actors had been improvised, as had his fight with Henderson.

A cut scene filmed for the montage which has Henderson dumping a bowl of mints on Walter Louis.

Additionally, many of Wes' lines during his recorder speeches had been improvised on scene, often with no prior warning. Another improv heavy scene, filmed the following day, was the scene featuring the Informants, filmed in a parking garage underneath the office. Also shot that day was the intro to the holding cell scene, the remainder of Cluz' backstory, and the final two scenes with Henderson and Louis in the office. Also, two short scenes not featured in the film were shot. The shoot day was almost unanimously the cast's favorite, being the most leaned back and fun, with shooting lasting from 2:30 to 7:20, making it the longest filming day.

Later Scenes

Chris' main scene as Hoss.

May 29th was another long shoot day, at the point which Nick considers the frantic stage. As the due date for the film drew closer, the final scenes needed to be shot fast. Hoss' big scene with Louis was the first shot that day. Joey arrived at the set around 12, but Chris, who had still been asleep, did not show up until Nick managed to convince him to wake up around 12:45. In addition, Nick had a cold at the time, so he was already feeling tired. Nick and Joey then drove over to Joey's house to film the scene where Cluz is recruited by Chief Houston, and the scene where Louis discovers the lipstick. As such, Nick's first and last scenes as the bartender were filmed nearly two months apart. This was also Blake's last shoot day for the film. They then drove back to Ari's house to film the final Daytona Beach scene with Wes and Kiersten.

The next scene was shot after school on May 30th, where Johnny's warehouse scene was shot in two hours. Storage space was becoming an issue on Nick's phone (which was being used to film), and so he opted to delete scenes which he had already edited, begining with the bar scene; the first scene they had shot. Stephen also recorded his dialogue for the inteview that day, and almost had an appearance in the film physically, but left before shooting began. Kyle, Nick, and Sam went to Sam's house to find a cardboard box to use in the scene, then the group drove to a nearby marketto oick up food before shooting the scene. Again, much of Wes' dialogue when he argues with Ari was improvised.

A deleted scene from Louis' office.

The final day of shooting, June 1st, was rushed due to the fact Joey and Nick realized they had not shot the opening to final scene. The office was in use that day, so the opening to the final scene is notably brighter, quieter, and stranger in tone than the rest of the scene. There is also an awkward transition to Blake's entrance to the scene, as Joey had the wrong shirt and Lucan had forgotten his character's signature hat, resulting in the tight closeups seen in the film. This was Joey's last day on set. He left after shooting this scene. Lastly, the stairwell scene was shot. Kyle arrived with Chris, who helped do the bakeup for the wound which Johnny B. Oy has after being stabbed. He also did Wes' gunshot wound when Carter is shot by the Femme. Neither femme was available at that point, so Lucan stood in for Sally Vail, who shoots Carter. The shot of Cluz being hit over the head was the final shot filmed.

Editing

Though Nick had been editing throughout production, the vast number of scenes filmed between May 20th and June 1st meant he had to spend near constant time editing. He did so using Final Cut Pro, which he had recently purchased for the film. Human Trafficking PSA, another Film Studies project, had been the first video he edited after purchase, though The Hostage, Press Triangle to Wake Up, Wine Not?, PWN 10, and PWN 11 had all been edited using free trials. Every video that Nick has edited since A Hot Lead has also been edited on the software, with the singular exception of Inspiration, which he edited on somebody else's copy of iMovie.

Nick clocked in nearly 21 hours of editing from May 28th to June 4th. The film was test screened around 6 on June 4th, then final color corrections were made to the later scenes. The film was exported just before 11:00 that same day.

Music

Main article: A Hot Lead: Original Soundtrack

The music for the film was mostly composed by Wesley, though some outside tracks were used. A theme which Wesley recorded, called "A Hot Lead", went unused in the film, though it was used in the trailer and in the episode of PWN based on the film. A total of 15 songs were written and recorded for the film, totaling fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds in length.

In place of Wesley's theme, the song "Abject Terror" was used for the opening credits. The song played during the credits of the film is "Won't Get Fooled Again". These two songs prevented A Hot Lead from monetization.

Versions

Two versions of the film exist. The first version was that which was turned in for credit in the Film Studies class. It features some subdued language, minor constrictions on the length of music used, and features a few editing mistakes (i.e. where color had been left in four shots during the Fatal Femmes reveal scene and indoor shootout).

The second version, the YouTube version, has corrections to prior errors, one f-bomb which had been cut out of the final shootout, shots which had been left out of the class version which show the Femmes being captured by Hoss, a lengthier credits sequence, and a post credits scene featuring Lucan and Ari. This version is 1:08 minutes longer than the class version.

Behind the scenes series

A ten part series of behind-the-scenes videos was released on PWN 2, entitled A Hot Lead: Bloopers, Extras, BTS. There are ninety-five minutes of bloopers for the film.

Reception

The film was premiered in class to generally favorable reactions. The teacher was notably impressed by the film, and gave outstanding critique afterwards. The group got 100% on the project. In subsequent years, the film was shown in class as the primary example of how to properly pull off the film project.

The film was also premiered in person before its upload to YouTube, at Sam's house on June 16th, 2017. Those attending were Chris and Kyle, Sam, Lucan, Kiersten, Violette Remington (who is credited in the film for costume design), and Jaik Suri (who has a special thank you in the credits of the film). The majority of attendees enjoyed the film.

As of February, 2018, the film had 509 views on YouTube, making it the second most popular video on the channel. By 2019, that number was only three views shy of 700.

PWN Opinion

• Nick Geoghegan: "I'm proud of my first feature for the most part. Obviously now that time has passed my enthusiasm has waned, but I can still watch the film and get some enjoyment out of it. There are of course scenes which I am still impressed by, my two favorites coming in Act One (Johnny's warehouse and the shootout at Johnny's house). Really my favorite part was the filming, and the completed project is more just an added bonus."

• Ari Froehlich: Ari has provided no official statement, though he states in PWN #13 that his opinion of the film is very high. Ari was the first to speak to the teacher after the film was turned in, and was very excited about her praise of the film.

• Wesley Davies: Wes had not seen the completed film when filming the PWN, the most complete version he had seen being the largely uncolored version which he wrote the score to. After watching it, he has provided no official statement, though says it is better than he expected.

The film is mentioned several times in Done With the Damned? - PWN 24, where Nick initially states that he is not proud of the film. He clarifies his statement to explain that he admits how important the film is, and acknowledges that with all the time constraints, they made the best film they could. He later explained that he is proud of the film, but finds it difficult to enjoy it all the way through due to small changes he wished he had made.

Trivia

• Another working title of the film was SSS, which stood for Some Stupid Story, well before the plot had been written.
• The original plot of the film was written in only twenty minutes by Joey, Ari, and Nick, the day it was due in class.
• At Ari's request, the group almost selected "American Youth" (Coming of Age) as their intended genre, though Nick and Joey heavily opposed this idea. It may have been this opposition that lead to Tamara and Payton requesting minor roles in the film, as they had been adamant of the American Youth idea.
• Wes initially had no interest in the project, though he changed his mind after the introduction of the Devin Carter character.
• Nick and Ari were the only two people present at the filming of both the first and last scenes shot.
• In the initial bar scene, the mustache which Nick has is a sticker. However, in his following scene in which he is dead, the mustache was drawn on using a sharpie.
• The vest which Nick wears as the Bartender is the same vest Chris wears as Hoss, and the same vest Kyle wears as Johnny B. Oy. Likewise, the jacket that Kyle wears as Detective Michaels is the same jacket which Lucan wears as Henderson.
• While filming the scene at Johnny's house, the team had only one white fedora, so Kyle and Wes had to share. This is most apparent in the shot where Wes attempts to enter Johnny's sitting room, as the matte bars just barely reveal Kyle's hatless head, before cutting again to show him wearing the hat. There is an additional shot where Wes climbs the stairs, and we clearly see Oy without a hat. This is also why Johnny's hat is shot off in the gunfight.
• In each Act of the film, the Case of the Fatal Femmes is considered "over" for a different reason. In Act One, they close the case due to the incorrect assumption that the case was solved. In Act Two, the case is closed do to the suppossed failure of the Guild's attempts to solve it. Only in Act Three is the case closed for the definitive capture of the Fatal Femmes.

References

• The opening long take is partially inspired by the famous opening shot from Touch of Evil, as well as Nick's general love of long takes.

Connections to other PWN projects

Several videos on the channel directly reference A Hot Lead. They include A Hot Lead - Official Trailer, The Hottest Lead, and A Very Hot Lead: PWN 13. There were also plans for a video, which would have been a parody of "Things You Missed" videos, set for release around the end of September. On New Year's Eve in 2018, Mr. Salami Reviews A Hot Lead was released. The video is a forty-eight minute parody of the famous Plinkett reviews by RedLetterMedia, written by Nick and narrated by Lucan. The review analyzes much of A Hot Lead in great detail.

Wesley reprises his role as Devin Carter in the PWN sketch Timmy Two Times, as well as other comedic variations of that role. The Fatal Femmes are also referenced in that video.

Devin Carter is a name taken directly from the on-hold PWN project Man in the Mask, a very similar character who also speaks in monologue fashion. The city of Greenridge is also the location of Man in the Mask, as well as other future PWN projects.

Kyle's portrayal of Johnny B. Oy is reminiscent of his role in The Hostage, where he plays a Russian drug dealer. Coincidentally, The Hostage was filmed in the same house as Johnny's capture scene. Similarly, Kyle also plays a character in Dare called "Mr. Henderson".

Sam has a line of dialogue in which he says the classic line "You don't know a thing about Anacondas", though he is cut off by Lucan.

In what may just be a large coincidence, exactly one year and a day before A Hot Lead was uploaded, during the filming of Movie Tropes: PWN 6, Wesley asks Ari why there are never any henchwomen in films. He follows this up saying that "women can be villains, too!"

Photo Gallery

The following are production stills from A Hot Lead. They are in chronological order.

Wes and Ari read their lines for the first time as they wait for Mikey to arrive on their first day of shooting. One of the first shots filmed featuring Wes and Ari, with Chris portraying George the Henchman. Joey wears four fedoras, as he and Nick plan the day's shoot. They had intended to film Hoss' scene that day, but canceled due to Mikey's inability to film that day. Wes and Ari get carried away improvising during their first day at the office. Joey and Lucan can be seen in the background. Nick, bloody-handed, directs Ari after applying the blood effects. During this scene both Leyla (who can be seen in the background) and Lucan operated the camera in Nick's place. Nick directs Kiersten on how to react when she hears the fire command. He can be seen holding the tube used to funnel blood for spraying. An alternative angle of the scene where Houston physically confronts Henderson. Another deleted shot, showing Henderson's side of his phone call with Louis. If it had been used, it would have been the only exterior Guild Scene. Lucan looks to the camera during his special appearance as one of the henchmen. The final group preparing to shoot the last scene. Kyle is hidden below the stairs with Lucan. This is the final frame of the final shot filmed for A Hot Lead. Lucan is holding the stick.

See Also

• A Hot Lead on YouTube
• A Hot Lead on IMDb

Preceded by A Hot Lead - Official Trailer	PWN Videos June 22, 2017	Succeeded by The Hottest Lead
Preceded by First Feature Film	PWN Feature Films June 22, 2017	Succeeded by Current

Cast Members
Preceded by First Appearance	Joey Cianfrani A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Deadly Choices
Preceded by Tudor TV	Wesley Davies A Hot Lead	Succeeded by A Very Hot Lead: PWN 13
Preceded by Tudor TV	Ari Froehlich A Hot Lead	Succeeded by The Hottest Lead
Preceded by Best of 2016: PWN 12	Nick Geoghegan A Hot Lead	Succeeded by A Very Hot Lead: PWN 13
Preceded by Human Trafficking PSA	Tamara Kabab A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Last Appearance
Preceded by The Star Wars Holiday Special: PWN 11	Kiersten Muse A Hot Lead	Succeeded by The First Annual PWNER Awards
Preceded by The Hostage	Chris Smith A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Just an Average Tuesday
Preceded by The Hostage	Kyle Smith A Hot Lead	Succeeded by The First Annual PWNER Awards
Preceded by First Appearance	Lucan Stargiotti A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Nick and Lucan Watch: The Emoji Movie
Preceded by Human Trafficking PSA	Payton Thompson A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Last Appearance
Preceded by First Appearance	Blake Weise A Hot Lead	Succeeded by Nick and Lucan Watch: The Emoji Movie