​There’s many industrious, creative forces that converge in spearheading the stalwart efforts required to create motion pictures and television. Writers lay the foundation, directors command the creative execution, producers marshal together order needed for filming and actors transpose into alternate personas to carry out the visual storytelling medium. 


And that’s merely the scratching the surface. 


Uniting to form a well-oiled machine are many indispensable professionals who specialize in imperative filmmaking processes and functionality. From stunt performers, to hair, make-up and wardrobe, to dialect coaches, set designers, editors, composers, cinematographers and many more, there exists a faction of exceptional professionals who pump to life the heartbeat of any given production. 


It’s in this capacity where standout sound designer Veronica Li excels and has positioned herself in elite status. Li, from Changchun, China, is an intuitive talent and the owner of a catalog of venerable achievements. While audiences behold the front facing performances of actors, it’s the sound that indirectly, but inherently serves as the connective tissue tying together the viewing experience. 


Li has been instrumental in award-winning sound design behind the Bubba McLean-directed short film, “Bicycle and a Way of Life” and writer-director Melanie D’Andrea’s documentary,  “Stand.” Her filmography includes many impressive titles such as the Student Academy Award-winning documentary — “Looking at the Stars” — that tells the inspiring story of a Brazilian ballet school for the blind. Li’s list of achievements in sound are present with other film titles including director Guan Xi’s award-winning “Mandala,” as well as Michael Bay’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” (Paramount Pictures) and Columbia’s recently released “The Shallows” that stars Blake Lively, which debuted with a $17 million opening weekend at the box office. 


Recently, we had the opportunity to sit down with Li for an exclusive question and answer session where she gave us the scoop on her methods, artistry and experiences. We invite you to enjoy our behind the scenes look into the work of one of today’s premier sound designers. 


How would you summarize your role and responsibilities as a sound designer for film and TV? 


VL: During pre-production, a sound designer can start making design ideas for a project's signature sounds. During production, the sound designer sometimes works with the production sound team to collect production sounds for later use, like certain unique environment sounds, rare prop sounds and so on. And also, we sometimes start to pull sound effects based on the script, building the sound library for picture editors or even working on some scenes for their assembly or rough cut to use to make the picture more presentable. A sound designer's main duty starts in post-production. Oftentimes the sound designer title is for lead sound effects editor in charge of creating sound effects for the movie or part of the movie if there're multiple sound designers. Working closely with the picture department, we fulfill the sound design works for each version of the picture cut and we often work on the project until the end of the re-recording mix. 


When did it all get started for you? What were some of your early projects and inception into the business? 


VL:  I always had passion for filmmaking since I was little. I did my undergrad as a film study major. It wasn’t about sound at first, but in my senior year in college when Randy Thom was giving a sound design tutorial at the first Beijing Film Festival, I realized how important and amazing sound design could be. Later I came to USC where they had one of the best sound departments among film schools, and I really started to focus on learning the craft and decided to make it my career. 


You received your masters degree in film from USC, an institution that’s home to an enormous list of filmmaking figures and legends such as George Lucas and Brian Grazer. What did your time at USC mean to your professional career?


VL: It meant a lot to me. It was at USC that I started learning sound design and fell in love with it. I started from zero and USC equipped me with the skills that I could start to work professionally. All the professors at USC are so knowledgable and helpful. And the students I’ve worked with at school are very inspiring and we are still working on projects together after school. 


Who are some influences and favorite filmmakers?


VL: I always like David Lynch’s films. Alan Splet and Ann Kroeber’s sound works on those films are always inspiring. 


What are the traits a great sound designer must possess? 


VL: I think sound design is like any other elements involved in moviemaking — they’re all powerful tools to tell stories. So I think just like for every filmmaker, it’s important for sound designers to understand and feel the story of their projects. And of course, besides that, it’s important to have good sensibilities of sound too. and be curious about life, cause oftentimes inspiration comes from sound from everyday life. 


How do you inject those qualities into your sound designs?


VL: I always start thinking about my sound design from the story of the project, and when I explore for a while or get stuck at some point, I would always go back to the story and that usually gives me the answer. 


In filmmaking, there seems to be many stories of how certain sounds are creatively recorded, produced and made for use on screen, for example the igniting and clash of lightsabers in “Star Wars.” Has there been an instance where you designed a unique sound that tested your creativity?


VL: There was a sound design class at USC. A lot of the class exercises were about creating unique sounds with normal everyday objects. I remember I created a whole sound story about an old castle that haunted by this women/cat monster with my vocal. There’re so many plug-ins and modification software that you can use that you’ll be surprised about what you can do with just one normal sound. 


What’s the biggest challenge that you’ve faced on any one production and how did you overcome it?


VL: There are no easy movies. It could be as complicated as the buoy or shark sounds in “The Shallows” or sometimes it could just be simple footsteps approaching. In “Mandala,” when the main character is walking towards this old lady who is supposed to be the love of her previous life, we spent a lot of time in foley recording, in editorial and mixing. We tried to make those footsteps work for the story and emotion. 


What is one thing audiences would never expect that is present within the work that goes into sound design?


VL:  I guess background sound is one of them. They are ambience sounds that will make the location feel more real and sometime helping to convey a certain mood. They’re supposed to be unnoticeable and only to let the audience feel. 


What’s that collaborative process like? How do you work closely with the other creatives who champion the movies you’ve been a part of?


VL: I really enjoyed my work experience with Melanie D’Andrea, the director of “STAND” and “South Arcadia St.” For all the projects we’ve worked together, all of them were totally creative and fun experiences. Melanie has so many cool ideas and fully trusts me and the power of sound design. For certain elements, we would just talk and bounced ideas back and forth until something came out of it that often times surprised both of us. 


Let’s talk about a few of your projects. You’ve been working on the team at E² Sound Studio, a company that’s delivered sound for the Oscar-winning picture, “Argo,” as well as “13 Hours,” “Transformers” and “Kung Fu Panda.” How do you guys maintain such a high level of success with many of the most recognizable, recent movies coming out of Hollywood?


VL: I’ve joined E² in more recent months. But I’ve already been amazed by how far they’ll push for sound design. I think the trick is to keep digging and exploring until you are convinced that it’s the best you can do. It may sound easy, but given consideration of the intense circumstances and the short time that post can usually get, it’s actually super hard to do. 


What was your experience working on “13 Hours?” 


VL: I recorded part of the group and wild ADR for the project. It was fun and I’ve learned a lot. We recorded a lot of wild ADR on Paramount’s lot with their exterior sets, so we could get the natural reverb between the buildings. And we’ve tested and set up different mics, and different arrangement of recording positions so we could get variations and make sure the recordings will suit the scene properly. 


You mentioned working on “The Shallows” that just opened this past weekend. That’s a new addition to the creature feature genre about Blake Lively’s surfer character who is terrorized by a great white shark just off shore at a deserted beach. It would seem to me that type of isolated survival tale set in the water and absent with common amounts of dialogue would lean heavily on sound design. What stood out to you in working on the film?


VL:  It’s a really hard film when it comes to sound design. The structure of the story is really simple and only includes very limited sound elements in the film, so every single element become very important and needs to be very specific and contain enough variations that won’t bore the audiences. 


How does the sound design enhance the viewing experience for “The Shallows?”


VL:  It enhances the movie a lot. The majority of the film is shot in stage in a tank, so the entire ocean feel is solely created by sound design. 


What was the approach in delivering the sounds associated with the water, waves and the underwater shots?


VL: Water sound is one of the most difficult things for this movie since the entire movie is set in the sea. It’s hard enough to make the waves sound natural and match the visual. There cannot be a single wave that sounds unnatural. It’s even harder when you have to keep the ocean sound real throughout the movie and also try not to bore the audience. 


How does the sound design relative to the shark attack and to the shark itself make the movie especially emotion-stirring?


VL: I think for the shark it’s a balance about when to hold back, play the suspense and when to release its power! Make it really loud and scary. And the team spent a lot of time to explore for shark moves, pass bys and of course shark bite sounds. We wanted it to sound real first because that would be most scary, but also sound powerful enough, especially for the shark bites towards the end. It needs to be believable and have enough impact, and also needs to work with music and cut through all the other sound elements. 


You’ve got a pair of awards on your achievement list. What was your experience in creating the needed sound for “Bicycle and a Way of Life” and “Stand?”


VL: “Bicycle and a Way of Life” includes a lot of chase scenes between police cars and bikes. It was my first experience of cutting for car action scenes and I’ve learned a lot from it — how to edit sound for different parts of the car and what to emphasize to deliver the speed and excitement. 


“Stand” focuses on the specific dance form of krumping, so music and sound is of critical importance to a movie like that. How would you describe your approach for your work on “Stand?”


VL: Yeah, matching the rhythm of the dance moves and work with music. It blurs the boundary between sound design and the score. That was the focus of “STAND.” 


What was your initial reaction upon learning about the story behind “Looking at the Stars?” It sounds like a rather fascinating tale and I can’t think of another film about a ballet school for the blind.


VL: I was so moved by the first rough cut that the director Alex showed me. I’ve never seen a better first cut during my time at USC. Right away I knew that I had to work on this project. 


Inspiring audiences seems to be chief among the motivations of that story. How does that impact your job as sound designer? What’s the approach?


VL:  I guess I tended to design it with a subjective approach, so audience could see the film from the point of view of the dancers. 


How would you pitch the story of “Mandala” and what was your goal in sound designing for this award-winning film?


VL:  It’s a story about Helena, this talented NYC painter, struggling to come to terms with the loss of her lover, Paul. Stuck and drowning in these memories and fragmented images of her past, she meets a mysterious Tibetan monk who shows an interest in her work. His temple will even buy all of her unsold paintings if she partakes in a special ‘commission’ in Tibet.


To contrast and connect the sound environment between NYC and Tibet was always one of mine and Guan Xi’s focuses. When we are in NYC we hear typical, probably a little bit exaggerated city noise: traffic, pedestrians, sirens, etc. And in Tibet, we deliberately emphasize sound from nature: wind, river, animals, etc and Tibetan Buddhism instrument sounds. Luckily, I communicated with the production sound team from early on, so they could help me to collect a lot of ambience sound during production period. And we also got connected to a local Tibetan lama here in Los Angeles and recorded a lot of Tibetan Buddhism instrument sounds to use in the score as well as my sound design. 


In addition to contrasting NYC and Tibet, we also wanted to connect the two worlds, giving a hint of Tibetan element in the NYC environment since Helena is someone who belongs to Tibet, but is currently trapped in the city. For example, we decided to use a very subtle Tibetan music cue whenever we saw Helena’s Tibetan painting. Another example is when she and Lobsang Lama passed by each other on the city street. The passing by car horns gradually changed to Tibetan musical bells, as if Tibetan is calling from inside of Helena. 

What achievement are you most proud of to date specific to your career as sound designer? 


VL: I guess I’m just happy that I and my clients too are satisfied with all the works I’ve worked on so far. 


How do you spend up your free time when not working on movies?


VL: Reading and watching more movies…and I like traveling too, if I have time. 


What’s next up for you?


VL: I’m about to work on a film called “The Mad Whale,”  a co-production between James Franco’s Elysium Bandini Studios and USC’s School of Cinema Arts. It’s about a women’s mental asylum in 1894 Boston. It will be a fun 
challenge to work on a period piece with an interesting story like this. 
 

From designing sets for films and television series to commercials and music videos, Production Designer Hank Mann's work spans the gamut. With massive commercial campaigns for global companies like Ford, Audi, Crayola, Crystal Geyser, Converse, and Dannon, music videos for multi-award winning artists Nickelback and Sarah McLachlan, and the films Repeater, Kill Kill Faster Faster and Nova Zembla under his belt, Mann has carved out an unparalleled place for himself in the entertainment industry as an internationally renowned production designer.

While the creative side of Mann's job as a production designer, at its most basic level, could be compared to an interior designer in overdrive as they have to liaise with clients (and the director) to make sure everyone's vision is represented while also bringing in their own creative spin, the managerial side of his work is a whole different can of worms.

When it comes to film crews, the production designer heads up one of the most overworked crews on any production, the art department. From building practically every set we see in a production, often from scratch, to striking the sets under incredible pressure from time constraints and little room for L & D (lost and damaged items), the production designer not only has to communicate his vision and ensure that all of the right items have been picked up and put in their proper place for the shoot, but they have to manage their crew so effectively that everyone is ready to move onto the next set so the production doesn't stall. Oh, and then there's the budget. The production designer is responsible for overseeing that their department doesn't go over budget, an easy misstep when considering that many of today's filmmakers want to go over the top with their production, but a misstep that Mann is careful not to make.

Mann is most well known in the industry for his work as a production designer for commercials and anyone who knows his work doesn’t have to question why-- they know the answer, and it's because he's downright incredible. Having designed over 200 commercials over the course of his career, even viewers who think they haven't seen Mann's work, probably have, they just might not have realized that he was the man behind the man. If you can recall a highly popular, over four million views on YouTube caliber of popular, Go Daddy commercial starring none other than Jean-Claude Van Damme or Discovery Channel's Primetime Emmy nominated series Before We Ruled the Earth, then you've definitely seen his work on screen.

To find out more about Hank Mann's work as a leading production designer in the industry, as well as some of the most important tools of the trade, make sure to check out our interview below. You can also find out more about him and watch a few clips of his work through his page on the Sesler website, the agency that currently manages him.
 
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

HM: I was born in Perth, Australia, but my parents are from England, and we moved to Canada when I was 5. I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto. For school homework I would sometimes make Super 8 stop motion animation films. Unfortunately, my teachers were not too impressed receiving a 2 ½ minute film of Mr. Bill and Spot explaining the history of Canada instead of a written research project!

So how did you first get into production design and what led you to this path?

HM: In high school I was always involved in theatre, both as a performer and a technician. This carried on into university where I studied film theory and sociology (communications), yet also did several theatre and film production classes and extra-curricular projects. I focused a lot both in and out of class on set design for theatre, and after graduating with my BA from Queen’s University, I moved to Vancouver to pursue a career in film and television.

After five years climbing the ladder working as everything including a production assistant, locations p.a., ALM, TAD, 3rd AD, 2nd cam assist, dresser, buyer, props assist, and a decorator, I was offered my first job as a production designer / art director on a commercial with a UK director for the Ford Mondeo, starring David Duchovny. The commercial required me to design, and manage the building of, an American style diner on the side of the highway in the middle of “nowhere”. The trick was that it needed to be designed with a retractable roof to allow for the crane to move up and out the front window and out onto the road. Needless to say, I learned a lot very quickly about being a production designer on my first job as one!

Can you tell us about how you approach your project from the time you're hired on to design a production through the time of filming? What elements do you consider when coming up with the overall design of a project?

HM: It depends on the project. Every job has it’s own unique structure that is revealed as soon as I read the treatment and script. For example, the L’Oreal spot with Evangeline Lilly required a large modern set where the camera and actor could move about freely. I set about to design a modular set with abstract pieces on wheels, so that throughout the shoot we were able to recreate the background, giving us lots of different looks. My approach was to dive right in and build a computer 3d model, which I then could work with the DOP, directors, agency and client to show the countless alternate ways our set could be filmed.

Conversely, the Go Daddy spots with Jean Claude Van Damme required authenticity. For the bakery and florist sets my initial approach was to research as much as possible, visiting real locations and reviewing online sources and then extracting the most interesting and iconic bits to then combine into our stage set builds. Following that, I then had to accommodate for the stunt wire rigs to be hung over the entire sets and run through the ceiling. It was only after all this initial research and sketches did I then start the 3D render process.

What did your work entail as the production designer of the films Revisited, Kill Kill Faster Faster, and Repeaters?

HM: Kill Kill Faster Faster and Repeaters were both challenges as my budgets for each of those features was the same as a 3-day location commercial shoot. Constrained by finances, I chose to put a lot of initial resources into establishing a colour hue for each character so that regardless of how little money we had, at minimum there was a common tone the creatives (the DOP, costume designer, hair and make-up, set decorator, props, even special FX) could all work towards. So when, for example in Repeaters, we cut from a scene in Kyle’s room to Sonia’s room, there is a distinct move from a dusty, earthy look and feel to a rich vibrant purple artistic tone. Kill Kill Faster Faster also had the challenge of being set in New York, yet we were filming in Rotterdam!

How about the TV series Before We Ruled the Earth that you did for the Discovery Channel, what was the process like designing for the series?

HM: Before We Ruled The Earth, is a two-part docudrama narrated by Linda Hunt which features the challenges faced by early human history, all the way from Homo Ergasters hunting the saber tooth tiger 2.5 million years ago to Paleo-Indians hunting bison only 8,000 years ago. The process for designing the show involved an incredible amount of research and rough sketches. For example, I had to create a Cro Magnon village deep in the forests of Vancouver Island, shelters made from woolly mammoth tusks and hides high above the tree line in the Arctic, and re-create the insides of the caves at Lascaux, France with their Paleolithic cave paintings. I wanted to avoid the cheap stereotypes that can arise from weak anthropology, and I made it a priority that the design of the sets, wardrobe and props all had as much detail and personality as time and money would permit us to do.

Can you tell us about some of the commercials you've production designed over the years?

HM: I've been the production designer on a pretty long list of commercials over the years; but, to tell you about a few—for an Infiniti car commercial I had to make a snow avalanche land on a car, for Go Daddy I built sets that integrated wiring Jean Claude Van Damme doing stunts, for Audi I built a yurt village on a mountain top in 60 mph winds at -5 degrees Fahrenheit, for Snapdragon I created multiple sets across multiple locations in addition to doing studio builds and for Benjamin Moore I built a fake box store paint department in the studio.

You've also production designed several music videos over the years, can you tell us about some of them?

HM: For Nickleback’s video for “How You Remind Me,” I was asked to create a “dirty modern” feel. So I designed a modern bedroom and bathroom set and a bar set, all with straight lines and then contrasted them both with deep scenic painting, accenting the cinder blocks and textured bar walls, the result being a “messy clean” look. Usually I’m doing either crisp clean modern, or dark and dirty, so it was unique to marry the two. For Grant, Lee, Buffalo’s video for “Testimony,” I had to decide what a car looked like when a body lands on it, and then guide one of my crew on a forklift to crush it just right. That was fun!

They are all very different, what made you choose to participate in these projects?

HM: The projects that come through Vancouver are always very different, so I have been forced to learn many different styles and techniques. In Los Angeles a production designer will specialize into a niche field such as period pieces, sports movies, or science fiction, because there is enough volume of projects in each field being made to support niche skills. In Vancouver I have been fortunate enough to have experience in all those genres. I have found the diversity of experiences on all the projects over the years has made my problem solving skills quite acute. One day it’s designing a yurt village to be built in the mountains, the next it’s designing a kid’s bedroom circa 1981. I like that.

If you had to choose between production designing for film, television, commercials or music videos—which one would be your favorite and why?

HM: I would prefer film and television - in the process of production designing I really get into the characters – their history, their successes, their faults, their stories. Film and TV allow for a complete submersion into a character’s life.
Commercials are great in other ways – I can work with Academy Award winning DOP’s, and earn a decent living.

Why are you passionate about working as a production designer?

HM: It’s a very unique and creative way to make a living in an industry filled with other unique and creative people.

Can you tell us about any of the challenges you've faced on your way to the top of the industry—or any memorable "aha" moments where you felt like "hey this is the key to success"?

HM: For the most part I feel very fortunate to have had quite a few supportive mentors and peers along my career. That is something I cannot stress enough to anyone looking to get into the business – it’s a collaborative effort - one is surrounded by people that can help you in some way, either now or in the future. I make it a daily goal to be graceful to everyone on set and remember their name, and find out what their goals are, and how they got to this point. For example there are certain producers who manage to put great teams together because of how much they respect their crew, and thus are respected. There are others I am never available for now, because of how horrible they were to me when I was a production assistant.

What have been a few of your favorite projects so far and why?

HM: Some of my favorites include production designing a commercial for Arby’s where we shot in Cape Town for 5 weeks, and I had to make everything look American; Burgher’s of Vancouver, where I got to work with Denys Arcand; for Tyson Foods I got to create a kitchen set that broke apart and flew away to reveal another kitchen. I like working on sets, which involve rigging and moving parts.

For Subaru I created a massive tornado-like storm on a bright sunny day-- explosions, flying boats, wind and rain. I like that level of special FX and movie magic.

What would you say your strongest qualities as a production designer are?

HM: I can handle budgets and people as well as I can handle designing a kitchen. Production design is also part project manager of the project and thus I will be successful as long as there is solid communication between all my crew (props, special fx, costume, set decoration, picture vehicles, greens, etc.,). I nurture this. Likewise, I always keep a clear eye on the budget, as no matter how good a design is, if it can’t afford to be made then I’d have wasted a lot of precious preproduction time and money.

What projects do you have coming up?

HM: I'm currently working on commercials for Lysol, PetCo, Nissan and Realtor.com.

What do you hope to achieve in your career?

HM: Entertain people with a great project, which they will remember forever and turn to as a piece of reflection, understanding, learning and fulfilling laughter. Also, working on a film or TV show I can look back on and be proud of in a global sense and know that I worked on something that mattered.

What kind of training have you done, and how has it helped you in your field of work?

HM: As I mentioned earlier, I studied set design for theatre, where there are a lot of risks taken, as well as experimenting. I find myself adding those layers to film sets, to always reach for a step or two beyond what one would expect something to look like.
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Computer stuff is all self-taught. When I started Production Designing I was doing all my drawings and plans with watercolors, pencils and protractors. With the arrival of the Adobe Suite, and a few years later 3d software such as Sketch Up I had many late nights (pre You Tube tutorials) learning keyboard shortcuts and what the difference between Clone Stamp (S Key) and Healing Brush (J Key)…and then some. Every year now there is ever expanding software available to draw and pre-visualize sets, it’s all very amazing and incredible tools to use for my work. However, at the start of every job I spend time with a plain piece of paper and a pencil, to freestyle initial ideas.

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.

Throughout his colorful acting career, Jay Kim has caught the eye of many leading directors and producers in the entertainment industry.

With each project he completes, Kim continues to turn heads, and he is frequently asked to lend his skillful talent to productions based solely on his name and reputation.

Among those whom Kim has garnered consideration include Academy and Emmy award-winning director Milton Justice, who recognized Kim’s talent long ago, when he was just an acting student. It was under the tutelage and guidance of Justice that Kim turned his passion for acting from a hobby into a successful career.

Since then, Justice has asked Kim to star in two of his productions, Woman in Mind, and Waiting for Lefty. In each of these performances, Kim infused his roles with such authenticity that one would not be able to recognize him as the same person from one production to the next.

Of Kim, Milton Justice is quoted as saying, “Upon meeting Jay, having taught him, and doing plays together, I demanded he move back to the States to study and nurture his talent. My God, his growth exceeded my predictions.”

Kim has also caught the eye of award-winning producer, actor and writer Timothy McNeil. Known for his roles in Forrest Gump, Contact and Starship Troopers, McNeil more recently broadened his horizons as a writer and producer, reaching out to personally select Kim for his original play, The Straight Bozo. In the play, Kim brings a refreshing comedic element that helps the entire cast achieve a sense of balance.

Esteemed Greek actor and director Yorgos Karamihos also endorsed Kim’s multifaceted talent, giving him a leading role in his production of The Rose Tattoo. In this classic Tennessee Williams play, Kim stars as Jack, an idealistic young sailor who has fallen in love with the beautiful Rosa. Rarely is there a love story that is without difficulty however, and The Rose Tattoo is no exception, as Jack has to contend with Rosa’s bitter mother, Serafina, and gain her permission to betroth Rosa.

While his origins as a standout actor are deeply rooted in theatre, Kim has also appeared in many films, with a wealth of experience in both short and feature films.

Some of the short films in which Kim has recently secured leading roles include Incision, Maestro, and The Love Pentagram.

Kim also commanded control of the big screen in a feature-length production entitled Purgatory, which tells the harrowing story of a man who has died in a car accident and finds himself in Purgatory. During his time in Purgatory, this man meets a variety of characters. Kim commands the screen in his depiction of the dark and disturbed Tod, a broken junkie who committed suicide after a lifetime of being beaten by his father.

When one recalls Kim’s light-hearted roles in some of his theatrical performances, the gravity with which he portrays the character Tod in Purgatory gives audiences a vivid example of the versatility he brings to his acting.

When actor Douglas Bennett, known for his work in Sons of Anarchy and Gone in 60 Seconds, was asked what he thought of Kim’s performance in Purgatory, he replied, “extraordinary performance by a young actor.”

While he might be young, the experience Kim has attained has given him a maturity in his craft that is well recognized by many.

Currently, Kim is shooting a feature film entitled The Dragon’s Lair, a scintillating thriller, which will be released in 2016.

As Kim continues to complete new projects, he will surely continue to catch the attention of both fans and leading members of the entertainment industry. As he is personally approached to contribute his talents to more and more productions, his level of stardom will only rise higher from where it already soars.

Being that it is less romantic than other vital aspects of being a great film producer, some people may not see a background in finance as the typical jumping off point for a successful career based in creative expression. However, Mike Gut understands the value of striking a balance between his two seemingly contrary skill sets. He is comfortable and effective in his dual roles of both storyteller and money manager because he understands how producing successful films absolutely requires merging technical knowledge of the craft with real-life business experience.

When Gut made the decision to leave Canada and his lucrative job in the telecom industry to realize his dream of producing feature films, he began to realize just how much of an advantage his business sector experience actually gave him in his new endeavor.

 “My financial background definitely serves me well with my investors,” he explains. “I’m good with people and good with money. Producing is very entrepreneurial in the sense that each film is like setting up a small company every time.”

Armed with his solid background in finance and an inner calling to become a filmmaker, Gut originally left Montreal for Los Angeles when he was accepted to the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California, where he earned his MFA.  With an acceptance rate of only 13%, the Peter Stark Program is extremely selective, admitting only twenty-five applicants every year.

Gut remembers, “It was really the perfect program for me--- it really set the wheels in motion.”


His Masters in Fine Arts allowed him to continue honing his passion for filmmaking, something he had reserved as a weekend hobby prior to leaving the telecom industry, while also building on his expertise in finance.  Finding investors and arranging for his films to have the funding they really need and deserve can be difficult for producers who only have pure love of the cinema and no real knack for the sometimes harsh business realities that require close attention. True, being a great producer is undoubtedly about being able to tell a story artfully and supervising an array of creative counterparts-- but it is also about being able to secure serious investors, managing a feasible budget, and ultimately being able to sell the finished product as profitable in an ever-changing media marketplace. 

For Gut, the fact that the producer is the one who gets the last word on everything from the soundtrack to what ends up on the editing room floor is both a blessing and a curse. The producer’s key role in selling the film and arranging subsequent distribution rights means that even the smallest decision can make a world of difference.

Soon after completing his MFA, Gut was thrilled to be working on films alongside the likes of Harvey Weinstein and other heavyweight names in the world of film producers; he even had the pleasure of producing and directing the film Unfair & Imbalanced.

Gut says he loves to produce original features because the discovery stage can be a make-or-break moment for the success of the film. Sifting through the endless material to find a gem that is promising, both artistically and financially, is no small or easy task. Gut explains that when a film isn’t based on an original script, films often begin with just ideas, and no script; once a producer believes they have uncovered a novel idea, they must begin the search for the perfect screenwriter to bring it to life.  

Gut’s work as a producer is more than just the supervision of its construction; his role requires him to prepare the finished product to present to various financing entities or film distributors. This final step is undoubtedly one of the most challenging, as it entails deep collaboration with the creative production team as well as the film’s accounting personnel.    

As the producer and director of the original feature film Hollywood Hick, which he produced though his production company aptly named GellyGut, his efforts paid off as the film gained national attention being screened across North America. For Gut, the release of the film was a turning point in his career.

Today Mike Gut is a producer with Oracle Film Group, and with several upcoming projects still on the horizon and the release of Timber the Treasure Dog set for this year, he has attained his dream of producing features with worldwide theatrical release.

On Timber the Treasure Dog where Gut worked alongside director Ari Novak, he solidified his commitment to being the kind of producer that can turn out “quality feature films that cater to a specific market while getting a suitable return for the investors involved.” Something that separates the good producers from the really great ones, this kind of thinking is what facilitates the best possible films actually making it to the screen.

Although his keen financial background helps foster investor relationships and responsible decision-making, Gut never forgets his vision for a production, or the joy he gets from being a filmmaker.  “Nothing makes me happier than when I’m on set. When I used to make films as a hobby on the weekends, I remember thinking - If I could get paid to do this, it would just be icing on the cake,” Gut recalls.

Gut is clearly dedicated to each project he takes on, as he is responsible for the production of his films from conception to completion. He takes pride in his involvement in the early stages of a script's production all the way until the concluding stages, with special attention given to post-production efforts in order seal in the finishing touches. He is one of those rare producers that truly understands the “big picture” fate of a film, and with all the subpar films that hit the market on a daily basis, audiences can take comfort knowing that he will continue to produce captivating films with engaging for years to come.

 

 

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Jonathan Bensimon has been taking the entertainment industry by storm on an international level, as he continues to wow audiences with his impeccable work as both a director and cinematographer.

Bensimon first rose to success in the film industry over a decade ago after working as the cinematographer on a commercial for telecommunications giant Nokia.

About the commercial Bensimon says, "We created an operatic piece where we blew up TVs, Cameras and stereos and we would get beautiful highlights and light glimmers as all these pieces flew through the air, and at the end the footage would play backwards to create the phone. It was a mix of artistry and technology blending."

One of the perks of being sought after by clients of this caliber is that Bensimon is always privy to using the industry's most cutting edge technology. Bensimon shot the footage for this particular commercial in super-slow motion, using a prototype digital camera that could record 1500fps, something he says at the time, "Was a new frontier for digital cinema."

Eventually, Bensimon's unique visual style as a cinematographer grabbed the attention of an executive producer who, to make a long story short, put the talented young filmmaker on a path towards directing in 2006. Since then, Bensimon has gone on to work as the director and cinematographer on an impressive list of films, music videos and commercials.

In 2014 Bensimon received several awards for his work, including a Gold, a Merit, and two Silver Awards at the Advertising and Design Club Of Canada (ADCC) for the film Zombie, which also took home three awards at the Applied Arts Advertising & Interactive Awards and made it onto the Cannes Lions' Shortlist. The film also received the Gold Pro Bessie Award at the 2015 Bessie Awards, one of the biggest awards shows in Canada.

Zombie follows Antoine Zombé, a Canadian actor and zombie who struggles to break into the American film industry, which doesn't flock to his easy-going Canadian nature, that is, until he lets go of his niceness and becomes the kind of rabid angry zombie audiences have come to expect.

"I took the film in a biopic direction where we follow this zombie actor's career. We start with his struggles and go on a journey that leads us to the eventual breakthrough into the business," explains Jonathan Bensimon. "I worked very closely with the lead actor (Ian Matthews) to create a comical tone, that was simultaneously absurd and relatable."

Prior to creating the film Zombie to promote the Canadian Film Festival (CFF) in 2014, Bensimon worked as both the cinematographer and director on several other projects for the festival including the short film Canadian Sin, which garnered a Silver Award at the 2013 London International Film Festival and the Gold Award in the cinema category at the 2013 ADCC. Bensimon also worked as the director and cinematographer on Canadian Mafia for CFF, which took home the Silver Award at the 2013 ADCC, and two awards at the Applied Arts Advertising & Interactive Awards.

Even in the early stages of his career, Jonathan Bensimon was widely recognized throughout the industry as someone destined for greatness, something proven by the fact that several management and production companies across Canada vied for the chance to represent him for his work. Prior to finding representation for his music videos with The Field, Spy Films (Toronto) and Les Enfants (Montreal), Bensimon was represented by Industry Films.

While working with Industry Films, Jonathan Bensimon worked as the cinematographer and director on several high-profile commercials for global brands including "Passion," "All You Want," "Relief Worker" and "Father of the Bride" for Tylenol, "His and Hers," "Test Drive," "Trade In," "Checkered Flag" and "Silence" for Honda, as well as Nissan's "Choosing," Villagio's "Everyone's Favorite," Advil's "Advil Air," Honey Bunches of Oats' "Multiple Mouths" and countless others.

Although Bensimon has become a highly sought after director and cinematographer for commercials, his talents in the field extend far beyond commercials alone. In 2010 he directed, as well as worked as the cinematographer on the film Tokyo/Glow, which received the Bronze Award in the film category at the Telly Awards. Upon his first visit to Tokyo, Bensimon was not only mesmerized by the beauty of the city, but was also drawn to one of the city's unique features-- a cross-walk sign, which ultimately led him to create the film Tokyo/Glow.

Bensimon recalls, "I was in awe of the entire city, but something really simple caught my attention: the cross walk sign, rather than being a stick figure like every other crosswalk sign in the world this one had a suit and a fedora. I wanted to bring him to life and see him journey through the city."

Incorporating stop-motion animation, Bensimon's film captures the beauty of the city's nightscape alive with movement as one man, who is literally lit up like a light bulb, moseys through the busy streets.

Bensimon explains, "Our lead actor was wrapped in a 100 meters of LED rope light as he walked at a snails pace in order for the world around him to move at rapid speed."

Aside from receiving a Telly Award, Tokyo/Glow reached incredible success in Canada where it aired nationwide on Bravo!, in addition to being featured on several blogs including Style.com, Tokyomango.com, Madewithjapan.com, and many more.

About the way his work as both a cinematographer and director affect his overall approach to a project Bensimon says, "Being a director/cinematographer allows me to see things in a very unique way, it makes my preparation very intense and makes me develop a special relationship with the actors and the crew because I constantly look at things from multiple angles. Also, it allows me to have a very clear idea of the direction of the mood that will be in the final piece."

Over the past decade Jonathan Bensimon has created an unparalleled reputation as an artist who is able to not only morph his creativity to the fit needs of his vast range of commercial clients, but one who is able to continually create groundbreaking work and frankly, we can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Make sure to check out Jonathan Bensimon's "Social Innovation" commercial for Hitachi below, where he was both the cinematographer and director, and if you would like to see more of this talented filmmaker's work you can check out his profile on Spy Films, Les Enfants and The Field , the production companies currently representing him.

One cannot overstate the integral role of the cinematographer in bringing a director's vision to the screen. Often referred to as the director of photography (DP), it is one of the most challenging jobs in the film industry. Not only do these individuals set the film’s tone by carefully crafting images to create a visual language, but they also serve as chief of the film's camera department and lighting crew. The role of DP befits a person who is able to use both their right brain and their left brain, as this work inevitably requires the creative capacity to infuse images with life and emotion in addition to vast knowledge concerning technical aspects of illumination and effective use of camera techniques.

Celebrated English cinematographer Guy Pooles says, "It is the job of the cinematographer to tell the story visually. I collaborate with the director to devise and build a visual language that ties into their vision for the film, then I move forward and manage the Lighting, Grip and Camera departments to ensure that every creative and logistical choice made is in keeping with the execution of that vision. It is my job to hone each visual element, be it lighting, color or composition, to a place where it complements and elevates the drama of the narrative."

Pooles discovered his desire to work in film in his youth, but it wasn't until several years ago, while attending Royal Holloway, University of London, that he realized cinematography was his true calling. Though incredibly demanding, Pooles sees cinematography as an avenue for endless exploration into the way images transcend verbal language.

"In a way, the emotive power of cinematography is an infinite mystery. I’m not entirely sure why a certain lens on a certain camera in a certain place can make me feel safe and comforted, or why a particular quality of light raking across a wall can fill me with sadness, all I know is that they do. There’s a humanity encoded within imagery that transcends language or definition, and the exploration of this is forever surprising and enjoyable," he explains. "It is an unquenchable curiosity that draws me towards cinematography."

Pooles has fulfilled his dream of working internationally as a professional cinematographer, and he has been honored with numerous awards for his work, including the American Society of Cinematographers’ Linwood Dunn Heritage Award, which he received last year for his work as cinematographer on the film Dirty Laundry. 

Over the years, Pooles has amassed an a impressive repertoire of work as a cinematographer, including films like Wake, Happenstance, What Must Be Done, You're a Little Late, Martha, and a documentary entitled Best of The Pacific Northwest.

One of Pooles' most recent projects as a cinematographer is the film Open 24 Hours, a dark comedy directed by Henry Chaisson. According to Pooles, "Our goal for the film was to take an utterly mundane setting --a secluded, small town, gas station-- and construct a visual language for the film to suggest that a sinister and unusual energy existed beneath the surface of this seemingly-harmless world."  

After testing several lens systems to achieve the aesthetic goal, Pooles and his team selected Cineovision Anamorphic Lenses from Old School Cameras, as well as a RED Epic Dragon camera body with a 6K sensor. Pooles explains, "For me, the joy of the Cineovision lenses was that they possessed all of the visual characteristics of an anamorphic lens that I enjoy -- softness, flaring and fogging, slight breathing/distortion -- but with a subtlety that allowed the lenses to still be easy to work with on set." 

A testament to the film's powerful imagery and the quirky story it portrays, Open 24 Hours was recently chosen as an Official Selection of the 2015 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival where it will screen in February. Guy Pooles’s work has demonstrated that he has the kind of adaptable creative vision that can endure the test of time, and film is not his only area of expertise.

Last year Pooles was asked to work as both director and cinematographer for Bryarly Bishop’s music video for the song "In the Bright Daylight." The indie musician's budget for the video paled in comparison to Pooles' recent projects, but because he loves a good challenge, he brainstormed until he devised a concept that would fit both the song and the musician's budget. Pooles says, "The key to keeping the budget so low was the utilization of natural light."

Pooles turned to the Sony a7S using a native ISO of 3200 and a S-Log 2 curve, which he says possesses incredible latitude and very high sensitivity, making a large and expensive lighting package unnecessary. "I needed only to utilize the overcast ambient daylight coming through the window of the location as my key light, and then shape it to my desired look with plenty of negative fill," he explains. "For a low-budget music video such as this, the minimalist approach worked perfectly, allowing the shoot to be not just cheap, but also fast."

Looking to the future, Pooles is slated to travel to China later this year where he will work as the cinematographer on an upcoming film. He says, "My wish is to keep moving forward and to try new things. I think the mark of a good cinematographer is the ability to move from genre to genre and from medium to medium whilst leaving their own personal style at the door."

Multi-talented filmmaker Emeric Le Bars has been making a name for himself in the Hollywood film industry over the last few years. A talented young creative genius, Le Bars has fulfilled several roles in the process of filmmaking including director of photography, camera operator, colorist, producer and others, but what he has come to be most widely recognized for are his exceptional abilities as an editor. 

Originally from Angers, France, Le Bars discovered his passion for film in his youth, and while he majored in communications in college he was careful not to let his passion for filmmaking simmer into a simple hobby. Instead he took a concentration in video production, which accompanied his college degree, while also shooting and editing his own work in his free time.

“I started working as an editor in France as a freelancer. I was mostly working in freelance, shooting some documentaries about local people and editing short movies,” explains Le Bars. “The first time I technically worked with editing software was about 10 years ago when my cousin and I were filming and editing some small budget movies. At the beginning editing was just a hobby, but I loved it so much that I wanted it to be my profession!”

Driven to make his dreams a reality, Emeric Le Bars began working for City Hall in Angers, France, where he shot and edited several videos of the city and honed his skills in the creation of time-lapse videos from start to finish.

Le Bars recalls, “City Hall used the videos to promote the city so my work was broadcasted in different theaters in Angers before the movies, and also in 27 countries on Euro Channel.”

Today Emeric Le Bars is working as the editor of several projects in Los Angeles including the upcoming feature films Perception of Art and Lily’s Light, as well as for Smile TV where he is working on the show LaArt, which airs on PBS, and others. When it comes to Le Bars’ motivation to continue working as an editor he says, “Every project is different, every client is different so even if it seems to be the same thing over and over, it’s not! The only thing that I know now is that I want to keep doing what I am doing, because if you do what you love, you will never have one day of work in your life.”

Although his busy editing schedule currently takes up most of his time, the talented young editor still manages to find time to create his own projects. One of Le Bars’ projects entitled “Unlimited City” serves as proof of his incredible talents as both an editor and a filmmaker. Le Bars says, "I shot the timelapse for Smile TV as stock video footage to use in our productions. Then I created the 'Unlimited City' video from that." A time-lapse video that takes viewers across Los Angeles from sunset and well into the night, Le Bars’ “Unlimited City” was chosen to represent the city of Los Angeles in the 2014 Bordeaux Wine Festival. 

Jane Shim of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board explains, “[Emeric’s] time lapse video, Unlimited City, was an essential addition to the Los Angeles Pavilion at the 2014 Bordeaux Wine Festival. The looped video was projected onto an oblong balloon “screen” which provided some 500,000+ festival visitors with an intriguing visual experience of LA’s cityscape and cultural offerings. We are proud to have presented Emeric’s work as he truly embodies LA’s impetus for beauty and creativity.”

Adding to Emeric Le Bars notoriety, the “Unlimited City” video has also been used by the Staple Center and the Los Angeles Kings, as well as to promote the Budweiser Made in America Festival, which was founded by 19-time Grammy Award winning artist Jay-Z.

An unstoppable creative force in both the French and American entertainment industries, we will definitely be seeing a whole lot more from leading editor Emeric Le Bars for many years to come. Make sure to check out Le Bars' "Unlimited City" below, and if you want to find out more about his exciting work in the world of film and television make sure to stop by his website http://emericlebars.com/

As an audience, when we sit down to watch a film we generally do not consider shot by shot the immense work that has gone in to creating the moving story unfolding before us, after all, it’s not the technical setup that pulls us in, it is the story.

For cinematographer Kristin Fieldhouse, maintaining the integrity of the story is the cornerstone of her creative process when it comes to taking a project from its written form to the visual end product.

Kristin Fieldhouse explains, “A cinematographer is the ultimate gatekeeper of the image. They are there to make choices in how a story is told visually and to help convey the artistic information through their use of camera and lighting choices.”

Kristin is comparatively modest when it comes to talking about the powerful role she plays in the creation of a film or television series, a feature of her character that not only makes her a rarity in the entertainment industry, but something that has made her a highly sought after cinematographer as well. When a cinematographer’s ego and creative vision are not inline with the vision of the director and the overall story the resulting product is more often than not, incoherent; and while the project might be visually appealing, the substance of the work usually ends there. This has and will never be the kind of work we see from Kristin Fieldhouse as her passion for the story and her commitment to the collaboration process are most important.

Although individual praise is in no way a part of Kirstin’s motivation to work on a project, the caliber of her work has made it virtually impossible for her to go unrecognized. Her work as the cinematographer on the recent film Young Americans garnered her the Best Cinematography Award at the Milledgeville Film Festival and the John Kelly Award for Excellence in Cinematography at the Fresno Film Festival earlier this year. Written and directed by Kevin Lacy (The Man Who Found DB Cooper, I Love Sick, Numerica, They Put a Man on the Earth), Young Americans follows a broke young woman who is on the verge of aging out of foster care, and so, in an effort to gain financial stability she plans a bank robbery with the help of an admirer and former classmate. So far the film has received 11 awards including the American Film Institute’s Richard P. Rogers Spirit of Excellence Award, the IFS Award at the Independent Filmmakers Showcase IFS Film Festival, the Audience Awards at the Ashland Independent Film Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Audience Choice Award at the Sedona International Film Festival, and others.

“As part of my commitment to the team I was able to secure the Technicolor Film Grant (only given once a year to a worthwhile project), which gave us a large donation of film stock,” explains Kristin. “My role with the film took place over a year long period whereby I was fully involved with script development, location scouting, logistical planning, camera testing, film stock testing, shot list development, storyboards, booking crew and securing gear. The film came together very well because of a strong team.”

A testament to Kristin Fieldhouse’s impeccable creative talent as a cinematographer, Young Americans was recently bought by mass media leader Condé Naste and will be shown to audiences across the world through several video on demand outlets including Netflix and Hulu.

Over the years Kristin has worked with entertainment industry icons like Johathan Demme, Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Beil, William Shatner and many more. She has also been a key contributor to the camera departments of the hit television shows Warehouse 13, Unrivaled, Latest Buzz, Alphas, Mob Stories II, Flashpoint, Happy Town, Abra Ca Debra, Nikita and Covert Affairs.

With unwavering dedication to her craft Kristin Fieldhouse is the kind of cinematographer whose contributions ensure the success of every project she touches, and we are excited to see what’s next for her.