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fiftysevenacademics · 3 years

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Warrior

By chance, I learned about a show called “Warrior,” originally on Cinemax and now streaming on HBOMax. The basic premise is that a martial arts prodigy immigrates to San Francisco Chinatown in 1878 and is quickly sold to a tong that is on the verge of going to war with a rival tong. The dearth of movies or TV shows set in pre-earthquake (1906) San Francisco always baffles me, given how incredibly socially diverse, violent, raunchy, crime-ridden, wealthy, and often lawless the city was. Portions of the waterfront were even built in abandoned ships. Imagine the amazing sets you could design! I’ll watch anything set in pre-quake San Francisco, especially if it’s going to tell the story of characters, such as Chinese immigrants, that we almost never see in Westerns or other films set in this era.

So I was already in before I saw that the show is based on an 8-page treatment by Bruce Lee and related notes his daughter, Shannon Lee, found. She is also an executive producer, along with Justin Lin. I’m not a huge fan of martial arts movies in general, but this one had a lot of potential so I checked it out and got immediately sucked in.

I’m not going to spoil the plot but it gets convoluted quickly. Probably about 2/3 of the scenes end up with fighting and there is plenty of sex, too. Is it a little trashy with all that sex and violence? Yes, but GOOD trashy, with characters that are multi-dimensional, well-written, directed, and acted, though the costuming leaves a lot to be desired and, somewhat stereotypically for the Western genre, most scenes occur in brothels or barrooms and there are a few historically improbable relationships. But OK, this is borderline pulp fiction and the story is exciting so whatever.

What I love most about the show, however, is how well it portrays a totally neglected aspect of California and American history: How virulent anti-Chinese racism shaped white working class politics in the West. It is the only show I’ve ever seen that directly addresses the cultural climate and politics leading up to the Chinese Exclusion Act from a Chinese point of view. One of the central conflicts in the show depicts how white laborers brutally intimidated and assaulted Chinese workers and their white employers, and how politicians used the “they’re taking our jobs” rhetoric for political gain. One of the main antagonists is a ruthless Irish labor boss called Dylan Leary, who is obviously a fictionalized version of Denis Kearney.

The show mostly accurately depicts how Chinese were sequestered in Chinatown by a combination of laws that prevented them from owning property or becoming citizens and a campaign of terror led by white vigilantes, making it easy for white business owners to extract grueling labor for hardly any pay. The combination of exploitation and exclusion the Chinese immigrants face in American society intensifies a “get rich quick and get out” mentality among some Chinese immigrants, who are more than willing to do anything they must to their own people in order to send money home, make enough money to go home, or to become the most powerful people in Chinatown. Limited opportunities for economic and social advancement outside of Chinatown drive some to organized crime gangs called tongs that have turned this ethnic enclave into a haven for opium, gambling, and prostitution. While the show is set in this sensationalistic criminal underworld, it’s clearly contextualized-- If these guys had the same opportunities as white people, they’d become industrialist tycoons, too. You just don’t see stuff like this on TV!

The ghost of the Civil War is never far from the action, either. The irony of people who held strong views and fought against slavery going West and then oppressing Chinese workers, many of whom were also enslaved by debt bondage, is not lost on this show.

It’s tempting to think that the show is retroactively putting contemporary anti-immigrant policies into the past to make a point. But the point is actually that things really were like this in the 1870s and remain to this day at the heart of American politics. As a show that fits into TVs “Western” genre, it is unique in its point of view and how much detail it goes into about actual racial politics of the era as well as the hopes, dreams, and disappointments of people who have to build their own community in a society that hates everything about them except their strong arms and backs.

Speaking of which, part of the show’s appeal is how generous it is to viewers of its many very hot actors and actresses! It manages to have sweaty, shirtless martial arts sequences and exotic, langorous, opium-enhanced brothel sequences that don’t feel exploitative or one-dimensional because they are just parts of a much bigger, well-rounded world the characters inhabit.

And I totally lost my shit when there was a scene set inside a business inside an abandoned ship in San Francisco’s infamous, utterly lawless Barbary Coast. I don’t honestly know how many businesses continued to be operated out of abandoned ships in the 1870s but surely there were some and I don’t even really care because I was just so excited to see something like that come to life.

One review wrote, The vibe is very much “What if Peaky Blinders was racially diverse and half the characters could roundhouse kick you in the face?”

Another review wrote: There’s a lot about the show that will be recognizable to fans of today’s dark antihero dramas: The gangster storyline feels like a plot from Boardwalk Empire or Peaky Blinders, the frontier fable of capitalism resembles Deadwood, and warring factions vying for power recall similar conflicts on Game of Thrones. But what sets Warrior apart is its focus on a fascinating chapter in the American story that’s often treated like an afterthought in history books. And it wraps that history lesson in an enticing action-thriller package with nods to spaghetti Westerns, the kung fu cinema of Hong Kong, gangster flicks, and exploitation films, as well as other grindhouse genres.

I discovered Warrior thanks to this essay by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here’s a quote: The real issue here isn’t just adding more Asian American characters, it’s about the kind of characters portrayed. Two important areas that are deliberately overlooked by Hollywood are Asian Americans as romantic leads and as heroic leads. Few series dare to have an Asian American man as the object of romantic desire, especially by a white woman (are you listening, Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise?). Fewer have Asian American women as leads prized for their intelligence and outspoken strength rather than their svelte figure and flirty smile. There are exceptions: the wonderful Cinemax series Warrior, based on a Bruce Lee treatment, focuses mostly on tough and sexy Chinese men and women fighting for survival in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1870s.

“Warrior” currently has two seasons. It was canceled when Cinemax ceased producing original content. But Shannon Lee and Justin Lin are hoping that with enough fan support, HBOMax will agree to make more seasons. Check it out!

#warrior #warrior cinemax #i also recognized two of the actors from Vikings #Dianne Doan is great in this and she also played a slave girl that bewitched Ragnar in Vikings #i might switch teams for Chao #and Jason Tobin steals the show as Young Jun #Ah Toy is a great character based on a real-life woman #so many good characters

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popculturebuffet · 2 years

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Kool-Aid Man’s Wacky-Zany Video! Review (Comisson for Emma Fici)

Hello all you happy people. I”m Jake and I do reviews and analysis of pop culture. And today we’re taking a look at something downright weird, a small sliver of pop culture history courtesy of one of my best friends and patreons, Emma Fici.

This also came about because I had a missing spot in the schedule. See I was going to review Season 1 of Legend of Vox Machina, and still plan to find some way to review the series at some point... but after doing the incredibly exausting days long look at Venture Bros Season 3 (which at this point has gotten exactly one like “sigh”), I really coudln’t cover another series and emma was happy to fill the spot once she figured out something.. and what stygian void of madness she pulled this out of I don’t know but I went from planning to review the most promising show of the year... to a kool-aid man vhs tape from the 90s.

Anyways this tape was apparently part of the Kool-Aid points program, basically you got points off every packet of Kool-Aid and got stuff for them. By the time I was a kid I only remmeber seeing them noted on the packages.. and not really getting the point and throwing the packets out. Could’ve gotten a tote bag or maybe a pitcher with kool aid man’s face but with the horrifying implication this one’s a quadruple amputee. I dunno. I wasn’t with it.

This tape was also partnered with KB Toys.. and I know all 2 of you reading this who didn’t actively pay me to write about this are probably asking what KB Toys is.. well it was essentially ToysRUs but.. it died first. I didn’t see them oftne, but I still have fond memories of seeing them as they were so rare by the time I was a kid it was like finding some hidden treasure of a store you never knew about and only heard of in some legend... that legend being a catalogue that got mailed to your house but a legend all the same.

So what happens when two companies who are now dead and past their prime respectively combine their powers into a VHS tape? Find out under the cut!

So we open with a commerical for Kool-Aid... that I will try to describe to the best of my ablities despite the fact it’ll defintely make me look crazier than I already am. So a bunch of kids run around with sonic the hedgehog wheel feet, have bugged out expressions and distorted visuals, while Kool Aid man bursts in to quell their ravenous hoards. This is the FIRST THING I saw in the video

Things do not get more sane from there as we cut into a rap from the Kool Aid Man set to a video that I’m sure is what being on cocaine feels like. We get FOUR of these things and their all a generic rap about Kool-Aid and this wacky video set to whatever public domain footage the makers of this tape had access too and out of context clips of Kool-Aid commericals. At various points I saw him as a rock star, a superhero and jesus christ. And you can’t tell me if I saw that last one for sure there was a lot going into my brain at once.

So then we get a commerical about hunting hedgehogs set to black and white public domain footage.. and at this point it became very apparent just how.. cheap the film’s budge it is. The ONLY new things are the audio and some of the graphics, some of which were probably native to the editing stuff they used. Everything is either is transparently public domain or old Kool Aid Man Commericals. This may be the cheapest thing i’ve ever seen and i’ve watched 1313 haunted frat aka a film that was marketed as a cheap horror movie.. and is even cheaper than it seems as 90% of it is just one chissled guy wondering around the director’s house in his underwear. But at least that guy needed to hire an actor, hire more actors so he could put in scenes to make it technically not count as softcore porn, and hire catering and all that. I’ve seen all of Doug Walker’s movies. Nuff said there. And this is still cheaper as they clearly just had whoever made this dub over clips. They MAYBE had to hire a guy to do the raps, and given it wasn’t the kool aid man’s va even that I question. Kool-Aid and KB put no budget into this and just wanted to fart something out to give to kids. I mean.. you have the commericals.. just.. put those together on a tape. At worst you have to pay residuals to the kid actors. Or just have kool aid man stumble around whoevers house was free that weekend for a half an hour. There were better options than “stuff whatever we can into half an hour and hope it’s good.” Kids saved up their hard earned kool aid pouches for this you dicks.

That said while I condemn Kool-Aid and KB for cheaping out, i’ll give credit to whoever they forced to make this as despite being cheap as all hell.. they tried. They tried to put some effort and creativity into padding the shit out of this. The ways they pad out the film that aren’t rap or public domain short films, we’ll get to the latter, are at least attempts at humor. Most don’t, but they might for a kid. The target audience was obviously not 30 year old hairy goblins. I still think when making media for kids you shoudln’t talk down to them or pander, but for a vhs meant to sell kool-aid it works.

The next bit shows that: going mental, which has the voice overs explained as aliens from the planet lip synch who demonstrate the technique lip unsynch. This one , using stock footage of course, has the viewer play a game where they move around squares. It’s goofy, impractical as you’d have been touching the tv (I was on my phone so it was easier) but the neat trick of always ending up on the kool-aid square is inspired. No matter what you do according to the tape it’ll always end up that way and I’m inclined to belivie it as it was clearly rigged that way and I guessed it would be... but to most kids, especially to me if I had seen it as a kid, it would be fucking cool. Even if it’s hoaky, I can still respect they know kids well enough to play them like this.

Next is the first of three segments with a man trying to get a newspaper out of the.. newspaper dispenser thing... and everyone around him thinking he’s nuts while the thing is clearly haunted and ends up manically laughing at him after the police cart him away at the end.. DESPITE SEEING IT LAUGH AT HIM. So they know it’s cursed they just don’t care. It’s not terrible stuff, but it does feel mean spirited as the guy gets arrested.. just for wanting a paper and wanting to beat up a newspaper machine for actively fucking with him. The guy did nothing wrong. He just wanted a fucknig paper. He was quick to cane the machine sure but given it’s sentient, i’m inclined to agree with him on killing the bastard.

We then get my faviorit ebit, a fairy tail.. it’s wonderfully goofy as it’s the story of wilbur, a chimp who sabotages plains to fuck with the pilot, pilot bob, overdubbing an old 20′s theatrical short clearly but to great effect. The punchline though is great as a “little girl” (clealry a grown woman but clearly part of the joke) promises if she’s lying may an airplane crash in. It’s funny, goofy and uses the stock footage well. Good stuff.

Our final segment is Dog News Tonight, which is also pretty endearing. It’s what you’d expect, news from a dog’s perspective, such as a dog trying to teach it’s master the trick to jump or “saving” a hanglider without understanding what they were doing. It’s good stuff. It also leads to the second and final interactive bit, a trick I recongized as they had me do it in school to show off division. Whatever you start with you end with 2. So while I recognized it it’s still neat.

And after one final rap, the tape ends with a KB Toys advertisment.

Final Thoughts: This video is stupid.. but it is enjoyable. It’s just so weirdly constructed, so cheap and such a product of it’s early 90′s time that it’s fun to look at. Will I watch it again? Probably not. Was it fun to peak at at least once? hell yeah.

#kool-aid #kb toys #90s kid #retro #weird shit

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edharrisdaily · 3 years

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Ed Harris talks Kodachrome, Westworld and the state of America

Riding high with his killer role in television’s Westworld, Ed Harris continues to bring the flinty characters that have been the hallmark of his career to the stage and the big screen.

Ed Harris has become something of a symbol for the single-minded American man. He’s used his resonant voice and intense blue-eyed gaze to play cowboys and astronauts, soldiers and sheriffs, artists and assassins.

That means he’s worn many hats: a beret as Kristof, the genius reality-television puppetmaster in The Truman Show; helmets – diving ones and space ones – in The Abyss and The Right Stuff respectively. The latter, in which he played Mercury astronaut John Glenn, proved a career breakthrough: a shot of him as Glenn made the cover of Newsweek just as the real Glenn headed into politics.

There have been plenty of Stetsons, too. He wears a big black one as the merciless Man in Black in the television series Westworld. That character could be a distant relative of the black-hatted title character he played in 1987’s Walker, the craziest movie of his career – well, until last year’s Mother! – about the American who appointed himself president of Nicaragua in the 1850s. It lives on in cult infamy.

On the line from New York, Harris laughs at the millinery-oriented overview of his career. “Ha, ha, ha. I just like wearing hats – especially as I don’t have any hair on top of my head.”

In his new film, Kodachrome, he sports a jaunty Panama to play a famous photographer who embarks with his estranged adult son on a road trip from New York to Kansas, to the last laboratory still processing the colour-slide film of the title.

It’s a relatively low-key role for Harris, not least because his prickly character is dying. “It was a great character to play. I had a really good time doing it.”

He is a man who, it must be said, sounds much friendlier than some of the characters he plays. “How are things in New Zealand?” he asks. Good, thanks. How are things in the US? “Good God almighty,” he chuckles. “Pretty pitiful situation, I guess, at the moment, eh? It’s embarrassing.”

At 67, Harris is a man whose career remains on a steady roll. In the past couple of decades, he’s appeared in plenty of big films but also managed to direct two of his own – notably the acclaimed Pollock, a biopic of the abstract artist Jackson Pollock, in which he also played the title role – and spend time treading the boards of Off-Broadway theatres.

When we talk, he and his wife of 35 years, Amy Madigan, are coming to the end of the season of the David Rabe play Good for Otto in New York. They were on stage together in London early last year, too, in Buried Child by the late Sam Shepard, who was also a Right Stuff alumnus. Do husband and wife come as a package?

“We have of late. It’s been really fun, you know.”

Born in New Jersey, Harris was a high-school athlete and football star before he attended Columbia University, and didn’t take up acting until his family shifted to New Mexico. He studied drama at Oklahoma University, then in Los Angeles, where he’s been based ever since.

He met Madigan when they were both cast in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart, starring Sally Field. They’ve since appeared in nine movies together, including Pollock, in which she played art collector Peggy Guggenheim.

The idea for the film was sparked when Harris’ father gave him a copy of a biography of the artist, but it took 10 years for the actor to get it to the screen.

It won him a best-actor Oscar nomination (co-star Marcia Gay Harden lifted the statuette for best supporting actress) and cemented Harris’ reputation as a single-minded tough nut. He famously smashed a chair on set to give Harden’s performance a jolt.

The film took its toll on the Harris-Madigan family finances. “I spent a ton of my own money on that film. You know I didn’t need to, but I had to. So I wouldn’t have changed that for the world.

“I had spent so much time working on developing the script and working on this guy and painting and getting to know people that knew him and getting the rights to his works … I was totally immersed in it. And I didn’t care what I had to do to make the film right.

“I mixed that film twice completely and went to three different composers. I would have done whatever I had to do to get it what I wanted it to be. I didn’t even think about it. I mean, my wife was kind of going ‘Ed, what are you doing?’. But we survived.”

If Pollock was an artistic triumph in step with his challenging stage work, in the movies Harris remains better known as a go-to guy for a voice of authority: in Apollo 13, he was mission controller Gene Kranz (“Failure is not an option”), and he’s played a fair few sheriffs, colonels and generals.

Nasa – the real one – has asked him a few times to perform narration duties on commemorations. He can’t get away from it in the movies, either. When Sandra Bullock’s stranded astronaut calls Houston in Gravity, that’s Harris responding.

“I mean, I am fascinated by space but it’s not something that’s like a major thing in my life.”

Harris’ commanding tones haven’t always been that commanding. “I used to have a really thick Jersey accent when I was going to college,” he says, “and just over the years, you know, part of my craft is to be able to use my voice appropriately for whatever given character.

“And I actually feel really good about the whole vocal stuff in Kodachrome, because it’s lower-register and pretty relaxed.”

The last time he played a dying man on screen – a poet with Aids in The Hours in 2002 – he got the fourth of his four Oscar nominations for it. Playing another one – and another difficult artist – in Kodachrome was harder than it looks.

“He might not be that active but physically it’s really challenging because he’s hurting, he’s aged, he’s frail. His mind is still sharp. Even to play an invalid you have to be in pretty good shape because you have to be able to use your body in a way that allows you do that.”

The film is also a meditation on the cultural change that has come with an increasingly digitised world. So where does Harris, a man who plays a robot-killing cowboy on television, sit on the digital-analogue spectrum?

“I’m a bit of a dinosaur, I’m afraid. You know it’s passing me by big-time. I am decent on the computer and that kind of thing but first of all I really like film films.

“I take a few decent photos I have a great old Leica camera that I actually used in the movie and I’ve taken some pretty good photographs. But I haven’t done much of late. I’ve been toying with the idea of building a little darkroom and getting to shoot some black and white but that’s just in my head at the moment.”

Presumably the photos would go up on the wall chez Harris-Madigan next to the Pollocks he painted in character.

“Well, a couple of friends got some, and one of the things about making that movie was you would shoot what he might be doing on canvas and you see that. But then to save time and canvas they put the camera back on me painting, and I will be painting over stuff that I thought was actually not so bad and just totally f---ing it up. So there wasn’t that much work left that I thought was decent.”

Harris is hoping to direct a psychological thriller based on Kim Zupan’s 2015 book The Ploughmen, about a Montana deputy sheriff and a local serial killer. Until then, Westworld gives him a regular pay cheque and keeps him busy for most of the year. So does figuring out what is going on in the show.

No, he didn’t know the twist about his character – that another regular character in the wild west android theme park was actually the Man in Black too, at a younger age. And that he owns the place. It was all bit of a surprise.

“You never know where they are going to take you. I’ve never worked on something where you find out in episode six something very basic about your character that might have been nice to know in episode one.

“I think they think that it’s going to keep the actors fresh or something. I told them, ‘Well, you know, last year I did 125 performances of Buried Child, and I knew what the script was going to be and what was going to happen with the character, and the 125th performance was just as fresh and alive as the first one. I don’t have a problem understanding and knowing what is going to happen to my character.’ But whatever.”

He’s not complaining. He has steady work in a high-profile show that is kind of a western, a genre he loves. He directed his own very good one, Appaloosa, in 2008. That one featured Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, Renée Zellweger and no killer robots. In Westworld he’s enjoying being a gun for hire and wearing that hat of his.

“I like putting on my Man in Black outfit. It makes me feel good.”

#ed harris #interview #q

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discovisiondreams · 3 years

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Top 15 First Watches of 2020

I’ve never been good at staying current on pop culture, and that became especially pronounced in 2020. A year where most of the anticipated theatrical releases were pushed to VOD (and the price nearly tripled) meant that a lot of flicks I was excited for got added to the end of the “Maybe Someday” watchlist.

But in this strange year, I did manage to watch 245 movies- and 195 of those were first-time watches. Some were new, only available on the (virtual) festival circuit. Some were Criterion mainstays, films I’m horrified to admit I hadn’t seen before. But this year, when movies cemented themself as my biggest joy, I began to really track what I watched- including a “top 5 first watches of the month” roundup for every month. These top 5s weren’t ranked, and weren’t even based on technical ability, strength of dialogue, or critical acclaim. They were just the 5 I loved the best.

So without further ado, here are my top 15 of the year- one selected from the top 5 of each month, with some bonus entries thrown in as well. As a general rule, I only included features on this list- I was fortunate enough to catch shorts that streamed at Chattanooga Film Fest, Celebration of Fantastic Fest, and more, but to add them to the running would have made writing this listicle absolutely impossible.

HONORABLE Honorable Mention: The Holiday. Inspired by the fine folks at Super Yaki, I finally watched this Nancy Meyers classic. Why is it two and a half hours long?! Why is that two and a half hours so significantly lacking in Jack Black?! The scenes that Black is in, though, really shine. This one is going to be a Christmas mainstay in the Disco household (and not just because I spent money on the DVD).

15: The Love Witch (Honorable Mention, April). This one came highly recommended to me by friends of all sorts, and like most of my 2020 first watches, I’m deeply embarrassed that it took me this long to get to it. Upon finally watching it, on a rainy Sunday, I described the movie in general (and the color palette, specifically) as “sumptuous,” which is one of the most complimentary visual descriptors I can bestow upon a movie. The plot felt a little convoluted at times, but I still found The Love Witch incredibly enjoyable and am hoping to explore more of writer-director Anna Biller’s filmography in 2021.

14: The Guest (Honorable Mention, October). The Guest is one of the few movies I watched multiple times this year- and the only one I watched twice in one week. From the sultry industrial soundtrack selections to the numerous visual nods to Halloween III: Season of the Witch, The guest was Extremely My Shit. The casting here is truly tremendous- especially Maika Monroe, who was similarly brilliant in It Follows. Also of note: Lance Reddick, one of my current favourite character actors.

13: The Fast and The Furious (Honorable Mention, May). 2 Fast 2 Furious (and its bespoke theme song, Act A Fool, by Ludacris) came out when I was in the 6th grade. Do you remember the music and movies that entered the world when you were in 6th grade? Do you have an inexplicable zealous love for them? 2F2F was the only film in the Fast Cinematic Universe I had seen for a long, long time. Then I saw Fate of the Furious. Then I bought the series box set, as a joke?? And then, slowly but then also all at once, I genuinely started to love this franchise. Some of them are truly ridiculous. Some of them are genuinely bad. But the first one? The Fast and The Furious (2001)? Timeless. Point Break updated and adapted for the early-aughts, The Fast and the Furious walked so The Italian Job (2003) could run. Without The Fast and The Furious, Paul Walker would just be “the guy from Tammy and The T-Rex” to millions of casual cinemagoers. The cultural impact of The Fast and The Furious simply cannot be denied!!

12: Come to Daddy (Top 5, July). Honestly, this is the exact flavor of bonkers bullshit I’ve grown to expect from Elijah Wood, and that is not an indictment. Wood’s genuine love for genre film is evident here, in what can only be described as an uncomfortable film of family, reunion, and redemption. The tense and abrasive first half gives way to a surprisingly relieving wave of violence and exposition in this critically-acclaimed flick.

11: The Stylist (Top 5, September). The feature-length debut of writer-director Jill Gevargizian, based off her short of the same name, is female-led horror that pays homage to genre mainstays like Maniac and Psycho while still being decidedly singular. Not only shot in Kansas City, but set in Kansas City, The Stylist made my midwestern heart happy. This is one that I really, really would have loved to see in a crowded theater auditorium, were this year a different one.

10: In The Mouth of Madness (Top 5, March). Despite being the beginning of pandemic awareness, March was a slow month for me, movie-wise (even though it’s not like I had anything else going on??). But I finally made time for this Carpenter classic, and I’m so happy I did. I’ve long been fascinated by stories about stories, and the people who find themselves trapped within those stories, and this one is truly, in the most basic sense of the word, horrifying. Sam Neill proves that he belongs in horror here, making his role in Event Horizon seem like a natural fit. Also a highlight: noted character actor David Warner, best known (to me) as “Billy Zane’s bodyguard guy in Titanic,” who never ever fails to be unsettling.

9: Profondo Rosso (Top 5, April). Before this year, my only Argento exposure was Suspiria (which is phenomenal), but Deep Red goes off the deep end in all the best ways. The score (by frequent Argento collaborators Goblin) is truly groovy. The number of twists and turns the plot takes is kind of mind-boggling, but also delightful. Daria Nicolodi (RIP) is at the top of her acting game here. This quickly became one of my beloved background movies- if I opened Shudder and Profondo Rosso was playing on one of their live-streaming channels, it stayed on while I was cleaning or cooking or paying bills. Profondo Rosso is a must-watch for those hoping to get into giallo.

8: Crimson Peak (Top 5, November). This one was definitely not what I was expecting, but it was GORGEOUS. I loved the world immediately (a Del Toro trademark, to be honest). As a longtime Pacific Rim stan, it made my heart happy to see Charlie Hunnam and Burn Gorman reunited under Guillermo Del Toro’s vision.

7: Palm Springs (Top 5, August). I am not typically a time-travel movie enthusiast- but I am a sucker for witty repartee and Andy Samberg. This one made me ugly-cry, which I should probably be a bit more ashamed to admit. August had a lot of really great first watches, but the Hulu exclusive takes the cake due to its novel premise, some truly heart-wrenching reveals, and the amazing casting (is there anything JK Simmons cant do?).

6: Scare Package (Top 5, May). Is there any format I love more than the horror anthology? While there have been so many over the years (Creepshow, All the Creatures Were Stirring), Scare Package might be my favourite of them all. A variety of fun and inventive stories combined with a genre-lovers dream of an overarching narrative make this one a must-see- in fact, it was the whole reason I bought a pass to this year’s online version of Chattanooga Film Fest. There’s a cameo here that absolutely knocked my socks off (and continued to do so even on repeat viewings). While the scares here are honestly minimal, Scare Package is a great love letter to the genre at large.

5: Do The Right Thing (Top 5, June). Yes, it took me until 2020 to watch Do The Right Thing for the first time. The palpable tension, the interwoven stories of Bed-Stuy’s residents, all seem timeless. Giancarlo Esposito is, as always, a joy to watch.

4: Knives Out (Top 5, February). “It’s a Rian Johnson whodunnit, duh,” states the SuperYaki! T-shirt famously worn by Jamie Lee Curtis, star of Knives Out (2019). This one has received worlds of critical acclaim, I truly do not know what I could even hope to add to the conversation. I want more old-school murder mystery cinema.

3: The VelociPastor (Top 5, January). It should be testimonial enough that The VelociPastor beat out Miss Americana, Netflix’s Taylor Swift documentary, as the top pick for January- but in case it isn’t, let me end 2020 the way I began it; by evangelizing the HECK out of this movie. Written and directed by up-and-coming triple-threat (Director/songwriter/prolific cat-photo-poster) Brendan Steere, The VelociPastor is a true love letter to genre cinema, complete with a big wink to the criminally underloved Miami Connection. Alyssa Kempinski shines as Carol, a doctor/lawyer/hooker with a heart of gold. The VelociPastor premiered in 2019 but gained tons of attention in 2020 (thanks in part to YouTube sensation Cody Ko)- attention that it truly deserves. A sequel is rumored to be in the works, but mark my words, anything to come from the imagination of Brendan Steere will be worth a watch.

2: Dinner in America (Top 5, October). I genuinely feel sorry for the other movies I watched in October (there were a lot) (they were all SO GOOD). Dinner in America, which I caught during the Nightstream hybrid festival, was not at all what I was expecting. While the other features were all very solidly genre flicks, this was…. A comedy? A modern love story?? I’mn honestly still not exactly sure, but I do know I loved every second of it. I laughed. I cried. I threw my hands up in the air exuberantly (in front of my laptop, looking like a true fool). I did not shut up about this movie online for weeks. I told anyone and everyone that Kyle Gallner is the most underrated actor of my generation and I still believe it! Dinner in America, the story of a punk band frontman who unwittingly takes refuge from the police in the home of his biggest fan, was an unexpectedly heartwarming tale of family, young love, and arson. Watch it as soon as you can.

1: Promising Young Woman (Top 5, December). This last-minute debut from Emerald Fennell, originally scheduled to hit theaters in April of this year, finally made its way to the big screen on Christmas Day, and became the 2020 entry on my annual “Christmas Day Trip to the Theater” list.* Carey Mulligan is an icon and deserves all of the awards for this. The soundtrack is sublime. The casting choices are truly incredible. While I have no doubt that the general themes of the movie will be polarizing, I absolutely loved this one- I sat in my car in the theater parking lot for a WHILE, considering just buying a ticket for the next showtime- that’s how badly I felt like I needed to see it again immediately. I look forward to writing its inevitable Criterion essay.

*Nobody else in rural iowa was interested in seeing this movie at noon on Christmas Day. I’m shocked.

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szopenhauer · 4 years

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What was your last dream about? pamiętam tylko tyle, że M. powinna uważać na jej byłego

Would you like to build/design your own house? yes

Do you have a cherished childhood teddy bear? it’s not really a teddy but yeah

Are you psychic in any way? it seems

Are you a good dancer? meh

Are you a good singer? nooo

Are you a good cook? not the worst

Are you a good artist? maybe

Are you a good listener? try to be

Are you a good public speaker? but don’t like to

Are you a good babysitter? might be but hate that

Are you a good dresser? have my own style

Are you a good comedian? I’m funny :P

Are you a good cleaner? not good enough

Are you a good actor? I am

Are you a good writer? just like to write

Do you ever get chills & goosebumps when you listen to music? tell me about it...

What was the last song that had that effect on you? not sure which was last

Do you know what any of your siblings did over the weekend? I don’t care

Was the last book you read a hardback or paperback? paperback

What was the last thing you required the use of a spoon for? I was eating breakfast

The last time you ate something, was it in a bowl or on a plate? neither XD

Can you recall the last time you held hands with someone? I can

What was the last thing that made your heart melt? hmm...

Can you recall the last time you visited a bookshop? not the exact day but yep

Did you purchase anything? I don’t think so

Have you been wearing homemade masks or store-bought ones? both

Do you call yourself stupid a lot? sometimes

Are you listening to music right now? not rn

What is your newest favorite website? aliexpress?

Do you have a headache right now? had before today

What month is your birthday, and what month would u change it to if you could? February and would like June, July or August that’s why I will spend my name day during summer instead of spring with my sister

Have you ever had to use an epi pen? not yet

Do you know the names of 3 of your neighbors? (list if you can): personal

What was the last grocery store you shopped at?

Do memories from your past come back to haunt you ? frequently

Have you ever seen an angel? or a ghost

Have you ever seen a demon? that time in a mirror?...

What color was the last sweatshirt you wore? grey

What was the last act of creativity you displayed? Vinnie’s tiny bird next to her signature?

Do you ever find yourself just writing/typing out your feelings? my tumblr is full of this shit

Whose house were you at last, besides your own? my current partner’s

Do you like your teeth? not really

Does piano music tend to calm you down? wouldn’t say so

What’s something you need to get done soon? ugh...

Is your best friend awake right now? they are

If I came to your house, could I find any kind of chocolate? ask my mother

Who was the last person to upload a picture with you in it? M.

Do you ever wear sleep masks when you sleep or shower caps when you shower? neither

Don’t tell me lies, so where’s your man? where’s Nat? XD

Have you ever had a best friend who was of the opposite sex? dad

Has anyone said they love you in the last week? yasss

Have you ever kissed under water? hell no

Have you kissed anyone whose name starts with a M? hahaha

Would you kiss the last person who texted you, on the lips? done and I hopefully will

Camping with a ton of friends or hotel with a few friends? hotel

Could you go the rest of your life without a cigarette? absolutely

Have you ever wanted something you couldn’t have? like health

How is your boyfriend/girlfriend doing and where are they now? she’s angry, has a flu and she’s working

What was the last topic you read about? DID?

Do you prefer Windows or Mac? Windows

What’s the best amusement park ride you’ve ever been on? I’m not a fan of rides tbh

Would you know how to read a house blueprint? partially?

Do you keep notes on your phone? What sort of things do you write? used to on my old cell

Do you remember much from high school? tought so

Has anyone ever come out to you? yup

What was the last album you listened to in full? Red army choir or Anastasis?

Do you have Disney+? we don’t

Have you ever sent a package or letter to a foreign country? postcards

How many jobs do you have on your resume? 0

Are you comfortable with leaving the house without any makeup on?: I don’t wear makeup

Do you have any expensive hobbies?: if I had money...

What length do you like to keep your nails at?: short

Have you ever felt physical pain in a dream?: but not as much as Nat

Have you ever had Christmas carolers come to your house and sing for you?: when I was a kid

What’s your favorite Studio Ghibli film?: Porco Rosso?

What did you learn from your last failed relationship?: can we not talk about it...

What’s something on your to-do list that never actually gets done?: I’m a huge procrastinator

Have you ever been really passionate about something but then lost interest? If so, what was it?: collages

What’s the worst thing about being male/female (whichever you are)?: period, being able to get pregnant and have female kinds of cancer etc.

What movie has the best special effects?: I’m into practical special effects more than cgi but... there’s too many to name

When did you last have a vision test?: ages ago

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wings-of-indigo · 5 years

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So, Waitress is closing and Why I am Happy about that: An Exceedingly long essay Rant about Broadway

Look. Nobody's gonna read this, most likely, but it's 2 in the morning and my brain's been obsessing over Broadway (more than usual, anyway) since communing with my people at intensive this week. So, in the interest of getting some sleep before 8 hrs of dance and shitty high notes tomorrow, here goes.

I love classic, high-school-and-community standard musicals. I love new and experimental musicals. I love Disney film-to-stage musicals. I love institution musicals like Chorus Line, Cats, and Wicked; I even have a soft spot for Phantom. I am eagerly anticipating West Side Story next Christmas (seriously, I have a calander).

BUT.

As I said to one of my fellow dancers during post-class stretch (after noting his insane flexibilty and making yet another resolution to stretch more) I am Sick to GoDAMnEd DEATH of revivals, franchise adaptions, and restagings taking up the Broadway and greater theater markets.

I get why it's happening; I do. Musical theater, even shows that never make it out of Regional productions (Be More Chill, btw, I'm so proud of you bby :'-D ) are REALLY FREAKING EXPENSIVE, not just to stage, but also to develop. Broadway productions nowadays regularly go upwards of TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in costs.

Those costs are more and more frequently being met through funding by large groups of wealthy investors, who can expect basically little to no return on that investment. Only a select few shows that make it to the Great White Way do well enough to turn a profit (let alone the kinds of numbers that Hamilton, DEH, and Wicked continue to make), and more and more shows are closing in defict or once they break even. (Coincidentally, this is probably why we're seeing more and more straight plays on Broadway, especially in limited engagements. They're quicker, cheaper, and still have the same level of prestige.)

It makes sense then to assume that a show linked to an already successful property has a better chance of reaching that break-even mark, or perhaps generating a small return, than a more original idea. It's a surer bet, and we've seen it a lot these past few seasons. Anastasia, Beetlejuice, Pretty Woman, Moulin Rouge, Mean Girls... we get it. We promise. Investors want some security in an extremely and notoriously insecure market before they're willing to lay out the dough.

I get it. Everybody gets it.

And, to be fair, some of those shows are and continue to be GOOD. Tony nominees and award winners, even. But here's the problem: it's boring.

And not because I know how Act 2 ends without getting spoilers on tumblr. Unless they're younger than ten, the population of Broadway-and-musicals fans generally has a good handle on where a show's relevant plotlines are going. It's really not the wanting to know the end that keeps your butt in your overpriced red velvet seat and your eyes on the stage. It's the score, the words, occasionally the choreography, and most importantly the magicians on, off, and backstage bringing those things to life in a new and interesting way.

The antithesis of this, then, is having to watch slavish recreation of iconic scenes, lines, and characters from iconic films, presented Onstage! (TM), now with Bonus Songs! for your reconsumption. (Yes, Pretty Woman, I'm looking at you.)

Hey, I love Pretty Woman the Movie, slightly dodgy messages about feminity aside. I love it as a movie, and I really don't need to watch the knock off version of it, even if it comes in a shiny Broadway package.

Anastasia, and Beetlejuice, on the other hand, work extrodinarily well as musicals because they are NOT carbon copies of the original, somehow miraculously transplanted onto the stage.

Ironically, musicals based on original ideas are actually some of the most successful and well reviewed recent productions. Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, and Hadestown this season are all original works, and well, look at them. (Fishy, huh? Coincidence, I think the fuck not.)

Recently I got to see The Prom on Broadway, the day after I saw Pretty Woman. The contrast between shows and my enjoyment of them was well defined. I couldn't look away from The Prom, despite many of the major story beats being as obvious as our Cheeto-in-Chief's spray tan. I and the entire rest of the theater were completely engaged by what was going on onstage, both comedically and dramatically. At Pretty Woman, I found myself checking the Playbill to see how many songs were left for me to make it through and anxiously comparing the size of my thighs to the dancers onstage to pass the time (ah, pre pro Body Issues, welcome back! We all thought you'd retired!)

Three guesses which show I'd choose to see again.

When I read that Waitress was closing, the first thing I did was panic and start marking pre January weekends where I would both be free and possibly have disposable income (I've never gotten to see the show, and frankly I would like too). My second reaction was, yes, to mourn the closure of a wonderful show, but it was mixed with hopeful anticipation. Waitress had a good long time in the sun, and just like a well lived life, eventually it must and should end. It's better, in my humble student opinion, to live with memories and cast albums (and regional productions) than the stodgy life of a show that's jealously clung to its Broadway berth through the tourist-and-date-night trade (*cough*Phantom*cough*). It's sort of like your 40 something mother taking selfies in booty shorts in an effort to prove she's still 'hip' and in her twenties. Cringe.

Ephemera is the nature of live performance, and probably part of its allure. And just like in the natural world, old things have to end so that new things can become. Waitress closing is a vital part of this cycle.

Broadway has a limited number of theaters. That's a hard and absolute fact. Maybe a quarter of them are effectively taken off the market for new shows by productions apparently cursed with immortality. Waitress has just opened up another spot both physically and creatively for a new project- hopefully something we haven't seen before- and I hope to God, Satan, and Sondheim that it doesn't get filled with another franchise spinoff, celebrity jukebox musical, or -Lin Miranda forbid - yet another revival.

Why the revival hate, though? Aren't revivals an major way to revisit the landmark and important musicals of the past and bring them to a new audience?

Well, yes. They are, especially when they're staged and presented with the emphasis on letting the music and words speak for themselves and giving the actors leeway to work with the material, without the typical levels of Broadway Extra (TM) and creative meddling from the producers. (The recent Lincoln Center staging of A Chorus Line is a good example of the stripped down style I'm talking about.) But even if they have their place, once again, revivals (while valuable and cool and all that) are Something We've Already Seen.

Let's take Newsies for example. A show with a huge fan base (mostly teen, mostly girls) who I frequently see wishing for a revival.

Now, I am a raging Newsies fan. Newsies is the show that got me started on attempting to make a profession out of dance and theater. I can sing both the OBC and Live albums back to front. I may or may not have had embarrassing crushes on certain cast and characters that I will take to my grave (I'll never tell and you'll never know, mwahhaha). So, do I love and worship ever iteration of this show? Yes. Do I wish I had been able to see either the Natl Tour or Broadway productions? Hell yes, with all my heart. Do I wish the Gatelli choreography was in any way accessible for me to learn? More than I want Broadway tickets to cost less than my soul, kidney, and hypothetical but unlikely first born combined.

But do I want a Broadway revival? Hell FUCKING No.

It's over, it's done, and it lives on in reinterpretation in regional and junior productions. Good. That, to be quite honest, is where it should belong.

It doesn't need to be rehashed on the biggest stages, and to be frank, neither do most of the ultra popular revivals that have been happening. (Yes, Ali Stoker is awesome and deserves the world, but Broadway does not need Oklahoma. If you need to see it that bad, go find a high school production somewhere. I recommend the midwest.) Broadway does not need 1776 (even though I am looking forward to it). Broadway does not need a Sweeney Todd revival (even though I want one like I want ice cream after suffering through jazz class in an un-air-conditioned studio on a 90 degree afternoon with no breeze. Seriously, I might be making sacrifices at my altar to this cause in the back of my closet).

Broadway needs musicals that are at least nominally original, and if not, come from something obscure enough (Kinky Boots, Waitress, Newsies) that they can make their own way. Barring that, investors, writers, and directors, please have the courage and decency to take established content in a new direction. Please, I'm begging you. I'd honestly-and-truly much rather sit through something that didn't try to shove the better version of itself down my throat even as it bored and annoyed me to tears. If I'm going to pay $80+ to sit through two hours of something terrible (and less engaging than my dancer body image issues) at least let me get my money's worth in unique horribleness.

#broadway #newsies #hadestown #mean girls #anastasia the musical #musical theater #waitress #hamilton #beetlejuice #tony awards

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chiseler · 4 years

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Neg Sparkle #9

Clarence Muse

“Neg sparkle" is a kind of film damage manifesting as twinkling constellations on the image. This column is about a different kind of film damage, the mental havoc wrought by overindulgence in cinema, though I hold out the possibility that a human being so afflicted may be in some ways better than the normal kind.

Modern audiences watching classic movies are definitely more aware of problematic sexual and racial depictions. Or are they?

Yes and no. Cinephiliacs of my age group are often scornful of millennials who need a trigger warning before seeing Gone with the Wind. We like to think we've always been suitably aware of the film's dodgy AnteBellum nostalgia, racial caricatures and rape-romance confusion. We're offended by any suggestion that we weren't aware enough. And so two audiences who basically agree on the film's dated and reactionary problem areas fall to squabbling about what an appropriate response should consist of.

There's room for polite disagreement. Sometimes, being marginally closer to the period of a film's production might give older viewers insight into what was on the filmmakers' minds. This isn't always in the filmmakers' favor. There's the famous moment in Dirty Harry where a black heister is forced to disarm by the threat that Clint Eastwood's '44 Magnum might still have a bullet left, and then says, in dialect equal parts blaxploitation and Uncle Tom's Cabin, "I gots to know." A friend who was a youngster when the movie opened says, "It was racist then."

There are a few jokes in early Woody Allen films about the comedian's penchant for underage teenage girls. I think it's fair to say that these would be creepy and offensive and unfunny even without accusations of actual child abuse being leveled at Allen, and they're creepy and offensive and unfunny whether you believe the allegations or not.

I remember reading a contemporaneous review of Allen's "early, funny ones," saying that some of the topical jokes in his films would one day result in quiet spots of incomprehension as the references fly over the heads of modern audiences, as had happened to some of Groucho's '30s one-liners. What they didn't predict was that some of his jokes would seem awkward, chilling, unpleasant. These kind of moments, though, occur in most movies from earlier times.

TCM does not, so far as I'm aware, feel any need to issue warnings before screening movies featuring Fred "Snowflake" Toones, who appeared in supporting roles, mostly uncredited, in 198 features, most of them in the '40s, while also running the shoeshine stand at Republic Pictures. playing almost exclusively ignorant, stupid, servile characters. Occasionally he might get better material, as in The Biscuit Eater (1940), but even there he's not credited under his real name. I don't dislike Toones, but his very eagerness to win an audience's favor is part of what makes him uncomfortable to watch today. And I suspect he caused the more enlightened audiences some trouble back then.

Other Black actors refused, or tried their best, not to play stereotypes. Clarence Muse would exert his considerable creativity to find ways to breathe life and intelligence into the roles he was given. Even he couldn't win out over the material all the time. And then there's the very strange case of Lincoln Perry, credited as Steppin Fetchit while playing characters with ironic or frankly insulting names like Cicero, Swifty, Flash, or Snowshoes (the shuffling walk, you see), all while impersonating a character he called "Sleep 'n' Eat". Like Russian dolls, a man inside an actor inside a characterisation inside a role...

Black audiences liked Fetchit and saw him as a parody of a parody, and felt that the joke was on white audiences who thought black people were like that. Pretending to be slow could be a way of beating the boss, and working less hard. It's fair to say that black and white audiences were maybe laughing at different jokes, packaged as the same joke. But how should audiences react now? If I'm watching alone at home I'll just laugh if I think a thing is funny, and also maybe cringe if I think it's offensive. In a crowd, I might try not to laugh. Out of self-defense, more than good taste.

I have no trouble seeing the plain wrong stuff in old movies as the necessary discomfort in something that might be too smoothly pleasurable, too nostalgic. But in some movies it can reach a level where the pleasure is totally overcome. The Half-Naked Truth is a very funny pre-code from Gregory La Cava which delights in vulgar bad taste throughout. But it ends with Lee Tracy making a fist to threaten an alarmed Lupe Velez, while the Wedding March plays on the soundtrack. It's chilling. Laughter dies in the throat and swiftly decomposes.

In some nightmare vision of the future, will we all be so sensitive and enlightened that all the movies of the past play like Birth of a Nation? I guess, if we really were that enlightened, it would be a price worth paying. But I think we have a way to go.

by David Cairns

#David Cairns #The Chiseler #Lee Tracy #Lupe Velez #Neg Sparkle

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theos-butt · 5 years

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Theo James: From ‘Divergent’ to ‘Sanditon’

Ruben V. Nepales - 9 hours ago

Theo James —Ruben V. Nepales

LOS ANGELES—Theo James’ TV series, “Sanditon,” has just begun, but he’s already making waves. In the second episode of the series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name, Theo got the social media buzzing with his naked scene.

In the final minutes of the episode, Theo, playing Sidney Parker, emerged from the sea completely nude and exposed his bottom. Rose Morrison, who portrays the coy Charlotte Heywood, got flustered as she paddled in the water.

Theo, noted for his roles in “The Divergent” series (as Four), “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” (Rek’yr), the “Underworld” series (David) and “Downton Abbey” (Kemal Pamuk), was quoted as saying to Radio Instances:

“If there’s going to be any nakedness, it must be there for a story purpose, after which it is effective. It is pretty pointless to have somebody whipping their package off for the sake of it….”

Excerpts from our interview with the 34-year-old actor:

Did you know Jane Austen had this unfinished novel, “Sanditon”? To be honest, I didn’t have that much knowledge of it. I read Jane Austen a lot in school, but I didn’t know anything about “Sanditon.” It’s basically eight chapters of her last piece of work and then she died. So, it’s later in her career, which is interesting.

Her writing changed and it was evolving and also in terms of the social dynamic in Regency Britain. At the time, things were changing quite a lot. But I also think the fascination is with Jane Austen. There are many adaptations of her novels and I guess the idea of doing one that hasn’t ever been done before was a strong pull for the producers.

That and combined with the ability of someone like Andrew Davies who is the preeminent adapter of those great pieces of classic writing—those two combinations made real sense and for him to continue the story. He brings real legitimacy to it.

It would have been hard without someone who’s as well-known and respected as Andrew to take on a Jane Austen work that was unfinished.

Jane Austen’s heroines were women who were ahead of their time. How do her works resonate with you, who grew up with women? How much awareness did you have early on about the positive influence of women in your life? It’s very present from early on. Not only do I have sisters, but my mom raised five kids. She worked her entire life.

She began essentially as an occupational therapist, which is a version of a nurse, then worked her way up to commissioning for one of the largest councils in Britain.

She is a very strong female presence in my life. I was aware of women’s rights, their abilities and strengths and how the balance is always not tipped in women’s favor. So that awareness has been present my entire life.

It is a huge theme in Jane Austen’s novels and in “Sanditon” particularly, about women’s roles, and the oppressive forces of male dominance. That’s why the show is really interesting.

Williams (left) and James in “Sanditon”

—RED PLANET PICTURES/ITV

You celebrated your first wedding anniversary. Did your marriage change the way you pick projects? I think so. When you are starting out, you are a young actor and you are kind of hustling, you are probably willing to sacrifice a lot or most things.

Whereas when you get older and a bit longer in the tooth, you realize that work is important, but life is more important or just as important.

In any career, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of being obsessed with what the next job is and how you are going to progress, etcetera.

But life is extremely short and living life is more important than being obsessed.

Does it help that both you and your wife, Ruth Kearney, are in the industry? Yeah, that makes it easier. If you are both actors, you understand the world, how things can change very quickly and how you might be away for three months.

Do you live in Hollywood or London? I live just under the “O” in the Hollywood sign. No, I’m kidding (laughs). I sleep in a sleeping bag. No, I live in London and LA.

Do you feel like a British actor when you are in LA? I definitely feel British, but I’ve ended up working here a lot and I love the state of California. It’s amazing. I grew up in a very suburban kind of satellite town in London.

So, being here when I can for half the year or a portion of the year is great, because it’s so different from the way I grew up—the sun, beach, environment and being able to see and visit everything that California has to offer. So yeah, it’s very much a part of my life, but I’m still a very snooty Brit.

It’s hard to detect your snootiness. Of course (laughs). I’m a nun essentially, or a priest.

Can you also talk about your coming film, “Archive”? Aside from starring in it, were you also the executive producer? I produced it actually. “Archive” is a really interesting script that I read about two years ago. It’s by Gavin Rothery who is a friend and a good new director. He was an art designer and he designed all the sets and everything essentially for the film “Moon,” that great Sam Rockwell movie.

He is also a great writer. He wrote the script, which has some DNA in the “Moon” world.

We developed “Archive” along with Phil Herd, his other producer for several years.

For me, it was important because it was the first thing that I produced. With age and experience, I’ll be moving more and more into that (directing). So, producing “Archive” was a defining moment for me.

James (left) and Rose Williams in the TV series, “Sanditon”

—RED PLANET PICTURES/ITV

Were there actors in your family who inspired you? They were very encouraging, but there were no actors in the family. But being the youngest, I was obviously always striving for attention. My mom’s auntie was a musician and a cabaret singer, but I think that’s pretty much it.

How did you become interested in acting? My parents used to make me do short tap dancing numbers on the streets in London for coins (laughs). No, I just did it at school, then I did it at University (of Nottingham). After university, I was figuring out what I was going to do and I went to the Old Vic, which is this drama school (Bristol Old Vic Theatre School) essentially.

Can you talk about your fight against plastic packaging? Plastic is obviously a massive problem in Britain. They started doing this thing where you are paying for plastic. They have all these stats that say that amount of plastic tonnage that has been used has been reduced by 74 percent or whatever it is.

But there’s the other way of doing it, which is to completely ban plastic. Kenya did that and I know there’s been some interesting blowback from that. But they cut it out completely.

That’s the way we should go, because plastic is getting to every part of the planet that is physically possible. We saw that in the bottom of the Mariana Trench—how there were plastic particles there.

You are also an activist, championing Syrian refugees who have been displaced from their homes. I am doing as much as I can, but not enough. I have talked to the UN to bring light on the situation, raise money, but it’s not enough, to be honest. We always talk about doing more, but I myself am guilty of not doing enough, really.

But I continue doing the work with the UN and I will continue to do so. But unfortunately, the other thing is that there’s not only one refugee crisis. There are many refugee crises.

What’s up next for you? So I’ve just launched a production company with a friend of mine, who is a producer and we have a film going in the first quarter in 2020. We have two TV shows that are far along in development.

And we have “Archive,” the film I produced that’s in post. I am taking off now until October the 5th, when my other brother gets married. I will do nothing, acting-wise, but just enjoy life.

E-mail [email protected]. Follow him at http://twitter.com/nepalesruben.

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emma-what-son · 5 years

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Anniversary Month - A Himmmm Blind Item

If you’re familiar with the CDAN blog, then you’ll know that Enty isn’t the only one who posts there. There’s also a guy who goes by the alias Himmmm who is an industry insider. This person doesn’t just write short blind item’s, but long articles exposing people. Some think it’s an actor. Some even thought that it was Robert Downey Jr, who denied it. He recently wrote another post and Emma was mentioned in it.

This is a tough one to write, simply for the challenge of not giving it away and damaging anything before it happens. It's amazing it has been kept this quiet for so long, but I'm sure it'll leak out after the Oscars. Anything this big is bound to. Like the old saying goes: "If you want to keep a secret between three people in Hollywood – two of them better be dead". No, there's no murders or deaths surrounding this film, yet. But the story it is based on sure had plenty. What I'm talking about is a movie. A big movie that will be one of those rarities that is both Oscar lure and box office success. A+ list all the way, big budgets, big talent, and every A+ list actress/actor in the industry wanting to be a part of it. The secrecy around it is unlike anything in history. They're not even using a fake name as cover, it's totally off-book. Right now, they have more attorneys involved in this project than filmmakers, crew, or elements. Maybe the first time in history a Hollywood studio has employed publicists to PREVENT people from knowing about it. They even hired social media ninjas to comb the internet to shoot down and remove mentions of it. I even wonder if it'll stay long on CDAN. I've not seen this much secrecy on a film since Jurassic Park. Even Avengers, or Star Wars Force Awakens wasn't this paranoid. So why all the fuss?

It's a porno. Yep. Uh-huh. A porno. Okay, to be fair – it's about a porno star, not an actual porno. So if you're thinking Boogie Nights or those Deep Throat – Linda Lovelace films, you're asking: So what? What's the big deal? They even have The Deuce on HBO. Why so secretive? Because comparing this film project to those is like comparing Plan 9 From Outer Space or Lost In Space to the entire Star Wars saga or Avatar. Point is that this project is so huge and prestigious that it makes the others look like a "Skin-emax" soft core indie film. Mostly though, it is because in the current social/scandal climate surrounding Hollywood these days they put the lock-down on this project for good reason. They don't want leaks leading to people accusing the filmmakers of being tone-deaf insensitive; and they also absolutely do not want to get flooded by every perv in Hollywood trying to get a part or be part of it. A single casting couch rumor on this project would torpedo it. So they've gone to insane lengths to protect it. Not long ago, this (disgraced A list director/Brett Ratner) was set to do a big-budget adult-themed project (about a permanent A list celebrity/Hefner Film) that got torpedoed over his abuse accusations. When a studio already has tens of millions sunk in a project, they cannot let that happen. Especially in high-dollar ironclad play-or-pay deals (not to be confused with pay-for-play, tit-for-tat, barter, couching, or land yachting). It's like this: This movie is about one very specific female actress who was known mainly in the 1980s era of porn. It is a biopic in that sense. But her fame was such in her time that she crossed over to more mainstream top-shelf publications, and even television interviews. Possibly the most beautiful all-American girl next door to ever have a hardcore career. If you're thinking it is (former underage porn star/Traci Lords) you would be wrong. But she's a featured character in it too. Thing is, the star of the story disappeared. Vanished into thin air after her last film. Not vanished dead, because she went on to have a different life. She went to law school, became an attorney, changed her name and had a nice family. Typical soccer mom, Sunday-school teacher, holly homemaker type. Until a few years ago when she was contacted by people who represented the last big mafia family. They were looking to sell their holdings in porn to a legit media company for big bucks. Problem is, she was one of their most popular stars and she had a unique contract in her day (which allegedly she co-wrote herself back then with her law professor). She quit and vanished from porn due to the mob taking over her porn studio, and killing many of the owners of it. Years later, turns out she was owed millions in back royalties – and her contract was still legally enforceable. The legit media buyers wouldn't proceed without her signature on a new contract; or her accepting a settlement; or…her death certificate. Yep. The mob had to either pay her or kill her. Which was tricky to do, because even if they found her – the FBI still wanted to bring her in as a witness against the mob hits of her bosses. Then it got ugly for her, and turned into quite a ride. Turns out, she lived and prevailed. Using her brilliance instead of her body. But it was one hell of a bumpy ride. Best of all? It was ALL TRUE. It resulted in the FBI actually getting plea deals with mobsters; clearing 30 year-old mob hit murders; and solving money laundering cases worth tons of money globally. The legit media company got the old porn library titles and reaped a billion from it. And it all really happened. She also got her money, and peace. It's one of the best scripts to come through Hollywood in decades, and has an amazing role for the lead actress. Best of all it includes life rights, and the lady ex-porn star's willingness to promote it. It is a package that includes documentaries, media stories, and specials. The studio that bought it agreed to use cross-promotion synergy from many of their media divisions to tell her story. In any era of the entertainment industry it would be a welcome change for such great material and a big project. But, as you all know – this isn't any era. It is a very sensitive era, especially telling women's stories, porn stories, and having lots of sex and nudity on a project. If the project isn't done right, in the right tone with the right people? It'll be destroyed before it ever opens purely by social media, rumors, and speculations from knee-jerkers who will attack it without any idea of it. That has happened or nearly happened many times in the past. So the conglomerate/studio who is producing it has set up a massive legal, security, and IT security team that would rival a government's. Everything to do with the project is kept on off-line isolated secure computers. Nothing is allowed to be taken in, or out. They do not even let the team working on the movie bring in mobile phones or devices. An entire 25% of the studio's legal staff are devoted to this one project. Clearing rights, contracts, and mostly NDA's that would make an intelligence agency jealous. The punishment for violation by actors? So severe and massive that it would basically blacklist and possibly bankrupt not just the actor, but their agents and managers. It's that extreme. But few would risk that anyway, since even (permanent A list mostly movie actress/Meryl Streep) has supposedly offered to do a small role in the project for scale just to be part of it. Somehow, I don't think they want her for the lead. Of course, nothing is totally foolproof or totally private. When the studio (they have wide ranging entertainment industries/Warner) first pre-emptively gobbled up the rights to it a year ago, they originally did it with this star (disgraced former A list mostly movie actor/Kevin Space) in mind for the older male lead. Whoops. Then when this company (disgraced A list director's company/Ratpac Dune) got slammed in scandal, the studio had to find a quick co-financing partner. Whoops again. So they shared the project with a few select investors. They too were subject to the legal lockdown but the studio needs them more than they need the studio, so not much threat there. Interestingly, one investor stepped right up and wrote the studio a blank check because the project is so good. Recently, the investor swallowed up the entire project, buying the rights from the studio, and has threatened to take it to (a studio that owns a theme park/Universal) is this studio doesn't shape up. The producers got the best director (A lister who had a very good 2017/Christopher Nolan) for this project. As picky as he is, he jumped at this project. He's not known for his heartfelt movies, but with this script and his recent hit (Dunkirk) he's given wide berth. He's one of the few that could be trusted with this material, and do it proper without risk of any problems derailing it. The studio used this project as bait to try and lure him to other projects (his old project/Batman), but he won't commit to those. Meanwhile, the studio and director have held semi-formal casting sessions very, very, very secretly. Every actress is told to bring an attorney or manager; a studio attorney is present; a female casting director; and every meeting is video recorded. All because of the "casting couch" temptations – not by the director, but by eager actresses. Also due to the adult nature of the story, and the fact that it will have reams of nudity and sex. This will not be one of those PG-13 movies about sex, it'll be very true to the script. This actress (A list mostly movie actress who worked with the director before/Ane Hathaway) already said she'd do anything for the lead; as did (foreign born A- list mostly movie actress/Marion Cotillard), and (foreign born B+ list mostly movie actress who was barely old enough to drive when that gross French actor had sex with her before casting her/Melanie Laurent), and (A+ list mostly movie actress who is an Oscar winner/nominee/Jennifer Lawrence), and (A list mostly movie actress who is an Oscar winner/nominee/Jessica Chastain). It's crazy, but only one of those even has a shot at the lead. Even (former A+ list mostly movie actress/America's sweetheart/Sandra Bullock) and (foreign born A- list mostly movie actress who had a franchise back in the day and could use a career boost/Emma Watson) have told their agents to get them auditions. Actresses who "never read" or audition are jumping at it. These actresses are offering to work for scale, do anything required onscreen, and sign unprecedented promotion agreements. This actress (foreign born A list mostly movie actress who is a recent Oscar nominee/Margot Robbie) has already auditioned for a supporting role. Funny enough, this actress (former A list singer/number one box office star in a different country/Jessica Simpson) auditioned for the same role. I don't think it'll be a fair fight to see who wins that one although I can see the box-office appeal of the latter's scenes being a big draw. I've heard (A-/B+ list mostly movie actress who was married to a celebrity offspring/Diane Lane) has given one of the best reads thus far. For male leads, this actor (foreign born A+ list mostly movie actor/Christian Bale) has said he too would waive his fee, and possibly return to a franchise for the studio. Guess he's getting pumped up for it. Meanwhile, it's said (permanent A list mostly movie actor who started in television and had a nice run there/George Clooney), and (permanent A list mostly movie actor despite his relatively young age/Leonardo DiCaprio), and this actor (permanent A list mostly movie actor who has made a ton of money in a superhero franchise/Robert Downey Jr.) have all agreed to audition and read. I cannot tell you how unusual that is. It is one of the rare times lately when the material really seems to be king (and not how many toys you can sell – although toys related to this movie sure wouldn't be sold in Wal-Mart). During the hoopla around the Golden Globes, many A+ listers were fighting the urge to discuss the project though they knew the others knew. Sort of like a secret club. Many actresses used it as a cover story to happen to be in town at the same time auditions were ongoing. Likewise, during the coming Oscars week, the director and studio will be wrapping up major casting under the same cover of people all being in town. Yes, it is that big of a deal. I personally cannot wait, and hope it comes off without a hitch. We probably won't have to wait too long. Any project with that much heat will get a quick greenlight. That's the sexiest thing of all. Especially if you're producing it.

#blind item

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jeremystrele · 3 years

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The Show Must Go On, With Photographer Sarah Collins And Family

Family

by Sally Tabart

Photographer and performer Sarah Collins and actor and TV writer Justin Kennedy, with their daughters Polly (6) and Daisy (1). Photo – Zoe Eley.

Sarah and Polly in their gorgeous garden. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Hanging out on a beautiful day in the garden. Photo – Zoe Eley.

The family live in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Baby Daisy was born in the height of lockdown in 2020. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Polly is a born entertainer! Photo – Zoe Eley.

‘Polly adores her little sister so much and Daisy thinks Polly is a total rockstar’, says Sarah. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Polly and Justin having a kick in the back yard. Photo – Zoe Eley.

The family love their life in the hills. Photo – Zoe Eley.

‘If we take Daisy out of the house she looks as though her mind is being constantly blown’, says Sarah. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Patting the chickens. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Justin and Polly. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Daisy exploring the garden. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Photo – Zoe Eley.

Polly getting her cowgirl on! Photo – Zoe Eley.

Polly exploring the garden. Photo – Zoe Eley.

Justin and Sarah, who first met while judging an improv comedy show! Photo – Zoe Eley.

Photographer and performer Sarah Collins and her husband, actor and TV writer Justin Kennedy, have one of the best ‘meet cute’ stories of all time.

There was a Hairhouse Warehouse commercial on air around 2006, and Sarah became inexplicably captivated with its starring character dubbed the ‘freaky bald guy’ (Justin!). ‘I was living by myself at the time, and if the ad came on and I was in another room, I would literally race through my apartment to get to the TV’ Sarah recalls. ‘I thought the freaky bald guy was the funniest person I’d ever seen in my life. I would think about him constantly.’

In a completely random coincidence, a year later the pair ended up judging an improv comedy TV show together (although she didn’t clock him then) and randomly bumping into each other at a party shortly after. It wasn’t until they eventually went on a date that Sarah figured out that her new beau Justin was, in fact, the ‘freaky bald guy’ from the Hairhouse Warehouse commercial she had been so obsessed with! And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sarah and Justin are now married and have two daughters – Polly (6) and Daisy (1). Daisy was born during the height of lockdown in 2020, and Polly has experienced her first year of schooling almost completely through a screen. They’ve been through the full spectrum of pandemic parenting highs and lows.

But despite all the scary stuff, Sarah, Justin and their two girls are making it work, mostly by making each other laugh. This is a family of born performers – and after all, the show must go on!

hey Sarah! Your second baby, Daisy, was born during the pandemic. What has her first year been like?

Sarah: Well, it’s basically been a massive sociological experiment. I think all babies born in the lockdowns need to be studied. Will they have better attachment because the parent-child dyad has been unbroken for the better part of two years? Will they have more anxiety? Less? It’s so fascinating.

For the most part it’s been hugely positive. No one ever came up to me in the grocery store asking to rub my pregnant belly. I got very little unsolicited advice from strangers.

At the hospital, all the midwives were saying there were better breastfeeding rates because parents weren’t trying to navigate loads of family members coming in to see the baby. They were saying it had been so positive to the experience new parents were having.

If we take Daisy out of the house she looks as though her mind is being constantly blown. People comment on it. She looks at other humans like they’re the biggest novelty because she’s very rarely seen ones other than us.

In lockdown I’ve had no in-person family support or babysitting, but because Justin has been home this entire time I’ve felt so supported. When we had Polly he was head writer of The Project so he would spend the morning with Polly but not be home until 8.30pm. He worked Sundays too. He was such an attentive dad when he was home, but he was absent for a lot of milestones. With Daisy, because he’s working from home, I’ve been able to call out to him to come see when she crawled for the first time or started waving.

Polly and Daisy are around 6 years apart. What does she think of Daisy?

They are nearly 6 years apart and it has been an amazing age gap for us. There is no jealousy because they have literally nothing in common. Polly adores her little sister so much and Daisy thinks Polly is a total rockstar.

It took us 2.5 years to have Daisy and we nearly gave up trying because we felt the age gap was getting so large. Now I cannot believe how much of a blessing it’s been. Daisy has kept Polly engaged all lockdown with her development, and Polly adores reading and singing to Daisy and making her laugh. They’re such sweet little buddies.

What kind of kid is Polly? How has everything that has gone down over the last couple of years affected her?

Wow. That is a huge question.

Polly is like a supernova. By the time she was two she was already the most interesting person I’d ever met. She was that kid freaking out the the educators at daycare with her oracle insights. She has an immense inner world and seems to know things long before she logically should.

In a five minute period she’ll ask questions about anything from Harriet Tubman and slavery, to Marie Antoinette and the Boston Tea Party. She’s morbidly into celebrity deaths and constantly gets me to check how various people she’s interested in have died.

At times it’s hard to believe she’s 6. She calls BS on so much stuff adults say and do and doesn’t suffer fools. She’s both totally cynical and yet spent most of 2020 pretending to be a horse. You can’t argue with her. If you tell her to go to bed she’ll just point blank tell you she’s a cowgirl and needs to stay up late to stargaze. We’ve learned you can’t easily negotiate with cowgirls.

This also means she can be highly anxious and her brain is so busy she can get really overwhelmed. She started having nightmares after Daisy was born that were so debilitating she couldn’t go anywhere in the house without us. She was so worried something would happen to Daisy. It was both the most heartwarming and horrendous thing to witness as a parent.

How has homeschooling gone for you guys?

Teaching Polly through the pandemic has been tricky to navigate, because she absolutely loathes learning through the screen. During term three it was getting progressively harder to hold her attention and I was pleading with her to at least give her teachers some respect and honour the work and time they were putting in, but she would sit in front of the screen for five minutes then walk away.

Then I had this big realisation: She is learning all by herself constantly. She’s such a good learner! She might be walking away from the screen, but then she’s asking about the Great Fire of London and researching how Harry Houdini died – who cares if she hates subitising?!

We’re just letting her do her thing and watching on in awe and fascination for the most part, with support where she needs it.

You’ve talked a little on social media about how the Pandemic has really affected your household financially. Things got a little scary for you guys last year, with your incomes so greatly impacted. Can you tell us a little about that?

It was an absolute perfect storm.

I discovered I was pregnant in early January 2020, right as this thing called Coronavirus was in its infancy. Because of morning sickness I had to stop the majority of my photography work earlier than expected. I had started up a pretty successful Airbnb that we ran out of our home, but once things started ramping up with the virus, we cancelled all our upcoming reservations. At the time everyone was quite shocked because they didn’t think it was that serious.

Of course we know what happened then… we never reopened and I never went back to work.

Once the Government assistance packages kicked in, I wasn’t eligible for Job Keeper and wasn’t able to do Job Seeker because I was so ill, but also worried about getting the virus while pregnant. Then, despite the fact that you pay tax, Airbnb’s don’t count as real work, so I wasn’t able to claim for that. My days turned into being a full time sick, tired, pregnant lady/mum/kinder educator to Polly.

In 2020, the filming schedules for Justin’s work changed and he had a 6 month gap between shows which had never happened before. We lived off our savings and he began to re-skill, teaching himself how to do SEO work. He received Job Seeker for a short while too, but it was barely enough to make a dent in our outgoings. We began realising things were only going to get worse, and would most likely have to sell the house. We were looking to possibly move back to Toowoomba (my hometown) until things calmed down, or renting in Melbourne for a while.

Once Daisy was born we thought we could get the parental leave payment, but her birth certificate didn’t arrive for 8 months (the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages closed its offices completely throughout the pandemic) and so that was another stress. Our parenting payment finally came through last week after 12 long months of waiting!

Despite everything though, we feel genuinely lucky because despite huge pockets where neither of us was working, we were able to just scrape by (some days by the skin of our teeth).

Another thing you speak about a lot is the ongoing challenges for the entertainment industry as a result of the pandemic. Can you explain a little more about this impact, and how it makes you feel as both a part of this community, and also as a parent?

Well, you know that old adage about parents not wanting their kids to go into performing arts? For the first time in my life, that is finally making sense.

Seeing other friends rehearse show after show and have them literally all close before they’d even opened was, and still is, completely shocking and heartbreaking.

There is no assistance on offer to the smaller productions and artists in general, but shockingly who knows how many of our seasoned artists Australia will lose because of this? And who is to say that when we finally do get to go back that it will even be sustainable? The insurance will be an absolute nightmare. At the other end of the scale, how many school leavers will choose not to pursue performing arts, because… why would you? HOW could you?

I would love to say the future looks bright, but there is a cost to all of this. As a parent I feel so deeply sad at the cultural cost to our children as they grow up without seeing their experiences reflected back at them.

And I’m just so sad for any kid who had hoped to go to performing arts school and will be robbed of the opportunity to be a cherry blossom in a rehearsal room for three hours a day like I did. Those were really good days. And really good things come out of pretending to be a cherry blossom.

What brings you joy, and what are you hopeful for?

Our beautiful hills life brings me so much joy. The trees, the fresh air, the parrots and cockatoos. Justin and I are also loving seeing what fun things Daisy finds to put on her head. Today it was undies, followed by pants then a Christmas ornament.

Honestly the next generation gives us so much hope. Have you met them? They’re awesome.

Kallista in the early springtime. Photo – Zoe Eley.

FAMILY FAVOURITES

Family outing?

We love love love visiting shops in our incredible hills community. Nat at The Patch Store, Josephine who runs Kallista Cellars, Mirakye at Epoche and Jo at Clementine By Design. All of them have known our children from birth, and they are the aunties to so many children and families in our community.

Restaurant or cafe?

Bam Bam Italian – it’s the favourite restaurant of every child in the hills.

Go-to album or playlist?

Because Polly chooses the music so often (thanks Alexa) we’ve been stuck on a heavy rotation of Hamilton, Trolls 2, Vivo and Hamilton.

Sunday ritual?

Now that picnics are allowed, we go and see Justin’s mum in a park on the cusp of both our 10km radiuses. After months of not seeing each other it’s something we will never take for granted again.

And we always get Pizza from Mad Raven in Kallista. Like, it’s a non-negotiable. We’ve eaten it every weekend for a decade haha. Best pizza in the world.

Follow along with Sarah’s family here and check out her beautiful photography work here!

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thinksynq2021 · 3 years

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My Startup Experience – Part 2

CHANGE IN PACKAGING & UNIT OF SALES

Loss of sales due to stock-out situation was a major problem. The Hindi film music compilation itself had close to 2,000 SKUs. Whenever there was sales pressure to increase volume of compilations, the sales team used to dump stocks in the market leading to receivables issue and loss of sales in future months. When we analyzed the sales data, the following emerged:

There were no basic stocking norms – min, max and reorder levels, geography wise sales forecast was not done, the orders on factory were random and sometimes based on past trends – if we didn’t sell in the past we won’t sell in the future.

Orders from wholesalers were in units on 1, 2 and 3 pieces.

The sales guy didn’t have stock status, past sales pattern and what sold in that geography in the past; the entire order taking was random. Most sales guys were part of the system for long and hence “knew” what would sell.

An interesting change was suggested by one of the trainees – we introduced a simple pack containing 10 pieces (instead of single pieces) in a wrap and that became the unit of sale – the result was amazing – sales volume more than doubled. Practical ideas are plenty with frontline workers and many lead to amazing results. This was one example; I will narrate two others in my association with Airtel:

The base plan of a landline phone was Rs.250 rental and every three minutes of use was charged at Rs.1.80. Data was charged additionally. Most customers’ bills were a little over rental. We introduced a plan with Rs.499 as minimum charges but up to value of Rs.499 we gave usage fully either for voice or data. In itself it was an excellent product and delivered much higher revenue per customer. But the problem was perception of minimum payout of Rs.499 instead of Rs.250 leading to a lot of internal resistance. One smart sales executive found a way to sell the plan as “RENT FREE” plan. This one simple changed everything and this plan delivered most of our future sales.

When a customer doesn’t pay his bills within a certain time, his outgoing calls are barred. Many pay immediately and expect the line to be restored immediately but company waited for the cheque clearance and delay caused anguish. One of the front-line boys suggested that we ‘trust’ the customer and restore once he gives cheque details and re-bar only if the cheque doesn’t get cleared. Risk was low – just two days calls. The customer satisfaction level went up significantly with just this one tweak.

These two initiatives drove up the compilation sales so much that, suddenly profitability position changed – very low variable cost, no risk of not selling as these are regularly consumed items and increased sales directly drove up the profits. This led to – more cash on hand & hence more ability to take risks in new films and introducing new artists.

PEOPLE FRONT

When you enter a stressed organization, there will be temptation to change people at least at the senior level. The organization had two completely different cultures:

A maverick filmy culture amongst those in Bombay, dealing with big artists and film producers and actors – mostly new joinees

The other, an easy-going & simple but laid-back culture in Calcutta and the rest of the organization – mostly old timers.

Two things were clear – over staffing and secondly two different paces at which the organization moved.

The recording studio was part of the Calcutta plant. Most people working there had been in the company for decades and had a very genuine and simple connect with artists visiting the studio for recording. This set up was not very professional and efficient, but it was beautiful. I am referring to a bunch of people who did not have the primary responsibility to deal with artists but had a far deeper understanding of the importance of the relationship.

Though the company was not doing financially very well, the DNA of the organization was artists centric. The last thing I wanted was to disturb this core. HMV is probably one of the few turnarounds which was achieved over time by many including a little contribution from me without touching the existing employees – not one changed.

The same team when the company started getting profitable, re-entered various markets, created a lot of new music and ultimately became the darling of the stock market, contributed to all its successes. What employees need is a connect to a common goal and want to be a part of a winning team.

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redwidowmedia · 3 years

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Video Streaming Services – Red Widow Streams

Cutting cables in droves seems to be very popular nowadays and a lot of companies are putting out their online streaming options to compete. Marathon watching TV is the new most popular leisure activity with more and more video streaming services emerging on the market each year. In the beginning of the cord cutting era the choice was simple – Netflix.

Today, there are different kinds of both devices and streaming services appealing to different audiences depending on their background – cord-cutters, cord- shavers or even new crop of cord-nevers.

Since it’s not always easy to decide what streaming service suits you best, we’ve compiled a list of top 10 in a random fashion, to help you with your decision making and narrow down your search.

1. HBO Now

Benefits: HBO Now is ideal for people who are not really fans of cable TV. Join to get the greater part of the TV offer, films, specials, and documentaries. In the event that you already have HBO through your cable provider, have in mind that the HBO Go application gives you a chance to watch HBO on your mobile, tablet, and many other devices.

Useful information: HBO Now has more than 5 million subscribers and it’s now available on different devices, including Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Microsoft Xbox, Roku, Samsung TVs, and PlayStation Vue. It’s also available via a growing number of cord-cutting streaming services, like DirecTV Now, or as part of Amazon Channels. Point being if you ever wanted HBO content but didn’t want to pay for cable or satellite service, HBO Now is your best option. Even better, if you’re an Apple tech user, HBO Now works with its own app on your Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and through a web browser on your Mac(or any other PC.

Price: $15 per month 2. YouTube TV

Benefits: Best solution for cord-cutters looking for another option in addition to Sling TV and DirecTV Now. It has cloud DVR with unlimited storage offering live TV from 50 providers. With its selection of channels, like Bravo, Disney, ESPN, FX, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, National Geographic, USA and many more. There is also an option to add channels like Showtime for additional fee. YouTube says it’s still in discussions with networks, so more channels could be added soon.

Useful information: recently it was announced by Google that the price of YouTube TV will move from $35 to $40 per month, because MLB Network would be included soon and the plan is for YouTube TV to also carry MLB for an additional fee which remains to be disclosed. YouTube TV offers rich program on all devices with plot descriptions, cast information, and related programming for movies and shows. For sports, team information, league rankings, scores, and roster details are all available.

Price: $40 per month. 3. Netflix

Benefits: Netflix has a vast library of movies and TV shows, plus now-classic original shows like “Orange Is the New Black” or hits like “Stranger Things”. It even has original movies “Beasts of No Nation”. A contract with Marvel brought “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones” to Netflix and subscribers will have access to Disney titles until the end of 2018. After that Disney will remove those so start its own streaming service.

Useful information: Netflix is co-financing and distributing Michael Bay’s next film, “Six Underground,” with Ryan Reynolds. The movie is expected to appear on Netflix in 2019. Also, Netflix has expanded its relationship with Comcast, which will include a Netflix subscription to new Xfinity cable packages.

Price: $8 per month for standard-def video on a single screen; $11 per month for high-def video on up to two screens; $14 per month for 4K Ultra High Definition video on up to four screens; 4. Sling TV

Benefits: Again, ideal for cord-cutters. Sling TV offers channels rather than individual shows. The basic Orange package comes with about 30 cable offerings, including A&E, the Food Network, and TBS, but limited broadcast TV. In some markets Fox and NBC are available and Univision is part of the Blue package. Orange and Orange-and-Blue plans as part of the $5-per-month Broadcast Extra add-on pack. Of course adding premium channels is possible, for example HBO or Showtime. That accounts for an extra $10 to $15 per month.

Useful information: Since launching of the NBA League Pass a $29-per-month add-on is possible which lets fans enjoy out-of-market games. Additional NBA Team Pass is possible a separate plan that lets you get out-of-market games for a single NBA team. This costs $18 per month on top of a Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and/or Spanish-language services plan.

Price: Sling Orange costs $20 per month; Sling Blue costs $25 per month; A combined package costs $40 per month; Add-on packs cost $5 to $10 extra per month; 5. Amazon Prime

Benefits: With a $99 year subscription you can access Amazon original services with thousands of popular shows from around the world. You can even get a free Kindle book every month and free two-day shipping on the purchase. Amazon features over 40,000 titles of live streaming, but only small number of those can be found in the Prime streaming. It also allows offline downloads, so if you want to catch up on some old shows when you have extra free time, you can simply download it to your tablet and start watching.

If this isn’t the case you can also enjoy other programs like Transparent, Alpha House, and Mozart in the Jungle. Recently, they have added a selection of comedy and other children programs resulting from a deal with Viacom which controls MTV, Comedy Control, and Nickelodeon.

Useful information: Amazon Prime Video is available in many countries besides the US: Canada, Australia, Mexico, the UK, France, Italy, Spain etc. You can enjoy watching it on a number of supported devices such as Apple TV, Android, Smart TVs, Kodi, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Xbox, and PS4.

Price: $119 per year or $13 per month; A video-only subscription costs $9 per month.

6. Acorn TV

Benefits: If you are in love with British TV then Acorn TV is the ideal choice for you. Browsing the content library on Acorn TV, you’ll come across current TV shows, feature films, documentaries and exclusive content. Every Monday new episodes of current shows are added in the database. You can browse through the archive and find past seasons of viewer favorites like Poldark, Doc Martin, and Midsomer Murders.

Useful information: With an internet connection and a supported device, you can watch some of the most popular British programs and Acorn exclusives the classic ’80s comedy series “Alfresco,” which kick-started the careers of actors and actresses like Hugh Laurie, Emma Thompson, and Stephen Fry. You can access Acorn TV on the following devices: laptops, desktops, and tablets with browsers, iphone, android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV. It is available in the U.S. and Canada as well. Recently Acorn TV became available on Comcast’s Xfinity X1 cable box, accessible via Xfinity on Demand and on the go via the Xfinity Stream app. Price: $4.99 per month, $49.99 per year.

7. CBS All Access

Benefits: CBS All Access is featuring CBS-only shows both live and on demand. Suitable for cord-cutters who are looking for major-network fare.The service provides full-length episodes of CBS programs, and live programming streams of local CBS affiliates in total of 124 markets. CBS All Access has complete back catalogs of most of its current popular series.

Useful information: Roughly speaking according to CBS there are now 2.5 million subscribers to CBS All Access. You can also watch CBS original shows like The Good Fight, The Good Wife, and The Big Bang on demand. There is also possibility to get access to shows that air exclusively on CBS All Access, like for example, Star Trek: Discovery. Sport lovers can enjoy NFL matches including including Thursday Night Football with the All Access app. The fun part is that all Amazon Prime members can get the ad-free CBS All Access package with their Amazon Prime membership.

Price: $9.99 a month for an ad-free subscription; $5.99 a month for a limited commercials subscription.

8. DirecTV Now

Benefits: Anyone who wants over the top services but not a satellite dish. DirecTV Now is limited to two simultaneous users at a time. You can watch DirecTV Now on a lot of devices that have an Internet connection and can stream video. Many smart TV sets now have that capability but if you have an older television, you can use a streaming attachment – Roku, Amazon Fire TV Google Chromecast – to give it internet capabilities.

Useful information: The company has now included a guaranteed cloud DVR, which is incorporated into the cost. The free version offers the option to record up to 20 hours of video for 30 days. In the event that that is insufficient, you can pay an additional $10 every month to increase storage to 100 hours, and keep recordings for 90 days. Another new deal: paying additional $5 a month to get a third synchronous user.

Price: There are four packages: Live a Little: 60+ channels, $35/month; Just Right: 80+ channels, $50/month; Go Big: 100+ channels, $60/month; Gotta Have It: 120+ channels, $70/month

9. Hulu

Benefits: Hulu is for cord-cutters who hate missing out on broadcast TV but love staying up to date with current productions.The service offers hundreds of seasons and thousands of episodes from major networks plus their original content. Hulu covers shows from networks such as ABC, Fox, and NBC but it also has libraries like the memorable “Seinfeld”. Original content includes titles like “The Path” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Useful information: Hulu recently signed a deal with DreamWorks Animation for the exclusive streaming rights to upcoming DWA feature films, as well as titles such as “Shrek,” “Shrek 2,” and “Shark Tale”. From 2019, the service will also get new theatrical releases, including “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” and “Trolls 2.” Hulu has also signed a deal with Sony for the on-demand streaming rights to “The Good Doctor.” A third season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” is secured as well. It is available on any Android or iOS device. The experience on smartphones and tablets is amazing, with smooth playback and sharp resolution.

Price: $8 per month with ads; $12 per month without ads. 10. Showtime

Benefits: Perfect for Showtime series fans. Very similar to HBO Now, Showtime allows you to watch a cable network without the cable. You have access to all of Showtime’s movies, plus original shows such as “Billions,” “Homeland,” and “The Affair.” Showtime offers streaming Hollywood movies plus its own original content. Showtime’s original series include “Homeland”, “Ray Donovan”, and “The Affair”, plus proven hits like Dexter.

For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at: Free sports Channels, movies online, online streaming tv, soplayer App TV, free movies online.

0 notes

gigslist · 3 years

Text

24 Film Jobs and Casting Calls - SF and Worldwide

Paid and unpaid. The unpaid gigs looked interesting.

Casting Two Female Actresses For A Short

Location New York City, New York

Genre Action / Adventure

Deadline Aug 14, 2021

Casting two female actresses (height 5'2 to 5'8) race is unimportant, age range 18 to 35 to play leading actor's girlfriend. Script is already written, second half has been shot and edited. This is a pay job. Contact: [email protected] Please only serious inquiries.

==================================

Wanted: 2 Female Actors For Lgbtq Short

Seeking Actor

Location Los Angeles, California and Hollywood, California

Status Development

Type Short film

Genre Female-driven • Romance

Deadline Oct 23, 2021

About the job

WANTED: Two female Actors for LGBTQ Short “My Gabrielle.” Where SAMI (25) shy, poet, androgynous, falls in love with GABRIELLE (23) who is tall, thin, mocha skinned African American beauty. Her hair in long ringlets, (or braids) cascades down her back. Gabrielle is a Las Vegas showgirl and dances in a chorus line. Sami got her MFA in creative writing, is a poet, and drives a motorcycle.

“My Gabrielle” is a 10-page short to be filmed in Hollywood. Two locations. Two actors. Would like to film as soon as possible, but willing to wait to find the perfect actors.

Please email Melissa at: [email protected] with your resume, headshots, and link to your reel.

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Office Assistant

Seeking Assistant Production Office Coordinator

Location Studio City, Los Angeles County, California

Status Post-production

Type Episodic

Genre All genres of TV • Television

Deadline Jan 29, 2022

About the job

DigitalFilm Tree, a post and production veteran

facility in Los Angeles, is a leader in cloud based dailies, remote editorial and finishing, VFX, archival services and on site/in house needs. We are an authority in cyber security for media & entertainment with ongoing R&D efforts that have contributed meaningful software applications to our community. As a multi talented collective of thought leaders, DigitalFilm Tree is hoping to add another super hero to our team - the glue of our team, the Office Assistant!

The role of DFT's Office Assistant encompasses a myriad of duties, from keeping phones, deliveries and pick ups covered, to keeping the facility sanitized every hour for the health and safety of our minimal on site staff, while pivoting quickly when one of those staff members has an urgent or client facing need. This role will also directly support and be an extension of our Chief Operations Officer who supports and serves every single department - flexibility, fast on your feet, clear and concise communication are critical to this role. If you love ''The West Wing,'' you're going to love working with our COO. Seriously, don't be shy about sending your long winded essays about the critical role Charlie played in the Bartlet Administration.

Soft Skills we seek:

• Interdisciplinary: meaning we all possess more than one strength across the scope of facility needs (i.e. our CTO is also our Senior Colorist, our Director of Content is also an authority in billing and data security, our Online Editor is also one of our content producers, etc.)

• Clear Communicator: Context is incredibly important to us. Because of the large scope of innovation we put forward, teams could easily lose track of what hand is doing that impacts the other. We prioritize efficiency, but never at the cost of leaving anyone in the dark.

• Endlessly Curious: While we respect the advancement being made outside of DFT, we know we have an incredibly gifted team of people in house who are and have built some of the most progressive M&E platforms in use on cutting edge shows. So we're constantly learning, building, breaking, battle testing and imagining new solutions for our client partners and do our best to remain brand and workflow agnostic.

What we're looking for in this role (in addition to comfort with the above):

Working in a fast-paced and busy facility, the Office Assistant is responsible for managing the heavy rotation of calls, deliveries, upkeep of common areas, ordering lunches, planning office events (on site and remote) to honor staff birthdays, holidays, etc. They also manage supplies for facilities management like kitchen, bathroom and printing needs.

Responsibilities Include:

• Significant project management in keeping track of receipts, office supplies, team preferences, birthdays, in bound deliveries (like media drives and machinery) and ensuring we never run out of supplies for the kitchen, bathroom, printers, and basic office supplies (i.e. pens, paper, post its, etc.)

• Phones - you are both a gate keeper, protecting the time of all those on site, as well as the very first or only touch point someone may have with our company. How you speak to people matters and we need to know we can trust you with our people and how we're being represented to anyone turning to us for support.

• Security Cameras and property awareness falls to the Office Assistant who is one set of eyes on our cameras. You'll alert various team members should their be an issue on property, you'll issue guests security badges (when we actually have guests again), and you'll be mindful of our neighborhood to ensure we're being a good member of our tiny Cahuenga community.

• Learn. Yep, that's a responsibility. We cannot teach ambition. Most folks at DFT have grown immensely from their first day to where they are now, with a large number of our team having been with us for over a decade. The number one responsibility of any DFT'er is to stay curious. Every single job here matters. Every single job here supports someone else on the team. We are interdependent and interdisciplinary.

• Covid Safety Protocols: You temperature check every employee and guest to DFT as well as sanitize surfaces and door handles every hour. You handle and sanitize inbound packages (packages are placed on the floor inside our door by vendors and you use a sanitizing spray gun to disinfect before touching with gloves). You ensure that everyone in office is wearing a mask at all times unless alone behind a closed door (most folks have a door at DFT).

• Billing Support: the Office Assistant provides a necessary hand to our accounting department, by facilitating weekly scanning and filing of financial documents, managing and filing receipts, and copying/scanning any additional financial documentation required.

• Honoring and supporting team members. Their birthdays should matter to you deeply. This is a hard enough time to try and connect, we want to make sure that our people know they're seen, valued and cared for - not everyone loves a big hulabaloo, but everyone does appreciate knowing they matter.

• Coffee. We cannot stress this enough. You're going to need to make a mean cup of coffee. This office is full of admitted coffee snobs with a borderline consumption problem.

• Lunches, Dinners, Catering - you'll be responsible for our twice weekly on site lunches (which may increase to 3x during busier seasons) and dinners for those working late - both lunches and dinners are also often extended to our team working from home, so you'll place orders you never see, but also need to check in with staff after delivery to ensure all went well and they're not left to solve for issues with their meals. Catering and holiday meals are generally organized through a vendor for us to offer as a pick up and re/heat at home (i.e. Thanksgiving were meals from Gelson's catering, Christmas we offered Whole Foods meals and ensure GF, Vegan, Allergies are accounted for with each person). Food is a love language we take seriously.

Experience & Education:

• High end hospitality background preferred.

• Media & Entertainment background a strong plus.

• Billing or accounting strengths are helpful.

• Direct support of a management role - having to anticipate needs - very helpful.

• Project management experience a strong plus.

If the above sounds like you and you're looking to join one of the strongest and most innovative teams in town, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation: Range and categorization (salary versus hourly) DOE Dog friendly office / Fully or mostly paid

health insurance (depends on your choice of plan) / PTO One Medical service for ongoing Covid tests as well as virtual care and dedicated, on time visits with on site labs / Parking / Twice a week fitness sessions (virtual w/ trainer) / WFH often possible / Lunch provided 2-3x per week.

Please attach your resume and tell us a bit about yourself in the email. It would help us to know:

1) What is the most effective way you've found to show people you care and are genuinely interested in supporting their goals?

2) Are you comfortable working on site, regularly sanitizing surfaces, providing your Covid vaccination card and taking Covid tests?

3) What is one movie you think best represents what it means to be a great team player and/or assistant?

======================================

Actor

Seeking Actor

Location San Antonio, Texas

Status Production

Type Episodic

Genre Comedy

Deadline Aug 6, 2021

About the job

Casting call. Unpaid but will get IMDB credit. Looking for a real-life acting couple to play these parts below.

Filming in San Antonio, TX but you can be located in any city as filming will be done remotely.

Mr. Campbell-30s to 40s. Socially awkward. He is trying to be more confident in the bedroom with his wife but he’s a little frightened by her.

Mrs. Campbell-30s to 40s. Bubbly and very outgoing. Loves her husband but annoyed he doesn’t want to indulge in her solicitous bedroom antics.

Email your headshot, reel and resume to [email protected] and [email protected]

===========================================

Videographer

Seeking Videographer

Location Montréal, Canada

Status Production

Type Internet project

Genre Documentary / Docuseries

Deadline Sep 7, 2021

About the job

Looking for a videographer with equipment for a web docuseries. The details are:

Estimated shooting days: 5.

Estimated schedule: September 3rd to September 7th.

Location: Montréal, Canada

Task: Filming and derush of minor corrections of files if necessary.

Includes: Rental, installation, and handling of equipment.

Please send portfolio and cv at [email protected]

==========================================

Crew Up And Create A New Entertainment Source

Seeking Crew, Actor, Editor and Director of Marketing & Distribution

Location Washington, D. C., Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California and New York City, New York

Status Development

Type Internet project

Genre News

Deadline Jan 28, 2022

About the job

Hey Everyone,

I am looking to build an Entertainment News source with a hungry team that wants to create something that would be also theirs. I am looking for Anchors, writers, editors, and more to help create this vision. With 20 years of working with networks, I have access to footage, interviews, and behind-the-scenes content that will make our channel unique and stand out. I would love to set up a small crew for a meeting and talk about what we can build together.

This position isn't paid but all would have equal rights to the project and as the project grows and creates monetization, we'd all share equally.

I am doing this because I love storytelling and would like to have a channel that would focus more on the art and not on the "Jen and Ben are back together!" moments.

I've done a soft launch test on Facebook: https://fb.watch/715u4FsSDu/

========================================

Vfx-Artists For Star Wars Fan Film In Denmark

Seeking Compositor, Concept Artist, Storyboard Artist and Visual Effects Artist

Location Copenhagen, Denmark

Status Post-production

Type Pilot

Genre Action / Adventure • Drama • Fantasy • Sci-Fi • Indie • Independent

Deadline Sep 8, 2021

About the job

SHROUDED DESTINY: A STAR WARS LONG TALE - FAN PRODUCTION IS LOOKING FOR VFX-ARTISTS, CONCEPT ARTISTS AND MORE! (PRO BONO):

What is this?

"Shrouded Destiny: A Star Wars Long Tale" is the world's biggest independent fan film made in Denmark!

With more than 350 volunteers having lent their talents to the making of this 70 minutes pilot episode, this is an unsolicited pitch to Lucasfilm and Disney in the effort to get a meeting with the topfolks at Lucasfilm to meet myself and the producers to create an entirely original story in the Star Wars Universe!

Starring actors like International Emmy-Award winner, Lars Mikkelsen (House of Cards, Sherlock Holmes, Ride Upon The Storm); stunt performer Laûren Okadigbo (Justice Leauge, Wonder Woman, Krypton, Ready Player One); Magnus Bruun (The Last Kingdom, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla) and others, the fan film is a "pilot" aimed at showing the visual style and storyline in a small part of the planned 8-season storyline that takes place in the years 550-510 BBY. Imagine the scale of Game of Thrones; the meticulousness of The Wire, and the dysfunctional family relations of Breaking Bad spiced with the violence of The Raid, and you have an idea of what this film is all about.

What do you need?

We've finished filming and are currently looking to recruit people in two areas: Immediate post production and creating illustrations for a Virtual Production Pitch Presentation.

The post work includes things like:

Keying

Matchmoving / camera tracking

Houdini DOPs

All-round compositors

If you have skills in these departments, why not send our VFX-supervisor, Peter Rongsted, an e-mail at [email protected] with an application?

We really want to engage people who are ambitious about their lives and their careers and are willing to set the time matching said ambitions to come work with us. This is a stepping stone for so many of us on this production and we're eager to make it a stepping stone for as many people as possible! Like every single soul working on this production, it is an unpaid assignment.

If you don't fit into the post-production categories we're looking for right now, send an email anyway. We're sure we'll be able to find something for you anyway.

For the Virtual Production Pitch, we're looking to emulate the style of "Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj", where illustrations of characters and environments are playing in the back, as we present the story of the film.

It's an insanely ambitious endeavor and we hope that you as an illustrator, concept artist or Storyboard Artist can see the logic of being attached to a project, where the end goal is to have your work seen by the biggest folks in the film industry.

If you feel like this could be something down your alley, send an email to: [email protected] and we'll continue the conversation there. :-)

What do I get out of this?

Since a paycheck currently isn't in play, this project has to make sense to you on a different scale.

We want to put this film out this year (Covid has already post-poned it more than a year) and this will offer you credits on a film that will most likely be viewed by millions of people via YouTube, since we're not selling this film, but merely working on a very over-zealous proof of concept.

So you're in that point of your career, where you have the talent and time, but don't have the jobs right now and are looking to add things to your portfolio and you're not afraid to put forth ideas that you believe will strengthen the final product.

Whatever time you have to offer, we'll gladly take, whether it's a few hours a day, a week or full-time commitment, we appreciate you. :-)

You might just also be a really huge Star Wars fan and are ambitious of one day working for Disney or Lucasfilm and want to be able to get an in somehow. This project might be it, if you're not in the near vicinity of getting hired by a company working for them. :-)

=========================================

Actors, Sound

Seeking Actor, Boom Operator and Makeup Artist

Location Anchorage, Alaska

Status Pre-production

Type Episodic

Genre Horror

Deadline Jan 19, 2022

About the job

Hi, this is strictly for fun. Just throwing this out there to see if anyone's interested with date TBA. We've just finished a fun, short horror film that we're proud of & would like to shoot a web series from it. We've already got quite a few eps written. Think Supernatural meets Stranger Things. *Actors need comic timing. This is not a paid job, but food will be provided. You must be in the area, have training at least. We prefer experienced actors. We have an experienced crew & equipment. The set will be 100% safe. Please tell anyone you think might be interested! Thanks.

Contact me at: [email protected] - Kym

=====================================

Screenwriter Looking For Fellow Screenwriter

Seeking Screenwriter

Location Chicago, Illinois, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Wheaton, Illinois and Downers Grove, Illinois

Status

Genre Thriller / Suspense / Mystery

Deadline Jan 23, 2022

About the job

Screenwriter available with whom I can collaboratewith Seeking to team up with someone to come up with new ideas, Putting strong hook in five pages.of the script looking for a fresh perspective for my ideas

50/50 split. writing new Movie Script. I have allots of new ideas for that.

If interested you can massage me here or Email me [email protected] or any other location you are at.

======================================

Texas Snowstorm Victims

Seeking Actor and Crew

Location San Antonio, Texas, Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas

Status Pre-production

Type Documentary

Genre Historical / Biopic / True-stories

Deadline Sep 1, 2021

About the job

Looking for REAL PEOPLE who were impacted by the Texas Snowstorm 2021 for documentary to be shot in early September.

AND CREW.

Message [email protected]

=====================================

Writer For Science Fiction Tv Show For Stream

Seeking Screenwriter

Location Brooklyn, New York

Status Development

Type Television

Genre Drama • Sci-Fi • Television

Deadline Aug 15, 2021

About the job

New York Production Company is seeking an experienced TELEVISION writer that writes Dramatic Science Fiction and who can think outside of the box. . This is NOT A REMOTE JOB. We are located in Brooklyn, NY and you will be required to report to location for the writer's room/ work each day. For this job, there is no zoom interview and it is not a zoom job, you would have to come in person for the interview. On-site Hours: Monday-Friday, 11am-7pm This project lasts for 1 month. Compensation: $660 per week We cannot stress enough that this is NOT a remote job. We need someone as soon as possible, ready to work, with open availability. If you have any doubts, please do not apply. Qualifications: - Must have at least 5-6 years experience writing drama and SciFi - Must have at least 5 years of experience writing for SERIES! as member of the writing team, you will be working to complete the entire first season of a SciFi television show for online streaming. This means you MUST: -Be able to write, organize, and intertwine multiple plot lines and character arcs in a way that is real, appealing, and that does not create plot holes. -Be fantastic at scene creation. -Be meticulous with taking notes. We depend on our writers to accurately follow and update series bibles. Whatever is verbally created in writer's room meetings MUST make it onto paper! -Be punctual! Arrive on time for work each day and meet all deadlines. -Be creative, openminded, and a team player. -All writing, but especially something as fantastical as science fiction, works best when the writer is able to open their mind to all possibilities. - You must be ego-free, and be able to throw an idea out completely in order to facilitate a better one. Please submit Cover Letter, Resume, Samples of your EPISODIC work to [email protected]

=================================================

Screenwriter

Seeking Screenwriter

Location East Lansing, Michigan

Status Development

Type Short film

Genre All genres, all formats.

Deadline Sep 17, 2021

About the job

OVERVIEW: The Department of Theatre is looking for original short film script submissions for consideration of production in May of 2022. This is an annual film production opportunity in collaboration with the students and faculty of the Department of Theatre. If selected, your script will go through the entire production process: Development, Pre-Production, Principle Photography, Post-Production, and Distribution (submitted for film festivals in the professional category.)

You are expected to be available (either in person or via video conference) for two development meetings in Fall Semester 2021, and one in early Spring Semester 2022. These are primarily for script notes, which are also expected to be addressed.

Submissions will be accepted now through September 15th, 2021.

SCRIPT GUIDELINES: Scripts should be between 10 - 20 pages in standard screenplay format. There must be 7-10 roles in the film (think ensemble pieces). The characters should be aged between 16 - 30 years old. No driving with dialogue scenes. Some stunts are okay, but should be relatively limited. Limited special effects requirements. Limited visual effects requirements. No period pieces at this time. Open to a variety of genres or styles as long as it adheres to the guidelines above.

SELECTION PROCESS: Each script will be read by the Film Initiative Selection Panel. Final notifications will be made by October 15th 2021.

COMPENSATION: The writer of the selected script will receive a $500 honorarium.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Please complete the Form Submission (https://forms.gle/koH25cp6BkA7...) and attach your screenplay with no identifying information. These are blind submissions, meaning, the pdf of your script should not have your name on the cover sheet or any other part of the document. Make sure your script includes a title page with the title of the film only. Global majority, female, and LGBTQI+ strongly encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions, please email Ryan: [email protected]

================= ========================

Voice Over Artists And Actors

Seeking Voice Artist

Location Paris, France

Status Post-production

Type Feature film

Genre Drama • Female-driven • Horror

Deadline Sep 1, 2021

About the job

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for V.O artists, actors or anyone willing to help me out on my first feature "CONFINED" (you can check out the movie on my page for more infos), entirely funded with personal funds.

- I have 9 positions to fill (male or female) for American-English V.O: Journalist 1 (3 Lines) / Journalist 2 (3 Lines) / Journalist 3 (5 Lines) / Paranoid Dude (4 Lines) / US Official (4 Lines) / Journalist 4 (6 Lines) / Journalist 5 (5 Lines) / Evangelist ( 6 Lines) / Journalist 6 (4 Lines)

- I have 2 positions to fill (male or female) for Asian (can be any Asian language) V.O: Journalist 1 (2 Lines) / Asian Official (1 Line).

If you're interested by the roles, please contact me on here or at [email protected]

Thanks so much in advance for your help.

Louis.

========================

Development And/Or Creative Executives - Pane

Seeking Director of Marketing & Distribution

Location Miami, Florida

Status Development

Genre All genres, all formats.

Deadline Aug 30, 2021

About the job

FILMSTOCK EVENTS "where talent meets opportunity"

FILMSTOCK is the first of it's kind as the only industry expo offering in person meetings with agents, casting directors, film distributors, show runners and vendors and other industry professionals. Our date for the first annual FILMSTOCK is set for November 13th 2021 right in the middle of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF).

Our vision is not a Sundance or a Tribecca Film Festival but a Business Industry Expo which I know is the first of it's kind. I am not talking about a networking event where everyone there is simply talking nonsense claiming to be in the business.

I am talking about professional and industry leaders from Photographers, Videographers, Industry Organizations, Graphic Artists, Make-up, Wardrobe, Set Design, Casting Directors, Soundstage Production House owner / operators, Kraft food services, executive transportation services, etc. These individuals / vendors will all be in the main lobby area where they have each purchased a table for the day at a cost of $79. Tables are standard six foot table with access to power, where they will display a banner ad or backdrop.

SPEEDCASTING -We are the first to offer a face to face live in person slate where Actors pay a fee to do a 10 minute monologue or just who they are to a panel (2 to 4) of Casting Directors and Agents. 3 hours 1pm to 4pm allows us 18 Actors to do their thing in front of the pros to hopefully get picked up. When an Actor registers he / she must upload a media bin, headshots, resume and if they plan on performing a monologue it cannot exceed 5 minutes.

PITCHFEST - Same as above only now we have independent film makers pitching their project. They have already registered with a Treatment, Teaser, etc and they get 10 minutes to tell their story in hopes that a panel (2 to 4) of Distributors / Investor Producers may just give them a shot. Same time slots of 10 minutes each over 3 hours same = 18 pitches.

We have broken down the above with a general admission day ticket $25. All Access VIP ticket for $199 and in between for those interested in only the Pitchfest or Speedcasting a lower priced ticket. Door Prizes / raffle of high end electronics already in house donated from industry related companies such as Lume Cube.

NOTE - we are compensating the above professionals each $100.00 for their time on site open to close 12 noon to 4 pm paid at days end and they must be on site before 12 noon call time to set up .

Between social media, the coordination and support from FLIFF we expect a few hundred in attendance between 11 am and 4 pm that day.

Sara Rogers is our CEO and has a huge following in the industry with over 40 years experience. Also included in this email is Rion Heldibridle our CFO and actively involved with Artserve in Sunrise Florida where the event will take place on Saturday November 13, 2021 along with Lou Silver, the COO with over 30 years experience in marketing and promotion and business development.

Lou Silver, COO (954) 895-5801

Sara Roger, CE0 (786) 247-7761

FILMSTOCK EVENTS

==================

Help With Writing Script

Seeking Screenwriter

Location Mission Viejo, California and Los Angeles, California

Status Development

Type Television

Genre Drama

Deadline Dec 17, 2021

About the job

I need help writing my script. If you know anyone who can help me out, I’d appreciate it. You can reach me at +13108632713 or [email protected]

===================

Cast, Crew and Admin Wanted

LocationLos Angeles, California StatusDevelopment TypeFeature film GenreSci-Fi • Action • Romance

The storyline

One day a young man discovered the meaning of Kleroterion, the ancient Greek model of elections of the rulers. From that point on, he tries to rearm “The Kleroterion” based on an Artificial Intelligence.

Actors

Development department

Production management department

Craft department

Technical department

Post-production department

Sales and distribution department

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXOGVN93x60UHa-GSxV1-T58blaHT1QaSA_EApyGLtl_BdjA/viewform

=================

Dop And Editor (Collaboration Only)

Seeking Director of Photography

Location Guwāhāti, India

Status Development

Type Feature film

Genre Drama • Female-driven • Independent • Romance

Deadline Aug 31, 2021

About the job

Hi, I am all set to shoot my second feature film "MINI" by second half this year . Looking for DOP and editor who can come as collaborators only . I can give rights accordingly . Feel free to write to me at [email protected] for more details .

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7961313/

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Nonbinary Social Media Take On Romeo & Juliet

Seeking Screenwriter

Location Los Gatos, California, New York City, New York and Los Angeles, California

Status Development

Type Episodic

Genre Drama • Romance

Deadline Nov 25, 2021

About the job

SEARCHING FOR WRITER TO TACKLE NON-TRADITIONAL TAKE ON ROMEO & JULIET

I’m the Director of Content Development for Sideway - an innovative new streaming service that uses the mechanics of social media to tell fictional stories - and we are looking for a writer to develop a new, gender nonconforming version of Romeo and Juliet for our platform. If you have any kind of direct, personal connection to nonconforming gender praxis, or fall anywhere on the LGBTIAQ+ spectrum, this is the gig for you. If you are a straight white guy, probably not.

A little more about the platform itself: Sideway is a mobile-only app that resembles a social media app in how it’s navigated, but populated by fictional characters rather than real people. Each show on Sideway takes place within an entirely simulated social world, complete with video chats, DMs, posts, likes, comments, all of which make up the stories told.

In bringing this new version of Romeo & Juliet to life, we are hoping to retain as much of the original text as possible, while at the same time not being sacred about prudent dramatic changes. That said, the framework of the story - the setting, character relationships, world and texture - are entirely up to you. It needs to be set in the present day, given the nature of the app itself, but all other aspects of the story are open to creative interpretation.

Please submit resume and a brief pitch to [email protected]. Am happy to discuss the concept, platform, compensation and expectations further, and answer any and all questions.

Happy writing!

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Open Theatre Auditions: Ben Hur (Brixham, Dev

Seeking Actor

Location Brixham, United Kingdom

Status Production

Type Theatre

Genre Action / Adventure • History • Faith-based / Inspirational • Drama

Deadline Aug 29, 2021

About the job

OPEN THEATRE AUDITIONS We are casting all roles in a regionally touring, plus globally streamed production of Ben Hur Auditions for all roles on Sunday August 29th 2021, at 1pm onwards at our home rehearsal base of Chestnut Community Centre, 1-3 Poplar Close, Brixham TQ5 0SA (this is as long as Covid restrictons allow. If they do not, we will be conducting alternative auditions online using Zoom) * Actors must be based in/ near Devon, UK. (Rehearsals - as long as Covid allows - are in Brixham, Devon), * All roles open for casting. * Paid profitshare as minimum (funding for higher cast/crew payments actively being sought) plus portfolio material. * Many roles being cast "genderblind". * All ethnicities needed and welcomed. *We do not charge you anything to audition or work with us. Download the full audition information pack from https://www.southdevonplayers.com/auditions.html SYNOPSIS: Based on the famous novel by Lew Wallace, and brought to life by strong, memorable characters, both male and female, Ben Hur is set in the first century AD. Judah Ben Hur, a young nobleman of Jerusalem, a city under the occupation of the Roman Empire, is framed for the attempted murder of the Roman governor, by his erstwhile closest boyhood friend, Massala, now a Roman commander. Sentenced to life as a galley slave; a sentence which usually led to death within months, Judah survives, and after a pirate attack on the Roman navy in the Agean sea, travels to Rome a hero, having saved the life of the Roman commander in his escape. He once more returns to Jerusalem, seeking his mother and sister, who were imprisoned for the same attack, and finds no trace of them. He does however, find Massala, and blinded by rage, challenges Massala at the annual Roman “games”. Massala is killed in the Games, with his dying breath, reveals to Judah that his mother and sister were in fact released and driven from the city as lepers. With all hope, and all lust for revenge, gone, Judah is lost, but fate is not finished with him. He eventually finds his mother and sister, who are miraculously healed by a preacher, who has recently come to the city. A historical action drama set in Biblical times, interwoven with the life and death of Jesus Christ, who appears twice in the drama, this is ultimately a powerful tale of hope and love, set within the dramatic and often brutal times of the Roman Empire. We are a female-led theatre company based in the beautiful fishing port of Brixham, in Southwest England, to create top quality local opportunities for local creatives to create work in theatre, and to bring new productions to audiences across the South of England. Founded in 2005. Creating internationally awardwinning theatre based on historical events (including new writing) and stage adaptations of classical literature. Breaking down barriers to participating in theatre for actors, crew, and audiences alike. We love to hear from new prospective actors, creatives and audiences at any time, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, or experience. www.southdevonplayers.com www.facebook.com/sdevonplayers www.twitter.com/sdevonplayers email: [email protected]

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Actors: Act From Home - Online Table Reads

Seeking Actor

Location Los Angeles, California, New York City, New York, Chicago, Illinois and London, England

Status Development

Type Live event

Deadline Sep 12, 2021

About the job

ONLINE TABLE READS - We pay actors to bring scripts to life! Your voice can help a writer experience their work in a different way. Does the dialogue work? Do the twists and turns actual twist and turn?

Go to https://onlinetableread.com/ to apply for ongoing positions.

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Screenwriter Writing Partner

Seeking Screenwriter

Location Chicago, Illinois and Wheaton, Illinois

Status

Genre Thriller / Suspense / Mystery

Deadline Sep 11, 2021

About the job

Someone I know seeking Writing Partner is asking to bonce ideas back and fourth. Make script workable putting strong hook in 5 pages. Make script vary intresting.

If intrested send me email [email protected] ty

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Dancer And Performer

Seeking Dancer

Location San Francisco, California

Status Pre-production

Type Music video

Genre Music • Musical • Indie • Experimental • Fantasy • Mystery

Deadline Sep 11, 2021

About the job

Hi everyone,

I am directing and producing a music video for an indie singer and songwriter. I am looking to find female and male dancers (ballet or modern dance).

If you are interested in collaborating, please contact me.

[email protected]

Niloo Asadi

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Editor For A Short Teaser

Seeking Editor

Location Stockholm, Sweden

Status Pre-production

Type Promo

Genre Crime

Deadline Sep 10, 2021

About the job

Looking for an editor with great skills and has significant experience.

We will be shooting a promo of 1-2 min length ( Max ) If you have a editing reel please send it.

Open to worldwide applicants.

Send to [email protected]

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Actors

Seeking Actor

Location Denver, Colorado

Status Pre-production

Type Short film

Genre Horror

Deadline Oct 31, 2021

About the job

Dark Park Films Presents: Reign of Vibrant Screams: Tales of Cosmic Horror Director- Gino Alfonso Ginome Films Fresh Cola Four preteen friends go out in search for a new hot soda, called Fresh Cola with some bizarre side effects Short - Unpaid This is for an anthology series that will be released in January filming for 2 days sometime in Nov - (masks will be worn on set when not shooting and six feet apart and temperatures will be taken upon arrival on set) Need - kids ages 12 Mia - Hispanic - 12 Chris - African-American - 12 Jake - Caucasian - 12 (sandy blond hair) Katie (Jake’s sister) 12 (sandy blonde hair) Mom (30’s) of Jake and Katie Dad (30’s) of Jake and Katie Curtis - Store clerk any age adult any ethnicity Please email headshot/resume and if you have a reel - to [email protected]

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cmbynreviews · 6 years

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Luca Guadagnino on the music of his movies, and why he had to have Sufjan Stevens for “Call Me by Your Name”

Luca Guadagnino makes sumptuous movies, and so he needs sumptuous music for their soundtracks. The Italian director has used the works of Sufjan Stevens, the Rolling Stones, and, often, American composer John Adams to elucidate the emotions his impressionistic camera draws from his actors. In his latest film, Best Picture contender Call Me by Your Name, this includes a heartbreaking scene of a young man staring into a fire, crying, while one of Stevens’ original songs plays over the crackle of the flames. The rest of the film varies wildly from that deep moment, whether it’s excellent skanking soundtracked by the Psychedelic Furs or Bach performed on the piano as seduction.

To further understand how he thinks about music (and, honestly, to fan out about John Adams), we called Guadagnino to discuss what music has meant to his life and his films. Clearly the pairings are paying off: Just today, Stevens was nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars, for “Mystery of Love.”

Pitchfork: Call Me By Your Name begins with John Adams’ “Hallelujah Junction” playing over the title credits, and I Am Love’s soundtrack is entirely Adams’ music. What is it about his music that you love? Luca Guadagnino: I discovered John Adams’ music in 2005, when I was editing a movie in Spain. It was my birthday, and the legendary Gareth Whigham, an executive from Sony who I was working with, gave me, as a present, “Naive and Sentimental Music" by John Adams. I put the disc in the CD player, and suddenly when those first notes, dun dun dun started, I immediately got completely kidnapped by the musical world of John Adams. Since that first epiphany, I started to dig in to him. I started to look for everything that I could find recorded by John Adams, and I became a sort of an encyclopedia of what he has done as a musician.

There is something Wagnerian and also something minimalist into his music, which I found very fantastic because he just goes beyond the strict rules the minimalists gave to themselves. The world of the music of John Adams is a world that comes with a very great package of intellect that I found fantastic. It comes with a capacity of interpreting reality, interpreting the history of the reality, interpreting the history of the United States, and understanding even the boundaries of music to become a cunning exploration of the identity of human nature and the politic relationship that ties all us in. I can’t think of how to put it differently.

John Adams comes to me constantly. I can say to you that really that moment in 2005 was transformative and changed my life as a director forever. The ambition I have, that I blush in speaking it out with someone, is that maybe, one day, John Adams will compose a soundtrack for me.

How did you end up using his music for your 2009 film, I Am Love? I started to work on the shoot with his music. We edited the movie with his music and then we faced the brutality of the fact that we didn’t have the rights to his music. What we did is that Tilda Swinton [who stars in the film] wrote him a letter and he replied. He said, “I’m happy to see your film.” We showed the movie to him, and at the end of it he turned to us and he said, “Fantastic. I’m happy. And I also want to ask you if you can put music by John Adams in the main title?” Which is something that I really wanted to do, and I didn’t dare to ask, but he asked himself.

How did that feel? It felt fantastic.

So many of your films involve the piano, either in the script or on the soundtrack. What is your relationship with that instrument? I don’t know. I’m not an expert. I go through music in a way that has to do with my instinct, by the way. I like the concept of piano as a dialogue. There’s a great, beautiful album by Ryuichi Sakamoto called “Back to the Basics”, in which the great, legendary Sakamoto reflects on his own roots that you see in Ravel; he creates this beautiful piano poem that is completely inspired by that great French musician. I found, in that work, the sum of what I feel is piano for me, which has to do with dialogue. It’s a dialogue. In fact, in Call Me by Your Name, we have extensive usage of piano because those notes, in a way, are the interior and exterior dialogue between Elio and himself, and Elio and Oliver.

When you were Elio’s age, what were you listening to? I was listening to soundtracks. I think I was listening to Sakamoto.

Was that a cool thing to listen to when you were 17? My absolutely dear... I don’t understand the concept of being cool. I have been seeing a lot of people basically going through their lives in the attempt of being cool. I don’t know what that means. I can’t think of myself as striving for coolness. I think I’m the most uncool person in the room. Always have been, and maybe even proudly so. No, I would have never, ever, ever, ever done something for the reason of trying to be cool or because it’s cool. I did it because I loved it. In 1987, I went to see The Last Emperor, which is Bertolucci’s nine-Academy-Award winner. I’ve been blown away by the movie and by the soundtrack, which was David Byrne, Cong Su, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. I bought myself the CD, I played it and played it. That Sakamoto, I think probably nobody knew that I was listening to him because I basically was listening to Sakamoto in the solitude of my bedroom. I did it because it was a sort of deep inspiration for me, again.

The reason I ask that is because Elio wears that Talking Heads shirt throughout the film, and you have this feeling that he’s wonderfully of two minds, one more classically minded and intellectual, and one where he just wants to be a kid and feel excited about rock music that’s young. What you listen to helps define who you are at that age. Absolutely, I agree with you. But I don’t think that someone who is in academia who is going through an upbringing in the classical world is necessarily devoid of intellect for the pop world. I don’t think that Elio, being the bright young man who wants to be a great pianist, who is invested in culture because he lives in a world of culture, has learned that culture is an elitist thing that shuts off everything else and only gives life to just the high art. I think what he has learned, as a kid interested in culture, is that culture is the complex element that makes our life what it is, which includes everything. A speech. The body of someone you desire. The music of the Talking Heads. The leaves on a tree. Everything. I think the great mistake we would do as people, and for me as a filmmaker, is to say that to be invested in the classical world means that you are not invested in the real world. They are part of the world at large.

Why did you want Sufjan Stevens to write original music for Call Me by Your Name? I believe Sufjan is one of the greatest American artists. Someone pointed out his music to me six years ago and I got to be enamored with his voice. Then the more I delved into his canon, the more I detected the greatness of his lyrics, the complexity of his body of work.

His song “Visions of Gideon,” which plays over the end credits, is so crucial to the movie, it’s like the song and that scene couldn’t exist without the other. In the script, you have a line at the end saying, “Elio stares at the fire and thinks of his life.” It was always in my mind that he tended to be with one shot. I also thought about putting different kinds of songs in that moment. This was before I got the music from Sufjan. Then Sufjan showed me these songs. I was one week into shooting and I listen to the songs. I was with my editor and with Armie and Timothée, and we were shocked by the beauty, commitment, and attitude in these songs. So we immediately felt that “Visions of Gideon” was the perfect song for this moment in which Elio thinks of his life. When we shot the scene, I put the earbud in Timothée’s ear and played the song for him.

There is very prominent dancing in both Call Me by Your Name and A Bigger Splash, your 2015 film. How did the Bigger Splash scene with Ralph Fiennes dancing to the Rolling Stones, which is now pretty legendary, come together? Well, there was a great line in the script that Dave Kajganich wrote, in which he said, “Dance, it is life.” We see the way he dances. That was our guideline for me and Ralph Fiennes.

Did you like “Emotional Rescue” before the movie came out? I couldn’t stop listening to it after I saw the movie! You’re asking me if I like the song? Of course! I have complete control over my work. I would never put a song in a movie that I don’t think is a great thing to be doing.

What about the dancing in the Italian clubs in Call Me by Your Name? How much was that choreographed? We had a consultant that created the movements for the crowds. We had kids that were playing kids of the ’80s, but they were kids of the 2000s. Armie created his own choreography and he adapted that to the historical precision, and then Timothée jumped in and made it his own, which was great. It’s a mixture of historical accuracy and hubris.

Do you like to dance? If I’m drunk, I do. But I don’t drink a lot so it’s something that’s happened, I would say, three times, four in my life. The last time that I was drunk and I danced was at the party for Call Me by Your Name.

What were you listening to? I DJ’ed and I put just ’80s music, from the famous international ’80s pieces to the tacky, tacky, tacky, tacky Italian music of the ’80s.

Were you a big Italo disco fan in the ’80s? No, I was more interested in the pop music of the ’80s – Mina, Patty Pravo, Loredana Berté – that we use in this film, that are possibly the typical brand of upbringing for a young gay guy, in Italy. But that, I understood afterwards.

MATTHEW SCHNIPPER | PITCHFORK | 23 Jan 2018

#Call Me by Your Name #Guadagnino #timothee chalamet #armie hammer #reviews #james ivory #andre aciman #CMBYN #Elio #Oliver #Perlman #Chiamami col tuo nome

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