tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40660283351078671832024-02-06T20:31:36.719-08:00John Hoff III's BlogI write about film, fun or whatever I want to talk aboutAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.comBlogger307125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-3153989587693936282016-04-11T12:44:00.001-07:002016-04-11T12:44:53.994-07:00Author Victor Gischler<span class="im"><div class="ii gt m153f1d2bd048aa6d adP adO" id=":s2">
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<strong>What are the projects you're currently working on?</strong></blockquote>
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I've just submitted a creator-owned comic book to a publisher, and I have high hopes. I don't want to give anything away at the moment, but it's an idea that's been brewing for a long time. I'm also writing a thriller for Thomas Dunne, the same house that published STAY. I'm also trying to build on the momentum of the INK <span style="background: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">MAGE</span></span> books by writing another fantasy novel. As a kid, fantasy was my first genre as a reader, so I feel really at home.</div>
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<br /> <strong>Who and/or what is your greatest inspiration?</strong></blockquote>
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Oh ... I don't know. I really admire filmmakers who get me excited about storytelling. Is "admire" the same as "inspire"? I love western by John Ford and Anthony Man and Sergio Leone. Billy wilder is awesome. David Lean too. <span style="background: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tarantino</span></span> and the <span style="background: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Coen</span></span> Brothers.</div>
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<br /> <strong>How has social media changed your industry?</strong></blockquote>
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It's nice to click the mouse and BANG thousands of people on Twitter or <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Facebook</span></span> </span>know about your new book at a single pop. Does it make a big difference? I really don't know. But you can go to a review or article and CLICK share it on Twitter or Google+ or wherever. You never know when something might go viral. But I'm no expert. Maybe it's all a waste of time. I do like connecting with sharp, amiable readers.</div>
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<br /> <strong>What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?</strong></blockquote>
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Read, read, read, read, read. Soak it in. understand how your fave authors create character and plot and setting. Resist excuses to NOT write. "Too tired. Too busy." <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background: yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">Naw</span></span>,</span> you have to make the time. </div>
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<strong>How does someone overcome writer's block?</strong></blockquote>
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I'm not sure I believe in writer's block. That makes it sound like some outside force is controlling your brain. Have I had a bad writing day (or week) where it just wasn't coming? Sure. But was I blocked? I feel like maybe I was tired or burned out or distracted by some life event. But not blocked.</div>
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<strong>What do you think the landscape of creator owned content will look<br /> like <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1057595069" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">in ten years</span></span></span>?</strong></blockquote>
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Not a clue. I don't even know what I'm having for dinner later. No crystal ball here. I hope it will still be going strong.</div>
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<br /> <strong>What's the greatest thing about Disney?</strong></blockquote>
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The totally immersed vibe. I mean, at some point (if you go regularly) you've been on all the rides and seen all the shows. So what keeps me going back? Really, the feeling that I'm stepping into some other reality. I can shut off the "real word" for a while and just be somewhere else. Drinking beer at Epcot is also fun.</div>
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Hmmmm. Maybe just this because I like book trailers: </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-80397608876127811342015-10-28T14:21:00.000-07:002015-10-28T14:33:07.936-07:00John From Super MegafestBelow is my interview with John of Super Megafest Comic Con. This years convention takes place at the Sheraton Hotel in Framingham MA on Saturday November 21st and Sunday November 22nd. Below are some of Super Megafest's social media sites:<br />
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Super Megafest Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Megafestcon" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Megafestcon</a><br />
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Super Megafest Website: <a href="http://www.newenglandsupermegafest.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.newenglandsupermegafest.com/</a><br />
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</strong><strong><span id="goog_56850188"></span><span id="goog_56850189"></span>What exactly is Super Megafest?</strong> <br />
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It is convention - festival - comic con that focuses on comics, sci fi, TV, movies, celebrities, wrestling and Rock n roll.<br />
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<strong>Why did you decide to create Super Megafest?</strong> <br />
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It sounded challenging and fun. We are all fans ourselves...<br />
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<strong>How is it different from other conventions?</strong> <br />
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It takes place in a hotel so you never have to take off your Spider-man slippers.<br />
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<strong>What advice would you give to someone attending a convention for the first time?</strong><br />
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Stay the weekend and enjoy all of the day programing and indulge in the night entertainment :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-49204804336634676232015-10-15T11:55:00.001-07:002015-10-15T12:00:49.958-07:00Susan Soares- Rhode Island Comic Con<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong>What exactly is Rhode Island Comic Con?</strong> </div>
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Rhode Island Comic Con is produced by Altered Reality Entertainment. Beginning in 2012, we are now in our fourth year at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This year's show runs <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1042993720" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">November 6</span></span></span><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> through the 8<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. It is our first year as a three-day show, and we have expanded our floor space to include the Dunkin Donuts Center arena right next door.</div>
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Featured guests include:<u></u><u></u></div>
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· Carrie Fisher, in her first Northeast convention appearance. With her, we have 12 other actors from the Star Wars franchise.<u></u><u></u></div>
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· Ron Perlman, along with 6 others from the Fox series Sons of Anarchy.<u></u><u></u></div>
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· Voice actors, Peter Cullen and Frank Welker from Transformers, and Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke from Spongebob Squarepants.<u></u><u></u></div>
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But that isn't all. Rhode Island Comic Con fans will enjoy meeting over 100 celebrities from Star Trek, Game of Thrones, Dr. Who and The Walking Dead, and comic book industry professionals including Chris Claremont, Neal Adams and Mike Grell, just to name a few.</div>
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Events over the course of the three days will include a cosplay masquerade, panels, Q&As with the guests as well as gaming and after parties. Couples can even get married, or renew their vows right on the convention floor.<u></u><u></u></div>
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Rhode Island Comic Con strives to appeal to all segments of fandom, and age groups. Our goal is allow fans to relive their childhoods, whether they are 60 or 16.</div>
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We also offer a Kids Con for our younger attendees. And we are planning a costume contest where the Best in Show prize is $2000.</div>
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Quite simply, Rhode Island needed a show like ours. Prior to our beginning, the state offered no event like ours for the thousands of fans who have attended in the past three years, and will attend this year.</div>
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<strong>What do you think the convention will look like in 10 years? </strong></div>
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With the growth we have had in the last four years, the sky is the limit. We will continue to grow and evolve, offering something new each year as fandom evolves.</div>
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We encourage anyone who enjoys comics, movies, toys, television, or even just cosplay to come to our show and have a great time.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-50299259029651986922015-07-06T08:47:00.001-07:002015-07-06T08:50:17.889-07:00Joseph Mallozzi Dark Matter Creator <div>
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Joseph Mallozzi is a producer and writer, known for Stargate SG-1 (1997), Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Dark Matter (2015).<br />
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<strong>What is your new show Dark Matter about?</strong></div>
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- Six individuals wake up from stasis aboard a ship with no memory of who they are or how they go onboard. The series will explore their search for answers.</div>
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<span class="im"><strong>How would you handle being in the same situation as the crew?</strong></span></div>
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- Pretty much the same way they do. There aren't a lot of options. You have to rely on those around you, take a leap of faith that they are being honest with you, and hope for the best...but be very careful. </div>
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<span class="im"><strong>How did writing and producing Stargate prepare you for Dark Matter?</strong></span></div>
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- Stargate was an incredible learning experience for me. Over the 12 years I spent on the franchise, I learned how to produce a series, from script to edit. From a creative standpoint, my time on Stargate also taught me the importance of character, relationship, team dynamics, and humor - all of which I've applied to Dark Matter. </div>
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<span class="im"><strong>Why did you decide to start your blog?</strong></span></div>
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- Originally, my blog was intended to be a food journal of a two week trip to Asia. Upon my return, I decided to keep it going and include other elements of my life, specifically my work on Stargate. I approached it as an exercise. Blogging forced me to write and the only way to improve as a writer is to keep writing. And so, I've continued this exercise - for over eight years now, and have yet to miss a day.</div>
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<span class="im"><strong>What's your favorite comic of all time?</strong></span></div>
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- Hmmm. That's a tough one. If we're talking single issues, I'd go with Deadpool #11 written by Joe Kelly, a brilliant time travel tale that has our contemporary Deadpool visiting the pages of The Amazing Spiderman #47. Avengers Annual #7, in which Adam Warlock and co. meet their demise and meet again in the afterlife of the gem stone, has stayed with me for decades. Uncanny X-Men #137, Phoenix Must Die, was a seminal story that encompassed all I loved about comics at the time. </div>
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- If we're talking favorite comic book series of all time...it's tough because quality fluctuates, writers come and go. I loved Ed Brubaker's Daredevil, Joe Kelly's Deadpool, and Mark Waid's The Flash - off the top of my head. </div>
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- If I had to stick to Desert Island picks, those trade paperbacks I'd bring with me if I was to spend my remaining days stranded alone with nothing to do but read and re-read: Watchmen, The Killing Joke, Saga: Omnibus.</div>
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- There a number of authors I enjoy reading: John Scalzi, Joe Abercrombie, Alastair Reynolds, Catherine Webb (as Claire North). I can't say I'm a fan of any one "producer".</div>
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- Jay obviously. The guy is so determined. When he sets his mind to something, he's unstoppable.</div>
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- Yeah! Come see us at Comic Con! Dark Matter Panel: <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1363728355" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">Thursday, July 9th at 7:15 p.m.</span></span></span> @ Room 6BCF!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-40366162616790511212014-06-11T12:24:00.003-07:002014-06-11T12:24:58.245-07:00Convention Reporter Choo <span id="docs-internal-guid-03648779-8c67-b41b-8549-6316c91f2de9" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="C:\Users\mike\Desktop\Fotor0608222628.png" height="468px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/dcFlmZqeE0svQ6LzeVmPxlasoeoLhlSdNaKr4XwCI5J5oWLANBfRl_N49vvnw-dWj0nWNNzBQFqjfT6RRQIxIeaRBOv8G0AzOrEE-HOk9vA4GppwQyVCcOsIYbkzLglvaqqd-R3sxzY" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624px;" /></span><br />
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Choo is a convention reporter for <a href="http://theyearofhalloween.com/">TheyearofHalloween.com</a> and also writes for <a href="http://superficialgallery.com/">Superficialgallery.com</a>. Her love of the horror genre started at a young age which also led to her being grounded several times for sneaking into scary movies…She has covered several conventions over the years and has most recently started volunteering with The Walker Stalkers at their conventions (which just happens to be her favorite). <br />
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When she is not writing, being silly on social media (<a href="https://twitter.com/Choofabulous" target="_blank">@Choofabulous</a>) or chasing down cool people to interview she likes to hang out with the guy she married, the two boys she birthed, and her two miniature dachshunds that think they are pitbulls. She calls Charlotte, NC her home….for now. <br />
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<b><br />What do you like to do besides writing, reporting or interviewing?</b><br />
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I really like just hanging out. I spend a lot of time with my boys (11 and 5) and my husband. I have a few girlfriends I like to get together with and just complain about everything in general (kidding). I like to watch movies and just be a regular human. I am always looking for a new adventure.<br />
<b><br />How would you explain Walker Stalker Con to a first timer?</b><br />
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You are going to have the time of your life! Everyone is so approachable and kind and they make the experience like their first time as well. The celebrities are so appreciative of their fans and just really love to be there as well. I would tell them to pace themselves and try not to get overwhelmed, there is always someone on hand to guide you and help you get to where you need to go. <br />
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<b>What's the most interesting thing that's happened to you at a convention?</b><br />
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I don’t even know where to begin with this one. There are so many interesting characters at conventions. The Cosplayers are incredible and like actors they rarely come out of character and some of them can be scary! I think one of the coolest things to happen was Bruce Campbell giving my husband and I marriage advice the day before we got married!<br />
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<b>Do you ever get nervous when interviewing celebrities?</b><br />
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Nope! I look at it this way. They are people just like everyone else and what they do is the profession they have chosen to do. It would be like getting nervous before interviewing a plumber. The editors for the sites I work for always ask me to try to get the interviews because they say I am not scared to ask anybody questions. I think the only thing that really makes me nervous is if I don’t feel like I am familiar enough with their work to ask an educated question. I try to do a lot of research before I approach someone for an interview. I am not a big fan of the sound of crickets so I try to be on top of things. <br />
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<b>What are the Walker Stalkers James & Eric like?</b><br />
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Those two guys are fantastic. I am pretty sure the energizer bunny got his inspiration from THEM! I swear they must bleed coffee because they are always on. They want everyone to have a great time even if it costs them days without sleep. I worked with Eric pretty closely at the Chicago convention and I think we are both a tad OCD which served us well. James never stops moving! I kind of think of him as the blur you see buzzing by and he always has great shoes ;) They both just have this overwhelming desire to make people smile and help make memories for people who may not otherwise get the chance to participate in such events. I am so happy I have gotten to know them pretty well over the past year. <br />
<br />
<b>Will you explain how your obsession with shoes started?</b><br />
<br />
Hahaha! I think I need a therapist couch for this one. I have always loved shoes because of the variety available. My mom says that whenever it was time to go school shopping I always made a bee-line for the shoe department. Nothing makes you feel better than a new pair of shoes and as a female who struggled with body image issues…no matter how big the rest of you gets…your feet stay the same size! Obviously my favorites are Jimmy Choo, but I also love Manolo’s …neither of which I can afford..so my friends just started calling me Choo.<br />
<br />
<b>What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten?</b><br />
<br />
It’s sounds incredibly cliché but my husband telling me “Go for it, you only live once” really struck a nerve with me. The past year has been probably the most exciting one I have had in a long time. My kids are old enough that I can leave for a few days for a convention and not feel wrecked with guilt. This things that I do and the people I get to meet excites me. A lot of times my family is able to come along and my kids get to meet the people that they see on television and in the movies as well and they think that is really cool. I like to think that they see me doing what I love now in my 40’s and will not wait quite as long to pursue what they love. <br />
<b><br />Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
<br />
If there is anyone out there reading this that has never been to a convention add it to your bucket list. It is the one time that there is a room full of people with similar interests as yours and you may make some new friends out of it. I know I sure did!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-79246043885837641182014-06-05T11:32:00.002-07:002014-06-05T11:32:18.938-07:00"Giant Sloth" Creator Paul Hornschemeier <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://74.220.219.101/~margomit/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/phSTUDIOheadshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://74.220.219.101/~margomit/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/phSTUDIOheadshot.jpg" height="320" width="247" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Paul Hornschemeier is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic
novels "Mother, Come Home," "The Three Paradoxes", and the New York
Times Best Seller "Life with Mr. Dangerous," as well as the short story
collections "Let Us Be Perfectly Clear" and "All and Sundry." His most
recent collection, "Artists Authors Thinkers Directors" groups 100
portraits from his art blog "The Daily Forlorn," a featured illustration
blog on Tumblr.<br />
<br />
His prose and comics have been translated into eight languages and
garnered international awards and have appeared in publications
ranging from Life Magazine to The Wall Street Journal.<br />
He has taught art and creative writing for The University of Chicago
and lectured internationally on art, literature, and modern media.<br />
<br />
His animation and artwork appears on IFC’s “Comedy Bang! Bang!”, now
in its second season. He recently wrote, directed, and produced a live
action short, "Daniel in the Factory," based on his feature script of
the same name, and is developing a variety of live action and animated
programs for television.<br />
<br />
He lives and works in Boston, Massachusetts. He and his wife have a cat. And a kid. The kid really loves that cat.<br />
<br />
<b class="links-title">Websites</b>
<br />
<ul class="links list-simple">
<li>
<a href="http://paulhornschemeier.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">paulhornschemeier.com</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4756189/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">imdb.com</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://twitter.com/forlornfunnies" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">twitter.com</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="http://dailyforlorn.tumblr.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dailyforlorn.tumblr.com</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/ForlornTV" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">youtube.com</a>
</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What is "Giant Sloth”?</b><br />
<br />
Giant Sloth is a short animated film. It’s a combination of all my
interests, ranging from surrealist filmmaking to bizarre, dusty museum
exhibits, to animation from the 60s, to dark comedy, to… well, a lot of
things. So let’s just say it’s a short animated film about a museum
curator whose life is being pulled out from under him and he’s being
dumped into a modern world he’s scared of and has avoided by choice. In
response to all this: he starts seeing things, daydreaming, and just
generally losing his mind.<br />
<br />
<b>How have your previous projects prepared you to make this film?</b><br />
<br />
I feel like my previous projects always prepare for whatever it is
I’m currently working on, though that’s never by conscious plan. I
stumbled into animation and film, thought those are two things I’ve
always loved…<br />
<br />
I’ve been writing and drawing graphic novels for over a decade and
have been working in animation for the past four years. I did the
animation on IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang! and I write and direct a weekly
animated web series on YouTube, Forlorn TV. I’ve also been working in
writing screenplays and directing small films for a couple years. One of
the (live action) shorts is available through this campaign. So… all of
that has fed, in one way or another, into Giant Sloth. <br />
<br />
<b>How did you choose your cast and crew?</b><br />
<br />
Casting Paul Giamatti was first. I had the idea for Giant Sloth a
while ago, several years ago, I think. But it wasn’t until I started
working with Paul and his production company (Touchy Feely) that the
idea rose back up in the pecking order of projects. I really just had a
treatment about a year ago, so when I wrote the script, I was really
writing for Paul. Which was such a huge relief when he responded to the
script and wanted to do it.<br />
<br />
Jason Mantzoukas was someone I knew through
Scott Aukerman, just on a mutual respect level (Jason’s a comic book
enthusiast, and I love all his comedy). I had wanted to figure out a way
to work with him and his voice is just about one of the best comedic
voices out there…<br />
<br />
Robert Popper was someone I actually connected with through twitter,
again just out of mutual admiration for our work. He and I actually
recorded another little film together that I’ll hopefully announce more
about soon. After we did that and I still had an opening for the jerky
boss, I had to have him in that role. Thankfully he said yes.<br />
<br />
Kate McKinnon and I have the same manager. So, that was just a matter
of my/her manger handing her the script and Kate liking it enough to
sign on. I think she’s THE BEST person to come along on Saturday Night
Live in a while.<br />
<br />
Although I’m working with Scott on other projects, I was probably the
most hesitant to approach him to be in the film, just because he’s such
a phenomenally busy guy. The amount of granite-solid comedy content
he’s producing right now is just… it’s amazing. I’m assuming he never
sleeps and owns at least a couple time machines/clones.<br />
<br />
As for the crew, which in my mind is no less amazing than the cast:
those are all people that I’ve been insanely lucky to have worked with
on either Comedy Bang! Bang! or my own film projects. The talent in that
crew is unbelievable. Every one of them is such a creative genius.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. But I think that’s the job of the
director: to hire people who are better than you in their specific
department. It only improves the film.<br />
<br />
<b>What would you say are the pros and cons to crowdfunding?</b><br />
<br />
The cons are lack of sleep, rising blood pressure… I’m not sure of
any real cons beyond that. I think the rewards for backers, that part is
a bit hard to figure out when you’re putting a campaign together. If
you’re create a tangible product people can go out and use (the new
tooth vacuum!… no idea what that would be), I think it’s a little
easier, but with an art piece or an experience, it’s a bit tougher. So
some of the budget has to go into making physical manifestations of that
experience.<br />
<br />
But that’s part of the fun too, designing those things to offer as
rewards. Or anyway, it’s a lot of fun for me. And that brings me to the
big BIG up side of crowd funding: no middle men deciding those things
for you. I mean, I suppose kickstarted itself is technically a
middleman, but not having any majorly invested entity getting between
you and your potential audience (and in fact potentially growing your
audience during and after the campaign)? That’s amazing. It’s allowing
so many great, bizarre ideas to get off the ground, when before they
would have just puttered around and died from lack of finding an
audience and lack of funding.<br />
<br />
<b>What advice you give to someone who wants to become an animator?</b><br />
<br />
My background is comics, and I think that’s a great place to start if
you’re interested in animation or film. Animation and film are
certainly their own beasts, but learning how to tell a story with words
and pictures sequentially takes a long, long time, and it’s a bit faster
to tell a longer story through comics than it is to animate the entire
thing. And I think comics gives you a sense of editing, of using the cut
to tell the story. In between each panel in comics, you have this sort
of cut…<br />
<br />
Otherwise, I’d just say that if you want to be an animator: animate.
Do the thing you want to do, and do it every day. It’s the only way
anyone ever improves. Every day: work at your work.<br />
<br />
<b>How has becoming a father changed you as an artist?</b><br />
<br />
I think the biggest thing he gives me is perspective. I don’t think
my storytelling or the things I’m drawn to narratively have changed much
at all, but the lens through which I perceive my life/work balance is
different. My son is a walking manifestation of wonder, and it’s
impossible to be around him and not slow down a little and really take
time to look at all the amazing small details in daily life. I may have
done that before to a degree, but he offers a different sort of calm to
the whole enterprise of just being in the moment. And laughing at your
own farts, of course.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
<br />
Jonas Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine, married Pablo Picasso’s muse, Francoise Gilot. Use that information wisely.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-47019390055796475722014-06-03T11:42:00.002-07:002014-06-03T11:42:47.781-07:00Peter Simeti: The creator of "The Chair" Graphic Novel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvOYy36DDL9Jv4LvDfyBAv8afRxXftuA0w_4v0rRrjjPVaS751QVg1FmLGTqwlRGwwIpYSBNtyFXWddDKKGedPCr8hBW6V8Yc_FYr_8aYQuNwTK3ylww8vy4wq-DZ38gyewidXzJV20ZH/s1600/pete-the-chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvOYy36DDL9Jv4LvDfyBAv8afRxXftuA0w_4v0rRrjjPVaS751QVg1FmLGTqwlRGwwIpYSBNtyFXWddDKKGedPCr8hBW6V8Yc_FYr_8aYQuNwTK3ylww8vy4wq-DZ38gyewidXzJV20ZH/s1600/pete-the-chair.jpg" height="273" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Peter Simeti is the publisher of Alterna Comics and is the creator/writer/and co-artist of The Chair graphic novel.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">You can follow him on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/petersimeti" target="_blank">@petersimeti</a></span><br />
<div class="im">
<br /><br /><b><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What is "The Chair" about?</span></b><br /></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The
CHAIR's story follows Richard Sullivan, a death row inmate who's been
witnessing a lot of his fellow inmates getting tortured and killed at
the hands of the prison's insane and sadistic Warden. Not much has
necessarily happened to Sullivan in this prison, but he figures he must
be next in line because the prisoner count is dwindling. With that in
mind, he decides he needs to fight, even kill, to survive. In doing so,
he's pushed to the brink of his own sanity and the story just goes from
there.</span><div>
<div class="im">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><b><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Why did you create the graphic novel?</span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />I
created the initial idea of it as kind of an "artist outlet" because I
was pissed off after hearing about some psycho that killed a bunch of
kids in a daycare or a school. For whatever reason, the story just hit
me at a bad time. I mean, why on Earth do people do these kinds of
things? Anyway, I had created the character of the Warden kind of out of
a wish-fulfillment sorta thing. A character that could do horrible
shit to vicious scumbags that deserved it. The conflict of The CHAIR
though, is that we're told that Richard Sullivan is an innocent man on
death row and he's in for the same fate that everyone else has been
getting.</span></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><b><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why do you want to make a film adaptation of graphic novel?</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Aside
from the fact that it would just be cool to see great actors bring
these characters to life, I think The CHAIR is a story worth telling as
it touches on a lot of different themes. Child abuse, capital
punishment, the ethics of torture, the political argument about the
humane treatment of convicted killers that didn't get that option to
their victims, and mental health - these are all part of The CHAIR's
story. It's not just a straight-up horror film where someone is killing
a bunch of unsuspecting group of people that are all too stupid to
fight their way out of a paper bag - The CHAIR has a lot of strong
psychological elements to it and the characters have a lot of depth.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why use <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petersimeti/the-chair-a-horror-film-adaptation-of-the-graphic" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> to fund the film?</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Because
for the most part, there's nothing else like it. It's a tremendously
useful tool to gauge interest in your project (as long as proper word
gets out) and it also allows you to gain the interest of people you
might have never reached in the first place.</span></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Why should people support your project?</span></b><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hopefully they support it because they like the story presented!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I'm not looking for pity dollars, haha, I'm not going to say that this project will save lives.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It
is what it is - a psychological horror film based on a graphic novel
that has a great cast and crew, an entertaining story for fans of that
genre, and something that will hopefully take you away for 90 minutes
and get your adrenaline pumping!</span></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What is the casting process like?</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
The
casting process consisted of reaching out directly to actors and agents
and for the most part, 90% of the cast was attached through social
media. Literally, I'd tweet to actors or send them a facebook message
to see if they would be interested in coming on board. Even the actors
that respectfully declined, were just so nice about it! I figured, as
long as I'm respectful and honest, the worst that can happen is that
they say "no". We were fortunate enough to attract a lot of amazing
actors and talented crew members to this project.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<br /><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">How have your previous projects prepared you to make this one?</span></b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br />Comics
and film are so different but so similar. In terms of prep and
promotion, it's sort of the same. But that's kind of where the
similarities end. A film is just an all encompassing thing. I think
that's part of the "movie-making magic" - the fact that people who
aren't involved in creating it, will just have no idea whatsoever of how
arduous a task it is to create something that you can watch for 90
minutes or more. And then if it's actually something you like or even
love, that's even harder to do. Movies and comics are all about
creating circumstances that are exaggerations of reality, sometimes it's
an extreme exaggeration and sometimes it's a small one, but it's always
*just* removed from realism. It's a chance to make the impossible,
possible - and that's pretty awesome. </div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div>
<b><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What advice would you give to someone who wants to create a graphic </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">novel &/or film?</span></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Well, I think if you're not prepared for the time and energy commitment that it takes (for instance, I get up at around 7 or <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1128896288" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">8am</span></span> and work till around <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1128896289" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">2am</span></span>
or so...) then this isn't the life for you. You have to be obsessed,
on almost a mentally ill level, haha. You just need to create as much,
if not more than, your need to eat or sleep. There's times that I go to
bed and I'm just pissed that I have to because I'd rather get stuff
done. It's that "workaholic" mentality - I hate that that kind of
mentality is kind of looked down on so much now though, because it's the
mark of a passionate person. It's not an anti-social thing, it's not a
distant person thing - it's a passion thing. It's someone whose drive
is so unrelenting that simple words like "no" and "you can't" don't stop
them. That's who you have to be.<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br /><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Is there anything you'd like to add?</span></b></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sure,
I'd just like to thank everyone for being so supportive of this film,
for the cast & crew that believe in it, for Erin Kohut for doing a
great job turning a 22-year-old's comic book prison story into a fleshed
out living breathing screenplay years later, and I'd like to say that
there's a lot more to come, a lot more awesomeness. So please check out
our <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/petersimeti/the-chair-a-horror-film-adaptation-of-the-graphic" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a>, be a part of comic and film history and say hello on
twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/petersimeti" target="_blank">@petersimeti</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/theCHAIRhorror" target="_blank">@thechairhorror</a>. Above all, keep reading
comics!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-71026424439832039392014-05-09T16:17:00.000-07:002014-05-09T16:17:25.709-07:00Production Designer TINK<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://tinkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TINK_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://tinkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/TINK_2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b> </b>TINK is a Production Designer for Features and Television, with a
foundation in multi-disciplinary design for clients around the globe.<br />
<br />
Born in Canada and having lived in Germany, France, Italy, England,
Japan, Australia and Singapore, Tink settled in the west coast of North
America, dividing his time between Los Angeles and Vancouver, while
often working abroad based on project needs.<br />
<br />
Throughout his wide spectrum of work, Tink is acclaimed for his originality, quality and timelessness.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What are the current projects you are working on?</b><br /><br />
I'm about to start on a wonderful feature produced by the same
gang that made Juno and Up in the Air. I can't say too much about it at
the moment, other than I think it will be quite special - very much
looking forward to this one.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>What are some of your favorite projects that you have worked on?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
There's been quite a few. Spooksville was definitely one. It's a
high-quality TV series produced by the inimitable Jane Startz, who has
become a great friend, and written with great wit and humor by James
Krieg, also now a good friend. Everything about the show was fun, from
the design concept, to working closely with James in order to create
story opportunities that fit within our world, and of course that world,
shot on beautiful Vancouver Island in Canada - gorgeous!<br />
<br />
Along those lines, I did a series on Singapore and Australia a couple
years ago called Stormworld - created a whole alternate universe for it
and traveled to some amazing places in the process. My crews were
fantastic and the project was life-changing - so was Spooksville for
that matter.<br />
<br />
There are other films I have had a great time with, from working with
Nic Kalikow, Sean Covel and Chris Wyatt on Concrete Blondes, to both of
Tyler Shields' films and also many of the films I designed for Uwe
Boll.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>What's it like working with Tyler Shields?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
I have a deep crush on Tyler, both professionally and personally.
He's a pure creative and that fits with me perfectly. Our aesthetic
senses are quite similar, as are our work ethic and process. We recently
wrapped "Outlaw", his second feature, which is quite beautiful. Keep an
eye out for it.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>What's it like working with the cast and crew of "Spooksville"?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
Love them all. Because we were working in a remote location, kind
of in our own "show bubble", we spent a lot of time together and many
lasting friendships have come of that. It was challenging budget-wise at
times, but the energy and creativity everyone put into it was always
exemplary. Big shout out to my Art Director Alyssa King, Set Decorator
Terry Lewis, Prop Master Noni Peck, Costume Designer Rebekka Sorensen,
plus all our Construction, Paint and Greens crews - they truly did
fantastic work.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<b><br />
How do you come up your designs?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
I break down a script and envision the world that it needs to
become, then I begin a lot of research and image referencing to build a
basis for ideas to design from. Based on that and the practical needs of
the script, I then design the required elements. This process is quite
satisfying when the projects are creative to start with and the
production team allows me to think outside of the box.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>What does the old adage "The devil's in the details" mean to you?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
Hmmm - I never say that, but obviously it refers to the details
are the strength of anything you create and taking care of them is
mandatory for a successful project. I pride myself on that work ethic
and I work with crew that contribute to that at even greater levels than
I sometimes do myself.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>Which do you prefer acting or designing?</b><br />
</div>
<br />
Sometimes I'm acting when I'm designing :)<br />
<br />
I tried acting when I was in university, but realized it wasn't my
thing, but I still love being in front of the camera or an audience, as
long as I'm able to be myself. I'm actually looking forward to hosting
participatory opportunities to promote design and entertainment.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<b><br />
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into design or acting</b>?<br />
</div>
<br />
Follow your passion and work your ass off. Research and learn as
much as you can - from all different viewpoints. Be great with people,
communicate what you want and need, and focus on that. Simple...<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<b>What would be your ultimate design be? Assume there aren't any constraints.</b><br />
</div>
<br />
Hmm - ultimate always changes, but I would love to design a fully
detailed alternate world - complete with a new language in visuals,
architecture, costume and word - I've touched on that in some projects,
and would love to build upon that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-3017563064118480412014-01-02T14:58:00.000-08:002014-01-02T15:02:05.017-08:00Filmmaker Sarah Knight and "Vino Veritas"<div>
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Sarah Knight is currently developing a romantic drama, <i>In the Land of Fire & Ice</i>,
with writer, David MacGregor. The film will star Academy Award
nominee, Shohreh Aghdashloo, as a powerful Kuwaiti CEO who flees from
personal and professional pressures to Iceland where she falls in love
with a charming Scottish hotel keeper.<br />
<br />
Her most recent documentary, <i>Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend</i>,
is a portrait of Nicole Sherry, Head Groundskeeper for the Baltimore
Orioles at Camden Yards – one of only two women in that job in Major
League Baseball. <i>Diamonds</i> premiered at the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame where it became part of the permanent archives.<br />
<br />
Sarah’s previous doc, <i>Hot Flash</i>, about Saffire-The Uppity
Blues Women, was nominated for a 2010 Blues Music Award, won the
Audience Favorite Award at the 2009 Cinema on the Bayou Festival, and
was acquired by Shorts International.<br />
<br />
Her adaptation of the bestselling novel, <i>A Yellow Raft in Blue Water</i>,
was featured in the 2007 IFP Market Emerging Narrative section, was
invited to the 2007 Film Independent Screenwriter’s Lab, and was a
second round finalist for the 2007 & 2008 Sundance Labs. The film
chronicles the saga of three generations of American Indian women.
Q’orianka Kilcher (Pocahontas in “The New World”) and Misty Upham
(“Frozen River”) will star.<br />
<br />
Sarah has won fellowships to the Berlinale Talent Campus, the
Rotterdam CineMart Producer’s Lab, and the Tribeca Film Institute’s
Tribeca All Access.<br />
Short films include <i>Qiana</i> (director, screenwriter, producer), <i>Abstinence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder</i> (director, writer, co-producer) and the internet cult hit, <i>Survivor in da ‘Hood</i> (director, co-writer).<br />
<br />
She directs theatre in New York and Los Angeles. Credits include <i>An Ideal Wife</i>, based on her adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband,” (Pacific Resident Theatre-workshop space).<br />
Sarah has assisted directors Taylor Hackford and Mikael Salomon and producers Peter Macgregor-Scott and Robert Shapiro.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What is "Vino Veritas" about?</b><br />
<br />
Our story takes place on Halloween night. Two couples, neighbors
and best friends, meet for their annual pre-costume party drinks. One
of them has just returned from Peru where they picked up a truth serum.
They decide to try it and all the things they really think and feel –
negative and positive – come out.<br />
<br />
This is a story in which, thanks to the effects of a tribal
concoction, the characters are stripped of the carefully composed social
masks they have diligently fashioned for themselves. The superficial
veneer of what passes for civilization is peeled away, layer by layer,
to reveal not just personal quirks and secrets, but the primal core that
drives so much of our behavior as human beings. Whether the subject is
children, faith, sex, death, or the drives and desires that are
hardwired into our DNA, this is, finally, a film about what it means to
be human.<br />
<br />
<b>Why did you want to make this film?</b><br />
<br />
My mom (who has exquisite taste and who often serves as my
unofficial development girl) first turned me on to “Vino Veritas” when
she saw the original stage play. She fell so in love with the writing
she returned for every remaining performance then enthusiastically
encouraged me to read it.<br />
<br />
When I did, I was particularly taken with the character of Lauren.
Much like me, she is an incredibly forthright person who expects those
around her to follow suit. I found the portrayal of her coming to terms
with the fact that others cannot and often do not wish to do so quite
poignant.<br />
<br />
As a filmmaker, the challenge of adapting a play set in one
location and making it work and move well as a movie also excited me.
For research, I looked to several of my favorite pictures, including
“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” “Deathtrap,” and “12 Angry Men,”
which had done so in various inventive ways. <br />
<br />
<b>What was the casting process like?</b><br />
<br />
I did not do any auditions. I had seen Heather Raffo and Bernard
White in separate Off-Broadway plays almost ten years ago but they both
had such charisma and chops they stayed with me and immediately popped
into my head for the roles of Lauren and Ridley. I was more familiar
with Carrie Preston as a film actor from her stand out supporting turn
in “Duplicity” and leading role in “That Evening Sun.” A New York
theatre casting director recommended Brian Hutchison to me.<br />
<br />
<b>Why did you choose to distribute the film via VOD?</b><br />
<br />
Our distributor, Gravitas Ventures, will make the film available
to some 100 million viewers On Demand and iTunes on its launch date of
January 15<sup>th</sup>. That’s an awfully large number of people who
will have access to the picture. And more and more people I know get
most of their film viewing through VOD, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes,
etc. I always prefer to watch movies in the theatre, at least the first
time I see them. But I certainly appreciate the continuously growing
number of platforms which offer so much content that might have been
otherwise lost or missed.<br />
<br />
<b>Do you think the world would be better off if everyone was completely honest?</b><br />
<br />
In general I think open communication would solve a lot of
problems. If people were honest about what they really wanted in their
lives and weren’t so quick to fall into social norms or what is expected
of them just think how different society would be. Happier overall, I
would think. And in relationships, if people would be honest instead of
just automatically doing and saying what they think the other person
wants them to, it might provide some wonderful and surprising results.
Personally, I strive very hard to only say things I really mean but to
not to the point of being hurtful to others if I can help it. I’m
genuinely curious in what others truly think – just not necessarily what
they think about me as I’m neurotic enough as it is!<br />
<br />
<b>How have your previous projects prepared you to make this film?</b><br />
<br />
Very early in my career, I worked as assistant to producer Peter
MacGregor-Scott for many years at Warner Bros. Although he was
producing $100 million plus budget films, he always approached them as
if they were small indies (his background was “Cheech and Chong”
films). He watched every penny and came up with scrappy, inventive ways
to solve problems rather than just throwing money at them as is often
done at that level. That was an invaluable lesson as I also produce all
of my own work. After that I assisted director Taylor Hackford. Being
able to be at his side, watching his process from prep through post was
immensely beneficial and many of his techniques I now incorporate into
my own work. Directing theatre certainly helped my ability to work with
actors. My experience in the legit world spilled over into “Vino”
which I ran as a somewhat anomalous film set. All four of the actors
had theatre backgrounds, as well as film. I managed to secure six days
of rehearsal and required the cast to be completely off book before they
arrived on location. We shot entire scenes in one take which created
an amazing energy for the actors on set, almost like what they
experience on stage. I’ve spent the past few years making
documentaries. That helped to further hone my storytelling although it
felt terrific to get back to narrative work which is what I enjoy the
most.<br />
<br />
<b>What's your favorite movie?</b><br />
<br />
“All About
Eve.” I first saw the film when I was about 11 and I never tire of the
powerhouse performances, incredibly witty dialogue, and perfect
structure. I think it still stands as the best screenplay ever
written. Only caveat is the dreadful ‘you’re not a real woman unless
you can look up in the morning and see your man’ speech Margo Channing
gives in the third act. But I’ve always just chalked that up to a sign
of that time.<br />
<br />
<b>What's your favorite wine?</b><br />
<br />
I don’t drink wine at all. Dirty martini is my preferred cocktail.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
<br />
Many thanks for interviewing me and featuring the film!!<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-37884389581232317192013-12-15T14:14:00.000-08:002013-12-15T14:14:45.859-08:00Filmmaker Sean Langton
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<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;"> </span>Sean started life out in the armed forces where he was unfortunate to
become ill with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. After many years Sean
came out at the age of 38 and found his passion was in producing film.
Sean's drive behind the company is to make LGBT themed films by
telling strong character driven stories.<br /><br />As well as making film Sean wishes to make sure the ethos of his company is all about social inclusion and equality.<br /><br />Sean
was commissioned by Ceredigion Mental Health Forum to write a short
play Army Surplus about ex-soldiers suffering from PTSD in the NHS. He
participated in a collaborative writing project for theatre Town with No
Traffic Wardens and his short play Dad was presented as part of
Beginnings both for Aberystwyth Arts Centre. <br /><br />Sean is the driving force behind Trebuchet Films, in 2012 he produced his first short film <em><a href="https://vimeo.com/67467597" target="_blank" title="">Legacy </a></em>which
went on to win the Cardiff Audience Choice Award & was a finalist
in the Sharpies, Coffs Harbour, Australia. Legacy received very
positive comments and high praise from industry professionals for it
content. For his second short Sean co-produced with Charlotte Woodhead
& Director Stuart Fryer Ups & Downs. For this short Sean
managed to secure the services of two great and up and coming actors, <a href="http://www.brokenboysmovie.com/cast.html" target="_blank" title="">Bobby Lockwood</a> from the award winning show Wolfblood on CCBC and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5361352/" target="_blank" title="">Edward Ashley</a>
from the BAFTA winning show Last Tango in Halifax, BBC ONE. The film
has gone on to be shortlisted for the Van D'ors & and excepted for
the Cannes In a Van. It also had three nominations at this years London
International Film Festival.<br /><span style="line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">This
year Sean produced his first feature film called Cruel Summer a brutal
thriller inspired from true events in 2004. The film is currently in
post production with the hope of a release in Summer 2014.</span><br /><span style="line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Sean now has in development three feature films one a book that he optioned called <em><a href="http://www.cowboyscanfly.com/" target="_blank" title="">Cowboys Can Fly</a></em> by author Ken Smith, <em><a href="http://www.brokenboysmovie.com/" target="_blank" title="">Broken Boys</a></em>
a story that Sean himself has penned that already has three very talent
young actors attached and has just received a letter of interest from
the UK and Republic of Irelands largest LGBT distributor. And Training
Grounds, the story of a fight for survival of a Gay SAS soldier on
selection.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">What are the current projects you are working on?
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">There are several projects in development at present, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">Broken Boys </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">a feature film that looks at the
rise of violent homophobia in a world where its more expectable to come out younger, a kind of
Gay Romeo & Juliet meets NEDS. We have the three lead cast attached, all excellent up and
coming actors with experience in TV and Film.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Then we have an adaptation of a book called </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">Cowboys Can Fly </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">by Ken Smith which Dominic
Carver a british screenwriter has just finished the first draft. The story is a lovely gay coming of
age set in the countryside in 1960's Britain.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">There are a few more but theses are the main ones I'm concentrating on for next year, if we're
lucky enough to secure the funding.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Why did you name your company "Trebuchet Film Productions"?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Basically I wanted to call it </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: oblique;">SlingShot </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">but it was taken, so I thought whats bigger and better,
Trebuchet it was. Gives me something to aim for.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Why do you want to make films?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Simples, I love to tell great stories, character driven not special effects. I'm a great advocate of the
British Independent Film scene. There is such a wealth of talent in our country in front and behind
the camera.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">What was the casting process like?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">So far I've been really lucky to work with some great talented actors from across TV and Film and
its not because I have millions to spend its because when the read the scripts or story the love the
characters and story. I think actors love to play different roles they hate being typecast so if you
can offer them that they will go that extra mile.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">The big thing for me is if I see someone who I think would be great for a role then I find away to
ask them. I find them all very approachable and helpful even if it's not for them. So, I guess the
lesson is always ask the worst people can do is say no.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">What is your opinion on crowdfunding?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">I think its amazing! But its that and digital which have changed the landscape of film forever and I
think over the next 5 to 10 years we will see even more changes to it. Already in the UK we now
have a crowdfunding platform in return for equity now.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">What's the indie film scene like where you live?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Like I said earlier we have a wealth of talent, but, its hard. As an indie producer finding money is
difficult. We seem to have a culture of wanting to have a film industry but the industry isn't
prepared to take a chance on new talent. I'm 47 and only been at this two years and I've had to
fight for every scrap to get films made people look at me gone out, because of my age and lack of
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">experience. But I just use that above my desk I have a motto 'If someone tells me I can't do it.
Then its my job to prove them wrong.<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">However, that said around us is an amazing lot of people like that and every-time they get knocked
down they get back up again and particularity where I live the scene is very, very supportive of you.
Hence I will always offer work on my films to students and others wanting a break.
</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">What's one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Don't listen to your parents saying 'you can't do 'stuff' to do with art you need a real job'. It is a real
job a very satisfying one too. That way I won't of wasted 30 years doing the wrong job. But hey we
are all a sum of our experiences, so maybe that's what bought me to this point.
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">Is there anything you'd like to add?
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Yeah, invest in Brit Indie Film! lol<br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Thanks very much for interviewing me for your blog. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica'; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Sean Langton
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-34748361171616652502013-11-23T12:34:00.001-08:002013-12-15T13:59:48.239-08:00WRITER DARREN CAULLEY <br />
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<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>DARREN CAULLEY made his New York theatrical debut in
2012 at the Cabrini Repertory Theatre with Very Important Problems, a
horrible family comedy. Then in December of the same year, he produced
Unhealthy at the HERE Arts Center. An alumnus of New York University,
Darren writes plays, comics, and television scripts. He also designs
games from time to time. On his site, <a href="http://darrencaulley.com/" target="_blank">darrencaulley.com</a> you can read his
writing samples, email him, and keep up to date on the most recent news
about his projects. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Please explain what "Unhealthy", Kulak" and "Force" are.</span><br />
<br />
Unhealthy <span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">is a play I wrote</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">that Chris Bellant and I produced about a year ago. It's
essentially about dependance and what obsession can do to a person. The
first half focuses on a young woman (played by Caitlin Kinnunen)
desperately trying to find a handle on her life. The second half takes a
look at her roommate (played by Allison Scagliotti), who appears to
have everything a person could want and who is still struggling to deal
with the lives of those around her. It's a very desperate play
altogether.</span> <br />
<br />
I started working on <span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak </span>last
year with a whole bunch of strangers who turned into some of my
favorite people I met at NYU. <span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak </span>is
a board game where players have to choose between working together to
take down an evil Baron or selling out and becoming wealthy by
themselves, becoming <span style="font-style: italic;">the Kulak</span>.
"Kulak" is a Russian word used to describe a wealthy farmer in Soviet
Russia. It's not a very kind word, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak</span>
is not a very kind game.<br />
<br />
Force <span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">is a comic I've been working
on for the better portion of this year with Thomas Constantine Moore and
Tiahnan Trent. It is about a girl</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span>named Rachel who goes from being especially
vulnerable and anxious to suddenly having more power than she knows what
to do with. Right now we're working out a lot of the kinks with the
site and the schedule, so we're taking a hiatus while we plan our next
moves. It's a story we're all really invested in and one that we want to
tell the right way. So we're not going to rush it out with a product
that we're not fully satisfied with.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What inspires you to create plays,
games and comics?</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Well, plays and comics
have always been my favorite modes of storytelling. Both rely a lot on
asking the audience to take part in the story themselves, and that
always engaged me as a reader and a viewer. I've been writing plays
since high school, but it's taken me a lot longer to find my comfort
writing comics. It's an immensely complex medium.<br />
<br />
As for games, games keep me sane. They always have. I don't know how
else to really explain my relationship with games. They're an art form
for sure, and in an abstract way (or not, depending on the game) they
are another way to tell a story, perhaps the <span style="font-style: italic;">most</span> engaging way. <br />
<div class="im">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />What is the key to a very
successful Kickstarter campaign?</span><br />
<br />
I think it comes down to what you want out of the
Kickstarter. If you are using Kickstarter just because you want people's
money, potential backers can sense that. They can sense whether you
want to produce a quality project and give your backers what you can or
whether you just want to use it to make some money easily. I've seen
some people try to use it as a store. I've seen those projects fail for
that reason.</div>
<br />
One of the reasons so many Kickstarters are so successful is that by
having one you're saying "If I can't do this right, if I can't do this
100%, if there's not enough of an interest in what I have to offer, then
I am okay with getting nothing." That's a powerful statement to make,
and if you truly believe that I think that many Kickstarter users really
respect that mindset.<br />
<br />
Oh, and also before you make a Kickstarter, give to a few. You need to
understand what it feels like to be a backer if you want to connect with
yours. That's really important. <br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What was the casting process like
for "Unhealthy"?</span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Chris Bellant (Maycomb) was attached from the beginning, and I
owe the credit for the rest of the cast</span><span style="color: #333333; display: inline!important; float: none; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light',HelveticaNeue-Light,'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> to my friend, Julia Bicknell,
another (incredibly talented) writer from NYU. She is close friends with
the two female leads and knew they'd both be perfect in the roles. And
finally it was Allison who brought in Josh Breslow, the final piece of
the puzzle. </span> </div>
<div class="im">
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">What causes someone to be obsessed?</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span>You know, something recent I've realized about my work is how
much of it has to do with obsession. <span style="font-style: italic;">Unhealthy</span>
is certainly the darkest piece I've written and it's also the most
directly related to the subject of obsession. Obsession is dark. I think
obsession comes from having a particular need that goes unsatisfied for
too long. Whether that is attention, friendship, love, power,
excitement, anything. When you deplete a person of something
fundamental, they tend to latch on to the first trace of it that comes
their way, and then they never let go.<br />
<br />
<div class="im">
<span style="font-weight: bold;">How did you chose your collaborators to
create "Kulak" and "Force"?</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span>I did not pick my collaborators at all for <a href="http://cosstropolis.com/games/kulak/" target="_blank">Kulak</a> actually. Kulak started off
with a simple prompt: Make a game that elicits anger. And the people
that liked that challenge came together and made Kulak. It worked out
very nicely because we have a bunch of people with different backgrounds
able to bring a lot to the table. We'll be relying on everyone's
talents when it comes time to take <span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak
</span>to the next level.<br />
<br />
As for <a href="http://forcecomic.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">Force</span></a>, well... <span style="font-style: italic;">Force </span>is one of my favorite stories
I've had in my mind. And so I picked my favorite people. My girlfriend,
Tiahnan Trent is a terrific artist and my exceptional friend Thomas
Constantine Moore is my favorite collaborator for anything. We play off
each other very well creatively. Unfortunately, despite Thomas being an
incredibly talented actor, I've never managed to get him on stage for
one of my plays. But I'm planning to change that.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">How is "Kulak" different from other
table top games?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak</span> is different
mostly because it's imbalanced. At the start of the game there are 24
acres of land between all the players and the Baron starts the game off
with twelve of them. Asymmetry is a really difficult concept to pull off
in a game, but it is much more realistic. Most game designers want
balance, but my teammates and I wanted something that began unfairly.
When you only have start off the game so close to defeat and one player
is already winning by a large margin, things get tense immediately. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why did you choose to have "Force" take
place in Seattle?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Force </span>originally was
going to take place in New York City, but then everyone decided that too
much takes place there anyway. Seattle has a really interesting
political climate. Very liberal, very atheist all on the west, and then
much less so in the east. <span style="font-style: italic;">Force</span>
takes place in a Seattle where godlike beings walk the earth, where
people live in fear of the unknown, and where guns are everywhere. It's a
very different Seattle than the one that Thomas, Tiahnan, and I grew up
in. We wanted a city that knows who it is in the real world, and then
we wanted to see what it would take to make Seattle unsure of itself. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Is there anything you'd like to add? </span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span>Right now the two main projects I am working on are <span style="font-style: italic;">Kulak</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Trickster, </span>a theatrical anthology of Trickster gods in
mythology. So those are the big things to look out for soon. I'm also
working with the incredibly prolific Chris Bellant on a project
that he's taking the lead on, so I don't know if I can really talk about
it. But hopefully, fun things will happen there too! Thanks so much for
your interest in my work. It's been a real pleasure to speak with you.<br />
<br />
<br />
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
<br />
<br />
Thank You for doing the interview Darren. I was you all the best with Force, Kulak, Trickster and all your future projects.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-9505294533763682372013-11-17T09:27:00.001-08:002013-11-17T11:15:28.732-08:00Filmmaker Derick Martini<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPdw6H7NboODtTVsW8X_JB5dJ61e8ANxKXkoXCgwqlSUT868JTNtLKq_eWbAsnXLnyVdHflAwGzxXH0igeMWCAr9OuWoseDOaxqp23TlJUlKvKlD5vFQZijzv2BjCndbiZUizlm4RyQem/s1600/2013-11-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPdw6H7NboODtTVsW8X_JB5dJ61e8ANxKXkoXCgwqlSUT868JTNtLKq_eWbAsnXLnyVdHflAwGzxXH0igeMWCAr9OuWoseDOaxqp23TlJUlKvKlD5vFQZijzv2BjCndbiZUizlm4RyQem/s320/2013-11-17.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Derick Patrick Martini</b> (born December 2, 1976) is an <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA" title="USA">American</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriter" title="Screenwriter">screenwriter</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_director" title="Film director">film director</a>. He is of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italians" title="Italians">Italian</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish" title="Jewish">Jewish</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people" title="Irish people">Irish</a> heritage. For more information visit his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derick_Martini" target="_blank">Wikipedia </a>page.<br />
<br />
Follow Derick on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/DerickMartini" target="_blank">@derickmartini </a><br />
<br />
<div>
<div class="im">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<b>What is the current project you are working?</b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
I'm
in post production on a film I directed from a script co-written by me
and Bret Easton Ellis called "The Curse Of Downers Grove".<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
<b>What is your opinion on crowdfunding?</b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
If
by crowdfunding you mean 'rounding up a crowd and raising money from
said crowd to fund a film', I don't know how I feel about it personally
because I haven't done it. My films have been funded in a more
deliberate way, with usually one or two people, or companies financing
the film. The financing end has always made me cringe, and I have
successfully avoided dealing with it in most cases. However, being able
to avoid it is just luck and having great producers like Jon Cornick,
Michele Tayler and Leonard Loventhal who've that heavy cross. I've
been able to simply write and direct. However, in all reality, that
luck can't possibly continue in this market and I am prepared to deal
with the pains of being more involved with the financing process. If
crowdfunding is narrowed down to a crowd of 6-12 people who will not be
hurt financially if they lose their investment, I'd feel pretty good
about that. If the crowd is made up of a group of people who will be
hurt financially if they lose their investment, I'm not comfortable with
that. There are many, many safer and less confusing investments than
film. Or, as my friend Leo so succintly puts it, and I am paraphrasing,
"the film business and its finances are irrational".</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If
by crowdfunding you mean 'kickstarter', that frightens me to death.
I've noticed filmmakers out there utilizing kickstarter and I can say
this: they are braver than I! It's just too public for me, personally.
I have a hard time when I have actors and myself attached to a script
with no funding and it's being shopped privately, within the industry.
That always kills me and I try to avoid it as often as possible. I
can't imagine exposing my actors and material in a public manner,
looking for hundreds of thousands, maybe millions, of people to invest.
I have nothing against the filmmakers who put themselves out there on
kickstarter, like I said it's brave, but it's just not for me.<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
<b>Why do you prefer using film when shooting your movies?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
This
is a great question John! Back to the stuff I love. Like most
filmmakers who prefer film, it's ultimately about the look. I love the
grain that film organically provides and I miss it when its not there.
Grain adds a texture to the end result, the look of the movie, that
digital does not. With digital, you wind up adding grain in post
production, imposing it onto the image as opposed to it organically
existing as a natural flaw. On my current film I'm about to do just
that because I have to. We shot it partially on 35mm film and partially
on digital for financial reasons and I can't say that I dislike digital
because that would be a lie. I like many of its advantages, I just
dislike its seemingly only disadvantage -- no grain. But the jury is
still out on the grain issue and I am withholding judgement because my
hope is that my film comes back, with grain, and I won't know the
difference between film and digital anymore.<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<b><br />What is the best way to make it in the film industry?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
I
don't think you ever truly 'make it', John. It's always going to be
from story to story, or movie to movie. Just a wild guess, but I'd bet
all of those filmmakers who seem to have 'made it' all feel like they
haven't -- they still have something to prove, or another story to tell.
I think maybe, just maybe, you've made it when you have run out of
stories to tell. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
All that being said, you have
to start somewhere. I am a firm believer in making a micro budget
feature legnth film to start. Write your script, keep it simple, fund
it just like you would a short film; on credit cards, borrowing, etc,
and make it guerilla style. Today, unlike in 2000 when I dove into film
with "Smiling Fish & Goat On Fire", digital is an extremely cost
friendly way to make your film. Festivals are everywhere. Do your work
and then get your work seen, forget everything else. That is the best
advice I can give.</div>
<div class="im">
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<b><br />What has been the best moment of your film career thus far?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
That's
a tough one John. I can't pin it to one moment and I'd rather not
weigh the downs versus the ups, so I'll generalize a bit: my favorite
moments have always been what happen between when I say 'action' and
'cut'. Working with the actors.<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
<b>How has becoming a father changed the way you create films?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Becoming
a father of two little daughters has definitely changed me as a
filmmaker. Isabella (4yrs. old) and Alexandra (2yrs. old) are starting
to curiously pick up dvds I have hanging around the home office, which
is really cute until Isabella asks "what is this one about?". What
comes racing to mind are all of the wonderfully dramatic yet very
dysfunctional relationships most of my characyers have in common.
That's when I cringe. I know one day they'll see these films and I'll
have some explaining to do. If I keep going with the darker material, I
can always show them "Louis" and have a shot at redemption. </div>
<div>
<div class="im">
<br />
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
<b>Why did you decide your create your short film "Louis"?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
I
didn't. My dear friend and fellow filmmaker Dan Pritzker said to me
one day back in 2006, "Derick, I have an idea…". Dan is a very creative
guy and he is very passionate when it comes to music. He was telling
an origin-like story of Louis Armstrong and how he wound up with his
first instrument. I'm really glad he came to me to help him bring it to
life because it is such a rare gem of a film (I can say that without
being a complete braggart because Dan directed it, I co-wrote it and did
some second unit shooting). The way he wanted to do it, "silently", is
truly is a remarkable idea and a what we wound up with is something I
am very proud of. A convergance of meaningful storytelling through
music, sound and image. It's precious, and that's how Dan chooses to
show it, at limited engagements, as he should.<br />
<div class="im">
<br />
<br />
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
<b>What is your favorite film of all time and why?</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
This
is another tough one John. I study films obsessively, bad ones, good
ones, great ones, which makes it difficult to pick a single favorite.
The films I can view over and over again and still remain engaged by
the story while breaking down every angle, edit, lighting cue, sound
effect, score cue etc. would be considered favorites, I guess. But it's
a pretty long list and it would still be a strain to pick an ultimate
favorite. I encourage anyone who wants to gain a deeper knowledge of
film to study the greats -- Scorsese, Hitchcock, Leone, Truffaut,
Chaplin, Kazan, Ford, Capra, Powell, Lucas, Powell, Peckinpah, Nichols,
J&E Coen, Cassavetes, Spielberg, Sirk, Coppola, Wilder, Sturges, P.T
Anderson, Kurosawa -- take in a variety of styles in all genres, don't
limit yourself. You may find you're only attracted to a single genre
and style and that's fine. Watching these filmmakers' work is a process
of learning and discovering who you are as a filmmaker.</div>
<div class="im">
<div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<br />
I<b>s there anything else you'd like to add?</b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div>
P.S
After you're done watching all of these filmmakers' work, re-watch
Marty's stuff again to set the record in your mind straight ;)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-69035515959289461462013-11-11T03:27:00.000-08:002013-11-21T02:36:45.950-08:00Nick Hudson of Cat and Weasel Films<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B9PGsXNE3lTLyOMWKLIDWY5ikabmpTTJQzurKmfkRdOM2sgDXsE5vlRYQn0R4QrrxoBYO9wm2oyKsP_Lkby0i2vRi63DE9P1fZZ-_hl3ni0ClXIJr_1RLt0GL9NeCMPwmSF55nPMjyd4/s1600/nick_hudson1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B9PGsXNE3lTLyOMWKLIDWY5ikabmpTTJQzurKmfkRdOM2sgDXsE5vlRYQn0R4QrrxoBYO9wm2oyKsP_Lkby0i2vRi63DE9P1fZZ-_hl3ni0ClXIJr_1RLt0GL9NeCMPwmSF55nPMjyd4/s320/nick_hudson1.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<br />
Nick began his career at NBC Universal where he was responsible for marketing such hit shows as 30 Rock and True Blood in the company's German-speaking territories. He was also bestowed a number of awards for his work organising the Shocking Shorts Award at the Munich Film Festival. Since then he has produced a number of promos and short films including 'Corvidae', starring Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones). His first feature-length film, 'Everyone’s Going To Die', was premiered at SXSW 2013 to critical acclaim and is currently on the international festival circuit. Nick has been running Cat and Weasel Films since 2011, with two feature films currently scheduled to shoot in 2014.<br />
<br />
<b>Why is the company called <a href="http://www.catandweasel.com/Home.html" target="_blank">"Cat and Weasel Films</a>"?</b><br />
<br />
Ha, I knew this was going to come up. When I started the company I was thinking about a bunch of names. Nick Hudson Productions struck me as being a bit mundane so I looked back to the start of my career when I was working at NBC Universal in Germany. To cut a long and slightly convoluted short, my nickname there was <i>Die Katze</i>, which is German for “The Cat”, with my boss at the time picking up the nickname of “The Weasel”. We always joked about calling a production company Cat and Weasel and so choosing the name a few years later was a no brainer. The Weasel was a completely uncharacteristic nickname for my boss. He taught me a lot of things including the importance of being humble. The name is a little nod to my time working for him and what I picked up working at the company.<br />
<br />
<b>Why do you think the perception of short vs feature films are so different?</b><br />
<br />
Filmmakers and filmgoers generally take features more seriously. Features usually have more money behind them and producing them is a longer process with more factors to consider, for instance marketability. Saying that, creating a short that works is an art form in itself and it can really act as a springboard for any director or producer’s career.<br />
<br />
<b>Which do you prefer working on shorts, features, or music videos?</b><br />
<br />
They each have their pros and cons but I would have to say features. I’ve done one so far and it was one of the best experiences of my life, mainly because of the time involved in making it. One thing I loved was spending so much time with the cast and crew and really developing a rapport with each of them. If you do a short or a music video, you’re probably only going to spend one to five days working with most of them so there isn’t as much time to have fun.<br />
<br />
<b>Digital vs Film. Your opinion?</b><br />
<br />
Digital. Cinematographers I work with make it pretty clear that the flexibility we now have in terms of colour space could not be possible using film. From a producer’s perspective, I’ve also found digital cameras cheaper and quicker for the crew to work with. I can understand the other side of the argument though and a post production supervisor friend of mine tells me that a lot of crews using digital cameras are just shooting too much, making the post production process even more time consuming.<br />
<br />
<b>How has crowdfunding changed the independent film industry?</b><br />
<br />
It’s just created another platform to raise finance for projects. It’s also a powerful tool in building an audience before the film is even shot. There’s a certain science behind it though and I think some people expect to be able to upload the project and suddenly have their film green-lit. There is a lot of work that has to go into it and it’s also constantly changing, meaning the recently created role of Social Media Producer is going to become more and more important.<br />
<br />
<b>What exactly is a producer?</b><br />
<br />
The producer is the spine to any production. We connect all the other components and bring them together for the greater good of the project. Producers support their directors and try to give them what they need to make their vision a reality. There is an old saying that good producers make films and great producers make great films. There is a certain truth to that and it’s often the producer who sources the material or gets a script written. But to answer your question in short, we manage the production of motion pictures from conception to distribution.<br />
<br />
<b>What is the current project you are working on?</b><br />
<br />
I have two short films getting ready for the festival circuit. ‘<a href="http://catandweasel.com/HelpPoint.html" target="_blank">Help Point</a>’ is a quirky comedy-drama about two strangers who meet in an airport car park having both just lost their cars. ‘<a href="http://www.catandweasel.com/Corvidae.html" target="_blank">Corvidae</a>’ has just successfully raised some money on Indiegogo and so we’re cracking on with getting the VFX done for that. It’s a silent pastoral horror film starring Maisie Williams from ‘Game of Thrones’ and I just can’t wait to see the finished product. I’m also developing a number of feature films, with the next one being shot early next year. It’s a crime thriller called ‘<a href="http://www.catandweasel.com/FeatureFilms.html" target="_blank">The Fixer</a>’ and it’s about a guy who is like Sherlock Holmes, but on the wrong side of the law. He slowly starts lose control when he inadvertently has to protect a young woman from a mysterious power hunting her.<br />
<br />
<b>What is the casting process like?</b><br />
<br />
It’s fascinating, particularly when you have a number of actors come in for a role. You suddenly see the words that you’ve read a thousand times come out of someone’s mouth and everyone has their own interpretation. It’s great to see how much talent is out there, but a lot of the time an actor will get the part because their interpretation is in alignment with that of the director.<br />
<br />
<b>What advice would give to someone who wants to start their own production company?</b><b><br /></b><br />
<br />
Keep your overheads down, build relationships and don’t be afraid to be bold. Remember the key to this business is material so take your time in finding the right script. There isn’t any rush and remember you’ll always only be judged on your last film so treat every project like your first.<br />
<br />
<b>Why did "Cat and Weasel Films" collaborate with "<a href="http://www.wolfheartproductions.com/" target="_blank">Wolfheart Productions</a>" for "Corvidae"?</b><br />
<br />
To be honest we just really enjoy working with each other and have done so since we both collaborated on the short film / mini-pilot ‘The Fields’ a couple of years ago. Our meetings usually take place in some sort of pub or bar and we’re very open with each other, meaning bad ideas usually get shot down fairly quickly. The writer / director Tom de Ville actually approached Wolfheart about ‘Corvidae’ and it was Wolfheart who asked us to be involved. We obviously said yes pretty quickly. It’s a unique project that will definitely stand out amongst its peers.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
<br />
Thank you for having me!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-37815954229404773752013-11-10T09:30:00.000-08:002013-11-21T02:33:49.640-08:00The Cast Of "Anne Darling"TAG LINE: Tonight, a lonely writer, a mother and a dreamer will try to escape sadness by partying, romancing and having sex with strangers.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/normanyeung/anne-darling" target="_blank">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/normanyeung/anne-darling</a><br />
<br />
SYNOPSIS: Daniel hopes to break out of his depression by having sex. So he calls a chat line and meets Marnie. Their encounter becomes more intimate than they expected -- she reminds him of his mother, he reminds her of her son. Both are haunted by family troubles. Later, Daniel's friend Charlie sets him up with Maggie, a young writer who wants to run away from her ill mother. They offer each other a way out, but first they have to break their family bonds. Will Daniel break his new bond with Marnie?<br />
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<b>Norman Yeung</b> [also writer/director] ("Resident Evil: Afterlife", "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil") <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2034510/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2034510/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1</a></div>
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Norman works in film, theatre, and visual arts.</div>
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Films he has written and directed include "Marnie Love", "Hello Faye", and "Light 01", which have screened at international film festivals, on Movieola Channel, Mini Movie International Channel (Europe), and on Air Canada. He was Second Unit Director on "The Tracey Fragments", a feature film directed by Bruce McDonald.</div>
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As an actor, Norman's recent film and television credits include a supporting role in "Resident Evil: Afterlife" (Sony/Screen Gems), a series regular role in "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil" (SPACE/CTV), and roles in “Rookie Blue” (ABC/Global) and “King” (Showcase). He recently played the role of Hassan in Theatre Calgary and Citadel Theatre’s production of “The Kite Runner”.</div>
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Plays he has written include "Pu-Erh", "Oolong", "Theory", and "Lichtenstein's an 8: A New Formula to Quantify Artistic Quality". "Pu-Erh" premiered in 2010 at Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto and was nominated for four Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play. "Pu-Erh" was a finalist for the 2009 Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition. His performance piece “In this moment.” premiered at Scotiabank Nuit Blanche in 2012. His opera “Black Blood” (Norman Yeung, librettist; Christiaan Venter, composer) premiered at Tapestry New Opera Showcase in 2012 in Toronto. He was a member of Canadian Stage's BASH! artist development program and fu-GEN's Kitchen Playwrights Unit. He was a member of the 2011 Tapestry New Opera Composer-Librettist Laboratory. He is featured in the book "Voices Rising: Asian Canadian Cultural Activism" by Xiaoping Li.</div>
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Since 1993, his graffiti and street art can be found under bridges, on freight trains, behind warehouses, in transit tunnels, and on living room walls, from New York City to Brisbane. He has exhibited his paintings and drawings in such venues as FRCP/Galerie Youn (Montreal), Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto), Art Gallery of Mississauga, Board of Directors (Toronto), Milk Glass (Toronto), and curcioprojects (New York City). His painting and illustration clients include LVMH, Bruce Mau Design, National Film Board of Canada, MTV, CBC, Eye Weekly, Rice Paper Magazine, and many more. He was featured on CBC Radio 3's "MAKE: Next Generation Canadian Creators", CBC's ZeD TV, MuchMusic, MTV, and in numerous publications and documentaries.</div>
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Norman has lectured at Central Technical School (Toronto) about urban art, at Lord Byng Secondary School (Vancouver) about a career in the arts, spoken at The Humanitas Festival (Toronto) about responsible casting of minorities in media, and received a Toronto Clean and Beautiful City Appreciation Award for his mural work. He was a playwriting mentor for the 2011 Paprika Festival (Toronto).</div>
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He holds a BFA in Acting/Theatre from the University of British Columbia and a BFA (Honours) in Film Studies from Ryerson University. He was born in Guangzhou, China, grew up in East Vancouver, and is currently based in Toronto.</div>
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<b>Allison Scagliotti</b> ("Warehouse 13", "Losers Take All", "Chastity Bites", "Drake & Josh") <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1270095/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1270095/?ref_=nv_sr_1</a></div>
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<b>Cara Gee</b> ("Empire of Dirt", Toronto International Film Festival 2013 Rising Star) <a href="http://www.garygoddardagency.com/clients/cara-gee" target="_blank">http://www.garygoddardagency.com/clients/cara-gee</a></div>
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<b>Janet Lo</b> ("Cracked", "The Listener", "Diary of the Dead", "To Die For") <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516305/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1" target="_blank">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0516305/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1</a></div>
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Janet Lo is currently creating a play about Madame Mao. Earlier this year, she appeared in a pilot entitled Second Jen. For 30 years, Janet Lo has been an actor in Theatre, Film, Television and Radio. She has worked internationally, portraying roles across Canada as well as appearing in Los Angeles and China. She travelled to Shanghai as part of the Red Snow Collective, after debuting the role of Lily at Theatre Passe Muraille. Stage highlights include Tout Comme Elle (Necessary Angel/ Luminato), Pu-Erh (K’nowTheatre), Hana’s Suitcase (the Grand Theatre), M. Butterfly (MTC/NAC and ATP), Amazon Dreams (Factory Theatre), Powder Blue Chevy (Theatre Tamahnous), Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles and Shall We Join the Ladies? (Shaw Festival).</div>
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With her theatre Company, Vandalay, Janet co-produced Powder Blue Chevy for Summerworks 1993, and A Language of Their Own in 1997, which she also directed. Both pieces centered around Chinese North American characters and created employment and skill-building opportunities for Asian Canadian actors and stage technicians.</div>
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Film and Television Credits include Satisfacton, Cracked, The Listener, The Clark Rockefeller Story, The Border, Diary of the Dead, Kojak, Missing, Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy, Madtv, City of Angels, Nikita, Prince Street, Riverdale, Robocop, Kung Fu, To Die For, Montreal vu Par: Vue D’Allieurs.</div>
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<b>What is "<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/normanyeung/anne-darling" target="_blank">Anne Darling</a>" about?</b></div>
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NORMAN: We will all feel deep sadness. Many of us will feel something more profound than sadness, a depression that will prevent you from moving forward. But you must. How? You can distract yourself with booze, smokes, parties, and sex, but those are only temporary bandages. “Anne Darling” is about breaking out of sadness to become happier. And you never know who you’ll meet tonight – that stranger you’re about to dance with, that woman you’re about to hook up with for anonymous sex… they might be your key to happiness. Even if the woman reminds you of your mom. Woops! Tonight, all the characters in this film will feel the happiest they have felt in a long time. “Anne Darling” is about hope.</div>
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ALLISON: The escapist techniques of artistic urban young people. Smoking, sexing, and that awesome moment when someone holds a mirror up to your bullshit. Or something like that.</div>
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JANET: Since other people will be answering this question, I will answer who is Marnie [the character I play]. Marnie is a woman who is basically lonely. She is now divorced 3 years and her son moved away when that was happening. She also suffers from depression. Since the divorce, she no longer has the same circle of friends that she used to when she was part of a couple. So she meets people on chat lines. One night, she meets a man on a chat line, and after feeling a certain connection with him, invites him over for a mutually agreed intimate encounter. When he arrives, she is surprised to see that Daniel [Norman’s character] is not what she imagined (add suspense music here).</div>
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<b>Why do you want this film to be made?</b></div>
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ALLISON: I want talented cats like Norman to bring their art to the world. Maybe this is cliché, but I worry that we'll never hear beautiful music, read beautiful words, see powerful theatre and film because the tools of distribution are still largely controlled by Johnson & Johnson. Or Rogers. Norman has brought his art to the streets, to the canvas, to the stage and screen, and “Anne Darling” deserves a place in his canon of completed projects that deserve an audience and various ribbons of recognition. Also, I wanna do an art house short.</div>
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CARA: I want this film to be made because it's exactly the kind of film I would want to watch. Straight up. Norman Yeung is one of my favourite artists and to be a part of his vision is an honour. He is seriously the most amazing human and we should all be so lucky to see what goes on inside his brain.</div>
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JANET: After being in his play “Pu-Erh”, I would love to be in another project with Norman. He is absolutely lovely, and I would love to share the screen with him in a kind of role that I am not usually cast in. So that is very exciting to me.</div>
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NORMAN: These three women are making me blush in areas that aren’t supposed to get red. The appreciation is mutual. We’ve assembled a highly talented and rather babely cast whose chemistry is genuine. The crew is pretty hot, too. We trust each other as artists and care about each other as friends. This good will and shared spirit can be rare for some productions; now that we’ve got it, we will fulfill it. “Anne Darling” is a self-contained short film that is one chapter of a bigger story. Each of the characters, and new ones, will have their own chapters, and their narratives will intersect. Making this a feature film is the bigger goal, but first I’d like to make this chapter happen.</div>
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<b>What are the similarities/differences between you and your character?</b></div>
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ALLISON: Similarities? Maggie and I are both young creative chicks who like music and PBR and think Norman is good looking. We both take care of our family. We both want to invigorate our careers. Differences? I'm a grown-up child actor who does not live with her mom anymore. Not that there'd be anything wrong with that.</div>
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CARA: Hahahah I don't want to take anything away from my cred as an actor, but this character is pretty much exactly me. Charlie and I are both party monsters always at the ready to wingman a pal. Also, Norman and I are best friends in real life.</div>
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JANET: Well, I'm a mother. Other than that, not a lot of similarities. I have, in the past, in a previous life, had bouts of loneliness, but I was never able to just have a physical encounter and not want it to be more. Or perhaps for Marnie either, although I'm sure she will want to keep a relationship with Daniel, just have it not be a physical one.</div>
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NORMAN: This film isn’t autobiographical, which is what many people assume when the actor is also the writer. But having felt stuck in my life, and seeing a surprisingly large number of friends deal with depression, I understand why Daniel would want instant stimulation. It’s easier to get drunk and distract ourselves from problems than it is to solve them with professional help. Differences? I’ve had relations with older women but I knew their names. And none of them reminded me of my mom. My relationship with my mom is completely unsexual. Sorry to be boring, guys.</div>
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<b>What is your opinion on crowdfunding?</b></div>
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ALLISON: It's the future. The system of ad-based content generation is broken, long live Kickstarter and Indiegogo and RocketHub. In an era where the tools of filmmaking are available to nearly anyone – you can shoot a movie on your phone, edit it using free software on your computer, distribute it on YouTube, and promote it on Twitter – it makes sense for independent creators to skip the bureaucracy of taking meetings with people who majored in business in the late nineties and speak in corporate euphemisms. You want to make something? You tailor it to the people who want to see it and promise them levels of involvement in exchange for their bucks. Boom. Socialized art making.</div>
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CARA: GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT!!!! I love it.</div>
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JANET: Crowdfunding, as a concept, is wonderful. With the internet and social networking, it is a great way to get your ideas out to a very large group of people around the globe. The drawback is that there are so many projects out there that I get quite inundated with requests and may not pay attention to them unless something really exciting catches my eye.</div>
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NORMAN: Asking friends for money is excruciating. Otherwise, crowdfunding is genius.</div>
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<b>What do you think is the key to happiness?</b></div>
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ALLISON: In my mind, happiness doesn't look like a key. It looks like a tiny dot of paint on the end of George Seurat's paint brush. If you're lucky you get a lot of those tiny little micro moments of happiness collected over your whole life. I don't know. I'm 23 and trying really hard to figure it out and also sound eloquent in interviews.</div>
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CARA: I think that for the most part, the key to happiness is deciding to be happy.</div>
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JANET: Strangely, just being happy. I do believe that being happy is a muscle that one needs to use or it will atrophies. There are people that have said to me, yes, I know that I have all these things (gotten all these gigs, have great friends, etc.) and I should be grateful. And I say fuck gratitude, just be happy. Exercise that muscle.</div>
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NORMAN: Asking friends for money is excruciating. It totally blows and sucks mad hard, dude. I’m hating every moment of what feels like begging. But when some friends do contribute, I’m struck by emotion. I almost cried to Aaron Kopff (one of our producers) when our buddy donated to our Kickstarter: “He’s not rich! I can’t believe he donated so much!” Other friends too, any amount. For what? So I can “make” a “film”? But it’s not about money. It’s not about film. It’s about their faith in me, their belief, their support… I am absolutely nothing without my friends. My happiness is the people who care about me, and I care about them. This Kickstarter experience has instilled in me a new generosity; I want to return the support to my friends, whether monetarily or just being there for them. I guess crowdfunding can be a happy experience after all.</div>
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<b>Say something nice about another member of the AD cast?</b></div>
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ALLISON: Everyone in the cast is this totally titillating blend of attractive and intelligent. I have talent crushes on ALL of them. And I'm jealous of Norman's pompadour.</div>
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CARA: I'm going to do my very best to get Norman to add a scene where I get to make out with Allison. What a babe.</div>
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JANET: Like I said, I would love to be in another project playing a character that I feel Norman wrote specifically for me. A couple of years ago I was in a play with Cara called “Tout Comme Elle”. Although we will not have any screen time together in “Anne Darling”, it's great to be in the same project together again. I met the rest of the production team recently and they are just fabulous. And fun.</div>
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NORMAN: The way Allison conducts herself intellectually, artistically, and style-ly makes me die thirteen times before noon. If anyone took Cara away from me, I would destroy them, then take a DeLorean back 2,000 years and destroy their whole lineage. Janet is like a cross between my older sisters and my mom, which I find very comforting. No, I don’t have any Freudian family issues, but I do miss my family. Misty Fox is the sweetest and I want to play her best friend in a show ‘cause it would go over stellar. Omar Alex Khan gives us hope that we can remain cool forever.</div>
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<b>How does working on an indie project differ from a mainstream one?</b></div>
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ALLISON: It's more relaxed. We don't have the thrall of a standards and practices department, and we're DEFINITELY not getting network notes about "tone".</div>
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CARA: The level of professionalism is the same, the only difference is cash money.</div>
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JANET: The indie projects that I have been involved with seem to have lots of heart. They all have been passion projects for the producers and they surround themselves with artists that share this passion as well. As a result, I've never received as much respect as I have on these projects. Everyone involved wants to be there – they are either working for no pay, reduced pay or deferred pay, but they believe in the project and want to give it their all. And they are lots of FUN.</div>
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NORMAN: You’ll probably wear your own clothes on an indie project.</div>
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<b>What else do you do besides acting?</b></div>
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ALLISON: I play music and pretend I'm a rockstar. I take dance class and pretend I'm a ballerina. I write poetry and pretend I'm Charles Bukowski, just without all the misogynistic alcoholism.</div>
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CARA: Watch hockey with Norman Yeung.</div>
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JANET: I am currently creating a play about Madam Mao. And I am a Mom. So these days it's all about being a Mom in one form or other. Go figure.</div>
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NORMAN: Watch hockey with Cara Gee. And Meredith Cheesbrough.</div>
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<b>What are some of your favorite indie projects?</b></div>
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ALLISON: That I've worked on? “Losers Take All”. “My Name is Jerry”. “Redemption Maddie”. “Reliance”, which has yet to grace the internet. That I've seen? “SLC Punk”. “Zombie in a Penguin Suit”. A Sam Taylor-Wood short called “Love You More”.</div>
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CARA: I'm pretty stoked about “Empire of Dirt”, my film that's opening at the end of November. We just premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, which was the most exciting thing of all time. I hope people check it out.</div>
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JANET: At the beginning of this year, I was involved in a pilot called “Second Jen”, a comedy about second-generation kids and their immigrant families. It was so much fun and I got to play a crazy Mom. Here is their website: www.secondjenseries.com.</div>
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NORMAN: “Wild Style”, directed by Charlie Ahearn, 1982. Fab Five Freddy, Lee, Lady Pink, Zephyr, Grandmaster Flash, Rocksteady Crew, Cold Crush Brothers, Busy Bee, Double Trouble, DJ Grandwizard Theodore… Are you kidding me? A gem of an ultra-indie, ultra-low-budge, ultra-important film. Is it in the Library of Congress? It will be. Also, I really enjoyed being in Seth Mendelson’s video for Bad Passion’s “Get Results”. It’s on YouTube.</div>
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<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b></div>
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ALLISON: How lucky we are that this is our job. I get to live my life from one character to the next, filling the in-between spaces with music, dance, theatre, art... I can't believe how lucky I am. That, and I really miss Lou Reed.</div>
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CARA: Check out our Kickstarter campaign and toss us some coin. Even the smallest bit helps and we are all eternally grateful. This will be a really cool film and I believe it's worth investing in.</div>
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NORMAN: Kickstarter is all or nothing, so if we don’t reach our funding goal, then we will get $0 to make this film. If you contribute (please and thanks!), you'll get a nuanced, emotionally honest film with odd relationships that will make you consider your own choices to be happier. You’ll also get cool gifts in return. Stuff you can wear, use, and boast about. Also, I always call John Hoff III by his full name.<br />
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Thank You to Norman. Allison, Cara, Janet for doing the interview. I wish you all the best with "Anne Darling" and future projects. Spread the word about Kickstarter: <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/normanyeung/anne-darling" target="_blank">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/normanyeung/anne-darling</a> For all things "Anne Darling" visit <a href="https://www.facebook.com/annedarlingfilm" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/annedarlingfilm</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-81278865698060486482013-11-09T09:25:00.000-08:002013-11-20T09:19:28.756-08:00Matthew Forcella creator of "One Die Short"<div>
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Matthew Forcella grew up in New York where he received his BA in Anthropology. After teaching elementary school for a year, he moved to Phoenix where he began working as an artist, displaying his paintings and illustrations in numerous galleries. From there he moved on to Graduate School in San Francisco where he received an MA in Philosophy and Religion and began teaching middle school. After secondary education, he switched gears again, working as a University Instructor and Scholarship Adviser. It was during this time that he began blogging about Roleplaying games and all things Geek, as well as publishing his weekly D&D Webcomic, One Die Short. Thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign he is currently in the process of adapting his Webcomic into a live action web series of the same name.<br />
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<b>What is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OneDieShort" target="_blank">One Die Short?</a></b><br />
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Other than the obvious (a web series about Dungeons & Dragons players), it's about people, friendship and adults learning to how to be adults. The main intention of the series is to show how roleplaying games, creativity and a healthy fantasy life can actually help a person become confident and successful.<br />
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I'm trying to break through the stereotype of the roleplayer and the geek/nerd being a socially awkward and inept person that will be forever doomed to live in their mother's basement. The show will largely be about each of the characters' individual transformations, and how those transformations are helped along by roleplaying and the friendships forged around the gaming table.<br />
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<b>What inspired you to make the webcomic and now the webseries?</b><br />
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The webcomic has existed in one form or another for well over a decade now. I didn't publicly put it out there until about 3 years ago when I was beginning to reconnect with my geek roots. Like a lot of geeky teenagers, at some point I found myself straying from all things nerdy because of the many negative stereotypes associated with them. Some of this was me being insecure, and some of it was a result of the people around me rejecting the things we once shared, and me finding it hard to seek out new friends.<br />
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When I finally decided that roleplaying was an integral part of my growth, development, and who I had become as a person, I went full force with it and started a blog and the webcomic. The web series is the natural progression of the webcomic, and is how I originally envisioned the comic, but at the time I felt I didn't have the know-how or resources for film.<br />
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<b>Will you tell us about the actors cast in ODS?</b><br />
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The actors are all local Colorado film and theater actors, mostly from Denver and the surrounding area. They're all fantastic people (and many of them roleplayers). Aside from writing, producing and directing, I'm also playing the lead role of the Dungeon Master. Though many of the characters might not physically fit their counterparts from the webcomic, we chose everyone based on how much they felt like the characters, and as a result, we've got a really stellar cast that's doing an amazing job of bringing my vision to life. You can learn a lot more about each of the actors on our website: <a href="http://onedieshort.com/the-web-series/" target="_blank">http://onedieshort.com/the-web-series/</a><br />
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<b>What's the key to being a good Dungeon Master?</b><br />
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It took me a long time to figure this out. When I was younger, being a Dungeon Master was about being in control; crafting a world and a story and sharing it (whether the players liked it or not) with other people. I held lives in the balance and was responsible for the fate of an entire Universe. I realize now how terrible I was at the job back then. To truly be a great Dungeon Master, you need to let go (the same can be said of life in general I think).<br />
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Roleplaying is about co-creation and collaborative story-telling. The Players are in charge as much as you are, and that means a good Dungeon Master needs to be flexible, and be able to recognize what best serves the story, rather than what best serves his or her own needs.<br />
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<b>Have you seen <a href="http://www.strongbrothersmagicshow.com/" target="_blank">The Strong brothers</a> short film "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWesKW2uO-8" target="_blank">Dungeon Master</a>"?</b><br />
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Unfortunately I haven't yet, though I would like to. There has been so much great media produced in recent years about roleplaying and the geek world; it's tough to keep up with it all. It's nice to see that most of it is well received if not embraced. I think what that means for One Die Short is that we've chosen a great time to make our series.<br />
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<b>What was it like being interviewed by John over at <a href="http://eatpraymedia.com/2013/08/30/vs-behind-the-scenes-with-onedieshorts-matt-forcella/" target="_blank">EatPrayMedia</a>?</b><br />
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It was great! John's a fantastic guy with a great website. I often say this, but I'll reiterate it again: one of the best parts of making this web series has been experiencing the outpouring of support from the gaming/nerd/geek world. It makes me proud to identify with the community.<br />
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<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
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It's been a long road, and we've got a lot of hard work ahead of us still, but it's been a very humbling experience to see how much work talented people are willing to do to help make my vision come to life. So, I would just like to thank everyone that has helped bring One Die Short to life so far: the cast, crew, backers, and of course, all of the fans, old and new.<br />
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Thank you for doing the interview Matt. I strongly suggest readers of this interview check out Matt's interview over at EatPrayMedia. Also, like the "One Die Short" Facebook page.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-80048973462499784942013-11-01T16:26:00.000-07:002013-11-20T09:33:47.163-08:00"Tiger Within" Director Rafal Zielinski<br />
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Rafal Zielinski has directed over 20 feature films ranging from award winning independent films (where his heart truly lies) to more mainstream Hollywood projects and television.<br />
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His early years were spent in Eastern Europe. While in grade school he was lucky to travel several times around the world and gain a global perspective, an 8mm camera always at his eye. He was schooled in North America, the Middle East and the Orient.<br />
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During high school he was fortunate to attend the prestigious Stowe School in England where he received the Duke of Edinburgh Award enabling him to make his first documentary film about the temples in southern India.<br />
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He went on to graduate from M.I.T. with a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design focusing on the new field of art and technology, and studied cinéma vérité documentary filmmaking with veteran Richard Leacock.<br />
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As an independent filmmaker Rafal has always generated his own projects either by creating an original story that he was passionate about then collaborating with several screenwriters or adapting works from the theater in collaboration with the respective playwright. On most of the independent films that he directed he also served as his own producer often producing through his own company.<br />
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To learn more about Rafal and his films please visit http://www.tigerwithin.info/about/filmaker/<br />
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Visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rafal-zielinski/tiger-within-from-the-writer-of-the-princess-diari to learn about "Tiger Within"<br />
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<b>What is "Tiger Within" about?</b><br />
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"Tiger Within" is a film about an unlikely friendship between a young skinhead and a Holocaust survivor. Both have lost their families and face the struggle to love and forgive. Samuel has lost his family in the war, and Casey has a broken family who doesn't love her unconditionally. Their circumstances and loss establish a connection between them that they never would have thought existed.<br />
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<b>What does forgiveness mean to you?</b><br />
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Forgiveness is a powerful process. If we all learn to fully forgive, there would be an extreme peace that would radiate throughout the world. I believe in its force and in our ability to heal ourselves through forgiveness. However, there are certain types of pain and loss that are nearly impossible to forgive. Samuel has experienced those and Casey has only just begun to know the harshness and reality of the world.<br />
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<b>Is there a proper way to grieve and heal after a loss?</b><br />
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Everyone is unique in their grieving process, so it's all relative to that person's emotions. Someone like Samuel has held onto his grief for such a long time that it's interfered with his every day life. Part of his soul was lost with the loss of his daughters, but Casey's appearance in his life brings about a light that he thought was dimmed forever.<br />
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<b>Can an elderly person learn something from a teenager (and vice-versa)?</b><br />
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Absolutely. History gets lost from generation to generation. Casey has lived in a bubble surrounded by her own pain, completely unaware of others' life experiences. Samuel has shut himself off, basically preparing to be alone forever. Casey learns about history and true suffering from Samuel. They learn that they aren't alone in their pain, and it's comforting.<br />
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<b>Why do you want to make this film?</b><br />
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Writer Gina Wendkos and I have wanted to make this film for over 20 years, since our "spirits melded", as she said in a recent interview. This film's story is timeless, universal and pure: Two individuals from different generations, a homeless punk teen and a war survivor, overcome their pain stemming from loss and "choose" each other as family. We are not all born into a family that is best for us, so sometimes, choosing a new family is necessary, even often life saving.<br />
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<b>Why did you choose Kickstarter to finance the film?</b><br />
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I love the idea of crowdfunding, and really believe it to be a superior financing route than than relying on businessmen sitting behind a desk to get funded. It's more inspiring to have everyone be a part of the film who truly believe in the story and want to see it made.<br />
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<b>How do you think you experiences from your previous films will help you make this one?</b><br />
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Quite a few of my films have given voices to the rebels, misfits, and outsiders of society. My first film, "Hey Babe", featured an 11 year old Yasmine Bleeth whose character was orphaned. She befriends a homeless man who is played by the legendary Buddy Hackett. My film "Fun", starring Alicia Witt and Renee Humphrey, is based on a true story of two girls who commit a senseless crime. Both girls are from abusive and broken homes, but establish a sisterhood because of their pain. These types of characters breathe much-needed life into film.<br />
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<b>Do you have any advice for aspiring filmmakers?</b><br />
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I would suggest researching heavily, as well as envisioning the actors who you'd like to play the part as you write or create. Also, do not give up when trying to get your film made! As I mentioned, this film has been 20 years in the making, and we feel that now is the right time. Luckily, for us, the film's subject is timeless.<br />
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Advice to aspiring filmmakers:<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpQbQT0Mq_U" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch…</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqJE0uaCKnM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch…</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvEylw0NFBU" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch…</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZksJjTtDDhw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch…</a><br />
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<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
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Believe in your film..believe in your characters. Keep them close.<br />
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Thank you for doing the interview Rafal. I wish you all the best with "Tiger Within".Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-22969579908163073762013-10-31T10:59:00.000-07:002013-11-16T13:42:47.254-08:00The Team Of "Blood Kiss"MICHAEL REEVES<br/><br/><a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/michael_1-large.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3510" alt="Image" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/michael_1-large.jpg?w=210" /></a><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Michael Reaves has written and produced literally hundreds of scripts for various TV series, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Sliders, The Flash, Father Dowling Mysteries, and Disney's Gargoyles (the only animated TV series ever to be reviewed in The New York Times). He won an Emmy and was nominated for a second Emmy as a story editor and writer on Batman: The Animated Series. He also won a Howie Award for his H.P. Lovecraft-related work in film, as well as the prestigious Hampton's Award.</span><br/><br/><strong>Why did you write "Blood Kiss"?</strong><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Hopefully so that it would get made</span>.<br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>How did you come up with the title?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Honestly don't remember; it's been that long .</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>Which character do you relate to the most?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">I try never to relate to characters; it keeps me from being objective. </span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>Is there anything you'd like to add?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Yes:</span><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">THE END</span><br/><br/>TOM MANDRAKE<br/><br/><a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/sidekick-artist-tom-mandrake-pic.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3512" alt="Image" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/sidekick-artist-tom-mandrake-pic.jpg?w=183" /></a><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Tom Mandrake is a freelance artist and writer. His work in comic books includes Batman, The X-Files 30 Days of Night, Fringe, The Spectre and Swamp Thing for DC Comics. The Punisher, The Hulk Unchained and various X-Men books for Marvel Comics. Tom has also worked on a variety of graphic novels ranging from Shakespeare's Hamlet to Pat Novak For Hire which is based on an old time radio show of the same name.</span></span></span><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Tom has illustrated books such as Wild Cards IV, Aces Abroad, GRRM: The George RR Martin RRetrospective and the young adult novel The Forest King: The Woodlarks Shadow.</span><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><br/><strong>Why/how did you become involved with the project?</strong><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Several years ago Michael contacted me regarding doing a few samples for a Blood Kiss comic book/graphic novel. I produced 1 page of pencils, fell ill with Lyme disease and begged off at that point. Michael was very understanding, it wasn't that I didn't want to do it, I was just struggling to do anything at that point. Jump forward to a few months ago and I got the e-mail, would I like to get involved with Blood Kiss again, a graphic novel tied to a movie as a Kickstarter! Getting a second shot at a great project doesn't happen very often so I said yes!</span><br/><br/><strong>Can you talk a little about the "Blood Kiss" graphic novel?</strong><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:medium;">An </span>interesting aspect of the graphic novel is that I'll be creating it at the same time the film is being made. That is something I have never tried before, traditionally you create a comic book/graphic novel with an eye towards a movie later or do a graphic novel to follow up a movie release. I like the feeling of uncertainty I get from this, the idea that I'll have to figure out the process as I go!</span><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What are the differences between working on mainstream and independent comics? </strong><br/><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">When you find yourself working on a mainstream title, Batman, Spider-Man etc. you have some readers that have been with the character for decades, a built-in fan base! Do a good job and they will appreciate it. You may even pick up new readers, fans whose first introduction to a classic character is your work and they may come to regard your vision of that character as the standard. I grew up reading Marvel and DC books and still get a charge out of being able to contribute to the legends! On the other hand, being in on the ground floor of a new, independent title means flying without a net, no built in fan base and no idea if anybody will give a damn about a project you are totally committed to. I've been in both situations with some successes and a couple...not so much, but it's all good. Both paths are well worth the journey!</span><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What's it like to draw character renditions of Amber Benson and Neil Gaiman?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">It's always a little intimidating at first, drawing real people who have fans that want to see the likeness. The important thing is to accept that you will blow it a few times, don't get stressed out and over time you will figure out what makes each face unique. Amber and Neil each have very distinctive looks, that always helps when you're trying to key in on the character.</span><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>Is there anything you'd like to add?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Please join us on the Blood Kiss journey!</span><br/><br/>DAVID RAIKLEN AND DANIELA DI MASE<br/><br/><a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/0fe2203d40f228445464a4b5895a2a62.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3502" alt="Image" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/0fe2203d40f228445464a4b5895a2a62.jpg?w=326" /></a><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David Raiklen wrote, directed and scored his first film at age 9. He began studying keyboard and composing at age 5. He attended, then taught at UCLA, USC and CalArts. Among his teachers are John Williams and Mel Powel. He has worked for Fox, Disney and Sprint. David has received numerous <a href="http://www.imdb.com/search/name?bio=award"><span style="color:#000000;">award</span></a>s for his work, including the 2004 American Music Center <a href="http://www.imdb.com/search/name?bio=Award"><span style="color:#000000;">Award</span></a>. Dr. Raiklen has composed music and sound design for theater (Death and the Maiden), dance (Russian Ballet), television (Sing Me a Story), cell phone (Spacey Movie), museums (Museum of Tolerance), concert (Violin Sonata ), and film (Appalachian Trail). His compositions have been performed at the Hollywood Bowl and the first Disney Hall. David Raiken is also host of a successful radio program, Classical Fan Club.</span><br/><br/><a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/mv5bmty2otaxmzmwof5bml5banbnxkftztcwmzq4odm3oq-_v1_sx214_cr00214317_.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3506" alt="Image" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/mv5bmty2otaxmzmwof5bml5banbnxkftztcwmzq4odm3oq-_v1_sx214_cr00214317_.jpg?w=204" /></a><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Daniela was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela from an Italian decent. Since a young age she had a passion for acting. Early on, she could tell good and bad performances apart and somehow understood the visceral process involved in acting and performing. However, for many years, she denied herself that passion thinking that it was not a respectable career path. At 15, her family moved to Italy where she started exploring filmmaking and storytelling. Filmmaking was the invisible line that still connected her to acting. When she graduated high school she moved to Paris, to study French language, Civilizations and Culture. During this time she began taking film courses in the Sorbonne University and in UCLA.</span><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">When she turned 20 she moved to South Florida where she continued her film studies in the University of Miami and The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. Daniela loved production and all the elements that went into narrating a well crafted story yet she was always restless because she knew that she was not honoring her Truth. Finally one day, she decided she couldn't deny It anymore, so she went to London to study Meisner at The Actor's Temple. That's where she had an epiphany. "Acting was everything I had hoped it would be. It was the missing piece in my life. I traveled the world, explored many cultures and studied languages and yet I found that acting gave the means to explore the human psyche and emotions that I longed for. More than that, there is no better way to be in "The Now" than when you are acting. When I'm immersed in a scene and emotions surge, they become so real that I understand what it is to "live truthfully in imaginary circumstances."</span><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">After that revelation, she decided to honor her calling and at 27, she moved to LA where she has continued to study with some of the great acting teachers today such as Janet Alhanti and Ivana Chubbuck. She also continued her studies in Film Production at The Art Institute of California. Currently, she is working on indie projects, balancing herself from behind and in front of the camera.</span><br/><br/><strong>How/Why did you become involved the project?</strong><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: A mutual friend told me that Michael was looking into crowdfunding a new film and asked me to consult. At first I consulted a bit to help out. But after a while the project became irresistible with a great story, setting and cast. I wanted to work these amazing people.</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What other things do you do besides producing?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: I'm a virtuoso composer and have scored hundreds of projects with everything from electronics to live orchestra and chorus. I also host a successful podcast on soundtracks, the Hugo winning Starship Sofa.</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>How do you properly pronounce your last name?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: RAKE-LEN</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What makes the film and" Kickstarter different from others?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: Golden Age Hollywood with Vampires. Neil Gaiman and Amber Benson. Our videos.</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>How important is interaction with fans and/or backers when running a campaign?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: We love all our fans and interact with them every day on Twitter, Facebook, Kickstarter, interviews. This is a new world and fans get to choose what gets made.</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What has been the greatest thing you've learned from being part of the</strong><br/><strong>"Blood Kiss" team?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: Neil Gaiman, Amber Benson, Michael Reaves, Daniela Di Mase and Tom Mandrake are warm, funny, creative, and inspiring. Every day one of them says or</span><br/><span style="color:#000000;">does something that makes me think, laugh, and do better than I could</span><br/><span style="color:#000000;">before.</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><br/><br/><strong>What would you do if you ever found vampire living in your basement?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: Depends- nice and sexy or evil fiend?</span><br/><div><br/><div><br/><div><strong>Is there anything you'd like to add?</strong></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><span style="color:#000000;">David: Thanks for having us over.</span><br/><br/><span style="color:#000000;">Daniela: Our backers have been amazing. The support for Michael and Blood Kiss has been quiet touching! We want to sincerely thank you all!</span><br/><br/></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-38438917281889264712013-10-31T06:33:00.000-07:002013-11-16T13:42:47.240-08:00"Mile High" webseries Episode 2 "Foos"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRGTt_NzjE8<br/><br/><p>My likeness is featured in this episode.</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-85554787737512961252013-10-26T03:12:00.000-07:002013-11-16T13:42:47.218-08:00Wolfblood Creator and Writer Debbie Moon<img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-3461" alt="Debbie Moon" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013-10-25.jpg?w=228" width="228" height="300" /><br/><br/>Debbie Moon is a film and television writer living in mid-Wales. She has had over fifty short stories published in the UK and US, and her novel, <i>Falling</i> (Honno Press) was shortlisted for Welsh Book Of The Year. She has written for CBBC's <i>The Sparticle Mystery</i>, and is the creator and lead writer of the RTS-award-winning CBBC fantasy drama series<i> Wolfblood</i>. She also has several feature scripts, and a supernatural drama series, in development.<br/><br/><strong>Why do you think the CBBC and Disney promos for "Wolfbood" each give a slightly different perception of the show?</strong><br/><br/>Wolfblood is a show that seems to appeal to a cry wide audience. The stated audience for CBBC is 8 to 12-year-olds, the Disney audience is more like 8 to 14 - and we have quite a lot of adult fans! So it's a question of working out how to market the show to different target audiences. In the end, I'm not sure it matters, because Wolfblood's themes - friendship, loyalty, family, the tension between being different and fitting in, the search for identity - appeal across all ages.<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><div><br/><div></div><br/><strong>What are some of your favorite independent films and shows?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/>'Independent' is a tricky word, especially when applied to television, but… I'm a big fan of intelligent but fun science fiction and supernatural fiction, so things like Pacific Rim, Looper, Source Code, and on the small screen, Being Human and In The Flesh. I'm also a huge fan of The Shield and Leverage, both incredibly underrated shows. And I have an embarrassing weakness for The Fast And The Furious movies...<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><div><br/><div></div><br/><strong>What sort of things do you study and consider when watching a film or show?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/>Like most people, if I'm really enjoying a show, I'm too into it to really analyse any thing. Once I've watched it enough times to get down to thinking about, however… Character is the key to everything. Interesting, unpredictable characters who aren't necessarily nice but whom we empathise with. Then a plot that's plausible but unpredictable, the richness of the world the writers are creating, and the balance of action, tension and character scenes.<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><div><br/><br/><strong> What are five things you're thankful for?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/>I expect most people say the same worthy things here, so just to ring the changes, I'm going to pick some less worthy but very enjoyable things! Good walking boots. Bakewell tarts. Acting - I'm constantly in awe of what actors do… Computers (I started off writing on a typewriter, and boy, computers are easier…) And the Welsh countryside.<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><div><br/><div></div><br/><strong>What's the most recent book you've read? Did you enjoy it?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/>The last book I read was A Cowboy Detective, by Charles Siringo; the true story of the author's exploits as an undercover detective in the Wild West. It wasn't quite as rich and detailed as I would have liked - more a fairly bare record of facts - but it was a fascinating read, and a whole new perspective on the 'lawless' West.<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><br/><strong>What is one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/>Follow your instincts. But I was a pretty bolshie kid, so I probably wouldn't have listened anyway!<br/><div><br/><p dir="ltr"><strong>Would you ever use crowdfunding to fund a future project?</strong></p><br/><br/></div><br/>Crowdfunding is fantastic for producers and directors - the people who enjoy actually getting things done. I'm very much a writer - I want to do the writing, then hand it over to someone who can make it all happen, so I can go off an do more writing! So personally, probably not...<br/><div><br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><br/><strong>Is there a film or show that you believe everyone must see without question and why?</strong><br/><br/></div><br/></div><br/>That's a tough one, because the great stories are so personal - what leaves one viewer cold might touch another person deeply. For anyone interested in storytelling, which on a screen or in any other form, I'd say The Prestige, which is a superb piece of adaptation, of visual storytelling, of world-building. The way Christopher Nolan uses time, scene order, POV and the withholding of information in the film is extraordinary (inspired by Christopher Priest's amazing novel, of course).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-76223086592930714512013-10-17T05:16:00.000-07:002013-11-16T14:43:18.807-08:00KARL KENZLER & CHRISTOPHER GERSON of Darwin: The Series<a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013-10-17-1.jpg"><img alt="Image" class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3443" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013-10-17-1.jpg?w=599" /></a><br />
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KARL KENZLER is an actor and writer. He co-wrote the comedy pilot A/V CLUB which screened at NYTVF and was described by Mitchell Hurwitz as "an inventive and original piece that mixes Strangers with Candy and Thomas Pynchon's penchant for writing about secret societies." His critically acclaimed one-man show, FIRE IN THE HEAD, helped earn him a prestigious Charles and Eva Fox Fellowship.<br />
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As an actor, he can be seen in the recurring role of “Senator Charles Holburn” in the Netflix original series HOUSE OF CARDS and appeared in the recurring role of “Father Denis” on LAW & ORDER: SVU. Other guest appearances include PERSON OF INTEREST, MADE IN JERSEY, THE GOOD WIFE, FRINGE, RESCUE ME, ALL MY CHILDREN, LAW & ORDER, NOW & AGAIN and TRINITY. He lives in Jersey City with his wife and daughter where they have a lovely view of the Manhattan skyline -- without the headache.<br />
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<a href="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013-10-17.jpg"><img alt="Image" class="size-full wp-image" id="i-3445" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/2013-10-17.jpg?w=630" /></a><br />
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CHRISTOPHER GERSON has worked as a producer and editor for the Sundance Film Festival; creating content for Sundance Online. He is an editor and video producer for Trifecta Multimedia and is proud to create video content for the Great River Shakespeare Festival (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/GreatRiverShakes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/GreatRiverShakes</a>). He recently edited and acted in the short film FORT GREENE which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.<br />
As an actor, he has appeared in many theater productions across the country and recently appeared in the New Georges Theatre production of Lynn Rosen's play "GOLDOR $ MYTHICA".<br />
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To learn more about "Darwin: The Series" click on the links below:<br />
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Kickstarter link:<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/370925295/darwin-the-series" target="_blank">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/370925295/darwin-the-series</a><br />
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Darwin links:<br />
<a href="http://darwintheseries.com/" target="_blank">DarwinTheSeries.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://facebook.com/DarwinTheSeries" target="_blank">Facebook.com/DarwinTheSeries</a><br />
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<a href="http://twitter.com/darwinstree" target="_blank">Twitter.com/darwinstree</a><br />
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<b>What is "Darwin: The Series" about?</b><br />
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KARL: "Darwin: The Series" is about Leo Darwin -- a life coach whose life is falling apart. He's a guy who appears to have everything. But in reality, he's a train wreck. The story revolves around a love triangle between Leo, his wife Charlie (a former street performer and current kleptomaniac) and his client Michael (a genius inventor and millionaire crippled by social phobias).<br />
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<b>Can you explain the symbolism in the series?</b><br />
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KARL: I'm not really sure about the symbolism. But as a writer, I'm very intrigued by how deceptive appearances can be. Most people have a very rich interior life. We all harbor secrets, dreams, fantasies. But you reach a certain point in your life where you realize that those things may never come to pass. And how do you deal with that? That's very much a theme in the series. In a very funny way, these characters are all dealing with the compromises they've made in their lives.<br />
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<b>Why do you want to make this series?</b><br />
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CHRIS: The two of us had been talking for years about doing a web series. But our ideas were too big, they were unmanageable. So we hit on this idea of a life coach who was actually the opposite of everything he was trying to teach. We approached our co-creator, Lynn Rosen, and the three of us immediately hit it off. Lynn has a really unique point of view as a writer. It was a great fit.<br />
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KARL: The thing is, we weren't finding the kind of stories that we wanted to see online. Web content is often aimed at a particular audience: gamers, sci-fi fanboys and that sort of thing. And those tend to skew younger. But in the last ten years the online audience has grown up. So there's an appetite out there for stories about what happens later in life: the Big Questions that come up when you're married, when you have a kid, when you're in the midst of your career. My favorite shows are about flawed people who are trying their very best -- even when they don't behave that way. So that's what we tried to write. And we knew it had to be smart, funny, honest storytelling or else people would click away to something else.<br />
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<b>Why did you decide to shoot two episodes before launching your campaign?</b><br />
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CHRIS: It was important to me to have something that we could present to an audience. We wanted to be able to say "Hey, we've created something here that's compelling. Come take a look!" We could have just pitched it. Or done a trailer. But if you start telling a good story, people become involved. And from a fundraising point of view, it's then much easier to ask for help in finishing it.<br />
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KARL: Also, a trailer or pitch would never have worked because it's not a high concept sell. No one's fighting zombies or living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland here. No one's saving the world or solving crimes. It's a character-driven story and what draws people in is the way it's told.<br />
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<b>How did you come up with such interesting update videos for your Kickstarter?</b><br />
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KARL: We really just started doing those for us!<br />
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CHRIS: It's true, we've had a lot of fun with the updates! We throw out some ideas to each other on the phone, then go meet up and shoot it. Karl will write a brief outline -- talking points and a few of the jokes -- and then we just riff on that. We'll feed each other a lot.<br />
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KARL: Shooting it's a lot of fun but I think the real brilliance is in Chris' editing. That's where the funny comes from.<br />
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CHRIS: But that's already in the footage. Really, the update videos are pretty easy because we have a history. We've known each other since college. We used to make movies with one of those three-hundred pound VHS cameras. This is the same thing really, just with a purpose.<br />
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KARL: And the camera's lighter.<br />
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<b>Please talk about the people involved with "Darwin".</b><br />
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CHRIS: We couldn't have done this without the help of so many people. Carrie Preston is so smart and creative. As an editor I've worked with a lot of directors that have far more opinions than they do ideas. Although Carrie has plenty of strong opinions she has far more ideas. Good ideas. I really love how she's able to take the script and translate it into a visual language that matches the tone perfectly. She puts the viewer squarely into the world that Karl and Lynn have written.<br />
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KARL: That's right! And while we're mentioning her, the truth is, without Lynn Rosen we wouldn't have a Charlie. She's brought her sharp perspective to this project. There's a madness in her writing that is so funny and raw and real. It's indispensable.<br />
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CHRIS: Our production team is fantastic. Our amazing DP, Matt Bucy, and our hardworking and patient crew. Producers Greg Ivan Smith and Kate Fonville.<br />
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KARL: And our newest member of the family, producer Kim Sherrell. Kim actually came on board after discovering "Darwin" through our Kickstarter campaign! She's been incredibly helpful in getting the word out!<br />
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CHRIS: We're also very lucky to have such a talented cast. And they all have such great "day jobs"! Celia Keenan-Bolger (Charlie) is appearing right now in Broadway's "Glass Menagerie". Joel de la Fuente (Qui-Na) is back as the "Hemlock Grove" resident mad scientist. Bill Heck (Jansen) is known to indie audiences from his movies "Pit Stop", "Nonames" and the upcoming "Happy Baby".<br />
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KARL: I have to say, our real find is Tarah Flanagan as Gaye. Tarah did us a favor and came in for a casual writers' read-through and she just crushed it. We left the room and everyone immediately said "She's perfect for this!" It was like we were writing for her before we even knew it.<br />
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<b>Is there anything you'd like to add?</b><br />
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CHRIS: Yeah, we're just a few days away from finishing our Kickstarter campaign. So please check out our page and watch the first two episodes!<br />
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KARL: And if you like it, join us. Come help us finish the story of "Darwin"!<br />
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CHRIS: Thanks!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-50846158200507182462013-10-10T06:33:00.000-07:002013-11-16T20:49:24.897-08:00The Blaine Brothers<div>
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The Blaine Brothers<br />
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Renowned for their award-winning comic short films, the Blaine Brothers are currently in post production on their feature debut “Nina Forever”, a magic realist tale of grief and sex with a darkly comic undertone.<br />
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Previously they have featured in Screen International’s “Stars of Tomorrow”, been nominated for a BIFA and at the Edinburgh Film Festival, shortlisted by BAFTA three times, mentored on the prestigious Guiding Lights scheme and the London Short Film Festival has held a retrospective of their work at the ICA.<br />
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For more information please visit<a href="http://%20www.blainebrothers.co.uk/" target="_blank"> www.blainebrothers.co.uk</a> or follow <a href="https://twitter.com/blainebrothers" target="_blank">@blainebrothers</a><br />
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<b>What is "Nina Forever"?</b><br />
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BEN: Nina Forever is a feature film about a guy called Rob whose dead girlfriend Nina returns from beyond the grave every time he makes love with his new girlfriend Holly; it also follows Holly's attempts to make this unconventional relationship work.<br />
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<b>Can people truly "be fixed"?</b><br />
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BEN: Holly hopes so, I think you may have to watch the film to get our opinion.<br />
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<b>Would you mind explaining the symbolism behind the film?</b><br />
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BEN: Most things in the story have a symbolic aspect, I guess the biggest one is Nina herself. She appears naked throughout, her body blood splattered and twisted. There are times when this has an erotic element to it but actually, mostly, her bloody physicality is just a massive inconvience for the others. We were keen that Nina embodied an element of chaos which was something we felt was central to the experience of grief. An etheral ghost is quite easy to ignore in a way that a bleeding naked woman isn't, especially when she's also doing her best to wind you up.<br />
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As a counterpoint to Nina's messy and persistant presence we also concentrate a lot on empty spaces. It actually proved quite hard when designing the shots to work out the best way of drawing the audience's attention to things that are missing from the frame. A space on a shelf can sing out to you like a missing tooth but an empty chair in a room is often not something you naturally read. The importance of things and people who aren't there is central to the film and it's something we've tried to mirror in the structure of the story as well. Characters go missing at times when normally they wouldn't be allowed to and much of Holly's investigations into Nina end with her actually finding out nothing. With Nina too there's a big missing element, normally with a character like hers there's a reason for the return, a quest or something to resolve but we were keen to create Nina as a character with no goal or story arc. She's dead so she wants nothing and learns nothing. It does make the film feel odd, there are often gaps where you expect story to be but that felt like the right way of expressing the real meaning of the story.<br />
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There are also a lot of boxes in the film, but I think that metaphor speaks for itself. Less expected was the adoration of pylons. We kept finding power lines in the locations we were using and kept wanting to use them in shots. They are amazing structures that generally we just ignore. They surround us like steel castles but you just get into the habit of ignoring them. That also felt appropriate for a film about grief. It's a massive distorting ball of emotions but it hangs around for so long you just get used to it, you live around it like it's always been there. We were very keen to set the film in a super normal suburban setting - putting an impossible awful magical thing in the middle of this mundanity felt like that sensation of having to continue your life whilst this raging chaos rattles away in your skull.<br />
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<b>How do the character's in the film handle grief?</b><br />
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BEN: By making mistakes. We spend a fair amount of time with Nina's parents, Sally and Dan who are two really heartbreaking characters. They're really lovely people but losing their daughter has left them both exposed and beneath a very normal exterior they're both flailing around in craziness searching for something to make sense of the mess. In different ways they've both latched onto Rob, Nina's boyfriend, for some emotional crutch. All three of them depend heavily on each other, which was probably essential when Nina died but, this far on, is a dependency that is keeping them all locked in their grief. Breaking the bonds between them, good and bad, is a key part of the story of how they all continue living.<br />
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So yeah, I think generally speaking they handle their grief badly and messily and by making big bold decisions that they don't mean and can't stick to. Then, just when it seems like this hopelessness is going to destroy them all, well, we hope there's enough of a spark of hope in the end of the film to be true. Grief is something that changes you but it doesn't destroy you. It's just not something you often cope with in the way you imagine you are going to.<br />
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<b>What's it like working with your brother?</b><br />
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CHRIS: It's a fairly calm collaboration. We've got our own tastes but a shared central core of stuff we both love that is only enhanced by our differences. We work by thinking about intent - it's not the words on the page or the pixels on the screen that matter, it's what you're hoping they'll do to an audience. As soon as you're thinking about that, it's a lot easier to realise that something isn't working or could be better. In terms of the nuts and bolts, we write, direct and edit together, which means working closely throughout. We use two laptops and share screens so we can both see the words being written at the same time, which usually means one of us can be talking more, thinking more or researching more whilst the other types (and often goes with the flow of creativity that it can bring). On set we don't really delineate our roles but if we're up against it Ben will talk with the actors and Chris will talk with the crew. Usually it's better when we're both closer to everyone, it makes it a much more collaborative and creative process, which is why we like to keep the numbers small if we can. In post we both edit, each taking up the next sequence available when they've finished the previous, then we'll take sections to smooth. Ben does more on the audio side, Chris more on the pictures.<br />
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<b>How do you balance your personal and professional lives?</b><br />
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BEN: Making a film like this there is very little balance between the two. You pour yourself into it and just hope that if you give it all honestly then somehow the end result will be honest too. It was tough. There were times when we really went to the bare bones with the cast, sharing the roots of the idea, the deaths we've experienced. That leaves you pretty raw but I think being so close and working on the film together was one of the things that helped us get through it.<br />
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But yeah, I don't think there's much of a divide between personal and professional in filmmaking. You can point at things and you always have to be aware of when something is the wrong emotion for the story, but these are fairly flimsy walls. You make a film about sex and death it needs to be personal.<br />
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<b>What was the casting process like?</b><br />
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BEN: Rigorous. There are no easy parts in the film and we've been very lucky that even the minor characters are played by some pretty superb actors. There's a guy called David who's in one scene dumping Holly. He's just a kid in a car trying to end a relationship but it's the third scene in the film and it tells you a lot about her as a character. It's also quite a specific character, he's sort of a bad kid but no where near as bad as he thinks he is and we had a very specific voice in mind when we wrote him. Javan Hirst who plays him actually auditioned for the lead and he was amazing but way too young for the part but it's great that he was so into the project he was happy to come and be in a single scene.<br />
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But yeah, the leads were hard. They are three difficult parts and they need to work together as a three as well. We worked with a superb casting director, Emily Tillelli and she was amazing. She was fearless in approaching actors of all standing within the industry, no small thing with a budget as small as ours, but never blind to new talent. She also really encouraged us to run the auditions like part of a rehearsal process. Sometimes it can be an awful cattle call but with Emily it was always the first steps in helping the actor find the character.<br />
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So yeah, it took a long time but the real key was when Fiona O'Shaughnessy came on board. Nina is a very difficult part to play and she knew that and was actually quite scared initially. Emily had seen her in Utopia on Channel 4 and thought she'd be perfect as Nina and made the approach and at first Fiona turned it down. Then Emily convinced her to have a phone cal with us so we talked through her concerns about the project and we all seemed to get on so she jumped on a plane from Dublin and came and auditioned. She was perfect, I think having those fears about the part was key actually - she really understood what the role required and we were so lucky that she was brave enough to comit to it and go there. Once we had Fiona the others fell into place. Cian and Abi had auditioned before her but we felt like we couldn't make a decision until we knew who Nina was. That's probably self delusion to be honest as, looking back, all that happened was that we cast the two people we wanted to cast anyway but with the best will in the world you don't aways see the blindingly obvious til its over.<br />
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Interestingly they're very different performers though. Emily knew nothing about Abi and just called her in after getting a good feeling about her headshot. She's a very instinctive performer and was just so perfect for Holly, I remember the hairs on the back of my neck standing up the moment she started her audition. That said, though she seems so natural and always in the moment we found out later how hard she worked to get there. She used to read the script in full every day and was always comma perfect.<br />
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Cian was Emily's first suggestion for the role of Rob and his first audition was amazing but he's a different sort of actor to Abi. He's nothing like Rob in real life and in his recall he was much more relaxed. We were expecting this brooding troubled guy that we met in the first audition but instead this delightful puppy bounded into the room. He's hilarious and charming and he stays himself until the camera rolls. First couple of scenes that was quite scary, you'd be setting for this shot and thinking "what the hell is he doing?" and then you'd call action and suddenly this performance would appear.<br />
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We've been very lucky.<br />
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<b>What is the key to a successful crowdfunding campaign?</b><br />
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BEN: Engagement and passion are essential. You have to be able to convey why you want to make the film. It's also good to show the world that you're not expecting them to do the hard bit for you. In our case we raised £18k which was mainly just to shoot a specific sequence in the film that was, on its own, way too expensive for our budget. This felt good as it meant we weren't saying "oh please we'd like to make a film can you fund it for us…" we were saying "we're making a film, come and join in."<br />
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The real turning point for us though was when we released the teaser. I think this worked on two levels. We'd cut a couple of minutes of footage from film to a track by Amanda Palmer and asked her if we could use the track for the duration of the Kickstarter campaign. She saw it, loved it, said yes and began tweeting about it. Obviously when someone with her online following starts pointing eyeballs towards your work that has a great impact. We raised £7k in the final three days, all after the teaser was released. What's great about this though is that, when you look at the stats, this wasn't just Amanda's fan base getting involved, the money came from all over the place - a lot of it was people who'd been following the campaign from the start but hadn't felt convinced by us talking about the project. As a filmmaker it's great to find that people respond better to seeing a bit of the film than they do to hearing you talk about it!<br />
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It's another reason why I think our approach of not trying to fund the entire project paid off. Being able to actually show people what their money was going into was the real turning point for us.<br />
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<b>What is the indie film scene like where you live?</b><br />
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CHRIS: Mostly we think of films in Britain working in a system of patronage. You go cap in hand to one of a few sources of money and the chosen few get to make their films. There are obviously lots of folks trying for this so its easy to become not one of the chosen ones as there's only a small pot of money there. And if you don't get money from one of the BFI, FIlm4 or BBC Films then you're dead in the water. That's the story that puts a downer on everything. However there's lots of money sloshing around London and ways of finding investors. There's a burgeoning number of exciting films being made for not very much money, though if these can be a source of a continuing income is to be seen - people like Ben Wheatley are making it work, which is very inspiring to see.<br />
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When I think of an indie film scene I always think of filmmakers all working together, critiquing each other's work and working on each other's films when they happen, drinking and watching films together and talking into the wee hours in coffee shops. This isn't necessarily how life is in London, I don't know. There are definitely signs of it - we are in a great scriptwriting group with some brilliant writers, we know a lot of folks who have just made or are about to make their first feature, and we love to help others with their projects in whatever way we can. However we're also not the most sociable - we like to work (hence the writing, directing, editing) which doesn't leave much time for hanging with the cool kids.<br />
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<span style="font-family: monospace;"> Thanks for doing the interview guys. I wish you all the best with "Nina Forever" and future projects. If your ever in Boston, let me know. Maybe we can talk indie film.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-46592736763790029322013-10-04T08:53:00.000-07:002013-11-16T20:50:00.796-08:00League Of S.T.EA.M.-Q+A with Nick Baumann and Trip Hope<br /><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">About the League of S.T.E.A.M.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">The League of S.T.E.A.M. is a talented group of artists, performers, and inventors who take their audience back to a time of intrepid adventures, bridging the gap between the supernatural and the scientific; they are monster hunters from the Victorian era. The group is best known for their award-winning web series The Adventures of the League of S.T.E.A.M., which chronicles the group’s comedic monster-hunting misadventures. The League of S.T.E.A.M. specializes in interactive entertainment, performing with a fusion of fantastic technology, interactive demonstrations, and theatrical trickery, and their live events showcase a mesmerizing array of fully functional gadgets and props meticulously designed to enchant and entertain audiences of all ages. Their mission is to create unforgettable entertainment, telling their stories through a unique mix of interactive live shows, a popular web series, audio podcasts, and interactive fan club, and more.</span></span><br />
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<b>Official Web Site:</b> <a href="http://www.leagueofsteam.com/" target="_blank"><b>www.leagueofsteam.com</b></a><br />
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<b>Facebook:</b> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/LeagueofSTEAM" target="_blank"><b>www.facebook.com/LeagueofSTEAM</b></a><br />
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<b>YouTube Channel:</b> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/LeagueOfSTEAM" target="_blank"><b>http://www.youtube.com/user/LeagueOfSTEAM</b></a><br />
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<b>SteamGeeks Podcast:</b> <a href="http://www.steamgeekspodcast.com/" target="_blank"><b>http://www.steamgeekspodcast.com/</b></a><br />
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<b>Twitter:</b> <b><a href="https://twitter.com/LeagueOfSTEAM" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/LeagueOfSTEAM</a></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Why was the “League of S.T.E.A.M.” created?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> The League was created as a way to focus the creative energy many of us had stored up and needed a project to focus our talents on. The four original creators started a loose idea of the League 4-5 years ago as a costume group for a large Masquerade party. From there we got asked to come other parties and eventually started getting hired to entertain crowds at various events. Other friends from </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">various </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">parts of my life then joined and we grew from there and began to focus our ideas in actual shows and then the </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">web series</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> The League of S.T.E.A.M. has always been a passion project. It was created by artists who wanted to create awesome costumes for an amazing masquerade ball in Hollywood called The Labyrinth of Jareth. Our founders, </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick Baumann, Robin Blackburn, and James Lavrakas, along with others </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">– had the idea to attend this big event as steampunk ghostbusters. The men went with ghosts hunting packs fashioned in a steampunk homage to The Ghostbusters </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">proton</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> packs and the ladies of the group went in historically accurate Rococo </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">& Victorian</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> style glowing etherial ball gowns. The spectacle was a huge</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> hit </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">at Labyrinth and The League of S.T.E.A.M. was born. We started getting requests to dress up for events. Many of us are in the entertainment industry, so expanding into a web series and an entertainment troupe that does live shows was an organic process for us.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">What is the casting process like?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> We have so many options to explore and stories to tell with our current 11 characters that the League itself is not adding characters at this time. However for our </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">web series</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">, either we write certain parts for friends and actors we know would be great for the part or we find actor friends that we think will fit a part well.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> The casting process for The League of S.T.E.A.M. itself was a group of creative friends and artists joining together. We feel very fortunate that within our group we’ve got professional </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">prop</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> fabricators, costumers, leather workers, craftsmen, sculptors and filmmakers. We were truly blessed in how we just came together with a shared love for steampunk and outrageously fun projects.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">As far as casting for the web series goes, any cast member outside of The League are usually friends, acquaintances, or people within the steampunk and geek-centric community. We were very fortunate to have connections with Doug Jones (<i>Hellboy, Falling Skies</i>), Grant Imahara (<i>Mythbusters</i>), Robin Thorsen (<i>The Guild</i>) and Lisa Foiles (<i>All That</i>), all of whom guest starred in Season 2. We also had an open casting call for many cameo roles – we sent this out to the steampunk community and our friends and fans. More than 75 of them can be seen in our episodes.</span></span><br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oBWgbDrGmo<br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">What was it like working with Panic At The Disco?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Pretty cool! </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">They</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> are a great group of guys, super friendly and very talented. The production crew they work with is top-notch and very professional and run a great efficient set.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> An absolute pleasure!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">What is the key to a successful Kickstarter campaign?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Getting friends, family, and community involved. Generally your Kickstarter campaign is only going to be as successful as the community you can reach out to – unless you’re incredibly fortunate enough to have a product that has instant mass appeal. We’ve tried to enlist all our fans and the steampunk community. We’ve encouraged them to share on social media and to donate. We’ve asked all our steampunk artist & musician friends to donate awesome rewards. And rewards are important. You want to make your backers feel like not only are they contributing to a cool project, but they are going to get something tangible that they will enjoy. I also think it’s cool to offer your backers exclusive behind-the-scenes content that no one else will get to see…and that’s what we’re offering. Even if someone only donates $1, they’ll get to see what we’re up to as we </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">create</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Season 3.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">How is season 3 going to be different?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Season 3 will have new adventures, new story lines, it will introduce new characters and monsters, there will be cool new gadgets and costumes, new locations – we hope to really raise the bar across the board!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">How do the live shows differ from the </span></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"><b>web series</b></span></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> and podcasts?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Podcast is very casual just us as the real people and artist chatting. The </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">web series</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> is the stories of the characters on their adventures and within their world. Live shows give the audience a chance to interact with the League and learn up close and personal about the gadgets and gear </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">- see,</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> touch and feel them work! We have various live shows we can do, </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">some are stage shows</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> the audience can watch and come on stage and join in but my favorite is when we are down in and interacting with the audience in our </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">walk<b> </b></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">around bits. We can </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">wander </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">the crowd and get into all sorts of shenanigans!</span></span><br />
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<img alt="LeagueofSTEAMFlameThrower" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-3422" height="847" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/leagueofsteamflamethrower.jpg?w=640" width="640" /><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Live shows bring the audience into our world! They get to interact with our monster hunting gadgets, our cast, and sometimes even the monsters! We bring people up on stage to act out their favorite monsters and </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">they can experience getting caught with our net gun.</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> We shock willing ‘victims’ with our shock prod, which is powered by baby electric eels. We do fun and exciting skits – such as a Tesla vs. Edison boxing match – to determine who is the king of electricity.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">What’s been the most interesting fan interaction?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> Well…one of my favorite was last year at the World Steam Expo. A man and his family visited for the first time </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">to any Steampunk event - they had not even dressed up yet</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">…to be honest, it was </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Dad's</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> birthday and I think the family liked Steampunk but mostly all went along to the Expo for </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">the Dad</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">. In any case, he was super excited to run into me in the vendor hall and proceeded to shout out, loudly, all weekend, every time he saw us, “How excited am I!”, “</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">It's </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">the League of STEAM!”…it was very cute, something you might expect </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">from</span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> a child, he was filled with that child like wonder and delight, it was very genuine! That night at a big dance party we hoisted him up in the air in a chair and sung and danced with him for his birthday…that was memorable.</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> We’ve had a lot & I think the coolest interactions have been when we meet our fans and they become our friends at conventions. However, we did recently have a fun experience with a fan at Dragon Con who we brought up on stage to act out his favorite monster. He was dressed up as The Joker and began preaching like an corrupt televangelist – he had the entire audience in an uproar of laughter & we netted him and had to drag him off stage. He was quite hilarious!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Describe each League member in one word?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Nick Baumann – (Crackitus Potts) – </span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Madcap-Genius</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Robin Blackburn – (<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lady Ameliorette Potts</span>) – Empathic</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Sheyne Fleisher – (Ellie Copperbottom) – Social-Butterfly</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Glenn Freund – (Coyote) – Jack-of-all-Trades</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Andrew Fogel – (Baron von Fogel) – Master-of-Details</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip Hope – (Albert Able, Esq./Executive Producer) – Friendly-Workaholic</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Russell Isler – (Thaddeus / Zed, The Zombie Butler) – Brewmaster</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Duane Matthews – (Jasper Mooney) – Wise-Wordsmith</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Katherine Walsh – (Katherine Blackmore) – Crafty</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Conrad Wright Jr – (Sir Conrad Wright III) – Lovable-Goof-ball</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Is there anything you’d like to add?</span></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">Trip:</span></span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;"> We LOVE you for donating to our cause & we’re grateful to you for being an Associate Producer!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">#######</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">A Message from The League of S.T.E.A.M. -</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">Our Kickstarter project is OVER! Thanks to your generous contributions of fans, friends, and family - we raised $30,842 - 123% of our goal, and enough to let us bring you more of our monster hunting adventures, including a musical episode AND a rock monster!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">To everyone who donated, shared the link, or offered us encouragement - THANK YOU! We couldn't do this without your help, and we're eternally grateful for your support.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;">You can check out the kickstarter project for Season 3 here:</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leagueofsteam/adventures-of-the-league-of-steam-season-three" target="_blank"><span style="color: #743399;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Bitstream Charter, serif;">http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leagueofsteam/adventures-of-the-league-of-steam-season-three</span></span></a><br />
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Thanks so much for doing the interview Nick and Trip. I look forward to season 3. I hope the league comes to Boston at some point. I'd LOVE to see a live show.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-46411652316727641392013-10-01T05:21:00.000-07:002013-11-16T20:50:28.800-08:00Actor/Director Lee WilkofLee Wilkof was born and raised in Canton, Ohio and attended The University of Cincinnati. He originated the roles of Sam Byck in Assassins and Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors, later earning a Tony Award nomination for the 2000 revival of Kiss Me, Kate. Lee appeared as The Wizard in the San Francisco production of Wicked, a role in which he previously played on the First National Tour of the show, and has appeared in numerous television series (Ally McBeal, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The West Wing, Hart to Hart among many others) and films ( School Of Rock, Private Parts, The Grey Zone, This Boy's Life). Lee currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, painter Connie Grappo, and their dog Floyd. Their daughter Perrie, a pastry chef, currently resides in Columbus, Ohio.<br />
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Please visit <a href="http://www.kickstartlee.com/" target="_blank">www.kickstartLee.com</a> to learn about Lee's latest project "No Pay Nudity"<br />
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<b>What is "<a href="http://www.nopaynudity.com/NPN/" target="_blank">No Pay Nudity</a>" about?</b><br />
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<b>No Pay Nudity</b> is about <b>Lester Rosenthal</b>, aka <b>Lawrence Rose</b>, middle-aged actor living in New York City. Divorced, and estranged from his daughter and his father, he’s almost finished, both financially and emotionally. He relies on the support of his other actor friends, <b>Herschel</b>, <b>Andrea,</b> and <b>Stephen</b> who face down their own demons with lots of hope, a little alcohol, and tons of humor. On the verge of packing it all in, <b>Lester</b> returns to his hometown in Ohio to play The Fool in <i>King Lear</i> where he reconnects with himself and what’s important to him as a son, a dad, a friend, and an actor.<br />
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<b>Why did you decide to make this film?</b><br />
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I decided to make the film because it's a story I know about. Part of it is my desire for an audience to see beyond celebrity and stardom which has poisoned our culture. But what really motivated me was coming to terms myself with what defines success. Winston Churchill defined success as "moving from one disappointment to the next without losing enthusiasm."<br />
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<b>What was the casting process like?</b><br />
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My casting process was calling up my friends, or if I didn't know a particular actor, finding someone who did and sending the script to them. Whenever we went through an agent, we never heard from them again. A film like ours, with a small budget has no incentive for an agent. But if we got the script into the actor's hand, they always responded positively, always with tremendous enthusiasm, because actors relate to our script, regardless of where they are in their careers. Because it's about yearning. All actors yearn. Everybody yearns.<br />
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<b>Why did you choose <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/189966740/no-pay-nudity" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> to finance the film?</b><br />
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I hired a lawyer, created an LLC, and put together a business plan hoping to get investors for our film. Frankly, very few folks responded. Maybe because I'm a first time director. Kickstarter was getting a lot of attention and i like the idea of it, and decided to try it that way. I'm deep into it, and find it an emotional roller coaster, but incredibly exhilarating, and am extremely moved by friends' and strangers' incredible generosity.<br />
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<b>How will your background as an actor help you as a director for "No Pay Nudity"?</b><br />
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I've been on film sets, and television sets for nearly 40 years. I'm comfortable in that environment. I am extremely collaborative and realize i have serious limitations when it comes to the technical aspects of filmmaking. So I will rely on a strong crew. But i feel very comfortable talking to actors and have fairly good communication skills. That's where my experience as an actor will be very valuable.<br />
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<b>Has Broadway changed over the years?</b><br />
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Broadway has changed along with our culture. Spectacle shows are more popular. And a show without a "star" is almost unheard of. Often these stars come from television or film, and often these stars have very little stage experience. That's the biggest change I've seen. Also audiences have changed. Theater to a lot of people is like a trip to Disneyland. It changes my experience as an actor acting for them.<br />
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<b>If you could play any role what would it be?</b><br />
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Specifically I have always wanted to play Tevye in Fiddler on The Roof. Also would like to play Willy Lowman in Death of a Salesman. Love playing lowlifes, hillbillies, outlaws. People on the fringes. love that.<br />
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<b>Do you have any advice for aspiring actors or directors?</b><br />
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To the aspiring actor I suggest if one is doing it to become a "star" that's a mistake. Becoming an actor is a process. It deserves work and paying dues and training and then practice. I cant' speak to aspiring directors except to probably do that for the right reasons, because you want to tell a story. It's not about "you," it's about the audience either as an actor or a director.<br />
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<b>Do you have any favorite independent films?</b><br />
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I love so many independent films…a few come to mind…Welcome to The Dollhouse, Mean Streets, Stranger Than Paradise…so many directors of note in the late 20th century Martin Scorcese, David Lynch, Todd Solondz, Quentin Tarentino…their early films were independent. Incredibly vital, brave, and unique. I will steal from them if I am fortunate enough to make No Pay, Nudity. I'm not ashamed to admit it.<br />
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Thank you Lee for doing this interview. I wish you all the best with "No Pay Nudity" and future projects.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-33534493963375801862013-06-04T13:54:00.000-07:002013-11-16T13:42:47.173-08:00Practical FX Artist Alec Gillis<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3340" alt="" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/mv5bmji3otuymjk2of5bml5banbnxkftztcwmzq5njg2nw-_v1-_sy314_cr640214314_.jpg" width="214" height="314" /><br/><br/>Alec Gillis was born in Orange County, California. At the end of a childhood spent devouring sci-fi and special effects movies like the original Planet of the Apes, he found work at Roger Corman's New World Pictures in 1980. There, he worked along side future genre notables such as Gale Anne Hurd, Robert and Dennis Skotak, Rob Bottin and James Cameron. By 1983 he had finished UCLA film school and began working for famed makeup artist Tom Savini on Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter.<br/><br/>In 1985 he met Creature Legend Stan Winston and worked on Invaders From Mars, Aliens, Predator, Leviathan, and Monster Squad, among others. In 1988, along with Tom Woodruff, Jr. Alec formed Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc. Their first feature film was Tremors, followed by Alien 3 (Oscar nomination), Death Becomes Her (Oscar win), Mortal Kombat, Jumanji, Starship Troopers (Oscar nomination) , The Santa Clause franchise, the Spider-Man franchise, the Alien vs. Predator franchise, Wolverine: Origins, X-Men: First Class, The Thing (2011).<br/><br/>Alec is also a 3 times published author, and his pictorial sci-fi book, which James has called, 'a visual masterpiece', has been optioned by MGM. He has directed numerous short films, Second Units, Creature Units and has written many scripts including the science fiction epic The Seventh Tear, currently in pre-pre-production.<br/><br/>He is the father of 4 daughters and lives in Los Angeles, California.<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong>Why did you create <a href="http://www.studioadi.com/" target="_blank">Amalgamated Dynamics Inc</a>?</strong> </span><br/><br/>Tom and I had worked for Stan Winston for a while, and when he decided to direct he stopped taking jobs. His plan was that we'd only work on his movies. That would have been fine if we were really busy, but there just were far less opportunities suddenly, and we were sad not to be working with people like Cameron and Zemeckis anymore. Stan was extremely loyal and he was keeping a handfull of us on payroll despite having no jobs. we thought maybe we'd get off his payroll and strike out on our own.<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> What is "<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1117671683/harbinger-down-a-practical-creature-fx-film" target="_blank">HARBINGER DOWN</a>" about?</strong> </span><br/><br/>On one level, it's about the crew of an Alaskan trawler trapped with a creature on board. On another level it's about giving fans an experience they felt they didn't get with THE THING (2011). On yet another it's to show the world that Practical FX still have a valid place in modern filmmaking.<br/><br/><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Why use practical effects? </span></strong><br/><br/>There's a tangible, visceral, intimate, tactile quality to practical FX. If you know how to design, build and direct it, it can be unbelievably impactful and emotionally satisfying. It's also 3 to 6 times cheaper than digital. This isn't about wanting to suppress digital FX, it's about standing up for our art form.<br/><br/><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;"> How did you get such a great team together?</span> </strong><br/><br/>The crew of ADI has been honed and built over 25 years. The Harbinger Down team of the Skotaks and Pat mcClung are guys I started with at Corman's over 30 years ago. They're guys I looked up to. Guys that taught me a lot of tricks. Taught me an appreciation for in-camera FX. And they're our friends!<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> What do you want your legacy to be?</strong> </span><br/><br/>There's way too much yet to be done to talk about legacies!<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> What makes your Kickstarter different from others?</strong> </span><br/><br/>Well, we're not the above-the-line Hollywood bigshots who have lots of traditional options. We're struggling artists. We have an art to save. Hopefully people see something worth saving when they watch the pitch vid.<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> What are some of the perks of the campaign?</strong> </span><br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;">Some of the prizes are blast. The death scene where you get to keep your dead body </span>We have miniatures for sale, an awesome pice of prop Soviet space wreckage, creatures of various sizes, your own death effect, and of course all the standard stuff like script copies, downloads. Oh, and Lance H. will do a recorded message for you too!<br/><br/><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;"> What movies inspired you to make the film? </span></strong><br/><br/>ALIEN and Carpenter's THE THING. Twin pillars of sci-fi horror!<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> How does it feel to win an award?</strong> </span><br/><br/>Stan Winston used to call them bowling trophies. Still. being a good bowler is cool!<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> What's one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?</strong> </span><br/><br/>Lose the center part in the hair. Oh, and don't rely on the studios to make your dreams come true. Savior self!<br/><br/><span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong> Will you talk about any shenanigans you've seen while working on a production?</strong> </span><br/><br/>Check out our youtube channel!<br/><br/>A Video's worth 1000 words! <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5Kq4DG0kU&list=UUbhiVDWG8wgg3v9cuH6DqEA&index=6" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP5Kq4DG0kU&list=UUbhiVDWG8wgg3v9cuH6DqEA&index=6</a><br/><br/><strong><span style="font-family:verdana;">Is there anything you'd like to add?</span> </strong><br/><br/>Support Harbinger Down! Do it for the monsters!<br/><br/>=================================================================================================================<br/><br/>Thank You Alec for doing the interview. I wish everybody on the Harbinger Down team all the best.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4066028335107867183.post-69715089744040453332013-05-30T02:49:00.000-07:002013-11-16T13:42:47.149-08:00Filmmakers Ian and Esh Nelms<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3299" alt="Eshom and Ian Nelms" src="http://johnhoff3.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/eshom-and-ian-nelms.jpeg" width="128" height="128" /><br/><br/>Writer/ directors Ian and Eshom Nelms are two brothers from California's central valley, who grew up with napalm sunsets and miles of endless farmland. They built raced-out Volkswagens, team-roped with their Dad and on hot summer days, tubed the St John's River. It's this upbringing that inspired the backdrop of their latest feature film, "Lost on Purpose."<br/><br/><strong>What is "Lost On Purpose" about?</strong><br/><br/>It’s really about where we grew up and the people who live there, but this synopsis will probably give people the best sense of what to expect.<br/><br/>“Fueled by gin and pure determination, Elizabeth James struggles to keep her dairy farm from being swallowed up by the region’s domineering co-op. To help with the workload, she’s hired five renegade ranch hands. Together they fight for love, pride, family, and their vanishing way of life.”<br/><br/><strong>What was it like growing up with so much farmland around you?</strong><br/><br/>It was nice, actually. It’s definitely a slower paced lifestyle, but it really is a place filled with some of the hardest working people on the planet. Farms and crops are 24/7 jobs, and they’re pretty thankless professions. We really wanted to highlight that lifestyle and bring some awareness to it!<br/><br/><strong>Why choose to self distribute the film?</strong><br/><br/>There were quite a few reasons, but mainly we wanted to present the film a certain way and the distributors we spoke with wanted to present it in a very different way. One example: they wanted to put a cast member on the cover who was only in the movie for 3 minutes and act as if she was the lead, because she won an Oscar last year. We understand it, they’re out to make as much money as possible, and of course money is nice, but we want the film released in the same spirit it was made. It’s a love letter to our hometown and we want to preserve that integrity. Changing the title to make it appear in a VOD queue earlier, and slapping faces on the cover to mislead viewers into thinking it’s a different type of film just doesn’t fly with us.<br/><br/><strong>What are the pros and cons of working with your brother?</strong><br/><br/>Lol. That’s a great question. Some people can’t work with their siblings, but fortunately we have pretty similar taste. All of our battles are fought and decided in the writing room. When we step out to shoot, we’re 99% in sync with what we want to see. I’d say the biggest pros are that we can bounce ideas off each other and motivate each other. The biggest cons, maybe that every idea you come up with doesn’t get put into the material, but that’s not always a bad thing. Some of those ideas were probably crap, and needed to be tossed. We feel pretty lucky to be able to work together. When we both like an idea, then we know it’s probably a pretty good one.<br/><br/><strong>Why use Kickstarter?</strong><br/><br/>Kickstarter gave us a unique opportunity to reach out to people and present our ideas and passions for the project. We looked at a few other options, and for us, Kickstarter had the best format. We like the all or nothing mentality, it definitely parallels making film and art. There’s no half-ass in creating, you can’t fail anyone but yourself, so why should fund-raising be any different.<br/><br/><strong>Why do you think your campaign was successful?</strong><br/><br/>We’d like to think it’s because the film is interesting and exciting, and that people are galvanized by personal stories with a lot of heart. We’re sure there are quite a few people that feel that way, but we also know plenty of people who just really wanted some cool signed schwag. Lol. Honestly, it’s probably a combination of the two. I think the people who backed us really feel a kinship with the story and us as filmmakers, and want to support a passion project and get some cool rewards in the process.<br/><br/><strong>What was the casting process like?</strong><br/><br/>It was a teeter-totter. We’d get a cast member, then a little more financing, then back and forth until it was fully cast and funded. James Lafferty was the first person to come on board. He read the script and said he was “in.” We started raising funds the next day. It was pretty carefully cast. We really believe that if you get the right person in the roll, then half the work is done, and we can’t say enough about the people we worked with. They all stepped up to the plate for pennies on the dollar and just swung for the bleachers.<br/><br/><strong>How did you pick your crew for the film?</strong><br/><br/>The key positions were pretty homegrown. <a href="http://www.johnnyderango.com/" target="_blank">Johnny Derango </a>was a producer on the film and the DP. We’ve known Johnny for about ten years, and he brought in a great camera, lights, and grip crew. <a href="http://michellemistylang.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">Michelle Lang</a> was our set producer. She did a lot of the heavy lifting during production and found a lot of our other key crew members. Our amazing production designer, <a href="http://cargocollective.com/nathancarden" target="_blank">Nathan Carden,</a> was suggested to us by another filmmaker friend of ours. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4666908/" target="_blank">Catherine Velosa</a>, costume designer, came from our hometown. She was a friend of a friend and mainly worked in theatre, and she came on set and just fit like a glove. My Mom was the caterer, cooking 3 meals a day for 30 people. It was pretty intense, but by the end we all really felt like a family.<br/><br/><strong>Were there any on set shenanigans?</strong><br/><br/>Sure, I mean, we stuck 5 guys in a house with an endless liquor supply. It was definitely a recipe for shenanigans. We wanted to give the guys a real feeling of what it would be like to have a ranch hand lifestyle and they definitely made a go at it. Lol!<br/><br/><strong>Can you recommend indie films and/or campaigns to check out?</strong><br/><br/>A friend of ours, Dan Prostak, who worked his tail off on “LOST ON PURPOSE” is doing an Inidegogo campaign for his short film, “<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/under-a-black-veil--2" target="_blank">UNDER A BLACK VEIL</a>,” it’s a psychological thriller. Very driven, talented guy. I say definitely check it out! Overall, personally, we’re really excited about this time in film. There’s never been a better time to create or release a film on your own. The production value that can be achieved on a low budget is just astounding, and the ability to reach and deliver a film to an audience has never been more readily at our fingertips.<br/><br/><strong>Is there anything you'd like to add?</strong><br/><br/>The musicians we worked with on the film were just incredible. Bands, “<a href="http://alltherealgirlsmusic.com/" target="_blank">ALL THE REAL GIRLS</a>” led by Peter Donovan and “<a href="http://www.lostonpurpose.com/" target="_blank">LOST ON PURPOSE</a>” (who’s name band leader, Will Vanderwyden, graciously allowed us to borrow for the film) were amazing collaborators. We wrote scenes to music they’d already created and they wrote songs to scenes we’d written. It was a very inspirational process. We’re just fortunate enough to be friends with Peter and Will. They’re some of the first people we met after moving to Los Angeles, and we’ve been friends and working together ever since. We’d encourage anyone excited about good music to seek out their other albums and websites. Such talented guys!<br/><br/>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Thanks for doing the interview guys. I look forward to seeing "Lost On Purpose" when it comes to a theater near me.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16146780542341836190noreply@blogger.com0