​  Canadian actress Michela Luci is a bit of a feminist. That’s not to say that she has any problem working with males or the great work they do but, at only ten years old she is out to prove that her character Dino Dana can do anything Dino Dan and his gender can do. The TV and film industry love the word franchise…and why not? The public loves to see the furthering adventures of their favorite characters. Sinking Ship Entertainment’s Emmy award-winning program Dino Dan was such a massive hit that they decided it would be interesting to see what the viewing public would think with a young heroine leading the dinosaur loving charge. While Michela Luci was performing the role of Agent Orchid in the award-winning series Odd Squad (6 nominations [including two wins] at the 2015 Daytime Emmys, 9 nominations [including 4 wins] at the 2016 Daytime Emmys, 4 nominations [including a win] at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards, and a Joey Award in 2015 for Michela and her fellow cast members for Best Young Ensemble in a TV Series) the executives at Sinking Ship Entertainment asked her to audition for the role of Dino Dana. Following in the footsteps of Emmy-nominated Dino Dan and Trek’s Adventures, this brand new spin off takes the franchise to a whole new level of dinosaur adventure. It includes sixteen new prehistoric creatures and an incredible transforming backpack. Dana is a spunky ten-year-old “paleontologist in training” who eats, sleeps and breathes dinos. Dana and her sister Saara embark on a series of adventures with dinosaurs, proving that girls are every bit the dino-enthusiast as boys. 

​  As a working actress, to say nothing of being a ten-year-old, Michela finds herself pretty busy…again, like most ten-year-olds. She had some homework to do in preparing for her role and it began initially by watching the Dino Dan series to become familiar with the storylines and tone of the show. Although she wasn’t aware of the program prior to being contacted to audition for the role of Dino Dana, she admits to quickly becoming one. The enthusiasm she felt was exactly what the producers of Dino Dana were hoping for from potential viewers. Becoming excited would prove to be the easiest part of the young actress’s preparation. Surprisingly enough, the scientific names of dinosaurs are not part of the common vernacular for pretty much everyone except dinosaur enthusiasts (Quick…give the full scientific names of three dinosaurs. See?). There was an unusually high amount of memorization and pronunciation work to be done for the role of Dino Dana. Like any vigilant and determined actor, Luci notes, “Memorizing the dinosaur names was a bit of a challenge because half of the dino names I didn’t even know. I had audio files to help with this. The names are just the kind of words that you never hear. I wanted Dana to sound comfortable and make the audience really believe that I was her. I may not have known what an Ankylosaurus, a Corythosaurus, or even a Quetzalcoatlus was before but I sure do now.”
  Another skill necessary for the role of Dino Dana is something which Luci found to be quite a challenge. The nature of the show has Dino Dana investigating and interacting with Dinosaurs. Michela was filmed at various locations all across Ontario, acting along non-existent dinosaur acting partners, giving highly believable performances. This is a test for any veteran adult actor, which Michela proved herself to just as accomplished as in Dino Dana. Michela explains, “It was a bit of a challenge but after we did it all the time I became better at it. There were special props to help with keeping my eye line in the proper place so things would look like they were right there in the room. Sometimes there were changes that were made right as we were filming these scenes. That was pretty difficult because when the dinos are fighting and walking, my eye line has to be exact. If my eye line was off, we’d have to do the whole scene over again.  Big script changes only happened maybe two or three times. It was frustrating but I learned my lines as we went along, scene by scene. I know that this sometimes happens so I just told myself I was learning how everyone does it…nothing to get upset about.”
  Like any good actor, Michela finds the points at which she and her character intersect. An attribute that both are known for is their bravery. Luci is much more prone to “go for it” than your average ten-year-old girl. It’s an attribute that pays off well for her and the Dino Dana production. Introspectively she reveals, “I think I am brave in the sense that I like to try new things. For example, in one episode I had to jump off a ten foot diving board.  My dad took me to a local pool and that’s where I practiced diving. I have always been brave in this sense. I just enjoy it and anything I did on Dino Dana I would do in real life. I just tell myself that I can do this. I was very nervous when I was told that I had to jump from 10 feet into the water but after saying to myself that I can do this, it gave me the confidence.” Dino Dana’s J.J. Johnson (Executive Producer and Founding Partner, Sinking Ship Entertainment) confirms that this a major reason for the decision to cast Michela in the lead role, stating, “Pressure was high to find a lead who would be as believable playing a young dreamer as she would be facing down a T.rex. Michela shone on both ends of the spectrum, delivering a nuanced character who grounds the incredible into the relatable, she’s a budding supernova and an absolute joy to work with. Sometimes people are described as having an old soul; I think Michela has an old actor’s soul, in that she routinely displays a range of emotions and depth that belie the fact that she’s only ten years old. She’s a pint-sized performing powerhouse, someone who can effortlessly swing from caring sibling to action hero with an arch of an eyebrow.” Michela Luci, old actor’s soul in a ten-year-old container.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​  People fall in love; that’s what they do. Sometimes they fall in love with other people, sometimes religion or an ideology, sometimes their careers. Director of Photography Johanna Coelho fell in love with creating visual images, including music videos. While she has worked on a number of films (more than forty, including: MarVista Entertainment’s You Cast a Spell On Me, You Try To Live Here, Flesh, and others) she quickly espouses her affinity for the music video art form. When a DP is trusted and respected by an artist who is willing to allow them to interpret their music and art into images, the creative community and those who appreciate the art form all reap the benefits. When you see a music video like “LA Lately” which Haroula Rose and Coelho created for Israel Nash’s song, there is an immediate emotional component that pairs the audio and visual sentiment perfectly. Just as wine is complimented by fruit and cheese, so do musicians and filmmakers create ideal pairings. Even if one has never been in LA, watching the video for “LA Lately” and listening to the songs transports one to this location. Ask those who live in this Southern California metropolis about it and they will confirm the validity of this statement. There is an ease and diversity, mixed with challenge and struggle that is perfectly described and depicted in this production. Possibly the most impressive factor of this is that there was such little preparation done for this music video. After a discussion with Nash, director/producer Haroula Rose approached Johanna with a daunting task; DP the video with almost no preparation and do it within two days. The idea being that Johanna would be enlisted for her ability to recognize and capture the natural beauty of LA and its surroundings at a variety of locations. Giving someone like Coelho virtually unencumbered artistic freedom was exactly the perfect move on Rose’s part. The final result is best described as a love song to LA and its population.
  The song “LA Lately” is lush, not in the sense of production but in the way that there is an abundance of things for the listener to connect with. There is depth, gentleness, sincerity, and an amorous quality. These are all things which Johanna Coelho recognized and was drawn towards. She admits that liking the music makes her job as DP much easier and more enjoyable when working on a music video. If the music makes her “see” images in her mind, she can then take that feeling and attach the visuals to it. She explains, “. It’s like a muscle we learned how to develop. I believe everyone has something inside them at first, and if it becomes a real interest and you focus on it, with experience it will grow and you will start seeing things differently. I find myself looking more around me, noticing things I might not have noticed years ago. I am amazed by the colors of the sky, by the imagery of a moment happening. I discovered that everything is a source of inspiration. You just have to really look at it.” LA is the type and scale of city that feels like several different and unique places which share a common thread. You’ll find a family in Venice or Hawthorne out enjoying a casual day at the same time as the artistic community in Los Feliz, or teenagers out skateboarding in North Hollywood. There is an energy and ease that permeates all of Los Angeles. To create a visual Venn diagram for the people seen in “LA Lately”, Rose needed Johanna’s discerning and creative eye as well as a willingness to “jump without a parachute.” The video’s producer and director explains, “I needed a Director of Photography for this music video that would be able to be very versatile and creative on the moment. Johanna was the perfect fit for it. We were shooting all over L.A and she was able to see moments and angles that brought the video to another level. Her eye is quite extraordinary and her creativity is endless. She can see and visualize much more than most of people. Working with her opened my own eyes. Johanna is also extremely independent on her work, she is able to plan and anticipate many things, which makes the process much faster and smoother. She was always ready to shoot before we knew and had great ideas in mind for each shot. Her discretion is also a great quality for that type of project, she was always adapting to the environment and people around her, respecting the space of others while still finding the best angles.” 
  The song is a gentle mood creator (https://youtu.be/p2T2_3XueKQ). Listening to it feels like a breeze on a warm summer evening; subtle and never oppressive…which is a perfect way to describe the video. While many videos assault or attempt to be provocative with their imagery and subject matter, the “LA Lately” video feels as if you are stopping by to see a friend and visit over a relaxing drink. Acts like: walking through a library, making breakfast, relaxing on a park bench, a bird walking on the beach, painting…all of these communicate the simple pleasures that create a stillness that is beneficial to all. These are also images that anyone might witness from day to day, but Coelho finds a way to frame them which lifts the emotional quality of the music and the images. Johanna professes, “I think sometimes Glamour and Beauty come from what people really are…or what surrounds us. I think emotions and imperfections are what makes this world special. It’s true, this video is not the typical music video that artists want, but I think it is what Israel Nash felt what was right for his music. His song is about the truth, and the beauty in it. Accepting what world, we live in, the good and harder sides of it. At the end, the combination of both is what makes it amazing; being human and making the best of everyday within its challenges. Watching this video reminds me how hard it is when you move someplace new. It’s hard at first to find your place, but then you find those special “spots” and they represent home to you. Home is something real, not something inaccessible. If you can find the beauty in a city, you will feel good in that environment. To me, this is a big part of what the ‘LA Lately’ video is saying.”