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From Dressing the Cast to Maintaining Continuity: Costumer Lisa Sass wears Many Hats on Set

7/28/2017

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Costumer Lisa Sass shot by Veera Ovaska
By Scott Prewitt

When considering the list of criteria by which audiences judge a film, it’s easy to assume the most important factors are the quality of its writing and acting. But in truth, the first judgments people make are based on what they see, not what they think. People are, for the most part, highly dependent on visual cues. When an epic explosion occurs onscreen, our minds judge whether the explosion looked “good” before we consider whether or not it makes sense or benefits the story. An audience’s immersion depends almost entirely on whether or not they believe what they see onscreen could be real. In the same way, an otherwise Oscar-worthy period piece, with exceptional writing, acting and directing, would be universally snubbed if the cast wore street clothes rather than setting-appropriate costumes.

That’s where costumer Lisa Sass’ skills prove invaluable. Her aesthetic vision and attention to detail are well-known and have made her one of the most sought-after figures in her field; her unrivaled expertise has earned her a place working on some of the biggest productions in the history of modern cinema. According to Sass, her talents are the result of a lifelong passion for using costume and character design as a medium for creative expression.

“I started drawing when I was about 4 years old. I started off copying cartoon and comic characters, and at some point I went on to more realistic drawings,” Sass recalled. “I made up stories and started creating my own characters — and their clothes. Going into costume design combined my passion for film and for creating characters.”

Sass has come a long way in the years since she first curled up with her sketch pad, and her passion has never wavered. It’s no coincidence that she was chosen as a costumer for one of the largest, most anticipated films in decades — the Academy Award-nominated sci-fi epic “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.”

In the 40 years since the first film (“Episode IV: A New Hope”) was released, “Star Wars” has gone from a space opera with a cult-following into an internationally beloved, multi-billion dollar brand. After taking the reins from legendary creator George Lucas, “The Force Awakens” director and “Star Wars” devotee J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek,” “Cloverfield,” “Lost”) set out to prove that under his watch, Episode VII would remain true to everything fans loved about the original trilogy, and that it wouldn’t repeat the critical mistake which had tainted the previous trilogy (Episodes I through III) — the gratuitous and gimmicky reliance on CGI characters, which audiences found off-putting and distracting. Abrams and his team decided early in the planning process that a return to the franchise’s roots would mean less CGI and more animatronics, special effects, and elaborate costumes, the same cinematic elements which George Lucas had revolutionized in 1977. But the pressure of an astronomical budget, and the knowledge that every scene of the film would be deconstructed and analyzed by millions of vigilant fans, it was clear to Abrams that if “The Force Awakens” were to hold a candle to the original trilogy he would need the most talented people in the industry overseeing every aspect.

That’s where Sass came in. “The Force Awakens” was shot in exotic locations around the globe and boasted a star-studded cast which included Carrie Fisher (reprising her role as the iconic Princess Leia), Mark Hamill (of Luke Skywalker fame), and, of course, Harrison Ford (“Indiana Jones,” “Blade Runner”) as the scruffy smuggler Han Solo. As the costumer for the large portion of the film that was shot in the scorching desert of Abu Dhabi, it was up to Sass to make sure that every actor was costumed correctly, consistently, and as comfortably as possible in the conditions.

“A costumer has to break down the script into each scene for each character, and create a continuity book to keep track of the costumes used during shoots, which are not always happening chronologically,” explained Sass, whose job description is much, much broader than the title suggests.

“It’s my responsibility to dress the cast in the costume chosen for each scene, and to keep track of the continuity of how they’re worn as the story line progresses. Then, after filming has ended, it is a costumer’s job to store and archive the costumes and continuity data.”

Sass had more than enough talent to handle the job with relative ease. But she also had the added advantage of experience. Before “The Force Awakens,” Sass had just finished work on “Furious Seven” in Dubai. The seventh film in the “The Fast & The Furious” street racing series, “Furious Seven” starred Vin Diesel, Jason Statham (“Snatch,” “The Transporter”), and the late Paul Walker. The costumes used throughout the franchise have always been at the cutting edge of street-style fashion; shooting in Dubai, however, can make that a bit more challenging.

“It’s a very sexy style, with skirts so short they’ve gained the name ‘Fast & Furious length.’ It was quite a contrast to shoot that here in Abu Dhabi. Usually when you shoot for the local market you have specific modesty guidelines that require you to cover the body to some extent,” said Sass, who had already done a considerable amount of work in the United Arab Emirates by then.

“The UAE are very liberal compared to other countries in the Middle East, but there are rules you have to follow. It was very interesting to learn all the specifics of traditional clothing that define where a character comes from.”

Learning to make those distinctions has proven to be an indispensable asset for Sass. Following “Star Wars,” Sass was a costumer on yet another Academy Award-nominated sci-fi blockbuster, “Star Trek Beyond.” The film starred Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto and was the latest installment in a franchise that began in 1966. Once again, the pressure was on Sass to ensure that a gaggle of different aliens and starship crew members all showed up for battle sporting the right uniforms and accessories, as well as tentacles and pointy ears where applicable.

“Not only did we dress a lot of the cast in her [costume designer Sanja Hays’] take on the iconic space ship uniforms, we also dressed ‘locals’ of the space station, as well as alien characters,” Sass recalled. “I really enjoyed the futuristic look, and the challenge of doing what you can do with modern clothes and accessories to create different species in a futuristic space station.”

That constant pursuit of finding and conquering the next challenge is Sass’ defining quality. Sass possesses the rare gift to be able to take an empty world and to then populate it with people and creatures and garments and styles using nothing but her deeply brilliant and artistic mind. Without the talents of costumers like Lisa Sass, television and film would be little more than a mish-mash of actors reading lines in whatever outfit they’d thrown on that day. Without costumers like Lisa Sass, cinema would be devoid of immersion. In many ways, costumers like Lisa Sass make cinema what it is — brief escapes from our lives into the lives and adventures on the screen.

Fans of Sass’ style of character-driven films should be sure to check out her work on Netflix’s recently released original film “War Machine,” starring Academy Award-winner Brad Pitt and based on the book by Pulitzer-winning journalist Michael Hastings.


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From the Stage to the Screen, Actress Karishma Bhandari has Our Attention

7/22/2017

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Actress Karishma Bhandari shot by Karen Scott
​By Sia Lane

Audiences across the continents will immediately recognize actress Karishma Bhandari from her stunning performances in a slew of popular films and television series, such as the 2016 Bollywood hit Club Dancer, Marcus Flemmings’ award-winning films Six Rounds and The Conversations, Anjan Dutt’s drama The Bongs Again, which was released in January, as well as Jon Jones’ (Legends, Da Vinci’s Demons) drama Lawless and many more.


While most fans will associate Bhandari with her work in film and television, the actress first made her mark through her lead roles in a plethora of prominent stage productions, such as the musicals “Bollywood Jane” and “17 Days Aur Bollywood Spice” at the Kenneth More Theatre, “Swaraj” at the UK’s Watford Colosseum and “The Seagull” at The Broadway in Barking, UK, as well as Shreya Ghoshal’s 2013 UK and Europe tour.

Debuting in London in 2011, “Bollywood Jane,” one of Bhandari’s earliest theatre performances, followed Jane, a young woman who, in need of a job, begins working at the cinema where she falls in love with the costumes and energy of Bollywood films. Bhandari gave a knockout performance as Amira, the woman who owns the theatre. As the story progresses Jane falls in love with Amira’s boyfriend, a development that causes tension between the three lead characters and makes for a multi-layered tale on stage.

Bhandari recalls, “It was my first big theatre show with a live audience who were paying to watch me so it was a marvellous experience… when the lights and back drops all came together and people were laughing and clapping, it was an amazing feeling.”
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Shortly after, Bhandari went on to play the starring role of Jia in “17 Days Aur Bollywood Spice,” which revolved around a group of students who, after being inspired by a visit from a Bollywood star, embark on an exciting exploration of the film industry. Directed by Gurnam Singh and choreographed by UK Bollywood Ambassador Honey Kalaria (“Bombay Dreams,” “Merchants of Bollywood,” “Bride and Prejudice”), the production was a major hit with UK audiences.

The perfect display of Bhandari’s triple-threat talent, as the lead actress in the project, Bhandari’s role as Jia drew upon her skills as a dancer, singer and actress; and from the overall success of the project, it’s easy to see that she nailed her mark on all accounts.

Kalaria says, “During the musical press launch [Karishma] was one of the top three shortlisted upcoming artists in the UK to be invited to speak. She is a talented and versatile actress, and a committed artist who works with full dedication and passion... and she enjoys experimenting with different roles.”

The stark contrast between each one of Bhandari’s stage productions to date have proven her ability to take on diverse leading roles. Aside from her magnetic stage presence, and ability to seamlessly bring to life a broad range of characters, one of the aspects of Bhandari’s far-reaching talent that has been key in her success is her extensive dance training, especially when it comes to Bollywood dance styles.

In 2013 she was chosen to go on tour as a dancer with singer and four-time National Film Award winner Shreya Ghoshal. Referred to widely by the media as the ‘Melody Queen,’ Ghoshal’s music has been featured in an impressive list of Bollywood films to date and she is truly a pop icon in both India and abroad.

Bhandari explains, “I was chosen from a large selection of dancers and actors to perform for international singer Shreya Ghoshal. The show consisted of strong dance movements and acting, and only 6 people were chosen from the UK. It was huge to be flown out to these destinations and perform with such a talented artist.”
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Performing to sold out stages in London, Wales, Amsterdam and Switzerland, Bhandari’s dancing talent was definitely a major highlight in the multi-award winning singer’s tour, but that’s not all. Considering the theatrical nature and elaborate stories woven within Bollywood dance performances, Bhandari’s acting skills were integral to the dazzling show Ghoshal put on for fans each night in 2013.

“Working with Karishma was absolutely amazing. She is full of energy, and her attitude and willpower make her great at what she does,” explained tour production manager Pritee Varsani when asked about working with Bhandari.

Karishma Bhandari’s continued success on stages across innumerable countries says a lot about her adept skill and ability to command the attention of live audiences. Considering that the stage requires actors to give their best on the first take and leaves no space for a director to call ‘cut,’ Bhandari’s strong theatrical background has made her the kind of actress who is always on point.

With a solid foundation, unparalleled talent and mention mesmerizing beauty, it comes as no surprise that she became such a sought after talent for film and television productions. Bhandari is currently working on the upcoming UK comedy series The Corner Shop, and the upcoming drama Emergency: LA from director Len Davies (Traditional World, Chef Extraordinaire).

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THE DANCE OF PRODUCING

7/21/2017

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​  Prestidigitator. That’s what Zheng Huang is; not the type with a cape and a cane but still one who uses magic for entertainment. As a producer, Huang is a master of maneuvering the components involved in manifesting a production and doing it in a way that inspires surprise, emotions, and astonishment. Master magicians have an expertise of focusing your attention on the things they want you to look at while using all of their talent and dexterity to accomplish things out of your vision, allowing for the fascination we all crave. As producer on the film “Bamboleo”, Zheng took a spark and enabled director Philip Masters to create a blazing fire. A producer is often the director’s closest confidant. Masters states, “Zheng is a great friend and partner when he is working. He was incredibly supporting on the project Bamboleo. We had a really short time frame to do the preproduction, which is never comfortable for a director let alone anyone else involved. As a producer, Zheng is a super talent.”
  In a benevolent deception, “Bamboleo” is a film that is not at all what you expect. It might be described as a modern day fairytale that has more to do with the silent films of yore than its contemporaries. Focusing on the actions and internal emotions of the main character, a dancer named Malene Ostergaard, the story has more in common with Cinderella than Black Swan. While viewers are captivated by Ostergaard’s exceptional dance abilities, it’s the pressure brought about by her domineering teacher that creates the conflict in the film. She escapes into an illusion where a prince (played by Riria Niimura) helps her learn to dance. The inevitable return to reality is accompanied by setbacks.
  In reality, the film’s version of the prince is Zheng who continually confronted and overcame the many setbacks that almost every film faces; this is the definition of a producer’s role. Paramount to every film is the cast. No matter how high or low the production value, the right cast can drive a film to success while the wrong one can sink it. Masters claims brilliance on the part of Huang in locating an exceptional cast within a very defined set of qualifications. He notes, “I still can’t believe that he found our amazing cast in an astoundingly short amount of time. This cast might be the best I will ever have. I was very adamant and demanding to Zheng that I required a great actor and actress who can dance exceptionally well. Without this there would be no film. He did several rounds of casting and finally found Malene and Riria. Not just that, they are awards winners as well; that really met any casting needs I had for the film. On our entire two-day shoot, everything went smooth with him there.” 
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  Interpreting what your director says they want and what they truly want is a large part of being a great producer. Having studied the script and knowing the director well, Zheng adjusted his casting requirements accordingly. Because the dialogue is so brief in “Bamboleo” and the focus is exceedingly on the dance, Huang concentrated on this aspect for his potential leads. Malene is a professional acclaimed dancer with acting abilities, rather than vice-versa. The producer had previously worked with Malene on a short film called “Dancer from Picture” and had a feeling that she would be perfect for “Bamboleo.” With a knowledge of the background his director had in photography, visual emphasis on storytelling, and the script of this film, Huang had a clear idea of how the shooting would proceed. He explains, “I was eager to do this film for a somewhat selfish reason. This was essentially my first film as a producer that was a ‘song and dance’ movie. I was confident that I could handle it but it’s always good to test yourself with a real application. It’s a very different type of film. The dancers are in motion, the dolly is in constant motion…there is a unique sense of timing and thus artistry to these type of films. It was very intereseting for me to be a part of this. Of course, it was reaffirming to prove to myself and others that I could handle whatever the needs were for the entire production.”
  You can plan all you like for making a film but, as in life, it’s often the surprise events that teach you what you are truly made of. When one single incident threatened to derail the entire shoot, it was Zheng who made it his job to assess the situation, support everyone, and keep a cool head. When Malene’s ankle was injured during the shoot, everyone on set was concerned for her and the film. Speaking with the actress and director, Huang made the appropriate alterations which included shot changes and pain medications (followed by an immediate visit to Urgent Care after wrapping) to allow everyone’s needs to be met. Very often, professionals are willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of the group…they just want to be heard, which happens to be this producer's forte.
  Finding more budget-conscious locations with tools like Airbnb, making concessions to cast and crew, and fulfilling the director’s desires; none of these things seem cumbersome to Zheng. He confesses, “I didn’t get into filmmaking because I thought it would be easy. No one does this. It’s a calling. Some people avoid work in independent films but I think there is a lot of freedom and creativity in them, especially for a producer. Money doesn’t make things easier or harder, just different. Sometimes having a limited budget forces you to be creative and you find out things about your abilities that even you weren’t aware of. Ultimately, I think the budget of the film should be used in front of the camera, starting with the venue. If there is money after that, give it to the art department and the actors because these people are making the show in front of the art of the camera. I’d follow this with equipment, good equipment to bring unexpected results to the film. These are simply what I feel based on what I’ve seen so far in my experiences. I know that I see my abilities improving with every project I work on, that is the main compensation for me. As I improve, I get to work with others who I learn from. All of this is very exciting and what drew me to filmmaking in the beginning.”
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Producer Melina Tupa works ‘Nonstop’ to make project a success

7/16/2017

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PictureProducer Melina Tupa behind the camera, photo by Natalia Salvarezza
Melina Tupa says being a film producer is like being a baker; you have to make sure you have the best ingredients and follow the recipe to produce the best cake you possibly can. Being a producer means that you have to be aware of all the aspects of a production. In the preproduction phase, you make sure you selected the right characters to tell the story. In this phase, you also need to make sure you have the best human resources for your documentary (a director, a director of photography, a sound person, an associate producer, a production assistant, an editor). While in the field you need to make sure the schedule you planed is reasonable and that you’ll have enough time for the interviews and to capture the action. In the postproduction phase, you need to make sure the editor has all the materials it needs to edit the documentary. If archival footage is going to be used you need to license that as well. You also need to coordinate the color correction and the sound mixing. Many post production producers are also in charge of the documentary’s distribution. Melina Tupa is quite the baker in this analogy, as she is recognized as one of Brazil’s best producers.
 
As an internationally sought-after filmmaker, Tupa has made some captivating works of art. Known for her documentaries, the films The Search and Rape on the Night Shift have given an honest look at heartbreaking but important stories. However, working with Nonstop TV in South America, Tupa told stories from the entertainment industry.
 
“I wanted to work on this project because it was a production challenge. I had a lot responsibility because I was in charge of some of the shows like Um Dia Com (A Day With). Since many of the shows were produced in Brazil, where they speak in Portuguese, and post-produced in Argentina, where they speak in Spanish, I was a key member of the team because I’m bilingual in Portuguese and I could assist both ends of the production team,” Tupa described.
 
In addition to Um Dia Com, a Brazilian series that shows a day in the life of a distinguished individual from the entertainment industry, Tupa worked on shows like Model Profile, an Argentinean series that shows the life and career of a distinguished model in the country, and FTV Mag, a weekly magazine show with news on the entertainment industry that aired on Fashion TV Brazil. With this constant need to go between Brazil and Argentina, producers approached Tupa knowing she had the exact skillset that was required.
 “I worked with Melina on Nonstop TV; we worked together on Model Profile, FTV Mag, and One Day With, Melina is a force of nature. She is proactive, efficient and always has a good attitude, which makes her a fundamental part of any production team. Melina is an amazing producer. She can handle any situation with passion and perfectionism. She is creative, diligent and she has a real talent for planning the production of a Documentary or TV Show,” said Martín Corti, Producer and Photographer.
 
As a producer on the different shows, Tupa has many different responsibilities. She would receive the raw footage and a preliminary script. She would then work with the editor to put together the basic show structure. She would re-write the scripts to make them more suitable for the show. After the show was edited, she had to make sure it complied with all the broadcast standards. This work was key to the success of the shows. She had to work long hours, but the shows were really successful. The shows were mainly broadcasted in Brazil, but many shows were also adapted to Spanish and broadcasted in nearly every Latin American country.
 
Um Dia Com also became the flagship of the channel. Without her work, the show would not have been broadcasted. She was in charge of the entire post-production of this show. She received all the raw materials and she put together a show.
 
“It was a challenging project, but very rewarding. It was a big responsibility. I didn’t take it lightly. I knew people were counting on my work. When you are part of such a big structure as a network every individual task counts to make the shows run smoothly,” Tupa described.
 
Nonstop TV was just the beginning of Tupa’s now esteemed career. There is truly no limit to what she can achieve. However, she is just happy to do what she loves every day.
 
“I like being in charge of all the aspects of a production. I make sure we have the best people on board for the project (from the director to the production assistant), making sure the scheduling is feasible, I love working with editors in the postproduction phase. I like that it is a position where I get to be very proactive, I can put forward my ideas but at the same time I get to hear the input of other team members,” she concluded.



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Guilherme Ribeiro captures the feeling of his hometown writing for MasterCard Priceless Rio

7/13/2017

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PictureGuilherme Ribeiro
From the time Guilherme Ribeiro was a child, growing up in Rio de Janeiro, he knew he wanted to be a writer. There was something about the power that went along with putting his thoughts down on a page, choosing the perfect words to articulate his feelings. He understood even at a young age, the artistry that went along with writing, and now, as an internationally successful online content writer, he still feels it.
 
Throughout his career, Ribeiro has become extremely sought-after, and a leader in his industry. Writing for Brazil’s popular television network Globo TV, as well as Toxic Rio, TV PUC, and the innovative new music project Welocalize, Ribeiro has proven why he is such an outstanding writer. Just last year, he was asked to write for the website MasterCard Priceless Rio, as he had previously been extremely successful writing for their other project Mastercard Surpreenda.
 
“I was always in tune with travel tips, restaurants, music events and cultural opportunities around Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in general,” said Ribeiro.
 
Mastercard Priceless features different articles about various cities. Mastercard selected writers through the popular content marketing company, Skyword, and knew they needed a writer as skilled as Ribeiro to make the website a success. Having already been aware of Ribeiro’s tremendous work in Portugese with Mastercard Surpreenda.
 
“Guilherme seems to be very skilled in Brazilian Portuguese, working for two different projects for Skyword, including Mastercard Priceless Rio. Guilherme has a high rate of articles approved without revision, which indicates a good knowledge of his language and nice writing skills related to the project,” said Bernardo Liorente, Senior Content Editor for Skyword.
Ribeiro wrote many articles for the publication, which were in Brazilian Portuguese about Lifestyle, Shopping, Entertainment and Tourism in Rio de Janeiro. All articles follow specific keywords according to SEO preferences. During his time on the previous Mastercard project, he wrote over thirty articles about good experiences in travel, music, cultural events, nature, and shopping to a credit card reward program. The opportunity to keep doing this for the Priceless project, and finding new angles while still helping promote the Mastercard rewards program, was exciting for Ribeiro.
“I could get in touch with new ideas and events happening in my city and also share that with readers, either on MasterCard website or when I promoted them on Twitter and Google Plus. I can say I have learned a lot about brand journalism and content marketing with them, since I could improve my skills in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media during this project,” said Ribeiro.
 
Previously, writers used to work based on seasons. Articles were suggested by writers or requested by the client through assignments that every writer of the could claim for them. Sometimes they pick different writers for special tasks. Articles were always a full-page content, demanding a good time of research, and would take two to three days to complete. After submitting the content, content would be sent to an an editor that can tweak and approve any text or reject and send it back to writers for further changes. This was not often an issue for Ribeiro, who always worked to keep his rate high, saving time for the publication.
 
“It always wrote with a mix of deep understating of my city, Rio de Janeiro, its places to eat, see and enjoy, besides my very press oriented way to evaluate if there is something to come up, new trends, renewed places, events coming to town, also thinking about segments, like beach lovers, car lovers, sports fans, LGBT, tourists, young crowd, and more, with whatever sounded interesting,” said Ribeiro.
 
Ribeiro’s articles were extremely successful for the website, as he was often claiming article ideas on the platform and having frequent features on the homepage. He not only wrote according to what the client wanted, but also what customers genuinely wanted to read, a difficult balance to always maintain. He was essential to the website’s success. However, this is not why he wanted to write for the website. For Ribeiro, it was just another opportunity to keep doing what he loved.
 
“I am so glad I was invited to keep working for them,” he concluded.
 
Having grown up in Rio de Janeiro, in the South Zone, close to landmarks such as Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf), Cristo Redentor (Christ of Redeemer) and Copacabana Beach, Ribeiro had the chance to share his city and its intricacies with readers white writing with Mastercard Priceless Rio. Not many writers have such an opportunity to do something like that, and Ribeiro took the task and soared, showing readers in Brazil and around the world why he is one of the best.



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THE BIRTH OF AN ACTION DIRECTOR

7/10/2017

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​  Hollywood and New York aren’t the only places where entertainment dreams come true, this also happens in Canada. Yes, Canada. The odd thing is, sometimes you don’t even know that dream until someone else places it in front of you. Consider Alexandra La Roche. She has many credits to her directing talents these days (CW’s “Flash”, Sci-Fi’s Emmy award-winner “Eureka”, etc.) but she was the script supervisor on multiple seasons of Lion’s Gate’s highly successful TV series “Dead Zone” starring Anthony Michael Hall when Shawn Piller and Lloyd Segan first approached her about directing. They felt * as if she had a big hand in directing a lot of the episodes anyway so why not take the helm. It almost didn’t happen though. Everyone had signed off except Lions Gate Films. The Network had approved her to direct but Lions Gate film was hesitating. Robert Petrovicz (“Dead Zone” producer) was in a meeting with the studio and announced that he would personally guarantee Alexandra’s work; stating that if La Roche shot one foot of film that they didn’t like, he would put up his own money for the reshoot. Alexandra was approved. The outcome was so exemplary that the two went on to work on the series “Eureka” together.
  Both the Stephen King book and film by the same title are well-known and have received immense critical and public praise. “Dead Zone” the TV series included many of the same main characters and themes but had a decidedly different take and sensibility. Both humor and drama were ever present in the TV production. Dead Zone the series was entirely its own creation. The series had its own version of the characters. They were very unique from the book and the movie. The show established stylistic methods for their interpretation of how things worked in this world. For instance, when Johnny experienced a vision, the show utilized a method called a “match move morph” wherein a Steadicam moved seamless around Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) in one setting, revealing him inside the setting where the vision is taking place.
   While the style and some of the specifics of the TV presentation were different from the film and book, La Roche’s five seasons serving as script supervisor allowed a seamless transition into directing. Her deep knowledge of the show, the actors, and the producers’ preferences gave her a substantial head start. As a SS, she had often whispered ideas to directors about shots or coverage or acting beats; now as the director, she finally got to streamline the process to create exactly what she envisioned. What didn’t come so easy was the ticking clock looming over her head to keep the production on time and on budget. She points to Producer Shawn Piller as her mentor for this experience. She recalls her interactions with him on her first day directing, “Shawn was with me. He and I both thought I would be a strong director with the actors but action was something entirely different. The first day of shooting was the big gun battle between SWAT and a religious sect in which the sect has set up an ambush. We had rigged explosions, live gunfire, dust hits, and of course lots of characters firing. Four cameras and a lot of moving pieces. By lunch, Shawn declared that ‘an action director is born!’ It was a great feeling to have everyone involved in the production feeling energized about having me direct.”
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  Alexandra relates, “One of my most vivid memories is getting to the set at five AM on a summer’s day with a seven AM call. We were shooting an episode titled ‘Vortex.’ ‘Vortex’ was about a vision Johnny gets where a little girl steps on a land mine and explodes. The episode revolves around him trying to prevent this tragedy. In order to do this, he and Bruce infiltrate a Waco style cult. Two of the followers of this cult are a little girl and her mother, who have no idea that the leader of the cult is planning on making them all martyrs to the cause by blowing up the whole compound. Meanwhile, the sheriff and federal authorities are also investigating and there is a lot of conflict about Johnny and Bruce being involved. Johnny is able to save all the followers except the leader, who ultimately dies in the explosions. The shoot was a big day, with the sect members escaping through a mine field where the little girl runs off and Johnny has to talk her into trusting him. We also had a flashback scene of the little girl exploding and the big explosion of the compound with six cameras. There was a great deal of gunfire and a lot of moving pieces that had to be mapped out. I remember walking the set and setting up flags; just me, visualizing each scene, where the cameras would be and where all the actors would start and end. It was a sunny hot summer morning and that silence before the storm was magic.”
  Anthony Michael Hall was not only the star of the show but had also sat in the director’s chair himself for “Dead Zone.” The duality of his acting and directing knowledge/talent made him a strong adversary on set. La Roche stipulates that she would take time to discuss her notes, blocking, etc. to Hall and all the actors to create a trust that would translate on screen. Hall professes, “Alexandra La Roche exhibited a driving force and strength as a creative team leader. Having directed an episode myself, I know how much knowledge she has of directing. Our cast trusted her input implicitly. Her ability to work with our incoming guest stars made her a strong support that we have all come to rely on.” Impact award-winner (for MASH) and Emmy-nominated David Ogden Stiers adds, “Alexandra’s grasp of the moment (dramatically and technically), her unflappability in the heat of confusion, and her precision is as dependable as the sunlight she brings to the work in the morning – and maintains throughout the day’s rigors. In conversation with other crafts and disciplines on set I’ve been amazed by their observations of her courtesy as well as her awareness of their tasks and consideration of their needs. There is a sort of nickname in New Zealand for a standout person: Tall Poppy. Alexandra is our Tall Poppy.”
  Directing “Dead Zone” may have been La Roche’s early foray into directing but was far from her last. Her path hearkens back to the early days of film when director’s learned by experience on the set. She concedes that her course was not through film school and, although she notes that this path has worked well for so many directors whom she admires, she values her years working with directors as a support. She admits that the many gracious and talented directors whom she worked with taught her a great deal about being prepared, being flexible, expecting the unexpected, and communication. It is often those unobvious professionals who shake things up and present their own unique approach and voice in the arts. Taking notice of Alexandra La Roche might be the smartest thing you can do.

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JIN DELIVERS A RETRO POP SONG IN "HUMOR ME"

7/7/2017

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​  Most musicians/artists dream of pop stardom. Their desire is to create a hit record which captures the public fascination. Eiko Jin has achieved this in a very unusual and surreal way. While she has spent most of her career as a composer for films, she has never pursued the path of a pop star. Nevertheless, she was called on by composer Russell Spurlock because of her immense talent and multilingual abilities to create an iconic 50’s era style J-pop (Japanese pop) song for the film Humor Me starring Elliott Gould and Jemaine Clement. This English spoken film required a Japanese pop song from the mid twentieth century, and this composer was just the artist to supply it. The most odd facet of this circumstance is that Jin is Chinese and not Japanese. It’s not surprising for those who are familiar with this multitalented individual who has proven herself to be a versatile and inspirational part of every project she becomes involved in. Besides singing in Japanese, Eiko is a Japanese kendo player, a Japanese traditional dancer, and speaks fluent Japanese. It would seem that this production’s missing piece of a J pop song was perfectly suited for Jin.
  Russell Spurlock is the co-composer of the song for Humor Me. He was searching for someone who could supply the authenticity that he required. Though he was already an integral part of the film, Spurlock was not fluent in Japanese and as well versed in J-pop as someone like Jin. He comments, “When the producers reached out to us asking if we could create a traditional sounding Japanese track in a certain style, I knew Eiko was our only chance of pulling it off.  Eiko possesses the rare ability to sing in nearly any style and multiple languages. We sent her the brief and within a few days she’d researched the specific style, composed the lyrics and melody, and recorded her parts perfectly. As a result of Eiko’s talents and professionalism, HMX was able to deliver the track very quickly and the client was thrilled. Eiko is a rare talent with a unique skill set that makes her a valuable asset to the music business. She is one of the best we have worked with. Eiko’s unique skills as a composer and singer made the Humor Me film job possible for us.
  Humor Me is a film created by writer-director Sam Hoffman. It centers around a group of retirees at the Cranberry Bog retirement home. Elliott Gould appears as Bob, the father of Nate (played by Jemaine Clement), a struggling playwright who has recently moved in with his father due to marital woes. Nate takes on coaching a group of women in the community who are attempting to put on a production of the “Mikado.” In one particularly hilarious scene, Le Clanche du Rand attempts to seduce Nate. It is during this scene that du Rand opens the door in her kimono, and the song sung by Jin is the vinyl background. The character is surrounded by Japanese elements such as a kimono, hairstyle, and sake. The music needed to be Japanese to be congruent with the seduction plan.
  Spurlock had created the instrumental track but left it to Eiko to create the melody and lyrics that would shape it into the perfect song for the filmmaker’s desire. Russell went to great pains to match the music to the J-pop of the 50’s era, which expedited Jin’s work. Because Japanese is not Eiko’s native language, it took slightly more time for her than she would have liked. She comments, “It has to be heard as a poem/lyrics. The J-pop songs of that era are all in a very slow tempo and minor key. All the singers’ voices are recorded very thin, almost as thin as possible. Most of the themes are about missing family, missing the love of their life, singing about their tragic life, singing about general sadness. I think Japan and Korea both like that kind of negative minor key folk song; that’s my understanding that I used to create this song. I have a flexible voice personality that I can sing in very high pitch and sounds very girly but I can also sing almost as low as a man’s voice. For the recording of the vocals, I imagined myself as a Japanese singer who works in the bar, singing tragic songs for the customers. It worked great in the film.” Working much like the actors she enables with her compositions, Eiko Jin took on the personage of a Japanese female singer of the 1950s and did so quite convincingly. Being able to mold oneself to the musical character of the film is as challenging and demanding for this composer as it is for any of the cast members of the film. 

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Australian actress Sunny Koll completely captivates in award-winning series ‘Traffik’

7/6/2017

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PictureSunny Koll, photo by Mich Pasmanik
Sunny Koll did not always know she was going to be an actress. The Australian native spent the beginning of her career working toward a different path: singing. This love of performing eventually transitioned to something much more, and the moment she was on a stage delivering a monologue, not a song, she knew she was meant to be an actress, and audiences around the world who have seen her on the big and small screen are grateful.
 
Now, Koll’s career is formidable. She has worked on countless critically-acclaimed productions, including the impactful film Zach’s Story, the comedic sitcom Flat Whites, and much more, making her one of Australia’s best actresses right now. This is evident as Koll will light up the small screen once again with the upcoming series Traffik.
 
“I really wanted this part. Firstly, the topic of human trafficking is incredibly important. Then after reading the brilliantly written script by Diana Djurcinovska where she’d created strong, powerful, feminine characters, while keeping the gender ration balanced within the cast. She’s a cool writer and I’m excited to see where she goes from here,” said Koll.
 
Traffik is an important dramatic series that touches on the issue of human trafficking. It follows Claudia, Jack, Ava, Edmund, Mila, and Smitty, an elite team, who operate outside of the law, assembled to save as many victims of human trafficking as they can. Koll plays[1]  the leading role of Claudia in the series. Koll’s role of Claudia, who along with her partner Jack, are responsible for actually assembling and heading the team. Claudia is British aristocracy and the financier. She has a secret dark past which includes unfinished business with the main antagonist.
“I loved the script and the cast. I also loved that it was a highly trained elite team who worked outside of the law. My mum has always been crazy for spy thrillers, so this aspect really ignited me. Also, my character Claudia, is an aristocrat and the financier, so we got to shoot in some very cool places. My favorite was the team’s private jet, which never got boring,” Koll described.
 
The script has already created quite a lot of buzz for the show, which went on to win several awards at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals. It was Official Selection at The Nova Fest 2016, an Official Finalist at the American Move Awards 2016, a Finalist at the Filmatic Screenplay Awards Competition 2016, an Official Selection at the Action on Film Writers Celebration & Competition 2016, a Finalist at the World Series of Screenwriting 2015, and was nominated for Best Script at the Phoenix Melbourne Film Festival 2015.


“I love this show and really hope it goes onto win more. I think it’s poignant, thought provoking and entertaining, which is everything you want out of TV,” said Koll. “Working on it was such a great experience and I learned a lot. The director and Diana really wanted to keep it moment to moment, so they would only reveal a certain amount of information to the actors at a time. This process kept us focused on the scene at hand.”
 
Koll’s portrayal of the leading role of Claudia is vital to the show. Claudia’s story arch is a large part of the story, and the producers knew they needed a talented and versatile actress to take it on. Mark Harris, the producer of Traffik, knew Koll’s skillset would perfectly cater to the role of Claudia.
 
“Sunny is exceptionally friendly, down to earth, and on point. Sunny is an absolute pleasure to be around, and her professionalism and dedication to her work makes the process smooth. Sunny brings a lot of unique qualities to her acting abilities. Her look, voice, and ability to manipulate character is mature and well-crafted. Her application of several acting techniques and methodologies allows her to craft exactly what you're looking for. She takes direction with ease and is able to work with higher level production staff in an extremely professional manner,” said Harris.
 
Koll’s commitment to each role she takes on is evident with her portrayal on screen. She knows how to connect to her character and therefore her audience, with not only a believable performance, but also a captivating one. This is exactly what she does in Traffik and what she does with every project she is a part of.
 
“There are many aspects I love about being an actress, from being able to connect with my personal emotional truth, to the collaborations with other artists, to the moment to moment play and exploration, to reading and working on incredible scripts and screenplays, to the connection with the audience and to being able to find the courage and resources to play characters you never thought possible,” Koll concluded.
 
Audiences can also look forward to seeing Koll in the upcoming film Quanta, which is expected to be released later this year.

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Producer Xueru Tang talks award-winning horror film ‘Inside Linda Vista Hospital’

7/4/2017

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PictureProducer Xueru Tang
As a producer, Xueru Tang has an ability to make every project she works on a success. As a filmmaker, she is known for finding films that will captivate audiences. As a person, she has a reputation for being extremely kind and hardworking, making her a pleasure to work with. With such qualities, there is little doubt as to why she has such an esteemed producing career, and at only 25, with a resume filled with high-achieving projects, she is taking the world by storm.
 
While working on films such as the award-winning Locked and the upcoming Hot Pot Man, and after her work on the Chinstudio Fall Collection commercial she produced last year that went viral, Tang has shown international audiences what she is capable of. She is without a doubt one of the best recent Chinese producers. This truly started after the immense success of the horror film Emily that she produced, and when the team from Emily decided to take on a second horror project, Tang was all for it.

"When Writer and Director Jun Xia decided to do a second short and asked me to be a part of it, I really wanted to. I liked working with him, he is a very smart and talent director, and based on how successful Emily was, I thought ‘of course I will join this team, and have another one like Emily.’ But this time, we wanted almost more professional film than Emily. We developed the story for a long time, and also, we spent a lot time to looking for a shooting location. It was a very happy time to work during this film,” said Tang. 

The result of this was the film Inside Linda Vista Hospital. The horror flick tells the story of a young girl who wakes up in a hospital surrounded by police covered in the blood of her boyfriend. With the help of a video camera, she slowly pieces together what happened, and she may not like what she finds.


"I like the story very much. Everyone liked and believed in this project,” she said. 
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Audiences liked the story too. The film won Best Director and Best Horror Student Short Film at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival where it premiered last December. From there, it went on to be an Official selection at the Festival de Cannes Corner 2017, and the Pasadena International Film Festival 2017. It is expected to continue on to many more of the world’s most prestigious festivals later this year.
 
“For Inside Linda Vista Hospital, we almost knew it would be a big success at these high level festivals. We almost believe it is a better film than Emily, so of course it would have success at festivals like Cannes. When it started winning award, I told the director that he is extremely talented, and he is a horror guy. So, I took the recognition at these festivals as a sign. It's time to do our feature,” said Tang.
 
The Director, Jun Xia, knows that he and Tang make a good team. Without her, the success of Emily may not have achieved what it did, and the success of Inside Linda Vista Hospital would definitely not have achieved what it did. Xia knows Tang is a one-of-a-kind-producer that he will always want to work with.
 
“The quality of the film and the preparation of the production from early on shows Xueru is very perfect and very patient, especially when creating the budget. When this is done well everything follows, whether from casting, finding location or production meetings that are dedicated to help the director to maximize and improve the shooting, and that is needed. Working with her is a very good experience and there is a high-level of cooperation,” said Xia. “I think Xueru is best at co-ordination and leadership. As a producer, she not only professional and knowledgeable, but also very practical. In the production of each piece of work she does you her professionalism, coupled with her eloquence. She is just a good producer.”
 
As producer, Tang had to control the budget. This is always a struggle for producers, as the director always seems to want the highest possible production value despite funds. However, this was no issue for Tang. She used the budget they had and to made it look like the budget they wanted. She was also responsible for finding the location of the hospital, which had to look frightening, but also be practical for shooting. This was no easy feat. Tang searched endlessly, taking her time to go to many locations before finding the right one. Eventually, she found an abandoned warehouse that she knew they could make look like a hospital. And after sweet talking the owner, they could shoot on location for free.
 
“Everyone that hears this always says it is unbelievable. I think the secret is talking. I went to that shoot location more than seven times to talk with manager. At the beginning, he didn’t like us, but I kept showing him how good Jun is and how good the story is. The manager started to become interested in Jun and our work. At the end, the manager really wanted us to shoot in his studio, just to be a part of the film,” Tang described.
 
There is no doubt that without such an ideal location, the film could never have gone on to have the success that it did. This was all thanks to Tang and her outstanding producing abilities. 

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