The work of a producer in the world of reality TV includes an exhaustive range of responsibilities keeping them busy from the time when they first pick up an idea for a series and decide that it is something worth bringing to the screen.

While the producer plays a leading role in a project's pre-production process all the way through post-production and the final touches that make it fit for the screen, the most important role of a producer for reality TV is keeping everyone from the cast to the myriad of departments they oversee on track.

"As a series producer and show runner in reality TV you are the first person on a project, and the last person out. You oversee and take a big part in all of the phases and stages of a production," explains Norwegian reality TV producer Tone Innset.

She adds, "I am also a kind of hands on person, so I like to take a big part in everything, you know, each TV series that you are the producer in charge of becomes your little baby in a way. I love that you get an idea into production, and then follow it through until the finished product."

Innset has brought multiple productions to the screen including the television shows Charterfeber, Norges Grillmester and Unge Mødre. As one project comes to fruition and it becomes time to move onto the next, a good producer like Innset knows that they must adapt their skills to fit the requirements of the next show. They live in a world that changes swiftly, and their ability to abolish routine from one project to the next and realize what audiences want from a specific program is what keeps them continually working. 

"I have fulfilled various roles on different shows from casting, field producing, writing the scripts for editing, and directing. I mean in a docuseries or competitive reality series most of the time you don't have a director like you have in film," explains Innset. "You have a field producer, segment producer, head editor, post-producer and the producer in charge aka the showrunner. So as the show runner you take a very big part in the creative part of the series."

All of Innset's productions have been drastically different in scope, and their individual success only further proves her prowess as an executive producer and showrunner.

As the producer of season 8 of the reality docuseries Charterferber, also known as Charter Fever, Innset was not only tasked with managing the crew, but also finding a uniquely different cast of Norwegian's that would keep her audience engaged over the course of each season's 12 episode run.

Innset confides, "I take a huge part in casting… A reality series is all about good characters, so type-casting is essential."

When it comes to casting the series Charterferber where there are no applications or open call auditions, Innset has to rely on her network of contacts in order to find the right people for the show.

This particulat series follows a group of Norwegian strangers ranging from top bloggers and attractive singles to large families and pensioners, who escape the cold and embark on a fully chartered vacation to a predetermined location in southern Europe. The series follows them as they prepare for their journey, the adventures they engage in and the sad day when they go home. 

Innset says that she loved producing the show because "it's a humorous and edgy series, and a lot of people relate to the characters."

Switching gears, Innset went onto produce the second season of the popular and competitive Norwegian cooking series Norges Grillmester, also known as Norway's Grill Master, which began airing on Norway's largest commercial television station, TV2, earlier this year.

"I don't think I've ever had finished watching a full episode of a food show, so I really had to step up and prepare. I told my self I was not allowed to watch or do anything else before I had watched at least 2 episodes of different kinds of food shows every night," recalls Innset. "I learned a lot, and it became a series I am proud of."

 She admits that in her job it is imperative that she cast "easily branded people, who dare to be themselves in front of the camera."

However, depending on the series, Innset is often tasked with finding people that are more than just "good characters."

She says, "If you are making a cooking show for example, they need to have very high cooking skills as well… So, if they fit the format when it comes to skills & qualifications, after that, then it's all about the character."

From searching the ends of the earth in order to find a handful of dynamic and engaging characters that will help make a show a must watch, to managing the day to day to production and all of the departments involved, Tone Innset is a seasoned professional whose accomplishments in the industry have made her a force to be reckoned with in reality TV.

Innset is currently a producer at Rakett AS, a.k.a Rocket TV, a Norwegian production company that operates under the Nordic Independent production alliance known as NICE Group, which according to The Hollywood Reporter, delivers over 100 series per year to Nordic broadcasters. 

Egor Povolotskiy's fascination with cinematography began at the tender age of four when he first began shooting with his parents' old Handycam back home in Moscow, Russia. Although he was always intrigued by the power of film, Povolotskiy's astute intelligence matched by his wild imagination originally led him to embark on a career in computer science and artificial intelligence.

He admits, "I thought that I was going to create robots and terminators, you know, what people think about when they think of AI. But it turned out to be very boring and in Russia AI is still very weak."

Povolotskiy concluded whilst in college that computer science was not at all what he had imagined; and to the benefit of the wide range of films he has since led to success with his exceptional abilities as a cinematographer, he claimed his rightful place behind the lens. Povolotskiy might not be building terminators anytime soon, but his career has led him to shoot photos of Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, the man audiences around the world recognize as thee terminator.

A spectacular photographer by anyone's standards, an irreplaceable asset in his line of work as photography is the foundation of cinematography, Povolotskiy's immense talent and experience have been the defining characteristics of a countless and growing number of hugely successful films.

Sabre Dance, one of Povolotskiy’s most recent productions, tells the story of famed Soviet-Armenian Aram Khachaturian, whose works in Russia and abroad earned him a place as one of the 20th century’s most revered composers. Sabre Dance begins after Khachaturian performs a concert in Spain, which is received with great fanfare. He is invited to meet Salvador Dali, which, as one might imagine, proves to be quite an unusual experience.

Povolotskiy recalls, "This project was special for me because we had two absolutely different characters and as the cinematographer I had to tell the story from the emotional POVs of both Aram and Salvador in order to express the main idea of the film."

After its release, the film's tour of the American circuit won Sabre Dance and Povolotskiy the Grand Prize at the 2015 USA Film Festival, an Honorable Mention at the 2015 Rochester Film Festival, and other nominations for awards at both the USA Film Festival and the San Louis Obispo Film Festival.

Povolotskiy’s work on We Are Enemies is another prime example of his storytelling vision and ability to express difficult and philosophical ideals through the art of his camera work. It tells the story of two World War 2 soldiers on opposing sides in the war. One of the soldiers is tasked with executing the other, and the audience sits in high tensions as he grapples with having to take the life of another man.

The film, which examines the concept of universal humanity regardless of nationality during war, earned the respect and acclaim of festival judges nationwide. It was nominated for awards at the Phoenix Film Festival, the Santa Fe Film Festival, the Arizona International Film Festival and The Big Easy Film Festival. It also won multiple prizes at the prestigious Rochester International Film Festival.

Because of his expertise in computer science, which includes a master’s degree in artificial intelligence, Povolotskiy was specifically chosen to work with director Atryom Miroshin on the film Terminal State. Primarily filmed against a green screen, Povolotskiy’s artistic cinematic display of a girl who survives the apocalypse is gripping, and shows how his incredible talent can truly stand out even when his shots are rendered in the thoroughly modernist medium.

A standout cinematographer in a field where only the very best creative minds meet success, Povolotskiy has made a niche for himself as a visionary who can truly adapt to the needs of any director or writer. It is not simply his ability to materialize the conceptual, however, which separates him from his peers, but his ability to turn those concepts into original and distinctly unique productions. His incredible visionary eye turns stories into gripping cinematic experiences, a need which Hollywood is perpetually seeking to fulfill.

Classically trained actor Alex Luukkonen set the stage on fire as lead characters in renowned plays such as Slavs!, Waiting for Lefty and Ravenscroft, but has also made a name for himself in film.

In Ravenscroft, Luukkonen played lead character Inspector Ruffing who was tasked with investigating a death in a rural estate in early 20th century England. The psychological drama and dark comedy was written by virtuoso playwright Don Nigro (Glamorgan, Pushkin, Netherlands), and was adapted into the film The Manor that starred Greta Scacchi (The Player, Presumed Innocent), Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia, The Last Emperor) and Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman, Burn Notice).

Luukkonen’s latest film project, Perception of Art, is a drama about the son of a famous painter who struggled to follow in the wake of his father’s success. In the film, Luukkonen worked alongside Belgium-born actor Kristian Van der Hayden who is known from his role in the 2014 science fiction blockbuster Interstellar.

Perception of Art was directed by German filmmaker Roana Wullinger (Soul Bird, Rain Day). In it, Luukkonen worked with other accomplished actors such as Serena Lorien (House of Manson, Lazarus: Day of the Living Dead, Superman: Requiem) and Yvette Soledad (Pandemic, All I want for Christmas).

Luukkonen clearly has the chops for drama, but the production on which the Finland-born thespian had the most fun was the zombie-apocalyptic TV show Chronicles of the Dead.

In Chronicles of the Dead, Luukkonen played various roles, which included a soldier, a civilian and a zombie. The 15-episode show was written by Younger Robbins (Breakdown Lane, Everyone Wants the Kush) and Brian Hernandez (Melinda, She’s Got Everything She Needs) and was often filmed in the streets of Los Angeles in the early hours of the morning.

“There is something strangely satisfying about being awake at those hours, carrying replica guns, and pretending to be gunning down fellow actors in makeup,” Luukkonen said.

But Luukkonen didn’t just mow down zombies in L.A.’s concrete jungle for Robbins’ and Hernandez’ zombie thriller. His extraordinary efforts on the show earned him a production credit, as well.

Going above and beyond expectations was nothing new for Luukkonen. His work ethic and compatibility with crew and talent alike have served him well on numerous sets.

“It’s surprising how many in this industry lack those traits,” Luukkonen said. “I have seen many people who have gotten a call time of 6 a.m. and they show up at 7:30 a.m. without calling. Yes, 6 a.m. is early, but the crew gets there at best an hour before you, and if it’s early enough, they might have never left.”

Luukkonen showed his dramatic range as a one-night stand in the film The Adventures of Sally’s Inner Demons in which he worked alongside actor Rayanna Dibs (Berkshire Hunt, Miracle Landing on the Hudson, The Days Inbetween).

“It’s a pretty surreal film, and while I only have one scene, it’s pretty pivotal to the story and character development of the lead,” Luukkonen said.

Another of Luukkonen’s 2015 film projects was Pastry, a film about seduction and a character’s self-conscious relationship with her body where Luukkonen acted alongside Sid Phoenix (All That Remains, The Program, When We See).

Pastry was filmed in the United Kingdom, and Luukkonen praised the U.K.-based cast and crew for their work ethic and expertise.

“It was a very professional production crew,” Luukkonen said. “As has been my experience in London, the actors are all theater trained and much more knowledgeable about the intricacies of the technique.”

Alex Luukkonen’s classical training has led to appearances on screen alongside talented actors who have also appeared in major international titles. He’s already earned an impressive list of credentials and will no doubt add to it in 2015 and beyond.

 Article written for Entertainment LA by Seth Perlstein

In the article "Jurassic World composer on John Williams, making the new music his own" published Monday by Entertainment Weekly, C. Molly Smith writes, "John Williams’ Jurassic Park score is just as remarkable and memorable as the dinosaurs at the center of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 action-adventure blockbuster"; and we couldn't agree more.
 
In the same way that a sound or melody can make us recall experiences from our own lives, John Williams' film compositions have left an indelible mark on the memories of fans around the world. The five-time Oscar Award winning composer has undoubtedly influenced and inspired a great number of composers, like Canadian native Shaun Chasin, as well.

Chasin, who has found incredible success as a composer, says, "The two biggest influences that finally led to my choice of becoming a composer for film and video games were the Star Wars movies, with the fantastic and legendary scores by the great John Williams, and the video game "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time," with it’s score by Koji Kondo."

Chasin's dynamic creative talents as a sound designer and composer are more accurately brought into perspective when considering the astonishing diversity of his body of work. Like Williams, Chasin has liaised between composing for films and video games with ease thanks to his refined understanding of how each musical composition uniquely affects a viewer or user's overall experience.

In the film industry some of Chasin's accomplishments as a composer include the films Ice Cream Man, Last Patrol, Nancy, Promises, Visitant, Salad Days, The Time Traveler and many more. In the world of video games Chasin's work has helped bring users into the virtual realities of games like "Pot Break," "A Hobbit's Quest," "Lama Drama," "Visage," "Geometry Saga," "Lodu Queue," "Adrift," "S8 Bingo," and "Hektor."

"At the end of the day, I have a strong relationship with film and games because I have an intrinsic need to be a storyteller," explains Chasin. "My music in all of these cases helped to heighten the emotional context of what was happening on screen. The goal is to help in telling the story without being obtrusive so that the final product is one cohesive thing."

Chasin's ability to create music that strikes a subtle balance and effectively drives home the emotional aspects of a story without dominating a viewer's senses is immediately apparent in Andrew Wood's film 11-Minute Mile, which aired nationally across the U.S. on PBS earlier this year.

The film follows an arrogant day-trader who is forced to take a pause and reevaluate what matters in life when his flight is delayed due to the Boston marathon bombings, leaving him stranded with his thoughts as he worries whether his best friend who was running in the marathon made it out alive.

"This was a particularly moving project for me to work on. I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston so I lived there for about 4 years. I had many friends there at the time of the bombing," admits Chasin. "For the score, I looked to the emotional potential of synthesized sounds to try to create the feeling of the main character’s inner turmoil and worry. The music was heavily inspired by Sigur Ros."

There is a huge difference between a composer's work that is intended to stand alone, and that which is intended to accompany a film, television project or video game. Over the course of his career Chasin has refined his skills as a film and video game composer with an acute understanding of not only what style of music is best for a project, but also, when to include music in order to intensify the story, and when to let silence speak for itself.

"Silence in the music can be a very powerful story telling device and create a heightened sense of realism in a moment," says Chasin.

Whereas Chasin best executed his work as the composer for the film 11-Minute Mile by allowing the necessary space for the main character's inner turmoil and understandable panic to come across through vital periods of silence, the six-part documentary series Ho Yaqeen required Chasin to take a completely different approach.

Directed by Oscar Award winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Ho Yaqeen follows the contributions of unsung heroes in Pakistan. The fact that each episode featured a new individual and consequently, a totally different subject matter, Chasin says, "allowed each episode to have a different and unique musical sound."

The first episode of the series follows Sabina Khatri who founded a preschool in the violent neighborhood of Lyari five years ago as an educational segue for the local youth to escape the gang afflicted area. Chasin brilliantly engages viewers with a strong and steadily rising drumbeat accompanied by bells and horns that magnify the rapid pace of the people on the streets of Pakistan in the opening scene. As the episode progresses and the interviewer goes further in depth into the story interviewing the children about their experience at the school and the myriad of ways this opportunity has changed their future for the better, Chasin adjusts his score accordingly. By transitioning his composition to the sweet and subtle sound of piano as the children disclose their experiences, he helps create a feeling of hopeful whimsy driving home the fact that their futures are full of endless possibility.

It is this ability to adapt and patiently decipher the needs of each individual project that separates Shaun Chasin from the plethora of other composers working across the globe today. And as his work continues to be recognized across continents, and filmmakers and game designers clamor to land him as a contributor to their projects, fans can bet that they will be seeing, or rather hearing, a whole lot more from this young composer for decades to come.